Three Universities in U.S. Launch Contactless Student ID Cards on iPhone and Apple Watch

Following a preview at WWDC 2018, Apple today announced that students at three universities in the United States can now add their student ID cards to Apple Wallet to get around campus using just an iPhone or Apple Watch.

Namely, starting today, students at Duke University, the University of Alabama, and the University of Oklahoma can now add their ID card to the Wallet app on iOS 12 and watchOS 5 and use it to pay quickly and easily for laundry, coffee or lunch, and even get into their dorms, the gym, or the school library.

Apple says Johns Hopkins University, Santa Clara University, and Temple University will roll out the capability by the end of this school year.

Students simply hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near the reader anywhere physical student ID cards are accepted — on and off campus. An optional Express Mode bypasses the need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode, allowing for the quickest entry possible to buildings around campus.
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Ikea Trådfri Smart Plugs Appear on U.S. Online Store for $9.99, Not Available to Purchase Yet

Last month Ikea began rolling out the HomeKit-compatible Trådfri smart plug to Sweden and a few other countries in the European Union. Today, HomeKit News spotted the same smart plugs in listings on the United States Ikea website, suggesting a launch in the U.S. sometime later this month.

Ikea’s Trådfri smart plug connects to the company’s existing Trådfri Gateway ($29.99), which connects a variety of other smart home products like light bulbs, dimmers, motion sensors, and more. Among the list of Trådfri products, U.S. shoppers can now see the “Trådfri Wireless Control Outlet” — or smart plug — near the bottom. At the time of writing, the smart plug is not available online and not sold in stores yet.

In the U.S., the Trådfri smart plug will cost $9.99 for a single plug and $14.99 for one plug and a wireless remote control button. The price of a single smart plug at Ikea is far lower than the cost of rival HomeKit smart plugs, like Eve Energy ($49.21 on Amazon), Wemo Mini Smart Plug ($29.95), iDevices Switch ($28.40), and the iHome Wi-Fi Smart Plug ($22.86). The Trådfri Wireless Control Outlet was also spotted on the UK Ikea website for £9.00.

When added to HomeKit, the Trådfri accessories can be controlled through Siri, scenes, and custom automations. For smart plugs, you can attach a regular lamp, coffee maker, tea kettle, or other household appliance to the plug and control it through Ikea’s own app, or with Apple’s Home app. Ikea first introduced HomeKit support for the Trådfri system in November 2017.

Tags: HomeKit, Ikea
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Tile Launches Upgraded Tile Mate and Tile Pro Along With Premium Finding Services

Tile, known for its range of battery-powered Bluetooth-enabled tags for tracking various items, today announced the launch of upgraded Tile Mate and Tile Pro accessories.

The new Tile Mate and Tile Pro feature a longer range, louder volumes when pinging them from an iPhone, and, for the first time, batteries that can be replaced.

Previous Tile versions have not had user-replaceable batteries and thus had a limited life, but the new Tile Mate and Tile Pro can be used indefinitely. The batteries that are included with the Mate and Pro are expected to last for one year before needing replacement.

Both Tile Mate and Tile Pro have improved range. Tile Mate has a Bluetooth range of 150 feet, while Tile Pro has a Bluetooth range of 300 feet.

Along with new products, Tile is introducing Tile Premium, a subscription service that offers free battery replacements, smart alerts, and 30-day location history.

Tile Premium is priced at $29.99 annually or $2.99 per month. The service provides Smart Alerts that let you know when you leave home without specific Tiled items, and unlimited sharing, so more than one user can access the same Tile device.

Location history for each Tile device is available, and Tile provides an extended warranty for three years with premium service. Free battery replacements are also an included feature, with subscribers eligible to receive automatic free annual battery replacements for each Tile.

Tile Mate and Tile Pro are available today from the Tile website and major retailers that include Amazon and Best Buy. Tile Mate retails for $25, while Tile Pro retails for $35.

Tag: Tile
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Opera Touch Browser Released for iPhone and iPad

Opera Touch was released today for iOS. The “light, fast, and secure” browser is specially designed for all-screen devices with no home button like the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, and comes with an interface that’s optimized for one-handed use.

