Technology - Google News

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• Fortnite for Android will ditch Google Play Store for Epic's website
• The best truly wireless earbuds to buy in 2018
• 2018 iPhones may be missing something, and iOS 12 hides clues about the next iPhone

Fortnite for Android will ditch Google Play Store for Epic's website Posted: 03 Aug 2018 07:00 AM PDT Epic Games announced today that it will not distribute its massively popular game Fortnite on Android through Google's Play Store marketplace. Instead, the company plans to directly distribute the software to players through the official Fortnite website, where Android users can download a Fortnite Installer program to install the game on compatible devices. The news confirms reports from earlier this week that Epic would bypass Google for the Android launch of the game. There is no concrete release date yet for the Android version of Fortnite, but rumors circulating suggest the game's release will be tied to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 9 launch. Epic declined to comment on the game's release date or any partnership plans with Samsung. Regardless, the announcement marks a bold departure from the widespread industry practice of using mobile operating system makers like Apple and Google for app distribution. For Fortnite on iOS, Epic decided to distribute the game on the App Store, most likely because it had no other method of getting iPhone users to easily download the software. (Apple, unlike Google, does not allow iOS users to download apps that are not first approved by its internal review processes and distributed through its proprietary marketplace.) With Google and its more open platform, Epic can get away with distributing the app itself. CEO Tim Sweeney says the primary motivation here is twofold. Epic wants to maintain its direct relationship with consumers. (The company currently distributes Fortnite on PC through its own Epic Games Launcher, instead of using Valve's popular Steam platform.) "Epic wants to have a direct relationship with our customers on all platforms where that's possible," Sweeney told The Verge over email. "The great thing about the Internet and the digital revolution is that this is possible, now that physical storefronts and middlemen distributors are no longer required." The second reason is financial: Epic does not want to pay Google's 30 percent cut, especially considering the entire game is funded through in-app purchases. "The 30 percent store tax is a high cost in a world where game developers' 70 percent must cover all the cost of developing, operating, and supporting their games," Sweeney says. "There's a rationale for this on console where there's enormous investment in hardware, often sold below cost, and marketing campaigns in broad partnership with publishers." But on mobile platforms that are open, like Android, "30 percent is disproportionate to the cost of the services these stores perform, such as payment processing, download bandwidth, and customer service," he says. Sweeney adds that Epic is "intimately familiar with these costs" from its direct distribution of Fortnite on Mac and PC. Fortnite on iOS made $15 million in its first three weeks on the market, so it's reasonable to assume the mobile version of the game is a sizable source of revenue for Epic. Last month, the company also reduced the revenue cut it takes from asset makers who sell digital work on its Unreal Engine 4 platform, in part because of the ongoing financial success of Fortnite. Reasonably, there are some concerns about how exactly this will work, and whether it opens up Android users to any potential security or data privacy risks since running third-party software outside the Play Store involves removing certain protections on Android devices. Sweeney says he doesn't see security as a big issue here. "Gamers have proven able to adopt safe software practices, and gaming has thrived on the open PC platform through many sources." He cites marketplaces like Steam, Activision Blizzard's Battle.net, and Riot Games' League of Legends platform. "We're confident Android will be similarly successful," Sweeney adds. "Most importantly, mobile operating systems increasingly provide robust, permissions-based security, enabling users to choose what each app is allowed to do: save files; access the microphone; access your contacts. In our view, this is the way all computer and smartphone platforms should provide security, rather than entrusting one monopoly app store as the arbiter of what software users are allowed to obtain." There are a number of open questions from here onward, principally how Google will respond. (The company was not immediately available for comment.) Furthermore, we don't know how this will eventually impact availability in China. Sweeney says the initial Android launch of Fortnite will be worldwide excluding China, and he says Epic is currently working out a China launch for both iOS and Android. "Because Google Play doesn't operate in China, the whole China Android market is already served by other direct-to-customer software sources such as Tencent's WeChat and the Xiaomi Store," Sweeney says. He added that the company is "exploring various possibilities" for distributing Fortnite on other third-party app stores, but it has nothing to announce right now. That said, Epic's move here will surely have a big impact on what app makers decide to do in the future. Fortnite is popular enough — it has more than 125 million registered players as of June — that scores of Android users will likely download the game at launch, even if it requires a little bit more technical know-how than usual. And Epic has the industry clout and technological resources to go it alone in this regard, as it has been doing for years now on the PC platform. Still, that Epic is making such an audacious move with the Android release of Fortnite, which will arguably be its most popular platform, is an eye-popping turn of events for an already unprecedented gaming narrative. Let's block ads! (Why?)

