Google launches Google Earth and Trends-themed Live cases for Pixel
Google is giving Pixel phone owners more case choices.
The company has released two new “Live” cases for the Pixel and Pixel XL. These types of cases rely on an NFC connection to change your wallpaper daily. The first new Live case is a Google Earth-themed one that rotates different landscapes from Google Earth across your screen. There’s also a shortcut button you can press to learn more about the location you’re seeing that day.
- Best Pixel and Pixel XL cases: Protect your new Google phone
The second case is a Google Trends-themed case that surfaces trending search topics as your wallpaper. The topics depend on your location, and if you tap on one, you will see a new one appear. To learn more about the topic, press the shortcut button. The idea is you’ll get to see what’s trending on Google, along with a visual representation of the trend’s popularity in the last 24 hours.
The Google Earth Live Case and the Google Trends Live Case cost $49.99 each and are available through Google Store, Best Buy, and Verizon.
At launch, they are only available in the US and Canada.
Toyota confirms it will develop electric vehicles
Toyota’s still adamant that it’s going to get the world hooked on hydrogen-powered cars in our (hopefully) green future. But in the meantime, it’s decided to dive head-first into building its first all-electric vehicle to take on Tesla. The carmaker has announced that it’s launching a “virtual” company to examine and develop EVs. The business will have four employees, each one from a different part of the Toyota Group’s various subsidiaries and suppliers.
This sort of startup-within-a-corporation model is often used by companies that are struggling to innovate. After all, big ideas can often be crushed by layers of middle management, budget concerns and a desire to protect the status quo. The four-person team will include a warm body from Toyota Motor, Aisin Seiki, Denso and Toyota Industries, with the instructions to develop an EV that’ll give Tesla nightmares.
The company is also admitting that it may be — slightly — swimming against the tide when it comes to promoting the fuel cell. In its release, the firm admits that hydrogen is the superior technology for range, refueling and convenience. But, it concedes that global “energy and infrastructure issues” as well as a governmental push for cleaner cars, means that it can’t wait around. So, it’ll develop and sell battery-powered vehicles that’ll work in markets where hydrogen’s a no go.
Source: Toyota
Elio unveils its latest 84 mpg three-wheeled prototype
As Elio works it’s way toward manufacturing, it’s been progressively updating its pre-production car. Today at the LA Auto Show it unveiled the E1C engineering vehicle. This latest version of the gas-powered, 84-mile-per-gallon car is about 80 percent production ready and focuses on safety, interior and a ride that won’t rattle your teeth out of your skull.
The most important of these updates is how the company is making the Elio safer. It now uses a unibody frame and has front and side airbags. That should be good news for anyone who’s interested in this three-wheeled vehicle, but is concerned about what happens when the car is involved in a collision.
Beyond keeping the passengers safer, the suspension has been updated which is good news for potential drivers and the vehicle as a whole since being jumbled about has a tendency to wear out a car’s hardware. Plus, not feeling like you’re driving a formula one car on city streets makes it easier to see the new traditional dials on the dash and cleaner looking interior.
All that adds up to a car that’s looking more and more like it’s going to be something we’ll eventually see on the road. Elio still doesn’t have a hard launch date, but it’s aiming for the fourth quarter of 2017. Before then, though, in the first quarter of the year, it hopes to build 100 production vehicles for testing that will be used to determine if any last-minute changes are necessary.
Until then, anyone who wants a three-wheeled fix will need to drive the overly aggressive Polaris Slingshot or the comically unstable Reliant Robin.
Source: Elio Motors
Three UK breach puts millions of customers at risk
If you thought the last 12 months was pretty bad for data breaches, The company has confirmed that attackers successfully managed to access a database of 9 million customers using a stolen employee login, according to The Telegraph. The National Crime Agency says three men have been arrested but investigators are still piecing together who has been affected.
Telegraph sources believe that as many as six million records may have been accessed, which are thought to contain names, phone numbers, addresses and dates of birth. Three says no financial information has been stolen. Three was only alerted to a possible breach when customers began complaining that scam callers were trying to gain access to their bank accounts.
