If Apple sticks to its usual calendar, we should get our first look at Apple Watch Series 8 in September. We'll likely see watchOS 9 for the first time at WWDC in June as well. Both events are months away, but the Watch update rumors are ramping up.
Apple is expected to reveal up to three watch models this year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Along with the Series 8 and a revamped Watch SE, there may be a version with a rugged design. That one would be geared toward extreme athletes.
With watchOS 9, Apple may introduce an upgraded low-power mode. Beyond only letting users see the time in low-power mode, their watch could run some apps and other features.
Health has been a big focus for Apple Watch from the jump, and Series 8 could add a body temperature sensor to the mix. At the outset, it seems the plan is to help users with fertility planning. It may later be used to tell wearers if their body temperature is running high, though you may not see a numerical measurement.
In addition, Apple is expected to build on atrial fibrillation (AFib) monitoring with a new "burden" feature for watchOS0 that detects how often a person is in a state of AFib over a period of time. On top of that, more workout types and running metrics could be available in the Workout app.
As for health features users shouldn't expect to see in Apple Watch Series 8, the long-mooted blood pressure monitor isn't likely to arrive this year. Gurman says Apple has run into some issues with the tech, which is expected to look for signs of hypertension, and it likely won't be ready for another couple years. Another long-rumored feature that probably won't be in Series 8 devices is noninvasive blood sugar monitoring. That's not expected for several more years, according to Gurman.
The report also touches on some iPhone features that may arrive in the medium term. The Health app could have improved sleep detection along with a feature that allows users to scan medication bottles and reminds them when to take pills. The latest smartphone lineup could have satellite connectivity too, which could enable users to text emergency personnel and report incidents via satellite networks. Apple's said to be working on similar features for future generations of Apple Watch.
Arturia has never been known for its recreations of acoustic instruments (though, there are decent pianos included as part of its V Collection). And frankly, that’s probably not going to change after today, but it is branching out to orchestral and string sounds with a decidedly experimental edge. Augmented Strings is the first entry in a new series of instruments from Arturia. The idea seems simple enough: take some orchestra and string samples, then “augment” them with various synth engines and effects to create something new.
The core concept is similar to what Output offers with its Analog Strings instrument. The results are a bit different, though. Where Analog Strings can get truly wild and chaotic, Augmented feels a bit more grounded in what you imagine when you hear “string instrument”. (Though, that’s not to say there are some interesting textures here.) It also doesn’t offer you quite as much control over the underlying engine. In fact, from an interface perspective, it has more in common with Spitfire’s stripped-down Labs series.
There’s one giant knob in the middle of the UI for the Morph macro, and that’s surrounded by seven other macro knobs. Morph, is the beating heart of Augmented Strings, though. Each patch is made up of four layers which can include string samples alongside virtual analog, wavetable, harmonic, and granular synthesis, and as you turn the Morph knob it blends between them.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
The other seven controls further shape the sound, but don’t really offer you fine grained control over specific parameters. Only Reverb and Delay really have clear labels, but even those aren’t controls over any particular parameter. Other than that there’s Time, Motion, Color, FX A and FX B. Color tends to do some filtering and tone shaping, while Motion usually introduces some form of modulation, but what exactly they’re doing behind the scenes is a mystery.
For a company that has made its name meticulously recreating vintage synthesizers and then beefing them up with additional controls and modern amenities, the shift to something purely preset-based is a bit odd. But at the end of the day all that matters is how it sounds, and Augmented Strings is definitely a win. It leans towards the cinematic, with lush orchestral sounds often brushing up against thick analog-sounding pads and subtly glitchy granular effects. And I’ve even got to give Arturia props for the background images that subtly shift and react as you play and tweak macro knobs. Everything feels well thought out and polished. Just be warned that it is a pretty demanding instrument, and on a few occasions brought my 2019 MacBook Pro to a crawl
If all of that has piqued your interest, well, I’ve saved perhaps the best part for last. Augmented Strings Intro is free to download until April 30th.
For the base XLE model with front-wheel drive, the bZ4X will start at $42,000 while providing 252 miles of range on a single charge. Meanwhile, if you prefer a slightly more premium kit, you can upgrade to the Limited package (which starts at $46,700) that adds more luxurious satin and soft-touch finishes and upgraded seats, with Toyota offering FWD and X-MODE AWD drive options across both trim levels.
