Audiophiles in Japan are installing their own electricity poles

Audiophiles are known for doing some pretty extreme things in their quest for ‘purer’ sound, such as buying headphones that cost as much as a good car or getting ridiculously overdone cables with little to no practical benefit. However, the Wall Street Journal notes that some Japanese listeners are taking things one step further. When Takeo Morita worried that “tainted” power would affect the quality of his tunes, he installed a roughly $10,000 utility pole with his own transformer to get more electricity straight from the grid. And he’s not alone — there’s a whole magazine dedicated just to selling audio-related power equipment, including poles.

It’s not completely unreasonable to worry about electricity. Sufficiently terrible electromagnetic interference could produce audible glitches. However, there’s a difference between that and interpreting any variance in electrical performance as hurting audio quality. Just as with the most expensive speakers or an over-the-top link cable, it’s doubtful that you’ll actually witness a tangible improvement. As researcher Tsutomi Nakano says, it’s more about the “power of imagination.” These listeners want to reassure themselves that they’re getting the best sound possible, even if that means installing a permanent eyesore in front of their house.

Via: UberGizmo, Gizmodo

Source: Wall Street Journal

New Mockup Shows What the Rumored ‘Space Black’ iPhone 7 Plus Might Look Like

A new set of iPhone 7 images have emerged online, this time showing a mockup of the larger-screened, 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus in Space Black (via TechTastic). Earlier in the year, a sketchy rumor hinted that Apple might be introducing a “Deep Blue” color option in the 2016 iPhone lineup, but more recent reports have clarified that “Deep Blue” will ultimately be a darker version of the current Space Gray, now depicted in today’s pictures.

Although the Space Black images fall largely in line with recent mockups and image leaks for the iPhone 7, there are a few inconsistencies. The dual-lens camera bump on the iPhone appears slightly less raised than previous depictions of the back of the iPhone 7, and the mockup designates the model as an “S” edition, which has been lacking from any previous reports and remains an unlikely moniker given the name schemes of the current generation iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

The pictures also include a Smart Connector on the back of the iPhone 7 Plus, which, at best, has been an inconsistent rumor leading up to the launch of the new iPhone next month. More recently, mockups and image leaks have leaned more towards Apple’s decision to not include the Smart Connector in the iPhone 7. The feature could also be specific to the 5.5-inch iPhone Plus, or a third “Pro” model.

Elsewhere, the Space Black variant keeps up with rumors of what the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will look like: no 3.5 mm headphone jack, two speakers (one likely to be cosmetic), and rearranged antenna bands on the back. Apple might be preparing an all-new, flush Home Button on the next-generation iPhone devices as well. But, like most image leaks, it’s hard to be certain in the new pictures whether the Home Button is a new, pressure-sensitive option or just the traditional physical switch.

The new pictures follow a collection of high-resolution photos of a Gold mockup of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus that were posted last week. Apple is expected to reveal the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus on September 7, with pre-orders beginning on September 9 and a potential launch one week later on September 16.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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Apple Seeds Sixth Beta of tvOS 10 to Developers

Apple today provided developers with the sixth beta of tvOS 10, the next-generation operating system designed to run on the fourth-generation Apple TV. tvOS 10 beta 6 comes one week after the release of tvOS beta 5 and two months after the operating system was first shown off at Apple’s 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference

tvOS betas are harder to install than beta updates for iOS and OS X. Installing the tvOS beta requires the Apple TV to be connected to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, with the software downloaded and installed via iTunes or Apple Configurator. Once a beta profile has been installed on the device through iTunes, new beta updates will be available over the air.

tvOS 10 builds on features initially introduced with tvOS last October, bringing expanded Siri capabilities like topic-based search, Live Tune-In for automatically accessing live channels, and options for managing HomeKit accessories.

Single-Sign On allows users to sign in and authenticate cable credentials just once instead of requiring authentication in all cable-supported apps, games are now able to require controllers, and there are new features for Photos and Music.

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A dark mode offers a better visual experience for darker rooms, universal apps are automatically downloaded, and there’s a new Apple TV remote for iOS devices that mirrors the Siri Remote.

