Wireless chargers, Bluetooth headphones, hard drives, and more are on sale today

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

We found plenty of great deals today that include big discounts on wireless chargers, Bluetooth headphones, 2TB hard drives, and more! Time’s running out to take advantage of these prices, so hurry!

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If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!

Google Pixel 3: News, Rumors, Release Date, Specs, and more!

Everything we know about what’ll likely be one of the year’s best phones.

Google first introduced its Pixel series in 2016, and since then, has been hard at work to establish itself as a serious player in the smartphone market. Google may be one of the most powerful and iconic companies in the world, but when it comes to hardware, is still very much a newcomer.

We saw vast improvements with the Pixel 2 compared to the original Pixel line, and we’re expecting to get that again with the Pixel 3. Google’s quickly learning what it takes to compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple, and seeing as how the Pixel 2 was one of 2017’s best phones, there’s a lot riding on this year’s entry.

Ladies and gentlemen, here’s everything we know so far about the Google Pixel 3.

May 30, 2018 (part 2) — Verizon is said to be the exclusive carrier for the Pixel 3, again 😕

A report from Bloomberg recently surfaced confirming a few details about Google’s upcoming phones per a source that’s familiar with their production. According to the report:

• The Pixel 3 series will once again be exclusive to Verizon Wireless in the U.S.
• A notch will be present on the larger Pixel 3 XL
• Google will announce/launch the phones in October
• Foxconn will manufacture the Pixel 3/3 XL
• Stereo speakers will be present on both phones
• The Pixel 3 XL will have dual front-facing cameras
• “Both models will include upgraded, single-lens cameras on the back”

May 30, 2018 — LG will reportedly manufacture the Pixel 3 XL’s OLED display

Just a couple days after the Pixel 3 XL’s notched panel leaked, a report’s come out of Korea claiming that Google will once again use LG to manufacture and supply an OLED screen for the phone.

Furthermore, an official from LG Display that remains anonymous said, “We have maintained close ties with Google and the volume will not be much different from the previous one [the Pixel 2 XL].”

If this turns out to be true, one can only hope that LG’s improved the quality of its mobile panels since last year. The LG-made Pixel 2 XL display was the center of a lot of controversy for the phone’s first few weeks out in the wild, and Google really can’t afford to go through that again with gen-three.

What do you think about LG making the Pixel 3 XL’s display?

When will the Pixel 3 be released?

In 2016 and 2017, Google held its hardware event on October 4. We don’t have a concrete date for this year’s event quite yet, but there’s no reason to believe Google will deter from this pattern.

Another October 4 event isn’t out of the question seeing as how that falls on a Thursday this year, but at the very least, we should be looking at some point in early October.

Pre-orders for the Pixel 3 will likely open shortly after it’s announced that same day with shipments going out at least a couple of weeks later.

How much will the Pixel 3 cost?

Over the past couple years, pricing for Google’s Pixel phones has remained mostly the same. The MSRP for the Pixel and Pixel 2 series is as follows:

• Pixel w/ 32GB — $649
• Pixel w/ 128GB — $749
• Pixel 2 w/ 64GB — $649
• Pixel 2 w/ 128GB — $749
• Pixel XL w/ 32GB — $769
• Pixel XL w/ 128GB — $869
• Pixel 2 XL w/ 64GB —$849
• Pixel 2 XL w/ 128GB — $949

I imagine we’ll see similar numbers with the Pixel 3, but don’t be too surprised if we get a Pixel 3 XL variant that crosses the $1000 threshold.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

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Review: BMW’s CarPlay and Qi Charging Support Offer a Convenient All-Wireless Setup, but Subscription Plan Remains Questionable

While CarPlay has become very common in cars over the past several years, most manufacturers are still relying on a wired implementation that requires the user to plug his or her iPhone in using a Lightning cable connected to one of the vehicle’s USB ports.