Toyota
While similar in size to the Toyota's popular RAV4 (it's 3.7 inches longer but two inches shorter), the bZ4X is going for a sleeker, more futuristic design featuring an emphasis on aerodynamics and improved driver visibility thanks to a lower hood height. On the base model, Toyota is claiming 0-60 times of 7.1 seconds, or 6.5 seconds for the AWD version. That said, the AWD model's speedier acceleration does come with slightly reduced range, topping out at around 228 miles on a charge.
Inside, the car offers seating for five passengers and an infotainment system with a 12.3-inch touchscreen that supports wireless CarPlay and Android Auto. And for those who really want to stay connected, you can also pay for a Wi-Fi Connect subscription that will add hotspot functionality powered by AT&T's 4G network. You'll also get a handful of USB ports (both Type-A and Type-C), a built-in wireless charger and a three-year trial for Toyota's Remote Connect service, which allows owners to control things like the car's temperature controls, horn, window defroster and more from an app on their phone.
Toyota
Finally, when it comes to recharging, the bZ4X will come with an included 6.6kW adapter that should be able to bring the car from low to full in about nine hours when connected to a Level 2 charger, with new owners even getting the option to purchase ChargePoint Home Flex charger direct from select dealers. And as an added bonus, for anyone who buys or leases a 2023 bZ4X, Toyota is throwing in one free year of unlimited complimentary charging at all EVgo charging stations nationwide.
This morning FIFA, the global governing body for world soccer, announced the launch of its own streaming service. FIFA+ offers subscribers live streams of men and women’s matches, as well as a raft of original series and documentaries. The platform will also play host to a vast archive of older games from previous World Cups, as well as news, statistics and its own fantasy league.
But what’s likely to be the major draw for users is the live games, with FIFA saying that it’ll show the “equivalent of 40,000 live games per year.” At launch, we’ll see around 1,400 matches a month, with that figure “rising rapidly” until we get closer to 4,000 a month. Original series, including documentaries about Ronaldinho, Dani Alves and Lucy Bronze will help bulk out the reasons for users to hang out on the platform.
FIFA+ is, at launch, ad-supported and free, and so users shouldn’t expect to see live streams from any of the major football leagues. After all, European football is big business, and FIFA doesn’t have the ability (or cash) to start streaming games from England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy. Instead, it will focus on less well-represented competitions where the streaming rights aren’t tied up. The Hollywood Reporter suggests that domestic games from Mexico, Denmark, Poland and Angola will all feature.
It’s worth saying, too, that while FIFA is hoping to generate attention ahead of the 2022 World Cup, you won’t be able to stream those games. That, much like the big domestic leagues, is far too valuable to just give away for free, and it’s likely that those rights will be closely-guarded. But while FIFA+ for now may seem like an inexpensive afterthought, it marks something of a shift in the way live football can, or will, be accessed by the majority of its fans. This, to me, feels like FIFA testing the water for the long-mooted, albeit often-dismissed, “Netflix for Soccer.”
I can only really speak about the situation here in the UK, but I think the situation is similar across Europe. Here, major pay-TV providers offer up eye-watering amounts to secure the rights to broadcast live football matches. In the UK, for instance, the most recent deal was valued by Sky News at around £5.1 billion ($6.6 billion) for the right to show football. Of that figure, Comcast-owned Sky paid £4.5 billion ($5.8 billion), with BT Sport, Amazon and the BBC paying the rest. But despite the figures on offer, many clubs feel that they’re not getting a big enough slice of the pie.
This is, broadly speaking, because the cost of running a major football club has skyrocketed, and COVID-19 hasn’t helped. Inflation in transfer fees (how much it costs to buy a player) and salaries after 18 months of almost-nonexistent revenue has made even historically-wealthy clubs hit the financial skids. Barcelona, as close as a blue-chip brand in the soccer world as you can get, is currently trying to dig itself out of a $1.56 billion hole by selling NFTs (among other things). The ones that are surviving, and thriving, right now, are often owned by petro-states, who are bankrolling the clubs to launder their public image in the West on a money-no-object basis.
The present situation, with pay-TV providers keeping matches behind paywalls isn’t helped with some arcane blackout rules. The situation in the UK is as frustrating as it is for US baseball fans, where there’s no legal way for you to watch every game your team plays in a season. It means that there’s a number of people on every side of the debate who feel resentful about the current situation.