Over the beta testing period, Apple has been making slight tweaks and updates to the tvOS 10 operating system, but many of the changes are under-the-hood and not readily apparent to testers. Any outward-facing changes discovered in the sixth beta will be noted below.

For a full overview of all of the new features in tvOS 10, make sure to check out our tvOS 10 roundup.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
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Spigen U100 Universal Kickstand review

We check out Spigen’s new universal kickstand for your phone!

Spigen is great at pretty much all things to do with phone accessories. Their cases fit exceptionally well, their style ring is one of the most oddly convenient accessories ever, and now they’ve got their U100 Universal Kickstand to try and add to that legacy. But does it live up to Spigen’s reputation?

This kickstand does exactly what it’s supposed to do: it stands your phone up on an angle for hands-free viewing and gaming. Whether it’s well-made or works well is a bit of a different story.

Let’s break things down in terms of:

• Aesthetic
• Design
• Functionality
• Final verdict

Aesthetic

No one wants to admit they’re shallow, but come on: the first thing you notice is how a phone accessory looks. Lucky for all of us, the Spigen U100 Universal Kickstand is a pretty slick little product.

It’s a sleek and good-looking, minimalist accessory.

If you have a phone with a metallic back, it looks particularly sexy, thanks to its silver metal composition and compact design. It basically looks like a slightly larger tie clip with the Spigen logo etched into it.

The closer your phone is to the color of the kickstand, the more it blends in and actually just looks like it’s built-in. However, if you use it with a slightly curved phone, like the HTC 10 (like I did), then you’ll notice it a lot more from the sides.

All in all, it’s a sleek and good-looking minimalist accessory that doesn’t scream “cheap” and won’t detract from your phone’s good looks.

Design

I’ll start this section off by saying that this kickstand is meant exclusively for phones with mostly flat backs. It works with the HTC 10, but I mainly use a Moto X Pure Edition and the kickstand won’t stick at all, both because of the phone’s curvature and its textured back (depending on the customization).

The way the U100 works is via what Spigen calls “one-touch technology” and “semi-automatic spring tension”. Really, it’s essentially a spring-loaded leg that is held in place by a magnet and deployed when you slide your nail under the indentation at the bottom of the stand. If you have short nails, you may have a hard time unlatching the leg.

That being said, the magnet really holds the leg in place nicely; repeatedly shaking my phone, trying to loosen it, did not dislodge it.

When not in use, the kickstand is about 5mm thick, which, depending on where you place it, may make things feel a bit strange when regularly using your phone or taking a call. I situated mine just under the camera lens as Spigen recommends, and gripping it during a call has never felt comfortable.

Be gentle: The stand is thin strip of metal that can withstand almost no pressure.

The adhesive is made by 3M and sticks fairly well, although not as well as the adhesives Spigen was using for their first run of Style Rings (the ring broke before the adhesive let go!). Our recommendation is to make sure you place the kickstand exactly where you want it – constantly replacing it diminishes the stickiness. And if you have it almost in place and try to slide it into better placement, it’ll just move back to where it was; 3M’s adhesive is quite elastic.

Regarding the metal composition of the kickstand, I’m a little put off. It doesn’t look cheap; it doesn’t feel cheap, but somehow it is flimsy.

I assume you won’t be trying to bend it to test its limits, but when I tried to bend the stand leg on its own, it did so to a point and then just snapped, and it was not difficult to do. When I tested how much pressure I could place on the stand, the leg just snapped right off before I applied as much force as I had planned – the holes that the pins on the leg sit in make for an incredibly thin strip of metal that can withstand almost no pressure.

All in all, the kickstand is fairly well-made, but never pick your phone up by the stand leg or apply too much downward pressure or it will likely snap off in your hand. Also, don’t sit on it. Just don’t. Trust me.

Functionality

As I said at the beginning of this review, the U100 Universal Kickstand does exactly what it’s meant to. So long as you place it properly on your phone, it will prop it up and you will be able to watch videos hands-free.

