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Engadget readers love the iPad Pro 12.9

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Body

Across the board, people appreciated the hardware improvements featured in the iPad Pro 12.9: Tyler gave them a 10/10, Jan called them sublime and Ali said “the design is fantastic.” Lori felt its dimensions were “refreshingly large” if a bit heavy, while Ali thought it “would be great if they reduced the size to 12.0 or 12.5” inches. The bezel was also a big hit; Bing Shaw said it “is all balance, no matter how you hold it” and Lori didn’t miss the “forehead/chin areas like my old iPad had.”

Apple iPad Pro 12.9

Also popular with users like Lori and Jan was the “great, big, bright sparkling screen,” which Brent found was like “a massage for your eyes!” However, G said it was “extremely hard to keep clean. Unlike our smaller iPads, and iPhone XR and SE screens, the fingerprints don’t come off with a few swipes of microfiber.”

Processor

The A12X Bionic chipset didn’t disappoint either. Warren said “for digital art, it becomes scary how easily it loads up large user files with no fuss and while having multiple apps running, something most pro laptops struggle with.” Ed also said his iPad Pro 12.9 “runs very fast,” which G echoed, including “256GB is plenty of storage for me, the battery life is awesome.”

Apple iPad Pro 12.9

Battery

Speaking of which, users had mixed experiences with the battery life on the revamped tablet. Chris said games like Civilization VI really let “the processor and the battery life shine (much better than on a notebook),” and G was likewise pleased. However, Warren felt one of his biggest issues with the device was the battery life “which, while acceptable, usually lasts about ⅔ a day of general use.” And Lori was “hoping the battery life would be better than it is” but supposes “that is the compromise for screen size.”

Apple Pencil

The new, flat $130 Apple Pencil pleased most of the users who tried it. SheldonL said it was nice and Jan said it was amazing. Even better, Bing Shaw called it perfect and G said it worked great for them. While Michael told the Apple Pencil “you are great buddy,” he still wanted a coarse nib on it to make the experience “feel like paper and not oil.” He wasn’t the only one: SheldonL said using the Pencil “still feels like writing on glass” and could use improvement, while Jan said navigation using the Pencil was “a PITA” and kept having to go back to using their fingers on the touchscreen.

Apple Pencil

iOS 12

Much like Chris, user reviewers were let down by the software side of the iPad Pro 12.9: Ali and Roman found it limited and Ed referred to it as stale. Tyler gave it a 1/10 while Jan called it a let down and Victor said “the software still holds back the iPad Pro.”

The most wanted features in iOS? Better file management, mouse/trackpad support and improved multitasking. Lex noted that “without a proper file system and mouse support some work tasks can be impossible to complete.” SheldonL agreed, saying that “until it has proper file system management, file sharing, *mouse support* and the ability to hook an external monitor to it, it’s still just an IPAD.”

Apple iPad Pro 12.9

Victor opined that “this device is begging for better multi-tasking, mouse support, and extended USB-C docking capabilities.” Jan feels “decent multitasking on such a screen is non-existent,” and Ulysses concurred, saying “multitasking and what can be done with the USB is still limited.”

Laptop replacement

In terms of using the iPad Pro 12.9 as the laptop replacement it aims to be, experiences varied (and were likely influenced by the kind of work users needed to do). Ken, for example, has nearly replaced his laptop with the tablet saying that “only time I use my laptop is to use them both together.” Bing Shaw said “this baby is now my daily laptop, sketchbook, magazine and portable theater,” while Joel uses the tablet for business use so extensively that he “doesn’t bother with the laptop corporate gave me when I travel.”

Apple iPad Pro 12.9

Michael has been “waiting years for an iPad to be the best combination of laptop and phone, and this one finally comes close enough.” But SheldonL demurred, saying “there is very little ‘ease of use’ if you actually try to use it as a laptop” and “it’s just an exercise in frustration and futility.”

A few users even experienced some bugs using the tablet. Joel was “very frustrated about the screen — every once in awhile it becomes non-responsive for 10-30 seconds.” Alex had the same issue, saying their “biggest problem with the iPad Pro 12.9 256GB is that the screen often jams (stops responding to touch input).”

Apple iPad Pro 12.9

However, feelings about the tablet were largely positive despite its software drawbacks. Four reviewers (Joel, Devin, Michael, and Brent) professed to love their iPads. Roman, Andre, and Emulajavi all called it great and even SheldonL said it is “a good device that improves on the older version.” Ulysses went so far as to call it “close to being the perfect device,” and G said their iPad “has lived up to or exceeded all my expectations except for two.” Bing Shaw said their iPad Pro 12.9 is “the ultimate iPad I have dreamed for since I owned my very first iPad 2!”