The first and only car manufacturer to adopt wireless CarPlay so far is BMW (including its MINI brand), although Mercedes recently announced wireless CarPlay coming later this year. On the aftermarket front, Alpine is offering one solution that supports the feature, while Pioneer has just announced a few models of its own.

One common justification for the slow adoption of wireless CarPlay has been that the car is an easy place to charge your phone, so it pays to plug it into your car to top off the battery while you’re driving. But with Apple’s latest iPhones supporting Qi wireless charging and more car manufacturers starting to include Qi charging pads as options on their vehicles, we thought it would be worth taking a look at how such a setup works in the real world.

BMW’s Plant Spartanburg
BMW recently invited me down for a tour of Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina, which is BMW’s largest plant in the world and produces 1,400 vehicles per day from the X3, X4, X5, and X6 lines. I also got to take part in the Performance Center Delivery program at the BMW Performance Center, a program that is typically available to anyone who purchases a new BMW and elects to pick it up at the factory.

Off-road course at BMW Performance Center
During the program, an instructor introduced me to the capabilities of some of the company’s cars, including Dynamic Stability control on the skid pad, ABS handling in panic braking situations, and general vehicle handling on a road course. A follow-up off-road experience in an X3 offered a taste of high-water driving, climbing, descending, moguls, and more. After that, I was oriented on a 2018 X3 M40i and sent off on my own time to test out its capabilities, focusing on the CarPlay integration with BMW’s iDrive infotainment system.

2018 BMW X3 M40i
As far as CarPlay goes, it’s a fairly standard experience, as Apple primarily controls how the feature functions. On the X3, CarPlay requires the Premium or Executive tier with a widescreen 10.3-inch display that also supports onboard navigation (the standard center display is 6.5 inches), the CarPlay interface takes up the left two-thirds of the screen while a split screen function allows you to display one of a number of widgets such as current audio selection, vehicle information, or other options on the right side of the screen.

Center display with CarPlay in split screen

Wireless CarPlay

Where BMW’s CarPlay implementation differs from nearly every other manufacturer is that it’s entirely wireless. In fact, wired CarPlay isn’t even supported in BMWs, so setup is just a bit more complicated than you might be used to, but the pairing process to get things up and running is still pretty simple.

Pairing for wireless CarPlay happens over Bluetooth for ease of initial data transfer, but the actual CarPlay communication happens over Wi-Fi for a stable, higher-bandwidth connection. It’s remarkably convenient to just hop in the car and have CarPlay pop up on the screen without having to take your phone out of your pocket.

CarPlay pairing over Bluetooth
One inconvenience of the wireless-only CarPlay implementation in BMWs is that it’s harder for guests to use their phones with the system. If you’re in the car every day, it’s a minor inconvenience to spend a minute walking through the pairing process the first time you set it up. But for a guest who may only be in the vehicle once, either as driver or passenger, you have to go through that pairing process to add his or her phone to the vehicle rather than simply plugging the iPhone in and granting CarPlay permission.

Wireless Charging and Hotspot

If you’re going for a longer drive, you might want to charge your phone while you’re in the car, and that normally means plugging in a Lightning cable. It’s another accessory to remember, a split second of finickiness as you get the cable plugged in, and then the actual cable draped over your dashboard or center console while you’re driving. Some vehicles offer a tidier solution where you can store your phone away while plugged in, such as in the center console, but that too takes a few extra steps.

With the $500 wireless charging and Wi-Fi hotspot option on the X3, you’ve got a convenient wireless charging pad located right at the front of the center console. You can just toss your phone down onto it, and it begins charging while wireless CarPlay pops up on the display. A small status light near the front edge of the charging pad shines blue while charging and red if things aren’t quite right like the alignment is off.

iPhone X on Qi charging pad with status light at front edge
In practice, I found the charging surface quite forgiving in terms of placement, and only once did I run into a red light situation with improper device alignment. The charging surface is plenty large, with even a Plus-sized iPhone in an Apple case fitting with room to spare.

