MacRumors

Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts today accepted the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Stop Slavery Award on behalf of Apple at the Trust Conference, an annual human rights gathering.

Apple received the award for its efforts to stop forced labor in its supply chain. Apple has long banned suppliers from requiring workers to pay off debt or withholding passports.

Ahrendts told attendees that Apple is teaming up with the UN's International Organization for Migration for an initiative that may eventually help victims of human trafficking to get jobs behind-the-scenes at Apple retail locations.

Apple will not know which individuals are being hired through the program, with participating people set to be hired by Apple suppliers rather than Apple directly to start with.

Apple will, however, monitor the initiative, and the company may eventually extend the program to allow human trafficking victims to be hired in Apple retail locations, according to the BBC.

"Though we have only just started, we see huge opportunity to be a beacon of hope for trafficking survivors integrating them into our retail team," Ms Ahrendts said in her acceptance speech.

"These efforts are just a part of a broader set of initiatives to eliminate modern slavery from every part of our company, in every part of the world."

Apple conducts ongoing audits of its supply chain partners and punishes those who are found to be defying the protections put in place for workers. Suppliers who repay fees are put on probation, and those that do not are banned.

More information on Apple's human rights efforts can be found on the company's Supplier Responsibility website.

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.

Niantic, the company behind Pokémon Go, has been developing a new Harry Potter augmented reality game in partnership with Warner Bros, which is called Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.

Today, Niantic shared some new details on the upcoming game in the form of a teaser trailer that gives a first look at gameplay.

Niantic first announced Wizards Unite in November 2017, but we've heard little word on the game since then. In today's trailer, Niantic clarifies that we won't be seeing Wizards Unite until sometime in 2019.

In Wizards Unite, players will learn spells, explore real world neighborhoods turned magical through augmented reality, fight legendary beasts, and team up with others to take down enemies.

On the Wizards Unite website, it appears the plot will deal with traces of magic showing up in the muggle world, which will require witches and wizards to contain the threat by joining the Statute of Secrecy Task Force.

Please resist the urge to panic. Traces of magic are appearing across the Muggle world without warning and in a rather chaotic manner. We worry it is only a matter of time before even the most incurious Muggles catch wind of it. We call on all witches and wizards to help contain the Calamity or risk the worst of times since You Know Who. Brush up on your spells, get your wand ready, and enlist immediately.

Players who are looking forward to Niantic's new game can sign up for email updates on the Wizards Unite website.

Nomad, a company that makes various cables, chargers, cases, and other accessories for Apple devices, recently came out with an updated version of its Base Station charger.

While the original Base Station is designed to wirelessly charge two iPhones at once, the updated Apple Watch version is able to charge an iPhone and an Apple Watch.

The Base Station Apple Watch Edition features a flat, leather covered aluminum wireless charging pad that has an elevated Apple Watch magnetic charging puck on the left side to accommodate an Apple Watch. The positioning of the Apple Watch charger allows for the Apple Watch to be placed into nightstand mode, ideal for charging on a bedside table.

Design wise, the Base Station is a sleek black color, which will fit well into any modern office or room setup. The bottom features two non-slip rubber strips to keep it in place, and the leather pad keeps the iPhone from moving around while charging while also offering a soft place to put it.

When it comes to size, because this is a flat charger, it takes up more space than an upright charger might. It measures in at a little over six inches long and about 4 inches wide, so it's not huge, but it's definitely bigger than some other combined Apple Watch/iPhone chargers. I'd like to see Nomad make one of these with a smaller footprint that has an upright charger option and an Apple Watch charging option.

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After debuting a few new Apple Watch band colors following the September keynote event, Apple today updated its website with a new (PRODUCT)RED Sport Loop. The $49.00 accessory is available in both 40mm and 44mm, and it will also fit previous Apple Watch generations with 38mm and 42mm measurements.

This marks the first time that a Sport Loop band has gained the (PRODUCT)RED color option. Devices and accessories marked with the (PRODUCT)RED brand name represent Apple's partnership with (RED), an organization that supports HIV/AIDS programs; offers counseling, testing, and medicine; and works to prevent further spread of the disease. Every (PRODUCT)RED item purchased through Apple contributes directly to the Global Fund to fight AIDS.

In September, Apple didn't introduce any new band styles for Apple Watch, but there were a few new colors that matched the new iPhone XS and XS Max cases. For the Sport Loop specifically, there were five new colors: Cape Cod Blue, Nectarine, Hibiscus, Storm Gray, and Indigo. It's also available in the Pink Sand, Seashell, and Black options. Like the new (PRODUCT)RED Sport Loop, all versions of the band sell for $49.00.

Apple has also trimmed down the selection of bands available in its "previous seasons" section, discontinuing the following options:

- Sport Band: Gray, Pink Sand, Midnight Blue, White
- Nike Sport Band: Pure Platinum/Black, Obsidian/Black, Anthracite/Black
- Sport Loop: Seashell, Pink Sand, Black
- Stainless Steel: Silver Milanese Loop

Several of these bands were already in limited supply and only available in either the 38 or 42 mm size.

