Daily Briefing: Your next cheap phone will stream in 4K
Write this down: Here’s the news for Monday, October 31.
Do you write anymore? I mean physically, on paper. It recently occurred to me that I often go weeks without writing more than a signature on a contract or an incoming delivery (or a check, another anachronism).
In our Note 7 recall survey, the number one answer people gave to “What feature will you miss most on the Note 7?” was the S Pen. And I miss it, too: I always prefer to take written notes in meetings instead of typing on a screen, especially if it’s a one-on-one interview or a small group. Pen-and-paper just feels more personal, and closer to the subject matter. As someone who spends his whole day writing, I often miss that connection. And yet even at my most studious, back in college, I probably couldn’t have written by hand all the essays and papers I was expected to turn in. If I had, they would have been shorter and, conversely, more succinct. The keyboard (and to a lesser extent the typewriter) gave us the opportunity to be more verbose, and considerably more long-winded.
I think that’s been both a blessing and a curse.
ARM’s new Mali combo promises better graphics and video streaming in cheaper phones
After debuting its high-end Mali-G71 GPU back in May, UK-based ARM, which just got bought by Japan’s Softbank for a cool $31 billion, is back with another big announcement.
The company unveiled the mid-range Mali-G51 GPU alongside its V61 video processing unit. The former is based on the same Bifrost architecture as its more expensive counterpart, but will be aimed at cheaper phones that still want to meet those 60fps goals on 1080p displays. The V61 on the other hand promises less bandwidth-intensive 4K streaming video through more efficient codecs. Both promise power savings over their predecessors, and will be available in phones next year.
Twitter tries some Nougat, likes it
Over the weekend (remember those, workaholics?) Twitter added a bunch of Android Nougat-based features to its alpha client. Specifically, support for multi window (Android 7.0+) and app shortcuts (Android 7.1+). Oh, and there’s also a rounded icon for those running 7.1, too. Want in? Sign up for the Twitter Alpha.
Android Pay now supported by more banks
The list of banks supporting Android Pay has grown again. Android Police notes that the official list of banks has been updated once again and now First Flight FCU, Bristol County Savings Bank, Capitol One and others have been added. Earlier this year Capitol One showed up on the list but it was then removed, so hopefully it is here to stay this time.
Google handing out $50 Play Store credits for late Pixel deliveries
Google is reportedly sending emails to Pixel owners, particularly those who wanted the larger Pixel XL, whose delivery dates were pushed back due to manufacturing delays.
According to several threads on Reddit (via Techcrunch), Google has generously offered $50 in Play Store credit to anyone affected by Pixel delivery issues. Good going, Goog.
BlackBerry inks deal with Ford to improve connected cars
“We have the best embedded software and security engineers in the world, and Canada is pretty great!” That’s how Marty Beard, BlackBerry’s Chief Operating Officer, closed his blog post last week after debunking rumors that Apple was raiding QNX’s staff to work on its car platform.
Today, BlackBerry made a significant announcement to reinforce that claim, inking a deal with Ford to continue powering the technology behind its SYNC dashboard. Specifically, BlackBerry will dedicate a portion of its QNX team to work only on Ford products going forward. No terms were disclosed for the deal, but it’s certainly going to help BlackBerry reach its revenue targets for FY17.
Sony’s newest flagship is now $50 less ridiculously overpriced
I kid, I kid. Sony’s Xperia XZ flagship, which arrived in September, now sells for $649 USD on Amazon, a nice $50 reduction. We liked the device when it debuted, but have trouble recommending it over the similarly-priced Pixel. See at Amazon
Samsung is going to sell its weirdest mobile accessories in the U.S.
A wireless, water bottle-shaped speaker? Sure, why not? Samsung has announced that it will bring a number of its formerly Korean-only accessories, such as the aforementioned Wireless Speaker Bottle, a dual Wireless Charger Tray, and a USB-based LED light, to the U.S. They’re all coming to Samsung’s online store, and will be available in brick-and-mortar equivalents in early November.
Motorola cuts $150 from its Moto Z line, for now
If you were waiting to buy a Moto Z, Z Force or Z Play from Motorola, you can now save up to $150 on the whole kit — until November 18th. Pretty good deal for a fantastic set of phones.
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Happy Halloween, everyone! Be safe out there. Oh, and if you haven’t played today’s Google Doodle game, do so immediately. It’s amazing.
Microsoft Flow and PowerApps get a public launch November 1st
Flow, Microsoft’s in-house version of IFTTT, has been in preview mode since April, but the folks at Redmond are finally ready to open the service up to the general public. Starting November 1, Flow will be available in 42 languages worldwide, alongside PowerApps — Microsoft’s code-free app-building service.