Even Plus-sized iPhones fit comfortably
Charging speeds leave a bit to be desired, however, as I typically found the charging pad only able to maintain or slightly increase the battery level during use. For example, during one 90-minute drive while using Apple Maps via CarPlay, the wireless charger in the X3 was only able to boost my iPhone X battery from 46 percent to 54 percent. Taking time to ensure optimal alignment of the phone with the charging pad might yield a bit better results, but if you’re looking for a quick charge this isn’t the way to go. Still, it’s better than allowing your phone to run down on a long road trip as you’re using it for maps, music, and more.

The vehicle will also warn you if you’re about to leave your phone in the car on the charging pad, sounding a chime and popping up a warning on the dashboard as you exit the car if a device is still on the charger. It’s nice to have a reminder, but I found it sounding a bit too often simply because it takes a second for the charger to recognize the phone has been removed. So if you’re like me and the last thing you do before opening the door is grab your phone, you’ll still get an occasional warning because the car hasn’t realized the phone has already been picked up.

There’s one other quirk that stems from the wireless CarPlay setup that’s related to its use of Wi-Fi to make the connection. When you’re using wireless CarPlay, you can’t also connect the phone to the car’s Wi-Fi hotspot, as the phone’s Wi-Fi connection is already being used. If you try to connect to the hotspot, your iPhone will prompt you that you need to disconnect from CarPlay.

It’s not a huge deal, as vehicle Wi-Fi hotspots are most useful for devices that don’t have their own cellular access. In fact, you may even have your car as a separate line on the same account as your phone, in which case the data is likely all coming from the same bucket anyway, regardless of whether you’re using a direct cellular connection on the phone or routing through the Wi-Fi hotspot.

BMW’s Wi-Fi hotspot service is provided by AT&T, and the X3 comes with a free trial lasting three months or 3 GB, whichever comes first. After that, you’ll need to subscribe either on a standalone basis or by adding it as a line to an existing account.

CarPlay Subscription Pricing

BMW has generated some controversy with its recent shift in pricing model for CarPlay support. Initially, CarPlay was a standalone $300 option on BMW vehicles, but with the 2019 model year, BMW is shifting to a subscription model. Instead of a separate upfront option charge, CarPlay support is included in any of the packages that support navigation, but only for one year. After that, you’ll have to sign up for a subscription priced at $80 per year.

The controversy unsurprisingly centers around this shift to a subscription model, which on the surface appears to make little sense considering there are no ongoing costs to BMW associated with the feature. Once the hardware support for CarPlay is included in the vehicle, it just works, which suggests an upfront fee should be the obvious way to charge for CarPlay.

As BMW tells me, however, the subscription model offers owners more flexibility as technology rapidly evolves. For one, many people who own or lease cars only keep them for a few years, so the subscription model ends up being cheaper than a $300 upfront fee for these users, particularly with the first year free.

Including CarPlay support in all BMWs with navigation also makes it easier for owners to add the service in the future if they decide they want CarPlay or if the vehicle changes owners. A simple software unlock will activate CarPlay once a subscription is purchased, which will even be possible straight from the ConnectedDrive Store right in the car.

Now, I may be in the minority of car owners, but I tend to keep my vehicles for ten years or more, which would make the shift to a subscription model a bad deal for me, so it would be nice if BMW offered the option of a flat fee or a subscription.

Better yet would be if CarPlay was simply part of the navigation package with no additional charges required at all. It would mean non-CarPlay users would be paying for a bundled feature they won’t use, but at some point it’s worth keeping things simple and just grouping it all together in one package. The incremental cost of supporting CarPlay for manufacturers must be relatively small, as it’s available even in fairly low-priced cars at this point, although BMW’s wireless CarPlay implementation likely costs them a bit more.

iDrive

BMW’s iDrive system has been around for over 15 years and is currently on version 6. Over the years, it’s generally regarded as having become one of the most intuitive and best-looking infotainment systems available from car manufacturers, which is a welcome contrast in a field where many manufacturers do a very poor job.