It’s why, back in 2020, the Premier League conceded that it was likely that, at some point in the future, it would launch its own direct-to-consumer streaming service. The thinking was, at that point, it could sell games straight to fans and offer them more comprehensive coverage. And, of course, any profit that Sky and other pay-TV providers made on subscription revenue would now go straight to the clubs. At the time, it seemed as much a negotiation tactic as a genuine strategy, but it deserved some serious analysis.
In February 2020, The Athletic suggested that “PremFlix,” as it was dubbed, would likely be a huge money-maker from the day it launched. There are currently 200 million or so people who pay for access to Premier League matches, writer Matt Slater mused. If the majority of those could be convinced to sign up, even at a discounted rate, the annual revenue could be worth £24 billion ($31 billion) – far more than the £5.1 billion paid for a three-year rights package.
It’s likely something that the major European leagues have been considering, behind closed doors, for the last few years. And it’s also likely that a combination of the high risk and massive early investment will put off owners looking for stability in the current uncertainty. But if FIFA+ can demonstrate that there’s an audience for live soccer streams, and that it can turn a profit on its archive content, it’s likely to push the conversation toward streaming far faster than it might have done so organically.
Of course, this is all for now just speculation, but it’s common in football for everyone to jump on a good (or bad) idea when it seems like it might make some money.
Twitter has bought a mobile platform called OpenBack as it seeks to improve notifications and keep people coming back to its app. "OpenBack and their talented team joining Twitter will help us improve our ability to deliver the right notifications at the right time, in a way that puts people’s privacy first," Twitter's head of consumer product Jay Sullican wrote.
2/ The best push notifications bring people to the conversations they care about on Twitter. But irrelevant notifications are a distraction. With millions of people visiting Twitter via notifications every day, we want them to be timely, relevant and engaging.
OpenBack is used by mobile apps to process data on-device rather than on a server, Twitter said. The company's approach to push technology is centered around privacy and offers an enhanced user experience, it added. Twitter's hoping the OpenBack team will help it to improve notifications in order to alert folks to the right content at the right time, and get them involved in conversations they care about.
The current OpenBack business will be wound down. Its developers are joining Twitter's Bluebird product team. Twitter declined to share terms of the deal.
The goal, of course, is to increase users' level of engagement with Twitter, which will help it generate more revenue. The company's revenue grew slower than expected in the last quarter of 2021. Its total revenue in 2021 was just over $5 billion. The company is hoping to increase that by 50 percent by the end of 2023.
Getting current users to use Twitter more often by drawing them in with more relevant notifications should help improve the bottom line. If Twitter can enhance notifications the way it wants to, it may also bring back some lapsed users who still have the app installed on their phone.
The rumors were true. Less than a month after Bloomberg reported that Spotify was mulling a name change for its Clubhouse competitor Greenroom, the company has officially done just that. Starting today, the live audio offering will be known as Spotify Live. Additionally, the company is integrating the live audio inside of its main app, confirming another item in that initial report.
To start, only "select original programming" will be available from Spotify Live in the app alongside music and podcasts. You won't have to wait to check it out though as a live episode of Off the Record with DJ Akademiks will stream today. On Friday (April 15th), the company is hosting a live DJ set from Swedish House Mafia as part of the group's album release party and it will only be available as it happens. Several other events are set for April and May, so there will be ample opportunity for you to see how Spotify Live works inside the Spotify app.
Live events will be available on the artist or show page with green labels so you can easily see them. Don't worry if your favorite shows aren't originals, the standalone Spotify Greenhouse — now Spotify Live — app lives on. The company says you'll still need it if you plan to hop in the chat or join a host onstage. It's not surprising that Spotify would give its originals preference for the new integration given the extent of its investments in programming.
Spotify launched its Clubhouse rival Greenroom last June, a few months after acquiring Betty Labs, the maker of a live audio app called Locker Room. Until now, the company kept its live audio aspirations separate from its core music and podcast streaming. However, it makes a lot of sense to combine the three in one place. If nothing else, it makes things convenient for casual listeners who don't usually participate in show chats and won't be a guest. What's more, it's far more likely someone who's curious will give a Spotify Live session a try if they don't have to download a separate app to check it out.
