MacRumors

T-Mobile today launched a new iPhone and iPad leasing program for businesses in partnership with Apple's Financial Services.

Under the program, qualifying business accounts activating 25 or more lines with T-Mobile can lease iPhone and iPad models with no upfront costs, and lower monthly installments versus purchasing the devices outright.

By leasing instead of owning, businesses pay only for their usage of the devices, with the option to upgrade to the latest models each year.

For example, businesses can get an iPhone 8 for as low as $18 per month. Paired with unlimited talk, text, and data through T-Mobile ONE for $25 per month, the monthly out of pocket cost is as low as $43 per line.

In addition, while purchasing devices upfront or through a financing plan is a capital expenditure, leasing devices over 24 months through Apple can move the cost to an operating expense for financial flexibility.

For a limited time, T-Mobile says it will cover the first $100 of every iPhone and iPad leased through the program. Businesses can sign up for the program, and learn more, on T-Mobile's enterprise website.

Four months after launching the second version of Spectacles, Snapchat today revealed two new styles of its wearable glasses, called "Nico" and "Veronica." Instead of the circular lenses with colorful styles, the new Spectacles come in black-on-black with polarized lenses and more traditional sunglasses designs.

Otherwise, the glasses appear to be largely the same as the the models that were announced in April. You can capture up to 70 videos or "hundreds" of photos on a single charge, and all the content will be transferred to your connected smartphone via Bluetooth. Nico and Veronica also retain the Spectacles 2's water resistance feature, so you don't have to worry about wearing them in the rain or at the beach.

In the fall, Snapchat says that a new Spectacles feature will debut that automatically curates your Spectacles Snaps into one Highlight Story. The company explains that this should make it "faster and easier" to find your favorite recorded moments and share them with your Snapchat friends after you've recorded a lot of videos and photos.

In addition to polarized lenses, The Verge reports that another difference between the new Spectacles and the models from April is a new black "semi-soft" carrying case. This is another aim by Snapchat to be more subtle with its Spectacles line, as the original devices all came with a bright, hard yellow charging case.

According to Snapchat, the April launch of Spectacles 2 saw a 40 percent increase in content uploaded to Snapchat via Spectacles:

Snap says that since the introduction of Spectacles 2, users have been posting, on average, 40 percent more photos and videos captured with the glasses. The company has also made it easier to share that content on other platforms outside Snapchat by adding automatic camera roll saves and by allowing users to export video in more conventional square and horizontal formats.

Those interested can purchase the Nico and Veronica Spectacles on Snapchat.com today for $199.99. Following the online launch, the updated Spectacles will be sold at select Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus retail stores in the fall, as well as a "variety of retailers in Europe." Prescription versions will also be available through Lensabl.

The new Spectacles come after Snapchat lost millions of users throughout 2018, following its controversial redesign that began rolling out in November 2017. During its second quarter earnings results, the company said it went down from 191 million daily active users in Q1 2018 to 188 million in Q2, "primarily driven" by the "disruption caused by our redesign," according to CEO Evan Spiegel.

Still, Spiegel at the time said that Snapchat is working to iterate and improve the app based on community feedback, promising that the major frustrations have already been addressed.

Germany today denied a report that claimed the finance ministry had given up on plans to introduce more taxes on certain "internet giants," like Apple, Amazon, and Google. The taxes are related to a new proposal from the European Commission, which aims to make companies with "significant digital revenues" in Europe pay a three percent tax on such services in the EU (via Reuters).

While Germany "has long been cool" on the plans, a report from Bild recently claimed that Finance Minister Olaf Scholz had "abandoned plans" to implement the taxes on digital companies. Citing confidential finance ministry documents, the report said this was because a "demonization" of these companies was seen as "not productive."

Denying the report, the German finance ministry says there has simply been "no decision made yet" on whether or not Germany will implement the digital tax. Speaking to Reuters, a finance ministry spokesperson explained that Germany is ultimately aiming for "fair taxation of internet companies." A final decision is expected by January 2019.

“There has been no decision made yet by the minister or the ministry on one or more instruments,” a finance ministry spokesman said when asked to comment on the Bild report.

“The debate is still ongoing, also among the finance ministers of Europe and the G7/G20 countries. The Federal Government still aims to ensure a fair taxation of internet companies,” the spokesman added.

For Apple, such a tax would affect the company's services segment, which remains to be an important revenue driver for the company. These include services like iTunes, the App Store, Mac App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, Apple Pay, and AppleCare.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Productivity app Evernote has slashed its premium subscription rates amid reports of a flurry of key staff departures at the startup.

An annual membership for the productivity suite now costs $42, down from $70, provided customers pay the fee in one lump sum. Monthly premium subscriptions remain at $7.99 per month (almost $100 over a year), so the deal is worth looking at if you're a long-time fan of the app.

According to TechCrunch, the productivity app has lost several of its most senior executives in the last month, including CTO Anirban Kundu, CFO Vincent Toolan, CPO Erik Wrobel, and head of HR Michelle Wagner.

Evernote has not commented on the departures, but one source claiming knowledge of the matter told TechCrunch that "Evernote is in a death spiral... Paid user growth and active users have been flat for the last six years and their enterprise product offering has not caught on."

Evernote used to be ranked as one of the most popular productivity apps in the App Store, but its popularity has gradually waned with the emergence of rival (and free) alternatives such as Apple Notes, Google Keep and Microsoft OneNote.

