Master and Dynamic adds the on-ear MW50 to its wireless lineup
Almost exactly a year ago, Master & Dynamic debuted its first wireless headphones with the over-ear MW60. Today, the company is adding to that product line with the on-ear MW50. This new model carries a similar look to last year’s arrival with plenty of silver aluminum and your choice of black or brown leather. The MW50’s ear cups are a bit rounder than the MW60, but that’s really the only difference in design other than how you wear them.
The company says the MW50 is one-third lighter than last year’s MW60, weighing in at 240 grams or about half a pound. Inside, 40mm beryllium drivers deliver M&D’s signature sound to lambskin-wrapped memory foam ear pads. The MW50’s connect to your device of choice via Bluetooth 4.1 with aptX and the company is promising 16 hours of battery life before you’ll either have to recharge or employ a 3.5mm cable to continue listening. If you need to take a call, dual microphones are on board to assist when they’re not being used to block out noise.
Like the MW60, you’ll have to make a significant investment to nab a pair of these stylish headphones. The new MW50s are priced at $449 and are available now from the Master & Dynamic website. For reference, that’s $100 more than Bose’s QuietComfort 35. Of course, you’ll need to be willing to ditch the premium materials for something that looks much more generic.
Source: Master & Dynamic
Google’s Daydream View VR reaches stores November 10th
You won’t have to wait much longer to see whether or not Google’s Daydream View headset is a viable contender to the likes of Gear VR. Google has announced that its virtual reality wearable will reach both the Google Store and retail in five countries (the US, Canada, UK, Germany and Australia) on November 10th. In the US, it’ll be available for $79 through Best Buy and Verizon. British buyers can track it down for £69 at Carphone Warehouse or EE, and Canadians can pick it up for $99 at Best Buy, Bell, Rogers or Telus.
You’ll need a compatible phone (such as Google’s own Pixel or Pixel XL) to use the Daydream View, but it promises to open up the world of mobile VR. Right now, your choices in that realm are largely limited to either basic viewers like Google Cardboard or Samsung’s proprietary Gear VR — you could soon see interactive VR on a wide range of Android devices. It’s also important to note that Google doesn’t have a monopoly on Daydream headsets, either. The aim is to create a whole ecosystem, not to corner the market.
Source: Google
Hulu’s live TV options will include Fox and Disney, of course
Hulu will roll out its live TV lineup in early 2017, complete with shows from the Walt Disney Company and 21st Century Fox, two of Hulu’s founding partners, the company announced today. The agreement brings more than 35 networks to Hulu’s live service, including ABC, FOX, Fox Sports channels, ESPN channels, Disney Channel and XD, Freeform, National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild.
These networks join Time Warner Inc.’s Turner channels on Hulu’s live service. The Turner deal brings TBS, TNT, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Boomerang, among other affiliated channels, to Hulu’s live service. This deal follows Time Warner’s purchase of 10 percent of Hulu for $583 million. Viacom is also on board for live Hulu programming, but it’s unclear which of its networks in particular will be available.
Hulu doesn’t detail how much its live TV service will cost, but describes it as “a complement to the company’s current ad-supported and ad-free subscription video on demand products.” The Wall Street Journal reported in May that it would cost $40. That’s more than Sling’s $20 basic package, for example, and it’s not yet known if the reported $40 price tag includes Hulu’s traditional streaming options.
Source: Hulu
Xiaomi aims to be more than king of the budget smartphones
The day after the Mi Note 2 and Mi MIX launch last week, the flagship Mi Home store next to Xiaomi’s headquarters was packed with visitors. Nope, they weren’t there to spend their yuan, but to simply wait for their turn to play with the new phones. But the real star was clearly the Mi MIX “concept phone.” People were drawn to its near-bezel-less display and fancy ceramic body. Despite this being Xiaomi’s most expensive smartphone ever, I heard many visitors ask if they could buy one immediately, only to be let down when told they have to wait until November 4th. Xiaomi must be doing something right
The Mi MIX didn’t just happen over night, of course; it was a two-year project with contributions from French designer, Philippe Starck. This man is no stranger to the tech world, he’s helped design headphones, hard drives, a smart radiator valve, electric bicycles and, even, the late Steve Jobs’ yacht. Barra described Starck’s role in the Mi MIX project as setting high-level priorities, especially when it came to convincing the Xiaomi team to keep things clean and simple.
Xiaomi’s aim with the Mi MIX is to showcase some of the breakthrough mobile technologies that will eventually trickle down to its mainstream devices. In this case, we have Sharp’s near-bezel-less display which we knew was arriving sooner or later. Hidden underneath that is Elliptic Labs’ ultrasound-based proximity sensor, which replaces the ugly infrared dot and turns the screen off when the phone is placed next to your ear. Last but not least, the full ceramic body is a nice alternative to the aluminum we’re accustomed to. The company hopes these experiments will lead consumers to see Xiaomi as home to serious innovation, rather than a budget brand.