The iDrive system offers three main ways to interface with the system, including the large touchscreen (a recent addition for BMW), a Nuance-based voice assistant, and the iconic iDrive controller knob within easy reach next to the gearshift on the center console.

iDrive controller knob next to gearshift
There’s actually even a fourth way of performing some functions, and that’s Gesture Control that lets you wave your hand near the dashboard to do things like turn volume up or down and accept or decline phone calls, but it’s rather gimmicky when you’ve got buttons for those functions right at your fingertips on the steering wheel. With 360º camera views around the car, you can even use pinching gestures to pan around the vehicle, but again, the real-world usefulness here is pretty minimal.

360º views
BMW’s voice assistant works quite well, and both BMW’s assistant and Siri are invoked using the same button on the steering wheel – a quick press activates the BMW assistant, while holding the button brings up Siri.

Assistant/Siri button at bottom right of right-side cluster
The iDrive controller knob is a convenient and powerful control mechanism that allows for a wide variety of inputs within easy reach. The knob itself turns like a dial to scroll through options (including through various interactive buttons in CarPlay), and pressing the knob down registers your selection. The knob can also be rocked forward, backward, and side to side to quickly navigate through the various menu hierarchies.

Text entry unsurprisingly leaves a bit to be desired, as each letter must be selected from a rotary display, but even here BMW has simplified things by making the surface of the knob touch sensitive so you can quickly draw the desired letter with your finger. Either way, text entry is slow and clunky, so you’re definitely going to want to use voice input if possible.

Text entry by drawing on top of controller knob
Surrounding the knob is a series of buttons for media, communications, menu, map, options, and a back button. Those will quickly take you straight to the corresponding popular functions, and they even intelligently integrate with CarPlay so that, for example, if you’ve been using Apple Maps in CarPlay, hitting the Map button will take you there. But if you’ve been using the onboard navigation, the button will pop up that feature.

The main iDrive 6 display consists of a series of six cards offering functions like media/radio, communications, navigation, vehicle data, notifications, and Connected Drive app services like weather, news, Yelp, and more. The cards can be rearranged as desired.

iDrive main screen
Navigation works quite well, with traffic support and several different viewing options. If you want to dedicate the entire 10.3-inch display to navigation, you can do that, and you’ll see a wide panoramic view of the route in front of you.

iDrive navigation in widescreen mode
The Premium tier and above include a heads-up display, which projects your vehicle’s speed and the current speed limit onto the windshield in the lower portion of your field of view. It can also pop up audio options as you change stations or sources from the steering wheel, so you don’t have to take your eyes off of the road. Finally, it will also show upcoming turns when using the built-in navigation system, and that’s one important reason why you might want to use BMW’s navigation system rather than CarPlay.

Heads-up display with speed and navigation

Wrap-up

BMW already offers a solid infotainment system in the form of iDrive, but CarPlay provides another option for those users embedded in the Apple ecosystem. With wireless CarPlay and Qi charging support built into the vehicle, everything is nearly seamless, and it’s hard to overstate the convenience of having CarPlay just work every time you step into the car. Having to plug in a cable doesn’t seem like much of a hurdle, but it’s one more thing to think about and an extra few seconds of fumbling when you’re just trying to get where you’re going.

All of this convenience doesn’t come cheaply, however. BMW’s aren’t entry-level vehicles to begin with, and then you have to add on at least the Premium tier to get the large display with navigation capabilities in order to get CarPlay. On 2018 models, CarPlay support is an additional $300 on top of that. Starting with 2019, there’s no additional charge for the first year, but then you’re stuck paying for a yearly subscription to access a hardware feature, which is unfortunate.

If you want wireless charging, that’s another $500 upfront fee, which does also get you a convenient hotspot to let the kids surf the Internet on their iPads in the back seat, but remember that after three months it’s also going involve another monthly fee to AT&T.

Still, if you don’t mind opening up your wallet, the combination of wireless CarPlay and Qi charging is undoubtedly handy, and here’s hoping it comes to other car brands and trickles down to lower-priced models and packages over time.

