Waze Launches on Ford’s SYNC 3 Infotainment Systems Through iOS AppLink

At CES in January, Ford discussed a new partnership with crowdsource navigation app Waze that aimed to bring Waze onto the touch screen of SYNC 3 vehicles through Ford’s AppLink. That partnership has been fully realized today with Waze users worldwide now able to connect their iPhones to AppLink via USB and mirror Waze on their infotainment system.

This allows drivers to access their favorite Waze features when following a route, searching for a nearby gas station, and even reporting traffic accidents, all while their iPhone is safely stored and locked. Voice guidance and commands are available as well through a Ford vehicle’s speakers and microphone system.

The SYNC 3 integration includes recent Waze app updates like “Talk to Waze” for voice controls, route support for carpool lanes, more accurate arrival times, and more. Waze’s crowdsourced navigation features are fueled when users open their smartphones and begin driving, with people typically using iPhone mounts and other products to safely drive without holding their devices.

Ford executive Don Butler explained how partnerships between carmakers like Ford and GPS apps like Waze further improve the safety of driving thanks to reducing potential smartphone distractions.

“Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to access the smartphone features, apps and services they care about most in the car, without having to pick up their device,” said Don Butler, executive director, connected vehicle platform and product, Ford Motor Company. “With Waze, our customers get the benefits they’re accustomed to with the added luxury of experiencing them on a bigger screen.”

To access the new feature users will need SYNC 3 software version 3.0 or greater installed in the vehicle, as well as iOS 11.3 and the up-to-date Waze app downloaded on the iPhone. Ford encourages customers to head to its website for more details on Waze integration.

Tags: Ford SYNC, Waze
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Apple.com Updated With Focus on Accessibility Features of iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch, and More

Apple today updated the front page and accessibility section of Apple.com in celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day. The event is held on the third Thursday of May every year and was created to promote inclusion and usability of technology for anyone with a disability.

This year, Apple is highlighting its own accessibility features right on the home page of Apple.com, stating that “Technology is most powerful when it empowers everyone.” On the main accessibility page, Apple has again posted its short commercial from 2016 about real people with disabilities who use its products in everyday life, narrated by Sady Paulson, who uses Switch Control on a Mac.

Otherwise, the company has greatly expanded the web page to mark today’s event. When you scroll down, each section is marked by accessibility features focusing on different areas of disability, beginning with vision. These include VoiceOver, adjustable display accommodations, Dynamic Type to upsize text, and Zoom to get a closer look at an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, or Apple TV screen.

In the hearing section, Apple says it wants to “keep everyone in the conversation” with features like Live Listen that let users fine-tune MFi hearing aids to hear more clearly. The company also showcases FaceTime for those who use sign language to communicate, closed captioning for music and sound effects on all Apple devices, LED Flash for iPhone alerts, and Type to Siri for manually asking the AI assistant to perform any task.

The last two sections focus on physical and motor skills as well as learning and literacy. Here Apple talks about using HomePod to automate complex scenes with just a voice, AssistiveTouch for customized iOS gestures, Speak Screen to hear text spoken aloud on iPhone and iPad, and Safari Reader to stay focused on content and reduce visual clutter that can become a sensory overload for some users.

Earlier this week, Apple’s director of global accessibility policy and initiatives, Sarah Herrlinger, discussed the company’s efforts to help individuals with disabilities through its various products. In March, Apple donated $250,000 to sponsor an “Innovation Zone” in an accessibility-focused playground opening soon in Sunnyvale, California.

For last year’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day, the company launched a series of “Designed for” videos on its YouTube channel, highlighted interviews conducted between CEO Tim Cook and three accessibility activists, and held a Stevie Wonder concert at One Infinite Loop.

This year, Apple says it’s hosting global events that will promote inclusive design and “emphasize how technology can support all people with disabilities,” including events at Apple corporate in Cupertino, Austin, Cork, and London. Throughout May all of its stores will have accessibility-related Today at Apple sessions for customers to participate in. If Apple celebrates the accessibility-focused day with other events, we’ll be sure to update this post.

