The best sous vide gear
By Tim Barribeau & Nick Guy
This post was done in partnership with The Sweethome, a buyer’s guide to the best things for your home. Read the full article here.
Over the past four years, we’ve tested over a dozen sous vide setups to find the best for your kitchen. We like the Anova Precision Cooker (Wi-Fi Edition) the best because it’s reliable, works with almost any container, and has a decent app that you will actually want to use. If you don’t need the range of Wi-Fi, Anova also makes a cheaper, Bluetooth-only version.
How we picked and tested
Photo: Nick Guy
There are primarily three different types of sous vide cooker: the immersion circulator that can simultaneously heat and circulate water, the all-in-one but less-precise water bath, and the bring-your-own-heat controller. For most people, in most situations, the immersion circulator is the perfect sous vide cooker. These are gadgets that latch onto the side of a vessel—be it a pot, a plastic tub, or even a cooler—and not only heat the water but also use an impeller to circulate it around the container. Among these, you want something that accurately maintains temperature, is quick to heat up, and is affordable.
This is our fourth iteration of reviewing and recommending sous vide devices for the home, and for this round, we tested five immersion circulators. We evaluated speed (to reach specific temperatures), accuracy, and noise levels. We also looked at power draw after people raised questions about how much energy is used to keep one of these things going for a long cook.
With each, we heated seven liters of water from 69 degrees to 135 degrees Fahrenheit, measuring the temperature at both points with the Thermapen and recording the time to get to temp. We continued to let the circulators run for 12 hours to check for temperature accuracy over longer periods and measure how much power the devices use—but did add hot water as necessary to account for evaporation and to keep the water above the minimum level.
Our pick
The Anova Precision Cooker (Wi-Fi Edition). Photo: Tim Barribeau
The Anova Precision Cooker (Wi-Fi Edition) is the best bet for most home cooks due to its low price, small size, and flexibility. It’s one of the cheapest ways to get into sous vide cooking, and thanks to an innovative adjustable attachment system, the Anova works with a much smaller volume of water than other devices—so now you don’t need to heat up a gallon of water just to cook a couple of chicken breasts. The Wi-Fi version of the Precision Cooker is almost identical to our previous favorite, the Precision Cooker’s Bluetooth-only version. The Wi-Fi version improves on the old design with a simpler, scroll-wheel-based interface that is preferable to the slow-to-adjust touchscreen on the original Anova. The new version also has a beep alert when water arrives at temp, circuit-saving lower wattage, and more quiet performance. The Wi-Fi Precision Cooker is made by a lab-equipment manufacturer with a reputation for accurate and long-lasting gear, which is important for precise cooking.
A less-expensive pick
Top to bottom: The Anova Precision Cooker (Wi-Fi Edition) and its predecessor. Photo: Tim Barribeau
If you want the benefits of the Precision Cooker (Wi-Fi Edition) but are willing to give up some functionality to save a few bucks, the original Bluetooth Precision Cooker is still a great buy. It does everything the newer version does (except for connect to a network) and it usually sells for about $20 less. We found the two models to be equally accurate, equally quiet, and equally power efficient. Oddly, though they seem to be identical, the Bluetooth model we tested did take about five minutes longer to heat up the water bath in our tests, but again, that issue can be mitigated by starting with hot water.
The vacuum sealer
In order to cook with a sous vide machine, you need to put your food in a bag and get out all the air from around it. Some people swear that you need a vacuum sealer to do this (and on occasion it is useful for quick marinades and such), but you could also do it for free with a simple ziplock bag and a method that’ll work just as well in most situations.
Here’s how it works: Put the food in the pouch and almost completely seal it with just a small section remaining open. Immerse the pouch in a bucket of water, leaving the opening just above the water line. Allow the air to escape, slowly pushing the entire thing under, and then seal it just before you submerge the opening. You can see some more discussion of how to do this here and here.
If you’re dead set on buying a sealer, the only major editorial review we found is from Cook’s Illustrated (subscription required). The site updated its vacuum sealer picks in 2014, and this year picked more affordable alternatives to its previous $400 recommendation. Cook’s Illustrated suggests the Weston Professional Advantage Vacuum Sealer as a powerful, heat-sealing model—though it doesn’t seem that widely available. Alternatively, for a valve-sealed model that requires special bags, the site suggests the Waring Pro Pistol Vac Professional Vacuum Sealer System, which didn’t do quite as good a job of sealing as the Weston in tests, but is far smaller and more affordable. Amazon reviewers seem to love it, giving it 4.6 stars (out of five) across more than 100 reviews. Just be sure to stock up on bags.
