But Apple says that the iPhones don't have that chip and there's no FM radio to be had. Still, Ajit Pai will ask for his cake.
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iPhone X 2018 display changes, full Google Pixel 2 specs & more – Pocketnow Daily
Watch today's Pocketnow Daily as we talk about the rumors of the iPhone X 2018 display changes, full Google Pixel 2 specs & more
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Long chained to AT&T, Galaxy S8 Active looks to spread to T-Mobile
There has not even been an unlocked version of the Galaxy S8 Active in its series history. This could be an interesting change of weather.
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Apple Music finally strikes 30 million subscriber mark
The streaming industry is extremely competitive and every player is looking to recover better revenues from the process. How will Apple Music do that?
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Cricket has Alcatel Idol 5 for $199, UNI360 VR headset from October 27
If there was ever a time we needed budget phones, it's in 2017. TCL's Alcatel brand is bringing one with great amenities to the US through Cricket.
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FCC chairman calls on Apple to unlock FM radio on iPhones in wake of hurricanes
Including built-in FM radio support for smartphones might seem like a mere oddity in this age of YouTube and Spotify, but communities ravaged by hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and especially Maria are finding how useful old-fashioned radio can still be when the usual cellular towers are knocked out of commission.
But iPhone users don't have access to this feature. That's not because it's not there — FM functionality is built into every Qualcomm and Intel chip used for the iPhone's Wi-Fi and cellular capabilities — but Apple hasn’t enabled it.
Even more troublesome, they're essentially the only smartphone users who don't have access to it. To date, Apple is the only major manufacturer that hasn’t unlocked the feature.
Now, though, Federal Communications Chairman Ajit Pai has issued a statement specifically calling on Apple to “step up to the plate and put the safety of the American people first.”
Pai commended the companies who’ve already activated FM chips in their phones, emphasizing that, “FM chips can allow Americans to get vital access to life-saving information” when wireless networks go offline.
“In recent years, I have repeatedly called on the wireless industry to activate the FM chips that are already installed on almost all smartphones sold in the United States,” Pai said in his statement.
“In fact,” he said, “in my first public speech after I became Chairman, I observed that ‘[y]ou could make a case for activating chips on public safety grounds alone.’”
Connected during disasters
This criticism of Apple is nothing new. Back in 2014 the National Association of Broadcasters released a report questioning the absence of FM radio on iPhone, and then as now, Apple declined to comment.
One reason Apple might be keeping built-in FM radio off on iPhones is because the feature might discourage customers from buying from iTunes or subscribing to its Apple Music streaming service.
Yet much of the imagery coming out of the destruction surrounding the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria emphasizes the severity of this need.
Two of the photos in a powerful recent photo essay from The Atlantic, for instance, depict Puerto Ricans gathering around the island’s few remaining working towers, struggling to get a signal.
Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters, also criticized Apple in a statement to Bloomberg today.
“Broadcasters are providing information on how to evacuate quickly, where flood waters are raging, how to get out of harm’s way if there's a tornado or a hurricane,“ Wharton said. “The notion that Apple or anyone else would block this type of information is something that we find fairly troubling.“
But the scarcity of cellular service in Puerto Rico prevents further complications. Even if Apple does issue a patch enabling the chips, there’s a good chance the people who need the service the most won’t even be able to download it.
Yesterday, the FCC released a report stating that 91.1% of cellular sites in Puerto Rico are out of service.
As for Apple, it’s remained silent on the issue. It's worth noting, though, that Pai's call comes on the same day Apple updated its newsroom to report that Apple employees and customers have raised more than $13 million for hurricane relief efforts, including $1 million for Puerto Rico. No mention was made of the FM chip controversy.
We’ve asked Apple for a statement and will update this article if we hear back.
- Thinking of getting a new smartphone? Here are the best phones you can buy
Google Pixel 2 launch event: what to expect on October 4
We could be in for a bumper crop of announcements at Google's launch event today.
Last year’s event saw the reveal of the Google Pixel, Google Pixel XL and Google Daydream View. Not just that though, as Google Wifi and Google Chromecast Ultra also saw a launch that day. Simply put, it was a big deal.
While nothing more than the Google Pixel 2 has been teased for today's event, recent leaks have clued us into a potential boatload of new products, including the larger Google Pixel 2 XL, Google Home Mini, Google Pixelbook, and a refreshed Google Daydream View 2 headset. Of course, there could be more, too.
So, without further ado, here’s everything that we expect to be announced at Google’s October 4 event in San Francisco.
Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL
This one’s a given. Google’s 2016 smartphones were – and still are – a bold stroke of engineering prowess on the part of a fruitful collaboration with HTC (Google now owns its smartphone division) combined with stock Android.
Based on recent rumors, this year’s phones look to up the ante in just about every way.
However, for those who were hoping for a massive trimming of the front bezels, get ready for disappointment. We’ve been hearing that this year’s phones will fall in line with a front-facing design of the past. But a tour around some leaked photos show that Google has streamlined the look of its phones’ backsides.
For fans who enjoy a fat stack of features and power, these new Pixel phones are sure to please. Aside from obvious improvements to its already-stellar camera and the inclusion of the Snapdragon 835, expect a new “Active Edge” function that lets you squeeze the phone to activate select commands. Rumor also has it that Google might have snipped away the fan-favorite 3.5mm headphone jack, though waterproofing might just make up for it.
Like most flagships, the Google Pixel phones for 2017 won’t be cheap. But there are certainly more expensive phones out there. The smaller Google Pixel 2 is set to cost $649 (about £599, AU$1,079), while the XL is rumored to start at $849 (about £630, AU$1079).
It’s not long now until Google lifts the wraps from its elusive 2017 flagship smartphones.
Google Pixelbook
After Google launched two awe-inspiring, but egregiously expensive Chromebook Pixel models, some wondered if Google would – or should – ever again release its own Chrome OS product.
Recently, a leak surfaced a mysterious product that will supposedly be called Google Pixelbook. Now appearing to be aligned with the company’s smartphone lineup in both name and design language, this maybe-Chromebook, maybe-Fuchsia (formerly known as Andromeda) 2-in-1 laptop is intriguing, to say the very least.
The one and only leak that we’ve seen shows the Pixelbook running Chrome OS and sitting next to a smart stylus, which is said to be called the Pixelbook Pen. Also lodged in this cluster of info is the rumored pricing and storage configurations, both of which raise some eyebrows.
According the rumors, the Pixelbook will start at $1,199 (about £887, AU$1,496) and top out at $1,749 (about £1,294, AU$2,183). This puts Google’s purported 2-in-1 more in line with the Microsoft Surface Book than the more affordable Microsoft Surface Pro.
Lastly, it is said to be available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB configurations, which has us asking ourselves, “What exactly could we need all of that storage for?” Typically, Chromebooks feature no more than 64GB of storage, so this rumor is puzzling, but nevertheless exciting.
Google Home Mini
As Amazon showed first, your smart speaker lineup isn’t complete without a miniature, cheaper version. The rumored Google Home Mini seems a lot like the Amazon Echo Dot, in that it’s a smaller, condensed version of the full-fat product.
Our first look at the unannounced project shows a small speaker that features the same mesh-like design found on the larger Google Home, though unlike the Home, it doesn’t look like you’ll be able to customize the look of the Home Mini with optional accessories.
While it’s smaller in stature compared to the Home, it still looks like this product may end up being more powerful than its similarly-sized Echo Dot. How? The leaked shot appears to show off a power cable, indicating that the power draw will be rather high, which could mean that sound quality will be quite nice.
The Google Home is listed at $129 (£129 / about AU$170), though if rumors are true, the Home Mini will launch in a variety of fresh colors and at a fraction of the cost at $49 (about £40 / AU$60).
Google Daydream View 2
Last, but not least, Google’s first-party virtual reality headset is rumored to be refreshed exactly one year after it debuted.
As our Michelle Fitzsimmons noted, the new headset looks primed for the next generation of Daydream-ready phones, which has already blossomed to include over 10 smartphones.
The headsets shown in the image above from Droid Life appear to have closed the gap between the articulated flap and the front of the headset, which should nix light leakage – one of our biggest complaints about the original.
It’s tough to tell exactly what is different about the design, but if Google has them to show off on October 4, we’ll certainly be among the first to strap them to our heads to see what’s new.
The last bit of information provided by this leak puts the Google Daydream View 2 at $99 (about £75 / AU$125), which is $20 more than the current version priced at $79 (£69 / AU$119).
To our knowledge, the above products are what we believe will be announced today. We’ll be reporting live from the San Francisco with the latest, including hands-on reviews of each and every one of them.
iPhone 8: the consumer vs the future | #PNWeekly 272 (LIVE at 3pm ET)
If things settle down the way people think they will about iPhone 8 and iPhone X sales, will we ever take consumers to the bleeding edge?
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watchOS 4.1 beta turns on Apple Music streaming, has new Radio app
One of the big features for the Apple Watch Series 3 Cellular is audio streaming direct to the watch. It's not on yet, but it will be.