Related Roundup: CarPlayTag: BMW
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Petition Calls on Apple to Open Up Access to UI SDKs on iOS Devices so Devs can Implement Digital Wellness Tools

As Apple prepares to introduce iOS 12 at the Worldwide Developers Conference next Monday, a group known as the Digital Wellness Warriors have launched a petition calling on Apple to allow third-party developers to make changes to the iOS interface and user experience to allow apps to implement digital health features to help users manage their digital wellbeing.

The petition comes amid rumors suggesting Apple is working on implementing several native digital health features into iOS 12, but the scope and content of what Apple’s digital health options will include is unknown as of yet.

The Digital Wellness Warriors ask for an open iOS interface SDK that would allow for wellness-related features available through third-party Android apps to be ported over to iOS.

Several examples are listed in the petition, including replacement home screens that would offer “decluttering and dimming,” an SMS autoresponder, screen covers to “nudge users towards healthier behaviors,” contextual modes for limiting access at certain times, phone usage monitoring, and app usage insights.

We ask that Apple commit to opening its SDK to developers to allow us to make the changes to the iOS interface and user experience that consumers are demanding.

In order to prevent potential abuses of greater access to APIs and permissions, we anticipate and welcome a strict approval process so that well-intended developers can demonstrate how their products will improve the wellbeing of iOS users.

Apple has always maintained strict control over the user experience and design of the iPhone, so it is unlikely that this petition is going to spur the company to introduce an SDK that would allow for developers to make major changes to the interface, even with a stricter review process.

It also seems unlikely to happen as Apple is planning on implementing its own digital health tools in iOS 12, which will perhaps provide details on app usage and screen time along with more robust Do Not Disturb controls for blocking incoming notifications and calls.

The Digital Wellness Warriors, which includes app developers like Siempo, Lilspace, Flipd, HAPPI, Bagby, and others, are asking for signatures on their petition. As of now, the petition has garnered just under 350 signatures.

Related Roundup: iOS 12
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Apple Inks Deal for Emily Dickinson Series Starring Hailee Steinfeld

Apple’s latest original television series is a half-hour show about the life of poet Emily Dickinson, which is set to star Hailee Steinfeld, reports Variety.

Apple recently gave a straight-to-series order for the show, which is described as a “comedic look into Dickinson’s world” that explores the “constraints of society, gender, and family from the perspective of a budding writer who doesn’t fit into her own time.”

Image via Shutterstock
Emily Dickinson was a prolific American poet known for short lines, slant rhyme, and irregular use of punctuation. Much of her work focused on death and immortality, and she lived a reclusive life.

Hailee Steinfeld will take on the titular role of Emily Dickinson. Steinfeld, who is also a musician, is known for her roles in “True Grit,” “Pitch Perfect 2,” “Pitch Perfect 3,” “Ender’s Game,” and most notably, 2016 coming of age film “Edge of Seventeen.” The Emily Dickinson show will mark Steinfeld’s first serious television role.

Alena Smith, who was previously a writer on “The Affair” and “The Newsroom,” will serve as writer and executive producer on the series. David Gordon Green, known for “Stronger,” Red Oaks,” “Vice Principals,” and “Pineapple Express” will direct.

Apple has more than a dozen original television shows in the works, which are outlined in our Apple TV roundup. It’s not yet clear when we will see the first of the shows debut and on what platform, but rumors have suggested they could start launching in 2019. The first of Apple’s shows was picked up in October of 2017, so a 2019 timeline makes some sense.

Related Roundup: Apple TVBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
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Deals Reminder: MacRumors Exclusive Anker Sale Ends Tomorrow, Save on Lightning Cables and More

Earlier in May, MacRumors and Anker launched an exclusive new sale for our readers with discount codes available for a handful of useful Anker accessories. Now that June is fast approaching, the sale is set to end tomorrow, May 31. If you’ve been holding off on taking advantage of any of the exclusive codes, consider this a friendly reminder to get your orders in today.