This guide may have been updated by The Sweethome. To see the current recommendation, please go here.
‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ is Nintendo’s next classic
Nintendo kicked off its E3 2016 livestream with a frankly gorgeous Zelda trailer, showcasing what we’ll get to play and experience when the game eventually lands in 2017 on the Wii U and NX. The style of the entire thing is somewhere between Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, albeit cranked to the max. This is Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and it already looks pretty amazing. Was that voice-acting? At least four outfits, including armor? Cooking? Gliding? Oh boy.
Update 1PM ET: Following a lengthy demo of the new Pokémon games, Nintendo is now showing off full gameplay from the new game, and there’s a lot to take in here. First off: The world is massive. Just as promised, Hyrule feels far more alive than ever before, and a quick look at the map makes it seem like the world you’ll get to explore is as huge as Nintendo claims.
There’s also been surprisingly more voice acting than ever before, with a Navi / Midna-type narration in much of the game’s intro. However, the first NPC you encounter is voiced by text on the screen, in classic Zelda fashion. Link also hasn’t yet said a word. There’s also very little fully-scored music to speak of thus far, but there are lots of lovely environmental audio and subtle musical flourishes in the first segment of the game.
Another notable detail from the lush world is that there’s a lot more to collect than ever before — someone on the Nintendo stream mentioned that you wouldn’t pick up hearts in this game. Instead, you forage for food to replenish life. Similarly, you’ll find tools all around the world to use in your quest. One of the first weapons you come across is a “rusty broadsword” that breaks after just a few enemy encounters, so you need to keep finding more items. Those items will often be foraged from enemies you defeat, it seems.
Going along with the open-world theme, it looks like Link has the ability to go pretty much wherever he wants — you can climb walls and there’s a button to let you jump for the very first time in a Zelda game. The game also does very little hand-holding at the beginning; there’s no backstory to speak of. You’re just thrown into the world and need to find your way, a refreshing change from the hand-holding that most games put you through at the beginning these days.
We’ll keep you updated with any other noteworthy details Nintendo drops!
Nathan Ingraham contributed to this report.
PS Vita slasher ‘Severed’ is coming to iOS, 3DS and Wii U
Back in April developer Drinkbox Studios, best known for the colorful platformer Guacamelee!, launched a little game called Severed on the PlayStation Vita. As much as we love Sony’s handheld, it’s not a popular system, so we’re not surprised to hear that the game is headed to other platforms. Specifically, the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U and iOS. If you need a quick recap, Severed is a first-person dungeon crawler starring a one-armed warrior named Sasha. The touch-based controls have you fighting monsters and solving puzzles to overcome its bright but creepy world.
The game, which was well received by the press, has been tweaked a little for the new systems. On the Wii U, for instance, you’ll be playing with the chunky GamePad and, most likely, its slide-out stylus. Drinkbox is promising some graphical improvements and support for “Off-TV Play,” meaning you can continue adventuring while someone else is hogging the TV. The studio will also support cross-buy, meaning you can purchase the game once and play it on both your Wii U and 3DS. The App Store version will, of course, be a separate purchase for iPhone and iPad owners.
All three ports are slated for “this summer” and there’s no word yet on pricing. But as a frame of reference, it’s currently $14.99 on PSN.
Extra E3 news! Severed is coming to iOS this summer! https://t.co/u52ZoEpwV9
— DrinkBox Studios (@DrinkBoxStudios) June 14, 2016
El Niño might push CO2 levels to a symbolic high this year
The amount of CO2 measured atop Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano could end up reaching a record high throughout 2016 thanks to the recent El Niño weather phenomenon, the BBC reports. According to a study from the UK Met Office, the volcano’s recorded CO2 levels could stay above 400 parts per million for the entire year, in part because El Niño has had a drying effect in the tropics. You might remember that the NOAA also announced the highest recorded jump in CO2 levels at Mauna Loa earlier this year — El Niño is just exacerbating humanity’s troubling effect on the environment.