The best truly wireless earbuds to buy in 2018 Posted: 03 Aug 2018 10:23 AM PDT Truly wireless earbuds are exactly what their name promises. Over the last couple years, we've seen the introduction and early evolution of this new category of headphones. They eliminate all wires, neckbands, and other tethers between the two buds in your ears, offering a level of convenience, lightweight comfort, and flexibility that traditional Bluetooth earbuds and headphones can't match. There are no tangled cord nightmares to sort out. They can't get caught on an item of clothing and be uncomfortably yanked out. You get full range of motion, which neckbuds and many popular wireless — but not wire-free — headphones don't provide. If you're judging by sound quality alone, these products won't fully measure up to several-hundred-dollar audiophile headphones. But they sound plenty good in their own right. I don't miss my Etymotic earbuds or my fancy Grado or V-Moda headphones when I'm carrying around my Jabra 65Ts every day. If Verge headphone connoisseur Vlad Savov can be happy with the audio output from these, I'd wager you will be, too. There are trade-offs for this newfound freedom, though. The main compromise you make is battery life. A typical pair of Bluetooth headphones or earbuds will go several hours beyond the single-charge battery endurance you'll get from the gadgets rounded up here. Many of these won't last you through a cross-country flight before you'll need to drop them back into their charging case. All of them have controls directly on the earbuds; some use light taps and gestures, but others will have you pushing them deeper into your ear to press a button. And their convenient compactness has an ugly side: sometimes they're easier to lose. A day before publishing this, the truly wireless earbuds I'd been using (and successfully keeping track of) for months went poof. But these shortcomings are overwhelmingly beaten out by the plus side of eliminating all wires. Many true wireless earbuds have already piled on features like built-in storage, language translation, fitness tracking, and so on. Some of those might be valuable to you, but I've found that the best of the best stick to the listening experience above all else. They weren't first to market, but well over a year after their release, Apple's AirPods remain the best truly wireless earbuds you can get because of their seamless user experience, long battery life, good sound, and best-of-the-bunch carrying case. Their design has been roundly mocked, but the AirPods' white stems are now ubiquitous and instantly recognizable in cities around the world. The AirPods are one of the company's best first-generation products of all time, and their $159 price remains aggressive and appealing when lined up against the competition. When it comes to their sound, I like the way Vlad put it best: "There's enough of everything — bass and treble extension, soundstage, clarity, and detail — in Apple's tuning to render a convincing reproduction of most genres of music." They might look similar, but the AirPods are a good magnitude superior to the pack-in earbuds that accompanied your iPhone in its box. 8 Verge Score Good Stuff Effortless pairing Great sound for what they are Excellent carrying case and battery life Bad Stuff Won't fit all ears well Open design lets in all outside noise Ridiculed design AirPods should give you around five hours of continuous playback on a charge. Apple's carrying case for them remains best-in-class, as well. Does it look like a pack of dental floss? Absolutely. But the case is terrifically portable and holds enough recharges inside to give the AirPods a total of over 24 hours of playback. You'll get somewhere between 10 to 15 hours from the competition. And while they work quite well with Android devices, the "magic" of AirPods really comes out when you're using them with other Apple products. The pairing process is near-instant. Set them up with one device, and your others will automatically recognize them. And you'll need to use them with an Apple device for the AirPods to automatically pause when you take one out. (There are software workarounds and apps that can get this to work on Android, but it's a bit finicky.) Call quality is excellent and voice commands are heard loud and clear by Siri. There's no way to control volume from the AirPods themselves, but you can configure double-tap gestures for skipping tracks, pausing music, or triggering Siri. Those new controls are among the improvements Apple has made since our original review. The AirPods aren't rated for water resistance, but I know plenty of folks who regularly use them at the gym without any problems (besides hearing plenty of clanking and grunting, that is). If you've got the right ears for them (or are willing to get creative) and prefer having a sense of what's happening around you, the AirPods are nearly impossible to beat in this category. But that's certainly not everybody. AirPods don't sit in my