MacRumors Giveaway: Win a Tech Travel Vest From AyeGear

For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with AyeGear to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a V26 Travel Vest, which is a tech vest that’s able to hold an iPhone, an iPad, a Retina MacBook, and a huge number of accessories in its dedicated pockets.

There are 26 total pockets in the Travel Vest, with seven on the outside and 19 on the inside. The two largest inner pockets can hold dual iPads or an iPad and a 12-inch MacBook, and there are also two smartphone pockets with transparent touch pockets for housing an iPhone. With the transparent fabric, the touchscreen of the iPhone is usable while it’s tucked away and earbuds can be routed through the top of the vest for listening to music.

Internal wire management keeps cords from getting tangled, and there are pockets that will hold a range of accessories like credit cards, cash, glasses, a passport, a camera, a water bottle, and more. The vest itself is waterproof, breathable, and windproof, so it can be used in all weather conditions.

According to AyeGear, the Travel Vest is ideal for outdoor activities like walking, hiking, and backpacking, but it’s also useful for airline travel or professions where multiple accessories and devices need to be on hand at all time, such as photography.

The AyeGear V26 Travel Vest can be purchased from the AyeGear website for GBP99.99​​ or $145, but one MacRumors reader can win one through our giveaway. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner and send the prizes.

You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page. Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveawayhttps://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.jsThe contest will run from today (February 12) at 12:15 p.m. Pacific Time through 12:15 p.m. Pacific Time on February 19. The winner will be chosen randomly on February 19 and will be contacted by email. The winner has 48 hours to respond a before a new winner is chosen.

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Japan Display’s Upcoming Touch Screens Feature Slimmer Bezels, Wet Finger Support

Apple supplier Japan Display revealed some details on its second-generation “Pixel Eyes” LCD modules over the holidays, providing us with a look at some of the ways the display industry is advancing. Japan Display’s “Pixel Eyes” modules incorporate touch functionality into the display, and in the second-generation model, there are some exciting improvements.

Using a new sensor structure and new materials, Japan Display has managed to decrease the thickness of the bezel, going from 0.8mm to 0.5mm. A deeper black level is available, and the display can accept input with a stylus as narrow as 1mm for finer detail when drawing or writing.

Perhaps the most intriguing feature in the LCD module is its ability to operate with wet fingers. Many current smartphone screens are unable to work accurately under water and when fingers are wet as water is capacitive and confuses the built-in touch sensors.

iPhones, iPads, and the Apple Watch, for example, don’t respond well to touch with wet fingers or when placed in water, so technology like this could be essential if Apple wants to have a functional display in a device advertised as “waterproof.” Some iPhone 7 rumors have indicated the next-generation iPhone could be a waterproof device.

In a report earlier this week, The Motley Fool highlighted Japan Display’s second-generation “Pixel Eyes” technology and the possibility it could be included in the iPhone 7. Volume shipments on the displays will begin during the current quarter, making them available for possible inclusion in the iPhone 7 when Apple begins ramping up production during the summer months.

While Japan Display is one of Apple’s suppliers, it is not entirely clear if Japan Display screens are used in the iPhone and if the second-generation Pixel Eyes display technology will be used in future products. There have been rumors suggesting Apple and Japan Display have partnered up for a $1.7 billion display plant to produce screens for iPhones in 2016, so it’s not out of the question that we’ll see Japan Display screens in the iPhone 7 or the iPhone 7s.

Regardless of whether Japan Display’s technology ends up in the iPhone, the advancements made by the company serve as an interesting glimpse at features that could be adopted more widely by the display industry in the future, eventually making their way into Apple’s devices.

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Dr. Dre to Star in Apple’s First Original Television Series

Following rumors Apple is planning to create original television content like Netflix and Amazon, news has leaked about the company’s first prospective TV show courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter. The series, called Vital Signs, is described as a dark semi-autobiographical drama that stars Beats co-founder and Apple executive Dr. Dre.

Sources who have seen scripts and descriptions of the show have described it as being very dark, reflecting at least in part on the life of Dr. Dre. Each episode is said to focus on a “different emotion” and the way Dre’s character handles it.