While we won’t see an immediate environmental effect by the CO2 levels, it’s still 50ppm higher than what scientists have deemed safe levels. The Earth hasn’t seen steady CO2 levels above 400ppm since three to five million years ago. Additionally, the Met Office expects carbon dioxide numbers to rise by 3.15ppm this year, another record figure (typically we jump 2ppm annually).
“It’s important to note that this year’s rise in CO2 is bigger than the last El Niño, in 1997/8, because human emissions have gone up by 25% since then. So, it’s the natural effect on top of the increasing human effect,” Professor Richard Betts of the Met Office told the BBC.
The most depressing thing about this report? We likely won’t see CO2 levels to dip below 400ppm for a long, long time. There’s a chance that La Niña, an opposing climate event to El Niño that cools the Atlantic Ocean, might push carbon dioxide numbers down, but not enough to go beyond the 400ppm threshold.
If anything, the news is a clear sign that every industrialized country needs to push harder towards reducing greenhouse emissions. It’s not impossible: Scotland just announced that it managed to lower its emissions by 45.8 percent compared to 1990. That’s a full six years ahead of its 2020 goal to reduce emissions by 42 percent.
Via: BBC (1), (2)
Source: Nature
OnePlus 3 review: The best phone you can get for $399
OnePlus has been trying to craft a full-blown, “flagship killer” of a smartphone since day one, but how successful it’s been is up for debate. From my perch, the company’s first phone proved that a relatively unknown startup could build a high-caliber handset and a die-hard fanbase around it. Its second-generation device pushed it even further into the big leagues. And now there’s the $399 (£309) OnePlus 3, which launches today.
Make no mistake: The competition is even fiercer than ever, but OnePlus is trying to meet the challenge. Best of all, that pain-in-the-ass invite system is finally gone. Suffice to say, this year’s launch is a big deal for OnePlus, and it’s only fitting that the OnePlus 3 mostly represents this young company at its best. Indeed, right now you’d be hard-pressed to find any other phone this good for this price.
Hardware
There’s no denying that last year’s OnePlus 2 was a well-constructed device, but it now looks like the days of sandstone polycarbonate are over. This year’s version is milled from a single block of “space-grade” aluminum, and the 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display up front is swathed in a very slightly curved pane of Gorilla Glass 4. It’s beautiful. More than that, its trim waistline — 7.35 mm — makes the OnePlus 3 feel sleeker and more elegant than you might expect from a phone with this big a screen. Think of it as a larger, much better OnePlus X and you’re on the right track. Oh, and in case you were worried, you can still purchase a sandstone case or an authentic bamboo case for old time’s sake; or you can go for the fancy black apricot version, rosewood version (both using real wood veneers) or Kevlar version.
The move might have been an obvious one — OnePlus wanted a cohesive design across its devices — but who cares? The result is a handsome, impeccably well-built smartphone. A few of my colleagues even mistook it for an HTC device, which I took as a compliment, considering how insanely devoted that Taiwanese company is to build quality. (Obviously, that statement is open to interpretation.) Anyway, yes, OnePlus has really upped its game this year. By the way, our review unit was attractive graphite gray, but a “soft gold” option will follow not long after launch. Seriously, does every company need to make a gold phone?
What’s inside the OnePlus 3 is pretty impressive, too. Just about every flagship Android phone released this year packs one of Qualcomm’s quad-core Snapdragon 820 chipsets and an Adreno 530 GPU. The OnePlus 3 does too, but there’s a twist here: It also comes with 6GB of RAM. In fairness, the OnePlus 3 isn’t the first smartphone we’ve seen that packs that much RAM — that would be the ZTE Axon 7 — but it’s still nice to see a scrappy startup go somewhere most major manufacturers haven’t.
Speaking of, the OnePlus 3 also accepts two nano-SIM cards for multiple lines of service. It’s rare to see dual-SIM phones in the US, and the feature makes the OP3 a lovely travel companion, but that second SIM card takes up the space one might expect a microSD card to occupy. I’m not sure whether the team specifically gave up on expandable memory to accommodate another SIM; either way, you’re stuck with 64GB of storage. I’m a bit of a digital pack rat, though, so having more storage options would’ve been nice. Oh, and the physical alert slider is back, making it easy to manage your notification sounds without mashing on the volume buttons. I loved that little thing when it debuted on the OnePlus 2, and I love it just as much this year.