Tag: accessibility
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Apple’s Everyone Can Code Curriculum Expanding to Schools Serving Blind and Deaf Students

Apple today on Global Accessibility Awareness Day announced that its Everyone Can Code curriculum is expanding to schools serving deaf, blind, or visually impaired students, starting with various locations in the United States in the fall.

Initial list of participating schools:

• California School for the Blind (Fremont, CA)
• California School for the Deaf (Fremont, CA)
• District 75/Citywide Programs (New York, NY)
• Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (St. Augustine, FL)
• Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired (Winnetka, IL)
• Perkins School for the Blind (Watertown, MA)
• Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (Austin, TX)
• Texas School for the Deaf (Austin, TX)

Everyone Can Code enables students of all ages to learn how to code with Apple’s open source programming language Swift. The curriculum involves the iPad app Swift Playgrounds, which lets students use real code to solve puzzles and control characters, and the iBooks course App Development with Swift.

Apple has tailored Everyone Can Code to work with its accessibility features, ranging from its screen-reading technology VoiceOver to Switch Control, which enables switches, joysticks, and other adaptive devices to control what is on the screen.

Apple collaborated with engineers, educators, and programmers from various accessibility communities to make Everyone Can Code as accessible as possible and will work in close coordination with schools to augment the curricula as needed. This will include providing additional tools and resources such as tactile maps to enhance the understanding of coding environments for non-visual learners.

Apple CEO Tim Cook:

Apple’s mission is to make products as accessible as possible. We created Everyone Can Code because we believe all students deserve an opportunity to learn the language of technology. We hope to bring Everyone Can Code to even more schools around the world serving students with disabilities.

Bill Daugherty, superintendent at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, offered praise for the initiative:

Our students were tremendously excited at our first Everyone Can Code session earlier this year. There are more than 10,400 students with visual impairments in Texas, and the development of this curricula is going to be a big step in opening up coding opportunities for our students and those across the nation.

Apple also announced that, throughout May, all of its retail stores will host accessibility-related sessions for customers. On May 17, Apple’s corporate offices in Cupertino, Austin, Cork, and London will hold similar events.

Apple has also revamped the accessibility section of its website for Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which has promoted digital accessibility and inclusion for people with all disabilities on the third Thursday of May every year since 2012.

Tag: accessibility
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Latest Apple Pay Promo Offers Free Grocery Deliveries on Instacart Orders Over $35

The latest Apple Pay promotion grants you free delivery on groceries with Instacart as long as you use Apple’s mobile wallet to checkout on the app through 11:59 p.m. PT on May 23, and your order runs for $35 or more. There is no specific promo code, so as long as you meet these requirements the discount should appear automatically during the checkout process in Instacart.

Free delivery will still be subject to availability in certain areas, and service fees and taxes will apply to your order. If your area supports the promotion, you can save $5.99 or more on an Instacart order, with delivery fees starting at that price point and increasing when factoring in the size and time of the order. Delivery fees can also be affected by “Busy Pricing,” an added fee during the busiest parts of the day.

Free delivery from Instacart for orders over $35 normally requires a membership to Instacart Express, a service that costs $14.99 per month or $149 per year. Apple’s free delivery offers an opportunity for potential Instacart customers to test Instacart Express. Otherwise, this week’s promotion highlights grocery stores where you can checkout using Apple Pay: Trader Joe’s, Giant, Smart & Final, SuperValu, Food Lion, and Winn-Dixie.

Instacart has been a popular app in Apple’s ongoing Apple Pay promotion series, previously being featured through similar offers in January and February. The last few promotions have offered flowers via 1-800-Flowers for Mother’s Day, furniture through Hayneedle, and french fries from McDonald’s.

Tag: Apple Pay promo
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This $4,600 solar charger comes with an iPhone X attached

Caviar

If you’re in the market for an iPhone X, and pricey battery packs also happen to be your thing, then this flashy new offering from Caviar is a match made in heaven.

The Russian accessory maker, which some of you will recall also brought us the gold-plated iPhone 5S engraved with an image of Vladimir Putin’s face, has just started selling the solar-powered “iPhone X Tesla” (phone included) for the princely sum of $4,600. The first one off the production line is being sent to Tesla CEO Elon Musk as a gift, apparently.