Like IFTTT, Flow simplifies workflows by connecting different apps and internet services. For heavy Windows users and those who rely on Microsoft’s Power BI business insights tool, the integrations on Flow go even deeper with Office 365 and Dynamics 365. But you don’t need to be a 100% Windows user to take advantage — there are already iOS and Android versions available so you can manage and monitor all your Flows from your mobile device.
As for tomorrow’s other public release: PowerApps is also aimed at “power users” who either don’t have the time or the background to get their hands dirty writing code. The app allows users to quickly build web and mobile apps with zero coding and ties in with Microsoft’s Common Data Service to keep your data hosted on your own secure Azure database.
Both apps are now included as part of Dynamics 365 as well as Office 365 Enterprise, Business Premium and Essentials subscriptions.
Source: Microsoft Blog
Google gets better at spotting bogus Play Store app installs
It’d bad enough when you download a crummy Android app, but it’s worse when you’re tricked into installing that app thanks to fake installs and other tricks that make it seem more popular than it is. Google wants to fix that: it’s deploying upgraded detection and filtering tech that should do a better job of catching installs meant solely to pump up an app’s placement in the Play Store. Developers won’t immediately get the boot if they’re caught (rookie developer may not fully understand the rules), but those who make a habit of rigging the system could lose their app presence.
Is this going to eliminate app fraud? Probably not — shady developers may find a way to circumvent detection, and it’s harder to spot non-automated deception like incentivized ratings. If Google succeeds, though, that should increase the chances that apps actually deserve their positions on the Play Store charts.
Source: Android Developers Blog
Samsung’s stylish mobile accessories are launching worldwide
What you see above is Samsung’s suite of stylish accessories, each meant to be paired with a smartphone or tablet for entertainment and functional purposes. Up until today, the company had only offered these products in South Korea, but starting in November they’ll arrive at select markets worldwide. There are six peripherals total, including a wireless charging tray, a battery pack, a Bluetooth LED light, in-ear headphones and two wireless speakers (one of which features 360-degree audio). Naturally, these have one thing in common, and that’s their sleek, minimalist design.
Unfortunately, Samsung didn’t release any pricing information for any of them — likely because that will depend on the country you’re in. While you wait for them to hit online stores, though, you can have a closer look at them in our gallery of press images. The only thing missing is a stylish fire extinguisher to take care of the Note 7’s woes.
Via: The Verge
Source: Samsung
US bank authority warns of data breach that took 10,000 records
Government data breaches aren’t always the work of foreign intruders or even disgruntled employees. Sometimes, it’s a staffer who simply isn’t security-conscious. The US’ Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has revealed that a worker took over 10,000 activity and staff records with him sometime in November 2015, shortly before he retired. The unnamed worker copied a “large number” of files to two thumb drives and, when asked about the data, couldn’t find the drives to give them back.
While treated as a “major” event, the practical risk to the government isn’t high. The data was encrypted precisely to prevent damage from a loss like this, and there’s no indication that any controlled or private info has fallen into the wrong hands.
More than anything, the issue is that the OCC let this data leave in the first place. The agency implemented a policy in August 2016 that bars employees from transferring data to removable storage without a supervisor’s approval, but it came too late to catch the thumb drive episode. Also, there’s a chance that this isn’t the only breach. Investigators spotted the data transfer on September 1st, or shortly into a retrospective review of file transfers that remains underway. It’s too soon to know if this was a one-off event or a sign of additional problems. Either way, it’s not good news for a government that’s still trying to mend its security.
Via: Wall Street Journal
Source: OCC
Outside China, Xiaomi seeks another home on US networks
October 9th marked Hugo Barra’s third year at Xiaomi, and as its Global Vice President, he watched the company evolve from a China-centric smartphone e-tailer to an IoT ecosystem with a growing international footprint. Xiaomi’s recently entered Russia, Mexico and the Middle East, with Poland, Vietnam, Thailand plus a couple other Latin American markets next on the docket. But the long list is still missing one key region: the US. While the ex-Googler continues to stay mum on a launch date, he did reveal to Engadget that his team has already started testing phones in America. Such commitment is an important milestone ahead of the notoriously tough US carrier lab tests.
You see, US mobile networks use odd bands that aren’t widely adopted in most parts of the world. So, to ensure compatibility, the local major carriers are notoriously tough when it comes to testing phones that want to be deployed across their networks. The well-established mobile companies are happy to oblige, of course, because selling their devices through the big US carriers guarantees sales volume due to their channels and customer base. More importantly, they’re already familiar with the process and requirements; whereas Xiaomi, a relatively newcomer, is not.
A US launch may happen as soon as 2017.
This means Barra and his team have to practically start from scratch, in the sense that they have to learn everything about the testing methods and be physically set up shop in the US. The company has embraced the idea of going global under Barra’s guidance, and Xiaomi is finally willing to make the investment, but he reckoned it will take a year or two before the company is ready for the US. Barra didn’t reveal when exactly his team started this project, but based on his mention of a couple of test devices, my guess is that a US launch may happen as soon as 2017.
