Some Snapchat users are having problems with the app this morning, with several noting on Twitter that they're unable to send snaps. The company acknowledged the outage and said it was looking into the matter.
We’re aware that some Snapchatters are having issues using the app right now - hang tight, we’re looking into it!
Outage reports from users skyrocketed on Down Detector just before 7AM ET before tapering off somewhat at around 9:30AM. A heat map indicated that reports were coming in from across the US and, at the time of writing, users are still grousing about the outage on Twitter. Engadget has contacted Snap for more details, and we'll update this post when things look like they're getting back to normal.
This is the latest big outage to affect a major social media service over the last week or so. Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp were down for more than six hours on October 4th. Facebook blamed the outage on a "faulty configuration change" that caused havoc with the DNS servers. Facebook's apps went down yet again for a couple of hours last Friday. Twitter, meanwhile, briefly had issues of its own on Tuesday evening, with tweets not loading for some users for a spell.
Sony has unveiled the FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II zoom lens that looks to be an interesting option for hybrid video and photo shooters. Designed for the company's full-frame Alpha-series mirrorless cameras, it's the lightest 70-200mm F2.8 lens on the market at 1,045 grams, Sony said. It also offers a number of features aimed at movie creators not usually seen in a lens like this.
While large zoom lenses tend to focus slowly, Sony said the new model uses four XD linear motors to deliver reliable focus that's up to three times faster than rival models, and four times faster than the previous model on Sony's Alpha 1 camera. Tracking with continuous autofocus while zooming has improved by 30 percent compared first-gen model, too. It also focuses quietly, so the motor sound is less likely to be picked up by a camera's microphone.
Video shooters often need to pull focus between subjects, but lenses designed for photography usually exhibit "breathing," or zooming in or out while changing focus. Sony said it designed the FE 70-200 F2.8 GM OSS II to curtail that, while also reducing focus shift while zooming. Such features are usually only found in cinema lenses that cost considerably more.
The lens should deliver nice bokeh thanks to the wide, continuous F2.8 aperture, while offering good handling with dual lens elements that move internally. It also offers three separate rings for focus, aperture and zoom, making it easier to rig for cinema use. Other features include high resolution, extra-low dispersion, aspherical glass to suppress chromatic aberrations, Sony's Nano AR Coating II to reduce flares and ghosting and a new 11-blade aperture that produces softer, more circular bokeh.
Sony also offers FE 1.4x and FE 2.0x teleconverters ($548 for both) that extend the lens's focal length up to 400mm at F5.6. The FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II zoom lens will go on sale in the near future for $2,800.
As part of its usual autumn laptop refresh, Acer is announcing a host of new Chromebook today that'll roll out in the coming months. There are four models being refreshed today: the Chromebook Spin 514, Chromebook 515, Chromebook 514, and Chromebook Spin 314. That's a lot of product names, but Spin devices can flip around with a 360-degree hinge, and the last two digits denote the screen size. That should hopefully ground you as we go through these new models.
Most interesting is probably the Spin 514 (pictured above), which combines a 14-inch 1080p touchscreen that has minimal bezels with Intel's 11th-generation Core i3, i5 or i7 processors. This laptop has no fans, which means these probably aren't the highest-powered versions of Intel's chips, but they should still provide solid performance for Chrome OS. Acer also put some focus on the webcam, a wise choice given how we're all still stuck on videos calls for the foreseeable future. It's a 1080p camera with a blue glass filter and new noise-reduction technology to remove things like light flares. We'll have to see how this works in practice, but given how many laptops have entirely mediocre webcams, any improvements here will be welcome.
Other specs include up to 16GB of RAM, up to 512GB of storage, Intel Iris X graphics and 10 hours of battery life. The Spin 514 weighs in at 3 pounds, so it's not going to be the lightest thing to use in tablet mode, but otherwise it sounds like it'll be a very good Chromebook — it also simply looks nice and well-built, at least as far as I can tell from these images. And Acer has a solid track record of making very good Chromebooks, so hopefully that'll continue here. The Spin 514 is expected to arrive in the US in January and starts at $700.