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Hulu adds an episode shuffle button for ‘Seinfeld’

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Larry David has always said the mantra for Seinfeld was “no hugging and no learning.” In other words, whatever happened in an episode of the enormously successful sitcom, Jerry and the gang wouldn’t change. That perhaps made it easier for viewers to dip in and out of random episodes, without necessarily needing to know about long-running storylines. To celebrate the show’s 30th anniversary today, Hulu is leaning into that with an episode shuffle button.

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This week in tech history: Amazon’s 25th birthday

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As Amazon has entered more industries, its size, scale and influence has exploded. From 2014 to 2018, revenue nearly tripled, from an already staggering $89 billion to $233 billion. And its profits have surged even more. Between 2007 and 2014, net income bounced around from a high of $1.15 billion in 2010 to a low point where Amazon lost $241 million in 2014. The company’s profit later skyrocketed to $10.1 billion in 2018; clearly, its investments and diversification have paid off, with no one enjoying the success more than CEO Jeff Bezos. According to Forbes, he is the world’s richest person with a net worth of $159.2 billion, more than $50 billion more than Bill Gates, number two on the list.

With this dominance has come increasing scrutiny into Amazon’s unavoidable, and sometimes destructive, role in the world. Prime deliveries mean more boxes end up in landfills, and that’s only scratching the surface of its ecological impact. Delivery trucks and planes ferrying your goods quickly around the globe means increased emissions, while plenty of power is needed to keep shipping and fulfillment centers running. AWS data centers also take a toll, though the company is being more transparent about its efforts to get that operation carbon-neutral. But AWS only exceeded 50 percent renewable energy usage in 2018, so there’s still a long way to go.

Beyond its environmental impact, Amazon has been under fire for a variety of issues including poor worker conditions, low pay, opposing unions; working with law enforcement on a controversial facial recognition program; and contributing to the general downfall of independent retailers. And with a number of US politicians talking up greater oversight of the country’s massive technology oligarchies, it’s not a stretch to imagine Amazon defending itself against anti-competitive claims and potential privacy before long.

That said, it’s hard to predict what Amazon will look like 25 years, or even five years from now. But when we look back at the companies that have shaped the modern internet, Amazon is right at the top, for better and worse. Indeed, Amazon is a pretty strong metaphor for the best and worst of the internet itself.

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The best games for your smartphone

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Alto’s Odyssey

Best Mobile Games

If you liked Alto’s Adventure, you’ll love Alto’s Odyssey. The sequel to Snowman’s endless runner — sorry, endless snowboarder — is a stylish and highly-addictive sandboarding game with multiple biomes to discover. Just like the original, your goal is to ride for as long as possible while avoiding rocks, completing tasks and racking up high scores with a mixture of backflips and death-defying grinds. Odyssey introduces a new move, wall rides, that serve as both a gnarly trick and traversal mechanic for reaching higher lines. It’s a welcome addition to an already stellar iOS and Android game. NS

The Banner Saga

Best Mobile Games

The Banner Saga, on both iPhone and Android devices, is as good as it is on PC. This tactical RPG involves humans, giants, centaurs and the sinister dreg, with each tribe capable of different attacks, skills and tactical flourishes. Like the bleak storyline, it’s a tough tactical RPG that rewards careful thought. Augmented with a mature, illustrated visual style, stirring music and voiced characters, expect to make some hard decisions as you take your caravan and band of warriors across the nord…ish world and try to survive the apocalypse. This is a game where it’s all about the journey, not the destination. MS

Fortnite Battle Royale

Fortnite is a cultural phenomenon, responsible for popularizing a new shooting-game genre and doing it in a way that has millions playing across mobile, PC and games consoles, like the Switch — you’ll see this particular game appear in several of our lists. It all started with a simple idea: survive. (Actually it started with a tower-defense-esque game where you built a fort to protect human survivors against zombies, but hey, it evolved.) Fortnite has a low barrier to entry (it’s free!), and the sheer momentum behind the fact that everyone is playing it makes resistance futile. Parachute into the field, grab supplies, guns and ammo, build some defensive protections if you like and make it to the end. Sounds simple, but the best game ideas are. PUBG, Apex and the rest have a tough fight on their hands. MS

