ForcePhone software makes any mobile device pressure sensitive
A team from the University of Michigan have developed a novel means of giving any mobile device the same sort of force-sensitive capabilities found on Apple’s flagship iPhone 6s. Dubbed ForcePhone, the software leverages two features that literally every smartphone has — a microphone and a speaker — do to what very few OEM device manufacturers have managed.
It causes the phone to continually emit an 18kHz buzz, which is too high for the human ear to detect. However, it’s not too high for the phone’s microphone to detect. When the user presses a finger against the screen, the pitch changes slightly. Pressing harder causes the pitch to shift further, which the mic picks up and translates into commands for the software. With it, users would conceivably be able to dial their phones or navigate through menus simply by squeezing their screens in different patterns.
“Having expensive and bulky sensors installed into smartphones can solve every problem we have solved, but the added cost and laborious installation prevent phone manufacturers from doing it,” University of Michigan doctoral student Yu-Chih Tung said in a statement. “Our sound-based solution can fill this gap, providing the functionality without making any hardware modification. Everything is just software.” The system isn’t quite ready for public consumption just yet, however. Its inventors will demo the ForcePhone June 27-29 in Singapore at MobiSys 2016.
Source: University of Michigan
No Apple Store in India unless it sells more local-made goods
Apple has been making an effort to conquer India to boost its declining iPhone sales, but things aren’t going too well for the company. According to Reuters, the Indian government has rejected Cupertino’s request to allow it to open official Apple Stores in the country even though most of its products are made in China. See, under the country’s new laws (specifically the Make-in-India initiative), 30 percent of the goods a foreign high-tech retailer sells should made in India. A public official told Reuters that Apple “didn’t provide any material on record to justify” its request for a waiver. India also rejected the company’s plan to sell imported, refurbished iPhones in the country earlier this month.
A few days ago, Tim Cook met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss his plans for expansion, and sources said that those plans include opening up three Apple Stores by 2017. At the moment, Cupertino mainly sells goods in India through franchise stores that exclusively sells products from the company. While it’s very much possible for a multi-billion dollar tech titan to find a way around that requirement, it might take a while for Apple to launch official stores in the country.
Via: 9to5mac
Source: Reuters
Apple reportedly looks into making electric car charging stations
Any electric car maker worth its salt knows that their vehicles are only as good as the charging stations that keep them running… and that includes Apple, apparently. Reuters sources understand that Apple is asking charging station manufacturers about their technology for the sake of its oft-rumored electric car project. It’s not certain how deep the talks go or who’s involved (the companies certainly aren’t talking). However, NRG Energy issued a vague response noting that it’s talking to “every potential manufacturer of tomorrow.” We wouldn’t rule it out, then.
There’s more evidence than that. An unnamed worldwide engineering company has already offered to help Apple build charging stations, Reuters says. Meanwhile, Apple has publicly hired EV charging experts from BMW, Georgia Tech and Google.
If true, the approach is a logical fit for Apple. Part of Tesla’s success in EVs comes from its willingness to build a network of high-speed charging stations — you’re more likely to buy a Model S if you know that you can drive it long distances without spending hours waiting for a recharge. Apple may need that same kind of reassurance. And let’s not forget that Apple’s strategy revolves around controlling as much of the experience as possible. It only makes sense that the company would want optimized charging stations instead of leaving drivers to use generic stations that might not work as effectively.
Source: Reuters
Foxconn replaces 60,000 human workers with robots
According to reports, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer Foxconn has replaced around 60,000 human factory workers with machines. Or, as a government publicist for the city of Kunshan told the South China Morning Post, the factory “reduced employee strength from 110,000 to 50,000 thanks to the introduction of robots. It has tasted success in reduction of labour costs.”
Although Foxconn confirmed to the BBC that it was working to automate much of its manufacturing operations, the company denied that the new robotic assembly line would mean fewer jobs for humans. Instead, the company says it is simply using the machines to “replace repetitive tasks previously done by employees” while allowing those employees to focus on more valuable parts of the manufacturing process like R&D and quality control. “We will continue to harness automation and manpower in our manufacturing operations,” Foxconn told the BBC, “and we expect to maintain our significant workforce in China.”
Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post also reports that 35 Taiwanese companies including Foxconn have spent a total of 4 billion yuan (or about $609 million USD) on artificial intelligence last year. Many of those companies employ tens of thousands in Kunshan, where two-thirds of the 2.5 million people are migrant workers. According to a government survey, 600 companies in Kunshan plan to follow Foxconn’s lead.
In 2012, a report from the Fair Labor Association showed that working conditions in Foxconn’s manufacturing facilities — where most of Apple’s products are made — were way below legal standards. Both Apple and Foxconn agreed to pitch in and improve the conditions for their human workers.
‘Pokémon GO’ U.S. Beta Kicks Off as New Battle Details Are Revealed
Beta testing of the upcoming Pokémon GO game for iOS kicked off in the United States today, with Niantic Labs sending out beta invites to customers who signed up to be field testers earlier this month. Beta testing is already underway in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
Pokémon GO, first announced last year, is being developed by Niantic Labs in collaboration with The Pokémon Company. It will allow Pokémon fans to search real world locations to collect, battle, and trade more than 100 different Pokémon.
As was detailed in previous posts, Pokémon Go will notify players when they’re near a catchable Pokémon, with the iPhone used to throw a Poké Ball. PokéStops around the world, located at places like public art installations and historical markers, will allow players to stock up on Poké Balls and discover Pokémon Eggs.
Alongside the launch of the U.S. beta test, more details have been revealed about the way the battle mechanics will work in the game. Each Pokémon Go user will be encouraged to join one of three teams to engage in Gym battles with other teams. Gym battles can be undertaken once a team is joined, and Gyms, like Pokémon, are located in real world locations around the world. Evolving Pokémon has also been added to the game.
Battling is essential to any Pokémon game, and Pokémon GO is no different. Players can battle using the Pokémon they’ve caught to gain control of a Gym. By using their own Pokémon’s attacks and dodging incoming attacks by swiping left and right on the screen, Pokémon GO players can defeat the defending Pokémon to reduce the Gym’s Prestige.
Once the Gym’s Prestige reaches zero, the defending team loses control of the Gym, and the victor’s Pokémon can be assigned to defend the Gym. When a team has control of a Gym, team members can increase its Prestige and level by training their Pokémon with other defending Pokémon. As the Gym gets to a higher level, the defending team gains the ability to assign more Pokémon to defend it. They can also team up with friends and battle together at a rival Gym to take down stronger Gyms faster.
Pokémon Go will be free to download when it launches later in 2016. In-app purchases will be available, allowing players to buy PokéCoins for power-ups and extra items. No concrete release date has been provided for Pokémon Go, but with the expansion of the beta test, a launch is growing closer. Customers who want to sign up for the field test can do so on the Niantic Labs website.
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Apple rehires security expert to keep its encryption strong
Reuters says Apple has rehired security expert Jon Callas, part of a continued overhaul of its security team. Callas originally worked for Apple both in the 90s as well as more recently, between 2009 and 2011, where he worked on Mac security. Apple’s device encryption has become a bigger issue since it refused to unlock an iPhone used by the San Bernardino gunmen earlier this year. (The FBI eventually unlocked the device with some third-party assistance.)
Callas had also co-founded several secure comms companies, including including PGP Corp, Silent Circle and Blackphone. A Senate committee is still debating legislation that could compel companies to help law enforcement agencies bypass their own encryption — something that Apple says would make its products more vulnerable to hacking.
Apple’s work on security doesn’t stop with this hire. As the WSJ reported a few months back, the company is also working on improving encryption in iCloud. It also recently grabbed Frederic Jacobs, the developer behind Signal, a secure chat app used by Edward Snowden, as an intern.
