Tesco trials receipts sent directly to your smartphone
Some receipts are just about worth keeping — you may have second thoughts on the fit of those new jeans, after all — but the scrolls you receive at supermarket checkouts are basically just paper waste. Every under-the-kitchen-sink plastic bag has one of these unread companions, but things could get a bit lonelier under there if Tesco’s latest tech trial is successful. At one store in Harlow, Essex, the supermarket is testing out a paperless receipt system that skips the printer and sends it straight to your phone instead.
The method is a bit clunky as it stands. Customers are given a unique sticker they pair with a mobile app. They then scan this sticker on a special reader at the checkout, which pushes the receipt to their smartphone, storing it within the app. You know, just in case they want to revisit it later to figure out how they managed to spend £100 on two meals and a bottle of mouthwash — thanks, Brexit.
Tesco is very keen to stress this is a limited trial scheduled to run until next month, and a wider rollout of the system will only be considered after hearing customer feedback. It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine a similar but slicker system being integrated into Tesco’s PayQwiq app in the future, though. PayQwiq is Tesco’s own mobile wallet service that lets you pay at the checkout by scanning a QR code on your phone’s display, also removing the need to carry a separate Clubcard. It’s currently supported in 528 stores across London and Edinburgh, but Tesco hopes to expand support nationwide by the end of the year.
Via: Mashable
The Morning After: Tuesday October 25th 2016
While you were sleeping, we found out where you can still buy a Galaxy Note 7 (don’t), Apple added Portrait mode to its flagship iPhone 7 Plus, and we’re thinking about what Microsoft has planned for later this week.
iOS 10.1 is herePortrait mode brings blurry backgrounds to iPhone 7 Plus photos
While it’s a mostly minor update, the iPhone 7 Plus will pick up another way to utilize its duo of rear-facing cameras. Yes, the once-teased portrait mode is now here to blur your backgrounds and make those portraits of loved ones really pop.
Disable in-app purchasesDoctors say your toddler can use your tablet — as long as you’re around to supervise
The American Academy of Pediatrics has softened its guidelines when it comes to screenwatchin’ for the under-twos, stating that they can watch “high-quality programming” (Sesame Workshop, for example) so long as you’re there to help understanding and monitor use. If your wee ones are younger than that, you should limit them to video chat for now. The AAP reiterates that, regardless of your children’s age, it’s important to both set “consistent limits” and ensure that device time doesn’t affect physical activity, play and sleep.
Tune in, turn on … TrumpSocial media isn’t just for apologies and insults
There’s no “Trump TV” yet, but the campaign has launched a daily show for its Facebook followers. So far, it’s not outdrawing Chewbacca Mom, but you all know those viewing counts are rigged anyway.
Scratching the surfaceHere’s what to expect from Microsoft’s ‘Imagine What You’ll Do’ event
New Surface? Sure, but in what shape — maybe an all-in-one? Perhaps, perhaps. While we probably won’t see a Surface Pro 5, we do expect Microsoft to explain what’ll happen in the next Windows 10 update, likely to launch in early 2017.
GastlyPokémon Go’s first global event is Halloween-themed
To celebrate All Hallows’ Eve, Pokémon Go creators Niantic Labs is increasing the encounter rate for its spookier Pocket Monsters. Gastly, Gengar, Golbat (ugh!) and more will appear far more frequently, while each monster caught will net you double the number of candies. In true trick-or-treat style, you’ll also get more candies from your Buddy Pokémon, and even from Professor Willow when you send him your Pokémon.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you shouldIf you want a Galaxy Note 7, they’re still on sale in Hong Kong
Because people like to risk carrying around something in their pocket that might explode in a burst of smoke. Read how Engadget Chinese editor-in-chief Richard Lai fared while trying to buy one — and why they’re still on sale in the first place.
But wait, there’s more…
- Hackers can gain full access in five seconds with this Linux exploit
- Stare at this beautifully detailed map of the Milky Way
- New White House initiative hopes to ensure microsatellites thrive
- A new stylus-toting Samsung Galaxy device that won’t burst into smoke
Google buys eye-tracking startup to boost its VR hardware
Google’s mission to bring VR to the masses has resulted in the development of the Daydream View and Cardboard, but the company isn’t stopping there. In July, we brought you news that the search giant is secretly working on a new high-end standalone headset, which we now know will incorporate eye tracking and use sensors to help users interact with the virtual spaces in front of them. To help it do just that, Google has confirmed the acquisition of Eyefluence, a three-year-old startup that specializes in turning eye movements into virtual actions.