Acer's Chromebook 515 (which comes in consumer and enterprise editions) has similar specs to the Spin 514, though it has a larger 15.6-inch display. Given the large size, this laptop isn't a convertible, which is probably a smart move. For a 15-inch laptop, though, it's pretty light — only 3.75 pounds. It comes with the same 11th-generation processor options as the Spin 514, though it also has a budget Pentium Gold option (paired with Intel's UHD graphics rather than the Iris X). The Chromebook 515 will initially be available in Europe this month for €499; the Enterprise version will come to the US in January 2022 starting at $640.
Acer has a few less expensive Chromebooks coming out, as well. The Chromebook Spin 314 starts at $500 and arrives in the US in November. For that price, you'll get a 14-inch screen with an unfortunate 1,366 x 768 resolution, which is pretty unacceptable in the year 2021. It also features budget processors in the form of Intel's Pentium Gold or two Celeron options and has a 360-degree hinge, as the name implies. More intriguing is the Chromebook 514, which pairs a 14-inch, 1080p display with MediaTek's 8-core Kompanio 828 processor and 8GB of RAM. We haven't tested a MediaTek Chromebook in a while, so we can't say for sure how it'll perform yet. But Acer is promising 15 hours of battery life, and the laptop weighs less than 3 pounds, so it does have some potential as a budget Chromebook (the 514 will cost $400 when it is released in December).
As part of its usual raft of hardware updates, Acer is adding new ConceptD machines with new displays and different chassis options. But the most notable product on the docket for late-2021 is the new ConceptD 7 SpatialLabs Edition, which packs a stereoscopic display. It’s the first time that such a product is available for everyone to buy after the company first teased the project earlier this year.
Back then, Acer and SpatialLabs teamed up to put one of the latter’s stereoscopic displays on the former’s machines. The idea is to enable 3D artists to preview their work in a form closer to the finished article long before it had reached the lengthy rendering pipeline. But while that initial concept was only available to developers who applied (and promised to share their work with Acer), this is a retail product.
The ConceptD 7 SpatialLabs Edition is packing an 11th-generation Core i7, with the option of a GeForce RTX 3080, up to 64GB RAM and up to a 2TB SSD. And users are going to be staring into a Pantone-validated 4K display with a Delta E<2 color accuracy for those who need it. Of course, this is only a sideshow to the eye-tracking cameras sited on the top bezel to match the 3D images to your gaze.
Acer added that, on the software side, it has updated the AI underpinning the system that enables users to view 3D content from any 2D image (or video) shown on screen. The company has also launched a new developer site to allow users to download all of the various plugins and tools (including a hand-tracking app and add-ons for Unreal Engine) to make everything work.
Of course, it’s not simply designers who may find the D 7 (don’t make me type it all out again) a useful proposition. The company says that it already has examples of companies using this as a car configurator for showroom use, architects using this to show off home designs and researchers examining high-resolution images from satellites.
If you want one of these, bear in mind that you’ll need to wait until December (if you’re in EMEA) or 2022 (if you’re in the US). Plus, you know, it’s going to cost: The starting price on that side of the pond will be €3,599 (roughly $4,158).
At the same time, the company is launching a new 16-inch ConceptD 3 model with a 16:10-ratio display and a 15.6-inch convertible edition. These, too, will be reaching the US at some point early next year, with base prices running from $1,700 through to $2,000, depending on your size preferences.
The main difference between Apple’s Watch Series 7 and the Series 6 is just a larger display, but it makes an outsized impact on a device as small as a watch. Apple also generally enlarged the UI, making things easier to read and navigate. To make better use of the bigger canvas, the company also added some new watch faces and a full QWERTY keyboard for replying to messages.
