Soylent recalls its food bars after making some customers sick

You probably shouldn’t eat one of Soylent’s recently-launched food bars. The company is halting sales, and recalling existing bars following reports of of customers getting sick after eating its latest future-food. People have reported feeling nauseous, vomiting and even diarrhea.

“After hearing from our customers, we immediately began investigating the cause of the issue and whether it was linked to a problem with the Bars,” the company said. “So far we have not yet identified one and this issue does not appear to affect our other drinks and powder. Though our investigation into this matter continues, we have decided to err on the side of caution and take this preventative step.”

As reported by Ars Technica earlier this week, while many reports were sent directly to the company and its own official forum (it’s not cheery morning reading), more appeared on Reddit threads, with complaints doubling since Monday.

Launched in August this year, (the same month that the smoking, exploding Galaxy Note 7 was also introduced to the world), Soylent has already removed the food bars from its online store for the time being and has cancelled shipping orders.

Mileage varies, but many customers suffered assorted tummy troubles a few hours after eating the bars. One unfortunate customer relays a story about having a reaction so severe that he felt faint, and had to be taken to hospital. Soylent has already tested the bars of some affected users for contaminated materials and bugs: those tests came back negative.

Some customers had eaten other Soylent products without problems, including the meal-replacement drink that brought the company to the attention of many — especially Silicon Valley-based workers looking for a time-saving meal hack. The company says that each food bar packs 12.5 percent of your daily nutritional requirements — priced at two dollars per bar.

Ars was told by a source that the company was also looking into whether the soy-based nature of the bar was triggering food intolerance reactions. The soy protein inside each bar apparently comes from three different sources and they may not be mixed evenly as the bars are made, according to the source. Two of these aren’t found in other Soylent products.

Source: Soylent

TSMC Breaks Earnings Records Thanks to Increasing Demand for iPhone 7

Thanks to a boost from supplying parts for the increasing demand of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has raised its forecast for 2016. Specifically, the manufacturer expects a revenue growth of between 11 and 12 percent, whereas it was previously holding out only for an increase of between 5 and 10 percent for the year (via Reuters).

Third quarter net profit jumped 28 percent from previous quarters to $3.1 billion, which came in above analyst predictions of an approximately $2.9 billion forecast for the July-September quarter. It also set a new quarterly record for the company in the net profit category, which previously sat at $2.5 billion.

Overall revenue for the quarter broke another record for the company, with revenue amounting to $8.1 billion in total, a 23 percent increase from the second quarter of 2016. In addition, the company recently said that revenue for the first nine months of 2016 jumped 7.1 percent to $21.6 billion, increasing 39 percent in September alone thanks to the launch of the iPhone 7. According to industry insiders and confirmed by teardowns of the handset, TSMC mainly supplies the iPhone 7 with its A10 chip.

TSMC’s good fortunes have also been inversely related to Samsung’s ongoing Galaxy Note 7 debacle, but executives at the Taiwan-based manufacturing company noted that it’s “too early to tell how business will play out.”

“Samsung is a very strong company,” TSMC acting spokeswoman Elizabeth Sun, told reporters at a briefing after the company met analysts. “I think the issue today is that even they (Samsung) cannot say what has caused this, so this makes everyone nervous.”

Looking at the fourth quarter, TSMC predicts revenue to remain steady at around $8 billion, but the company forecasted its results just under the $8.1 billion third quarter earnings. The numbers for the rest of 2016 didn’t factor in the potential for increased profit from users displaced because of Samsung’s scrapping of the Note 7.

“The previously anticipated inventory reduction at the end of Q4 will be mild,” co-CEO Liu said during the earnings briefing. “The end of this year will be more peaceful than in previous years. We see end-market demand is still healthy.”

While still not quite as popular as last year’s model, shipments of iPhone 7 units are expected to reach 80 to 84 million units in the second half of this year, compared to 85 to 90 million iPhone 6s devices shipped in the latter half of 2015. Samsung’s exploding Note 7 battery problem is believed to be a catalyst to a potential boost in iPhone sales, with a recent SurveyMonkey poll finding that 26 percent of Note 7 owners plan to use their refunds to switch to Apple’s flagship phone.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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No seriously, return your Galaxy Note 7

Some people are tempted to hold onto the Note 7 — here’s why that’s a really, really, really bad idea.