The rest of the spec sheet is pretty typical of modern flagship phones. There’s a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer on the bottom, a 3,000mAh battery inside, a snappy and accurate fingerprint sensor that doubles as a home button and a pair of capacitive navigation buttons on either side of it. Above the screen sits an 8-megapixel camera for selfies, paired with a 16-megapixel main camera around the back. Oh, and unlike last year, the OnePlus 3 has an NFC radio for all those sweet, sweet Android Pay transactions.
Display and sound
I was half-hoping this was the year OnePlus would trick its flagship out with a Quad HD display, but that just wasn’t meant to be. After all, building a phone like this for just $399 (£309) means trade-offs were inevitable. That doesn’t mean the screen hasn’t been improved. Rather than use an IPS LCD like it did last year, the company went with a 5.5-inch, 1080p Optic AMOLED display (the better to see VR content with a Loop headset, my dear). The switch leaves us with the same pixel density (401 ppi) and thus the same sharpness, but also punchier, more vivid colors. Blacks are especially deep, and whites are pretty crisp by default, but you have the option to make the display warmer or cooler depending on your preference.
Not enough? You can also turn on a proximity wake feature similar to what Motorola offers, where you can wave your hand over the screen to activate parts of it to display the time and notifications. Too bad it’s not as accurate or as elegant as what Motorola has built; the feature works best with slow, deliberate waves, while a Moto X will wake up with even quick waves.
Alas, the OnePlus 3’s single bottom-mounted speaker doesn’t fare much better than the one we got last year. Audio is generally pretty clean, and you can crank up the volume surprisingly high, but things can get a little muddy if you do. The MaxxAudio equalizer we got with the OnePlus 2 is conspicuously absent, so you can’t tweak audio levels right out of the box, but I can’t imagine too many people used it in the first place.
Software
If you spent only a few minutes with a OnePlus phone, you’d be forgiven for thinking it ran a stock build of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. Well, not quite. The OnePlus 3 again runs OxygenOS, a modified version of Android I like to refer to as “stock plus”; there are plenty of additional features that don’t cross the line into bloat. The overall effect is more subtle than other companies’ approaches, and I think it’s more valuable as a result.
The most obvious addition is the so-called Shelf, and you’ll catch wind of it first because you’re asked if you want it during initial setup. When you swipe right from your home screen, you’re treated to the date, local weather, recently used apps and contacts you’ve been in touch with lately. There’s a memo function too, for leaving yourself quick notes (with the option to create reminders from them), and the space serves as a neat place to add widgets without cluttering up your home screens. The Shelf first appeared on the OnePlus 2, and I’ve mostly ignored it since then, but some will certainly find it handy. Throw in some perfectly adequate Gallery and Music apps and you’ve got the most obvious additions to the usual Android formula.
The fun stuff, however, can require a keener eye. There’s an option to invert colors and enable a Night mode in the quick-settings tray; the latter is meant to reduce eyestrain and preserve the sanctity of your sleep cycle by giving the display an orangey cast. It’s a good idea in theory, but the execution leaves much to be desired. You’re supposed to be able to tweak how warm you want the Night mode display to be from the device’s settings, but sometimes that doesn’t work and the phone does whatever it wants. Bummer. By the way, if your eyes just don’t like light colors, you can toggle a Dark mode that replaces Marshmallow’s bone-white menu and app-launcher backgrounds with stark black.
Customization options go even further: You can modify Android’s accent color, icons packs, the notification LED’s color, what the home and capacitive buttons do when long-pressed and double-tapped. And if you don’t like those capacitive buttons, you can turn them off completely and use on-screen buttons instead. Drawing gestures on the screen while it’s off works the same this year; when the function is enabled, tracing a circle launches the camera, and doodling a V fires up the flashlight. I’ll admit it: I totally forget about them at first, but it wasn’t long before I was whipping the OnePlus 3 out of my pocket and launching the camera with a swipe of my thumb.
Ultimately, that’s what I really dig about OxygenOS: if you want a more traditional, stock Android experience, it’s there for the taking. But if you’re a power user, or just want a little extra control over your phone, there’s plenty of extra functionality waiting for you.