The other changes to the Series 7 are less obvious, like a new SiP (system-in-package), faster charging and overnight respiratory tracking. For those coming from the last generation, this might not feel like a significant upgrade. But the larger display does make a meaningful impact for anyone that’s upgrading from a Watch SE, Series 5 or older.
Design and hardware
Even though its screen is bigger, the Series 7 still manages to retain basically the same footprint as its predecessor. It’s a hair heavier than the Watch SE and Series 6, which makes sense since its case is slightly larger. Unlike previous generations, which came in 40 and 44mm sizes, this year you can choose between 41mm and 45mm. The difference is barely noticeable at first.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
Once I turned the screen on, though, I was struck by its roominess. This was when this main design change became obvious. Apple used a refractive edge here to make it seem like the display curves slightly along the sides and it helps the face feel even more expansive. The bezels have been whittled down to just 1.7mm (0.07 inch) compared to last gen’s 3mm.
Oh, and a quick shout here to its durability: It’s the first Apple Watch to be certified IP6X for dust resistance. Since I’m in reviewer mode, I've been very careful to avoid situations where I might damage the device. But I’ll admit I’ve already dropped the Series 7 once and it survived without a scratch, thanks to Apple’s crystal covering that the company says is more crack resistant than on the Series 6.
Now, you’re probably not comparing an Apple Watch to Android or Wear OS, but in case you were curious, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 is noticeably lighter than the Series 7. It also has a round face and thinner body. But really, if you’re an iPhone user, you’ve probably never even thought about a Galaxy watch.
A big screen difference
Depending on which Apple Watch you’d been using before, the jump in screen size may be less obvious. It’s increased more than 50 percent from the SE and 20 percent from the Series 6. Either way, the more spacious UI is helpful. Buttons for entering my passcode stretched out over the edges, and I didn't need to aim as carefully to strike the right keys. It's easier to hit the right settings in the control center, too, and I can see more of my friends’ messages at once. My heart rate and time passed during workouts are more readable as well. Those with visual impairments will also appreciate that there are new larger font size settings available.
Engadget
Though most buttons are between 12 and 27 percent larger, app icons are still squished together. That’s a problem for those of us who use the grid view for all apps, but not so much if you’re in list view.
The extra space also means Apple was able to introduce a full QWERTY keyboard for replying to messages by typing or swiping on the screen. Compared to handwriting, dictating or emojis, a keyboard offers a bit more flexibility, especially when the system correctly picks up your swipes. But because it’s so cramped, the accuracy rate is maybe 60 percent, and I still preferred using dictation. Plus, the new screen may be big, but it’s definitely not big enough to make tap typing possible. Still, it’s a good option to have.
In addition to enlarging most of the elements across the UI, Apple also added new faces that can display more information at once, like the Modular Duo. There’s also a Contour style that pushes the clock’s digits all the way to the edge where they warp and “melt” over the sides like in Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory. The remaining two are a Portrait face that we already saw in the watchOS 8 beta, and World Time, which is helpful for interacting with people in other countries. I used Modular Duo the most, though it’s not very attractive, and when I wanted something prettier I just switched to one with my face as the wallpaper instead. (Just kidding: I use the “Artist” design or a cute animal background.)
The new Modular Duo screen is the most useful. It lets you place two expanded complications on top of each other, while still showing the time and an additional small complication at the top. You can choose to show the world clock with a timer or your favorite stock’s performance with Apple Music, for example. I went with a Spotify controller and the Weather forecast. Though the latter worked well, showing me hourly temperature and sunlight data on the screen, the Spotify complication was, in a word, trash. It just shows the words “Tap to play music,” and I’d have to waste a tap and a second to pull up playback controls.
A second doesn’t sound like much, but when I’m out running or juggling my groceries, I don’t want to waste that time holding up my arm and watching my screen for more than a fraction of a second. I’m not going to harp on this because this is more of a Spotify problem than an Apple Watch issue, but given how many people use the music app, it would do both companies good to make this complication work better. I’d love to see more useful complications from other apps too.
