Sex toy maker faces class action lawsuit over tracking

If you were creeped out by the thought of a sex toy creator collecting data about your usage habits, you’re not alone. An Illinois woman has filed a class action lawsuit against the We-Vibe 4 Plus’ creator, Standard Innovation, for allegedly violating laws covering everything from fraud through to eavesdropping and wiretaps. She’d used the connected, couple-oriented vibrator “several times” before she learned that it was transmitting data such as the intensity, mode and time of use. The company shows a “wholesale disregard” for privacy rights, the anonymous woman claims.

Standard Innovation previously said that it’s only collecting info for its own research, and that it was largely anonymous. Also, it has been taking steps to mend its ways: it’s clarifying its terms of service in the name of transparency, and letting you opt out. However, that doesn’t change the situation for the plaintiff. She received the vibrator in May, months before the Def Con presentation that revealed the We-Vibe 4’s privacy issues. And it’s not yet certain that Standard Innovations are enough. Shouldn’t tracking be opt-in, instead of something you might only discover when it’s too late?

There’s no guarantee that this woman will get class action status for her case. If she does, though, the outcome could have a tangible effect on privacy for the Internet of Things. Device makers may be more hesitant to scoop up your info in the first place, or more likely to ask permission before they collect anything potentially sensitive.

Via: Vocativ, Boing Boing

Source: Courthouse News Service

Apple Pay on the Web Starts Rolling Out Following iOS 10 Release

iOS 10 includes support for Apple Pay on the web, allowing users to make purchases from websites using Apple’s payment service and Touch ID fingerprint authentication. Now that iOS 10 is available to the public, websites have started rolling out support for the Apple Pay on the web feature.

Time Inc. today announced that its customers are now able to use Apple Pay to purchase subscriptions for its line of magazines, including Sports Illustrated, People, Entertainment Weekly, and Real Simple.

Last week, online retailer Wayfair announced support for Apple Pay on the web, giving shoppers an option to pay for furniture and home décor products through Apple Pay. Apple, of course, is accepting Apple Pay on its website too.

Backend payment services including Big Commerce, Shopify, and Stripe have all announced support for Apple Pay on the web, giving smaller merchants an easy way to accept Apple Pay payments for purchases.

In the coming weeks, we should see Apple Pay rolling out to many websites, giving customers an alternative to existing payment services like PayPal. With Apple Pay, purchases can be made with a single touch, and there’s no need to enter credit card or shipping details. Apple Pay is also secure, keeping card numbers and other personal information out of the hands of vendors.

When macOS Sierra is released to the public next Tuesday, Apple Pay on the web will also be available on the Mac. As with Apple Pay on the iPhone, purchases will be authenticated through a connection with an iPhone 6 or later or an authenticated Apple Watch.

According to Apple, macOS Sierra’s Apple Pay on the web feature will be available to all customers who have a Handoff-enabled Mac that is able to run the Sierra operating system.

On mobile devices, Apple Pay on the web is available on the iPhone 6 and later, the iPad Pro, the iPad Air 2, and the iPad mini 3 and later.

Related Roundups: Apple Pay, iOS 10
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How to Use Native 3D Touch Actions in iOS 10

With iOS 10, Apple has focused on expanding 3D Touch functionality to make it more relevant to users, in the hope that they eventually come to see it as second nature. If you have an iPhone 6s or later, there are a wide range of 3D Touch gestures that you can test out in iOS 10, particularly from the home screen.

Here we’ve compiled a list of native app icons that now support 3D Touch, as well as a handful of other useful functions. Some of them will be more relevant to you than others, depending on your usage habits. You can find additional 3D Touch shortcuts for the Control Center and Widgets Panel in iOS 10 in our respective how-to guides.

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Settings Icon

Some of the most handy 3D Touch functions can be found by hard-pressing the Settings app icon, which allows you to access the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi screens to quickly connect to a wireless device or hotspot.