Camera
Smartphone makers agonize over their cameras, and with good reason — chances are it’s going to get plenty of use, and it’s easy to let people down. OnePlus was limited by cost, so it went with a 16-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture lens from Sony, and you know what? It’s perfectly adequate. Colors were bright and mostly well saturated (they occasionally came out a little weak), with a more than respectable amount of detail. You can get a little more nuance out of shots if you use an included HD mode, or output them as unprocessed RAW files.
I was concerned at first that the OnePlus 3 would fare worse than last year’s model in low light because the size of the sensor’s pixels has shrunk from 1.3 microns to 1.12 microns, but it’s basically a wash. In the end, the OnePlus 3’s main camera is a solid utility player; it’s pretty good in every situation, but it certainly won’t open your eyes the way other smartphone cameras can.
That said, a few additions make shooting photo a pleasant than before. In addition to having optical image stabilization, the OnePlus 3’s camera also has phase-detection autofocus (like the OnePlus X), which makes locking on to subjects nearly instantaneous. It’s too bad, though, that OnePlus did away with the laser autofocus module from the OnePlus 2 — the cost of the 3’s other components probably made the team cut it. The phone also ships with a manual mode that offers access to ISO, shutter speed, exposure and focus settings. Thankfully, shooting in full auto is just about always good enough.
The same can be said for the 8-megapixel front-facing camera, which consistently produced handsome selfies. Even better, there’s an option for a smile detection mode that usually does a fine job detecting grins on your face and initiating a selfie countdown. It’s not as good at noticing subdued, coy smiles, so just grin and bear it for a moment until the countdown begins.
Performance and battery life
As you’d expect from a phone with a first-rate list of specs, the OnePlus 3 just flies. My week of testing involved putting the phone through my usual workday routine, plus lots of extracurricular time playing Real Racing 3, Mortal Kombat X and Hearthstone. None of that stuff managed to faze the OnePlus 3 — not even the sort of frenzied multitasking that only ever happens when I’m trying to break a phone.
Really, the best compliment I can pay the OnePlus 3 is that after a while, I stopped noticing how fast it was; everything just worked. It’s still not the quickest-feeling phone I’ve used recently, though. That honor goes to HTC’s 10 because of its super-low-latency touchscreen; it’s so good, it feels like you’re pushing the pixels around yourself. By comparison, there’s just the faintest hint of latency when swiping around the OnePlus 3’s interface, though I’m probably being a little picky here. After all, that’s the sort of distinction that’s apparent only if you’ve spent time playing with loads of new phones; few will take issue with what OnePlus brought to the table.
HTC 10
Samsung Galaxy S7
OnePlus 2
AndEBench Pro
13,841
16,673
14,168
9,945
Vellamo 3.0
5,202
4,876
4,285
3,025
3DMark IS Unlimited
30,058
26,747
28,529
23,598
SunSpider 1.0.2 (ms)
699
608
1547
1,516
GFXBench 3.0 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (fps)
48
48
45
25
CF-Bench
41,653
49,891
51,227
N/A
SunSpider 1.0.2: Android devices tested in Chrome; lower scores are better.
Same goes for the battery, mostly. It’s never fun to see a company use a smaller battery in the next iteration of its flagship device, but that’s exactly what happened here: There’s a 3,000mAh cell in the OnePlus 3, down from 3,300mAh in the OnePlus 2. Normally that’d be cause for much wailing and gnashing of teeth, at least in my house. Fortunately, the shift hasn’t really changed much here. In our standard video rundown test (looping a video with the screen brightness set to 50 percent and WiFi connected), the OnePlus 3 stuck around for nine hours and 56 minutes, or about 50 minutes more than what its predecessor could muster. That’s not much less than the HTC 10 and LG G5, but flagships like the Galaxy S7 siblings pack enormous batteries that last more than 13 hours in the same test.
Day-to-day use is a different story, though. The OnePlus 3 typically finished a 12-hour workday with about 25 percent charge left, and even if I forgot to charge it, I could usually count on it to see me through an early lunch the next day. On the occasions you’ll need to charge the OnePlus 3 mid-slog, be sure to use the included Dash charger and cable — the company says they can take the device from bone-dry to about 60 percent full within 30 minutes.
