Mophie Charge Stream Pad+: Why plug-in charging for smartphones may soon be obsolete

The Mophie pad+ delivers optimized wireless fast charge power to Samsung, Apple, and other Qi-enabled smartphones

Wireless charging has been a reality since 2015 when Samsung first introduced the technology as a basic option with the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. Since then, Qi wireless charging has achieved mainstream consumer adoption and is now found in most of today’s popular smartphones. Charging stations have also infiltrated airports, public venues, office buildings, restaurants, hotels, and even cars.

Why is this important? As smartphone technology improves, consumers get faster processors, crisper displays, and increased storage. But these advancements all tax the same resource— battery life —which, for most people, continues to be one of the most important aspects of a smartphone. As a leader in portable power and wireless charging, Mophie’s charge stream pad+ delivers the optimal amount of power to both Samsung and Apple Qi-enabled devices for a quick and easy fast charge experience. Charging begins the moment you set your phone on the pad. The charge stream pad+ even charges through cases up to 3mm thick. Wireless charging has never been this easy or this fast.

Mophie’s approach to wireless charging makes plug-in charging obsolete. If you’re exhausted at the end of the day, just place your phone on the charge stream pad+ on your nightstand or do the same to top off your battery throughout the day. No need to plug in any cords. The high-tolerance components operate in silence, so you can continue with your day or charge throughout the night without distractions. And the low-profile design fits any environment perfectly, whether you choose to charge at home or at the office.

The charge stream pad+ is powered by an impressive 12 volts at 1.5 amps and it comes with a QC 2.0-compatible wireless adapter and a 1.5-meter Micro-USB cable. It has a clean, streamlined style with a soft-touch finish. Its rubberized non-slip pad protects phones from scratches and provides a stable surface to quickly charge. Its lightweight, compact design travels well, so you can charge while on the road. Foreign object detection also communicates with your phone, ensuring that power is only sent to compatible wireless devices.

The Mophie charge stream pad+ is compatible with Apple, Samsung, and most Qi-enabled phones. With an impressive 5W/7.5W/10W output (universal/Apple/Samsung adaptive fast charge respectively), it’s perfect for people with mobile lives who don’t have time to fuss with cables or wait around for a charge.

See at Mophie

Deals Reminder: MacRumors Exclusive Twelve South and RAVPower Sales End Friday

A few weeks ago, MacRumors shared news of exclusive sale partnerships with Twelve South and RAVPower, both of which will be ending this Friday, June 15. Each sale offers savings on useful Apple accessories, including desk organization products from Twelve South and charging devices from RAVPower. As a friendly reminder we’ll briefly recap the sales below, so be sure to check all of the items discounted with our exclusive promo codes and then place your orders before the end of June 15.

Our collaboration with well-known accessory company Twelve South allows you to enter the promo code MacRumorsSetups to get 20 percent discounts on five items that are aimed at decluttering your Mac workspace. We launched the sale in conjunction with Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference last week so that developers can save a little money on upgrading their desk, but of course any of our readers can use the code if interested.

Head to our full post on the sale for more information on shipping and item descriptions, then check out the Twelve South products discounted below:

• BackPack – $27.99, down from $34.99

• BookArc – $39.99, down from $49.99

• Curve – $39.99, down from $49.99

• BookBook Vol. 2 – $63.99, down from $79.99

• HiRise 2 (Non-Deluxe and Deluxe) – Non-Deluxe for $31.99, down from $39.99; Deluxe for $47.99, down from $59.99

In our other exclusive sale, RAVPower offers a collection of exclusive promo codes to our readers that includes discounts of 50 percent off a battery case for iPhone 6, 35 percent off the RAVPower Fast Wireless Charging Pad for iPhone X and iPhone 8, and more. You can find all of the items on sale and their exclusive promo codes in the list below, and you’ll have until 11:59 p.m. PT on June 15 to claim them.

Visit our full post on the sale for more information and then browse all of the RAVPower accessories on sale below:

• 7.5W Fast Wireless Charging Pad – $25.99 with code RUMORSPC034, down from $39.99

• 7.5W Fast Wireless Charging Stand – $35.99 with code RUMORSPC069, down from $45.99

• 60W 5-Port USB Power Delivery Charger – $29.99 with code RUMORSPC059, down from $39.99

• 3,000 mAh Extended Battery Case for iPhone 6/6s – $9.99 with code RUMORS045, down from $15.99

• 16,750 mAh 4.5A Dual USB Output External Battery Pack – $22.99 with code RUMORS010, down from $31.99

• Power Strip 6-Outlet Surge Protector with 2 USB Ports – $11.99 with code RUMORSPC009, down from $15.99

• Lightning Cable, 2-Pack 3ft 6ft Apple MFi Certified iPhone Cables – $11.99 with code RUMORSLC010, down from $15.99

For more discounts happening this week, head to our full Deals Roundup.