The handset comes with a solar panel attached to the back, and, according to the images, looks almost as if it’s part of the phone. But it definitely isn’t. If you look closely, the handset bulks up a bit with the addition of the expensive case.

The design features a carbon base with gold decorative elements and a battery charge indicator. It begins charging the iPhone with the press of a button.

You’ll be pleased to know that to create the case, Caviar’s engineers carried out more than 100 tests “proving the effectiveness and safety of this system,” though unfortunately details regarding power specifications aren’t shown on the product’s page.

Caviar

The company says three people inspired it to build the iPhone X: Tesla “Steve Jobs, Nikola Tesla and Ilon Mask.” We’re betting on that being a spelling error rather than a mysterious inventor no one’s heard of yet.

The production run has been limited to 999 units, with Caviar promising that “every smartphone has its own number.” We think we know what it means.

The 64GB iPhone X Tesla costs 284,000 rubles ($4,600), while the 256GB model will set you back 299,000 rubles ($4,850). Add local taxes and customs duties for the final price.

There’s no indication of any formal relationship between Musk’s electric-car company and Caviar, or indeed if the CEO is cool with Caviar using the name, but the iPhone X Tesla can now be yours if you have a bit of spare cash knocking around.

Alternatively, if you’d prefer a solar charger for your phone that costs considerably less than the iPhone X Tesla, do take a moment to check out Digital Trends’ selection of some of the best ones currently on the market. Prices start at $40 and top out at $265.

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New ‘Interests’ feature recommends products you’ll actually want to buy on eBay

Upon meeting with the eBay team at their office in New York City, I was brought over to a room with a sign that read “Store of Brenda,” which was filled with items curated for me based on a short questionnaire I filled out prior to the visit. Scanning the room, it felt like my wish list came to life — from a Nintendo Switch to La Mer skincare products and the Polaroid instant film camera, I didn’t know which item to look at first. With the launch of eBay’s “Interests” feature, the company is attempting to create a similar experience for its users each time they open the eBay app on their smartphones.

With Interests, eBay is providing users with a personalized shopping experience based on their hobbies, style preferences, and more. When you open the eBay app, you’ll be see a banner that gives you the option to answer a few questions when it comes to your favorite activities, sports teams, and clothing preferences, among other things. Your interests are then matched with your browsing patterns and your home page will adapt to the changes in real time — providing you with products and brands you might already be a fan of or new ones to discover.

“We realize that personalization is the future … that [people] don’t care about content that’s not personalized. Gone are the days where people in high offices who are designers, who are retailers, or editors are dictating trends. Trends are coming from all over the place, styles are coming from all over the place … in order for us to react to this new world of shopping which is a personal experience, our catalog had to have the structure attached to it,” Bradford Shellhammer, head of Browse & Personalization for eBay, told Digital Trends,

Rather than attempting to re-create or revolutionize strategies other e-commerce sites are using, eBay took a page from the world of streaming. Inspired by services like Spotify that offer users playlists and artists based on what they already listen to, the eBay app essentially behaves the same way but with products. Using machine learning and algorithms, you’ll only see items you’re interested in or related items you might like as well.

The feature is available for both new and existing customers to use. For those who use eBay often, adding your interests will help feed the algorithm already in place based on your shopping behavior. For instance, if you search for a baseball cap after adding that your favorite team is the Baltimore Orioles, then you’re more likely to receive results that include O’s merchandise. As for new customers, the hope is that Interests will serve as a destination shoppers can rely on to not only fuel but also broaden their interests.

“A fashion customer who loves home and her cat won’t see car parts and accessories or men’s things … if we are truly agnostic to what people buy, then we should probably take a backseat to what we think people will buy and double down on the things we think they’ll engage with or interact with” Shellhammer said. “It’s more than just buying … we believe there is an opportunity for people to view eBay as a place to get inspiration.”

You also have the option of adding more interests or editing the current ones. The team is currently working on a feedback mechanism that will allow you to select specific items you want to see more or less of throughout the app. Other future plans will include the ability to tap on a heart icon to symbolize you “like” an item — in order to help narrow in on your interests even further.

The Interests feature is currently available on eBay’s mobile app for iOS and Android in the U.S.. Throughout the next few months, it will continue to roll out for desktop and mobile web.

