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Apple, Amazon were rare bright spots in a shrinking tablet market

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The researchers didn’t explain why the tablet world contracted over the course of the whole year, but its fourth quarter stats offered some clues. Apple was particularly aggressive in updating tablets in 2019, and its lower-cost models were particularly successful — the 10.2-inch iPad reportedly represented almost 65 percent of Apple’s shipments. Amazon has been struggling with a decline in the US, but its budget Fire tablets got a boost through discounts like the Black Friday sale.

For rivals, the problems varied. Samsung fared well with keyboard-friendly tablets like the Galaxy Tab S6, but that wasn’t enough to make up for sinking demand for its other slates. Huawei and Lenovo, meanwhile, performed best in their home territory of Asia-Pacific but didn’t fare as well elsewhere. The US decision to blacklist Huawei didn’t help, either.

The shrinking market leaves at least some these companies in a tough spot, in part because there aren’t many clear answers. Samsung may need to either shore up its budget tablet sales or shift even more of its focus to the high end, while the opposite appears to be true for Huawei and Lenovo. And while Apple and Amazon appear to be sitting pretty, they might not have room to be complacent lest their rivals (including Windows tablet and convertible makers) figure out winning strategies.

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Ads invade Byte with a campaign from Nike

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Like it or not, the Vine revival app Byte is bringing in a staple of modern social networks: prominent ads. The looping video app has launched its first ad campaign with Nike, which is running a rathe conspicuous “Self Hail Mary” sponsored section alongside the usual categories. It’s easy to avoid watching the videos if you don’t particularly care for them, but there’ll be no doubt that Nike paid for obvious placement.



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Bird-inspired wings could help small drones fly four times longer

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Where the leading edges of aircraft wings are typically smooth and focused on keeping airflow glued to the wing as much as possible, the scientists’ design has s a sharp leading edge (much like that of small birds and insects) with a completely flat wing, separating the airflow. That lessens the peak aerodynamic efficiency, but easily compensates for it by allowing a much larger wing ratio that boosts lift. And since it doesn’t need the aerodynamics of traditional aircraft wings, it can use high aspect ratio wings that are thick enough to both support themselves and offer room for elements like batteries.

Right now, the design has only truly been tested in a wind tunnel, which isn’t a very realistic environment. It could be a while before there’s a proper field trial. The team has patented the design and intends to refine it, though, so it may not be too long before tiny drones can last for hours at a stretch. That could help everyone from eager enthusiasts through to security teams that ay need around-the-clock drone surveillance.

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Apple is offering onsite repairs in some US cities

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We’ve asked Apple if it can elaborate on the service, including when it started and whether there are expansion plans.

The company already offers onsite fixes for enterprise customers, and they’ll get better service in key areas. They get one-hour response times for key problems, for instance. There are also some repairs that will require a trek to a store no matter what, such as an iPhone battery replacement. Even so, this is a big deal if you’d prefer Apple to fit your schedule instead of the other way around.

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Hacker pleads guilty to stealing Nintendo secrets

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In Hernandez’ renewed campaign, which ended when the FBI seized his devices in June 2019, he apparently broke into “multiple” Nintendo servers and stole a host of secret info, bragging about it on Discord and Twitter while leaking some of the data elsewhere. He even shared potential vulnerabilities in Nintendo’s network with his community.

The plea includes a recommended sentence of three years in prison, $259,323 in restitution to Nintendo and registration as a sex offender. Hernandez will face sentencing on April 21st. That deal would be a far cry from the maximum sentences of five years for the hacking-related charges and 20 years for child pornography, but it isn’t trivial. For Nintendo, this also sends a message to would-be data thieves hoping to get a peek at the company’s future.

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Ring update gives you more control over police video requests

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On top of this, you’ll see an Active Law Enforcement Map that shows the police departments that have joined the Neighbors app, including those nearby. You’ll know whether opting out of video requests will have a meaningful impact.

The update also makes it easier to keep tabs on which users, devices and third-party services are allowed to access your Ring system. It should be that much easier to remove an old phone you aren’t using, a housemate who moved out or an app you no longer trust.

The improvements should be available now for Android and iOS. Later versions of Control Center should have “even more” fine-tuning of privacy and security, Ring said. While this probably won’t allay all your concerns if you’re privacy-conscious, it might help if you’re an existing owner who was having second thoughts.

Ring Control Center

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Amazon Echo Show now scans barcodes for your grocery list

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According to VentureBeat, the feature is available for Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 8 smart speakers with displays. To start the process, just say “Alexa, scan this to my shopping list,” and instructions will show up, asking you to align the product barcode with its digital counterpart on the screen. It worked well most of the time when The Verge tested it out, though it added a lengthy product description for a carton of milk instead of just the brand and the item type. Hey, at least you’ll be 100 percent sure that you’re picking the right gluten-, soy-, lactose- and sugar-free food item for that family member who’s allergic to everything.

