MacRumors

PC maker Lenovo today announced its first smart speaker with Amazon's voice-activated virtual assistant built in.

Called the Lenovo Smart Assistant, the connected speaker integrates Amazon's Alexa Voice Services and offers the same speech-activated features as the Echo family of devices, but housed in a slightly redesigned unit.

The speaker keeps the same cylindrical profile as Amazon's Echo, but with the microphone portion of the device in a slightly raised position, which Lenovo says offers better ventilation to cool the internal components. Lenovo's unit also has eight far-field microphones versus Echo's seven, with noise suppression and acoustic echo cancellation included for picking up voice commands from up to 16 feet away.

The Lenovo Smart Assistant comes in a range of color schemes including green, gray, and orange fabric. The speakers will ship in May for a price of $130 (less than Amazon's Echo at $180). Lenovo is also offering a Harman Kardon edition of the Smart Assistant featuring better sound quality for $180.

Amazon's Alexa Voice Services API is expected to crop up in a number of new third-party products at this year's CES. Microsoft has previously teased third-party devices using its own Cortana virtual assistant technology.

Although the AirPods have been well-received by a majority of users after the holidays, the largest issue persisting online centers around troublesome battery drain issues with the headphones' bundled-in Charging Case. MacRumors reported last week about an initial hubbub of concern coming from AirPods wearers and the Charging Case not living up to Apple's 24 hours of standby life. This week more stories have come out about potential fixes for the issue, as well as reports of some users deciding to return or exchange their AirPods because of the Charging Case problem.

Towards the end of last week, one Redditor posted a fix for the AirPods Charging Case battery drain issue, and a few MacRumors forum members corroborated that resetting the AirPods completely and syncing them back up to each iOS device helped return their Charging Case to normal battery life. Unfortunately, the fix isn't universal, and a large portion of affected users still see large percentage drops in the Charging Case on an hourly and daily basis, even after resetting.

The fact that a software reset works for some users has lead to hope that Apple may address the battery drainage issue in the form of a firmware update for the AirPods sometime in the future, but the company hasn't commented on the problem or mentioned whether or not AirPods will be updated through iOS at all. Apple has quietly updated some of its iOS-connected accessories in the past, including the Apple Pencil through iOS 10.1, which users noted as bringing more fluid and responsive drawing tools to the Pencil.

Without the confirmation of a possible software fix, however, there remains the option of exchanging the AirPods at an Apple retail store for another pair, which of course depends on the device's very low stock being available at your local store. In a post on the MacRumors forums, Lihp8270 described their experience with contacting Apple Support about the issue, and having to either return the AirPods and wait six weeks for a replacement, or keep in constant contact with a local Apple retail store and be in line first thing for an exchange.

I did call them. Their solution was to mail it to them, and wait 6 weeks for a replacement. Or I could phone the store myself every day and check to see if they had any new stock in to exchange it, as they couldn't take my details and let me know when an exchange set was available.

My first support chat with the 1st set went to a Senior Advisor, they booked me a Genius Bar appointment. Even though I was talking with the US people from the UK. Exceptionally helpful. But I was passing an Apple store, and since only a few days old. I popped in to see if they had any replacements in stock that I could just switch out rather than waiting another week. They did not, but forwarded me to AppleCare. AppleCare wanted me to mail them their device, and wait 6 weeks with no device, and no money. So I said I'd rather keep hold of them (as they work beyond needing daily charging) until an exchange set was available, or just refund for cash and I'll order more.

So I went back to the store. Asked if they are able to take my details and set any aside and I will exchange my faulty set when they come in. They said no, I'd have to call the store everyday, and ask about stock. Then when they had some, to get in ASAP and swap them before a customer purchased them. No solution they offered was convenient. So I had them refunded.

The same user goes on to describe purchasing a second pair of AirPods, which also began exhibiting the battery drain issues with the Charging Case. Similar stories are growing more common online, as users begin to chart out exactly how much battery the Charging Case is losing in an attempt to see if they can discover a solution. On the bright side, in nearly every case the AirPods themselves have a solid and reliable battery life.

With CES gearing up in a few days, some companies have begun revealing new products ahead of the show, and today TrackR has unveiled new updates to its range of Bluetooth tracking devices that help users keep tabs on where their most precious items are located (via The Verge).

One of the new additions is the TrackR pixel, which the company is introducing as a cheaper and more colorful entry to the aluminum-cased TrackR bravo that is already on sale. Like the bravo, the pixel can be attached to an important personal item -- such as a key ring -- and with a connected iPhone and Android app, users can find anything lost with a GPS locator that shows when they are getting closer or farther away. When TrackR is far out of range, the company's "crowd GPS network" of users will anonymously help in rediscovery of the item in question.

The original TrackR wallet has also been updated to a 2.0 version, making the Bluetooth tracker visually similar to a credit card and the "thinnest item-finder on the market," according to TrackR. Otherwise, the wallet functions the same as the pixel, offering users close-range Bluetooth tracking through a smartphone app, and long-range crowd-sourced discovery. Each TrackR device includes a battery that lasts for about a year, but unlike Tile, users can replace the battery without having to purchase an entirely new tracker.

Lastly, TrackR announced an all-new device, the TrackR atlas, a smart plug that's placed in a wall outlet and maps out a user's entire home to pinpoint the location of any connected TrackR down to a specific room. Support for Amazon Alexa-enabled devices means that users can simply ask their Echo for the location of a lost item without needing to take out their smartphone.

