Tuesday 6 June 2017

The Morning After: Apple's HomePod is a speaker with Siri

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Tuesday, June 06, 2017.

Hey, good morning!

Apple’s big developer conference had plenty for fans (and frenemies) to chew over. The keynote ran for two and a half hours (don't worry: we made a shorter version), and covered iOS 11, new iMacs, a new iPad Pro and Apple’s much-teased smart speaker, the HomePod. That wasn’t all. Oh no.

It sounds pretty good.

Apple’s ‘Siri speaker’ is the $350 HomePod

Yep, the “one more thing” during today’s WWDC presentation is Apple’s oft-rumored living room assistant. As it turns out, the HomePod is differentiating itself from the competition by focusing on audio quality. Inside it holds a four-inch woofer, seven tweeters and one A8 processor (first seen in the iPhone 6 / 6 Plus), and in a demo, it sounded better than the Sonos PLAY:3 and Amazon Echo. We’ll find out more about what it can do before it ships in December, but for now, Apple’s pitch is focusing on simple home automation and multiroom audio with AirPlay 2.

10.5 inches of iOS.

Here’s the new iPad Pro

Apple's original 12.9-inch iPad Pro, with its sheer size and high-end specs, made it a standout of the tablet scene, while the Apple Pencil made to work with it made it a hit with designers and other creatives. Now, just a year after Apple introduced the smaller capable 9.7-inch iPad Pro, the company has replaced it with a new larger model with a 10.5-inch screen. It has a display that's 20 percent larger than its predecessor, squeezed into essentially the same space by reducing the bezels by 40 percent. Perhaps most importantly from a physical perspective is that the tablet still weighs in at just one pound. It’s time to reassess the iPad lineup yet again.

Yep, that's really the name.

Apple's macOS High Sierra adds a faster Safari browser and a new file system

It’s not the grandest of macOS updates, but Apple’s web browser gets some love from the High Sierra upgrade. Senior VP of software engineering Craig Federighi claimed that the upgraded Safari tops all desktop browsers in speed: He even went as far as to say it's the world's fastest desktop browser. The browser also features autoplay blocking: It detects sites that shouldn't be playing video and pauses them. With the update, macOS also finally supports VR -- and Apple's external GPU dev kit will be what virtual reality creators will need.

Also: Say hello to Apple File System (APFS). Apple claims that High Sierra is its fastest operating system ever, and Apple File is part of that, offering much better performance and security than before. As Federighi showed on the stage, copying files now runs nearly instantly on Apple File, compared to the now-decades-old HFS filesystem. Along with the speed, APFS supports far more files than ever, letting you put nine quintillion of them on a single volume. Security-wise, it includes multikey encryption, making it tough for bad guys (or law enforcement and spies) to crack even if they have physical access to your drive. That encryption will also work in a unified way across all of Apple's devices.

And it's all in Space Gray.

Apple’s iMac Pro is its most powerful computer ever

Apple has another iMac to reveal. The iMac Pro is a powerful, familiar-looking all-in-one, decked in Space Gray -- and the company says it's the most powerful Mac ever. Period. The pro-level computer will ship with up to 18-core Xeon processors as well as Radeon Pro Vega graphics. That's apparently enough for up to 11 Teraflops of single precision (or 22 Teraflops at "half precision") processing power. The 27-inch Retina 5K display lies on top of an all-flash memory architecture with an all-new thermal design, adding 80 percent more cooling capacity to match all that processing power.

Your mobile devices are about to talk your language.

iOS 11 gets smarter and puts your iPad to work

The latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system features a smarter version of Siri that does a better job of understanding what you need to know and presenting that information when it’s relevant. Apple Maps is ready to navigate indoors, new tools will give augmented reality apps like Pokemon Go a boost and the App Store is getting its first major redesign in… ever. Also, a new Do Not Disturb While Driving feature is intended to help people keep their eyes on the road, while iMessage and Apple Pay are teaming up for person-to-person payments.

