Wednesday, 20 September 2017

The Morning After: The verdict on the iPhone 8

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Wednesday, September 20, 2017.

Hey, good morning!

Welcome to your Wednesday. We’ve got our full verdict on Apple’s iPhone 8 -- you’ll have to wait to see how the iPhone X fares, and now Google is the latest company angling for our new smartphone-buying dollars. And, oops, the phones have leaked ahead of anything official. We also have a portable(ish) fire pit, because the outdoors needs gadgets, too.

Exposed.

Google’s mini Home speaker and Pixel 2 XL leak ahead of October event

Hopefully you weren’t set on waiting until October 4th to find out about Google’s new hardware, because some pricing and specs have already leaked. Droid-Life found details on the Pixel phones, which will have familiar prices and storage setups, as well as the Daydream View VR headset, which is getting a $20 price hike. The biggest news is confirmation of the Google Home Mini, an Echo Dot-like puck that will sell for $49 with a focus on Google Assistant instead of high-quality audio.

If you just can’t give up your home button.

iPhone 8 and 8 Plus review

No, they’re not the (nearly) all-screen iPhone 8, but these new iPhones still have some important upgrades. With a new A11 Bionic CPU inside, upgraded cameras and wireless charging, an iPhone 8 could be the right one for you.

A bigger upgrade on bigger screens.

iOS 11 review

With new iPhones comes a new operating system, but Devindra Hardawar found the big changes in iOS 11 are easier to notice on Apple’s tablets. Now the iPad is better equipped than ever to operate as a laptop replacement (if that’s what you’re looking for), thanks to a new OS X-style dock and Files app. Other tweaks like ARKit, photography upgrades and a more natural sounding Siri give you more reasons to update now instead of waiting.

Here we go again.

CNBC: Sprint and T-Mobile are inching closer to a merger

Once again, there are rumors that Sprint and T-Mobile are considering joining forces. Each company is almost always turning up in one acquisition rumor or another, so teaming up to better fight AT&T and Verizon makes at least some sense. Still, despite years of rumors, it hasn’t happened and CNBC’s sources claim negotiators are “weeks” away from a deal that would make T-Mobile’s parent company a majority owner of the new venture.

‘Neko Atsume’ is coming to VR.

Here’s everything from PlayStation Japan's 2017 press event

The Tokyo Game Show has been a smaller affair in the last few years, and Sony has typically spun off its own pre-show press event. This year’s no different, and PlayStation Japan had no less than four limited edition PlayStations, and a bunch of games and release dates. Here are the highlights.

First you can feast, then relax in front of the flames.

BioLite's FirePit goes beyond the camping grill

BioLite's new FirePit is a best-of-both-worlds solution. It’s a portable grill station that doubles as a warming and hypnotic flame source, opening up opportunities beyond the campsite. There’s flames, and you can cook on ‘em.

You just need to fork out at least $560 and board a flight to China.

The dual-screen Yota3 phone has an even a sharper E Ink second display

After a teaser back in June, the third-gen dual-screen YotaPhone -- now simply dubbed Yota3 -- was unveiled in China yesterday. Pretty much all the main specs are identical to the leak Engadget received earlier, but this was our first time seeing this rounded metallic design. First and foremost, there’s a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED screen along with a 13-megapixel camera and a fingerprint reader on the front. Flip the device around and you'll see its headlining feature: a 5.2-inch 720p E Ink Carta II display -- with buttons. Double screens aren’t cheap, however: Prices start at 3,699 yuan -- about $560 instead of the rumored $350.

But wait, there's more...

1. 24 hours with the FitBit Ionic smartwatch

2. US Navy will use Xbox controllers to steer submarine periscopes

3. Oculus tweaks VR audio to seem closer and more realistic

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Tuesday, 19 September 2017

E-Commerce Minute

E-Commerce Minute: Tuesday -- September 19, 2017

The E-Commerce Times -- E-Business Means Business
http://www.ecommercetimes.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Headline Scan
Malware Embedded in CCleaner Tool Puts Millions at Risk
5 Ways to Use Snapchat to Target Millennials
Account-Based Marketing Inspires New Software, Strategies
FTC Confirms Probe Into Equifax Data Breach
New Checklist Guides B2B Marketing Automation Platform Purchases
The Vision Thing

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Today's Story Highlights

Malware Embedded in CCleaner Tool Puts Millions at Risk

Malicious code has been discovered in two versions of Piniform's
CCleaner housekeeping utility, the company disclosed on Monday. Piniform
is owned by Avast, whose security products are used by more than 400
million people. The malware infecting CCleaner could give hackers
control over the devices of more than 2 million users. CCleaner is
designed to rid computers and mobile phones of junk.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84818.html