While technically a half-hour, the show is not a comedy. Instead, it is described as a dark drama with no shortage of violence and sex. In fact, an episode filming Monday and Tuesday this week featured an extended orgy scene. Sources tell THR naked extras simulated sex in a mansion in the Bird Streets neighborhood of Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills. (Dre’s wife Nicole Threatt Young was on set to witness the shenanigans, one insider says.)

News that Apple was exploring the possibility of original television programming first surfaced last summer, ahead of when it shelved its streaming television plans. At the time, it was speculated the content could be provided through a rumored streaming service, but with Apple having ended development on that project at the current time, distribution will come through more traditional means.

The Hollywood Reporter believes the series is likely to be distributed through Apple Music, which was born out of the Beats Music service created by Dre. It may also be available through iTunes or distributed through other channels, but the details on that are not yet clear. As with Netflix shows, all episodes of the series will be released at once.

Dr. Dre is the executive producer on the series, and it’s being funded by Apple. The series will also star Sam Rockwell, known for movies like Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Galaxy Quest, and Moon, along with Mo McRae, known for his role in Sons of Anarchy. It will be directed by Paul Hunter.

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Dr. Dre will reportedly star in Apple’s first original TV series

Rumors have swirled about Apple building its own TV service for untold months now — and the company has also been rumored to be creating its own original content, ala Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and basically every other streaming service worth its salt. Now, The Hollywood Reporter says it has details about the first Apple original series. Vital Signs is reportedly a six-episode series starring Apple employee Dr. Dre in a dark, “semi-autobiographical” role.

As for the show’s distribution, it sounds like Apple isn’t waiting to have its TV service off the ground — instead, the series will debut on Apple Music as an exclusive for subscribers. Just as the exclusive Taylor Swift concert Apple Music hosted was available to watch on the company’s Apple TV device, it makes sense that Dre’s show would be similarly available. But it’s not clear if the show will also be available to purchase through iTunes for those who don’t subscribe to Apple’s streaming music service.

The show is being headed up by Paul Hunter, a longtime music video director, and will also star Sam Rockwell and Mo McCrae, says The Hollywood Reporter. And the subject matter sounds a bit risqué for Apple — apparently one episode features a full-on orgy scene. The six half-hour episodes are expected to debut simultaneously, though there’s no word on the release timeframe yet. It would be a bold move for the company, but not entirely unexpected given Dre’s close ties to Apple. We’ve reached out for comment and will update this post if we learn anything else.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

iPhone 7 Predicted to Adopt Lightning Headphones Without Noise-Canceling Capabilities

Apple is likely to wait until 2017 and the “iPhone 7s” to introduce noise-canceling headphones, according to a Barclays analyst report posted today. In the report, analysts Blayne Curtis and Christopher Hemmelgarn believe that 2016’s iPhone 7 will include a Lightning-equipped headphone accessory, with the “potential” for a dynamic noise-canceling system to be introduced next year.

The analysts believe Apple will use a basic digital codec in 2016, allowing the company to introduce Lightning-connected headphones later in the year. This move will prepare Apple for the possibility of including Cirrus Logic’s (an Apple audio supplier) more advanced noise-cancellation smart codec in 2017, which requires a digital codec to be installed in the first place.

We still believe there is potential for AAPL to add ANC in the IP7S but believe AAPL is including just the digital headphone in the IP7 this year. Recent speculation surrounding the elimination of the headphone jack in the IP7 is consistent with this move as AAPL will need to provide a digital headset inbox but likely was not willing to spend the extra cost for the ANC functionality.

Rumors surrounding the exclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack in the iPhone 7 began earlier in the year, although it was unclear whether the accessory would ship in the box or be sold as a separate purchase under the Beats by Dre brand. According to the analysts in today’s report, the 3.5mm headphone jack will be replaced by another speaker thanks to an additional amp also provided by Cirrus Logic.

Other rumors have suggested that Apple is preparing a Bluetooth solution for an upcoming iPhone line, similar in vein to the Bragi Dash headphones, which are finally beginning to ship out to early pre-order customers after over a year of waiting. The headphones would be completely wireless, with two separate pods that require regular charging.