One last note on the Series 7’s screen: Though its actual peak brightness hasn’t changed, Apple has tweaked the system so that the Always On display is up to 70 percent brighter when you’re indoors. This way, it’s easier to read if you have your hand hidden below a table while you’re at a meeting.
Battery life, charging and performance
That pretty much sums up all the screen-related updates on the Series 7. But there are a few other noteworthy upgrades. The most significant of these is that it charges faster, and in about 10 minutes, I got close to 10 percent capacity. It reached almost 100 percent in under an hour with the new cable that Apple includes in the box. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch SE only got to about 60 percent in an hour.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
You’ll need both the new charger and the Series 7 to get these faster charging speeds, by the way. It’s the coils on both the watch and the wireless disc that enable the higher rate, so this isn’t something you can get just by running out and buying a new accessory. As someone who’s constantly forgetting to charge my watch until I'm about to run out the door, I appreciate the faster speeds. That said, I still wish smartwatches in general lasted longer and took less time to charge.
Speaking of the battery, the Series 7 promises the same runtime as its predecessor, which is to say, about 18 hours. I generally found myself getting about half a day more from the new watch than the SE, despite the lack of an Always On display on the SE. The Series 7 usually stuck around for a day and a half, almost two, with the screen set to Always On, and tracking between three and five workouts. I also used the device to send plenty of messages and map my walks while I ran errands with the GPS on. That endurance is impressive given the larger screen, but it’s worth noting that I haven’t used the watch for sleep tracking yet.
The battery efficiency can be partly attributed to Apple’s new S7 system-in-package (SIP), which is based on the same processor as the S6. In general, I didn’t feel much of a difference between the Series 7 and the SE when launching workouts or getting Siri to text my friends. The Apple Watch has been and continues to be a responsive device that feels as fast as, if not faster than, its Android counterparts.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
Sleep tracking, watchOS 8 and other updates
One area where Apple continues to lag the competition is sleep tracking. While companies like Fitbit and Samsung can use their wearables’ heart rate monitors to detect what sleep zone you’re in, Apple still doesn’t offer that. And you’ll need to make sure you have the Sleep Focus mode on (either manually or by setting a schedule) before the Watch will log your slumber. The others are all able to automatically tell when you’ve gone to sleep and don’t need you to set a schedule. In fact, Fitbit has been doing it since 2015.
The Series 7 does usher in a new feature that logs your respiration rate while you sleep, and then tells you your breath-per-minute rate the next morning. Cool. Respiratory tracking is something that’s coming via watchOS 8 and isn’t exclusive to the Series 7, and the same is true of features like the new Mindfulness app, guided meditation sessions, redesigned Photos app, SharePlaying Fitness+ workouts and more. This means they’re less likely to sway your decision on whether to get the Series 7 if you already have an Apple Watch. The main things exclusive to the Series 7 are the Modular Duo and Contour watch faces, larger font sizes and buttons, and the QWERTY keyboard.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
Wrap-up
Though the differences between the Series 6 and 7 seem minor, it's worth a reminder that most people who own last year’s model likely aren’t looking to upgrade yet anyway. For anyone else who’s looking for a new smartwatch, the Series 7 will be a satisfying purchase, especially if you’ve never used one before. WatchOS is a capable and comprehensive system that can help you track your workouts, automatically log your sessions, prompt you to be more active and mindful of your mental health all while being a great extension of your smartphone. It’s not the best at sleep-tracking, though, so if that’s a priority you might prefer a Fitbit. Despite its relatively high starting price of $400, what Apple offers is currently the best in the market, especially for the iOS ecosystem.
Years ago, I wrote this piece about how I really wanted the iPhone to adopt USB-C and retire its Lightning connector. This was just after the advent of the company’s first iPhone Pro models with pro level features, like surgical-grade stainless steel and, er, three cameras. Fast-forward to now, just after the launch of the iPhone 13 series, and I still don’t have my USB-C iPhone. Fortunately, there are engineers that like a challenge.