As Samsung officially cancels the Galaxy Note 7 and works with the U.S. authorities on a recall of all devices, both old and new, there’s been a growing chorus of Note 7 owners saying they’re keeping hold of their phones. In a way, it’s understandable. When it’s not catching fire, exploding or spewing “angry grey-green smoke,” the Note 7 is one of the best Android phones out there. It’s easy to see why you’d hesitate to part with it and ostensibly take a downgrade to a Galaxy S7 edge or some other phone.

But that’s no reason to risk your own safety, and that of the people around you. And in the weeks and months ahead, expect Samsung to do everything in its power to make sure you’re aware of the recall, and turn your Note 7 in.

Here are just a few reasons why you should listen to the manufacturer’s advice.

1. It could explode at any moment (duh)

Let’s start by stating the completely obvious: There’s a reason why Samsung has canceled the Note 7, and why the CPSC has issued a second recall. The Galaxy Note 7 is not safe. It’s not safe to use, and could explode at any moment — while charging, while in use, and potentially even while switched off. Recall that the infamous Southwest airplane incident involved a Note 7 combusting while powered down.

Here are a few possible scenarios which could unfold if you keep your Note 7 around:

• Your Note 7 is sitting on your nightstand while you’re sleeping and it starts spewing noxious gasses, as happened to one Note 7 owner in Kentucky, who was later taken to hospital with acute bronchitis. The phone in question was not in use or charging at the time.
• Your Note 7 explodes in your pocket, causing deep second-degree burns, as allegedly happened to one Note 7 owner in Florida who’s now suing Samsung over the incident.
• Your child is using the Note 7 when they’re injured by it catching fire in their hands, as happened in one case in Minnesota.
• Your Note 7 is powered down and stowed when it spontaneously combusts, as happened on a Southwest airplane during boarding. If can happen on an airplane, it can happen when it’s powered down in a drawer, in a box, or sitting on a kitchen counter doing nothing.

You get the idea. There is no safe way to keep your Note 7 around, and if you plan on holding onto it for any length of time — even packed away as a collector’s item — the chance of one of these things happening increases exponentially over time.

2. Samsung is going to nag you to death with push notifications

Samsung will do everything in its power to cajole you into returning your phone.

During the first Note 7 recall, Samsung went to great lengths to make sure customers knew about the recall, and it plans to do the same again. This includes push notification messages, texts from your carrier, and eventually a software update notification that’ll keep popping up every few hours.

Samsung wants you to turn in your Note 7. And it has complete control over your phone’s software, and will do anything in its power to cajole you into doing just that.

3. A future software update will hobble your battery life

Among other things, Samsung is likely to issue a software update to all Notes, as it did during the first recall. As before, we can expect battery life to be capped (probably around 60 percent, as during the first recall), and for additional software nags to appear each time you plug the device in, telling you to return it.

Think you can just refuse the software update? Last time around Samsung made sure the update notification popped up every few hours, with no way to permanently dismiss it.

Those are extra annoyances you’ll have to endure if you’re dead set on continuing to use this potentially explosive smartphone.

4. … And your phone may eventually be remotely deactivated

One card Samsung has yet to play is the remote deactivation of all Galaxy Note 7s. This was rumored to be one of the tools at Samsung’s disposal during the first recall, but the company later denied any plans to do so. Make no mistake though — Samsung is absolutely capable of doing this.

This probably won’t happen anytime soon, but it’s entirely possible the “nuclear option” of remotely disabling all Note 7s still in service might be used a few months down the line. Even if Samsung doesn’t do this, individual carriers may block the Note 7 from accessing their network by blacklisting their unique IMEI numbers — to much the same effect.

5. There’s no future update support

Samsung has canceled the Galaxy Note 7. That means no new security patches, no new feature updates, and certainly no upgrade to Android 7.0 Nougat — ever.