News and Weather Icons

Deep-pressing Apple’s News app offers you a preview of the current headline, which you can tap to go to directly, as well as shortcuts to the personalized For You section and any other custom news sources you’ve selected.

The Weather app also has a new preview widget for accessing from the home screen, with options to launch the app straight into a specific location forecast.

Note how app icon 3D Touch previews have an ‘Add Widget’ option in the top-right that let you add them to your Widgets panel (if they’re not already there). The Widgets panel can be accessed by swiping right on the home screen and the lock screen.

Calendar and Reminders Apps

The Calendar and Reminders app icons have 3D Touch options to add events or to add reminders to specific lists.

In addition, if a calendar notification banner appears at the top of your screen, you can deep press it for more options. An event can then be snoozed, while an invitation can be accepted or declined without entering the full app.

Similarly, a reminder notification banner can be deep pressed, where you can mark the reminder as completed, or opt to be reminded about it later.

Photos and Camera Icons

The Photos app icon offers yearly photo collection shortcuts, along with options to see the most recent shot taken, your designated favorites, and a quick search option. Meanwhile, the Camera app gives you shortcuts to take a photo, record video, and take a selfie with the front-facing camera.

Mail and Messages Icons

Hard pressing on the Mail app icon gets you shortcuts to your inbox, favorites, the search field, and the composition screen, while pressing down on the Messages icon brings up shortcuts to compose a new message and any recent message threads.

And don’t forget, hard pressing on an incoming iMessage notification banner lets you reply to it without entering the app.

Phone, Contacts, and FaceTime

A harder press on the Phone app gets you a pop-up menu with options to call one of your designated favorites, create a new contact or search for an existing one, and view the most recent call.

The first two shortcuts are mirrored by a deep press on the Contacts app, which in addition offers to take you straight to your own info card. The FaceTime app icon also offers 3D Touch shortcuts to your Favorites.

Safari and Apple Maps Icons

Quick Safari shortcuts include opening a new (private) tab and going straight to your Reading List or Bookmarks, while the Maps app icon gives you a destination preview and the ability send and mark your location or search nearby.

Folders and Downloads

If you’ve got a few apps downloading or updating at the same time, a hard press on one of them gives you the option to prioritize its download over all others. Note the Share option shown here, too – this appears as a default option for any third-party app icon you hard press.

3D Touch works on folders too: hard pressing gives you the option to rename the folder, and if there are any apps contained therein sporting notification badges, you get a shortcut to these as well.

iCloud and Music

Hard pressing the iCloud icon brings up shortcuts to three recently accessed files and a handy search function. The same action applied to the Music icon displays a search option, a shortcut to Beats 1 radio, and a widget with your three most frequently played albums plus a shuffle option – tap any of them to start playing without entering the app.

Other Native App Shortcuts

In iOS 10, other apps that offer useful shortcuts via 3D Touch include the Compass, Stocks, Podcasts, Tips, Clock, Wallet, Apple Store, App Store, and iTunes Store. And be sure to check out which of your third-party app icons have integrated 3D Touch, too.

Other 3D Touch Tricks

Peek and Pop
Two other 3D Touch features worth playing around with are ‘Peek’ and ‘Pop’. Essentially they function as content preview functions – letting you, say, look (or peek) at the contents of an email without actually opening it, simply by hard pressing on the message in your inbox. A firmer press makes the same email open fully, while a swipe up reveals options for replying, forwarding, and the like.

Peek and Pop also let you view content from other apps without opening them. For example, instead of tapping on the address in the above email which would switch us to the Maps app, a hard press pops up a more convenient preview of the map. Immediately swiping up on the preview likewise reveals a series of further options, while tapping on the preview opens up the Maps app proper.

The same principle applies to web links and attachments in emails. In fact, this action can be found throughout iOS 10, so it’s worth experimenting whenever you come across linked content that would usually require you to switch apps.