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Take your Cloud computing to the next level for only $49
Get certified in the one of the most powerful cloud services platforms in the world. The AWS Solution Architect Certification Training Bundle will get you there for just $49.
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The nightmare is over for US Moto X Pure Edition owners awaiting Android Nougat
So what if the Moto X Pure Edition runs "pure" Android? The 2015 phone still waited more than a year to get its official 7.0 Nougat update.
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Twelve South Releases CaddySack Cable Organizer for MacBook
Twelve South has announced the release of their newest accessory in book form, the CaddySack. The CaddySack is a handsome leather case designed to carry your MacBook essentials. Here's more info on this new zippered case: With the newest MacBooks, you're most likely carrying a plethora of cables and adapters when you're on the go, but ...
LG V30 finally launching in the US on October 5
It's been a month since I posted my first impressions of a non-final sample of the LG V30 and today we finally heard that it will be launching in the US starting on October 5.
Sprint has reportedly only sold around 5,000 Essential Phone units so far
Plagued by delays, faced with very strong competition and priced a little high, the Essential Phone is unlikely to ever hit a million unit sales.
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iOS 11 for iPhone Review
iOS gets updated every year, but Apple has settled into a pattern in which the iPad gets the lion’s share of the improvements one year, and the next year is for the iPhone. Sorry iPhone users, the focus is on iPad in 2017, but that doesn’t mean this new version has nothing for smartphones.
Siri has been improved, iOS 11 offers a redesigned Control Center, and the Notification Center and Unlock Screen have been merged. A Do Not Disturb While Driving setting has been added. The new Files app is something people have been requesting for years, while the Notes and Maps applications have many few features, and the App Store and Podcasts have been redesigned. There are also Camera improvements. To top it all off, there are many tweaks throughout the operating system, with bolder fonts and redesigned buttons.
We take a closer look at these changes, and evaluate how bug-free iOS 11 is at this point.
iOS 11 and Siri
Apple has put a lot of effort into making Siri sound more human, and as a result it’s a wee bit more expressive, and less likely to mispronounce words, whether you choose the female or male voice, with American or British accent. Even so, Siri still sounds fairly mechanical, but progress is being made.
iOS 11 Siri Translate
There are a number of new features in iOS 11 that Apple credits to Siri that don’t immediately have a clear connection to it. For example, make several web searches for “Ukraine” and the News application will suggest you start following this country as a topic. The app will say this suggestion came from Siri, even if none of these searches were done by talking to your iPhone. This because Apple considers Siri a personal assistant whose reach extends throughout the iOS, so anytime your phone learns something about you from your actions, that’s chalked up to Siri.
Like any assistant, Siri is always watching what you’re doing, hoping to be helpful. For example, it’s supposed to suggest adding a Calendar entry for appointments made on the Web. Or web searches for a movie title should put that title in QuickType suggestions. At this point, however, we have yet to see any of this happen on our test device.
An addition to Siri with serious potential is the ability to translate English speech into French, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. Just say “Hey Siri, translate I need a menu into Spansh” and Siri will say “Necessito un menú”, and give you the option to easily play this audio clip again the next time the waiter comes around. The limitation is that Siri currently can’t translate any of these languages back into English, so you’re on your own if the waiter says “El menú está en la pizarra.”
iOS 11 for iPhone: Control Center
iOS 11 Control Center
The completely redesigned Control Center could have been one of the best improvements in the iPhone version of iOS 11, but Apple screwed it up instead.
Let’s start with the good part. All the major functions now appear on a single page, broken up into groups by categories. A Force Touch of some of these brings up additional options. For example, hard pressing on the group with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. opens a sub-window with controls for AirDrop and Personal Hotspot.
Go to the Settings app to add some additional buttons to the Control Center, and some previously standard ones can can taken out. Just a few of the new options include links to Apple Wallet, Magnifier, Low Power Mode, and an Apple TV Remote.
But with iOS 11 it’s two steps forward, one step back. When Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are deactivated in the Control Center, they aren’t actually turned off. Apple thinks it knows better than you, and is sure you don’t really want to turn off these wireless features because then you can’t use AirDrop, Handoff, or communicate with an Apple Watch. So turning off Wi-Fi just sets it so it won’t connect to any hotspots, and Bluetooth is set so it won’t connect to non-Apple accessories.