5 Ways to Use Snapchat to Target Millennials

Once just a hangout for teenagers, Snapchat has matured into an engaging
and effective social media platform. If you're trying to reach a younger
demographic, it's somewhere you probably want to be. "Snapchat is the
best channel to reach young people, as they count for more than two-
thirds of its audience and are very active users," said Melissa Sanchot,
head of marketing at MakeMeReach.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84815.html

Account-Based Marketing Inspires New Software, Strategies

InsideView has released a new tool for business-to-business companies
that have implemented account-based marketing. It is a fully redesigned
version of InsideView Target, with the addition of ABM workflows and
other enhancements. "Companies who want to [succeed] with ABM need to
start with the right set of target accounts and people," said Joe
Andrews, VP of product and solution marketing.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84816.html

FTC Confirms Probe Into Equifax Data Breach

In a rare move, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Thursday confirmed
that it has opened an investigation into the data breach at Equifax that
compromised the sensitive personal information of 143 million U.S.
consumers. The FTC announcement came less than a week after Equifax
revealed that an unknown party had gained access to names, addresses,
Social Security Numbers and other data belonging to nearly half the U.S.
population.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84813.html

New Checklist Guides B2B Marketing Automation Platform Purchases

Four Quadrant this week released its Marketing Automation Buyer's
Checklist for companies seeking to purchase a B2B marketing automation
platform, or MAP. The checklist has eight major categories for
evaluation and more than 35 subcategories. It lists more than 100
questions buyers should ask to make an informed assessment of MAP
vendors' offerings.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84814.html

The Vision Thing

Salesforce earlier this year introduced its Einstein Vision capability,
an idea with a lot of promise but not a great deal of precedent. Who had
applications that could see, and how would this be used? For decades,
we've been content with scanning documents and analyzing them with OCR
tools, or we've used bar codes and QR codes -- but it all came down to
recognizing simple symbols.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84811.html

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The Morning After: There's good news, but not for Toys 'R' Us or Equifax

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Tuesday, September 19, 2017.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

We have some bad news from Toys ‘R’ Us, CCleaner and Equifax, but at least Galaxy S8 owners can disable the Bixby button, and Jerry Seinfeld’s latest stand-up is available on Netflix.

The internet claims another victim.

Toys ‘R’ Us files Chapter 11

Between the rise of internet shopping and a crushing debt load, Toys ‘R’ Us is struggling. The company announced it’s filing for bankruptcy protection in the US and Canada but says all of its stores will continue to operate as normal. The Wall Street Journal reports some “underperforming” stores may shut down, while others are revamped to focus on experiences like in-store play areas.

0 to 60 in less than 3.5 seconds.

Porsche's Mission E will be priced to challenge Tesla

Porsche is still a couple of years away from releasing the production version of its Mission E speedster, but Chairman Oliver Blume revealed some key details about the project. When it arrives before the end of 2019, it should have a price similar to the Panamera (between $80,000 and $90,000), which makes it a competitor for the Tesla Model S 100D and could make it cheaper than the $135,000 Ludicrous Mode-equipped P100D. Porsche is also planning for 350kW fast-charging that can give 250 miles of range (out of a possible 300 miles) in just 15 minutes.

Good news, bad news.

Galaxy S8 owners can finally disable the Bixby button

They just can’t do anything else with it.

Somehow this keeps getting worse

Equifax stock sales prompt DOJ investigation for insider trading

You probably already knew that three Equifax officials sold $1.8 million in shares after the company learned of the security breach. The DOJ is investigating that, and while the company says those execs were not aware of this breach when they sold their shares, the story is complicated further now that Bloomberg reports Equifax suffered a separate breach even earlier, in March.

Stop worrying.

August's latest smart locks let you know if you left the door open

August is introducing two new locks, the $150 August Smart Lock and the $280 August Smart Lock Pro, that both include a sensor to determine whether or not the door is really closed. If it’s ajar, the lock can let you know on your phone, so you never have to wonder again. Oh, and there’s a new doorbell camera that buffers its recordings to capture the seconds leading up to a button press.

That’s how you get ants.

Hackers slipped malware into popular PC software CCleaner

Piriform's CCleaner utility, owned by antivirus provider Avast, was found to be hosting a "multi-stage malware payload" that could install ransomware or keyloggers and further infect targeted computers on command. The company says this backdoor has been removed, and it already forced updates to push some two million users off of the affected version. Still, it may be worthwhile to clear your own cookies in the future.

Will you sign up for CBS All Access?

What's on TV this week

CBS is ready to premiere its new Star Trek series on broadcast television before pushing Discovery as a streaming exclusive, while Netflix brings Jerry Seinfeld (plus Jaden Smith in Neo Yokio) and Amazon drops in a new season of Transparent. Movie fans can choose Wonder Woman, Close Encounters of the Third Kind or Starship Troopers on Ultra HD Blu-ray, while gamers have Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite and Project Cars 2 incoming.