Related Roundup: Apple DealsTags: Twelve South, RAVPower
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ElcomSoft’s Latest Tool Can Allegedly Access iMessages in iCloud, But Only in Extreme Circumstances

Russian company ElcomSoft today claimed that the latest version of its Phone Breaker software can remotely access iMessage conversation histories stored in iCloud, although there are several strings attached.

Namely, the person attempting to extract iMessages from an iCloud account would need the following before being able to do so:

• Elcomsoft Phone Breaker version 8.3
• The associated Apple ID email and password for the iCloud account
• The passcode, if an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, or system password, if a Mac, of at least one device on the account enrolled in Messages in iCloud, which requires iOS 11.4 and macOS 10.13.5 or later
• Access to a two-factor authentication method, such as a trusted secondary device, which may or may not have the same passcode or system password, or a SIM card for a phone number that has been authorized to receive one-time verification codes via SMS

It’s worth noting that if the perpetrator has obtained physical access to at least one of your trusted secondary devices, and its passcode, they would be able to read at least part of your iMessage history regardless by simply opening the Messages app.

Apple obviously cares very deeply about the security of its customers, but if a bad actor has gained access to another person’s Apple ID credentials, your passcode, and at least one of your Apple devices, or your SIM card, there arguably isn’t really much the company can do at that point to protect you.

That’s why it’s so important, as Apple routinely stresses, to set a strong password for your Apple ID, not share that password with others, enable two-factor authentication, and keep careful possession of your devices. It also helps to set a strong alphanumeric passcode on an iOS device, rather than a four-digit one.

Apple says iMessages are protected with end-to-end encryption, and notes that messages can’t be accessed by anyone without your device passcode. As an additional safeguard, Apple requires that users have two-factor authentication turned on for their Apple ID accounts to enable Messages in iCloud.

ElcomSoft’s tool seems to be taking advantage of the fact that, if iCloud Backups are turned on, a copy of the encryption key protecting iMessages is included in the backup, according to a support document on Apple’s website:

If you have iCloud Backup turned on, a copy of the key protecting your Messages is included in your backup. This ensures you can recover your Messages if you’ve lost access to iCloud Keychain and your trusted devices. When you turn off iCloud Backup, a new key is generated on your device to protect future messages and it is not stored by Apple.

Given the extenuating circumstances required, the vast majority of users shouldn’t have anything to worry about. But it’s a good reminder to maintain strong security practices on all of your devices to stay safe.

Tags: security, iMessage, ElcomSoft
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Valve Removes Game Purchasing Option From Steam Link in Hopes of App Store Approval

A few weeks after Apple rejected Valve’s planned Steam Link app due to App Store review guideline violations related to in-app purchases, among other things, the company has made a key change to the app in hopes of getting it approved.

Namely, in the latest beta version of Steam Link on TestFlight, Valve has removed the option to purchase games within the app. Instead, the app now informs users that games are available to purchase on a PC, or Mac, according to Eli Hodapp, editor-in-chief of MacRumors sister website TouchArcade.

Moments ago, Valve pushed out an updated version of the Steam Link app to TestFlight testers which […] removed the ability to buy anything through the actual app itself. When you connect to your PC via the Steam Link app and browse the store, the button you used to be able to push to buy things has been changed to say “Available to purchase from your PC.”

Shortly after Steam Link was rejected, Apple’s marketing chief Phil Schiller explained that it had “discussed these issues with Valve” and would “continue to work with them to help bring the Steam experience to iOS and Apple TV in a way that complies with the store’s guidelines,” in an email shared by MacStories.

Steam Link app now says games are available to purchase on PC
Steam Link, unveiled early last month, will allow users to stream Steam games to an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV from a Mac or PC via a 5GHz Wi-Fi network or a wired Ethernet connection. The app, originally set to launch May 21, will include support for both the Steam Controller and Made for iPhone controllers.

In his hands-on last month, Hodapp said the app works so well that “it feels like there’s some kind of actual wizardry powering it all.”