As a result of this “feature”, you can’t use the Control Center to deactivate these wireless functions to save battery power. Instead, you have to go into the Settings app to actually turn them off.
iOS 11 for iPhone: Notification Center/Unlock Screen
iOS 11 Notification Center/Unlock Screen
Previously, the Notification Center and the Unlock Screen had overlapping functions. With iOS 11, pulling down from the top of the screen now brings up the Unlock Screen, and the separate Notification Center is no more. The Unlock Screen is essentially unchanged, and stroking to the right from this screen still brings up a page of widgets.
We consider this a welcome move, as the screens did almost the same thing in slightly different ways, and that’s not good interface design.
iOS 11 and Do Not Disturb While Driving
If you just can’t resist checking incoming texts while behind the wheel, then Do Not Disturb While Driving is for you. All notifications will be held until you are no longer driving, and any incoming texts will get an auto response informing the sender that you can’t talk right now. That latter feature is one we’d like to be able to turn off or customize, but that’s not possible yet with iOS 11.
You can completely turn off this feature when you’re in the passenger seat and not driving.
iOS 11 and Files
iOS 11 Files
Apple frequently draws complaints for not including a file system in iOS that iPhone and iPad users can access. This is a case of the company choosing simplicity over flexibility: you’ll store you’re files where Apple says they go so you can’t misplace them. Still, the company has finally created something that can take it’s place, as least partially.
The new Files application replaces the old iCloud Drive app, and it now allows users to organize the contents of iCloud Drive however they wish. Gone are the days when, for example, all the documents from Apple Pages had to be stored in one folder called Pages.
Apple Files can also access the contents of rival online storage systems, including Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive. It still can’t access anything stored directly on the iPhone (or iPad), however.
The biggest beneficiaries of this new feature will be iPad users, as they frequently use their tablet as a laptops and so need to work with more files, and more types of files.
iOS 11 for iPhone: Notes, Maps, App Store, and Podcasts
Just about all of the applications that come bundled on iPhones have been tweaked in iOS 11, but some have received more significant changes.
Apple has been slowly improving Notes for years, and the newest version gains support for inserting tables into a note. In addition, handwritten text is supposedly now recognized and searchable. This feature was not at all a success in our tests, as Spotlight and Notes’ own search engine couldn’t find written words in our embedded sketches.
iOS 11 App Store Home Screen
That means that probably the most important change in this particular application is the document scanner. This can embed a scanned document into a note, or export it as a PDF. This document can also be marked up. Our tests showed that this feature works well enough that it will likely take the place of nearly all third-party iOS software that uses the phone’s or tablet’s camera to scan a document.
After a rocky start a few years go, Apple Maps is getting close to parity with Google Maps and other top navigation software. The latest iteration finally gets lane advice, and it can display the current speed limit. It doesn’t warn the user when they are speeding, however.
With iOS 11, the homescreen for the App Store has become less of a collection of application icons and more of a magazine about third-party software, with articles that discuss different types of apps. At this point, it’s not clear if this is a way for Apple to highlight the best options available or if it’s just another for-pay advertising venue.
Podcasts has received a redesign that’s a bit unusual for Apple: it now offers several different ways to organize the same content. While this gives users more flexibility–do you want to see your podcasts by how recently they’ve been updated, or in a set order?– it also means you should take some time figuring out the best arrangement for you.
iOS 11 for iPhone: Camera
iOS 11 Live Photo
Although the changes to the Camera app aren’t profound, the iPhone used used so often to take pictures that even small changes have big results.
Fans of Live Photos will be happy to learn that they can now choose which frame of the mini-movie they’ve recorded is used as the still image. You can also crop off unwanted parts of the moving portion. Live Photos can also be set to loop, or play backward and forward.
There are also improvements for those with an iPhone camera that supports Bokeh images–ones with the foreground in focus but the background is blurred, which Apple confusingly calls Portrait images. They work better in low light now, or a flash can be used. There’s also optical image stabilization for the first time.
iOS 11 for iPhone: Should You Upgrade?
There are some nice improvements in iOS 11, so should you immediately go install it? We’ve been extensively testing the Golden Master, final official version, for week now, and it still has quite few bugs. The one that has gotten the most press prevents business users who use Microsoft’s email services from sending messages, but this isn’t alone. Admittedly, none are anywhere near as bad as that one, but they can be irritating. We’ve some display problems, quirks with personal hotspot, etc.
Apple is hard at work on iOS 11.0.1, which should fix some of the issues that slipped through this summer’s extensive beta testing. It might be better to wait until that’s released.
All of that said, If there’s a new feature described above that you find really enticing, you won’t have major problems with iOS 11 … as long as you don’t need to use email from Outlook.com, Exchange, etc. If you don’t mind a few bugs, go ahead, visit Settings > General > Software Update.
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