MacRumors

Google will launch an all-new Pixel-branded Chromebook and a miniaturized version of its Google Home smart speaker alongside new Pixel smartphones at an event this fall, according to a source familiar with the company's plans.

Details are scant on the new Pixel notebook, which will revive the Chromebook line after two years of inactivity, but AndroidPolice suggests it could be the fruition of Google's secretive "Project Bison" first reported last year.

According to rumors, the Bison has a 12.3-inch display, 32 or 128GB of storage, 8 or 16GB of RAM, and a thickness of under 10mm, with the possibility of a "tablet" mode. Originally tipped for a Q3 2017 release and with prices said to start at $799, Bison was said to be considered internally as a serious competitor to Apple's MacBook and Microsoft's Surface Pro, but it's unknown whether the new Pixel Chromebook will actually take this form.

Again, details are few and far between regarding the rumored Google Home "mini" that could debut at the company's fall event, but it's likely to be positioned similarly to Amazon's Echo Dot as a smaller, cheaper version of the $129 flagship model, offering existing Google Home owners a more affordable way of extending smart speaker coverage to additional rooms of the house.

Google's second-generation Pixel smartphones will come in two sizes and both models are expected to feature "squeezable" sides that enable them to perform different functions. The 4.97-inch device will by made by HTC and is said to have a 1080p display and stereo speakers, while the 6-inch XL handset made by LG will feature an AMOLED display with a 2:1 aspect ratio. Both devices are said to have no headphone jack.

There's still no confirmation of the actual date of Google's fall event, but the original Pixel smartphones were unveiled in October of last year, so expect it to be around then.

Facebook's Safety Check service is set to become a permanent feature of the social media network on both mobile and web, with the next update of the iOS app.

The Safety Check feature first appeared in 2014 to help users let loved ones know they are safe if they are close to a crisis. Facebook announced on its Disaster Response page that the service will roll out to become a permanent feature over the next few weeks.

Safety Check helps our community let loved ones know they are safe during a crisis, find and give help, as well as learn more about a crisis. There’s now a single place to go to see where Safety Check has recently been activated, get the information you need and potentially be able to help affected areas. We will gradually roll this out in the upcoming weeks starting today.

Facebook's example images show the service being accessed on Android, but the Safety Check feature should make its way onto iOS with the next update to the app, as an additional option in the Explore tab, which can be displayed by tapping the hamburger button in the lower right corner of the interface.

Facebook recently made several changes to the News Feed to make it easier to read and navigate, with tweaks to the design and the use of chat bubbles to display comments. Facebook is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Apple recently dropped the price of the HomeKit-enabled D-Link Omna 180 Cam HD camera from $199.95 to $149.95 in the United States, a $50 discount off of the launch price. Apple's website doesn't mention a discount, suggesting the base price of the accessory has been lowered.

The price has also been lowered in Canada from $269.95 CAD to $199.95 CAD, and it's also been discounted in several other countries, including the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and more. It appears the price cut went live a few weeks ago.

The D-Link Omna 180 Cam HD was the first camera to include support for HomeKit, but other products have been released since then, including Logitech's Circle 2.

The Omna is a quality in-home security camera with a wide angle lens, night vision support, and an accompanying app, but it records all content to a microSD card and does not include support for uploading to the cloud, a feature that may keep some users from wanting to buy it.

For a more complete picture of the D-Link Omna, make sure to check out our review.

Back in April, Apple product designer and Siri co-founder Tom Gruber gave a TED Talk, where he spoke about his vision of the future of computers and artificial intelligence.

The full 10-minute TED Talk was today published on YouTube, giving us a chance to hear his complete thoughts on the future of AI and Siri.

Gruber's talk also covers the importance of privacy and a range of useful applications for AI, like cancer detection and advanced personal assistants like Siri.

Apple's progress in 3D sensing design and mass production is 1.5 to 2 years ahead of Qualcomm's, according to a new investor's note released today by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo believes that Qualcomm is behind in both software and hardware development for 3D sensing, and won't be able to ship the technology until 2019. As Qualcomm is the "most engaged" company when it comes to 3D sensing components for Android devices, Android smartphones could lag behind Apple devices for some time.

While Qualcomm has excelled in designing advanced application processors and baseband solutions, it lags behind in other crucial aspects of smartphone applications like dual-camera (many Android phones have instead adopted solutions used to simulate optical zoom from third-party vendors such as Arcsoft (US)) and ultrasonic fingerprint scanner (while a new reference design has been released, there is no visibility on mass production). So while Qualcomm is the most engaged company in the R&D of 3D sensing for the Android camp, we are conservative as regards progress toward significant shipments and don't see it happening until 2019F.

According to Kuo, Qualcomm is dealing with immature algorithms and an unfavorable hardware reference design for smartphones due to form factor design and thermal issues. Qualcomm may also be impacted by Apple's choice of suppliers. Many key component suppliers have already allocated resources to Apple, so Qualcomm has to find different suppliers in order to obtain sufficient resources. Kuo also outlines the suppliers each company is using:

In general, Kuo says the "Android camp" appears to be taking a wait-and-see approach to 3D sensing, which also does not bode well for Qualcomm's 3D sensing technology. Android manufacturers are said to be waiting to see how Apple will use 3D sensing and whether it will offer an "innovative user experience" with features like facial recognition.

Xiaomi's 2018 flagship device is said to be the only potential adopter of Qualcomm's 3D sensing technology, and if the OLED iPhone doesn't see positive feedback following launch, Kuo believes Xiaomi may drop the project.