App Switcher and Cursor Control
Next time you want to open a recent app you used, try hard pressing the left side of the screen. The App Switcher should be activated, and the harder you press, the more recently-opened apps you’ll see. This action works from the home screen, as well as a number of other native apps.

Lastly, next time you’re using the onscreen keyboard, hard press on a letter and you’ll gain control of the cursor, enabling you to easily track back and edit your text.

Keep on Pressing

More and more third-party apps are integrating 3D Touch in useful ways, so don’t be shy – press away when you think it might lead to an action. And remember, if you’re having trouble with the sensitivity of 3D Touch, you can adjust it in Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> 3D Touch.

Related Roundup: iOS 10
Tag: 3D Touch
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Messages App Store Updated With Categories for Better App Discovery

When the Messages App Store first launched just ahead of iOS 10, there was no categories section, making it difficult to discover apps beyond those that were featured by Apple.

As more and more Messages App Store apps have rolled out, Apple has updated the App Store to include a new Categories feature, improving discovery.

Located at the top of the Messages App Store between “Featured” and “Manage,” the new Category section breaks down apps into different groups, including Entertainment, Food & Drink, Games, Lifestyle, Photo & Video, Productivity, Shopping, Social Networking, Stickers, and Travel.

Each section includes a selection of apps chosen by Apple as “Our Favorites,” along with a “More to Explore” option. As the Messages App Store grows, these categories will likely fill out and gain new sections.

In the Stickers category, there’s a further breakdown to make it easier to sort through the myriad stickers in the Messages App Store. Sticker categories include Animals & Nature, Comics & Cartoons, Eating & Drinking, Emoji & Expressions, Fashion, Gaming, Kids & Family, and Places & Objects.

Though the Messages App Store has only been available for a day, it’s already flush with apps. We’ve rounded up some of the best sticker packs we’ve come across and some of the must-have time-saving apps that genuinely improve the Messages experience. For tips on installing apps and using stickers, make sure to check out our how to.

Related Roundup: iOS 10
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iPhone 7 Lines Start Growing Ahead of Friday’s Launch

With just two days to go until the official launch of the iPhone 7, customers who are hoping to get their hands on one of Apple’s devices have started lining up outside of Apple retail locations around the world.

At the 5th Avenue Apple Store in New York, one of Apple’s flagship locations, people have been waiting in line for days, saving spots with folding chairs and small one-person tents. Other stores in New York also have short lines at this time, based on photos sent in by MacRumors readers.

Instagram image via Olaenglund
At Apple’s new San Francisco location, Apple Union Square, a handful of people are already waiting outside for an iPhone 7. People started lining up over the weekend.

Instagram image via Minoyohan
At the Summerlin Apple Store in Las Vegas, MacStadium’s Brian Stucki set up a webcam to monitor the crowd situation. No one is waiting in line yet, but it should be a fun way to watch how activity progresses over the course of the rest of the week.

Shipping estimates on some of the most popular Black and Jet Black iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models range into several weeks and last until November in some cases, so waiting in line on launch day is the only way to get one of the highly coveted devices if you missed out on pre-orders.

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus launch on Friday, September 16, and will debut first in Australia. It’s Thursday morning in the country, so there’s just a day to go until people start getting their hands on devices and sharing videos, pictures, and first impressions.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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You can now pre-order the second-gen Amazon Echo Dot for $50

Amazon has officially unveiled the second-generation of its Echo Dot and you can place your pre-order for it now. Refining the hardware a bit, the Echo Dot allows you to play music, control smart home devices and much more with just your voice. The seven far-field microphones allow for it to hear you from across the room or in noisy environments, and the built-in speaker works as an alarm clock, an assistant and much more.