6. You can’t bring it on an airplane at all, in any capacity

The second recall in the United States means it’s now prohibited to bring a Galaxy Note 7 onboard an airplane in any capacity, whether it’s powered on, switched off or stowed in luggage. A statement given to Gizmodo by the FAA around the time of the original recall reads:

If the device is recalled by the manufacturer, airline crew and passengers will not be able to bring recalled batteries or electronics that contain recalled batteries in the cabin of an aircraft, or in carry-on and checked baggage.

That means if you’re caught with a Note 7 onboard, don’t expect to be allowed to fly. Maybe you’re not a frequent flier right now, but do you really want to be tied to a dangerous phone that limits your travel options further down the line?

And with Samsung withdrawing the Note 7 globally, airlines and aviation authorities in other countries are sure to follow the FAA’s lead.

7. There’s no resale value

Aside from the fact that the CPSC recall of all Note 7s makes sale of the device illegal in the United States, nobody’s going to want to buy one when it’s time to move onto a new generation of phones. (You’ll also face issues shipping the phone, with couriers and delivery firms reportedly refusing to carry the Note 7.)

Even if you’re planning on holding onto it as a memento or collector’s item, remember that the Note 7 doesn’t need to be powered on to be potentially explosive. There’s been at least one report of the device spontaneously catching fire while powered off.

Return your Galaxy Note 7 and get one of these Android phones instead

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

• Galaxy Note 7 fires, recall and cancellation: Everything you need to know
• Do not buy a Galaxy Note 7
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
• The latest Galaxy Note 7 news
• Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!

Save $13 on this protective HTC 10 case today!

Want a protective case for your HTC 10 that doesn’t look ugly and add a ton of bulk? If so, check out Incipio’s DualPro case for two layers of great looking protection. The case is sleek looking and adds a bit of additional grip to it all for just $16.95 today!

This is how WiFi mesh networks work

Mesh networking is reliable and secure. Now it’s inexpensive and easy to set up with Google WiFi and Home products.

The new Google Home and Google WiFi (and updates to the existing Google OnHub routers) will be able to work together and create a mesh network in your house or place of business. Google was really happy about this when they announced it, and it’s clear that they think the idea is really cool and should work great for the people who will be using it with their networking things. What they didn’t do was explain what a WiFi mesh network is. That’s understandable — they also have never explained how a cell tower works or what a DNS gateway is either.

That’s where we come in. We also thought that Google using relatively inexpensive appliances to build a mesh network was pretty cool and should work well, and we’re going to explain what they are and how they work. Don’t worry, it’s much more simple than you think!

A mesh network is a network built from devices that all work together to distribute all the data. They can be wired and use an algorithm like shortest-path bridging to efficiently route data through the whole network using cables and routers on certain nodes (a node is an address on a network), but they really shine when they are wireless. Wireless mesh networks are secure, relatively inexpensive and reliable — important things required for military use, which is why wireless mesh networks were designed in the first place.

Google’s new Home family of products (Google Home, Google WiFi, and Google OnHub) will create a wireless mesh network that uses WiFi. You can build a mesh network that uses other frequencies, like WiMax (many cities use these for traffic lights and parking meters) or LTE, but WiFi is a perfect choice to use in homes and businesses because the things we want to connect can already use it.

A mesh network has a map that looks like a spider’s web — everything is connected to every thing else.

A WiFi mesh network consists of three different types of equipment — routers, gateways, and clients. We’re all familiar with the clients — those are our phones and Chromebooks and PlayStations and everything else that can connect to a WiFi network as an end point. Google Home will be a WiFi client. We use these clients to access the internet, or control a Chromecast or turn on connected lights so they communicate two-ways.

Google WiFi and Google OnHub can be both a router and a gateway. One of them connects to the wired connection the people you get the internet from provides you with. It acts as the gateway between the mesh network in your house and the internet itself. All traffic destined for places outside of your local network will go through this gateway. That’s mostly the same as a normal WiFi network that uses access points and routers, and nobody has figured out a better way to work here yet. Give them time.