Apple is rumored to be introducing a front-facing camera with 3D sensing functionality that will enable a new facial recognition system to replace Touch ID, which the company could not build under the display of the device due to production issues. Apple's "iPhone 8" with 3D sensors is expected to debut in just a couple of weeks.

Apple today seeded the seventh beta of an upcoming watchOS 4 update to developers, one week after seeding the sixth beta and more than two months after introducing the watchOS 4 update at its 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS 4 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update.

To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.

watchOS 4 introduces three new watch faces, including a dedicated Siri watch face that displays dynamic information unique to each individual and is perhaps the most significant new feature in the update. There are also new complications for Now Playing and Apple News, and an enhanced Workout app that supports High Intensity Interval Training and new swimming options.

Many other small tweaks and changes have been introduced, all of which are outlined in our dedicated watchOS 4 roundup.

watchOS 4 is only available to developers and will not be provided to public beta testers, so non-developers need to wait until the software sees an official release in the fall to try it out. With September approaching, we are nearing the end of the beta testing period.

Apple today seeded the seventh beta of an upcoming tvOS 11 update designed for the fourth-generation TV, one week after seeding the sixth beta and over two months after releasing the first beta during the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Registered developers can download the tvOS 11 update by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software using iTunes.

tvOS 11 didn't receive a lot of attention at the Worldwide Developers Conference because it's a modest update, but according to Apple's release notes, it does introduce a few new features to the operating system.

tvOS 11 brings automatic switching between light/dark mode based on local time, Home screen syncing options that keep multiple Apple TVs in a household in sync, new background modes and notification support, Focus API improvements, custom sound support, network-based pairing and development support, improvements to Mobile Device Management, and more.

The seventh beta of tvOS 11 most likely focuses primarily on bug fixes and other small refinements, as the first six betas did. Apple's new tvOS 11 update is available for both registered developers and public beta testers. It will see a public release later this year.

Update: Today's update appears to include HDR assets for "J105a," the code name for a next-generation Apple TV capable of supporting a 4K resolution. References to J105a have previously been found in the HomePod firmware, suggesting we could perhaps see a release of a new Apple TV in the near future.

Update 2: Apple has also released a new public beta of tvOS 11 for public beta testers.

Chicago-based independent record label Drag City has released nearly all of its back catalog of music -- which began with the label's inception in 1990 -- onto Apple Music this past weekend. To celebrate the addition, Apple has created a new banner for the record label, allowing subscribers to listen to Drag City playlists categorized by various genres and artists.

In its description of the label, Apple Music explained that this marks the first time ever that most of Drag City's music has been made available on a streaming service, and the launch is exclusive to Apple Music. The press release by Drag City noted that its "entire(ish)" catalog is now available on Apple's music streaming service, but it didn't specify which songs or artists might be missing (via Spin).

"Daring, irreverent, ferociously independent -- Drag City is one of our favorite labels. Over the last three decades, it's become a place where artists and iconoclasts have found a home to further their vision, whether it's symphonic, harp-driven Americana or meditative doom metal. With the Drag City catalog now available to stream for the first time, we're celebrating the label alongside a few people who have helped to make it so singular.

Outside of the new launch, a few Drag City artists and songs have been made available on Apple Music over the past few months, most notably related to some of Joanna Newsom's albums. Now, users can stream nearly every label released under Drag City's banner, including albums created by Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Ty Segall, Royal Trux, Smog, Six Organs of Admittance, and many more.

Previously, Drag City was one label which was adamant about keeping its artists' music off of streaming services, namely Spotify, although it did release content onto YouTube. In the spring of 2015, ahead of the release of Apple Music, Drag City explained that it withheld music from streaming platforms due to a lack of "fair compensation" for its artists, and that subsequently its content would just be "cannon fodder for the service."

As Apple Music grows, Apple has repeatedly launched exclusive albums, partnered with musicians to debut Apple Music ads, and used artists' social media to promote listening to their songs on Apple Music. As of WWDC in June, Apple Music had 27 million paid subscribers.

After an announcement in July that Foxconn will build a $10 billion LCD panel manufacturing plant in southeast Wisconsin, a new report out today states that the Apple supplier is now planning to build three "ancillary facilities" in Wisconsin as well (via Reuters).

The three buildings are planned to be opened for operation as early as 2018, two years ahead of when the main LCD facility is expected to debut in 2020. The LCD plant will be focused on large-screened panels for TV sets, and with Apple potentially interested in investing in the United States plant, some buildings on the new Foxconn campus could eventually include an assembly line for smaller displays used in iPhones, iPads, or MacBooks.

The three facilities will be much smaller than the main plant and require a combined investment of below $1 billion.

Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn on Monday said it plans to build three facilities in the U.S. state of Wisconsin for operation as early as next year, as part of a campus housing a $10 billion liquid crystal display (LCD) factory due for 2020.

Foxconn, formally Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd (2317.TW), said it will begin by setting up a back-end packaging line, high-precision molding line and end-device assembly line. It may also start importing glass from Taiwan, China and Japan.

Foxconn is now awaiting a final decision on a bill that aims to grant the manufacturer a $3 billion incentive package for the Wisconsin plant, which will be met with approval or denial sometime in September. If approved, Foxconn will "immediately" begin land survey work for its new U.S. facilities.

Earlier in the summer, Foxconn chairman Terry Gou said the company was interested in the U.S. states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Texas, for potential manufacturing facilities. Gou's special assistant, Louis Woo, said in today's report that the company continues to look at other states it could expand into -- with Gou having met recently with Michigan's governor -- but no decision has been finalized.