All of Anker’s products on offer are sold on Amazon, so if you’re interested simply add an accessory to your cart, proceed to the checkout screen, enter the relevant promo code into the Gift cards & promotional codes field, and then click “Apply.” As usual, Amazon Prime customers can get free two-day shipping on all orders.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Products in the sale range from iPhone cases to Lightning cables and wall chargers, so take another look at everything discounted in the list below:

• iPhone X Case Breeze Case – $5.59 with code RUMORS96, down from $7.99

• iPhone X Silicone Case (Pink) – $8.39 with code RUMORS28, down from $11.99

• PowerLine+ Lightning Cable (6ft) – $11.89 with code RUMORS22, down from $16.99

• PowerLine+ II Lightning Cable (3ft) – $11.99 with code RUMORS52, down from $15.99

• PowerWave 7.5W Fast Wireless Charger with QC 3.0 Charger – $39.99 with code RUMORS25, down from $49.99

• Surge Protector PowerPort Strip with 12 Outlets, 3 USB Ports – $26.99 with code RUMORS27, down from $34.99

• Dual-Port USB-C PD Charger, PowerPort II with Power Delivery – $25.19 with code RUMORS23, down from $29.99

• 40W 4-Port USB Wall Charger with Foldable Plug, PowerPort 4 – $18.99 with code RUMORS24, down from $25.99

In other reminders, anyone still on the fence about the DirecTV Now/Apple TV 4K promotion should definitely consider their options before the end of the day, as we outlined in an article last week. The promotion for 3 months of DirecTV Now at $105 and a 32GB Apple TV 4K at no extra cost could expire for good tomorrow, but there’s still a chance that AT&T will keep the popular sale around for a while longer. Even if it does go away, it’s also likely that AT&T will re-up the deal again this fall with new terms, as it has for the past two years.

Later this week, T-Mobile is kicking off the summer with a new buy one, get one sale on smartphones from Apple, Samsung, LG, and more. For Apple, the deal starts June 1 and will let customers buy one iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, or X, and get a second device of equal or lesser value for up to $700 off. Under the offer, users can’t mix and match brands, and both devices must be bought on T-Mobile’s Equipment Installment Plan. The rebate will be received in the mail through a prepaid MasterCard Card in six to eight weeks.

Below we’ve rounded up a few other notable deals happening this week, including one of the lowest prices ever for the Beats Studio3 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones at Walmart.

• Walmart – Get the Beats Studio3 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones for $214.97 in White, Red, and Blue, down from $349.99

• eBay – Save $15 using code P15HOME when shopping in select categories (Home & Garden, Sporting Goods, Baby, Pet Supplies, and Crafts) in the eBay app on iOS or Android

• Electronics Valley via eBay – Purchase the 2018 iPad (128GB, Wi-Fi) for $399.99, down from $429.99

• Verizon – Get a $50 Mastercard as a rebate when spending $200 or more on accessories like AirPods, Nest products, Beats, and more (exp. 6/2)

Head over to our full Deals Roundup to catch up with every sale and offer going on as May comes to a close, including another MacRumors exclusive sale, this one with RavPower.

Related Roundup: Apple DealsTag: Anker
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Google Expeditions go beyond the classroom with AR Tours for Android and iOS

Google

Google has officially rolled out its Expeditions AR tours to anyone with an Android or iOS device via the Google Expeditions app. In addition, the company also added more content for users to explore along with new features.

Launched back in 2016 for Android, the Google Expeditions virtual reality app allows teachers to take students on VR field trips using Google Cardboard virtual reality viewer. Using Cardboard with the app, teachers act as “guides” and are able to control the VR experience for students in the classroom — as long as they’re all on the same Wi-Fi network.

When it was initially released, teachers and students had more than 200 different Expeditions to choose from. You could explore historical landmarks, dive underwater with sharks, or embark on a journey to outer space. Each one is also curated with talking points, questions, and integrated descriptions.