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Popular Fitness App Runkeeper Acquired by Sportswear Maker ASICS

Athletic apparel company ASICS today acquired popular running app Runkeeper for an undisclosed amount of money. Runkeeper founder Jason Jacobs announced the news in a blog post on Medium, in which he promised that the merger of a “digital fitness platform and world class physical products” will be one that should benefit fans of both companies.

Partnering with ASICS to fulfill this vision together makes a ton of sense. We both have deep roots in and focus on running as a core component of the fitness experience. There is strong alignment between our brands and core values. And from people using our Shoe Tracker feature in the app, we know that ASICS shoes are by far the ones that Runkeeper users run in the most!

Jacobs promised that Runkeeper users won’t see many changes to the core app experience due to the acquisition, but thanks to ASICS’ resources, the app should be able to expand and grow at a faster rate. The specifics of the integration into physical products for the two companies has not yet been disclosed, but an automatic run-tracking shoe seems to be in the cards with Runkeeper’s mentioning of the popularity of ASICS shoes among its users.

Runkeeper offers a free experience, but power users can spend $9.95 on a more premium version of the service. Last summer, Runkeeper announced that it cut 30 percent of its staff to shift focus “from purely attracting lots of users to wringing more revenue from those users,” which ASICS’ acquisition should help contribute to as well.

Fitness clothing companies have been making acquisitions in the digital space for a while now, in the last year alone Under Armour purchased MyFitnessPal and Adidas purchased Runtastic. One of the first technical integrations of digital fitness into a wearable was the Nike+ step counter, which you could insert into a tennis shoe to sync with the company’s running app.

Runkeeper is available to download from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

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AT&T to Begin Testing 5G, 10-100 Times Faster Than 4G LTE

AT&T has announced that it will begin trialing 5G wireless technologies this year, including lab tests in the second quarter and outdoor tests over the summer. The carrier anticipates 5G speeds to be 10-100 times faster than today’s average 4G LTE connections, with reduced latency.

Customers will see speeds measured in gigabits per second, not megabits. For reference, at one gigabit per second, you can download a TV show in less than 3 seconds. Customers will also see much lower latency with 5G. Latency, for example, is how long it takes after you press play on a video app for the video to start streaming on your device. We expect 5G latency in the range of 1 to 5 milliseconds.

Worldwide standards are still lacking for 5G technologies, but the 3GPP group aims to complete the first phase of that process in 2018. The widespread rollout of AT&T’s 5G network will likely take until 2020, but the carrier plans to provide wireless connectivity to fixed locations in Austin before the end of this year. The carrier joins Verizon, who will also be field testing 5G solutions this year.

AT&T’s 5G network will be based on technologies such as millimeter waves, network function virtualization (NFV), and software-defined networking (SDN). The carrier has already migrated 14 million wireless customers to its virtualized network, and it says millions more will be added this year. AT&T plans to virtualize 75% of its network over the next four years in the lead up to 5G.

It remains too early to predict Apple’s roadmap for 5G connectivity. Apple was quick to support LTE-Advanced, a faster standard of 4G LTE, on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus or later, but 3G and LTE wireless technologies were both available for years before Apple adopted them. Based on AT&T’s and 3GPP’s timelines, a 5G iPhone may not be released for at least three to four years.

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AT&T Expands ‘Buy One Get One Free’ iPhone Deal to New Customers

AT&T has announced that its “Buy One Get One Free” promotion for iPhones and select other smartphones is now available again for both new and existing customers.

The limited time offer requires both smartphones to be purchased on AT&T Next with a qualifying plan. The first device can be a new line or an upgrade, while the second device must be a new line and purchased on AT&T Next 24.

After three bill cycles or less, AT&T said customers will start to receive up to $650 in bill credits spread out over 30 monthly payments. The first payment will be a lump sum of any AT&T Next payments to that date. Tax is still due on both smartphones, which must be from the same manufacturer, upon purchase.

Last month, T-Mobile announced a similar “BOGO” promotion that offers qualifying Simple Choice customers half off all iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models, or any iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with the purchase of another iPhone of equal or greater value. The savings are applied instantly at the point of sale.

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