Apple Working With Home Builders to Bolster HomeKit Adoption

Apple is partnering with various building companies to integrate its HomeKit platform directly into homes from the get-go, with the hopes that such ingrained smart home features will convince prospective buyers into sticking with the Apple ecosystem for the long haul. The news comes in a report by Bloomberg, which looked specifically at a four-bedroom stucco house in Alameda, California as one of Apple’s many HomeKit-enabled properties coming to the market.

David Kaiserman, president of the technology division at construction company Lennar Corporation, walked Bloomberg through the potential advantages of buying a smart home from the start, mainly centering around the sometimes frustrating installation of devices like smart blinds and locks. In the home in Alameda, Siri responded to “Good Morning” light requests, while Apple’s new Home app played music from connected speakers, and even ran a bath. All told, $30,000 worth of connected technology was integrated into the house.

The model smart home in Alameda, California
Apple’s vice president of product marketing, Greg Joswiak, said that the company’s goal with these so-called “test beds” of internet-connected smart homes is to eventually introduce complete home automation into a mainstream market, which could otherwise be tricky if users have to go out and buy dozens of separately-sold products. As such, Joswiak concluded that “the best place to start is at the beginning.”

The gamble is that pricey wireless home devices will be an easier sell when bundled into the home itself. Builders market granite countertops and brushed-nickel fixtures at thousands of models homes across the U.S. Why not video doorbells?

“We want to bring home automation to the mainstream,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of product marketing. “The best place to start is at the beginning, when a house is just being created.”

Purchasing a house with smart devices already installed doesn’t appear to come at a discount, however. The $30,000 worth of products inside the Alameda home included devices like Lutron’s automated shading system, which starts at $349, and the Schlage Connect Touchscreen Deadbolt, which retails for $199. As Bloomberg pointed out, “a regular deadbolt fetches $32 at Home Depot — and there’s always hiding a key under the flower pot.”

Apple is said to be working with other builders besides Lennar, including Brookfield Residential Properties Inc., but neither company said when the smart homes would actually go up for sale. Kaiserman mentioned that he hopes working with Apple in the smart home market will produce a “halo effect,” in any neighborhood that the homes sell in, convincing potential buyers that the new home has a “cool” factor that other properties nearby lack.

All the same, some people watching the rise in connected home devices believe “the hype may be getting ahead of the reality,” with examples given centering around products like a wireless onesie for a baby that can turn on lights and play soothing music when the child stirs. Likewise, IDC analyst Jonathan Gaw cited “useless” products like the recently announced smartphone-controlled candle LuDela, which “only hurts the message. It tells people that we have gone too far. There’s too much crap out there, it’s only diluting stuff that’s really cool.”

For people interested in smart home tech, it’s predicted that a total of $24 billion will be spent on home automation in 2016. While it may take a while for its popularity to catch on, research firm Strategy Analytics believes that number will jump to over $40 billion by 2020, potentially with the help of companies like Apple leading the way into whole-home integration of the technology.

Check out the full Bloomberg report here.

Tag: HomeKit
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Apple Files $2M+ Lawsuit Against Counterfeiter, Finds 90% of ‘Genuine’ Accessories on Amazon Are Knockoffs

Apple has filed a lawsuit against Mobile Star LLC, accusing the firm of infringing upon its registered trademarks and copyrights by selling counterfeit 5W USB Power Adapters and Lightning to USB cables on Amazon and Groupon, according to court documents published electronically this week.

Apple said the counterfeit power products pose a significant danger to consumer safety because, among other things, they lack adequate insulation and/or have inadequate spacing between low voltage and high voltage circuits, creating risks of overheating, fire, and electrical shock.

The safety of Apple’s customers is of paramount importance to Apple, and Apple devotes significant resources to ensuring its power products meet industry safety standards and are subjected to rigorous testing for safety and reliability. Apple brings this suit to stop Mobile Star from any further distribution of counterfeit Apple products to the public.

The legal complaint says the products, shipped and sold by Amazon through its Fulfilled by Amazon program, were listed as genuine Apple products, often using the company’s copyrighted marketing images. Apple said Mobile Star’s counterfeit products hurt its sales and damage its reputation.

Apple determined at least a portion of Mobile Star LLC’s chargers and cables were counterfeit upon purchasing them as part of its routine efforts to combat the distribution and sale of knockoff products. It then alerted Amazon, which subsequently removed Mobile Star’s selling privileges.

Takedown notices are standard procedure for Apple, which found that almost 90% of so-called genuine Apple products and accessories it purchased from Amazon over the last nine months were actually counterfeit.