When I was 12, a classmate and I were rewriting the lyrics to a well-known song in Singapore called One people, one nation, one Singapore. My friend, thinking of homonyms, had renamed it “One pimple, one facial, one single pore.” Our teacher walked in after we finished writing the lyrics on the whiteboard, took one look at the title, and asked the class, “Did you all write that song about Cherlynn?”
I don’t remember exactly how I felt or responded in the moment, but that memory clearly stayed with me. Since then, I’ve felt like I was battling to salvage my face. My mom did her best to help, as did various family members, by taking me to facial treatments and giving me product recommendations and diet advice. But my hormones brought on years of angry acne that covered my whole face and parts of my body, and I picked at those zits with self-loathing. That led to deep scarring and the development of raised scar tissue called keloids all over my shoulders, chest and upper back. My sensitive skin, combined with a family history of keloids, made managing my complexion feel like an insurmountable challenge.
These days, thanks to two rounds of Accutane in my early twenties and having sunk many hours into researching skincare, I feel a lot better. I’ve become the person in my friend group who knows the most about things like actives, occlusives, sheet masks, overnight masks, sunscreens and how different formulas and suspensions affect the absorption of a product. I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but chances are if there’s something new in beauty, I’ve either read about or tried it.
PMD Beauty
One such beauty gadget is PMD Beauty’s Personal Microderm Classic, which I bought in 2019 for $159. I had been looking into tools that could help remove dead skin cells and trigger new cell growth. Between microneedling and microdermabrasion, the latter felt like a safer option. (I bought a microneedling kit last year that I haven’t yet dared to use.)
According to Healthline, microdermabrasion “is considered a safe procedure for most skin types and colors.” It could help with common concerns like fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, acne scars, dullness and more.
As with all skincare products, I must remind you to check with your dermatologist before buying and using anything. I did not, but in this case it was a risk I was willing to take after reading a ton of reviews.
The PMD is a handheld device roughly the size of an electric razor with a spinning disc at its tip, covered by a plastic cap. The set I bought came with four discs of varying intensities, and a guide in the box describes which of the color-coded options you choose for your first few rounds.
Using a combination of the spinning discs and suction, the machine is supposed to exfoliate surface skin cells and increase circulation. PMD’s website says “Once this barrier is removed, skin care products can penetrate 20X deeper maximizing the benefits of skin care.”
I can’t tell you exactly how much dead skin it’s removed or if my beauty products get absorbed precisely 20 times deeper than before. But I’ve definitely noticed that in the days after using the PMD, my serums do seem to penetrate my skin more quickly.
The guide also describes how to use the device. After inserting the appropriate disc, turn on the PMD and place the suction cup on your (clean, dry) face and drag it outwards. The company cautions against going over any part of your face more than once, though when I did by accident, it didn’t destroy my skin. In fact, at no point in my nearly three years with the PMD have I felt any pain or irritation.
Immediately after each session, I like to slather on a moisturizing mask as my face feels slightly dry and exposed. The company recommends it, too, and it does help me feel like the ingredients are more effectively absorbed. You can do an overnight sleep mask (I love the one from Laneige), a sheet mask or a 20-minute rinse-off option, but I would still use a moisturizer after washing off a mask.
PMD Beauty
In the days after a PMD session, I also avoid using any other exfoliants, peels or ingredients like retinol, and instead consistently use more hydrating products with hyaluronic acid, for example. I used my PMD weekly during my first few months with it, switching to discs of greater intensity every six weeks or so. I tapered off to using the device every other week, and after about a year I noticed the pitted scarring on my cheeks look shallower. My temples still have noticeably uneven texture, but they look less obvious now.
Can I attribute all of this improvement to the PMD? I’m not sure. As with many skincare products, it’s hard to tell what’s working and what isn’t. It could be the microdermabrasion that made the greatest impact, or it could be the The Ordinary peel I’ve been using in tandem (on weeks when I didn’t use the PMD). But I do feel like the device has helped.
My quest to get clear, smooth skin is neverending (though, I’m pretty happy with where I am at the moment). And of course, a flawless face is an unrealistic goal that no one should feel pressured to attain. If you happen to be looking for an at-home version of microdermabrasion procedures, which according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons costs about $167 per visit on average, the PMD feels like a less-intimidating, low-stakes approach. Of course, the gadget is not likely to be as advanced as those you’d find in a clinic. At $159, the PMD isn’t exactly an impulse purchase, but this isn’t the kind of device you want to cheap out on.
