Tag Archives: Charge

Technology

Big Fitbit update brings new Charge 4 features

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Fitbit is offering a major update for some of its current smartwatches. As detailed by Wareable, the company is making new health data available to Charge 4 users and expanding access to previously paywalled information to more users. Fitbit, recently acquired by Google, continues its trend of supporting devices well after launch with feature updates and fixes to keep them fresh.

With the update, Charge 4 users will be able to access blood oxygen readings on the watchface, information that was previously available only through the app in sleep data. The update also adds skin temperature data to the Charge 4, which wasn’t offered previously on this device at all.

Owners of the Charge 4, Versa 2, and Inspire 2 also gain access to Health Metrics, which previously required a Premium subscription. This dashboard shows trends for certain health metrics — including breathing rate during sleep and heart rate variability — over a recent period of time. Premium subscribers still get a little extra information, since their dashboards will show a full month’s worth of information while the free version shows only seven days.

Fitbit also continues to expand access to its EKG feature on the Sense, making it available to customers in Canada, New Zealand, and US territories. This feature wasn’t available in all regions when the device launched, but it was added in places like the US following regulatory approval.

This update shows that Fitbit remains committed to rolling out new features and addressing issues proactively. It addressed EKG issues with some Sense units last year by contacting affected users and replacing their smartwatches. Fitbit has also supported the Charge 4 for nearly a year old now, with a previous update to add new features and better manage things like GPS use. So while we’ve seen devices with their share of bugs at launch, Fitbit users can take comfort that the company is listening at the very least.

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Technology

Apple will replace 2016/2017 MacBook Pro batteries that refuse to charge

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If your MacBook Pro refuses to hold charge past 1 percent, you may be able to get its battery replaced for free. Apple has launched a battery replacement program for 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models experiencing the issue. The tech giant has just rolled out macOS 11.2.1 and a macOS Catalina 10.15.7 supplemental update, which were meant to fix the bug preventing the affected computers’ battery from being charged. But if the patches don’t work, then you can contact Apple or take your laptop to a service center.

Apple says “a very small number of customers” are experiencing the issue and that the battery health status of affected laptops show the “Service Recommended” warning. You can see your device’s battery health status by clicking on the battery icon or by going to System Preferences. The MacBook Pro models that could be suffering from this issue are listed below:

  • MacBook Pro (13­-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)

  • MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)

  • MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)

  • MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)

  • MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2016)

  • MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2017)

This isn’t the first replacement program Apple launched for these particular laptops. Back in 2018, it started a replacement program for 13-inch MacBook Pros manufactured between October 2016 and October 2017, because their batteries were in danger of swelling if they malfunctioned. It also launched a keyboard service program for the models, which suffer from “sticky” and unresponsive keys.

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Technology

Apple will replace these MacBook Pro batteries for free if they don’t charge past one percent

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Apple has launched a new, free battery replacement program for 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros that won’t charge past one percent. The issue affects “a very small number of customers,” according to Apple.

If your battery is affected, you’ll see a “Service Recommended” message when checking the battery health status. “If the status indicates that your battery is Normal, your battery is not affected by this issue,” Apple says.

To get the battery replacement started, contact Apple support. The company will examine your Mac prior to servicing it to “verify that it is eligible for the free battery replacement,” Apple says.

Earlier on Tuesday, Apple released macOS Big Sur 11.2.1, which is also intended to help fix charging issues with some 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros. Apple recommends updating your computer to that or the macOS Catalina 10.15.7 supplemental update.

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US

Power sharing: The Democrats won the Senate. Here’s why they aren’t in charge yet

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The stalemate has prevented Democrats from taking control of key committees since the chamber is operating under the rules of the last Congress, when the GOP was in charge, delaying consideration of attorney general nominee Merrick Garland, who is expected to receive bipartisan support.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, rejected a Democratic request on Monday to schedule Garland’s confirmation hearing on February 8, arguing that the Senate needs to focus on the impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump, which is set to start the following day.

The South Carolina Republican said in a letter that a “one-day hearing” was “insufficient,” and noted that previous attorney general nominees received two-day hearings.

“When the Senate’s focus is required to consider whether to bar a former president from being reelected, other business must stop,” Graham wrote. “Proceeding with the confirmation of an attorney general and the impeachment of a former president at the same time would give neither the attention required.”

Until Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer strike an agreement, Graham will continue to determine the panel’s schedule rather than Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin. The party leaders could finalize a deal as soon as Tuesday; Graham said he guessed he’d be Judiciary committee chairman for “another day or two.”