It’s also rather convenient, since that “one-touch technology” claim is pretty true, however obvious it may be. The magnet is secure, but not so strong that you have to pry the leg away with a crowbar.

The U100 Universal Kickstand does exactly what it’s meant to.

I tried the U100 in both orientations on the back of my HTC 10; I placed it horizontally and vertically and both ways work just fine, though placing it vertically makes your phone easier to knock over.

When placed horizontally, it looks like your phone is being held up with a small popsicle stick and it really looks like it should be tipping all over the place, but it’s actually perfectly stable when the kickstand’s in use and might even work in the car on a portable lap desk.

The “semi-automatic spring tension” is quite handy, since once you pop the leg off, it springs into action and that’s it — you’re ready to go. Basically, everything about the kickstand works like it should and like you want it to. What more can you really ask for?

Final verdict

Despite some design flaws, the Spigen Universal U100 Kickstand is very handy. If you can get used to the way it feels on the back of your phone, it’s a convenient, minimalist way to watch YouTube and be able to eat dinner at the same time.

It looks great and works just like it should, so if you’re looking for an accessory in this vein, you have no reason not to pick this one up … as long as your phone has a flat back.

See at Amazon

Score an unlocked BlackBerry Priv for just $299 right now!

Right now you can grab an unlocked AT&T version of the BlackBerry Priv for just $299 at eBay. We’ve seen a number of sales for this phone, but this one drops it right down to the same price as the recently-announced BlackBerry DTEK50, but with higher specs. If physical keyboards are a must-have for you, or you are looking for a good backup phone at a cheap price, you won’t want to miss out on this deal.

The listing says there are a limited number of these available, so if you are interested you’ll want to act quickly. Would you rather the BlackBerry Priv or the DTEK50 at this price point? Let us know which you will be purchasing in the comments.

See at eBay

Best podcast app for Android

Pocket Casts is the best podcast app for Android. Not only has it been around for a long time, constantly adding great features that fit naturally into the Android ecosystem, but it has great discovery tools to find the best new shows.

Best overall

Pocket Casts

$3.99

See on Google Play

Pocket Casts does what any good podcast player should do: it loads quickly, has great discovery tools, has effects for cutting down on silences, and it looks great doing it. Shifty Jelly, the company behind Pocket Casts, has put a lot of love into making the app as full-featured as possible without alienating beginners just looking for an easy-to-use podcast app.

With tablet support, Chromecast output, and easy ways to store content on microSD cards, Pocket Casts is our pick for the best podcast app on Android.

Bottom-line: Pocket Casts offers not only an amazing discovery and listening experience, but its synchronization system lets you listen to your favorite shows on iOS, Windows and the web.

One more thing: Themes! Pocket Casts has an amazing dark mode that looks great on AMOLED displays, or when you’re browsing at night.

Why Pocket Casts is the best

Easy to use, powerful for pros.

Pocket Casts is one of the first apps I download on a new Android device, and one of my most-used apps. Even as other popular music streaming apps like Google Play Music and Spotify have added podcast support, I go back to Pocket Casts for its useful tools, intuitive features and navigation, and ability to create on-the-fly playlists using the Up Next feature.

Chris Welch of The Verge had this to say about Pocket Casts for Android:

Above just being a vehicle for your podcasts, the standout aspect of Pocket Casts is definitely its design. It’s a tremendous showcase for Google’s Material Design, with fluid animations and color schemes that shift colors based on a podcast’s artwork. Your subscriptions are arranged in a tiled screen with big, beautiful artwork for every show, and Pocket Casts has a seemingly endless array of preferences, playlist filters, and auto-download settings, so you can tailor it fully to your liking.

One of the main virtues of Pocket Casts is its synchronization system: after purchasing the app for $3.99, you can create a free account and have it sync with the iOS, Windows and web versions. Not only is the podcast artwork beautifully shown in high-resolution, but it’s easy to subscribe and add certain episodes to playlists once you have subscribed to a particular show.

Small things, like a dedicated In Progress category, details the episodes you’ve only half-finished, while an amazing discovery network based on category, location, or podcast network makes it super simple to find the best content on the internet.