Some would argue that it should be giants like Apple and Google bringing out devices like the Mi MIX. While Barra declined to comment on the iPhone 7, he was happy to praise his previous company’s efforts with the Pixel and even went as far as saying the series “sets a bar for the whole world.” He described Google’s latest phones as being “all-around optimized,” “very responsive” with “great battery life” plus an “awesome camera,” though he did say that they don’t necessarily have the best industrial design — especially with their “very tall chins.”
Could Google have done a phone like the Mi MIX? Barra defended his former colleagues by saying it would have been difficult for them to justify the risk of delivering a phone like this, as it wouldn’t sell in large quantities. The Pixel, on the other hand, doesn’t have this problem. “I think they’re gonna sell a lot of Pixels. Every Android enthusiast is going to try what they can to get their hands on one.” Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if Barra is still working for Google.
Save for the Mi Home’s strong resemblance to any Apple store, the Mi MIX could have almost peeled the copycat label off Xiaomi for good. Alas, people were quick to compare the Mi Note 2’s 3D curved body to Samsung’s S7 Edge and its discontinued Note 7. Barra was keen to point out that Xiaomi was actually the first company to release a smartphone with a 3D curved glass back — the original Mi Note. The same industrial design was applied to the smaller but more powerful Mi 5.
“I’m not worried about what people are going to say.”
Samsung then combined the 3D curved screen and the 3D curved glass back for the S7 Edge, to which Barra said, “Well, no one is going to give us credit for a curved back, right? They just care about the front.” It wasn’t until the Mi Note 2 when Xiaomi followed Samsung’s suit, courtesy of the flexible OLED display allegedly supplied by LG.
“In how many ways do you think you can design a curved display? Exactly one way,” Barra argued. “I don’t think that anyone can outright claim ownership of that as an invention because it’s kind of like a logical thing. They can claim that they were the first ones to do it, but certainly not the ones responsible for the most incredible idea in the world because it’s just a very straightforward engineering thing: As soon as you can come up with a flexible OLED display, you can design a screen like this.
“I’m not worried about what people are going to say, because we’re pretty confident in our design capability. I think [the Mi MIX unveiling] was a pretty clear demonstration of that.”
Instagram shopping tags help you buy what you see
Ads in your Instagram feed may be irksome, but wouldn’t it be nice if you could at least find out how much it would cost to buy those sweet shoes or stylish bags? Instagram sure does. It’s starting to roll out shopping tags that identify the products in ads. Tap a button and you’ll see the basic details of products in a photo ad; tap those products and you’ll get both more details as well as links to visit their store pages on the web. You can’t buy goods directly from Instagram right now (possibly a good thing), but you also don’t have to scrounge through a retailer’s website just to find what you saw a moment ago.
The tags are initially viewable only to a subset of iOS viewers in the US. Most of the early ad partners are fashion brands like Kate Spade and Warby Parker. Expansion to Android, video ads and other countries will follow as Instagram figures out how it can display and recommend products. Eventually, you’ll have the option of saving products you like so that you can buy them later.
Despite what you might think, Instagram isn’t taking a cut every time you tap a “shop now” link. Instead, it’s all about convincing advertisers to line up — they may be more likely to pay if they know that they can turn your ad view into a purchase within seconds. Also, the upcoming save feature is a not-so-subtle way of taking on Pinterest. While Pinterest isn’t limited to saving products from ads, you might have less reason to check it out if you can bookmark inspiring products on Instagram.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Instagram Business
AirPods Might Not Launch Until January 2017
Following the confirmation that Apple has delayed its wireless “AirPods” beyond the original late October launch window, foreign supply chain sources are now pointing towards a launch date in January 2017, and not the late 2016 estimation that many believed would help the Bluetooth device sell during the holidays.
The news comes from Chinese-language Economic Daily News (via DigiTimes), which cites market watchers who believe AirPods manufacturing supplier Inventec will see a profit boost in January because of the new launch date for the device.
Apple originally planned to release the AirPods at the end of October, but has postponed release. Inventec is expected to begin shipping AirPods in January 2017, the paper noted.
Because of AirPods orders, Inventec’s revenue is expected to grow 7 percent in 2017, to reach around $23.83 billion, while its earnings per share are also estimated to increase by 35 percent. Its Q4 2016 earnings will be mainly in its PC supplier business, which will “stay flat” from the third quarter output of around 4.85 million units shipped.
The connection between Inventec and AirPods first came in a report by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in September. Apple then announced the device during its September 7 iPhone 7 event, where it confirmed the headphones have up to 5 hours of music playback and high-quality sound through a “seamless and automatic connection” between devices, as well as a battery case that includes up to 24 hours of charge.