We previously met Eyefluence CEO and founder Jim Marggraff when he showed off his company’s developments in virtual reality storytelling. Marggraff — the man behind the LeadPad kids tablet — and his team have already developed software to see what you’re looking at and tell whether you’re interested or just plain bored by it. Google hasn’t clarified what the Eyefluence team will specifically work on, but its technology seems a natural fit for a company looking to differentiate its offering from the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Google won’t be the first company to double down on VR optics. Fove, a startup that raised $480,000 on Kickstarter, will open pre-orders for its own eye-tracking headset early next month. “Over the last three and a half years we have built an incredible team, advanced our eye-interaction technology, and created strong partnerships that have lead to the development of a completely new language for eye-interaction,” says Eyefluence in a blog post. “With our forces combined, we will continue to advance eye-interaction technology to expand human potential and empathy on an even larger scale.”
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Eyefluence
Xiaomi’s curved Note 2 has a striking yet familiar look
It was only last month when Xiaomi launched the Mi 5s and Mi 5s Plus, but the Chinese company is already back with yet another flagship model. What we have here is the Mi Note 2 which, as you can tell by the name, is all about its large 5.7-inch 1080p display and generous 4,070 mAh battery. If it weren’t for the missing stylus, you’d easily confuse the Mi Note 2 with the Samsung S7 Edge or Note 7: It comes in a familiarly gorgeous body design with curved glass on both sides, and yes, much like Samsung’s offerings, the Mi Note 2 features a flexible OLED screen that lightly wraps around the edges, though it’s just for looks for now. Not bad for a phone that starts from 2,799 yuan or about $413.
As a flagship phone, the specs should come as no surprise: Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 821 chipset (2.35GHz; same as the Mi 5s Plus), from 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, from 64GB of UFS 2.0 storage, NFC, Quick Charge 3.0 and HD audio playback (192kHz/24 bit). Xiaomi is pitching the Mi Note 2 as a “business flagship” so roaming support is obviously very important: It does LTE Cat 11 with up to 600Mbps downlink using tri-carrier aggregation, and its top model supports 37 bands (22 of which are LTE) which matches the iPhone 7 Plus and beats the Huawei P9 Plus’ 32 bands.
On the photography side, the Mi Note 2’s main camera has opted for a higher resolution — using the 22.56-megapixel Sony IMX318 sensor — instead of larger pixels like the Mi 5s series has. While it doesn’t have optical stabilization (nor laser auto-focus for that matter), it does offer electronic image stabilization for 4K video capture. As for the front-facing camera, we have an 8-megapixel f/2.0 imager with Sony’s IMX268 plus auto-focus — which is still a missing feature on many selfie cameras. Not only does this come with Xiaomi’s third-gen beautification software, it also has a cool feature which makes sure everyone in the shot isn’t blinking: This is achieved by taking burst shots, and then the software picks the best shot and also replace the faces of whoever blinked with the correct ones from other shots.
Due to the more complicated manufacturing methods for this design, the Mi Note 2 costs a little but more than Xiaomi’s typical price points. The base model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage is going for 2,799 yuan or about $413, then the next model up with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage costs 3,299 yuan or about $490, and finally we have the ultimate model with the same specs but also with global bands asking for 3,499 yuan or about $516. It comes in Piano Black and Glacier Silver, but the latter won’t be available for another two to three weeks. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to buy this phone in the US, but you’re bound to find one from online importers.
Source: Xiaomi
BlackBerry’s third Android phone packs a fingerprint sensor
BlackBerry has announced the DTEK60, the second in its range of Android smartphones manufactured by a third party. Like the DTEK50, the actual device has been put together by TCL, leaving BlackBerry with the job of making sure that it’s secure enough to be loved by corporations. The biggest new feature, compared to its predecessor, is the new fingerprint scanner that allows you to unlock the device as well as use Android Pay.
The DTEK60 is a little bit bigger than its older sibling, packing a 5.5-inch QHD display and a 3,000mAh battery. If we were guessing, we’d assume it was based on the same design as TCL / Alcatel’s Idol 4S, which packs a similar screen and display, not to mention the same fingerprint scanner. But unlike that handset, this one carries BlackBerry’s security know-how tucked inside, including the hardware “root of trust.” The other big difference between the 60 and the Idol 4S is in the camera, since BlackBerry’s version is packing a 21-megapixel rear camera.