ears as securely as I'd like, nor can I tolerate their open design that requires cranking the volume to overcome noisy surroundings. (How do so many people wear them on the subway? I'll never understand.) So for me, the $170 Jabra Elite 65t earbuds represent the ideal package of what's available in 2018. Their Bluetooth connection to a phone or PC is rock solid, as is the link between both earbuds. The silicone tips provide a great fit and seal, and the resulting noise isolation makes your music sound better and helps tune out background noise. (Whenever you need to pay attention, there's a transparency mode that pipes in ambient sound using the built-in mics.) The Elite 65ts include some of the same helpful tricks as AirPods; pull out one earbud and your music will pause until it goes back in. And you can do pretty much everything you need — control volume, change tracks, access Siri / Google Assistant — directly via the physical controls. 8 Verge Score Good Stuff Incredibly stable connection Pleasant sound with good bass Customizable fit Two-year warranty against sweat / dust Bad Stuff Sometimes get uncomfortable during extended listening No foam tips included You'll need a phone with Bluetooth 5 for best performance You can pair the Elite 65ts with two devices simultaneously, which is one of my favorite things about them. That's another feature that's relatively common with Bluetooth headphones, but less so with truly wireless buds. Single-charge life is about five hours, which is on the higher end in this field, with the case providing two additional top-offs. That case isn't quite as compact as Apple's, nor do Jabra's earbuds drop in with the same effortless, magnetic connection, but it does the job just fine. I only wish it charged over USB-C so I could finally rid my bag of MicroUSB cables. The Elite 65t earbuds avoid one common annoyance shared by several of the other products listed below: there's no noticeable audio lag when watching videos. All it takes is the slightest delay before you'll want to pull your hair out, and that's not an issue with these. Jabra has also been good about adding new features after launch. You can now choose Alexa as your preferred voice assistant, customize EQ settings for different scenarios, or even play relaxing sounds (white noise, thunderstorms, etc.) within the companion app. Also very important: I've found the Elite 65ts to be consistently durable. A friend of mine wore them for a 13-mile run during a downpour, and they survived. I've put mine through countless sweat-filled workouts without any hiccups to speak of. That dependability, plus the good sound and fit really put the Jabras over the top for me. But maybe you don't need to spend over $100 to get a quality set of true wireless earbuds. Anker recently launched the $80 SoundCore Liberty Lite earbuds, and I'm genuinely impressed at how well they hit on the fundamentals. Just to set expectations: at this price, you're giving up some of the most convenient aspects of more expensive truly wireless buds. Music will just keep playing if you remove one of the Liberty Lites from your ears. The single button on each earbud gives you track controls and a shortcut to Siri or Google Assistant, but that's about it. And the earbuds communicate things like battery level and connection status with beeps and bloops, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. Everything should use voice to make this stuff clear. But as wireless earbuds, the Liberty Lites work beautifully. They're smaller and lighter than many competitors, have a tight seal, and also include Bluetooth 5 for robust reliability. Their carrying case is relatively slim, and it magnetically pulls the earbuds into their proper placement. Most importantly, their sound is better than I expected for the cost. The soundstage isn't quite as wide or detailed as the AirPods or Jabra Elites, and some tracks can be a bit harsh on the high end, but the bulk of what I've listened to has been well-balanced and enjoyable. However, I'm holding off on properly scoring the Liberty Lites for now, as my initial review unit has been exhibiting some funky battery behavior. (Stay tuned for a full review very soon once I've tested the replacement sets.) If the battery life is on par with other earbuds — and Anker promises that it is — these might be the new value pair to beat. They definitely show how far we've come in just a couple of years, as products that significantly undercut the AirPods are now offering very good value if you only care about the core basics. They've already checked off the boxes for comfort, sound, and a steady connection. What a difference from Anker's first try. There is an endless sea of truly wireless earbuds available for cheap on Amazon. Some are blatant AirPod clones, and others are less shameless but still extremely generic. In any event, I'd recommend steering clear of them and going with a recognizable brand when buying a pair. You get what you pay for here, and I don't