On iPad, the changes are meant to make you more productive. A new dock will try to guess which app you’ll need next and is similar to the same feature on macOS. Meanwhile, Slide Over multitasking makes it easier to use more than one app at once, there’s a cloud-connected File manager app and drag-and-drop is ready to move more of the information you deal with on a daily basis like multiple pictures and links. It’s a pretty big update, so check out our recap of the new features here.

The other stuff.

Apple Watch and Apple TV still exist

Apple kicked off its WWDC event by quickly mentioning its wrist- and TV-based platforms, albeit briefly. For now, the only Apple TV news is that an Amazon Prime Video app is on the way, while the Apple Watch is getting another big update with watchOS 4. There’s a new Siri-powered watch face that takes a few hints from Google Now with contextual updates (like traffic alerts when it’s time to go to work), a revamped dock and improved Fitness features to track all of your workouts. Oh, and there’s also some game called Monument Valley 2.

But wait, there's more...

1. The Roomba for gardening can weed while you relax

2. Zero DS 6.5 motorcycle review: If you're happy staying in the city, it's an enjoyable ride.

3. Apple and Amazon want a stake in Toshiba's memory business

4. SpaceX's re-launched Dragon capsule arrives at the ISS

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Monday 5 June 2017

Editor's Pick: Managing Commissions to Boost Sales Productivity

Managing Commissions to Boost Sales Productivity

Chris Bucholtz Jun 5, 2017 1:04 PM PT
	Ask salespeople and they'll tell you: They don't have enough time in the day to sell. That's not because the laws of physics cause salespeople to move through time faster than the rest of us -- it's because salespeople are pulled in many directions over the course of a day, cutting into their selling time. Actual selling takes up just 36 percent of the average salesperson's time. [More...]

More Picks:

The Max-Q: The Coolest Thing Out of Computex
I didn't attend Computex this year, and that was sad for everything but my budget, because there was a ton of cool stuff announced at the show. Dell, HP and Lenovo showed off new designs that were both attractive and compelling. Mixed-reality headsets hit; based on Intel and Microsoft technology, they were far more affordable than the strong virtual reality stuff already in market. [More...]

Tech Titans Pledge Continued Paris Accord Support
Reacting to the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, several high-tech industry leaders have pledged renewed environmental efforts. "Disappointed with today's decision. Google will keep working hard for a cleaner, more prosperous future for all," tweeted CEO Sundar Pichai. "We will double our efforts to fight climate change," tweeted Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. [More...]

PCs Shine Again, but for How Long?
Just when PCs looked to be dying a slow, painful death, they became interesting again. As expected, this week's news coming from Computex is flush with new PCs and PC technologies, but is it enough to reinvigorate a market that has faced declining sales since 2011? The market peaked at just over 365 million units annually, and fell to 269 million units last year. So, why all the excitement? [More...]

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Tech News Flash

Tech News Flash: Monday -- June 5, 2017

TechNewsWorld -- All Tech - All The Time
http://www.TechNewsWorld.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Headline Scan
The Max-Q: The Coolest Thing Out of Computex
Tech Titans Pledge Continued Paris Accord Support
Plex Advances Cord-Cutting Case With Live OTA TV
Microsoft Partners Heed Mixed-Reality Call
BitKey Unlocks Mysteries of the Bitcoin Universe
Android Creator Launches a Phone of His Own
Hacking and Linux Go Together Like 2 Keys in a Key Pair

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Today's Story Highlights

The Max-Q: The Coolest Thing Out of Computex

I didn't attend Computex this year, and that was sad for everything but
my budget, because there was a ton of cool stuff announced at the show.
Dell, HP and Lenovo showed off new designs that were both attractive and
compelling. Mixed-reality headsets hit; based on Intel and Microsoft
technology, they were far more affordable than the strong virtual
reality stuff already in market.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84580.html

Tech Titans Pledge Continued Paris Accord Support

Reacting to the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, several high-
tech industry leaders have pledged renewed environmental efforts.
"Disappointed with today's decision. Google will keep working hard for a
cleaner, more prosperous future for all," tweeted CEO Sundar Pichai. "We
will double our efforts to fight climate change," tweeted Salesforce CEO
Marc Benioff.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84582.html