As Netflix tries to grow subscriber numbers outside of the United States, TechCrunch reports today that the streaming video company is testing out a subscription model where users are only able to watch on a phone or a tablet. With this stipulation, the cost of Netflix is cut by as much as 50 percent from the "Basic" tier, down to around $4/month from $8/month.

Right now, the test appears to be centered in Malaysia, but earlier in the week Netflix CEO Reed Hastings told Bloomberg that the company plans to test numerous lower-price plans throughout Asia. A Netflix spokesperson speaking to TechCrunch confirmed that similar mobile-only trials are "running in a few countries."

For the mobile-only option, users can only watch shows in SD, and if they ever want to watch Netflix on a laptop or television, they'll have to upgrade their plan. Like many companies, Netflix is always testing out new features and updates to its service, so it's unclear if mobile-only options will grow beyond trials and enter countries where Netflix is already popular, like the United States.

As of now, Netflix offers three subscription tiers: Basic, Standard, and Premium. Basic costs $7.99/month, offers one screen to stream content on at a time, and only in SD. Standard upgrades this by offering two simultaneous streams in HD for $10.99/month, while Premium has the most simultaneous streams on offer at four, as well as HD and Ultra HD content, all for $13.99/month. One year ago Netflix increased the price of its Standard and Premium tiers, which previously cost $9.99 and $11.99 respectively.

Since the iPhone X, 8, and 8 Plus introduced Qi wireless charging into Apple products for the first time last year, more and more users have begun hunting for the best wireless charging pad out there. We've detailed this topic in numerous posts over the past year, and in the end, many buying recommendations for Qi mats come down to support for Apple's 7.5W fast wireless charging and overall design.

In both categories, Twelve South's all new PowerPic Frame for iPhone excels. The accessory is a wooden picture frame that fits any vertically framed 5"x7" photo, while also charging any Qi-compatible smartphone. In Apple's lineup of devices, that means it supports the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, XS Max, and XR, but if you use Google or other Android smartphones that have Qi wireless charging, you can use the PowerPic as well.

Setup

PowerPic essentially comes in three pieces: the wooden picture frame, the back plate that makes up the main charging section of the device, and a small metal support arm. The support arm connects easily into the back of the PowerPic, and a little cutout allows for cable organization.

The included cable is a 1.5m USB-C to USB-A cable. PowerPic doesn't come with an AC adapter, so if you want to plug it into a wall then your outlet will need a USB socket, or you can use any traditional wall adapter brick.

To change the image in the frame, PowerPic is built like a regular picture frame. The back has small clips that hold the charging plate in place, and if you swivel these clips away, the plate will disengage from the wooden frame. Even with the added weight of the charging plate, PowerPic didn't feel particularly heavy to me, and the support arm kept the accessory nice and sturdy wherever I placed it.

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Withings today announced the Pulse HR, the first all-new addition to its health and fitness tracker range since the French company relaunched two months ago.

Reviving the classic design of Withings Pulse – the first tracker Withings ever launched in 2013 – Pulse HR matches an OLED display in stainless steel casing with a silicone wristband that comes in several optional colors.

Under the Pulse HR is a PPG heart rate sensor capable of measuring pulse at 10-minute intervals and continuous heart rate measurements during workout sessions, which include a full breakdown of HR zones synced to the Health Mate app.

By raising their wrist or using the tracker's button, users can scroll through time/date, heart rate, calories burned, activity goal progress, real-time workout information, and smartphone notifications.

Like the Withings Steel HR smartwatch, Pulse HR includes multi-sport tracking for over 30 different activities from yoga, volleyball, and rowing to boxing, skiing and ice hockey. It also offers GPS-connected automatic activity recognition for over 10 activities including walking, running and swimming, and is water resistant up to 50 meters.

The 20-day battery life enables full sleep tracking, including a Smart Wake-up feature that can wake users with vibration alarms at the most optimal times during their sleep cycle.

Pulse HR begins pre-orders today and will ship in time for the holidays on December 5, priced $129.95. Additional information is available on the Withings website, where customers can browse its full range of fitness trackers and other connected products like scales, blood pressure monitors, smart thermometers, sleep trackers, and more.

Kano today announced that its Harry Potter Coding Kit is now available for purchase via the Apple online store and in Apple retail locations across the United States, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

Priced at $100, the Harry Potter Coding Kit is designed to teach beginning coders of all ages how to program. The Coding Kit includes a build-your-own Harry Potter wand that's used in conjunction with a Harry Potter-themed coding app to program the wand to complete various challenges.

We reviewed the Harry Potter Coding Kit from Kano last month and found it to be an excellent way for any Harry Potter enthusiast to learn the basics of coding.

The wand can be used to cast and create spell effects, with more than 30 Wizarding World gestures available. All of the in-app challenges and tutorials are based on the Harry Potter books and films, and coders will be able to do things like levitate a feather, summon Bertie Botts beans, banish pesky pixies, color pygmy puffs, set off colorful fireworks at a Quidditch field, and more.

At select Apple retail stores, Apple employees will be providing interactive demos of the programmable wand in the Harry Potter Coding Kit.

Along with the Coding Kit's expansion to the Apple Store, Kano today also announced the launch of a new series of videos that demonstrate how it works. The videos star James and Oliver Phelps, who played Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter movies.

The Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit is available from the online Apple Store starting today.