Elgato has released the newest edition to their already impressive HomeKit lineup of Eve products, Eve Degree. The Eve Degree is a HomeKit temperature and humidity sensor that connects over Bluetooth Low Energy. It has a new aluminum enclosure, a much better look than the similar Eve Room and Eve Weather, with a large readable screen on the front for glanceable information.
Andy Rubin, the guy who came up with Android, today announced his new smartphone post-Google, featuring an edge-to-edge display that one-ups Samsung's Galaxy S8, in addition to an Amazon Echo-like appliance with on-device intelligence.
Both products debuted from Rubin's new company, Essential.
Essential Phone, as it's called, runs Android and has a 5.71-inch QHD edge-to-edge display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The display extends all the way to the the top of the device and wraps around the front-facing camera.
The Echo rival, called Essential Home, features compatibility with Apple's HomeKit framework and other software platforms for the connected home.
Both products can be pre-ordered today.
Essential PhoneEncased in a titanium body with a ceramic back, Essential Phone can survive a drop test “without blemish, unlike the aluminum competitor devices,” says the company. The premium smartphone with a high-resolution 5.71-inch, 2,560-by-1,312 pixel display is powered by Qualcomm's eight-core Snapdragon 835 processor with four gigabytes of RAM.
Essential Phone lacks the standard 3.5mm headphone jack and uses Bluetooth 5.0 and USB-C.
Customers will be able to use any Bluetooth or USB-C-based headset with the phone. The Verge has learned that Essential Phone will ship with a headphone dongle in the box.
Other features include a magnetic connector on the back side for connecting accessories like a new 360-degree camera, a 13-megapixel dual-lens camera with a second lens using a monochrome sensor for better low-light shots, an eight-megapixel selfie camera with 4K video capture, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and other perks.
According to the company, the magnetic connector was designed with modularity in mind, to help keep Essential Phone “cord-free, future-proof and always up-to-date".
Essential HomeBuilt on the open-source Ambient OS software which can automatically discover and use new devices on its network, Essential Home has a built-in round display at the top which can be turned on just by glancing at it (or by tapping or using your voice) to quickly see contextual information.
The accessory uses on-device artificial intelligence rather than offload AI features to the cloud. Like with Apple's AI implementation, such an approach helps preserve user privacy. Its proactive assistant will support notifications and reminders with contextual information displayed on the built-in screen.
Essential Home should support Nest and SmartThings devices for the connected home. According to Wired, it will feature hooks for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
AvailabilityEssential Phone will be available in Black, Gray, White and Ocean Depths colors. At the time of this writing, only white models were able for pre-order. The contract-free phone costs $699.
Essential's 360-degree camera currently costs $50, but the price will eventually increase to $199. Pricing for Essential Home is yet to be announced, but we do know that the device will ship later this summer.
Andy Rubin is schedule to give a talk later today at Recode's Code Conference.
Accessories vendors are no strangers to designing cases for unreleased iPhone models based on rumors alone, and this particular leak is no exception. Even though we're still months away from iPhone 8's likely introduction this fall, Slahleaks today published a few images of another iPhone 8 dummy wrapped in a protective case.
The dummy unit appears to reflect Apple's rumored final iPhone 8 design with no physical Home button, Touch ID integrated directly into the display and a full-screen face, among other features. A vertically-oriented cutout on the back for a redesigned dual-lens camera system is displayed prominently.
As you can see for yourself, the dummy unit shown on the photos is virtually all glass on the front, with only a physical slit within the OLED display, likely for an embedded earpiece. The side bezels, as per the annotations, should be only three millimeters wide.
It's been speculated that iPhone 8 would use 2.5D cover glass like the iPhone 6/6s/7 series that's slightly rounded on sides rather than have the OLED display extend all the way to the left and right edges of the device, like with Samsung's Galaxy S8. Apple is said to be releasing the iterative LCD-based iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus devices alongside iPhone 8.
Economic Daily News said last week that Apple has solved all technical issues related to its next-generation fingerprint reader, meaning iPhone 8 is likely to integrate an optical fingerprint sensor to enable authentication directly on the handset's OLED screen.
Good news for folks in the market for a 4K computer monitor. Prices are really starting to come down on Ultra HD displays, and 4K video games and content are becoming more and more common.
There are several to choose from, but as usual, we're here to help you sort through the noise. In our latest accessory roundup, we take a look at the best 4K monitors for your laptop or desktop computer.
Apple today released AirPods software 3.7.2, bringing unspecified improvements and bug fixes to the company's first Bluetooth earbuds featuring the in-house designed W1 wireless chip.