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Apple is closing all mainland China stores due to coronavirus outbreak

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Key suppliers like Foxconn have said they don’t expect problems meeting production goals for companies like Apple. Caution is still the order of the day, however. Apple chief Tim Cook said that expectations for the start of the calendar year were unusually vague due to virus-related uncertainty. Sales at stores had dropped across China in recent days, even outside of the coronavirus epicenter of Wuhan.

Other companies have closed stores and offices, or have made special accommodations. Tesla, for instance, is offering free Supercharger access so that its EV owners and their friends can get around without having to rely on public transport.

It’s not surprising that Apple would make this move even without the declining sales. Its stores have many hands-on stations, making them prime breeding grounds for viruses even with thorough cleaning. It could easily spread the illness if it isn’t careful, and the temporary closures should eliminate any chance of that happening.

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A look back at the triumphs and stumbles of the original Kindle

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Weight

The first Kindle was a far cry from the company’s modern Paperwhite reader: The original clocked in at 10.3 ounces (for reference, the 2019 model comes in at 6.1 ounces). However, our reviewers commented on how light it still feels to them, with Peter1110 calling it “easy to hold” and Kevin stating “10 ounces is heavy, until you realize that the average paperback book is 15 ounces (and hardbacks can be significantly more).”

Battery life

kindle_largefont“kindle_largefont” by Drathus is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

We heard of a conflicting experience when it came to the Kindle’s lithium polymer battery. While Tomtom11 said they’d had great experiences with the battery life on the first-generation e-reader, they also reported a minor problem. “I let the battery completely drain one time and had to remove the battery and use the reset button to get it going again. Directions on the Kindle support site took me through the process.”

Screen

Lots of users wanted to talk about the advantages of the 6-inch, 800 x 600 screen on the original device. TimothyMcGrath called it “very easy on the eyes, just like looking at paper,” while Peter1110 noted that “the screen is purposefully designed so that you can read while the sun is glaring.”

Kevin said the screen “was good, except that you still needed a light source to read by.” And Tomtom11 pointed out that “as with other ebook readers, there is no backlight, so reading in bed still requires a good lamp (or a clip-on book lamp).” This feedback was something Amazon eventually took to heart when it debuted the 2012 Kindle Paperwhite, which ran on four built-in LEDs.

Buttons and controls

Amazon Holds News Conference

Another aspect of the Kindle that readers were eager to discuss was its keyboard and controls. In 2007, the same year the first iPhone was released, touchscreens were not yet standard. As a result of that, perhaps, the first-generation Kindle suffered from trying to cram in a full set of buttons and controls alongside the screen. Kevin said “the keyboard was made for using thumbs, but I found that to be really clunky and would just lay it down and type two-fingered.” TimothyMcGrath said that in retrospect the “controls for the Kindle are usable but after using the Kindle 2, they definitely feel inferior. It uses a sliding wheel to select items which can be difficult especially for older people.”

That irritation extended to the e-reader’s controls as well. Kevin stated the “page controls weren’t the greatest,” and that the “separate position indication was a nice touch, but it was pretty useless.” BrianCarnell agreed, saying “annotation is also an important feature to me, but I found the keyboard all but useless.” But Tomtom11 felt differently, finding that “page turns are quick and although I’m a lefty, the configurations for the buttons for turning pages are still pretty convenient.” And Peter1110 said that users “can easily move the directional keys to highlight important sentences or phrases.”

Book selection

IMG_6137.JPG“IMG_6137.JPG” by mak506 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

One thing that all our reviewers could agree upon was the importance of the Kindle’s book selection and its ability to connect to Whispernet via 3G. TimothyMcGrath thought it was “great to be able to download books without hooking up to a PC.” Ttringle said that “sampling new books cost me quite a bit of money, when Amazon makes it so easy to buy new books over the 3G.” Tomtom11 was effusive in their praise: “I absolutely love the Whispernet connectivity; no need for a computer and it allows you to download books anywhere, anytime.” And Ogre felt the “internet connectivity is what makes it so great, no other e-reader (at this time) can connect directly to the book source.” They added: “I read way more than before because I am fairly lazy and would put off going to the store to get books. I need new books now! This is what makes the Kindle better than any other reader.”