In fact, Dash is actually Oppo’s VOOC tech rebranded. In this case, it uses a fast 4A current but with the regular 5V voltage, which keeps the device cooler than those based on other fast-charge technologies that use higher voltages; plus VOOC’s charging speed remains the same when the device is being used, unlike others which require lowering the voltage then. The downside of this is you need to use the bundled 7-pin USB cable to make full use of the Dash charger. As I write this, I have the OP3 connected to its original charger with a Nextbit USB Type-C cable, and it’s not charging even close to the advertised speed.
The competition
I’ve spent a decent chunk of this review comparing the OnePlus 3 with the HTC 10 and the Galaxy S7 siblings, but that’s not terribly fair. While they all share the same flagship ambitions, don’t forget that the OnePlus 3 only costs $399 (£309). That’s both a huge selling point and a hindrance; the former doesn’t need much explaining, but component and feature restrictions because of price mean the OP3’s competitors can bring more to the table. Ultimately, here’s how I’d break it down: If money is no object and you need a tremendous camera, get a Galaxy S7. If money still isn’t an object and you’re a sucker for great multimedia chops and build quality, get an HTC 10.
If you want an experience that gets awfully close to what those two devices can offer, and can live with a few trade-offs, the OnePlus 3 is a tantalizing choice for the price. The performance gap between these phones basically doesn’t exist, which frankly is sort of crazy when you think about it. The lone, seemingly direct competitor to the OnePlus 3 is ZTE’s Axon 7, with the same Snapdragon chipset paired with a Quad HD screen and 4GB of RAM for $449. That’s not a bad premium to pay for a higher-res screen, but it’s unclear whether the Pro version with 6GB of RAM will even make it to the States. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to see how these two devices stack up soon.
Wrap-up
At the end of the day, no phone is perfect, and the OnePlus 3 doesn’t try to be. What it does try to do is capture the essence of a flagship smartphone — impeccable performance, smart software and top-notch build quality — and squeeze it all into an affordable package. Guess what? The company succeeded. You can certainly do better if you’re fine with spending more money, and there are better deals to be found if you’re not a stickler for high-end performance. The careful balance OnePlus has struck here is impressive, though, and while the OnePlus 3 isn’t for everyone, anyone looking for high quality without the corresponding price should start their search here.
Richard Lai contributed to this story.
‘Pokémon Sun and Moon’ will offer four-player battle royales
There’s more to Pokémon Sun and Moon than new locations and monsters. Nintendo has announced during its E3 livestream that the game will also introduce a four-player battle mode called ‘Battle Royal.’ Each trainer selects a Pokémon and then enters the ring at the same time. On your turn, you can choose to target any of the three creatures in front of you — this opens up new strategies as you focus on particular opponents and form uneasy alliances. Our only concern is the wait times — four trainers mean it could be a while before you can select and execute a fresh attack.
Follow all the news from E3 2016 here!
iOS 10 Brings Payments, Stickers, Games, and More to iMessage
Among many iOS 10 announcements made at WWDC yesterday, one notable update to Apple’s mobile operating system came in the form of third party developer support in Apple’s iMessage chat platform. With the new SDK, developers can create app extensions — similar to third party keyboard apps available now on the App Store — that let users interact with apps from directly within Messages.
Following its announcement at the keynote, the developer of Square Cash [Direct Link] shared a little bit more information about how their payments service works as an app extension for Messages. Once a user has Square Cash installed, they can find it with their other apps in the new iMessage “App drawer.” From there, “Just swipe up to pick an amount and attach it to a message. One tap to deposit it!” The iMessage App is still limited by Square Cash’s own restraints, however, so international payment transfers are unavailable as of now.
iMessage Apps for Square Cash (left) and Disney stickers (right)
During the keynote, Craig Federighi gave a demo of another iMessage app, DoorDash [Direct Link], collectively collaborating on a group lunch order without leaving Messages. Once he decided on his menu item and selected the quantity of the order, he shared his choice with a contact in Messages to add his lunch to the group ticket. Other entertainment-focused apps, like JibJab [Direct Link], grant users access to the iPhone’s camera to place their faces on GIF-like videos to share with friends.
Although not specifically detailed, the iMessage App extensions for already-existing apps, like Square Cash, will presumably be free upgrades for users who already own or have downloaded the base apps. On Apple’s developer site, a heavy emphasis is placed on the “purchase” of various sticker packs, however, suggesting that the various Disney and other brand-related stickers will not be free to download.