Source: Reuters
Apple reportedly working on a rival to Amazon’s Echo
While much of Silicon Valley has been duking it out with each other in the artificial intelligence wars, Apple has been strangely silent. But it might not be for much longer. The Information has just reported that Apple is working on two bold new moves to broaden its AI strategy. First, the Cupertino firm will supposedly open up Siri to third-party developers, so that the voice assistant can be used with anyone’s apps, not just Apple’s own. More interestingly, however, Apple is also apparently working on a smart Bluetooth speaker not unlike Amazon’s Echo or Google Home. It’ll have a microphone and is supposedly Siri-powered, so you’d be able to use it to turn on music, get headlines or do a variety of other tasks, like turning on the lights. According to a source for The Information, Apple has been working on this device long before the Echo launched last year.
Artificial intelligence has been a focus for Apple’s rivals for quite awhile now; Google, Facebook, Amazon and even Microsoft have invested heavily in AI to improve the quality of digital assistants (which are sometimes referred to as bots). Siri, on the other hand, has remained fairly stagnant and limited in scope when compared to the competition. There’s no official word from Apple on how much more it plans to invest in AI, but we’re betting we’ll hear more about it at Apple’s WWDC event in a couple of weeks.
Apple Releases Firmware Update 7.6.7 and 7.7.7 for AirPort Base Stations
Apple today released a new firmware update for all of its 802.11n Wi-Fi base stations, including the AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Time Capsule. According to Apple’s release notes, the update includes bug fixes and is designed to improve the stability and performance of the products.
This update:
– Fixes an issue which may prevent communication between clients on the same network
– Improves performance with an extended guest network
– Addresses potential naming conflicts with Bonjour Sleep Proxy
Apple has also released a 7.7.7 update for its 802.11ac Wi-Fi Base stations, including the latest AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule models.
The firmware updates can be installed through the AirPort Utility app for iOS or OS X.
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Prototype iPhone 6 with ‘Switchboard’ OS Listed on eBay for $4,999
An alleged prototype version of Apple’s “vintage” iPhone 6 has appeared in an eBay auction with a starting price of $4,999.
The device has the Apple logo and “iPhone” branding, but no FCC logos, serial number or IMEI on the rear, and appears to be in very good condition.
The handset apparently runs a much-sought-after hackable debugging OS called “SwitchBoard” and features a red lightning dock port with a serial number of C39NW00KG876. The seller claims to have bought it from a friend. The auction currently has one bidder.
In October 2014, a similar prototype iPhone 6 with red Lightning port was offered on eBay by someone claiming to have received the handset by accident. The auction garnered almost 200 bids and reached over $100,000, before being pulled by eBay, likely at Apple’s request.
(Via 9to5Mac)
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New, thinner Macbook Pros will reportedly have an OLED touch bar
Barring a big change to the trackpad, Apple’s high-powered MacBook Pro models haven’t seen many major differences in recent years. That may be until now. According to 9to5Mac, which is citing both Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and its own sources, the next family of MacBook Pros (or MacBooks Pro) could not only be thinner and lighter, but may also house a new OLED display touch bar just above the keyboard. This would act in place of the narrow physical function keys found on contemporary MacBooks. Apple may also bring Touch ID into its next series of laptops.
Alongside the rumor of a OLED touch bar, the design will apparently include new metal injection-molded hinges that will enable the company to make the Pro series lighter and thinner. (Uncorroborated reports suggested that Apple has tapped the same company that made the Surface’s special hinges.)
The same sources say that new Pro laptops will come with USB-C and Thunderbolt 3, while Apple will also bring a new 13-inch MacBook similar to the latest 12-inch Retina model. Yeah, if the range of MacBooks was confusing before, it could get even more baffling. Kuo’s report suggests that 13- and 15-inch models will arrive late 2016, although more details on that curious OLED bar are scarce — and that’s the most interesting part.
Lenovo attempted to add a similar-sounding adaptive keyboard panel to its ThinkPad series, but it wasn’t all that well-received, and the company rolled back its keyboard design soon after. However, let’s see how Apple plans to deliver this OLED touch bar first, if this is all true.
Source: 9to5Mac
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