On his YouTube channel, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology student Ken Pillonel teased an iPhone X with a USB-C port, promising a full video later on how it was done. In an earlier video, he also explained how he reverse-engineered the Lightning connector, pulling out an integrated circuit from a third-party cable and hooking it all up to a USB-C connector. Yes, this is not something most of us should attempt.
It’s certainly possible for Apple to do the same, given the iPad Pro and new mini have USB-C ports. Europe recently proposed USB-C charging as standard for all phones and electronic devices — which may speed up Apple’s adoption.
It said the company ‘willfully breached’ its Play Store developer agreement.
Google has countersued Epic Games over in-app purchases on Fortnite, saying it "willfully breached" its Play Store developer agreement. Epic originally sued Google in August, shortly after it filed a complaint against, and was countersued by, Apple. "Epic has alternatively been unjustly enriched at Google's expense," the company said in its complaint.
In case you forgot, Epic sued Google when it removed Fortnite from its Play Store after a Mega Drop update gave players a way to bypass Play and get discounted items.
Apple will hold a second fall product event on October 18th at 1 PM ET. The invitation for the virtual Unleashed presentation doesn't provide many clues, but we’re expecting to see 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, powered by souped-up M1X processors.
Apple might also introduce third-generation 'basic' AirPods — headphones we thought we’d see at the iPhone just months ago.
Motorola’s Edge, updated for 2021, still makes compromises but in adding a fast 144Hz display, a more consistent fingerprint sensor and better software support, it addresses many of the shortcomings of its predecessor. If you can forgive the middling camera and its missing wireless charging, there’s a lot to like about this phone. For now, the unlocked 256GB model is $600, but it will eventually cost $700. Another strong midrange phone is here.
The company has also upgraded its existing lineup.
Tile is making a tracker that uses both ultra-wideband (UWB) and Bluetooth and will work across both Android and iOS. UWB devices can transmit directional and spatial data to narrow down their location more accurately than over Bluetooth alone.
The Tile Ultra tracker's Point and Locate feature lets you use augmented reality to find the item with turn-by-turn directions and a visual indicator of where the tracker is. Tile's working with Google to refine the feature for Android 12 and UWB-capable phones. It’s set to arrive in early 2022.
Until then, the company has announced the new Tile Pro, as well as revamped versions of Sticker, Slim and Mate trackers. The Pro is the company's most powerful tag to date, with a finding range of 400 feet.
E-bike maker VanMoof wants to get riders from A to B more swiftly with its first high-speed model. The VanMoof V is the company’s first hyperbike, which will be able to hit a top speed of 31MPH (50KMH).
VanMoof is pitching this as a car replacement for city life and longer commutes, but as speed limits for e-bikes vary across cities and counties, the e-bike will have matching integrated speed settings. As it develops the VanMoof V, the company plans to work with lawmakers and governments on e-bike rules, including geofencing and speed regulations.
After finding itself embroiled in a controversy over insider trading, NFT marketplace OpenSea is getting some more bad press. The site had a critical security vulnerability that could have allowed hackers to steal users' entire crypto wallets, according to security research firm Check Point Software.
Check Point said it first noticed reports of stolen crypto wallets triggered by airdropped NFTs, prompting the firm to investigate OpenSea. That revealed critical security discoveries "that, if exploited, could have led hackers to hijack user accounts and steal entire crypto wallets of users, by sending malicious NFTs," the company said.
The attack relied on user inattention and the fact that OpenSea already generates a lot of pop-ups. If the victim received and viewed a malicious NFT sent by a hacker, it triggered a pop-up from OpenSea's storage domain, requesting a connection to the victim's cryptocurrency wallet. Clicking on the popup gave the hacker access to the wallet and allowed them to generate another popup. If the user also clicked on that without noticing a note describing the transaction, the attacker could theoretically steal all their money.