Plex Advances Cord-Cutting Case With Live OTA TV

Video streaming service Plex on Thursday announced the availability of a
beta version of its Plex Live TV. The live-TV streaming launch follows
last year's introduction of the Plex DVR, which provides users with free
over-the-air access to 86 of Nielsen's 100 most watched shows in the
United States. Plex Live TV currently is available only on Android TV
and iOS devices.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84579.html

Microsoft Partners Heed Mixed-Reality Call

Microsoft on Wednesday showcased a new series of mixed reality headsets
from partner firms Acer, HP, Asus, Dell and Lenovo at Computex 2017. The
preview marked the company's commitment to establish Windows 10 as a
leading driver of mixed reality capabilities, as well as to open up the
market to a wider variety of price points and consumer demographics.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84572.html

BitKey Unlocks Mysteries of the Bitcoin Universe

BitKey is a Debian-based live distribution with specialist utilities for
performing highly secure air-gapped bitcoin transactions. This distro is
not for everyday computing needs, but if you are obsessed with the use
of bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, it might be just what you need. I
am a high-tech sort of guy with a keen interest in diving through Linux
distros both simple and complex.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84575.html

Android Creator Launches a Phone of His Own

Essential, a company founded by Andy Rubin, the "father of Android," on
Tuesday pulled off the wraps on a new high-end smartphone. The Essential
Phone, priced at $699, includes radios for connecting to all major U.S.
carriers. The unit has an almost edge-to-edge display -- there's a bit
of bezel at the bottom of its screen -- that wraps around the 8-MP
selfie camera at the front.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84570.html

Hacking and Linux Go Together Like 2 Keys in a Key Pair

Ever since taking an interest Linux, with the specific aim of better
understanding and enhancing my personal digital security, I have been
fascinated by hacker conferences. As soon as I learned of their
existence, I made a point of keeping tabs on the major conferences so I
could browse through the latest videos in their archive once each one
wraps up. I thought that was the closest I would get.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84573.html

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The Morning After: Adventures in liquid nitrogen

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Monday, June 05, 2017.

Hey, good morning!

Welcome to the new week. Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference kicks off later today. While we will be reporting live from it, we’ve also got thoughts on what we might see, right here.

We also try overclocking processors with liquid nitrogen (and some skill), and explain that the end of SIM cards as we know them is coming. Oh, and Google Photos is now smart enough to delete your useless photos all by itself.

Warning! May contain liquid nitrogen

A total newbie tries overclocking to 7GHz

Asia's big PC show, Computex, has two competitive arenas: eSports and extreme-PC-overclocking. Even if you don’t have the Counter-Strike skills to cut it it, there’s always the opportunity to pour liquid nitrogen onto a PC motherboard. Total overclocking newbie Richard Lai took up the challenge.

The Assistant will ID pictures that might not require top billing.

Google Photos archiving rolls out with AI-powered suggestions

The new Archive feature recently spotted in Google Photos is now rolling out to all users, but it has an extra trick. While the Archive button lets you push more mundane photos (scans of receipts, screenshots of a random tweet, or maybe particularly personal photograph) out of the main Photos display without deleting it, there's also a new suggestion in the Assistant tab that will use its machine learning skills to find likely candidates for you. Of course, you can manually archive photos any time you like (they'll still show up in search or inside albums), but if you already have a significant Photos catalog this should make things easier.

Plastic cards may linger, but expect the big changeover soon.

Computex was a reminder that the age of the eSIM is upon us

Nestled inside your cellphone is a sliver of plastic you almost certainly never think about. Your SIM card basically stores your phone's identity and passes it along to whatever wireless carrier network you pay for. It's absolutely crucial to the way your phone operates, but wireless carriers and network companies have been plotting its demise for years. Yes, the future belongs to what's called an eSIM -- short for "embedded SIM" -- woven directly into the silicon fabric of a device's modem. eSIMs may already be in our wearables, but thanks to Intel and Microsoft, they'll wind up in our phones and PCs before long.