Thanks to a floating “Fast Action” menu button located at the bottom of the screen, users can touch to access a radial menu and swipe through several actions, enabling them to open and close browser tabs, perform searches, and navigating forwards and backwards through web pages with their thumb.

The main screen includes quick access to top and recent websites, and the browser also features built-in ad blocking and comes with protection against disguised online cryptocurrency mining, or “cryptojacking”.

Elsewhere, the app makes use of Opera’s My Flow feature, which allows users to transfer URL links, images, and note clippings between devices running Opera over a secure and private connection.

Opera Touch is available for iPhone and iPad in several languages and can be downloaded directly from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tag: Opera Touch
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Apple Pay Cash Likely to Launch in Europe Imminently

Apple Pay Cash, Apple’s mobile peer-to-peer payments service, could be available sooner rather than later in some European markets.

French tech blog iPhon.fr reports today that an iPhone user in France discovered screens on his new Apple Watch and iPhone XS Max overnight inviting him to set up Apple Pay Cash using a credit card issued by a French bank. Similar reports are also coming in from Apple device owners in other European countries.

Apple Pay Cash arrived on iOS devices in December 2017, although it’s currently only officially available to users in the United States. The system allows for quick person-to-person money transfers, much like competing services Square Cash and Venmo.

In addition to the setup screens shared over social media, an Apple support page for Apple Pay Cash has been discovered localized in German that went live on Apple’s servers on September 30.

Alerte générale Apple Pay Cash ! C’est dispo en France ?
🧐@iPhonfr @MacGeneration @Mac4ever pic.twitter.com/6ObZOzTc7w

— Matthieu Fraysse (@Matfraysse) October 2, 2018

Apple Pay Cash can be transmitted via iMessage and funds are instantly added to the recipient’s Apple Pay Cash card in the Wallet app.

When new users receive money for the first time, the funds are added to their new Apple Pay Cash card once they accept Apple’s terms. The card’s funds can then be used to make purchases using Apple Pay in stores, in apps, and on supported websites, or withdrawn to a bank account within one to three business days.

When Apple Pay Cash does arrive outside the U.S., Apple device owners wanting to use it will need an iPhone 6 and later, iPhone SE, any iPad Pro model, a fifth-generation iPad, iPad Air 2, or iPad mini 3 running iOS 11.2 or later.

Update: One MacRumors reader has found a link to an Apple Pay Cash support page localized for Austria, while support pages have also been discovered for Italy, Poland, Sweden, and Russia.

Related Roundup: Apple PayTags: Italy, France, Germany, Apple Pay Cash
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Lyft wants to know about your ride experience before it’s even over

Evidently keen to know about your ride experience before it’s even over, Lyft is reportedly testing a mid-ride feedback feature for its app.

Spotted by Mashable and currently being tested with a select group of users who take shared rides, the feature works like this: If you open the Lyft app during your trip, a message will pop up asking: “How’s your route so far?”

You’ll have three ways to answer: Bad, OK, and great. Once you make your selection, you’ll see another question that allows you to elaborate on your previous response. So if you answered “great,” Lyft will come back with something like, “Awesome, what’s going well?” to which you can select either “direct route,” “no traffic,” “minimal stops,” or “drop-off time.”

If it’s not going so well, you’ll have a bunch of other selections to choose from, and Lyft promises anything you communicate during your ride will not affect your driver’s rating.

Lyft’s main ridesharing rival, Uber, rolled out a similar feature in May 2018 in the belief that riders are more likely to give extra thought to a question about an experience if they’re asked during the time when it’s is taking place, rather than afterwards.

For Lyft, requesting feedback mid-ride appears aimed at helping the company to hone its “shared rides” carpool offering, which collects other riders along a route for cheaper rides.

Shared rides are different to other Lyft rides in that you have to travel directly to your destination without making any personal stops or route changes along the way, and as there may be other riders waiting for their lift, a driver will only wait for up to a minute if you’re not at your agreed pickup point when he or she arrives.

The mid-ride feedback feature began testing a few days ago and is expected to appear in some form for all users before too long. We’ll have to wait and see whether Lyft introduces the option for all of its ride services rather than just its carpool option.

Whether you’re a regular rider with Lyft and Uber or you’re thinking about taking your first-ever ridesharing journey, check out Digital Trends’ analysis of both services to find out which ridesharing app we believe goes the distance.

