Tentative Date for Tesla Autopilot Update; Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Apology & Recall; Clarkson Netflix Show November Start

Posted: September 16, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Elon Musk has announced that Tesla hopes to begin a worldwide rollout of V. 8.0 of their Autopilot software next Wednesday. Bgr.com says this is barring any last minute issues popping up. The revised version will utilize radar a lot more than previous versions…which primarily used it to supplement cameras. The update will be pushed out over the air as in the past.

Samsung’s president has issued a video apology for the fires and explosions of Galaxy Note 7s. According to 9to5google.com, they have replaced 130,000 of the 2.5 million bad handsets so far. They have implored people to power present devices down until they can be replaced. Since the Consumer Product Safety Commission stepped in, Samsung has said that replacement phones will be available no later than September 21st, and now you can take yours in and get your money back, then just go buy the new one when they are available.

The new car show starring the original Top Gear guys: Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond, will premiere on Amazon November 18th. It’s called The Grand Tour. If you’re a Prime member, you can watch it free, or pay a monthly video subscription of 8 bucks a month.

Galaxy S8 Rumors; iPhone 7 Models Sold Out in Stores

Posted: September 15, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Battery fire issues on the Note 7 aside, Samsung is pressing ahead with the Galaxy S8 series. According to 9to5google.com, there are now official code names of Dream and Dream2, and it looks like the whole Galaxy line will go to wraparound Edge screens. On the down side, Samsung is probably going to not only ditch the headphone jack like Apple, but roll out their own proprietary port like Apple’s Lightening. That would allow them to charge accessory makers a licensing fee…and irritate all of us, who will now have to carry around Lightening, USB-C, and Samsung adapters everywhere. Since the Note 7 battery fire issue, it’s looking like Samsung will move the rollout up a week or two…maybe even to a month ahead of Mobile World Congress.

Yes, there’s very slim inventory of iPhone 7 models for stores tomorrow. TechCrunch.com says no Jet Black phones are available, and iPhone 7 Plus models are completely sold out. Your best bet is to order online and wait. If you really want one tomorrow, try a phone carrier store or other non-Apple store…they sometimes have a few phones early in the morning.

Alphabet & Chipotle Test Drone; iPhone 8-No Home Button, etc; Samsung to Kill Phone Jack; iOS 10 Bricking Issue Supposedly Solved

Posted: September 14, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s really all about the food, right? Alphabet and Chipotle are testing drone deliveries at Virginia Tech, according to 9to5google.com. So far, the Project Wing drones have only flown short distances, and they have pilots standing by…but it’s a peek into the future when you could have a burrito or pizza delivered to your door in 20 minutes or so by…drone. The drone won’t expect a tip, either!

There have already been plenty of rumors about the iPhone 8 next year being ‘all glass’. Zdnet.com says expect a full front screen with no home button..it’ll be haptic and under the screen. The screen may also wrap around the edges. As for Jony Ive’s all glass phone, don’t expect that…actually, according to bgr.com, it may be a Zirconia ceramic and polymer body. One of the new Apple Watch 2’s is ceramic. It’s stronger and more scratch resistant, dissipates heat better than aluminum, and no antenna bands….they can transmit right through it.

The hating goes on over no phone jack on the iPhone 7. Meanwhile, thenextweb.com says Samsung is considering following Apple’s lead and ditching it, too. On top of that, Sammy may roll out their own proprietary jack like Apple’s Lightening connector, so they can charge licensing fees to accessory makers. It looks like we can kiss universal standards like USB and phone jacks goodbye when it comes to phones.

Some users upgraded to iOS 10 yesterday, and bricked their phones. According to macrumors.com, the only cure was to plug into your computer and update through iTunes. That’s fine if you were near your computer or have a computer…some don’t. Apple put out a statement within hours, saying the bug is squashed, and it’s all clear…but you might want to wait another day in case. Messages has gotten a lot of add ins, and there’s a redesigned lock screen and much more, when you finally download it.

Chevy Bolt Will Break the 200 Mi Ceiling; Netflix-Caps Are Dumb; T-Mobile iPhone Preorders Explode, Longer Tweets in Days

Posted: September 13, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chevrolet has announced that the Bolt…the smaller, all electric sibling to the hybrid Volt….will have a range of 238 miles. Engadget.com notes that 200 miles is the ‘sweet spot,’ and cars having range exceeding that seem to ease driver fear of being stranded. Chevy says the Bolt will be in showrooms before the end of the year. The Tesla Model 3 is still about a year away from hitting the roads.