The negotiations were held up for more than a week over a disagreement about whether or not Democrats had to promise in writing that they wouldn’t blow up the filibuster. McConnell said he was done holding up that process after moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, said they had no plans to vote to eliminate the filibuster anytime soon.

McConnell declined Tuesday to comment on the topic. Durbin said that the party leaders are haggling over a final few points before finalizing the power-sharing agreement that will officially allow Democrats to take their chairmanships of key Senate committees. Democrats will hold a majority in the 50-50 Senate because Vice President Kamala Harris has the power to break tie votes in the chamber.

Durbin blamed McConnell for the holdup and said he has “several options” to schedule Garland’s hearing. He declined to provide details.

“I don’t like any of them,” he said. “I think February 8 is the best, fairest way to do it.”

“Sorry to say that Judge Merrick Garland, who is a wonderful man, is going to retire the trophy for bad behavior by the United States Senate,” he added, referring to how Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court was ignored by the GOP Senate majority in 2016.

Some Senate Republicans have indicated they would vote to confirm Garland, including McConnell, according to The New York Times.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said Tuesday he’s inclined to vote for Garland. He said he would support an “early” committee hearing and would “encourage” Graham to schedule one.

“I would support an early markup for Merrick Garland,” Cornyn said. “I think he’s not political, which is my number one criterion for the next attorney general.”

Graham said he also liked Garland.

“I’ll probably vote for him,” said the senator.

This story has been updated with additional developments Tuesday.

CNN’s Chandelis Duster and Ted Barrett contributed to this report.

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Technology

Xiaomi says its ‘Air Charge’ technology works over several meters

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Xiaomi has announced “Mi Air Charge Technology,” a wireless charging system that the company claims is able to charge devices “within a radius of several meters.” Multiple devices can be charged at 5W at the same time, according to Xiaomi, and physical obstacles apparently don’t reduce charging efficiency.

Xiaomi says the technology will also work with smartwatches and fitness bracelets. Another goal is to make “living rooms truly wireless,” with speakers, lamps, and smart home devices all being powered by the same remote system. A Xiaomi representative confirms to The Verge, however, that no commercial products will include the technology this year, and declined to provide a timeframe for release.

Here’s how Mi Air Charge Technology works, in Xiaomi’s words:

The core technology of Xiaomi’s remote charging lies in space positioning and energy transmission. Xiaomi’s self-developed isolated charging pile has five phase interference antennas built in, which can accurately detect the location of the smartphone. A phase control array composed of 144 antennas transmits millimeter-wide waves directly to the phone through beamforming.

On the smartphone side, Xiaomi has also developed a miniaturized antenna array with built-in “beacon antenna” and “receiving antenna array”. Beacon antenna broadcasts position information with low power consumption. The receiving antenna array composed of 14 antennas converts the millimeter wave signal emitted by the charging pile into electric energy through the rectifier circuit, to turn the sci-fi charging experience into reality.

Needless to say, you should be skeptical about the prospects of this technology making it to market until evidence suggests otherwise. Companies like Energous have been making announcements about “truly wireless charging” at CES and beyond for several years, but the technology is yet to gain serious traction. Xiaomi has demonstrated wireless charging engineering breakthroughs in the past, however, and has the advantage of owning a huge hardware ecosystem that it could theoretically leverage.

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Business

AT&T Books $15.5 Billion Charge on DirecTV Unit

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AT&T Inc. booked a $15.5 billion charge on its pay-television business, reflecting the damage cord-cutting has taken on its DirecTV satellite unit even as the company’s HBO Max streaming service’s growth ramped up.

The write-down created a fourth-quarter loss as the media-and-telecommunications giant weighs the potential sale of its pay-TV assets and executives focus their investments on newer technologies. The company reported quarterly revenue declines in its legacy-video and WarnerMedia units, offsetting gains in its core wireless-phone division.

Executives called the noncash accounting charge a sign of the pay-TV unit’s aging status as the Dallas company promotes an internet-streaming model that gives its content-production business a direct line to viewers.

“Our biggest and single-most important bet is HBO Max,” Chief Executive John Stankey said on a conference call Wednesday. Executives plan to expand the service’s footprint in other countries this year and launch an advertising-supported version in the second quarter.

Overall, AT&T reported a fourth-quarter loss of $13.89 billion, or $1.95 a share, compared with a profit of $2.39 billion, or 33 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue fell 2.4% to $45.7 billion.

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