Help users express themselves in richer ways by providing stickers for purchase on the App Store for iMessage. Users can tap to send stickers in a thread, adjust their size, or place them on top of bubbles, other stickers, and photos. There’s no need for you to write code to create stickers — simply drag the images into the designated folder in Xcode.
Not many other iMessage Apps have been detailed by Apple and developers yet, but wording on the developer beta site mentions users will be able to “share content, edit photos, play games, send payments, and collaborate with friends.” While some might be similar in execution to third-party keyboards in iOS 9, now that Apple has granted developer access to its Messages platform, it’ll be interesting to see what new kind of shortcuts and message-enhancing features come out of the new App Store for iMessage.
Anyone who needs to catchup with the WWDC keynote — or if you just want a refresher — can do so by watching MacRumors’ 7-minute recap video. Likewise, our iOS 10 tidbits post has more information on iMessage updates, individual read receipts, the ability to remove pre-installed apps, and more.
Related Roundup: iOS 10
Tag: iMessage
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T-Mobile Expands ‘Binge On’ Free Video Streaming to PBS and More
T-Mobile has announced that its free unlimited video streaming program Binge On now supports over five additional video services, including Azubu, Dailymotion Games, Eyegroove, PBS, PBS Kids, and more. Binge On now supports nearly 90 video services in the United States.
Binge On enables customers on a qualifying Simple Choice plan to stream unlimited 480p video from dozens of partnered services, led by Netflix, HBO NOW, Hulu, and YouTube, without any of the data consumed counting towards their monthly data bucket.
T-Mobile expanded Binge On to thirteen additional video services in May, including NBC and video content from existing Music Freedom partners Google Play Music, Radio Disney, Spotify, and TIDAL, after adding 16 new Binge On and Music Freedom partners in April. YouTube, Google Play Movies, and others were added in March.
Tags: T-Mobile, Binge On, PBS
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Apple Confirms Rich Notifications Will Come to Devices Without 3D Touch
Despite only showcasing iOS 10’s new rich notifications feature on an iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus during WWDC, Apple has confirmed in beta notes that devices without the pressure sensing technology of the newest iPhone models will also be getting rich notifications. Still, the feature is relegated — and “optimized” — for the 6s and 6s Plus in the first iOS 10 beta, with full functionality coming to older-model iPhones in the future.
“Support for rich notifications is optimized for 3D Touch, and in iOS 10 beta 1 the feature is available only on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Future betas will provide access to this functionality for users of iPhone models without support for 3D Touch.”
Rich notifications function as a way for users to pop into apps without needing to navigate through unlocking the iPhone and finding the app on their home screen. On the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, a simple 3D Touch can expand a Message with a full keyboard to type out a reply, or show a live broadcast of a sporting event. With no more descriptive information in the Apple beta notes for developers, it’s unclear how this feature will work on iPhone models lacking 3D Touch, although some form of long press is likely.
Similar iOS 10 tidbits have been emerging from WWDC following yesterday’s keynote, including new information on iMessage Apps and the potential removal of Game Center from the public release of iOS 10 this fall.
Related Roundup: iOS 10
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Nissan is working on the world’s first bio-ethanol electric car with 600km range
Nissan is working on a new fuel system that may replace petrol, pure electric and even hydrogen fuel driven cars. The Nissan bio-ethanol electric power system wants to change everything.
So what is this e-bio fuel cell driven car? It uses what Nissan calls a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell, or SOFC for short. Essentially this is a generator that turns bio-fuel into electricity which charges a battery – that battery then drives the motor. So it’s quite like a hydrogen fuel cell driven car then.
The advantages of this system are primarily that it’s more sustainable than petrol or diesel, it can be filled faster than pure electric using current pump systems and it uses a sustainable fuel that’s CO2 neutral. All that and it’ll offer an impressive 600km range on a tank.
The bio-ethanol can be made from corn or sugarcane and mixed with water making it safer than other fuels. That also means it can be transported easily and Nissan suggests it could be delivered to owners’ homes. Why the car battery can’t be plugged in and charged also, ideal for at home, is odd. Perhaps that will be a future development.
At the moment Nissan is simply working on the tech but we’d expect to see more advances soon.
READ: Electric car, with light aluminium-air battery, travels 1,100 miles on a charge