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Google launches mail-in Repair Center for damaged Pixel phones

If your Pixel phone suddenly stops working for no apparent reason or suffers damage, you can now send it direct to Google’s newly opened Repair Center to get it fixed.

Google has launched the new service via the Google Store to give U.S.-based owners of its Pixel phones (Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, and the upcoming models) another option when it comes to sorting out a broken handset, whether or not it’s under warranty.

To begin the process, simply visit the center’s website, open a ticket, and enter your phone’s unique International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. You can find the IMEI number by inputting *#06# or by navigating to Settings, System, About Phone, and SIM Status. If you have a problem with the display or the phone appears to have died, you can find the IMEI number by removing the SIM card and looking in the SIM card tray.

Once you’ve input the number, you’ll be asked to select from a list of issues related to your phone so that Google can estimate the cost of repair (if it’s not under warranty) and technicians know exactly what they’re dealing with when the phone arrives at the workshop.

You can send in your Pixel handset by packaging it up yourself, or you can wait a couple of days for Google’s pre-paid packaging to arrive.

But take note — before you send away your phone, Google insists that you first back up your device, perform a factory reset on it, and then remove the SIM card.

Google says it’ll need between 7 and 10 business days to fix your phone, so make alternative arrangements if the thought of being without it for that length of time has you breaking into a cold sweat.

Full details about Google’s new mail-in Repair Center can be found here, or you can begin the process straight away by hitting this page.

Other repair options include a visit to your home by a Google-endorsed Puls technician, or by taking your faulty phone to uBreakiFix store. If you’re not in an area served by either of these services, Google’s new Repair Center looks like your best bet.

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Adobe modernizes the PDF with updates to Acrobat, Adobe Scan

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Adobe

Adobe

Adobe

PDFs are the universal language for documents and Adobe is working to modernize the standard format with new tools. On Monday, October 1, Adobe launched a new Adobe Acrobat DC, opening up more possibilities for the PDF format with expanded tools and artificial intelligence. Along with changes to the subscription software Acrobat DC, the update also brings new tools to the free Adobe Acrobat Reader app and Adobe Scan.

Adobe says the changes to modernize the PDF are based directly on user feedback. Inside Adobe Acrobat Reader, users can now use the free app to fill out forms, sign documents and review PDFs without leaving the app. The update adds Adobe Sign directly into Acrobat Reader. 

Using Adobe Sensei, the company’s artificial intelligence, the app will now also recognize blanks in a form. Previously, the user would have to draw a box around where to place the text. With the update, users can tap on the blanks and type, simplifying the process.

The update also brings more PDF editing tools to tablets. The option is part of the paid option for Acrobat Reader and is only available for tablets.

Acrobat DC, which is part of the Document Cloud subscription as well as the all-apps subscription, can now easily sync across devices, get team feedback and edit PDFs. Users complained that the process of reviewing a PDF and suggesting changes as a team was tedious, so Adobe is introducing new share and review tools. Similar to making comments inside a document software, the new review tools in Acrobat DC allows users to add comments to a specific spot in the PDF. Other users can then respond to the tags. Mentions with the “@“ tag will also notify a specific user about the comment. While the subscription is required to initiate the editing process, others can review the PDF and make comments with just a web browser.

The home view across Acrobat DC for desktop, Acrobat Reader for mobile and the browser-based Adobe Document Cloud are now almost identical. The change allows signed-in users to continue working with one PDF on a different device.

Adobe Scan also sees the option to scan multiple business cards at once. The update allows the cards to be imported as separate contacts, expanding the earlier update adding the option for single business cards. The update also brings additional language support to Adobe Scan.

The updates are now available. Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Scan are available as free downloads with optional in-app purchases. Acrobat DC requires a subscription.

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• When sci-fi meets reality: Adobe re-imagines AR from ‘Terminator 2’
• How to use Adobe Spark Post to spice up your social media images

Adobe modernizes the PDF with updates to Acrobat, Adobe Scan

Previous

Next

1 of 3

Adobe

Adobe

Adobe

PDFs are the universal language for documents and Adobe is working to modernize the standard format with new tools. On Monday, October 1, Adobe launched a new Adobe Acrobat DC, opening up more possibilities for the PDF format with expanded tools and artificial intelligence. Along with changes to the subscription software Acrobat DC, the update also brings new tools to the free Adobe Acrobat Reader app and Adobe Scan.