Google Maps received an update today that introduces a couple of potentially useful new features, including a new section that lists notable events happening nearby.

The new Events section lives at the bottom of the Explore tab, where users can find a variety of things listed depending on what's going on in their location.

Google says Events that appear in the new section can include everything from late night comedy shows to movie screenings in the local park.

Also new in version 4.57, cycling and walking directions now feature a handy elevation chart, offering users an idea of how much physical effort they can expect to exert for the route in question.

Elevation information has been available for some time on the Google Maps website, so having the data in-app should come as a welcome addition.

Google Maps can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

CBS today announced plans to offer "unprecedented access" to Super Bowl LIII, offering streaming access to the game online at CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports app with no authentication required.

The expanded access comes as part of a new agreement with the NFL that was announced earlier this year. CBS plans to offer streaming coverage from the CBS Sports app and website on connected TV devices, tablets, and mobile phones.

In prior years, streaming on mobile was limited to Verizon customers due to an NFL deal with Verizon Wireless.

"We're looking forward to bringing this season's biggest game to the biggest possible digital audience and building on the record-breaking Super Bowl streams we've delivered in the past," said Jeff Gerttula, Executive Vice President and General Manager, CBS Sports Digital. "Streaming Super Bowl LIII across CBS Sports Digital and CBS All Access platforms is a win for NFL fans."

CBS Sports live broadcast coverage of Super Bowl LIII will be available through the CBS All Access subscription service, priced starting at $5.99 per month with no commercials and $9.99 per month commercial free, with the exception of live TV.

The entire 2018 NFL on CBS schedule will be streamed live on the CBS All Access platforms on mobile phones and tablets, on CBS.com, and on connected devices that include consoles, the Apple TV, and other set top boxes.

CBS All Access subscribers will receive NFL on CBS games that are broadcast in their local market. Along with streaming access rights on mobile devices, NFL on CBS authenticated streaming rights also extend to mobile for cable, satellite, telco, and vMVPD partners.

NFL on CBS games, including the Super Bowl, can be streamed on NFL.com or the NFL app, with Verizon also streaming the games on phones and tablets on a cross-carrier basis on Yahoo Sports, Yahoo, AOL, Tumblr, and Complex.

The 2018-2019 NFL season kicks off on Thursday night.

As it has in the past for artists like P!nk and Shawn Mendes, Apple Music this month will host a special performance of new music from artist Christine and the Queen's upcoming album "Chris" (via iGeneration) At the same time, those in attendance will see the exclusive debut of a new Apple Music film that goes behind-the-scenes of the making of "Chris."

Join Christine and the Queens and Apple Music for a special performance of new music from the forthcoming album Chris, and an exclusive screening of the Apple Music film of the same name - which is a look into the titular character that inspired it all.

Chris is an intimate peek into the intrepid French singer-songwriter-producer's creative process while she writes and records her forthcoming album, a daring exploration of self and sexuality, identity and perception.

Apple Music has been increasing the number of both special performances and exclusive documentaries on its platform lately, releasing short films about Kesha's "Rainbow" and Ed Sheeran's "Divide" over the last couple of weeks. In May, Apple's streaming service hosted a one-night-only Shawn Mendes concert in Los Angeles, which was recorded and uploaded to Apple Music in its entirety.

Similar to that concert, Christine and the Queen's performance appears to be free for attendees, and those interested (over the age of 16) can navigate to this page to fill out a form and apply for tickets. According to Apple, those who win will receive a ticket for themselves and one guest.

Five nations including the U.S. and the U.K. have urged tech companies to comply with requests to build backdoors into their encrypted services, or potentially face legislation requiring them to do so by law.

The statement is a result of a meeting last week between the "Five Eyes" intelligence sharing countries, which include the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

In a published memo, the governments claim that the use of such backdoors for accessing encrypted data would respect personal rights and privacy, and be limited only to criminal investigations by law enforcement.

Privacy laws must prevent arbitrary or unlawful interference, but privacy is not absolute. It is an established principle that appropriate government authorities should be able to seek access to otherwise private information when a court or independent authority has authorized such access based on established legal standards. The same principles have long permitted government authorities to search homes, vehicles, and personal effects with valid legal authority.

The memo goes on to note that each of the Five Eyes jurisdictions will consider how to implement the statement principles, including "with the voluntary cooperation of industry partners", while adhering to lawful requirements for proper authorization and oversight.

The statement of principles underlines the fractious relationship between some governments and tech companies regarding encryption over the last few years, in which the popularity of digital messaging services has exploded.

The U.K. government has long argued that encrypted online channels such as WhatsApp and Telegram provide a "safe haven" for terrorists because governments and even the companies that host the services cannot read them.

In 2016, Apple and the FBI were involved in a public dispute over the latter's demands to provide a backdoor into iPhones, following the December 2015 shooter incidents in San Bernardino.

Apple refused to comply with the request, saying that the software the FBI asked for could serve as a "master key" able to be used to get information from any iPhone or iPad - including its most recent devices - while the FBI claimed it only wanted access to a single iPhone.

In another potential test case, Facebook is currently contesting a demand from the U.S. government that it break the encryption of its popular Messenger app so that law enforcement can listen in to a suspect's conversations as part of an ongoing investigation into a criminal gang.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.