OnePlus 6 launches in India for ₹34,999: Here’s everything you need to know

OnePlus looks to solidify its position in the mid-range segment with its 2018 flagship.

After months of rumors, leaks, teasers, and endless speculation, the OnePlus 6 is finally official. OnePlus unveiled the phone at a global event in London, and is now following it up with a local event in India, its largest market. India accounts for over a third of all sales for the company, and even if OnePlus doesn’t have the market share of Samsung or Xiaomi, it dominates the mind share.

With the OnePlus 6, the company is introducing a new glass-backed design that still retains its signature “horizon line” aesthetic. There’s also a new camera with larger 1.22um pixels, and a 19:9 screen up front with a cutout for the front camera module.

The price for all the new changes? ₹34,999. That’s for the version with 6GB of RAM and 64GB storage, at a time when similarly-specced phones cost nearly twice as much.

A mere ₹2,000 bump over the 5T makes the OnePlus 6 one of the best deals of the year, particularly when you consider the design changes. Here’s what you need to know about OnePlus’ 2018 flagship.

OnePlus 6: All the specs

If you care about raw numbers (and a lot of OnePlus customers do), you’ll love what’s on offer with the OnePlus 6. The phone is the first in India to feature Qualcomm’s latest silicon, the Snapdragon 845, which offers four Kryo 385 cores clocked up to 2.90GHz along with four cores at 1.70GHz. Like last year, you’ll be able to pick up a variant with 8GB of RAM, but this time around you can pair it with 256GB of internal storage.

The camera has been overhauled with a new imaging sensor (Sony IMX 519) that has larger 1.22um pixels and more importantly, OIS. The secondary 20MP camera is now solely used for portrait mode, and the phone now offers slow-mo video up to 480fps at 720p.

The battery is unchanged from last year at 3300mAh, and Dash Charge continues to be one of the best protocols for fast charging. The OnePlus 6 also retains the 3.5mm jack, and the phone is splash resistant as well — although there’s no IP rating.

The OnePlus 6 is running OxygenOS 5.1.2 atop Android 8.1 Oreo, and the uncluttered interface combined with OnePlus’ optimizations make it one of the best manufacturer skins around.

OnePlus 6 specifications

OnePlus 6: New glass design, notched display

With the OnePlus 6, OnePlus switched out the usual metal chassis for a glass back reinforced by Gorilla Glass 5, which gives the device a more premium look. The camera sensors are now arrayed vertically, and have been moved to the center. The fingerprint sensor sits below the imaging modules, and is just as easy to access. Oh, and there’s a “Designed by OnePlus” stamped at the bottom.

The notable change up front is the introduction of a notch at the top of the display, which OnePlus says increases screen real estate. The phone now offers a 6.28-inch 19:9 AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2280×1080, and while there’s still a chin, the bezels at the bottom have shrunk considerably from its predecessor.

Like the back, the front is protected by Gorilla Glass 5, and you do get the option to turn off the notch from the settings if you’re not a fan of the design.

A mere ₹2,000 bump over the 5T makes the OnePlus 6 a fantastic deal in 2018.

The Alert Slider has been moved to the right to better integrate the antenna bands into the design of the phone, and there’s a single speaker located at the bottom on the other side of the 3.5mm jack.

The OnePlus 6 has dual 16MP + 20MP cameras at the back, with the primary sensor (Sony IMX 519) now featuring 1.22um pixels. A welcome change is the addition of OIS on both sensors. And for the first time, there’s software-driven portrait mode for the front camera, and slow-motion video at 480fps.

On the software front, the OnePlus 6 comes with the latest version of OxygenOS 5.1.2 atop Android 8.1 Oreo. OnePlus’ take on gestures is one of the best implementations yet on Android, and with gesture-based navigation set to go mainstream with Android P, we’ll likely see more manufacturers offer their own take in the coming months.

OnePlus 6 hands-on

OnePlus 6: Pricing, availability, and launch offers

The OnePlus 6 will go on sale in India starting May 21 in an early access sale on Amazon, with the general sale kicking off from May 22. You’ll be able to pick up the phone in three color options: Mirror Black, Midnight Black, and Silk White.