The TrackR pixel will be available for $24.99, the TrackR wallet for $29.99, and the TrackR atlas for $39.99 when they go up for pre-order sometime today. As of writing, only the atlas is available for users to pre-order. All three products are expected to launch sometime in the Spring.

Apple partnered with 15 photographers in a number of countries around the world to capture New Year's Eve festivities with photos taken on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices, according to CNN.

The photos range from Samah El Ali's shot of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge fireworks from The Royal Botanic Gardens in Australia to John Lehmann's shot of festivities in Vancouver on Canada's west coast.

Katja Sherlock captured one of the first photos of the 2017 sign in Times Square after the ball drop in New York, while other photographers captured fireworks and sights in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, India, Austria, Italy, Iceland, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates.

Photo Gallery at CNN: What New Year's Eve celebrations look like around the world

Following reports this month that Apple has been in talks to manufacture its products locally in India, as well as set up a distribution center in the country, an article by Bloomberg today suggests that the Cupertino company is now asking India to offer up tax concessions on iPhones created within its borders.

According to people familiar with the matter, Apple is asking for lower import taxes and manufacturing duties, which could lead to lower-cost iPhones -- a solution that Apple CEO Tim Cook has admitted is needed in India.

In a separate report by The Times of India, industry sources claim that Apple is looking to build an iPhone manufacturing plant in Bangalore, India and begin production as soon as April. Specifically, Apple supplier Wistron is said to be the partner for the Bangalore facility, and the plant is poised to be a major contributor to the Indian iPhone supply chain by the end of 2017.

Top sources in the company confirmed to TOI that Apple is "very serious" about beginning assembly operations —and thereafter full manufacture — in India by the end of next year. "Bangalore is being looked at seriously," said multiple sources within the company. Local manufacture will help Apple price its phones competitively as full imports attract 12.5% additional duty.

Earlier in the year, Apple announced plans to build an iOS App Design and Development Accelerator in Bangalore in order to support engineering talent and boost growth in India's iOS developer community. Around the same time that the Accelerator was announced, the company revealed plans for a new development center in Hyderabad, India focused on Apple Maps development.

The concessions and new Bangalore-based facility are the newest steps in Apple's attempt to bolster its presence in India. This year, Apple struggled with the government's rules on foreign direct investments, but a ruling over the summer finally cleared the way for Apple to begin expanding its retail presence in the country. Despite India's own growth as the third-largest smartphone market in the world, Apple sold 35 percent fewer iPhones in India throughout 2016 than it did in 2015.

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.

Foxconn is deploying a plan broken down into three phases that will eventually "automate entire factories" in China (via DigiTimes). According to the general manager of Foxconn's Automation Technology Development Committee, Dai Jia-peng, the company's first phase of the plan is "to set up individual automated work stations for work that workers are unwilling to do or is dangerous."

The second phase will see entire production lines automated along with a decrease of the number of robots used by the manufacturer. This will lead into the third phase, which is aimed to be fully automated factories "with only a minimal number" of human workers.

In the third phase, entire factories will be automated with only a minimal number of workers assigned for production, logistics, testing and inspection processes, Dai indicated.

Currently, factories in Chengdu, Shenzhen, and Zhengzhou have been brought to the second and even third phase, with as many as 10 "lights-out," or fully automated, production lines at some of the locations. One of these facilities is located in Chengdu, where all-in-one PCs are being manufactured on automated assembly lines.

Foxconn's lines are deployed with "Foxbots," which it develops and produces in house at a rate of around 10,000 each year. Besides technology manufacturing, the company is also said to be creating robots for use in medical care as well. Human workers are still integral to the process, according to Dai, "because humans have the flexibility to quickly switch from one task to another."

Yesterday, an article by The New York Times looked more deeply behind the scenes of Foxconn and its major iPhone manufacturing plant in Zhengzhou, China. The "iPhone City" has become one of Apple's major global manufacturing plants over the past decade, and is one of the spots where Foxconn is now looking to deploy its three-phase automation plan.

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.

A new trend study published by Nielsen this week looks into the top smartphone apps of 2016, as well as the operating systems that the apps were downloaded on. This year within the United States, Facebook won the top spot with more than 146 million average unique users each month.

The social network company also dominated the second spot with Facebook Messenger at 129 million unique users per month. Following Facebook's winning of the top spots, Google holds most of the remaining spots with YouTube (113 million), Google Maps (105 million), Google Search (103 million), Google Play (99 million), and Gmail (88 million). Another Facebook-owned app in the 8th spot, Instagram (74 million), bookends the Google apps.

For Apple, the only app that appears on Nielsen's chart is Apple Music, with just over 68 million unique users each month, a growth of 20 percent from 2015. Earlier in December, it was reported that Apple's music streaming service had officially surpassed the 20 million subscriber mark. Amazon's popular shopping app rounds out the list in the 10th spot with 65 million monthly users.

In the third quarter of 2016, the apps were opened on average 53 percent of the time on an Android operating system and 45 percent on iOS, according to Nielsen's data of around 9,000 panelists. Windows Phone and BlackBerry accounted for a minimal portion of the statistics at 2 percent and 1 percent, respectively.