Life Is Strange

Best Mobile Games

Dontnod’s iconic episodic adventure has appeared across major consoles and PC and is now available on both iOS and Android devices. The game’s stripped-down aesthetic has seen better days, sure, but Life Is Strange was never about realistic skin textures: it’s a story about friendship and trying to find where you belong. The touchscreen controls are a little awkward, but this is a critically acclaimed series that demands you play it through its entirety. And if the controls really do frustrate too much — it’s still available to play elsewhere. MS

Monument Valley

Best Mobile Games

Both Monument Valley and Monument Valley 2 deserve a spot on this list. The casual puzzle games have a unique and truly jaw-dropping art style inspired by Dutch graphic artist Maurits Cornelis (M.C.) Escher. The visuals are also tied to the gameplay, which revolves around twisting and turning geometrically-impossible structures. It’s a clever concept that slowly ramps up in difficulty with a subtle, dialog-free storyline and soothing soundtrack by Stafford Bawler, Obfusc, and Grigori. You can complete each game in a single sitting — perfect for a long train ride or evening tucked up in bed. NS

Pocket City

Pocket City

Pocket City is probably best described as a pared-back SimCity 2000, with the same basic power/water system and residential/commercial/industrial zone balancing. Some of the simulation is discarded or simplified, but you’ll still be managing crime, traffic, pollution, education and the like, building out your city to fill a fairly gargantuan map.

In a different timeline, we’d probably be slamming Pocket City as a blatant rip-off. But EA has treated its series so poorly that this game — which has an up-front cost of $4 but no micro-transactions or ads — feels necessary. If Cities: Skylines represents what EA should’ve done with the SimCity series, Pocket City is exactly what a mobile version of the classic city-building game should be. AS

Reigns: Her Majesty

Best Mobile Games

This narrative strategy borrows a Tinder-esque interface that has you swiping through decision cards and queries from your subjects. Every choice made affects various aspects of your kingdom, across finances, the church, public affection and the military. If your score in any of these topics gets too low — or too high — you’re killed (usually in brutal fashion) and you start up again as a new ruler. It may sound like a simple balancing act, but things don’t always go the way you might expect them to — and you’ll have to learn your lesson in the next generation. Despite the simple controls, the world of Reigns has a weird, wonderful lore that will keep you entranced. And since progress is done swipe-by-swipe, it’s ideal for killing time. MS

Threes

threes

Playing Threes is like being wrapped in a warm towel after a hot bath on a rainy day. It’s engrossing, with tile-swiping, number-adding gameplay that makes the minutes disappear into thin air, and besides, it’s utterly adorable. The number tiles have personalities and backstories, and they make adorable cooing noises to encourage players as they swipe away. Threes is the original tile-based adding game, with a handful of popular copycats rolling out after its launch, but none of them can compete with the style, strategy and depth that this game offers. Oh, and adorableness, of course. JC

The Witness

Best Mobile Games

The Witness places you onto a strange island full of puzzles, and lots of questions. The only thing you can do is solve puzzles dotted around the island, gather clues and try to make your way home. The more you unearth, the more you appreciate how just darn well-designed this is — it’s unlike any puzzle game you’ve played before. Also, there aren’t many games that make you feel smart like The Witness does. MS

The Witness (iOS)

80 Days

Best Mobile Games

80 Days is an interactive fiction (think Choose Your Own Adventure) game based on the Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days. You play as Phileas Fogg’s faithful servant, tasked with aiding your master on a journey from London to… London. This is not the Victorian world of the original book, though: The game starts with an underwater train journey from London to Paris, and following that you’ll ride all manner of Steampunk-inspired creations as you attempt to circumnavigate the globe.

Of course, you’ll be making decisions along the way. With limited funds and baggage space, every decision is difficult: Should you pay a hefty fee to take an earlier train? Should you sell your coat to make space for a timetable? Do you talk to the train guard to get more information, or tend to your master’s beard? The sheer number of choices would be overwhelming, were it not for the game’s superb writing, and its imminent replayability: There’s no such thing as a perfect journey, and with almost 750,000 words written for the game, you could play 80 Days eighty times and never have the same experience. AS

Contributors: Jessica Conditt (JC), Mat Smith (MS), Aaron Souppouris (AS), Nick Summers (NS).


Changes:
July 2019: ‘Fire Emblem Heroes’ replaced by ‘Pocket City’

The best games
Explore our top picks for every system

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  • Monday: PlayStation 4
  • Tuesday: Xbox One
  • Wednesday: Switch
  • Thursday: PC
  • Friday: Mobile
  • Saturday: Free-to-play

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Google suspends trend alerts in New Zealand after naming murder suspect

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The incident occurred in December 2018, when Google Trends published the name of a man accused of killing British backpacker Grace Millane. A few days after the murder, Google sent an email to anyone signed up for the “what’s trending in New Zealand” alert which included the name of the accused killer in the subject line.