“Earlier this year we had a special version of Mi 5 that we made just for testing in the US, just so that we can start testing and doing small-field trials to sharpen our chops, if you will,” Barra said. “And now we have Mi Note 2 which is another device that we can use for some field testing in the US. That’s again just another small step in the right direction or in the direction of being able to launch full-on products there.”
Of course, Xiaomi could just follow other Chinese brands and sell directly to US consumers. After all, Xiaomi is already offering its accessories and 4K Android TV box in its US online store (and also Walmart for the latter). But judging by Barra’s emphasis on the carrier lab tests, his company appears to have already made up its mind. To make his point, Barra brought up how a Chinese brand — no names mentioned here — launched a phone in the US almost a year ago, but “it ended up being a complete flop.” The reason was simple: It lacked Band 17 which is used on AT&T’s LTE network, but said brand wrongly assumed that it wouldn’t be an issue at the time (so it’s pretty obvious which phone that was). Had that company worked more closely with either AT&T or T-Mobile, it would have been a completely different story.
“We’re not going to launch something until we’re ready,” Barra said in reference to the technical preparation and team bandwidth required for a US launch.
Peter Thiel’s tech wealth made him a First Amendment gatekeeper
Peter Thiel built his fortune in Silicon Valley as a founder of PayPal, an early backer of Facebook and a venture capitalist focused on the technology industry. He’s living proof of the Bay Area’s ability to make billionaires of mortal men.
Using a fraction of his tech billions, Thiel bankrolled Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker Media earlier this year, which eventually led to the company declaring bankruptcy and shutting down Gawker.com. Thiel had held a grudge against the site for years, after he claimed it outed him as gay in 2007. Since the Gawker ruling, Thiel has fielded questions about the ethics of a billionaire effectively using his money to shut down a news organization that he didn’t like, a move that some argue violate the site’s First Amendment rights. He’s responded by calling his $10 million support of Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit “one of [the] greater philanthropic things” that he’s ever done. Thiel has also said he’s backing other, similar lawsuits.
During a Q&A session at the National Press Club today, Thiel explained three key things about the Gawker lawsuit:
First, he detailed how his (mostly secret) funding did not violate freedom of speech or the press. “I strongly believe in the First Amendment,” he said. “I believe journalists are a privileged group in our society. They play an important role in getting us information and in the system of checks and balances. But these were not journalists.”
Second, he explained his support of Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit with the following comment: “If you’re middle-class, if you’re upper-middle class, if you’re a single-digit millionaire like Hulk Hogan, you have no effective access to our legal system. It costs too much.”
And third, he said, “My judgement was that Mr. Hogan deserved to have his day in court.”
These statements are inherently contradictory and scary. Thiel freely admits that, in his view, the only way to receive justice in the United States is to be extremely wealthy — at least a double-digit millionaire. He also contends that his involvement in the Gawker lawsuit was not ethically dubious because, after all, he respects the First Amendment. It’s the third sentence that’s the most jarring: “My judgement was that Mr. Hogan deserved to have his day in court.”
His judgement. Not the courts, not a judge, not a jury. One wealthy tech entrepreneur with a vendetta decided that one specific news organization needed to be shut down, and he worked within the US legal system for years to make it happen, pulling strings and funding cases in a way that a vast majority of citizens never could. Thiel decided that Gawker employees were not journalists and therefore didn’t deserve First Amendment protection — and using his Silicon Valley fortune, he turned this opinion into law.
It’s an obvious example of wealth, particularly tech money, enabling power over the justice system. It’s not a clear violation of the First Amendment — but it’s close enough to spark a contentious debate about the role of money in politics and justice.
Peter Thiel: “If you’re a single-digit millionaire like Hulk Hogan, you have no effective access to our legal system. It costs too much.” pic.twitter.com/Fo36ZiMR1B
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) October 31, 2016
Thiel even admits that the tech industry, which propelled him into fame and fortune, is out of touch with the rest of the United States. He argues that his home of Silicon Valley enjoyed vast growth over the past decade while the rest of the country didn’t have as much success; he says tech industry leaders and companies simply do not represent the entire US — perhaps forgetting that he is himself a high-profile tech industry leader.
“Silicon Valley deals in the world of bits; most of the economy deals in the world of atoms,” he said. “If you’re in the world of atoms, you might be very concerned about government regulation. If you’re in the world of bits, which is much less regulated, you might be much less concerned about government regulations. So there is this big separation just in terms of what they do.”
By his own logic, not only is Thiel a single billionaire bankrolling targeted lawsuits against news organizations that he disagrees with, but he’s a poor representative for the rest of the US population. He does not operate in the same world that most Americans do, further skewing his judgement on what constitutes justice.