At last year’s Google I/O, the company announced its AR Pioneer Program — which allows students to use augmented reality in the classroom instead. Rather than using a headset, students can use a smartphone to place 3D objects in their classrooms whether they’re learning about biology or history.

But instead of limiting it to the classrooms, Google has now made it available to download for everyone. For iPhones running iOS 11, the app utilizes ARKit — Apple’s augmented reality platform which launched last year. Android devices, on the other hand, use ARCore 1.0, which is Google’s very own framework introduced earlier this year.

Along with the release, Google also updated the Expeditions AR app. This includes new tours, along with the ability to find saved tours, and even start solo adventures. That way, you can easily go on a tour of your own whether you’re at home in your living room or at school in the classroom. Users now have more than 100 AR and 800 VR tours created by the company’s Google Arts & Culture partners such as Oxford University Press, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and more.

You can download the Google Expeditions app in the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store — for those who already have the app, all you’ll need to do is update it. In addition to launching the update, Google is also now offering schools interested in purchasing the first Expeditions AR/VR kids from Best Buy.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google just simplified virtual tour creation — using new images or Street View
• Like the internet? Google wants to attach it to your face
• Google Maps is open to mobile AR game developers using Unity
• Online shopping at Overstock gets easier with AR functionality in its app
• Here’s everything we saw at the action-packed Google I/O 2018 keynote

Nvidia’s mini supercomputer is the fastest single computer humanity has built

Nvidia has laid claim to building the “fastest single computer humanity has ever created,” by linking up 16 of its Volta-generation Tesla V100 graphics cards in a fashion that lets them operate as a singular unit. The Nvidia NVSwitch interconnect technology that facilitates it gives the sum of the whole two petaflops of computing power.

Unsurprisingly considering the new focus Nvidia has on artificial intelligence and data processing in recent years, this new HGX-2 GPU server is designed to aid those industries. With a half-terabyte of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) it is said to be capable of replacing as many as 300 CPU-driven servers on its own, offering a much more powerful and compact computing solution for data-driven tasks.

This is made possible through the combination of the 16 Tesla V100 graphics chips, which Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang claimed can “talk to every one of the GPUs simultaneously at a bandwidth of 300 GB/s, 10 times PCI Express, so everyone can talk to each other all at the same time,” per TechRadar.

But this GPU-driven powerhouse is just the beginning. Although incredibly capable in its own right, it could simply act as the basis for even more powerful arrays of graphics card processing systems.

“With the HGX-2 server building block, we’ll be able to quickly develop new systems that can meet the growing needs of our customers who demand the highest performance at scale,”  Lenovo’s vice president and general manager Paul Ju said.

This news was announced at Nvidia’s own GPU Technology Conference in Taiwan and comes just a week ahead of the larger Computex show which will no doubt bring more news of Nvidia hardware developments. However, as exciting as it is, it will not be of much use to Nvidia fans who are clamoring to learn more about its next-generation graphics cards. We still don’t know if they will be Turing, or Volta based, or be called 1100 or 2000-series cards. What seems likely though, is that they will be very powerful.

Considering it’s been two years since Nvidia released its last-generation graphics cards and prices have been rather crazy since then, we would certainly hope so.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Nvidia shows off the world’s largest GPU at its GTC conference
• New report says Nvidia unlikely to reveal new GeForce cards in March
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1180 graphics card shows up in online GPU database
• Here’s how you can watch Nvidia’s GTC 2018 keynote kicking off at 9 a.m. today
• Leak shows Inno3D cryptocurrency mining card based on the GTX 1080 Ti

PicsArt update brings custom stickers to third-party apps on Android

Can’t find the perfect sticker for that text message or that Story? PicsArt’s custom stickers — and 5 million free stickers — can now be accessed outside the photo editing app as a sticker keyboard. On Wednesday, May 30, PicsArt launched an Android-only sticker keyboard, a move that allows stickers from the app to be used inside third-party apps, including messaging platforms and social apps.