The topic was picked up from a British newspaper report and forwarded automatically to all subscribers. This violated a suppression order and caused anger in New Zealand, where the serious crime rate is low and the crime shocked the country.

At first, Google refused to take action and adapt the system that led to the name being revealed. But after Justice Minister Andrew Little wrote a furious letter saying the company was “rid[ing] roughshod over one of the most important principles of criminal justice,” Google relented and suspended Trends alerts in the country.

“We understand the sensitivity around this issue and we have suspended Google Trends emails about searches trending in New Zealand,” a Google spokeswoman said to Reuters.

Google also wrote to Little, apologizing for any “miscommunication” and said in part, “We understand the need to protect the right to a fair trial and acknowledge that this is a fundamental part of the legal system.”

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Sony’s revamped wireless noise-canceling earbuds are a revelation

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The WF-1000XM3 will last around six hours with noise canceling, and eight hours without the feature. There’s also a new case that provides three additional charges. And if you end up draining them completely, you can juice them up in 10 minutes for 90 minutes for listening time. The case is a bit too large for most pockets, unfortunately. But its magnetic latch means you should be able to toss it into a bag without worrying about the buds spilling out (they’re also held in place magnetically).

Based on my testing with pre-production units, the WF-1000XM3 feel incredibly comfortable and deliver the best sound quality I’ve ever encountered from truly wireless buds. I could clearly hear every element of Blood Orange’s multi-layered tracks and the full weight of Hans Zimmer’s Inception score. For once, I didn’t feel like I was missing key aspects of my music, which is more than I can say for every other pair of wireless earbuds I’ve tried. Jaybird’s Run XT are comfortable, but their sound lacks nuance; Jabra’s Elite Active 65t practically disappear into my ears, but they sound completely flat; and Apple’s AirPod’s 2 sound fine, but slip out of my ears far too easily.

While the WF-1000XM3’s noise canceling isn’t as magical as its over-the-ear siblings, it’s still powerful enough to erase most of the clamor from my subway commute. Even with that feature turned off, they offer a tight enough seal to cut out plenty of background noise. And if you want a bit more situational awareness, you can just tap on the left earbud to turn on its ambient mode, which pipes in external noise.

Sony FH-1000XM3

Throughout my testing, I was surprised to find that they never lost reception. That’s a first for any wireless earbuds I’ve tried in New York City’s electronically chaotic streets. And try as I might, I couldn’t make them budge once I secured them in my ears. They look a bit larger than other wireless buds, but they were easy to wear for hours on end. The only major downside, at this point, is that they’re not water resistant. So you probably won’t want to take them out for a jog on a rainy day.

I still need to put the WF-1000XM3 through their paces to judge them completely, but at this point I’m impressed. Sony has crafted a pair of wireless earbuds that don’t feel like you’re compromising sound quality. And while I’m still left with the problem of where to put them in a pinch, at least now I can appreciate the freedom from cables a bit more.

The WF-1000XM3 will retail for $230, and are available for pre-order on Amazon and Best Buy today. They’ll start shipping to retailers in August.

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Charge’s Mustang hides an EV inside classic American muscle

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Unfortunately, the car I saw at the Goodwood Festival of Speed wasn’t moving. Charge is promising performance levels, though, that are worthy of the Mustang name. The final version will, for instance, have a top ‘V-max’ speed of 149MPH (240KPH), the company claims, and a nought to 60MPH (97KMH) time of under four seconds. A 64 kWh battery will take the car 200 miles on a single charge, which is low by luxury EV standards (the standard Model 3, for comparison, has a 220-mile range) but strangely fitting for a car that, at least outwardly, is imitating American muscle.

So why the Mustang? Well, Charge knew it would be a head-turning project. The car’s enormous size, though, also made it easier to squeeze in all of the necessary EV components. An old Jaguar E-Type or Mini would have been considerably harder to pull off. “Yes, [a Mini] is too small, Vadim Shagaleev, CEO of Charge told Engadget. “That’s almost impossible.”