Then there’s the usual raft of BlackBerry additions, including the company’s intelligent keyboard, unified inbox tool and rapid security patches. It’s not clear how much built-in storage the device ships with — we’re guessing 16GB — but it comes with a microSD card slot that’ll push that figure up to 2TB. The BlackBerry DTEK60 is available to buy from the company’s website today, setting you back $499 / $650 CDN / €579 / £475. If you deal direct with BlackBerry and pay before November 8th, you’ll also be handed some form of phone case (depending on your region) and a rapid charger for free.
Driving while connected with the Navdy heads up display
Not everyone can afford to replace their current whip just to get the latest automotive smart features. The aftermarket world has got your back if you want to upgrade your stereo, but if you’re looking for an HUD (Heads up Display) there aren’t a lot of great options. In steps Navdy, a third-party way to make your car smarter with the power of projection. It’s full-featured and ready to smartphone features on your dash.
Two years after dropping a slick commercial and Kickstarter campaign, Navdy’s smart HUD is finally shipping. But the portable $800 device does more than display your current speed. Via a companion app for iOS and Android, it has turn-by-turn navigation, music control plus messaging and call notifications. It’s a see-thru version of your smartphone on top of your dash and most of the time, that’s great. On the other hand, there are times when it becomes painfully obvious that it’s not a factory-fitted item. Being able to see an incoming call without taking your eyes off the road is handy, but for some, might not be enough to justify the price.
Before even considering the Navdy you have to make sure it’ll work with your car. It requires the OBD II port from a vehicle from 1996 and later. Also, bad news if you just upgraded to an EV, Navdy it won’t work with any electric vehicles. If your car fits into those parameters (and frankly most will), you’re good to go.
And the Navdy is all about going. The full-color HUD display is impressive once you flip up the display and adjust it to your viewing angle. It handles direct sunlight and the darkest night without being washed out or so bright it burns your retinas. Information is presented plainly which is what you want from something that’s designed to keep your eyes on the road. Even when filled with information you’re never distracted from what’s ahead of you. Out of the box, Navdy has adjusted the focus range of the display so that the images appear to hover over the hood of a car.
The actual information Navdy serves up varies from helpful to user-enabled overload. The navigation and turn-by-turn directions are great though, which, of course, is likely the majority of what you’ll do with Navdy. Confusingly, these features are powered by Google search, but use Here maps. It’s odd, but it works and that’s all that matter. Since Navdy is hooked up to your OBD port for data and power, it also knows how much gas you have and your current speed, meaning this info is available for display also.
But it’s the notifications (Navdy calls them Glances) and how the system handles them that’ll make some very busy people very happy. By default, it’ll show you incoming phone calls and text messages, and alerts can be dismissed via the hardware scroll wheel you attach to your steering wheel. You can set Navdy to just read text aloud, display the text only, or do both. I used both audio and visual cues during my test and it worked brilliantly.
I foolishly thought I’d try activating notifications from Slack, my email client, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook Messenger. The result was overload and a clear sign that even if you’re looking at the road, too much distraction is incredibly dangerous. At the very least, it’s a literal reminder that I receive far too many emails in a single day.
While the inclusion of hand gestures (swipe right to answer, left to ignore) is nice, most will use the dial that attaches to your steering wheel to navigate the menus and control their music. It’s easier to spin the dial with your thumb and select with your thumb instead of swatting in the air. If you prefer voice commands, you can access Google Assistant or Siri with a long press of the central button. Using those voice-power helpers to find and play music, place calls and reply to messages makes for a very nice technological marriage of car display and smartphone feature.
But that voice integration doesn’t work Google or Apple Maps apps for navigation. Instead, you have to use the mapping software within the Navdy companion application, and that means no voice-powered address search. You can add favorite locations to the app that appear in the display, but if you need to head to a new location while driving you have to fire up your smartphone and enter it in by hand.
The lack of support for other mapping apps is the system’s achilles heel. While it delivers a safer way to interact with navigation, music and ongoing routing, it’s a shame drivers have to unlock a phone to add a new address. In fact the system is so tied to the app that it has to be running when you turn on the Navdy. But like launching much like Spotify for music, launching the app became second nature when I got into the car and placed the portable device onto its base.
I was initially concerned that making Navdy portable and removable would be a pain. Who wants to drag a piece tech out to the car every time they drive? But like launching apps, placing the device on its magnetic dock became second nature.
Plus, if installing something like this isn’t within your comfort range, the company has a partnership that’ll it easy by having someone else do it for you.