If you’re the kind of person who is always hungry for “real” PC-like game experiences on your Apple device, but have been dismayed by the amount of junk on the App Store, you can basically delete everything else but the Steam Link app. I’m still dumbfounded by Apple apparently allowing this on their platform, as I could see a very real situation where many people just straight up stop buying things from the App Store and exclusively purchase Steam games through Valve instead.

Valve hasn’t specified when it will resubmit Steam Link to Apple for reconsideration, and it remains to be seen if the change will satisfy Apple’s guidelines, but it sounds like the app is one step closer to being released on the App Store.

Tags: TouchArcade, Valve, Steam
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Apple Store Gains Exclusive Accessories From Cycling Brand Rapha

An exclusive collection of backpacks, messenger bags, sleeves, and more from cycling brand Rapha is now available from the online Apple Store and, starting tomorrow, Apple retail stores.

Apple recently started carrying a selection of cycling gear like the SmartHalo Bike System and the Lumos Smart Bike Helmet, and it’s now expanding that lineup with Rapha’s accessories.

The Rapha collection includes accessories that range from a $130 Mini Messenger Bag to a $150 Convertible Backpack to $65-$70 sleeves for the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iPad Pro.

All of the accessories are available in blue, black, or yellow with perforated accent striping, and are made from what Rapha says are “high-quality hardest-wearing Italian fabrics” that have been treated with Durable Water Repellent and “tested in extreme conditions.”

The Mini Messenger Bag and the Backpack include magnetic clasps that are designed to allow the bags to be attached to the handlebar of the bike, while the device cases include padding to keep your iPad or Mac safe. All accessories also have AquaGuard zippers in addition to the water repellent treatment to make them rain and spill resistant.

Apple’s full selection of Rapha-branded accessories are available from the online Apple Store starting today.

Tag: Apple retail
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Hands-on: The controversial Xiaomi Mi 8 offers incredible value for money

Xiaomi announced the Mi 8 a couple of weeks ago, sporting some specs that would probably make you raise an eyebrow.

The Mi 8 comes in three variants: First up, the “regular” Xiaomi Mi 8, then the Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition, which is very similar to the Mi 8, but comes with a see-through glass back, pressure-sensitive in-display fingerprint scanner, and 3D face unlock. Finally, the Mi 8 SE is a cheaper, smaller variant with a 5.88-inch screen and Snapdragon 710 processor, versus the 6.21-inch/Snapdragon 845 on the larger Mi 8 and Mi 8 Explorer Edition.

That is some serious bang for your buck, and comes in at a price that undercuts even the likes of OnePlus 6.

The standard edition of the Xiaomi Mi 8 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 6GB of RAM, up to 256GB of storage and a 3,400 mAh battery for a base price of around $420 (for the 64GB model). That is some serious bang for your buck, and comes in at a price that undercuts even the likes of OnePlus 6.

The ~$575 Explorer Edition is the model you should really be looking at though, because it adds a couple of features that you’ll only find in a handful of phones on the market right now.

Here’s what you need to know about the phone as we take a quick Xiaomi Mi 8 hands-on look.

The Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition features an in-screen fingerprint reader, which is something we’ve only seen on a the Vivo X21 and one or two other devices. This fingerprint reader is pressure sensitive too, so the phone will only scan your finger when you press down on the display. Xiaomi tells me this should significantly help save on battery life, since the phone will not have to be scanning for a fingerprint constantly.

The other addition to the Explorer model is a 3D face-scanning mechanism similar to the one found in the iPhone X. It uses infrared light to make a 3D map of your face, and is able to identify the user much accurately than solutions that use the front-facing camera. Thanks to the infrared emitter, this mechanism can also be used to do portrait lighting effects and animated characters similar to the Animoji on the iPhone X.

Xiaomi Mi 8 specs

In a way, the Xiaomi Mi 8 is the ultimate iPhone clone. The notch is verysimilar, the dual 12 MP camera setup on the back is in almost the exact same placement as the iPhone X, and the standard black and white colorways look just about as close to an iPhone X as you could get.

The standard black and white colorways look just about as close to an iPhone X as you could get.

The Mi 8 Explorer Edition has generated a significant amount of controversy over the last couple of weeks. The back of the device is transparent to seemingly show the components. As it turns out, the placement of the components shown may not be truly representative of what’s actually inside the phone. Instead, Xiaomi says it’s used a “decorative overlay” in order to showcase how artful technology can be. In other words, the components you can see under the glass are just for show. The real, less pretty ones are underneath the decorative ones.