believe for a second that some $40 product from a random company can hold a candle to our picks over the long term. As for the more legitimate contenders, if you have a Samsung phone, the Gear IconX are worth looking at for their Galaxy-exclusive features. And the Bose SoundSport Frees offer incredible sound but are foiled by audio / video delay and connectivity issues. Sony's latest sport-focused earbuds are better than their first attempt, and they stayed in my ears more securely than anything else, but I'd still pick the Jabras over them. 8 Verge Score Good Stuff Great sound Bountiful battery life Useful run-tracking features Bad Stuff You lose some features on other phones Tricky touch interface Occasional audio dropouts 7 Verge Score Good Stuff Fantastic sound Water resistant Rock-solid connection Bad Stuff They struggle in loud environments Don't always sync with video High price tag 7 Verge Score Good Stuff Powerful, rumbling bass that's ideal for workout playlists Sturdy, secure fit IPX4 water and sweat resistant Bad Stuff Case is way too big Worst-in-class battery life Useless for watching videos Audio dropouts are still a thing 7 Verge Score Good Stuff Sharp design Plentiful battery life Great sound Extra features like activity tracking and translation Bad Stuff Bluetooth connection isn't bulletproof All the "smart" features still need development High price tag 6.5 Verge Score Good Stuff Decent and well-balanced sound Good noise isolation from outside distractions Comfortable, lightweight design Bad Stuff Noise cancellation doesn't live up to Sony standards Shorter battery life than competition Periodic audio dropouts, especially in right earbud 6 Verge Score Good Stuff Premium, unobtrusive design Nice carrying case Comply foam ear tips in the box No audio delay when watching videos Bad Stuff Too many dropouts to justify high price Annoying bug shifts music balance to left earbud Case uses Micro USB Average battery life Frustrating / annoying firmware update system 5 Verge Score Good Stuff Comfortable Bluetooth 5 and USB-C IPX6 sweat resistant Bad Stuff Lackluster, bass-heavy sound Case is a little too much No volume controls on earbuds 4.5 Verge Score Good Stuff Comfortable Case supports Qi wireless charging IPX6 sweat resistance Bad Stuff Terrible battery life Monstrous charging case Frequent connection dropouts Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy. Let's block ads! (Why?)

2018 iPhones may be missing something, and iOS 12 hides clues about the next iPhone Posted: 04 Aug 2018 04:00 AM PDT Apple may be ditching the free headphone jack adapter that comes in the box of this year's iPhones if the rumors are true. The latest iOS 12 beta release has some hidden clues that hint at dual SIM support for at least one of the 2018 iPhones. And even the thousand dollar price tag of the iPhone X didn't stop consumers from buying a bunch of them; 43.3 million units according to Apple's third quarter earning reports which were released this week. But the biggest news: Apple hit a trillion, and it has the iPhone to thank! Here's a roundup of the most important iPhone news and rumors of the week. ¿Will Apple ditch the dongle? The iPhone 7 Plus will not only come with Earpods with a Lightning connector, but they will also have a dongle (Lighting to 3.5mm analog adapter). The dongle allows you to use headphones with an analog headphone jack. If the rumors are true, you'll be losing that dongle before you open the box of this year's iPhones. According to a Barclays report note published by MacRumors Apple will not include a Lightning-to-3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter in the box of the 2018 iPhones. The company has included this dongle free of charge since it removed the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.  Now Playing: Watch this: The cheapest 2018 iPhone could be the last to arrive 6:33 The phones also included a set Lightning EarPods alongside the charger in the box, but this time Apple is also rumored to be swapping out the wall charger and cable for a USB-C to Lightning fast-charging option. Users still hoping to use 3.5mm headphones with these new phones would have to purchase the adapter separately from Apple for $9, £9 and AU12. iOS 12 hides clues about the next iPhones We've been hearing murmurs about a dual SIM option on the next iPhones, but now there's evidence to back these claims. Well, sort of. According to an article published in 9to5Mac, the latest iOS 12 beta 5 has some clues hidden in the code that would indicate dual SIM support. Code alone doesn't guarantee that we will see a reflection of this in September's hardware, but it does mean the company's working on this kind of option. A dual SIM option doesn't make much sense in the U.S. where there's currently no carrier support, but it would help Apple attract the overseas markets where it's looking to expand as expressed in its earnings call Tuesday. Apple hits a trillion Apple has officially joined the four comma