It seemed that a lot of things needed to go wrong for the attack to work, and it's not clear if it was actively exploited. Check Point said it disclosed the vulnerability as soon as it found it, and OpenSea said it implemented a fix "within an hour of it being brought to our attention." The company said it's "doubling down on community education around security," by adding a blog series and taking other measures.
The security research firm said that given the rapid pace of innovation, "there is an inherent challenge in securely integrating software applications and crypto markets." Bad actors are also drawn to crypto like wasps to pain au chocolat, so it's likely we'll hear about similar attacks in the near future.
If you live in a city where rideshare scooters are available, chances are you’ve had someone zip by on one while you were walking on the sidewalk. It’s an issue that local governments around the world have pushed mobility companies to address since day one. And after working on the problem since 2019, Bird thinks it has a solution.
Collaborating with a firm called U-blox, the company has developed a custom multi-sensor and GPS module it says is far more accurate than other solutions at detecting when someone drives a scooter onto a sidewalk. When you drive a Bird scooter that’s equipped with the module onto a sidewalk, it will produce an audible sound and send a notification to your smartphone. The vehicle will also slowly and smoothly come to a stop.
Bird is testing the technology in Milwaukee and San Diego and plans to bring it to Madrid and other cities in the future.
For Bird, coming to this point has been a long journey. At one point, the company tried using AI-assisted cameras for sidewalk detection but found they presented two problems. One, they would have added a fragile component to a vehicle that’s already frequently vandalized. Two, training the machine learning software that would power those cameras would have proven difficult due to the ways road infrastructure in different countries can look. According to Bird, the advantage of its latest solution is that it’s a solution it can implement at scale without worrying about the weather or vandalism.
Fujifilm has revealed a new Instax printer that supports its wider, more Polaroid-like film. The Instax Link Wide Smartphone printer is designed to connect to your smartphone over Bluetooth and print out camera roll photos that are twice as wide as the credit card-sized images from the original Instax mini Link printer. It also allows you to directly transfer and print images from Fujifilm's X-S10 mirrorless camera, with no need for a smartphone.
As before, the new printer runs on batteries and can do about 100 Instax prints on a charge. You can choose from two printing modes, "Instax Rich, accentuating deep, warm colors, and Instax Natural, which emphasizes the inherent tones of the image," according to Fujifilm. You can also use the Instax Link app, which offers around 30 filters, collages, text, digital stickers and frame templates, while letting you import and add handwritten text and sketches to a photo.
The Instax Link Wide Smartphone printer supports Fujifilm's wide-format film, which costs $20 for a pack of 10 — also used by its Instax 300 Wide camera. In addition, Fujifilm introduced a new black-bordered version of Instax Wide film, available at $22 for a ten-pack. The Instax Link Wide Smartphone Printer arrives later this month for $149.95
Bowers & Wilkins has launched a new version of its iconic Zeppelin speaker, and the company says it was re-imagined for the streaming age. The audio device manufacturer describes the new Zeppelin as "smarter and more flexible" than its predecessors, with built-in support for Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, so users can simply ask it to play whatever they want instead of using its physical buttons. In addition, B&W plans to give it multi-room capability in early 2022 through a software update. Once that arrives, users will be able to link several Zeppelins together or link a Zeppelin with other B&W speakers in a multi-room environment.
For now, the new model supports AirPlay 2 and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth to give both iOS and Android users an easy way to stream audio from their devices. Like the previous version, it features Spotify Connect and can be controlled using the Bowers & Wilkins app, which gives it access to more streaming services like Deezer, Soundcloud and TIDAL.
The new Zeppelin comes with two Decoupled Double-Dome tweeters mounted at the far edges for "a wide, spacious and highly accurate sound." Plus, it has a new 150mm subwoofer for a deep, detailed bass. The 2021 model will be available starting today in Midnight Grey or Pearl Grey from retailers or from the company's website. As potential buyers probably already expect, the high-end speaker won't come cheap: It'll set them back $799, which is $100 more than the previous version's debut price.