By activating the sticker keyboard, PicsArt’s stickers, as well as each user’s own custom stickers, becomes available in outside apps using the keyboard. The feature is available on any third-party app that supports outside stickers, including integrating those graphics into Instagram Stories, text messages, and other apps.

PicsArt

With so many stickers, the keyboard uses a search bar to help find the right option. The PicsArt sticker keyboard also allows for browsing by the trending stickers, as well as top stickers for the hashtags in the post. The keyboard also works with PicsArt’s earlier option that allows users to create their own stickers within the app.

“We now have over 5 million free community stickers, and one of the largest and growing collections of free stickers in the world,” PicsArt CEO and founder Hovhannes Avoyan said in a statement. “Our new Android Sticker Keyboard enables any PicsArt Android user to take those stickers and utilize them off PicsArt, in messaging, social media and other creativity products and apps. This further illustrates our mission to be the best place to make, find and share awesome interactive content.”

To use the new keyboard, Android users first have to update the PicsArt app. Then, inside the device settings (not the PicsArt app itself), navigate to the language and input option and the keyboard menu. Tapping the toggle on the PicsArt Keyboard will turn the sticker keyboard on, bringing it into other apps that support keyboards. The PicsArt app also needs to be restarted before the keyboard appears in other apps once the settings are adjusted.

The PicsArt Keyboard begins rolling out to Android users on May 30. All Android users should see the update over the next few days. For new users, PicsArt is available as a free download from Google Play.

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U.S. claims North Korea has been silently infiltrating networks since 2009

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) claim North Korea is silently infiltrating the media, aerospace, financial, and critical infrastructure sectors both in and out of the United States using two known families of malware. They believe the attack has been underway since at least 2009 and conducted by a state-sponsored hacker group dubbed as Hidden Cobra. 

In a joint Technical Alert issued on Wednesday, the DHL and FBI claim that Hidden Cobra is using two pieces of malware in its campaign: a remote access tool called Joanap and a Server Message Block (SMB) worm named Brambul. The goal is to infiltrate networks, maintain a presence undetected, and send all collected information back to the hacker group. 

“FBI has high confidence that Hidden Cobra actors are using the IP addresses — listed in this report’s IOC files — to maintain a presence on victims’ networks and enable network exploitation. DHS and FBI are distributing these IP addresses and other IOCs to enable network defense and reduce exposure to any North Korean government malicious cyber activity,” the report states. 

Joanap is typically the payload of another malware obtained through a compromised website or a malicious email attachment. It can establish a peer-to-peer network to create a botnet and accept commands from the hacker group. 

Outside the botnet aspect, Joanap is capable of file management on a compromised Windows device, process management, the creation and deletion of directories, and node management. The Technical Alert says once Joanap infects a PC, it creates a file to capture and store information such as the host IP address, the hostname, and the current system time. 

According to the report, an analysis of the infrastructure used by Joanup identified 87 compromised network nodes in 17 countries including Brazil, China, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and Taiwan.  

Meanwhile, Brambul is a worm serving as a “dropper” malware payload obtained by compromised sites and infected files. Once executed, it will scan the local network for additional PCs and attempt to gain unauthorized access through the file-sharing feature built into Windows. This is done through brute-force password attacks using a list of embedded passwords. 

If successful, Brambul will contact Hidden Cobra and relay the IP address, hostname, username, and password of each infiltrated PC. The hacker group can then remotely access the compromised PCs via the Windows file-sharing protocol (SMB) to harvest information, infect other PCs on the network, and more. 

While both malware can be troublesome for the mainstream web surfer, they could devastate corporations by obtaining proprietary and/or sensitive information, disrupting regular operations, and harm their reputation. The financial losses due to eradicating the malware can be costly as well. 

“DHS and FBI recommend that network administrators review the information provided, identify whether any of the provided IP addresses fall within their organizations’ allocated IP address space, and—if found—take necessary measures to remove the malware,” the report states. 

A downloadable copy of the indicators of compromise are available in CSV and STIX formats.

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