There is, of course, one huge advantage to owning Charge’s Mustang over the 1960s original: reliability. “It’s a well known fact that it’s very difficult and problematic to drive old classic cars,” Shagaleev added. “They’re unreliable and always smoky and leaking. There are just plenty of problems.” Charge’s version, meanwhile, is effectively a brand-new car powered by modern and, hopefully, more reliable components. Owners should, in theory, be able to drive the car every day and spend minimal time, if any, cooped up in their garage with various tools and oily rags.

There will always be people who prefer the original and want to spend their weekends repairing and restoring a classic car. And that’s fine — Charge knows its electrified Mustang won’t be for everyone. If you do fancy owning this unusual and somewhat eco-friendly vehicle, though, there’s a reservation form online. Be warned, though: only 499 cars are being made, and each one has a starting sticker price of £300,000 (roughly $377,000).

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The Bluetooth cassette player of your dreams

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It’s the only instance of Netflix removing content it owned and created.Netflix pulled 66 episodes of Chelsea Handler’s canceled talk show

Handler’s talk show ran for two seasons, but it didn’t manage to establish itself on Netflix, and the ax fell. Now, for the first time, the streaming service has pulled episodes of Chelsea, its own show — perhaps due to the fact that the talk show format isn’t well made for streaming and repeat viewing.


Ideal for the 40th anniversary of the Walkman.Finally, a Bluetooth cassette player

While it’s not Sony-made, this glorious, confusing creation is a cassette player with no headphone socket. It’s maximum 2019 and will launch on Kickstarter.


Where’s our folding phones?
Our foldable future is running a little late, and that’s OK

From the moment it was first teased last year, Samsung’s Galaxy Fold convinced many that foldable phones were the next frontier to conquer. To no one’s surprise, it wasn’t long before competitors announced foldable plans of their own, feeding a cycle of hype that culminated at this year’s Mobile World Congress. Samsung showed off the Galaxy Fold to the public (albeit, behind glass). Huawei and Motorola have similar promises — but where are they?


It may be the first good ‘Doctor Who’ video game in 36 years.
‘Doctor Who’ might finally get a game that does it justice

Love it or loathe it, the iconic Doctor Who series barrels on. Now, finally, a VR game could give fans a decent thing to play. It’s been a long time coming.


How cheap does it have to get for you to buy one?
PlayStation Classic price drops to $25 at Best Buy, Amazon

If you thought $50 was cheap (or paid $100 at launch), you might be mad it’s now dropped to 25 bucks. It’s worth it now, right? Right?!


It’s cute.
Honda’s e Prototype is designed to delight you

With pop-out door handles, compact wing mirrors and a simple, oval-shaped front that houses the Honda badge and two bright, circular headlamps. It’s a cute, nippy car with an underwhelming range, but it’s still a prototype for now. Let’s see what comes next.

But wait, there’s more…


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UK regulator forces Amazon to put its Deliveroo plans on ice

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The UK watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), raised concerns this week that Amazon and Deliveroo had “ceased to be distinct” or that they could merge in the future. This would reduce customer choice in the market, which gives the CMA grounds to intervene in the business relationship. It issued an initial enforcement order limiting what changes can be made to the business and its relationship with Amazon.

Amazon was forced to close its own restaurant delivery service in the UK last year when it couldn’t keep up with local counterpart Deliveroo. But never one to be outdone, Amazon decided this year to invest $575m in Deliveroo and became the company’s largest backer.

For now, Deliveroo can continue delivering food in the UK, but it must operate as distinct company with its own sales and branding and not be subsumed under the Amazon brand. The ruling also forbids any “substantive changes” to the organizational structure of the business while the CMA decides if it should launch a full investigation.

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Mercedes and BMW cars will drive themselves on the autobahn by 2024

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To pull this off, BMW and Mercedes parent Daimler will share 1,200 autonomous driving experts, often in mixed teams, based at BMW’s automated driving campus near Munich and at two of Daimler’s self-driving test centers. The groups will focus on building “driver assistance systems, including sensors, as well as a joint data center for data storage, administration and processing, and the development of functions and software,” BMW Group said in a press release.

BMW plans to release a Level 3 self-driving car in 20201, while Daimler is teaming with Bosch on an urban self-driving pilot program this year. On top of releasing Level 4-capable autobahn vehicles, both companies will also hold talks to develop robo-taxi technology for urban areas.

Level 4 self-driving in in five years would be quite a feat, considering the scant progress in recent years. Automakers have encountered severe snags with the technology and the way it’s marketed, which have led to fatalities in the case of Uber and Tesla. At the moment, AI tech is often incapable of even simple things that humans do, like recognizing pedestrians and large semi-trucks on the roads.

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