The OnePlus 6 starts off at ₹34,999 for the version with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage will be available for ₹39,999, and the Avengers Edition will be the sole model in the country with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. That’ll be available for ₹44,999.

This is the OnePlus 6 Avengers Edition

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This is the OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Edition

The OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Edition is exclusive to India and China.

OnePlus crushed it in India over the course of the last year, amassing over 40% of the market share in the premium segment. As a way of thanking its community, the Chinese manufacturer rolled out a Star Wars-themed edition of the OnePlus 5T. The company is now continuing its collaboration with Disney to introduce an Avengers variant of the OnePlus 6 alongside the standard verison

Like last year, the limited edition variant will be sold primarily in Asian markets. There were rumors ahead of the launch that the device will make its way to the UK, but OnePlus has quelled the speculation by confirming that the OnePlus 6 Avengers Edition will be exclusive to India and China.

With that out of the way, onto the device itself. This is the OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Edition.

OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Edition: What’s in the box

OnePlus has custom packaging for its limited edition variants, and the OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Edition is no different. The large box comes emblazoned with the Avengers insignia, and inside you’ll find the phone as well as a custom Iron Man case (which is reminiscent of the Kylo Ren case included with the 5T Star Wars edition).

Aside from the case, you get the standard Dash Charge wall charger along with the red USB-C cable. Oh, and there’s also a medallion in each box, which I’ll talk about below.

OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Edition: Infinity Medals

Each OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Edition box contains a collectible that OnePlus is calling a medallion. There are six medallions in total (for the six Avengers), and they combine to form the Avengers insignia.

OnePlus is rolling out a Infinity Medal Challenge for fans where they’ll win a prize if they collect all six medallions. OnePlus isn’t revealing what winners will receive just yet, only hinting that it will be special.

OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Edition: Design and hardware

The OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Edition comes with a glass back, albeit with a kevlar finish underneath that allows it to stand out from the standard editions. The Alert Slider is furnished with a gold hue, and the Avengers insignia round the back and the OnePlus logo feature a gold finish that contrasts very well with the kevlar pattern.

Unlike the matte finish of the Midnight Black and Silk White versions, the Avengers variant has a glossy back that’s similar to that of the Mirror Black edition. While the material itself is the same, the pattern beneath the glass as well as the gold accents create enough of a differentiation.

Aside from the design tweaks, the OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Edition shares the same internal hardware as the standard edition, but you do get more storage. The Avengers variant will be the only OnePlus 6 model in the country that features 256GB of storage, with the standard editions available in 64GB and 128GB.

OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Edition: Iron Man case

With OnePlus switching to a glass back, you’ll want to invest in a case to protect it from the occasional tumble. The Avengers edition comes with an Iron Man case that does the job magnificently.

Like the Kylo Ren case last year, the Iron Man case adds a considerable amount of bulk to the phone, but you get added protection for your device. The downside is that most of the unique additions on offer with the Avengers edition are hidden away underneath the case.

OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Edition: Pricing and availability

The OnePlus 6 Avengers edition will go up for sale in India starting May 29 for ₹44,999.

The device will be sold exclusively in India and China, and will not make its way to Western markets. That’s a letdown considering the mass appeal of Marvel’s movie franchise, but it looks like licensing fee was the main motivator behind OnePlus’ decision to limit the variant to these markets.

While Marvel movies may not generate as much revenue from India, they have a massive fanbase in the country — even more so than Star Wars — so it’s likely that the Avengers variant will be sold out in a matter of weeks. That was the case with the Star Wars edition last year, so if you’re holding out for a new phone and are a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, best act fast.

Google Assistant routines: Everything you need to know

Get more done with Google Assistant using Routines!

The dream of living in a futuristic smart home where you can control everything with just your voice within reach, thanks to Google Assistant and Google Home speakers.

Routines allow your Google Assistant to trigger multiple actions when you say a specific phrase. Google unveiled routines earlier this year with six standard routines baked into the Google Home app. At Google I/O, Assistant was front and center showcasing a bunch of cool new features being added — including the addition of custom routines.

What’s new in Google Home and Assistant at Google I/O 2018

How do Routines work with Google Assistant?

If you’ve ever played around with Alexa routines, it’s essentially the same situation now for the Google Assistant. With routines, you can pre-program Assistant to perform specific tasks when you say certain commands.