Peter1110, who felt that the “Kindle takes advantage of the enormous selection of books in the Amazon bookstore, many of which are free,” also felt that the “Kindle does not replace textbooks for college. I was initially very thrilled when I bought the Kindle version of the textbook for my biology class, however, the lack of color in the Kindle makes it hard to clearly interpret diagrams that are colored for the purpose of distinguishing between certain anatomies of the body.” (A later version of the Kindle, the DX, was better suited for textbook reading.)

BrianCarnell said that while “buying ebooks from Amazon is the main feature the Kindle has that other e-readers don’t, from my experience Amazon’s DRM scheme is pernicious and using the wireless network drained the battery ridiculously quickly, even when the device wasn’t in use.” TimothyMcGrath pointed out another drawback, stating that “books are excellent on the Kindle, but I have given up on magazines and newspapers. The format just doesn’t work for them. Amazon really needs to make it more like reading a magazine or newspaper in real life or on the web.”

Overall

Kindle“Kindle” by FourOhFour is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Having now gone through dozens of upgrades and improvements, the current Kindle is a far cry from the original model. BrianCarnell, who reviewed the Kindle in 2009, said he “read a few books on it and then passed it along to a coworker in favor of a Sony Reader with a touchscreen.” TimothyMcGrath, who also wrote his review in 2009, said “I highly recommend the Kindle, but if you’re planning on buying one, definitely pick up the newer version. It is much improved over this great, original device.” Kevin said “I currently use the Fire but the page controls aren’t the greatest. I actually think the Fire tablet is worse than the original Kindle because the action depends on where and how you press, it’s difficult to be consistent even after more than a year of using it.”

That said, a few users took time to point out the disadvantages of the device; BrianCarnell said that “it’s not that the Kindle is a poor device, it’s just that it is so bland there’s not much to get excited about.” However most were effusive in their praise for the gadget; both ttringle and TimothyMcGrath said they loved their first-generation Kindles, with ttringle adding “the Kindle is one of the best things a reader can do for themselves, book lovers shouldnt be without one.” Tomtom11 felt the Kindle “is a great ebook reader; overall, I highly recommend it.” Finally, Ogre, who was skeptical that the device would actually replace books for them, said “I often get tired of gadgets before too long. I’ve had my Kindle since November of 2007 and I still use it every single day.”

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The Morning After: Fox, Roku and Super Bowl LIV

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And DIY music making.The Engadget Podcast: Why Clearview AI’s facial recognition is a privacy nightmare

This week, Devindra and Cherlynn dive into how ClearView works, and what unchecked access to powerful facial recognition means for the future of privacy. (It’s good for cops, not so much everybody else!) Also, managing editor Terrence O’Brien joins to break down how Billie Eilish recorded a Grammy-winning album in a spare bedroom. It’s yet another milestone for DIY home audio production.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Pocket Casts or Stitcher.

Was Grimes late for a studio session?Meet SoundCloud’s newest mediocre EDM artist: Elon Musk!

Sure, we said that anyone can make music in a home studio, and in the case of Billie Eilish, it can go from SoundCloud to Grammy-winning in the blink of an eye. But what we didn’t expect is that the next person to follow her lead would be Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. So how is Don’t Doubt ur Vibe? It’s far from the worst thing on SoundCloud/Spotify, and probably won’t lead to a massive lawsuit, so there’s that at least.

Bad PasswordPhishing scams leveled up, and we didn’t

Columnist Violet Blue explains why we’re all gullible enough to fall for phishing attacks and click on links in suspicious emails even though we shouldn’t.

Also, there are cars. And planes. And explosions.RED’s Hydrogen One phone makes a cameo in the ‘F9: Fast Saga’ trailer

The next Fast & Furious movie is almost here, and on Friday we got a peek at its four-minute “teaser” trailer. Beyond the near-fantasy-level automotive hijinks, one thing that jumped out is the crew’s choice in mobile devices. For whatever reason, more than one car has RED’s much-hyped phone strapped to the dash, and this isn’t even the only production to feature that hardware — the Hydrogen One stood in as an evil plot device in the final season of Marvel’s Runaways.

It’ll give you range anxiety outside cities, however.Honda E first drive: Futuristic and incredibly fun to drive

It’s a miracle the Honda E is even here, considering how much Honda seemed to hate electric cars. Until recently, Honda (along with Toyota) has focused on hybrid and hydrogen cars, while ceding the EV market to Tesla and others. However, a maverick gang of Honda engineers convinced management to build the Honda E. They even kept the design pretty close to the Urban E concept it’s based on, right down to the wild futuristic interior.

And it paid off. The compact EV’s retro-cute je ne sais quoi (not to mention all the technology inside) has grabbed the attention of car buyers and EV fans of all stripes. Now, all that remains is to see if it’s as fun to be in and drive as it looks. Steve Dent took it for a spin.

But wait, there’s more…

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