Finally, Pocket Casts can cut down the length of a show by removing silences or speeding up the playback up to three times, which is incredible useful if, like me, you subscribe to way too many shows and need to get through them as soon as possible every week.

Best for beginners

Google Play Music

Free

See on Google Play

Play Music is relatively new to the podcast scene (weird, right?), but Google’s streaming music service integrated podcasts with aplomb — especially since it fits right into the existing user interface you’re already accustomed to. Some of Play Music’s podcast prowess is derived from the app’s simplicity: a great discovery portal, and lots of choice, without overburdening the user with features. Plus, there’s great Chromecast and Android Auto support built in because, well, it’s Google!

Bottom-line: For the simplest experience to get started with, Google Play Music is the ideal place to listen to your podcasts. And because it’s already installed on your phone — there’s very little setup required!

One more thing: Play Music syncs your podcast subscriptions across devices and platforms, so if you subscribe to a bunch of great shows on your Android phone, those shows will be there when you log in through the web.

Best for bingers

Stitcher

Free

See on Google Play

It seems that Stitcher has been around forever, and on Android that is just about true. But the app has gone through some major revisions over the years, and has emerged as one of the best places to queue up a bunch of audio content for those long trips or head-down work sessions.

Even as podcasts have grown mainstream, and many apps, like Pocket Casts, have emerged to take on that burgeoning market, Stitcher still fulfils its promise of making it super easy to “stitch” a whole bunch of episodes together. The interface may not be as slick as Pocket Casts or GPM, but there’s no better app for discovering new and weird shows and sitting back to listen to them.

Bottom-line: If you’re looking to discover new and interesting shows and podcasts, Stitcher is still unrivalled. It has a huge database of content and, after subscribing to a few shows, Stitcher knows what you like, and will recommend some great stuff you’ve likely never heard.

One more thing: Stitcher isn’t just about podcasts: it works with notable brands like NPR, CNN, Fox News, ESPN, and BBC to push breaking news alerts throughout the day, just like a live radio program.

Best overall

Pocket Casts

$3.99

See on Google Play

Pocket Casts for Android is, simply, worth the price. It’s got one of the best interfaces for playing and discovering new shows, and Shifty Jelly, the developer, is always adding new and useful features to its new versions. Plus, those change logs are hilarious! While it does cost some money up front, you’ll be happy to chose to bring your subscriptions over to Pocket Casts.

Bottom-line: Pocket Casts offers not only an amazing discovery and listening experience, but its synchronization system lets you listen to your favorite shows on iOS, Windows and the web.

One more thing: Shifty Jelly, developers of Pocket Casts, are very receptive to feedback, and are always looking to make the app as good as it can be. That’s another reason to purchase Pocket Casts: it promises to receive the best and most relevant features as soon as they come out.

Bush Digital TV Recorder has fluid viewing-style features without needing Sky Q

British tech firm Bush has announced a Digital TV Recorder that gives access to your stored programmes even when you are out and about.

Thanks to ShowDrive support, users can record TV shows on the new set-top-box and watch them on mobile devices over Wi-Fi or mobile broadband connections.

It is similar to the headline feature of the Sky Q box, Fluid Viewing, which also gives remote access to recordings stored on the box. However, ShowDrive does it through the cloud.

Users sign up for a basic or deluxe ShowDrive account and recordings are stored in the cloud ready to be viewed on any device capable of accessing the internet, mobile or computer.

• What is Sky Q Fluid Viewing and how do I get it?
• What is Sky Q, how much does it cost and how can I get it?

What’s more, a monthly subscription fee can yield greater storage than any set-top-box is capable of. For £1.99 a month, users get 35 hours worth of HD content storage, but for £5.99 a month, user get a whopping 350 hours of storage for HD programming.

Bush

Additional Digital TV Recorders can be used in other rooms too, making it a full multiroom solution. They can also access a user’s ShowDrive account and the content stored thereon.

The Bush Digital TV Recorder comes with two HD tuners, so is capable of recording one channel while watching another, or recording two shows simultaneously. It will be available from 30 August from Argos, priced at £99.99.