According to the German-language publication Macerkopf.de (Google Translate), which first spotted the new firmware, it's possible that it addresses the reported Bluetooth connectivity issues where AirPods would lost connection with their paired iPhone during phone calls.
To install the new AirPods firmware, put both earbuds inside their charging case, then close the case and connect it to a charger or a USB port on your computer. Your iPhone must be paired with your AirPods and connected to Wi-Fi in order for the firmware to download and install.
TUTORIAL: How to install software updates for your AirPods
Keep the charging case within a few inches of your iPhone or the AirPods firmware won't be updated. Keep in mind that updating your AirPods may take a few minutes to complete.
During the update process, your AirPods may be unavailable for use.
You can find out your AirPods firmware version in Settings → General → About → AirPods on your iPhone when the earbuds are connected to the phone.
AirPods originally released with firmware version 3.3.1.
Furniture, kitchen appliances and home accessories giant Ikea announced on Tuesday that its inexpensive Trådfri smart lighting system will soon gain support for HomeKit, Apple's smart home management platform.
German publication iPhone-ticker.de reports that Ikea is readying a software update to its Trådfri app to make its smart lighting products controllable not only via Apple's HomeKit system, but also through Amazon's Echo and Google's Home smart speakers.
The new firmware update should arrive in the summer.
HomeKit will let you use Siri to voice-control Ikea's smart bulbs and incorporate HomeKit-enabled Ikea products in your custom scenes through Apple's Home app on iPhone and iPad.
The official Trådfri app, seen below, allows different family members to easily customize the light and atmosphere however they want, depending on their activity (i.e. choose a light for early mornings, another for late evenings and a third for cooking or working at home).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5blA3EgaDpI
Announced in March 2017, Ikea's extensive smart lighting lineup sports plug-and-play simplicity at significantly lower prices than similar systems from the likes of Philips and others.
Starting at $12 a piece, for instance, Ikea's smart bulbs cost half as much as Philips' Hue range at $30 per white bulb (goes all the way up to $50 per bulb if you want color). With Ikea's app, you can dim, turn off, turn on and switch your Ikea smart bulbs from warm to cold light.
The full range of smart lighting systems from Ikea includes LED bulbs, dimming lights, illuminated panels, a motion sensor kit and a gateway device. It was unclear at the time of this writing whether or not Ikea is planning on eventually making its whole range of smart products for the connected home compatible with the HomeKit platform, which would be splendid.
Footwear, apparel and sports accessories giant Nike on Monday announced four new bands for Apple Watch, designed to color-match the company's new Air VaporMax Flyknit “Day to Night” running shoe collection. The new bands work with any Apple Watch model, not just with the special-edition Apple Watch Nike+ collection, and are made from a flexible fluoroelastomer material that's lightweight and perforated for ventilation and sweat management, like other Sports bands.
The new bands are priced at $49 each as with other Sports bands.
They'll be available via Nike's online and retail stores on June 1, and Apple.com, select Apple Authorized Resellers and select specialty and department stores in early June.
The new Air VaporMax Flyknit “Day to Night” running shoe collection celebrates runners whenever they choose to run: at twilight, sunset and everything in between. Each of the new (previously unavailable) band colors is inspired by a shade of the sky, from dawn to dusk, according to the apparel giant.
The new band collection was designed to allow runners to “make a statement by matching their Apple Watch Nike+ bands to their footwear,” reads the press release. Nike's new running shoe collection launches next Thursday, June 1, at 10am, priced at $190.
In April 2017, Apple and NikeLab launched another limited-edition Apple Watch in the form of Apple Watch NikeLab, which pairs a Space Gray aluminum case with a new Light Bone band in a creamy color combination with black perforations.
Nike's new Light Bone/Black band combination for Apple Watch NikeLab coordinates nicely with their similarly neutral-toned “Oreo” and “White/Blue” VaporMax sneakers.
watchOS 3.2 added some new unique face colors, including the new band-matching Blue Orbit and Violet Dust options for Apple Watch Nike+ wearers and Camellia, Flamingo, Pollen, Mist Blue, Azure and Pebble as the new watch face color options for all Apple Watch models.
Nike began selling standalone versions of its unique Sports bands for Apple Watch earlier this year. Last but not least, earlier this month the company began selling iPhone 7 cases based on its Rosche and Air Force 1 sneakers, priced at $35 each.
Apple recently refreshed its own band lineup for Apple Watch with some interesting new Spring-themed straps.
Cases for Apple's new 10.5-inch iPad Pro model and a next-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro are circulating the web today, showing rear microphone holes like on the recently unveiled $329 iPad model and cutouts for stereo speakers. Made by a third-party vendor, the design of these cases is based on information allegedly obtained from Apple's contract manufacturer Foxconn.
