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Apple's digital wellness features don't go far enough
Apple's digital wellness initiative might be well intended, but it doesn't go far enough to combat screen addiction. Sure, the announcement of grouped notifications to reduce lock-screen clutter (and some anxiety) drew rapturous applause from the developers gathered at WWDC, but Apple could've done so much more, even if it meant looking like it was late to the party.
ASUS planning an 8-inch grayscale LCD e-reader for October, pricing expected 'under $599'
Unless ASUS means "$400 under $599," we've got a feeling this e-reading device might as well not try its luck on the market. Nevertheless, word from Taiwan is that the company is indeed preparing an 8-inch LCD-based ebook reader -- with 64 levels of gray, no backlight, and fast refresh times -- to take on the E Ink-powered incumbents this October. Sounds very much like the Eee Tablet to us, but the headline feature of handwriting recognition isn't mentioned, so this could be the same or a slightly different device. A saving grace for this spendy slate may be ASUS' current negotiations for mobile carrier subsidies, which may prevent users from ever having to (directly) clash with that exorbitant price. That also suggests this 8-incher will have 3G connectivity on board, which might make it an appealing straddler of categories if it manages to accessorize itself with a robust web browser and healthy battery life. Let's wait and see, eh?
Next Champions Online updates focus on content, grouping and more
The newest state of the game is out for Champions Online and it discusses many upcoming changes that we think players will highly appreciate. Of particular note are three new repeatable missions coming soon to Monster Island. Interestingly, these missions are said to change as players repeat them, but that's all Cryptic was willing to divulge for the time being.Another significant change will be the ability to see mission objectives of another player's active missions on your team and be rewarded if you help them complete that mission -- even if you don't currently have it. That last part is an important change, because it's a new incentive to group that's currently only there because of the tougher missions.There are plenty more upcoming improvements, which can be found in a short-list after the break.
New MBP offers top display quality, but some beg to differ
For pro photographers who care about color fidelity on a laptop screen, there's good news from Rob Galbraith on the revamped MacBook Pro line: the new laptops offer improved color performance, which Rob's review describes as "better colour accuracy than any Apple laptop we've profiled since...2001." Color accuracy, display evenness and grayscale viewing are all noted as excellent; the only sore spots are viewing angle and the grating lack of matte screen options for anything but the 17" top model. He notes that TechRestore may begin offering matte-screen replacements for the smaller units soon, for those who can't tolerate the glossy glare. Not everyone is satisfied with the MBP screens, however. Designer Louie Mantia of the Iconfactory has a bone to pick with the screen quality of his new 13" unit; it's sporting a 6-bit display, which has been an issue with color-sensitive professionals for years now. To add insult to injury, the Apple store sold Louie the wrong DisplayPort adapter for his external display, and nobody at Apple HQ is willing to give him an answer on whether or not an 8-bit panel is even an option (hint: it's not, sorry about that). One could argue, as he does, that a 'Pro' machine ought to have a professional-quality panel... but that campaign's not likely to get much traction in the halls of Cupertino. Via Apple Hot News