For just $420, it’s hard to find flagship-level specs anywhere else on the market.

For your reference, here’s the Mi 8 Explorer Edition next to the HTC U12 Plus, which actually shows its real components beneath its translucent back.

Controversy or not, the Xiaomi Mi 8 still looks like a great device. For just $420, it’s hard to find flagship-level specs anywhere else on the market.

What are your thoughts on the Xiaomi Mi 8? Is the Explorer Edition piquing your interest? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

‘Surgery in a pill’ may offer diabetics an alternative to bypass surgery

It’s no secret that the people are getting wider, heavier, and less healthy. Sloppy diets, lackluster exercise routines, and seemingly insurmountable daily stresses have led to an epidemic of “lifestyle diseases,” conditions caused by the way people live rather than the genes that make them up.

One of the most prevalent of these conditions is type II diabetes, afflicting tens of millions of Americans an imposing an annual cost of over $174 billion, according to the Center for Disease Control. If the problem goes unchecked, as many as a third of American adults could have diabetes by 2050.

Gastric bypass surgery has showed promise for diabetics — but it’s a major procedure with a host of potential complications and requires that a patient have a body mass index of at least 40. As a result, not a whole lot of patients opt in. Of the American’s who qualify, less than one or two percent undergo the operation.

But a study out this week in the journal Nature Materials offers a different approach that could prove to be a viable and less-invasive alternative to surgery. Simply by swallowing a pill before breakfast, lunch, or dinner, patients with type 2 diabetes may be able to coat their intestines with a thin layer, protecting them from blood sugar spikes.

“We envision a pill that a patient can take before a meal that transiently coats the gut to replicate the effects of surgery,” Jeff Karp, a Brigham and Women’s Hospital researcher who worked on the project, told Digital Trends. “During the past nine years, we’ve been working on this idea and have developed a safe gut-coating material that can potentially mimic the beneficial effects of gastric bypass procedures in the form a pill.”

Karp and his team needed a substance that could both coat the intestines and completely dissolve after its protective job was done. They settled on an FDA-approved substance called sucralfate, used to treat gastrointestinal ulcers. By engineering the compound further, they ended up with a substance they’ve called Luminal Coating of the Intestine (LuCI). Once ground into a dry powder, LuCI can be packaged into a pill.

Given to rodents, LuCI formed a thin layer over the animals’ intestines, providing a barrier for three hours from nutrients and helping regulate their blood sugar levels.

“LuCI can be activated in any part of the gastrointestinal tract … to form a temporary physical barrier that isolates that part of gastrointestinal tract,” Karp explained.

Moving forward, the researchers aim to test the substance for its long-term impact in a diabetic model. They hope to expand these trials to humans within the next year or two, with a best-case scenario seeing the treatment come to market in five years.

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Samsung has made a very big promise for 2020, and it’s not for the Galaxy S12

Samsung says it’s committed to using 100 percent renewable energy to power its key factories, offices, and other facilities by the year 2020. The company plans to reach this target in the United States, Europe, and in China, all of which it says are, “well-equipped with infrastructure for the development and transmission of renewable energy.”

In its home country of South Korea, Samsung is also working with the government on a plan to up the use of renewable energy nationwide by 20 percent over the coming 12 years. While it hasn’t gone into detail about how it will meet the international renewable energy goals it has set out, there is more information on its efforts at home.

This year, Samsung will install a lot of solar panels. At its Suwon, South Korea headquarters a massive 42,000 meters squared of new panels will be erected, followed by another 21,000 meters squared of panels at the beginning of 2019. This second wave, along with geothermal power, will provide energy for its Pyeongtaek buildings, and a year later the Hwaseong facility.

Samsung understands any efforts it makes will be more effective if it’s joined by other companies. In 2019, it will work with 100 of its main partners to implement renewable energy plans, and to assist in meeting targets. It has also become part of the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Renewable Energy Buyers’ Principles, which helps businesses to achieve energy goals, joining other tech companies including Microsoft, Cisco, HP, AMD, Intel, and Google.

Greenpeace, a vocal critic of Samsung’s environmental policies, called the announcement, “a major step forward,” and noted that 17 of Samsung’s 38 global factories fall into the regions where it will switch to renewable energy. It also states only 1 percent of Samsung’s current energy consumption comes from renewable sources, showing the challenge Samsung has ahead of itself with the promise.