Over the last nine months, Apple, as part of its ongoing brand protection efforts, has purchased well over 100 iPhone devices, Apple power products, and Lightning cables sold as genuine by sellers on Amazon.com and delivered through Amazon’s “Fulfillment by Amazon” program. Apple’s internal examination and testing for these products revealed almost 90% of these products are counterfeit.

Apple went one step further and filed a lawsuit in this case because it said Mobile Star’s distribution of counterfeit Apple products “brazenly continues” and extends beyond Amazon, including Groupon and direct sales. Mobile Star has also allegedly failed to cooperate with Apple upon being contacted.

Mobile Star’s distribution of counterfeit Apple products is ongoing and extends beyond Amazon.com as shown by Apple’s purchase of 10 counterfeit Apple products directly from Groupon in December 2015. […]

In addition, an Apple investigator recently purchased counterfeit Apple EarPods headphones and Lightning cables directly from Mobile Star, showing that Mobile Star is brazenly continuing to sell counterfeit Apple products even after learning that Apple was on to it.

Apple is seeking damages of up to $150,000 for each registered copyright infringed, in addition to damages of up to $2 million per trademark infringed. Apple has demanded a jury trial in the case, titled Apple Inc. v. Mobile Star LLC, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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Apple Seeds Fifth macOS Sierra 10.12.1 Beta to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra update to developers and public beta testers, just over one week after seeding the fourth beta and a month after releasing the new macOS Sierra operating system to the public.

macOS Sierra 10.12.1 beta 5 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or through the Software update mechanism in the Mac App Store for those who already have an earlier 10.12.1 beta installed.

macOS Sierra 10.12.1 appears to focus on bug fixes and under-the-hood performance improvements to address issues that have been found since the operating system’s release, and it’s also likely adding features designed for next-generation MacBook Pro models set to be released later this year.

Few outward-facing changes were discovered in the first four betas, but it 10.12.1 does include Photos support for the new iPhone 7 Plus Portrait feature introduced with iOS 10.1. New features discovered in the fifth 10.12.1 beta will be listed below.

macOS Sierra is a significant update that brings features like Siri support, a new storage optimization option, cross device copy paste, auto unlocking with the Apple Watch, and more. For full details on macOS Sierra, make sure to check out our roundup.

Related Roundup: macOS Sierra
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Best sports games for Android

Get your game on — even in the off season — with the best sports games available for Android.

After a few golden years of fantastic entries, it seems that sports games, too, have all but succumbed to the freemium model. There’s far too few quality sports games out there that just let you jump into the game without having to deal with player cards, upgrades or waiting for ‘stamina meters’ to refill. Nearly all the top mobile sports game franchises have switched over to a team building system that require you to unlock (or buy) card packs to upgrade your team.

But there are still great games to be played! We’re covering the five major North American sports here — football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and, ahem, soccer — with two options for each. The first will typically be more sim-based for the hardcore sports fan, while the second is a more arcade-like option for casual players.

• Madden NFL Mobile
• Football Heroes Pro 2017
• FIFA Mobile Soccer
• Score! Hero
• NBA Live Mobile
• NBA JAM
• MLB Perfect Inning 16
• WGT Baseball MLB
• Matt Duchene Hockey Classic
• Hockey Hero

Madden NFL Mobile

Football fans know that Madden is king on consoles, and despite the freemium, card-collecting gameplay at the core of the Android version, Madden NFL Mobile still reigns supreme on the mobile gridiron as well.

Yes, you’re stuck building your team through opening card packs, which can be bought with in-game coins or purchased with real cash. Fortunately, there’s a number of ways to earn in-game currency: Head-to-head match-ups against other users where you exchange offensive drives, a single-player season mode where you play out through a full season against CPU opponents, and multiple daily live events to test your skills. The live events offer some nice nostalgia for those who remember the mini camp drills from Madden 2004. On the field, the touch controls are on point and while the graphics are understandably a far cry from those found on the latest PlayStation and Xbox editions, they’re more than serviceable for the bite-sized football action Madden NFL Mobile provides.

Madden NFL Mobile provides good fun whether during halftime or break time at work — as long as you don’t mind being slightly bogged down by the collectibles aspect.

Download: Madden NFL Mobile (Free, with IAPs)

Football Heroes Pro 2017

Football Heroes Pro 2017 is a full-fledged arcade football game, licensed by the NFLPA. Unlike the more realistic sim-style of Madden, it provides a casual football experience (think Tecmo Bowl) in your down time when you’re all caught up with the real games. Players build and train their own team with their favorite real-life players and unlock new plays by opening card packs. Premium currency can be used to buy card packs, though you’re also able to buy packs with coins earned from winning and by levelling up your players. Gameplay-wise, this one features a lot of button mashing for tackling and breaking tackles,

For those looking for a casual football game to kill time during commercial breaks, Football Heroes Pro 2017 has plenty to offer.