Days ago, Netflix wrote the FCC, imploring the Federal Cookie Company…as broadcasters have loved to call it…to disallow data caps. Bgr.com reports that Netflix argues caps serve no legitimate purpose and ‘are an ineffective management tool,’ really serving as a way for Comcast and TWC to stifle competition…primarily from services like Netflix. The Federal Communications Commission…which generally moves with the speed of an elderly snail…has yet to respond.

For months, the tech media has whined that the iPhone 7 would be SO boring with not changing the case design that sales would tank. According to appleinsider.com, T-Mobile’s CEO says sales of the iPhone 7 are quadruple that of the iPhone 6. So far on T-Mobile, Matte Black is the most popular color…that’s what I have coming. CEO Legere has a Jet Black one on the way.

The wait is nearly over…next Monday, Twitter’s longer Tweets will finally be live. Theverge.com reminds us that media attachments…including images, videos, polls, etc, as well as quoted Tweets, will no longer count towards the 140 character limit. Usernames at the beginning of Tweets will also no longer be counted. Go crazy, Twitterati!

Big Tesla Auto Pilot Update Coming; 7 Inch Google Tablet by 4th Quarter; Apple Car Division Restructures; Amazon Continues Retail Push

Posted: September 12, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A major upgrade will be pushed out to Autopilot in Tesla Model S vehicles in the next week or two. TechCrunch.com reports that the so-called Version 8.0 will have updates to signal processing that will let the autopilot rely more on the radar sensors, without confirming data from cameras. According to Elon Musk, the upgrade should see “any thing that’s metallic, anything that’s large and dense,” and then brake the vehicle, “as long as it’s not large and fluffy.” So short of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in the lanes, it should brake, and even guide the car off to an exit.

Google may roll out a 7 inch Android tablet made by Huawei before the end of the year. According to theverge.com, it will have 4 gigs of RAM. Considering that they don’t seem to be sticking with Nexus for the phones, it will probably have a different name as well. We could well get more details at Google’s rumored event on October 4th.

Apple’s Project Titan has laid off dozens of staffers. Macrumors.com says that since Bob Mansfield left, Apple seems to be pivoting towards autonomous driving systems instead of going for building an entire Apple car. The division still has between 500 and 1000 employees working on the project.

In addition to the brick and mortar book store Amazon opened last year, it looks like now the online giant will open over 100 pop up stores in malls around the country. Businessinsider.com points out that these much smaller locations will operate mainly to showcase Amazon hardware like Kindles, Fire TV, and the Echo speakers — as well as accessories. The real goal is to drive more traffic to Amazon’s online store. There are already 21 Amazon pop up stores in 12 states.

Some iPhone 7 Plus Models Sold Out in Hours; FAA- Advises Against Galaxy Note 7s on Planes

Posted: September 9, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple put the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus on pre-sale at midnight Friday morning. In less than 4 hours, according to bgr.com, some models were sold out. The 2 larger capacity iPhone 7 Plus models in the new glossy Jet Black are now backordered until November. Plus models in black or silver, it’s a 2-3 week wait. The Jet Black 128 gig iPhone 7 is also looking at a November ship date. Most of the iPhone 7 models can still be ordered for delivery next Friday. Of course, with Apple, it’s always a question of whether a shortage is from high demand, Apple’s mis-calculating demand, or artificially caused to keep the ‘reality distortion field’ going! I went with black over the Jet Black, which Apple warned may scratch more easily.

The gift that keeps on giving from Samsung. The FAA has strongly advised not to use or charge a Galaxy Note 7 on planes, due to possible battery explosions. Recode.net says it’s not an outright ban. That’s good, since Samsung is recalling the recently released handset that’s been reviewed by many as the best ever Android device. Fliers are also advised not to place the phones in checked baggage. The recall just days before Apple’s iPhone 7 rollout has to have Samsung reeling. Still, it remains the best Android handset, and with the company in the process of replacing 2.5 million of them, the problem should clear up relatively quickly.

Apple’s Event-Dual Cameras and High Gloss and AirPods…Oh, My!

Posted: September 8, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple unveiled the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus to the world yesterday, and generally the leaks were pretty well accurate. They have a faster processor with 4 cores…which, interestingly, work in 2 pairs for either performance or power saving. The Home button now doesn’t move (or leak or break) and uses Haptic feedback to let you know if picked up your touch or presses, the phones are dust and water resistant, and our beloved and venerable headphone jack is gone. Screens are 25% brighter, and produce cinema grade color.

The big headlines, as noted by macrumors.com and others, are new glossy piano black (which Apple calls Jet Black) and matte black colors joining gold and rose gold, and improved cameras. The 7 gets a faster camera with image stabilization previously only available on the Plus, and the Plus gets the dual lens setup…one is wide angle, the other a telephoto.