In your video of Automatic Surface Disinfecting Robot Using Arduino on YouTube, i saw you on a button after which the led light and the robot start to move, so what is that button and where do i have to place it
When I reviewed the Orba back in late 2020, I was told there was no plan to open up the internal synth engine to users; That because of the limited resources available it would be difficult to make it user friendly. Artiphon just didn’t seem to think there’d be much interest. Well, I’m happy to report that the company has finally realized the error of its ways and built a (reasonably) friendly UI that allows you to custom design patches for the Orba’s internal synth engine.
The core is a two oscillator engine with triangle, saw and square wave options, with pulse width modulation. There’s also a noise source and a ring modulator that you can mix in as well. There’s an LFO, three envelopes, a multimode resonant filter, a waveguide for physical modeling, as well as reverb and delay effects. It’s not the deepest set of sound design tools you’ll find, but it will still allow you to craft a wide range of sounds.
Artiphon
The engine seems to excel at sparkling plucks, organ drones and digital howls. The one thing unfortunately you can’t do is build drum kits, you’ll still need to rely on prebuilt sound packs for those.
The app itself is free (“for now” in the words of Artiphon) for MacOS and Windows, and is laid out logically from left to right, broken up into modules that should be familiar to anyone who has spent time exploring a synth. The few somewhat unique bits are the waveguide and gesture mapping controls.
The waveguide, which models the harmonic behavior of strings or pipes, depending on the setting, adds an impressive amount of complexity and some rich tones to what is otherwise a fairly simple synth core. You can even blend between the plain dry singal and that from the waveguide for additional depth.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
The gesture controls is what really makes Orbasynth special, though. It is, rather obviously, built specifically to use with Artiphon’s Orba, so taking advantage of its unique gesture controls should be a given. Here you can map tilts, shakes and outward glides to control everything from LFO speed, to filter cutoff to vibrato.
It would be nice to see a few more options added to Orbasynth to really open it up. The LFO for instance only has a rate control, no depth and you can’t assign it to custom parameters. Similarly some further control over the effects would be nice, as would being able to control the waveguide with gestures.
Still, it’s hard to complain too much when this is something I and plenty of other Orba users have been clamoring for since day one. And, it’s free. Even if you don’t have an Orba you can go download the app from Artiphon’s site and start exploring.
If you missed out on your chance to score a Lucid Air Dream Edition last year, you’re in luck. Lucid Motors is releasing two versions of its latest all-electric sedan, the 2022 Air Grand Touring. The Air Grand Touring and Air Grand Touring Performance are Lucid’s first production series after the limited run Dream Edition. Both cars offer speed and mileage that is comparable to their predecessors from 2021. The Air Grand Touring delivers 819 horsepower and can accelerate to 60 mph in three seconds flat. Its faster cousin, the Air Grand Touring Performance, promises 1050 horsepower and can go from 0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds. Both cars are powered by two miniaturized dual motors, one mounted at each axle
Both cars will easily get you from Los Angeles to San Francisco on a single charge, with some battery power to spare. The Air Grand Touring with 19-inch wheels has an EPA-estimated range of 516 miles, with 21-inch wheels its range is 469 miles. The Air Grand Touring Performance has an EPA-estimated range of 446 miles. Both are ahead of the Tesla with the longest driving range, the Model S Long Range, which has a range of 405 miles. Given Elon Musk’s not-so-secret derision for Lucid, this one has got to hurt.
The two all-electric sedans are packed with the type of premium features you’d expect in a car that costs six figures. Both are equipped with a 34-inch floating glass cockpit and a 5K display. They include DreamDrive Pro, Lucid’s proprietary advanced driver assistance system that includes LIDAR. It also comes with more than 30 semi-autonomous features, including traffic sign recognition, cross-traffic alerts, parking assist and more. They include an ultra-fast 900V charging system that allows drivers to add up to 300 miles in 21 minutes if they’re at a 350 kW DC fast charger.
Customer deliveries for the Air Grand Touring, which starts at $139,000, have started today. The Grand Touring Performance has an MSRP of $179,000, and deliveries are scheduled to begin in June 2022.