A spokesman for Three said: “Over the last four weeks Three has seen an increasing level of attempted handset fraud. This has been visible through higher levels of burglaries of retail stores and attempts to unlawfully intercept upgrade devices.”
“We’ve been working closely with the Police and relevant authorities. To date, we have confirmed approximately 400 high value handsets have been stolen through burglaries and eight devices have been illegally obtained through the upgrade activity.”
“The investigation is ongoing and we have taken a number of steps to further strengthen our controls. In order to commit this type of upgrade handset fraud, the perpetrators used authorised logins to Three’s upgrade system. This upgrade system does not include any customer payment, card information or bank account information.”
News of the attack comes after the high-profile hack of TalkTalk in October 2015. which saw almost 160,000 customers have their details stolen. The quad-play provider was fined £400,000 for not properly safeguarding customer information and has spent the past 12 months trying to stop customers jumping ship. Earlier this week, a 17-year-old boy pleaded guilty to his role in the attack.
The National Crime Agency confirmed the arrests in the following statement: “On Wednesday 16 November 2016, officers from the National Crime Agency arrested a 48-year old man from Orpington, Kent and a 39-year old man from Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester on suspicion of computer misuse offences, and a 35-year old man from Moston, Manchester on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice.”
“All three have since been released on bail pending further enquiries. As investigations are on-going no further information will be provided at this time.”
Source: The Telegraph
Uber uses trip data to recommend popular restaurants
As you might expect, a lot of Uber riders use the service to get to and from restaurants and bars. Thanks to its customer base, the ride-sharing company has a lot of info on which spots are popular in the cities where it operates. Uber announced this week that its putting all of those trip details to use with a new restaurant guide.
The ranking system divides restaurants into six different categories: most popular, local favorites, up-and-coming, brunch spots, weekend picks and date-night destinations. All of those are pretty self-explanatory and the lists can be viewed on this web page. Unfortunately, that’s the only place the guide lives for now, but it’s easy to see how this information would be beneficial to users inside the Uber app.
Another issue with the restaurant rankings is that the tool only provides suggestions for 12 cities right now. Riders in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, LA, Miami, Nashville, NYC, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and San Francisco are privy to the purely data-driven guide.
Uber explains that unlike other online services like Yelp that collect user reviews, its rankings rely entirely on trip data rather than personal opinion or expert criticism. We’re talking details like number of drop-offs, time of day, type of vehicle and a location that may be trending recently. In other words, you won’t be using the Uber’s guide to determine which spot serves the best mussels, but it can tell you which places are popular in a particular city.
For now, you’ll have to take a look at Uber’s picks on the web, but it will be interesting to see if restaurant tips or some other use of the company’s data make it to the mobile app. With details on every trip at its disposal, it would be easy for Uber to tackle other topics like hotels, shopping and more in a similar fashion.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Uber
Apple will fix iPhone 6 Plus ‘touch disease,’ for $149
A number of iPhone 6 owners and independent repair techs have been complaining for months about something called “touch disease” killing their phones, and now Apple is responding. The problem’s symptoms have been described as a flickering gray bar across the top of the screen and problems with the touchscreen responsiveness, which continue to get worse until it’s addressed or the phone is unusable. Repair techs like Jessa Jones have reported seeing multiple devices per day afflicted by the same problem, with no end in sight.
Going by Apple’s description of its “Multi-Touch Repair Program for iPhone 6 Plus,” the problem is really the owner’s fault, caused by “being dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress on the device.” Still, if you have the problem and your screen isn’t cracked, Apple says it will fix the issue for $149, and its repair program is available for five years after the original sale date.
That’s less than the usual out of warranty repair price of $329, but it’s not free, and it does nothing for people who opted to replace their phone instead of fixing it. Some owners have reportedly filed lawsuits against Apple concerning the issue, and it remains to be seen how this will affect their progress. If you’ve already paid to have an iPhone 6 Plus repaired due to the problem, Apple says it will reimburse the difference between that cost and $149, if you used its service or an authorized technician.