Some of the other features include:

• Uses Alexa to play music, control smart home devices, provide information, read the news, set alarms, and more
• Connects to speakers or headphones through Bluetooth or 3.5 mm stereo cable to play music from Prime Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn
• Controls lights, fans, switches, thermostats, garage doors, sprinklers, and more with compatible connected devices from WeMo, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Nest, ecobee, and others
• Hears you from across the room with 7 far-field microphones for hands-free control, even in noisy environments or while playing music
• Includes a built-in speaker so it can work on its own as a smart alarm clock in the bedroom, an assistant in the kitchen, or anywhere you might want a voice-controlled computer
• Always getting smarter and adding new features, plus thousands of skills like Uber, Domino’s, and more

Don’t forget you’ll also be able to use the Echo Dot with your Sonos speaker in the coming months to control it with just your voice. You can pre-order it now in black or white for just $50 and it will be officially available on October 20. Amazon is running some promotions for the speaker, like buy five and get one free with the coupon code DOT6PACK, or you can buy 10 and get two free with coupon DOT12PACK.

See at Amazon

No new Android Wear watches from Huawei, Moto or LG this year

Google and ASUS might be the only big tech brands to release any Android Wear devices in late 2016, reports CNET.

While Android Wear hasn’t been a runaway success, some of last year’s Android smartwatches have shown promise. However relatively few Android wearables have emerged from the usual suspects — that is to say, phone makers — in the past twelve months. Instead, devices from more traditional watch brands like Casio and Michael Kors taking their place.

Now a new report from CNET reveals that neither LG, Moto nor Huawei will release new Android Wear hardware in 2016. A Moto spokesperson quoted in the report talks up the possibilities of cellular watches, but says the tech behind it hasn’t matured yet. Similarly, an unnamed Huawei exec is quoted saying the firm is waiting on current smartwatch tech to become smaller and more efficient.

2015’s Moto 360 and Huawei Watch had been among the better-received Android smartwatches, but neither offers cellular connectivity.

Moto and Huawei holding out for new tech, LG waiting to see what resonates with consumers.

Cellular smartwatches like the LG Watch Urbane Second Edition LTE have a tendency to be bulky, due to the larger batteries required to drive LTE radios. Qualcomm has been working on new and more efficient processors for Android smartwatches, most of which use ancient Snapdragon 400 chips, however even its latest Snapdragon Wear 2100 is built on a relatively old 28nm manufacturing process. (That’s as opposed to the 14nm process used in its highest-end phone chips.) New Snapdragon Wear chips built on more efficient processes are surely coming.

For LG, it seems, the barrier isn’t technical. The Korean firm “wants to see what sticks” with consumers, senior global communications director Ken Hong is quoted as saying. Hong’s remarks underscore how most smartwatch makers (and to a certain extent their customers) are still trying to figure out what they’re for. LG’s last major Android Watch, the aforementioned Urbane LTE, was pulled from shelves at the last minute in late 2015 due to an issue with the display, only to re-emerge early this year.

All of which leaves ASUS, with its ZenWatch 3, as the only big name in tech to launch an Android Wear watch this year. Google is rumored to be launching its own Android wearables, in two different for factors, alongside its two Pixel-branded smartphones later in the year, and these will likely be among the first Android Wear 2.0 gadgets to go on sale.

The lack of movement in Android Wear hardware this year leaves Apple and Samsung largely unchallenged at the top of the pile. Apple last week announced two new lines of its Apple Watch. Meanwhile Samsung’s going after a male audience — the main demographic snapping up smartwatches right now — with its rugged, heftier Gear S3.

Don’t miss these awesome deals on Kmashi’s portable battery packs!

Right now you can score some sweet savings on Kmashi’s portable battery packs at Amazon with a coupon code. For as little as $9 you can grab a 10000mAh power bank to charge your favorite gadgets while on the go without tethering yourself to a wall. The batteries are rather small and high capacity, with both 10000mAh and 15000mAh units available. Both have two USB outputs to charge multiple devices at the same time if needed, and recharge via microUSB.