Download: Football Heros Pro 2017 (Free, with IAPs)

FIFA Mobile Soccer

The FIFA games for mobile used to stand out as one of the best investments available in the paid app section of the Google Play Store, with FIFA 13 remaining one of the best mobile games I’ve ever played. Sadly, EA has shifted to a freemium model with the entire focus of the game being on building your own Ultimate Team.

While I personally feel like the change in format is a disservice to players, the game itself still plays like a dream and will surely keep any footy fans addicted for some time. There are four game modes to choose from: you start out with Live Events and Attack Mode, and unlock Leagues and Season once your profile reaches level 5. Live Events throw you into different drills and game situations where you can unlock coins, XP, and specific card packs. Attack Mode pits you against other players around the world in turn-based gameplay where you’re each given time on offence to rack up as many goals as you can (hence the name). The newest addition is Leagues, which lets you start or join your own global league consisting of other players. It’s both competitive and cooperative, as you can either compete in a league tournament, or collectively challenge another league. Season mode is the single-player mode you’ve come to expect, but you’ll need to maintain an internet connection to play FIFA Mobile, even in single player mode.

While FIFA Mobile is missing the freedom to play as you like from previous editions, it’s still the best footy game you can play on Android.

Download: FIFA Mobile (Free, with IAPs)

Score! Hero

For something a little different, look no further than Score! Hero. Instead of putting you in charge of building a team, you create your own player and work your way through a professional career from rookie to legend.

Another difference from other games is the way you control the action. Instead of the free-flowing action found elsewhere, you only take over once your team has control of the ball. Play freezes, waiting for you to swipe from the ball to take your shot or pass to a teammate. It’s an interesting dynamic that really highlights the strategic elements of soccer and a nice change of pace. Each level sets up the game situation and gives you your mission for completing it, but if the defending team intercepts or otherwise gains control of the ball, you’re forced to restart the level, or spends some of your in-app funds to use a rewind to redo your last kick. Sometimes your mission involves scoring back-to-back goals which makes those rewinds extra tempting, but you’ll want to avoid relying on them unless you’re intending on dropping real cash into the game. All told, Score! Hero features 420 levels to play through. Can you beat them all?

Download: Score! Hero (Free, with IAPs)

NBA Live Mobile

Another sport, another EA Sports title. If you’re a fan of NBA Live on consoles, or even the NBA 2K franchise, you’ll likely dig the mobile offering. Again, with every other sports title offered by EA this year around, there’s the unavoidable emphasis on card collecting to unlock players. If your sensibilities are offended by that, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

Otherwise, what you get here is a pretty solid. Dive into daily live events, or challenge other players around the world to a head-to-head challenge where you go back and forth playing one quarter at a time. Season mode lets you play a full NBA season with your team, all the way through to the NBA Championships. Once you’ve reached level 5, you unlock Leagues, which lets you start up a league for you and all your friends, or join a random league. They operate similar to clans, and allow for friendly matches between other league members, or for inter-league showdowns. Another neat feature of leagues is if someone in your league makes an in-app purchase, everyone in the league gets a free gift — essentially an added incentive to engage in that freemium model.

Download: NBA Live Mobile (Free, with IAPs)

NBA Jam

NBA Jam has been available on Android since October 2010, and yet it still remains as one of the most polished and fun sports games you can play on the platform.

This remake of the 90s classic features all the fast-paced two-on-two action you remember from back in the day, with upgraded graphics including hilarious big head animations for every player in the game. Touch controls are simple and responsive, making it super easy to set up an epic alley-oop, or sink three shots in a row and hear Tim Kitzrow — the original NBA JAM commentator — yell his infamous line, “HE’S ON FIRE!”

There are four modes of play and no in-app purchases or currencies to deal with, so you can jump into a game right away. On top of quick matches and a Classic Campaign where you can unlock legendary players and other goodies, you can play online (but good luck finding a random opponent) or with a friend over local Wi-Fi.

If you’re an NBA fan, or a fan of the original game, NBA Jam should be a mainstay on your Android device.

Download: NBA Jam ($4.99)

MLB Perfect Inning 16

MLB Perfect Inning 16 is another one of those games where you’ll need to spend money if you want to improve your team significantly, and unfortunately you’re going to be constantly hounded with ads to buy player packs and the rest of it. But gameplay-wise, it’s the closest to playing a full-fledged baseball game right on your phone.