While some have reported similar problems with the smaller iPhone 6, there’s no indication of a program for owners of that device. In a blog post on iFixit, Jones noted the larger size of the 6 Plus made it more susceptible to the problem, despite reinforcements implemented to resolve the phone’s tendency to bend. The actual problem seems to come from the touch controller chip separating from the phone’s logic board, which is why twisting the device can sometimes fix it for a short time.
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: Apple
Apple Launches ‘Touch Disease’ Repair Program for iPhone 6 Plus
Apple today launched a new repair program for the iPhone 6 Plus, addressing complaints about a manufacturing issue that can cause the iPhone 6 Plus to become unresponsive to touch.
According to Apple, some iPhone 6 Plus devices may exhibit Multi-Touch issues after “being dropped multiple times on a hard surface,” causing damage to the device. Under its repair program, Apple will fix affected iPhone 6 Plus devices for a service price of $149.
Customers who paid more than $149 to have their devices fixed before the repair program was implemented will be able to get their money reimbursed by Apple.
Complaints about the iPhone 6 Plus touchscreen issue started in August, after iFixit published a video highlighting the bug and dubbed it “Touch Disease.” Touch Disease presents as a gray flickering bar at the top of the screen and a display that becomes unresponsive or less responsive to touch.
The problem is believed to be caused by the touchscreen controller chips soldered to the logic board of the phone, making repairs difficult. Third-party repair outlets speculated that the issue could be linked to the same structural design flaw that caused the major “Bendgate” controversy, and Apple’s suggestion that it is caused by repeated physical damage seems to confirm that.
Customers who have an iPhone 6 Plus with Multi-Touch issues can visit an Apple Authorized Service Provider or an Apple retail store to see if they qualify for the $149 repair fee.
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The Wirecutter’s best deals: Samsung’s SmartThings Hub is 50 percent off
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here.
You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends atThe Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot—some of these sales could expire mighty soon.
Breville BFP800XL Sous Chef Food Processor
Street price: $400; MSRP: $400; Deal price: $320
A big $80 drop below the street price on this more powerful pick. While we did see a $300 sale last Black Friday, we haven’t seen many worthwhile deals since. The last drop to $320 was back in March for around a day.
The Breville BFP800XL is our more powerful pick in our best food processor guide. Our staff wrote, “This is the machine you want if you plan to use it several times a week or need a tough motor when cooking for large groups. But it’s twice the price of our main pick, and it’s more powerful (and much bigger) than most people need.”
Panasonic FlashXpress Toaster Oven
Street price: $120; MSRP: $150; Deal price: $100 with code EARLYBF
We haven’t seen this good of a sale since June, and sales on this model were somewhat rare this year. While we used to see $75 and $85 prices over a year ago, those have dried up and it’s consistently been $120 or more. Use the code EARLYBF in your cart to drop the price down to $100.
The Panasonic FlashXpress Toaster Oven is our pick for the best toaster oven. Brendan Nystedt wrote, “For excellent toast, strong baking performance, compact size, reasonable price, and enough room to quickly heat leftovers and frozen snacks, the Panasonic FlashXpress NB-G110P is the best toaster oven we found. It cooked toast and other foods to an even, lovely golden-brown better than most other models we tried, and its toast shade settings were among the most accurate we tested. For a relatively low price, the FlashXpress stands out from a crowded pack of mediocre, cheap models, offering performance and features we found comparable to other models that are much larger and more expensive.”
Netgear Arlo Q Wired Security Camera 2-Pack
Street price: $400; MSRP: $400; Deal price: $280 with coupon
We haven’t seen many deals on the Arlo Q camera since we only recently made it our runner-up pick. We saw it at $330 and that was already the best price we’d seen, but within the past couple of days, Amazon added a $50 coupon which drops it to $280, the best price we’ve seen by far.