Once it has converted over to renewable energy in these regions, Samsung will be closer to matching archrival Apple’s renewable energy claims. In April, Apple said all its global facilities were powered by 100 percent clean energy, including not only its huge Cupertino campus, but also its retail stores and data centers. It also works with 23 suppliers that produce Apple components using 100 percent clean energy. Google also offset its entire 2017 electricity use through purchases of renewable energy from solar energy and wind farms.

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Samsung has made a very big promise for 2020, and it’s not for the Galaxy S12

Samsung says it’s committed to using 100 percent renewable energy to power its key factories, offices, and other facilities by the year 2020. The company plans to reach this target in the United States, Europe, and in China, all of which it says are, “well-equipped with infrastructure for the development and transmission of renewable energy.”

In its home country of South Korea, Samsung is also working with the government on a plan to up the use of renewable energy nationwide by 20 percent over the coming 12 years. While it hasn’t gone into detail about how it will meet the international renewable energy goals it has set out, there is more information on its efforts at home.

This year, Samsung will install a lot of solar panels. At its Suwon, South Korea headquarters a massive 42,000 meters squared of new panels will be erected, followed by another 21,000 meters squared of panels at the beginning of 2019. This second wave, along with geothermal power, will provide energy for its Pyeongtaek buildings, and a year later the Hwaseong facility.

Samsung understands any efforts it makes will be more effective if it’s joined by other companies. In 2019, it will work with 100 of its main partners to implement renewable energy plans, and to assist in meeting targets. It has also become part of the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Renewable Energy Buyers’ Principles, which helps businesses to achieve energy goals, joining other tech companies including Microsoft, Cisco, HP, AMD, Intel, and Google.

Greenpeace, a vocal critic of Samsung’s environmental policies, called the announcement, “a major step forward,” and noted that 17 of Samsung’s 38 global factories fall into the regions where it will switch to renewable energy. It also states only 1 percent of Samsung’s current energy consumption comes from renewable sources, showing the challenge Samsung has ahead of itself with the promise.

Once it has converted over to renewable energy in these regions, Samsung will be closer to matching archrival Apple’s renewable energy claims. In April, Apple said all its global facilities were powered by 100 percent clean energy, including not only its huge Cupertino campus, but also its retail stores and data centers. It also works with 23 suppliers that produce Apple components using 100 percent clean energy. Google also offset its entire 2017 electricity use through purchases of renewable energy from solar energy and wind farms.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google makes good on promise to offset 100 percent of its electricity use
• Tesla’s giant Australian battery reduced service costs by 90 percent
• The University of Hawaii is on its way to being entirely solar powered
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• Neeo Smart Remote review

Mozilla goes all-in on voice commands with its latest browser concept

Mozilla, the maker of the Firefox web browser, is trialing a new browser concept called Scout. The new web navigation tool will have one intriguing feature over its flaming vulpine cousin: Voice support. The idea behind it is to make the entire browsing experience one that can be controlled and enjoyed through vocal commands alone.

With the growth of smart assistants like Siri, Cortana, and Google Now, alongside smart speakers like Amazon’s Echo hardware, voice support is becoming increasingly common and is seen by many as the next step in human-technology interaction. Mozilla’s Scout browser is an attempt to bring that level of hands-free interaction to the web browsing experience.

Announced at a talk in San Francisco, ironically called “All Hands,” the Scout browser is designed to go beyond the “limitations and confines of existing platforms.” It is said to be in the very early stages of development, as CNET reports, but a well-integrated vocal command system has the potential to increase Mozilla’s browser usage among those with limited sight who are forced to rely on screen readers with existing browsers.

Mozilla’s talk was aimed at laying out the design principles required for such a browser, including the key technologies and architecture that would need to be put in place to make Scout a reality. Any kind of public release is likely months or even years away at this point.

Over the past few months, Mozilla has made several efforts at modernizing its Firefox browser in an attempt to recapture some of the browser market that remains dominated by Google’s Chrome. Its launch of Quantum has proved to be a moderate success, and new features like password-free logins and increased performance on multiple-core processors have also met with positive feedback from users.

While we’d still rank Chrome as the best web browser today, Firefox offers very stiff competition and is easy to recommend over other popular choices like Microsoft’s Edge browser and some of its antiquated Internet Explorer releases. While we don’t know whether Scout will be able to take a place among that pantheon of greats, it certainly has the potential to stand out.

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