Right off the hop we need to say that this game will take up at least 1.2 GB of free space on your device, but that’s because what you get here is the real deal. We’re talking complete rosters for all 30 teams with fully-rendered stadiums, and the ability to play a full 162-game MLB season, including playoffs, with your favourite squad. Heck, they even got Joe Buck to provide commentary! Really the one thing that holds this game back is the sheer number of menus and “special offer” pop-ups you must deal with every time you load up the game. Also, if you’re not a fan of I Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd or Centuries by Fall Out Boy, you’ll probably want to keep the game muted. It was nice of the developers to invest in licensed music… but it may also drive you insane.

Download: MLB Perfect Inning 16 (Free, with IAPs)

WGT Baseball MLB

Featuring a cartoonish art style and simple game mechanics, WGT Baseball MLB is a great, free-to-play game for baseball fans everywhere. It’s another team building game that relies on opening card packs for unlocking new players and upgrading your current roster, but what sets it apart is how quick it is to jump right into the action and play through a 9-inning game.

The catch here is that WGT Baseball MLB plays more like a baseball simulator, where you act as team manager and step in to bat for one player in your rotation (you unlock the ability to bat for a second player at level 5). This allows you to play through a full baseball game in just a few minutes. While you end up watching most of the game play out on the Jumbotron, it does makes every at-bat that much more critical to get on base or hit a homerun. The game rewards you with daily rewards for checking in each day, and you’ll quickly unlock more game features the longer you play the game. At level 4, you unlock My League which lets you compete against other division opponents in a race to reach first place and advance up the league ladder from the minors to the big leagues. At level 6 you unlock the Clubhouse which lets you compete in daily events for more perks to help improve your team.

If you’re looking to play quick games and just want to swing for the fences, WGT Baseball MLB is all you need.

Download: WGT Baseball MLB (Free, with IAPs)

Matt Duchene Hockey Classic

For whatever reason, EA Sports’ has not ported their celebrated NHL franchise for consoles over to mobile platforms. It’s a shame, but Matt Duchene Hockey Classic might be the next best thing.

The latest in a line of games attached to rising NHL players (previously Patrick Kane), Matt Duchene Hockey Classic is free to try but you only get Team Finland and Team Sweden when you download it from the Google Play Store. Fortunately, you’ll need to pay a very reasonable price to unlock the full game, which includes 60 teams and a plethora of game modes including playoffs, outdoor games and “Hockey Giants”, which is essentially big head mode. As you might have noticed from the title, this game isn’t officially licensed by the NHL, so while, for instance, the team from Boston wears black and yellow jerseys there are no logos nor are there any active rosters. It’s also a bit of a resource hog. You’ll definitely notice some sluggish moments if you play on an older device. But considering the lack of options for full-featured hockey games on Android, Matt Duchene Hockey Classic delivers as well as you’d expect.

Download: Matt Duchene Hockey Classic (Free, with IAP to unlock full game)

Hockey Hero

Hockey Hero is an outlier on this list, as it’s not exactly a traditional sports game — more a sports-themed entry if anything. However, with its charming retro graphics, simple gameplay, and minimal ads, it’s a great break from the rest of the titles on this list.

The concept is both wacky and simple — tap and hold to control the hockey hero, who must deftly deke past wave after wave of opposing players who are looking for a fight. If you lift your finger off, time slows down allowing you to determine the clear path between defenders. You move on an endless sheet of ice comprised of multiple hockey rinks attached end-to-end, so that once you’ve skated to the end of one rink and scored, you immediately skate on towards the next rink. It’s a silly and fun concept for an endless runner style, and is a great game you can just pick up and play whenever you have some free time. As you progress further, you unlock different jerseys for your hockey hero, giving you goals to work towards.

Hockey Hero is far from a traditional sports title, but with it’s simple controls and fun concept it’s definitely worth checking out.

Download: Hockey Hero (Free, with IAPs)

What did we miss?

There’s a ton of sports games in the Google Play Store but if we’re completely honest, most of them aren’t worth your time. If you think we missed one that should absolutely should be on our list, let us know in the comments!

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Digital Offers: Become a certified hacker for only $59

As the online landscape grows and changes, so does the requirement for security. One tried and true way of testing security is to crack through it, after all, it’s easier to know what needs to be fixed once something breaks through. Believe it or not, this is actually a job known as ethical hacking, and the people who can do such tasks, they are in high demand.

Companies, especially ones that work primarily online, would rather have someone on payroll breaching through their security than someone with bad intentions. Whether you consider yourself adept with tech, or you’re just starting out, you’re probably wondering how to get started in the world cyber security.

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