It’s clear that the Gawker stories outing Thiel and distributing Hulk Hogan’s sex tape were neither newsworthy nor ethical by journalistic standards. By most accounts, those articles were sensational tabloid spectacles that respectively stigmatized homosexuality and infringed on the privacy of an American citizen.
However, that’s not for Thiel or any Bay Area leader to decide. Placing the power to destroy news organizations in the hands of a few vengeful tech billionaires undermines not only the First Amendment, but the entire judicial process. The ruling can be correct while the system remains broken and grossly unfair.
At the National Press Club, Thiel also responded to a question about setting a precedent for other billionaires (or double-digit millionaires) to fund lawsuits against news organizations that they don’t like. He said, “Wealthy people shouldn’t do that. I think if they try they won’t succeed.”
Thiel doesn’t have to contradict himself this time; he’s already won a massive lawsuit against a news company. Either Thiel isn’t “wealthy” by his own definition or he believes he’s a special class of billionaire, a Bay Area leader, whose tech industry fortune puts him above the law.
Apple Expands Maps Transit Data to Additional Cities in Ohio
Apple is continuing to expand the availability of transit directions in the Maps app, today adding transit support in several cities in Ohio, including Cincinnati, Akron, Dayton, Canton, Athens, and some areas of Cleveland.
Transit directions in these cities come following the introduction of transit information in Columbus, Ohio, which was added in September.
Public transit options in Ohio encompass bus and light rail routes available in each city, including the Cleveland RTA, Cincinnati Bell Connector, Akron Metro, Dayton RTA, Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority, and more.
Apple first added transit directions to Maps in 2015, as part of iOS 9. At launch, transit information was only available in a small handful of cities around the world, but Apple has been working hard to expand the feature to additional locations.
Transit data is now available in more than 30 cities, along with dozens of places in China.
Tag: Maps
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Apple Seeds First Beta of iOS 10.2 to Developers
Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iOS 10 update to developers, one week after releasing the iOS 10.1 update and more than a month after launching the iOS 10 operating system. As a major 10.x update, iOS 10.2 will likely bring bug fixes, performance improvements, and perhaps a few new features to iOS 10.
Registered developers can download the new iOS 10.2 beta from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air with the proper configuration profile installed.
We don’t yet know what features are included in iOS 10.2, but the prior update, iOS 10.1, introduced a new Portrait photography mode for the iPhone 7 Plus’ dual-lens camera system. Should new features be discovered in today’s update, we’ll update this post.
Apple has called iOS 10 its “biggest release ever” for iOS users, with a revamped lock screen, a Siri SDK for developers, an overhauled Messages app, a dedicated “Home” app for HomeKit users, new facial and object recognition capabilities in Photos, and redesigned Maps and Apple Music apps.
What’s new in iOS 10.2:
Emoji – Unicode 9 emoji are included in iOS 10.2. Some of the new emoji include clown face, drooling face, selfie, fox face, owl, shark, butterfly, avocado, pancakes, croissant, and more.
Wallpapers – There are new wallpapers in iOS 10.2, which use the same graphics that were shown off in iPhone 7 marketing materials.
Camera settings – There’s a new option for saving your last known camera settings. This will let you preserve the last Camera Mode, Photo Filter, or Live Photo setting. “Preserve Settings” is available in the Settings App under “Photos & Camera.”
Videos widget – There’s a new widget available for the Videos app, accessible on the widgets panel by swiping to the right on the Home screen of an iPhone or iPad. The Videos widget displays movies and TV shows in the Videos app, and a tap will cause content to play automatically.
Emergency contacts – There’s a new feature that will automatically notify your emergency contacts when you use the Emergency SOS feature on iPhone or Apple Watch. A popup notification shows up when you open the Health app after installing iOS 10.2.
Apple Music – There’s a new option to sort playlists in Apple Music by type, title, and recently added.
Related Roundup: iOS 10
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Apple Seeds First Beta of watchOS 3.1.1 to Developers
Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 3.1.1 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after releasing watchOS 3.1, the first watchOS 3 update, and more than a month after releasing watchOS 3 to the public.
watchOS 3.1.1 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General -> Software Update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone. watchOS 3.1 requires an iPhone running iOS 10 to install.
It is not yet known what new features might be included in the watchOS 3.1.1 update, but we’ll update this post with any new discoveries. watchOS updates are often minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and performance improvements.
watchOS 3 completely overhauls the interface on the Apple Watch, introducing a dedicated app dock, instant launch apps, new watch faces, and new complication options. There are new Activity sharing features, a “Breathe” app guides users through deep breathing sessions to cut down on stress, and an SOS feature can automatically call emergency service.
For more details on what’s new in watchOS 3, make sure to check out our watchOS 3 roundup.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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