The Netgear Arlo Q is our runner-up pick in our guide to the best wireless security camera. Stewart Wolpin wrote, “If the Logi Circle is sold out or otherwise unavailable, get the Netgear Arlo Q, which offers very good A/V and still-photo quality in bright, dim, and no light, relatively easy setup, smart and welcome geofencing alerts, unique and customizable activity zones that limit where the camera will detect motion, and free seven-day video recording and storage, all of which offset its slightly higher-than-average price.”
Samsung SmartThings Hub
Street price: $100; MSRP: $100; Deal price: $50
This is a new low price for the Samsung SmartThings Hub, beating our previous deal by $25 and below the usual price by $50. We’ve seen a number of sales and bundles for this hub in the past few months, but this is an excellent deal on it in standalone form, allowing you to use your savings to pick and choose what companion tech to purchase to pair it with.
The Samsung SmartThings Hub is our pick for the best smart hub. Jon Chase wrote, “The Samsung SmartThings Hub is a polished, powerful option for tech-savvy DIYers who have a desire for an integrated smart home but lack the budget for or interest in a professionally installed system. It’s easy to set up on your home network, and pairing it with other smart devices is largely seamless.”
Deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.
Google goes after Pixel resellers by locking their accounts
Google has taken severe measures against Pixel buyers who violated its terms of service. Around 200 people purchased the phones via Project Fi and shipped them directly to a reseller in sales tax-free state New Hampshire, according to bargain-hunting site Dan’s Deals. The phones were then resold to others, and the small profit split with the buyers. However, Google’s terms dictate that buyers may not “commercially resell” any device and it locked their accounts, denying access to photos, emails and other personal data.
The dealer in question has been doing similar transactions since the original Nexus phone without any blowback from Google, according to Dan Eleff, the owner of Dan’s Deals. This time, however, Mountain View effectively gave users a “digital death penalty,” by issuing a straight-up ban with zero warning, he says. “I’m not defending those who violated the terms of the sale, but I do think it is heavy-handed for Google to block access to all of their services for doing so.”
Many users on Dan’s Deals’ forums weren’t very sympathetic to buyers, arguing that Google was within its rights to ban them. However, the move might put a chill down Google users’ spines when they realize how easily they could be cut off from their data. As Eleff points out, buyers could lose access to things like “gift cards, bills, travel confirmations and work documents,” throwing their lives into disarray.
I’m not defending those who violated the terms of the sale, but I do think it is heavy-handed for Google to block access to all of their services for doing so.
Other companies, including Amazon and Ubisoft have also banned users (for returning too many items and exploiting shoddy code), but most aren’t as big a part of people’s lives as Google. Mountain View has reportedly cancelled around 500 orders, but as yet, hasn’t restored the functionality of any users’ accounts. The dealer in question (who hasn’t been named) says he’s willing to return all the phones if Google agrees to give buyers their data back.
The lesson here, says Eleff, is “don’t mess with Google,” but another teaching moment might be about backups. As many forum users point out, you can use Google’s Takeout service to get a local backup of all your data, in case, God forbid, it shuts the door on you. We’ve reached out to Google for more information about the matter.
Via: The Guardian
Source: Dan’s Deals
In-Store Pickup Now Available for MacBook Pro With Touch Bar
Starting today, Apple has made in-store pickup available for the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar in the United States, allowing customers to check stock at their local store and reserve a machine online.
The MacBook Pro first started popping up in retail stores on Tuesday, but because there was no in-store pickup option, there was no way to tell which stores had stock and which didn’t. It’s now much easier to see which locations have MacBook Pro models available for immediate purchase.
Many stores around the country are listing December 30 pickup dates for the higher-end 13-inch MacBook Pro model and the two 15-inch models, but there are some locations where the new MacBook Pros are currently in stock. The entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar appears to be much more widely available than other machines.
A MacBook Pro with Touch Bar ordered from the Apple online store today won’t ship for approximately four to five weeks, so checking local stock on a daily basis is a good way to get a model with a standard configuration much more quickly.
Prices on the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar start at $1,799 for the 13-inch model and go up to $2,799 for the 15-inch model, with additional processor, storage, and GPU boosts available for additional fees.
Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer’s Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
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