While Navdy says that people will be able to install it in about 15 minutes, the company has teamed up with Enjoy for same day delivery and installation in a number of major cities (Los Angeles, Chicago, Manhattan, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Miami and the San Francisco Bay area). The kit itself includes an adhesive pad with a docking station that plugs into your car’s OBD port. The actual Navdy device attaches to the base with magnets which seems like it would be a bad idea, but during my drives (which included multiple trips through a kidney-jarring construction zone) the device was never came loose.
If you do frequent rough roads though, or have a vehicle with harder than usual suspension (for example a sports car), Navdy’s HUD display is probably not an ideal solution. No matter how well it’s mounted to the dash, the adjustable display is prone to vibrations in less than ideal road conditions.
I tested the system in an Audi TT on San Francisco’s perpetually under construction avenues. On a road near my house that’s been under construction for what seems like years, trying to read the display while it vibrated resulted in a headache. Even in “comfort” mode the TT has stiff suspension. Throw in potholes, ruts and ignored infrastructure and the Navdy becomes useless. This happened on only about 10 percent of my drives and only on a single rough patch of the freeway. If your car’s suspension isn’t tuned for cornering you should be fine, but you might want to take note of the condition of your usual driving routes before dropping $800 on a HUD.
Despite its minor flaws, the Navdy is a solid product that adds functionality I didn’t even realize I wanted. On a few occasions I jumped into the car and started driving without placing it on the dash and instantly missed it.
On one trip, I drove down an unfamiliar street at night and realized it would be easier and safer if I pulled over and dropped Navdy on the dash instead continuing to glance down at my phone for directions. With the HUD in place, I have great, visible navigation and can leave the phone in the glove compartment. The allure of constantly being connected means I haven’t done that in years. For the record I don’t text, tweet or Facebook and drive but just having the phone nearby just in case has been my excuse for keeping it handy. Navdy erased that need and made my driving just that much safer.
Source: Navdy
Global smartphone sales up by 6.6 percent in 2016
While smartphone sales have slowed in recent years as most markets become saturated, the industry is still managing to post positive figures. Market research firm GfK has released a report today showing phone sales increased 6.6% from 2015 thanks to strong growth in China and incremental improvements elsewhere, which they estimate will add up to 1.4 billion units sold in 2016.
China already has a colossal share of the market, accounting for almost one of every three phones sold, but they still managed to move 15% more units than last year. Other developing markets, like Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Emerging Asia (including India, Vietnam and the Philippines) posted modest single-digit gains in their estimated end-of-year totals. The most saturated markets — Western Europe, North America and Developed Asia (including Japan, Australia and South Korea) — sold almost exactly as many units as last year.
This falls in line with sleight improvements in global sales fed mostly by consistent growth in China. But that trend might be short-lived, as GfK forecasts a three percent decline year-on-year in 2017 as operator subsidies dry up. While some regions like Latin America bounced back after several successive quarters of declining demand, none of those suggest lasting trends of improvement. Instead, GfK expects Emerging Asia and Central and Eastern Europe to be the markets with the most growth, increasing eight percent and ten percent, respectively.
Source: GfK
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A grows a bit, gains a pen
With the Galaxy Note 7 still making headlines, Samsung is ready to divert some of America’s attention to another big screen with a pen: the 10.1″ Galaxy Tab A will be available stateside starting October 28th. Samsung’s latest tablet to hit American shores comes with a slightly larger, slightly higher definition screen than last year’s model, and the company’s S Pen stylus now comes standard.
Powering the new 1920×1200 WUXGA screen is an Octa-core Exynos 7870 processor with 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB of on-board storage, with support for up to 256 GB more in the microSD slot. There’s an 8 megapixel camera for photos, plus a 2 megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video calls. Weighing in at 1.22 pounds, Samsung claims you’ll get around 14 hours of internet time out of the 7,300mAh battery — or about an hour less if you’re binge-watching video. For connectivity, the Tab A gets all the standard WiFi protocols, Bluetooth 4.2 LE and USB 2.0 for charging, but there doesn’t appear to be an LTE version available just yet. Finally, for excited Android Nougat adopters, the Tab A ships with 6.0 Marshmallow so you’ll have to wait for the update from Samsung at some point in the future.
The Tab A comes in two colors – your standard black and white – and will retail for $349.99 starting this Friday at Samsung.com and select shops.