These two are currently on sale with coupons:

• 10000mAh power bank – $9 with coupon UOFBXBF3
• 15000mAh power bank – $13 with coupon W8WP6GHU

If you find yourself needing extra power during your day, you will want to have one of these around. At these prices, you may want to pick up some gifts for others as well. Be sure to act quick, as this deal likely won’t last long.

See at Amazon

Add some royal flair to your phone with these castle wallpapers

Whether you’re stuck in the city or the suburbs, we all want to escape.

Some want to escape to the beach, some want to escape to the mountains, but you know where you should really want to escape? A castle. Castles are majestic, they’re powerful, and they’re well-fortified against revolutionary uprisings or zombie apocalypses. Okay, your mileage may vary on that one, but nevertheless, castles are for more than pretty princesses, and we’ve got some castle wallpapers for every kind of aspiring royal.

Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the most picturesque castles in the world, nestled in the mountains of Germany. A poster of it hung above my bed in college, and probably hangs on a lot of walls because it is a beautiful castle — it was even the inspiration behind Sleeping Beauty’s castle at Disneyland. While most pictures show the castle draped in snow or summer splendor, this image of the castle surrounded by ruby red foilage is a certain kind of badass. Like a giant blood-red cape draped around the castles shoulders.

Neuschwanstein Castle

Who says castles have to be western, with lots of turrets and towers? Shimabara Castle in Japan is a breathtaking sight in its own right. It’s simple lines and symmetry instill peace and balance within visitors and viewers alike. Just imagine walking these grounds when the cherry blossoms are blooming!

Shimabara Castle

Castles in America may be a little harder to come by, but smaller castles like Boldt Castle are intimate and enchanting in their own right. Situated on an island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River, this structure alongside the main castle was built by George Boldt as a present to his wife, but when she died, he stopped construction and never returned. Decades later, the island and the castle were purchased and restored for tourists from both Canada and New York to treasure.

Boldt Castle

If there isn’t some sort of fairytale romance film filmed at Peles Castle at some point, I might cry. Look at it. This Romanian beauty looks like it jumped straight off the page of an old Hans Christian Andersen fable! You have to wonder what majesty and mystery this castle has hosted over the years…

Peles Castle

You didn’t really think I’d have a castle roundup without a Disney castle, did you? Silly. The newest castle in the Disney Parks collection is the positively massive Enchanted Storybook Castle at Disneyland Shanghai, which is as beautiful as it is big. Visible miles from the park, Enchanted Storybook Castle hosts not one but two attractions, a fabulous restaurant, a beautiful Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and a stunning stage. Day or night, rain or shine, Enchanted Storybook captivates all who visit, and while I may never have the chance, this wallpaper gives me a bit of that magic to keep in my pocket.

Enchanted Storybook Castle

Future medical wearables could be powered by body heat

Researchers at NC State think that they have developed a new way to harvest body heat and turn it into electricity. The team has developed a patch that’s roughly a centimeter squared, that would attach to a person’s bicep. The device would then be able to generate anything up to 20 Microwatts, a significant increase on previous technologies. It’s not enough to power a smartwatch, but it’s possible that it may be enough to juice a medical sensor, reducing the number of bulky cables a patient has to trail around them.

The patch creates electricity by using the difference in temperature between your body and the air that surrounds it. The heat is pushed through a wearable thermoelectric generator and the hardware itself is just two millimeters thick. The team also developed a version that would integrate into a t-shirt, and while the gains were less impressive than on the bicep, could take up much more real estate than on the upper arm.

MC10 is a wearables startup that was borne out of research by medical wearables pioneer John Rogers. The first generation of its body monitoring technology is thin, but the biggest component by far is the battery. If, however, such hardware was able to generate the power locally, you’d instantly eliminate the need to add-in expensive and bulky power cells. That would, hopefully, have the knock-on effect of reducing the cost and complexity of body sensors. Let’s hope that NC State’s researchers can

Via: TechCrunch

Source: NC State, Applied Energy