Tag: AirPods
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Classroom-Focused ‘Minecraft: Education Edition’ Launches on macOS and Windows
Mojang today launched “Minecraft: Education Edition” for macOS and Windows platforms, allowing educators and administrators to begin introducing the game to students and use its copious tools and in-game systems to teach lessons in science, technology, engineering, math, history, language, art, and more (via TechCrunch). The game will come with a “Classroom Mode” companion app so teachers can manage settings within the seed created for their classroom, and even interact with the students in their world.
The game has been in a free trial testing period at some school across the country, totaling up to around 35,000 students and teachers who have used it so far. The full game now runs at a rate of $5 per user, with volume pricing available for larger schools. Those eligible to download Minecraft: Education Edition extend beyond normal public schools, and include libraries, museums, and individuals who are part of “nationally recognized home-school organizations.”
The Minecraft: Education Edition website also includes resources for teachers to get started with the game, including pre-made lesson plans, helpful tutorials, and starter worlds that’ll make it easier to acclimate students into the game’s mechanics. For teachers who want to use the game in their classroom but aren’t familiar with Minecraft, there’s a “Minecraft Mentors” program that teaches them all of the basic principles of the game, along with how it can be adapted to education programs.
Like the consumer versions of Minecraft, Education Edition will receive version updates over time to ensure that the software stays up to date, as well as introduce new game features. The first version of the learning-focused edition will include all of the previous updates introduced to Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition beta, according to Microsoft. Educators interested can begin the sign up process on the game’s website.
During last week’s Mac event, Apple announced that Minecraft will be coming to the fourth-generation Apple TV by the end of 2016.
Tag: Minecraft
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Best Keyboard for Android
Best overall
Google Keyboard
Free
See on Google Play
Years ago, Google’s built-in Android keyboard was considered a bit of a slouch. Oh, how times have changed. The Google Keyboard is completely free, supports gesture typing for both individual words and entire sentences, a bounty of languages, and a modest choice of themes.
The Google Keyboard employs Google’s own speech-to-text engine for voice dictation, and while it might not be the best at predictive text, it does learn from your typed data across Google’s apps and services. If your phone didn’t ship with the Google Keyboard, you can download it from the Google Play Store.
Bottom-line: Google Keyboard has pretty much every feature you’d want from a touch keyboard. It’s fast, reliable, and minimalist, with theme options to tweak in the settings.
One more thing: Google has included one-handed mode for those who prefer to type with one thumb.
Why Google Keyboard is the best
Leave it to Google to make their stock keyboard the easiest and smoothest experience you can find on Android. Over time, they’ve added features that Android users have enjoyed from other keyboards and kept it all quick, responsive and free.
You have the option of tap-typing or swiping around for words, one-handed or two. It employs Google’s own speech-to-text technology, which will only get better fine-tuned as Google builds out. And it even incorporates GIFs, which can be found alongside the full suite of Android emojis. If you’re phone doesn’t already come with the Google Keyboard pre-installed, do your thumbs a favor and check it out.
Best for predictions
Swiftkey
Free
See on Google Play
For years, SwiftKey soared above Google’s included keyboard, and it did — and still does — come pre-installed on many a phone and tablet. SwiftKey’s prediction methods, called the “fluency engine,” has made it the keyboard that many users and editors alike keep coming back to. SwiftKey has been pre-loaded on millions of devices over the years, including on Samsung’s flagship phones.
While SwiftKey used to be a paid app, the keyboard itself went free in 2014, instead having its users pay for themes. SwiftKey has led the keyboard pack for a while, and was our readers’ top response when we asked which keyboard they used. And it’s still a great option in 2016.
Bottom-line: SwiftKey is a great option for those looking for an alternative to the stock Google keyboard.
One more thing: On the topic of themes, there are over 80 of them to choose from in all sorts of colors and styles to fit your personality.
Best for gesture typing
Swype
$0.99
See on Google Play
Swype is to SwiftKey as GM is to Ford. Both are established, respected, feature-rich keyboards. Swype allows you to swipe out words or whole sentences, and also supports typing in two languages at once, for bilingual users. Swype offers a free trial version, but the full version is only a dollar, and themes are an additional two dollars apiece.
Swype ties into Android’s Accessibility features for TalkBack and Explore By Touch, which make Swype a keyboard vision-impaired users can learn more easily on their own. Copy/Cut/Paste functions are embedded as gestures in Swype’s keyboard, too. Swype all the things!
Bottom-line: Swype originally introduced the world to fluid, swipe-based typing, and is still a quality keyboard for Android.
One more thing: Swype is great for sports fans, offering offers themes, including Major League Soccer themes.