club. The stock hit the magic number of $207.05 on Thursday following a positive earnings report two days earlier which put the company at a trillion dollar valuation that has held strong as of Friday after trading hours. Now Playing: Watch this: Apple just became a $1 trillion company 1:49 Apple shares the limelight with the only other public company that's hit the trillion dollar mark before: PetroChina which does oil and gas. But that was way back in 2007 and it was only sitting pretty on the Shanghai Stock Exchange for a short while. The other company that's potentially worth even more than Apple is is Saudi Aramco, the oil and energy company. Reports suggest it could be worth up to 2 trillion dollars. But unlike Apple, it's a private company so there's no way to know for sure. Tim Cook James Martin/CNET All things considered, this is a serious turnaround for a company that almost went bankrupt in the late 1990s. But other tech companies are nipping at Apple's heels. Amazon's hovering around the 877 billion mark, while Alphabet (aka Google's parent company) is around 854 billion. It's all about the iPhone Apple owes most of its revenue to the iPhone, which continues to keep bringing in more sales despite a general slowdown in the smartphone market. Even the hefty price tag didn't stop the company from selling 41.3 million iPhones in the fiscal third quarter of 2018, a one percent increase over last year. Josh Miller/CNET And the company as a whole did even better, increasing revenue by 17 percent is a pretty big deal. Apples services aka App Store, Apple Music and iCloud -- make up thinner slice of the revenue pie compared to the iPhone, but they've been growing at a much faster pace of about 30 percent for the second quarter in a row. The same can be said about their "others" category which  includes the Apple Watch and AirPods which increased 37 percent increase over last year. Mac numbers were pretty much the only ones that dipped this quarter, but this obviously didn't stop the trillion dollar Apple train from chugging to the top.   Other iPhone news: Last week's iPhone news: 2018 iPhone speeds could lag behind Android, and the new LCD iPhone might be delayed Rumor has it that the 2018 iPhones might end up being slower than previous models. And the least expensive model in the upcoming series could launch a month later than expected.  And lastly, if your current iPhone needs some fixing while you're waiting, Apple's internal repair videos could help out. Here's what you need to know about iPhone news and rumors this week. 2018 iPhones could be slower than Android phones Apple's iPhones for 2018 could lag behind Androids, and Apple's patent war with Qualcomm is the reason why. The iPhone X and the Xiaomi Mi 8 head to head. James Martin/CNET The fallout of a strained relationship between these two mobile titans means that Qualcomm expects it won't supply modems for the upcoming round of iPhones. This is the part that phones use to connect to the network. Qualcomm thinks that Apple will go all in with chip competitor Intel, which already supplies modems for about half of the current iPhones. Now Playing: Watch this: Qualcomm shrinks its 5G chips, iPhone download speeds... 1:16 The result of this switcharoo could limit Apple's network speeds and make it difficult for Intel to keep up with Apple's demand for new iPhone modems. Nonetheless, this is fantastic news for Intel, which missed the boat when mobile phones were blowing up. If true, this could be Intel's game to lose. The 6.1-inch LCD iPhone might not arrive until October You might need to wait until October to pick up the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone. Sarah Tew/CNET Bad news: we might have to wait until October to see the rumored 6.1-inch LCD iPhone. It's suspected that this model could suffer a one-month delay because of possible quality-control issues with its screen's backlight, which is said to leak all over the place. But hey, this is better than the six-week delay that was expected before. Apparently Apple's other two iPhone flagships, the 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED models, seem to be right on track... so far. Apple's internal repair videos may have leaked Ever wanted to watch a DIY for repairing your iPhone? YouTuber Arman Haji uploaded 11 videos covering all of Apple's secret, proprietary tools needed to repair your Apple devices yourself. Now Playing: Watch this: Leaked Apple videos and the parts for 2019's iPhone 6:16 The videos were a rare glimpse behind Apple's tightly closed shutters. If left on YouTube, they could have also seriously eaten into Apple's repairs profits -- AppleCare is big business. James Martin/CNET Apple never responded to CNET's request for comment, but here's something more -- not only were the videos removed from YouTube, but Haji's entire YouTube channel seems to have blipped off the radar as well. Other iPhone news: Let's block ads! (Why?)

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