The current-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro features the microphone cutout on the right side of the device. The images depict four large cutouts for what appears to be stereo speakers, two at the top of the wooden case and two at the bottom of the device on both sides of the Lightning port.
The cases include cutouts for the 3.5mm headphone jack on both the 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Published by leakster Benjamin Geskin, the photos also indicate that there may not be new iPad mini models this year.
According to BGR, the iPad mini lineup has just been “sized out of its own category,” prompting the Cupertino company to stop updating the device and phase it out gradually due to its constantly decreasing sales.
The 10.5-inch iPad model is expected to feature narrower side bezels so that the 10.5-inch display could be fitted inside a body roughly the size of the current 9.7-inch iPad models.
iPhones have come equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology since the iPhone 6 launched in 2014. NFC's primary use in the iPhone is for Apple Pay and allows contactless payments via supported merchants at the point of sale.
On the other hand, well-known jailbreak developer Elias Limneos was tinkering with iPhone NFC on his spare time and managed to hack it to work in ways that are typically locked off by Apple out of the box.
This summer, endless people will take to the highways for road trips. Whether family vacations or spring break, when you’re on the road, it can be extremely handy to have a clip to hold your phone. This not only keeps it out of your hands, which helps you not text and drive, but it makes it easy to see your GPS or music.
We took to Amazon and found some of the top-rated clipping car mounts and put them to the test. Granted, there are many types of car mounts. Some are magnetic, some are cradles, some go in the cup holders, but for this, we just looked at just the ones that clip your phone from the sides and suctioned to your car.
We had some basic criteria for our car mounts before we started comparing them. They had to be among the best sellers on Amazon with good reviews, they needed to be suction cups that could adhere to the dash or windshield, be universal and not just for a specific model smartphone, work one-handed, and they needed to clip the phone from the sides. So now lets take a look at each contender on an individual basis.
The best suction car mountshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY5YO3T5rCI
Individual looksThe three car mounts we dealt with were the iOttie Easy One Touch 3, Spigen Kuel OneTap, and the Tackform Ultra Grip Universal Car Mount. To start, lets take a look at each one individually and what makes the unique.
The iOttie Easy One Touch 3 is the 3rd generation of easy to use smartphone car mounts. It has a large extendable arm that reaches out to 8 inches. It also has an extremely easy to use one-touch grip. For those unfamiliar, this clipping mechanism works by having a trigger on the back of the mount. When you place the phone, it hits the trigger, and the sides come in to grab the phone. Then when you need to release it, you squeeze the sides, which releases the clips and you can grab your phone. The trigger is also quite large which makes it very reliable when placing your phone. It is also the only mount that has a positionable foot rest, which helps prevent your phone from dropping.
The Spigen Kuel OneTap car mount has a very similar setup to the iOttie. It has an extendable arm, though it is slightly longer than the iOttie. It also has the same style clip for your phone, though the trigger is significantly smaller, which can make it slightly less reliable to "trip" when placing your phone. A very handy feature is the cord clip on the underside that helps with managing your cables. The big downside, for me, is it actually fell. I could not get the suction cup to stick to my plastic dash. I had no issues with the other 2, but 2 or 3 times the Spigen did fall on me. When it comes to personal preference, that immediately disqualifies the Spigen for me. That said, it still has great reviews, so clearly this is not the case for everyone.
Tackform is the only one that does not have that spring-loaded clip, but it is still easy to use one-handedly. It has an adjustable clip where one side is fixed, and the other expands when you place your phone. The grip itself is very small and can rotate and twist with ease to work in many different orientations. It also does not have an extendable arm and instead goes for an ultra rigid design, meant to stay in place.
Group comparisonWe did go hands on, driving around with each of these; GoPro in tow. Check out the video if you want to see for yourself, but to sum it up, all 3 mounts did a great job. They all have their perks, and all have their downsides.
Spigen wins the crown for the longest arm. So if you need that extension, this could be the one for you. It's also super handy when mounting to the windshield because you can mount it farther away, and use the arm to bring it closer to your view. However, those arms come with downsides as both the Spigen, and the iOttie had the most amount of movement while driving on the road. I have a newer car, so someone in an aging vehicle with worn down suspension may have even more movement than I did in testing.
Tackform by far was the most rigid with pretty much zero movement as I drove around. I was very impressed, but of course you lose that super handy spring loaded clip and extending arm for that to happen. Even without the arm, it still has a lot of versatility in the movement of the actual grip itself. Because it loses the arm, it also ends up being the smallest and most compact of all three. Smaller cars could benefit greatly from that.