NBA gives you a better view of games on your phone
Just because you can watch live sports on your phone doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy it — the footage is usually optimized for TV, which sometimes means staring at players the size of ants. You won’t have to squint if you’re an NBA League Pass customer during the 2016-2017 season, though. The basketball streaming service is trotting out a Mobile View option that gives you a close-up shot in its Android and iOS apps. You can switch back to a traditional view when you want an overview, but this promises to help in those moments when you want to identify the ball carrier or get a good look at that impending dunk.
And crucially, this isn’t just a matter of cropping the regular view and calling it a day. The NBA and Turner Sports installed new cameras in every team’s arena, and each game has a producer dedicated to Mobile View. You should experience the same quality that you’d get on TV, just with a new perspective. As always, though, you’ll have to pay to see this for yourself. A full season of out-of-market games will cost you $200 US, while a team-specific pass will set you back $120; individual games cost $7 each.
Source: NBA League Pass, NBA (YouTube)
You can still buy the Note 7 in Hong Kong, but you shouldn’t
Hong Kong’s Sincere Podium is home to all manner of mobile devices — be it second-hand phones, imported handsets (mainly from Japan and Korea), spare parts and even prototypes once in a while. This time, the mall appears to be the last place in the city — if not the world — to still be openly selling the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 despite the worldwide recall. Over the weekend, I came across a shop with a glass cabinet full of boxes for the 64GB Note 7, with a bright sticker on one of them saying “Samsung Note 7 dealer goods: Special offer” in Chinese. I didn’t think much of it and simply tweeted a couple of photos, only to be surprised by the posts’ traction over the last two days.
Before I go further, I should probably explain why the amusing sight was only tweet-worthy to me at the time. You see, Sincere Podium is also occupied by several scapler shops — stores that let people trade in their practically new, fully boxed devices (usually iPhones and flagship Samsung phones) for cash, and then the devices are smuggled into Mainland China, earning a profit by dodging the heavy import tax. It’s a shady but lucrative business, which is why smugglers try their best to walk naturally into Shenzhen with iPhones strapped around their waist and limbs; but I’ve heard crazier stories in the past too.
The shop in question was also a scalper. I can’t remember exactly how long it’s been around, but I know that it has always been the only shop in the mall that openly offered to buy up flagship Samsung phones (before the Note 7, the cabinet had boxes of S7 and Note 5 instead). In this case, the shop was clearly having a hard time getting rid of its stock of Note 7, but it was otherwise business as usual, as people kept coming over with their boxed-up iPhones asking for trade-in prices. These prices can fluctuate by the hour, by the way — it all comes down to demand in Shenzen.
Given everyone’s curiosity and amusement on Twitter, I had to do what was right. Today, I went back to said shop and asked how much the abruptly discontinued phones were going for. The answer? A whopping HK$5,980 or about $770 a piece, which isn’t that much of a “special offer” considering that the original off-contract price was HK$6,198 or about $799. It appears that the shop is keen to recover most of its money from these leftover devices.
I then walked around the mall and found two more shops that were also still selling the Note 7, albeit more discreetly — simply by way of a dummy Note 7 without the price listed on it. One shop was offering “brand new” Note 7 units for HK$6,298 — yes, HK$100 or about $13 more than the original price — while the other was asking for a more reasonable HK$5,200 (about $670) for the Korean Note 7, which only has 32GB of internal storage.
As I stood in front of the first shop, one of the guys behind the counter implied that since their Note 7 units come with their original receipts, you could take them to their original resellers for an exchange or a refund. But if that’s the case, why didn’t the shop just bring these devices back to their original shops for a refund? I suspect there are two reasons: One is that if the devices were bought with credit cards, then chances are the shops would simply refund with credit instead of cash.
Secondly, it’s likely that some of these phones were subsidized by local carriers, so even if these carriers were willing to give a cash refund, it would probably be of much less value than what the shop paid its trade-in customers. In other words, the shop is probably better off trying to sell these phones to clueless people (which is totally not OK) or to those who are seeking one as a collector’s item (I advise against this).
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything that Samsung can do about this gray market. In a statement to Engadget, the company’s Hong Kong division said it had already asked “authorised retailers” (note the use of “authorised”) and distributors to stop selling the Note 7 as of October 11th. It also stressed that “consumers should buy Samsung products only from Hong Kong and Macau authorized retailers / distributors / resellers,” and that “the Galaxy Note 7 should not be used nor purchased by consumers for their safety.”
As in most regions, customers who bought a Note 7 from an authorized retailer in Hong Kong are eligible for a refund or an exchange from its shop of origin, provided they have a receipt with a matching IMEI number printed on it.
AIVAnet 