Your local network — what’s in your house that connects all your devices together and to the internet through that gateway — is where having a mesh network makes a difference. Every node (that’s the Google WiFi units) can communicate with every other node. If you have a Google WiFi station in your bedroom, your phone will connect through it to the mesh — not to an individual piece of gear that is set up to follow a specific route back to the internet gateway. As you move through your house, you can connect to the mesh through another Google WiFi station. There is no network switching or getting on a new WiFi access point. This is automatic, and all the traffic uses WPA2-PSK and the Google WiFi stations each have an Infineon SLB 9615 trusted platform module for hardware-based encryption.

In a traditional network, node A will connect to the internet and will also connect to node B. Node B connects to Node C as well. If you unplug node B, node C has no connection to the internet. In a mesh network, node C is connected to node B and node A. If your phone was connected to node C, nothing would happen. If your phone was connected to node B, it would just switch to whatever node was available and had the best signal. Instead of network traffic following a line like a highway, it follows a mesh like a spider’s web.

WiFi mesh networks aren’t new but finding equipment to build one this easy to set up and reliable has never been this inexpensive.

That’s not the only advantage, either. A WiFi mesh network using Google WiFi is simple to set up. Find a spot that could use a better (stronger) signal, plug in a Google WiFi station and open the Google Home app to tell the network to use it. This makes the network easy to extend — a single Google WiFi unit will cover between 500 and 1,500 square feet, while three units can cover between 3,000 and 4,500 square feet. Google will sell units individually, as well as in packs of three.

The networking equipment and Google Home app also continuously monitors traffic patterns and can adjust how it flows from your phone back to the internet most efficiently. This can be really important for things like online gaming, where ping times are as important as bandwidth. The Google Home app will also help you decide the best place to put your stations..

WiFi mesh networking isn’t new. Places like Hospitals and factories where a network needs to cover a lot of area and be reliable through equipment failures often use them. So do internet of things devices that use ZigBee radios or Google’s Thread protocol. What Google WiFi does is bring an affordable option to homes and small businesses. For anyone with a house or office that’s hard to blanket with WiFi from just one access point, Google’s new networking products may be just what you’re looking for!

See Google home at Best Buy
See Google OnHub at Amazon
See Google WiFi at Google

Ditching the DAC: Audio-Technica DSR9BT Bluetooth headphones go all-digital with Pure Digital Drive tech

If you’re looking for a pair of high quality Bluetooth headphones to make the most of your tracks then Audio-Technica looks like it has just the ticket: the ATH-DSR9BT (and little brother ATH-DRS7BT).

These new cans ditch the DAC – that’s the digital-to-analogue process used in other headphones – for the first fully digital delivery from source to drivers, dubbed Pure Digital Drive by the Japanese company. And as there’s no analogue conversion in this proprietary process there’s no added distortion, hence the most accurate reproduction.

Unlike other headphones the DSR9BT include what Audio-Technica calls a “Dnote chipset”, which commands four voice coils in the headphones’ 45mm drivers for optimum dynamics and clarity (the DSR7BT has just one coil, which is the primary difference between the pair).

With aptX HD on board these over-ears ensure the best from your tracks, with support for 24-bit/96kHz playback (assuming you have an aptX HD capable source device – which isn’t the case with many smartphones, for example). There’s also standard aptX, AAC and SBC codecs too, to leave no stone unturned. Three lights to the side of the headphones are used to visually illustrate the quality level of the stream being transmitted.

Without the worry of wires, Audio-Technica has positioned volume controls to the side of the earcups. And if you do choose to go wired then a micro-USB port can be used to deliver the music in equal high quality via the included cable.

However, if you’re a high-end audio head who’s already pining for a pair then you’ll have to wait: these headphones are not due for their official announcement until CES in January 2017. Price-wise, expect the DSR9BT to cost under £500 and DSR7BT under £300.

We’re at the Audio-Technica Experience 2016 preview event in Japan, so expect a full rundown of these all-new Bluetooth headphones in the coming days.

Best Camera 2016: EE Pocket-lint Gadget Awards nominees

The 13th annual Pocket-lint Gadget Awards are nearly upon us, which means in just over a month we will be celebrating the best devices across a number of categories including smartphones, cars, VR and cameras.