Best overall
Google Keyboard
Free
See on Google Play
Years ago, Google’s built-in Android keyboard was considered a bit of a slouch. My how times have changed. The Google Keyboard is completely free, supports gesture typing for both individual words and entire sentences, a bounty of languages, and a modest choice of themes.
The Google Keyboard employs Google’s own speech-to-text engine for voice dictation, and while it might not be the best at predictive text, it does learn from your typed data across Google’s apps and services. If your phone didn’t ship with the Google Keyboard, you can download it from the Google Play Store.
Bottom-line: Google Keyboard has pretty much every feature you’d want from a touch keyboard. It’s fast, reliable, and minimalist, with theme options to tweak in the settings.
One more thing: Google has included One-Handed Mode for those who prefer to type with one thumb.
New Sonos Android beta brings speaker control to the Spotify app
As promised, Sonos has further opened up its platform to new uses. Back in August, the popular connected speaker company promised tighter integration with Spotify and Alexa, and with a new beta version for Android (and Mac and PC), its products can now be controlled through the Spotify app itself.
For someone like me who uses the Spotify app every day, pointing music at whichever speaker is most convenient — my receiver, Amazon Echo, or now, Sonos — this is a big deal, and will go a long way to helping Sonos better compete with the growing number of companies trying to dethrone it from the connected speaker crown.
More: Everything you need to know about Sonos
Before this feature rolls out to the broader public, it is going through the company’s beta process, which involves a simple toggle in the Android app’s settings.
Sonos users can also expect better integration with Amazon’s Alexa platform early next year, allowing the Play series speakers to seamlessly work as outputs for the Echo Dot.
Wilson X Connected American Football preview: Touching down in the UK 1 January
Sports brand Wilson is bringing its Connected American Football to the UK as of 1 January 2017 and we’ve had a play.
The company announced the smart ball in the US at the start of the current NFL season and it is now ready to expand its roll out to select regions around the world, including some of the European markets that embrace the sport.
We caught up with it at “NFL House” – a pop-up American football experience in the heart of London timed to coincide with the NFL International Series of games in the capital – and were even treated to an impromptu visit by double Superbowl winner Carl Banks. Let’s just say that even though he was a linebacker in his prime, he could still throw a mean ball.
Pocket-lint
Wilson X Connected Football smart chip
The Wilson X Connected Football has a smart chip floating around inside the bladder, which is centrally located. It can track distance, velocity, spiral efficiency, spin rate and can even judge whether the ball has been caught or dropped.
Pocket-lint
It links with an iPhone or Android phone app through Bluetooth, but rather that munch the stats for professional use, like the Adidas miCoach Smart Ball we’ve featured before, it uses the gathered data for fun activities. Basically, anybody can play with the Wilson ball and get something from it. It combines sport with smartphone gaming in delicious fashion.
Wilson X Connected Football game modes
The app has several different modes which track throws in various ways. There is a QB Warm-Up mode, which just shows the basic stats for each throw. Elimination offers the chance to set minimum targets for up to eight players to meet or be expelled from the round. Precision judges all stats over 10 throws. And Game Time and Final Drive ape full and partial NFL games with throws translated into yardage.
By adding distinct game modes, Wilson combines physical activity with fun and healthy competition. They can also be played in small or large open spaces, so equally enjoyable in a garden as the local park.
Pocket-lint
The football isn’t exclusively aimed at older, male players either. As well as a full-size, NFL-standard version, a smaller, junior edition will be sold for children or those with dinkier hands. After all, throwing an American football relies on the grip and the spin achieved so it helps to have a version best suited for your mitts.
Wilson X Connected Football battery life
One of the things we were most frustrated by with the Adidas Smart Ball was its battery life. As it needed to be recharged, we occasionally found that it wasn’t charged when we most wanted to use it. The Wilson American football is different, however. It has a non-removable, non-rechargeable battery inside, which will ensure the ball is ready to go as soon as it is woken through twisting it to a vertical position then back to a horizontal one.
Admittedly, this reduces the shelf life of the product, but Wilson told us that it lasts for more than 200,000 throws or 500 hours of play. Even if you played with it for an hour every single day, it’d still last for around 15 months. And even then you’d still have a good quality football to play with after – the chip itself doesn’t add any weight or affect the ball in any way.
First Impressions
The only slight issue we have with the Wilson ball is its price. At £159.99 it is likely to put off anybody not totally into the sport, thereby reducing its market in the UK.
But considering that it encourages physical activity, it might be worth a punt for those who want their kids to mix fitness with their gaming.
It’s also an excellent social device too, with at least two-players at a time getting something from it.
Wilson told us that this and its similarly connected basketball – which is also coming to the UK next year – are just the start of its smart sports goods plans. And with implementation as good as this, we heartily approve.
AIVAnet 