The latter has a 2 power optical zoom and 10 power digital zoom. All the rear cams are 12 megapixel, with the selfie cam now bumped to 7 megapixel. The zoom is a welcome addition, as is better low light performance. The Plus will also get a software update that will allow portraits with the subject in sharp focus, and a blurred background, like pros have had on SLR and DSLR cameras.

Preorders start tomorrow, and memory has been bumped to 32, 128, and 256 gigs. The 32 gig 7 starts at $649, or $27 a month with the upgrade plan.

The ‘one more thing’, if there was one, was the new wireless headphones called AirPods. They feature internal chips for a claimed 5 hours of use, simpler pairing across Apple devices, tight Siri integration, and a charging case that can recharge them up to 4 times before needing to plug in. Apple will provide a Lightening to mini phone jack adapter for those of us with many sets of wired headphones and other accessories that need one. The $159 AirPods will be out late October, and it remains to be heard if Apple has really solved the issues of drops and noisy audio over Bluetooth to make AirPods truly worthy of replacing high end headphones.

New iPhone Color; Google Maps & Pokemon; Galaxy Note Blows Up in Samsung’s Face; Google Self-Drivers Spot Cops; Netflix Grabs 3 ‘Mythbusters

Posted: September 6, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tomorrow, we’ll know for sure, but for weeks, the tech media has been complaining that there’s nothing cool about the upcoming iPhone 7…not even a dual lens camera that may allow focusing after the fact. Now, they’re all excited about a….color. Mac rumors.com says there will be a glossy ‘piano black’ color. Never let it be said the tech media isn’t shallow!

Google Maps has added a Catching Pokemon feature to the timeline. According to thenextweb.com, you can now show in Maps when and where you’ve been Playing Pokemon Go.

In an amazing gift to Apple, Samsung is recalling all Galaxy Note 7’s..up to 2.5 million, due to batteries that can explode when charging! What has been reviewed as the best Android ever will now be recalled just as the iPhone 7 is rolled out. Bgr.com reports that you can either take it back to where you bought it, or call Sammy at 1-800-SAMSUNG. Whether you decide to swap it for a less ‘explody’ one, or trade for a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge, Samsung will throw in a $25 gift card.

A couple of quick notes….Google has gotten a patent for self-driving cars detection of police vehicles. Thenextweb.com says it picks up on the flashing lights. The cars will automatically move to yield.

The ‘Mythbusters’ build team is getting a show on Netflix. According to bgr.com, Kari Byron, Tory Belleci, and Grant Imahara will star in ‘The White Rabbit Project,’ which will start airing on Netflix December 9th. They’ll investigate things from science, pop culture, and history…and it’s a good bet some things will blow up. Hopefully, not any Samsung batteries.

New Google Phones & 4K Chromecast Roll Out in October; Samsung May Recall Galaxy Note 7 Models

Posted: September 2, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Google will hold a media event in October that will include new phone branding— Pixel and Pixel XL, and will also debut 4K Chromecast. Cnet.com says Android Police tout October 4th as the date. We had just reported this week that Google would drop the Nexus brand, and this is another confirmation of that. We may also see the design for its Daydream VR, a hardware and software platform to help any Android smartphone manufacturer create a VR headset themselves.

There have been several reports the last few weeks of Samsung Galaxy Note 7’s exploding while charging. Now, according to 9to5google.com, the company says that.1 of 1% of the batteries may be bad, and they may go ahead and do a full global recall. Samsung says simply replacing the battery will fix the problem, but they want to err on the side of caution. Until more details on the problem and recall come out…probably next week…don’t use off-brand chargers or accessories with a Galaxy Note 7.

iPhone 8 May Get Iris Scanner; Samsung GearS3 Smartwatch Gets LTE Cell Connection

Posted: September 1, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

iphone-iris-scanner

According to macrumors.com, citing a Chinese source, Apple will give the 10th anniversary iPhone iris scanning. It’s not clear if this would add an additional layer of security, or replace Touch ID. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 just rolled out with an iris scanner a few weeks ago. Some sources think it will be additional deeper security, as it takes at least as long to line up the eyes with the scanner as it does for Touch ID to read your fingerprints. This is also the approach Samsung has taken.

Speaking of Samsung, they announced the Gear S3 smartwatch yesterday. It’s something of a monster watch at 46mm, but does have optional LTE cellular ability. Arstechinca.com reports Samsung is sticking with their Tizen operating system. The biggest Apple watch is 42mm. Samsung promises 3-4 days per charge, and the watch can use your current cell phone number on most systems, and whether your cell phone is Android or iOS. they also continue with a smaller, more svelte model with no cellular. Pricing is yet to be announced.

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