Google has included a number of ready-made routines that cover six common scenarios where you’d want Google Home to automate certain actions:

• Good Morning Routine: With the Good Morning Routine, your Assistant can turn on your lights, give your daily briefing, tell you the weather, play music, and more. All you need to say is “Good Morning”, “Tell me about your day”, or “I’m up”
• Bedtime Routine: Use this routine to have your Assistant turn off your connected smart lights, brief you about your upcoming day, set a morning alarm, etc. All you need to say is “Bedtime” or “Good night”
• I’m Home Routine: You can set your Assistant to turn on your lights, give any home reminders, and play your favorite music. All you need to do is say “I’m home” or “I’m back”.
• Commuting to Work Routine: Assistant will brief you on your upcoming calendar events for the day, tell you about your commute, start plaing music or podcasts and more. All you need to say is “Let’s go to work”.
• Leaving Home Routine: Your Assistant can ensure all your smart home products (smart lights, smart thermostat, smart plugs, etc.) when you leave the house. All you got to say is “I’m heading out” or “I’m leaving”.
• Commuting Home Routine: This routine can be set to give you information about your commute, text others to say you’re on your way home, play music or a podcast and more — all by just saying “Let’s go home”.

All these routines can be customized based on the smart home products you may have connected in the Google Home app.

These Products and Services Work with Google Home

Can I create custom routines?

Custom routines are a thing, but are still rolling out and only currently available in the U.S., so the rest of us will have to wait.

If the feature is live in your Google Home app, it’s a cinch to create your own routines. From the Google Home app, tap the menu icon in the top left corner and find the “More settings” section.

If you see the Routines section, tap it and then tap the “+” icon to create your own routine. From there, you’re able to create a custom command which will be the words or phrase you’ll use to trigger your custom routine. You can either type out the command or tap the microphone to speak it to Google. Next, you’ll set what actions you want the Google Assistant to take on your commend and that includes practically anything that the Google Assistant can control and also the option to

In the future, Google will be adding the option to let you schedule routines to go off automatically at a certain time of day without needing to be manually triggered, opening up a whole new level of smart home awesomeness.

What’s the difference between Routines and Shortcuts?

If you don’t see the Routines section in your Google Home app, you should instead find Shortcuts, which operate similar to routines although don’t allow you to do as much with one voice command.

The main difference is that Shortcuts are used to customize a single action with a customized trigger word, where as Routines let you group multiple actions together. Keep in mind that you won’t be able to use multiple voice queries for setting actions for Shortcuts or Routines — yet.

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How to Quickly Resize Images on Your Mac Using an Automator Service

Resizing images in macOS is easily done in the Preview app, but if your daily workflow requires you to scale images to a specific size – for uploading to a blog, for example – then using an image resize service is a much faster way of getting the job done.

In this article, we’ll show you how to use the Automator app to create a simple service that will have you resizing images in just a couple of clicks, without even going near an image editing app. Keep reading to learn how it’s done.

How to Create a Resize Image Service in Automator

Launch Automator from the Applications folder.

Click New Document.
Choose Service as the type of your document.

Click the Service receives selected dropdown menu and select image files.
Select Files and Folders in the Actions sidebar, and drag Get Specified Finder Items to the workflow area.

Select Photos in the Actions sidebar, and drag Scale Images to the workflow area.

Automator will prompt you to add a Copy Finder Items Action to save the original files in a separate folder. We’re sticking to a simple workflow of resizing images here, so we click Don’t Add.
In the Scale Images action panel, type the width that you want to resize your images to. We’re going to use 1200 pixels.

In the Automator menu bar, select File -> Save…, call your new service “Resize Image”, and click Save. Next time you want to resize an image, simply right-click (or Ctrl-click) the file in Finder and select Services -> Resize Image from the contextual dropdown menu. You can also drag a selection box over several images and resize them all in one go using the service.

Why not assign a key shortcut to your image resize service to speed up the process? To do so, launch System Preferences, select the Keyboard pane, and click the Shortcuts tab. Select Services from the sidebar and you should find Resize Image near the bottom of the list. Just click it, select Add Shortcut, and finally, enter your custom key combination.

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