There are 14 main categories this year, with a couple of newbies joining the party and a couple of last year’s categories seeing a split. As usual though, we will giving you a rundown of each category’s nominees and why they have been selected. You’ll be able to find all the features with the nominations for each category in our Awards hub as they go live, while here we are focusing on the nominees for best camera 2016, which includes system cameras and compact cameras.

As always, there are some excellent contenders in the running for the best camera of 2016 with six nominees including the excellent retro-looking Fujifilm X-T2 and the brilliant Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, but which of them will be crowned camera king?

Click here to see the Awards nominees for 2016’s Best Camera in a little more detail to help you make your mind up about which one should get your vote.

Voting in the 13th annual EE Pocket-lint Awards is now open so let us know which one of these great devices you think should win the Best Camera award for this year and give us your verdict on all the other tech across the 13 other categories. Click here to vote.

Winners will be announced at the exclusive event in London on 23 November in association with EE. For now, keep an eye on the EE Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2016 hub for all the latest on how the voting works, who the elite judges are and the EE Pocket-lint Gadget Awards shortlist.

An amazing look inside the new Apple Regent Street store: Trees, marble and staff galore

It’s not every day you get ponder life while sat under a tree in a shop on the busiest retail street in London. But that’s exactly what we’ve been doing.

We sat under a tree on a comfy cushion inside Apple’s new flagship store on Regent Street and we have to say we liked it.

The store is once again fully open after undergoing a complete refit. The new store, which regains its true flagship status from the Covent Garden branch, is the result of Apple’s new vision for the modern day shopping experience.

Pocket-lint

Visitors to San Francisco’s store will notice similarities, the big open spaces, the attempt to bring the outside in, but there are differences. Apple has built something designed specifically for the space. The walls are clad in marble. Above there is one huge light box, which takes the prize for the longest luminous ceiling panel in the world. And there is even a secret boardroom hidden in the back for wooing special customers.

• Apple iPhone 7 review: Refining the design rather than ripping it up and starting again
• Apple iPhone 7 Plus review: Big changes from the big iPhone

The original exterior of the John Nash-designed building retains its now iconic high windows, but the store inside is completely unrecognisable to what was there before.

Gone are the crowded shelves, the glass floating staircase (that’s so last decade), and in come wide open spaces, a vaulted seven-metre high “forum” and twelve Ficus Ali trees. Yes, there is lots of trees.

Throughout the store, accessories have been pushed to the walls on the side, while Apple’s multiple devices take centre stage on traditional-style wooden tables.

Pocket-lint

A giant video wall takes centre stage of the ground floor, with seating for around 75 customers in front. The Regent Street store always had a theatre for demos and lectures, but now it’s a lot more central, with the ability to walk in and out of sessions with ease rather than feeling you’re in a lecture.

Either side of the screen are staircases that feature sandblasted and honed Castagna stone handrails hand carved into the walls. A glass balustrade on the mezzanine level lets visitors overlook the ground level and grand hall. It’s impressive.

Upstairs is almost entirely dedicated to the Apple Genius bar, with the company able to either fix your devices or offer intimate workshops on how to get more from them.

The biggest noticeable difference, apart from the sheer opulence of light everywhere, is that nothing is bolted down. You can freely pick phones up, see how they feel in the hand, even put them in your pocket – just don’t walk out the door. The lack of security is as welcoming as it is unnerving.

Pocket-lint

This isn’t a shop as you know it, but a centre for you to learn, enjoy and then buy.

That’s exactly what Apple hopes you will do. And it makes it much easier an experience than ever before.

Angela Ahrendts, senior vice president of retail, explained to Pocket-lint the Regent Street store now has over 500 employees, up from the 100 the store had when it opened in 2004. With that many staff, you are always likely to get served quickly. There are no “pay here” counters for you to queue at.

Once again Apple is trying to change the way we shop, removing the boundaries of what to expect while trying to recreate sitting under a tree in Cupertino in the Californian sun.

How that will fair with Brits over time is yet to be seen, but one thing is for sure, you won’t have been in a shop like this ever before.