Adobe says the changes to modernize the PDF are based directly on user feedback. Inside Adobe Acrobat Reader, users can now use the free app to fill out forms, sign documents and review PDFs without leaving the app. The update adds Adobe Sign directly into Acrobat Reader. 

Using Adobe Sensei, the company’s artificial intelligence, the app will now also recognize blanks in a form. Previously, the user would have to draw a box around where to place the text. With the update, users can tap on the blanks and type, simplifying the process.

The update also brings more PDF editing tools to tablets. The option is part of the paid option for Acrobat Reader and is only available for tablets.

Acrobat DC, which is part of the Document Cloud subscription as well as the all-apps subscription, can now easily sync across devices, get team feedback and edit PDFs. Users complained that the process of reviewing a PDF and suggesting changes as a team was tedious, so Adobe is introducing new share and review tools. Similar to making comments inside a document software, the new review tools in Acrobat DC allows users to add comments to a specific spot in the PDF. Other users can then respond to the tags. Mentions with the “@“ tag will also notify a specific user about the comment. While the subscription is required to initiate the editing process, others can review the PDF and make comments with just a web browser.

The home view across Acrobat DC for desktop, Acrobat Reader for mobile and the browser-based Adobe Document Cloud are now almost identical. The change allows signed-in users to continue working with one PDF on a different device.

Adobe Scan also sees the option to scan multiple business cards at once. The update allows the cards to be imported as separate contacts, expanding the earlier update adding the option for single business cards. The update also brings additional language support to Adobe Scan.

The updates are now available. Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Scan are available as free downloads with optional in-app purchases. Acrobat DC requires a subscription.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Photo FOMO: Adobe’s slick Hollywood editing suite, IGTV’s test for teasers
• Adobe’s next big software secret? An augmented reality tool called Project Aero
• MIT, Adobe’s new A.I. could bring one-click background removal, social filters
• When sci-fi meets reality: Adobe re-imagines AR from ‘Terminator 2’
• How to use Adobe Spark Post to spice up your social media images

MIT’s Skinbot is a wearable robot that’s designed to scamper all over your body

Thanks to smart artificial intelligence assistants like Siri and Alexa, we’re used to having a personal A.I. on hand whenever and wherever we might need it. However, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab have been working on the next iteration of this kind of personalized tech: A palm-sized personal robot that is designed to literally crawl over your body. Called Skinbot, it carries out this movement using suction-cup feet that are modeled on the adhesive abilities of leeches or cephalopods.

“The idea is making wearable robots that move around your body, kind of like small robotic companions that help you,” Artem Dementyev, a Ph.D. student in the MIT Media Lab’s Responsive Environments Group, told Digital Trends. “We see this kind of relationships in nature already. The goal is to look at new ways at wearable devices, as not just static devices such as watches. The “epidermal robots” attach directly to the skin using suction cups, kind of like the suction cups for massage. It is the first robot that can climb on the skin. We already have robots that autonomously explore Mars, so why not have robots that can explore ourselves?”

In theory, we guess such robots could function as robo-pets, kind of like the upgraded 2018 equivalent of a parrot on the shoulder. But Dementyev said that a more compelling use case would involve medical applications.

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“I see the robots as tiny physicians that you can order on demand in a small box to your house,” he continued. “The robot can have a microscope that looks at the skin. [It] can crawl thoroughly and inspect the skin for signs of cancer or other skin problems, perhaps while you sleep. The robot knows the precise locations and can record changes over time. This would be impossible with current technology, as it would require to look at the skin with a microscope.”

Skinbot could also be used to precisely map the mechanical properties of the body by walking around and physically pushing on the skin to determine how hard it is in various places. In addition, SkinBot’s suction cups have metal rings that can pick up biopotential signals such as heart rate and muscle activity.

Dementyev noted that, currently, the robot is still exploratory and preliminary work, and any commercialization is likely at least half a decade away. To get there, the team needs to solve technical challenges such as removing the wires and making the robot autonomous in order to make it more practical.

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies.

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