SummarySo which is the best? Well, iOttie may be the most well rounded. Being stable (more stable with the arm retracted), the most secure section cup, and the biggest trigger for the quick connect clip. It also may be the most well known of the 3. However, with all the benefits, personally I think I am going to stick with the Tackform. The super steadiness is so preferable for me and in my car I didn't have the necessity for the extension arms. The quick connect is super handy on the other two, but it wasn't a deal-breaker for me as I could still use the Tackform one handed.
You probably can’t go wrong with any of these mounts, whether the Spigen, Tackform, or iOttie. Unless you were unlucky with the Kuel like I was, whatever your choice, you will be riding with a great companion for your smartphone.
Buy the Spigen Kuel OneTap for $19 Buy the Tackform Car Mount for $18 Buy the iOttie Easy One Touch 3 for $25So after reading the reviews and watching the video, which car mount is your favorite? Or instead of the suction cup mounts do you prefer something like a vent clip or magnetic attachment instead?
Apple is reportedly working on a “game-changing” diabetes treatment technology for Apple Watch Series 3 which will allegedly use interchangeable “smart watch bands” said to contain specialized built-in sensors.
That's according to a source familiar with Apple’s plans who spoke with BGR. The iPhone maker has reportedly “identified the right part of the body and there’s so much more they can and intend to do with the watch,” said the source.
Jonathan Geller, who runs BGR, speculates that the glucose monitoring feature could use Apple's smart band system rather than being built into the watch hardware.
“Apple also plans to introduce interchangeable smart watch bands that add various functionality to Apple Watch without added complexity, and without increasing the price of the watch itself,” the author wrote.
30 million people suffer from diabetes in the US, as per the American Diabetes Association.
Currently, the only way to properly measure blood sugar levels is by using a blood sample or a device that penetrates the skin. That could change soon, if these reports are anything to go by.
Last week, CNBC learned that the Cupertino company has been developing non-invasive sensors that would continuously monitor blood sugar levels.
The super secret initiative is allegedly focused on developing optical sensors that would shine a light through the skin in order to measure indications of glucose.
Apple is even conducting feasibility trials at clinical sites across the Bay Area.
CNBC says Apple hired consultants to deal with regulatory approvals, yet another indication that these smart Apple Watch bands with built-in sensors could in fact see the light of day.
Apple is expected to preview a major new version of watchOS at WWDC next month.
Philips has expanded its Hue smart lighting family of HomeKit-compatible accessories with today's announcement of a brand new candle bulb alongside all-new fixtures and free-standing table lamps. All the new accessories support HomeKit, allowing users to control their lights with Siri on their iPhone or iPad.
The new 40W-equivalent Hue White Ambiance candle bulb provides “the perfect shade of white light for any moment”. It uses a smaller E12 base for fixtures like ceiling fans, chandeliers or decorative table lamps and can output light at up to 450 lumens of brightness.
The candle bulb joins the company's existing White Ambience family of lights, which includes the A19 bulb, GU10 spot light and BR30 downlight.
The newly announced products include:
$200 Philips Hue White Ambiance Being Flushmount $100 Philips Hue White Ambiance Wellner Table Lamp $100 Philips Hue Wellness Table Lamp $30 Hue White Ambience Candle BulbThe new Hue White Ambiance Wellner and Wellness table lamps both include a White Ambinece light bulb for capable of outputting light at 800 lumens. The new Hue White Ambiance Being Flushmount and Hue White Ambiance Fair fixture feature a built-in White Ambience bulb with light output at up to 3,000 lumens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQqgVxLO90I
Subscribe to iDownloadBlog on YouTube
The Fair fixture is available in flushmount, semi-flushmount and suspension styles for attaching to a ceiling.
Hue smart lights were designed to provide the white light needed to help you wake up and energize, concentrate, read, relax and go to sleep naturally.
Mark Cieri, Vice President and General Manager for Home Systems with Philips Lighting US, said:
To put it simply, consumers can have one light to support all of their daily activities. Think about all of the moments you enjoy in your kitchen. Select a cool daylight scene for your morning coffee to energize for the day ahead.
Help your child focus on their homework with a bright white light. Then, create a cozy ambiance for dinner under a warm light to wind down. With Philips Hue White Ambiance, you can personalize your lighting and truly feel at home.
Using HomeKit, Siri and the accompanying iOS app, users can create various hues of white light that can be dimmed or brightened throughout the day.
You can pre-order the new products via the Philips web store ahead of their arrival next month.
The new $30 candle bulb will be available for pre-order in June and launch in July.