Apple Magazine Apple & Valve Reinventing Mobile Gaming Digital World iPhone Wallet June 01 2018

  APPLE AND VALVE: A DREAM

GAMING COLLABORATION

  FROM DRONES TO PHONES, iPHONE DIGITAL WALLET

NEW TECH IS MAKING GARDENING EASIER

  CHARTS WITH $103 MILLION

  TOP 10 APPS 88 iTUNES REVIEW 92 TOP 10 SONGS 156 TOP 10 ALBUMS 158 TOP 10 MUSIC VIDEOS 160 TOP 10 TV SHOWS 162 TOP 10 BOOKS 164 AMAZON: ECHO DEVICE SENT CONVERSATION TO FAMILY’S CONTACT 22

AFTER AMAZON ECHO MISFIRE, WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR OWN PRIVACY 26

  HANDS-FREE DRIVING LAW TO TAKE EFFECT JUNE 1 32 KANSAS TESTING DRONES FOR DESIGNING ROADS 54

JURY SAYS SAMSUNG MUST PAY $539M FOR COPYING PARTS OF iPHONE 66

BNSF SAYS IT ON TRACK FOR SAFETY TECHNOLOGY INSTALLATION 72

  NEED AN ENTRY-LEVEL JOB AT A STORE? IT CAN BE HARDER NOW 76

  IN ‘SOLO’ STUMBLE, A CROSSROADS FOR DISNEY’S ‘STAR WARS’ 118

  

INDIANAPOLIS SCIENCE INSTITUTE GETS $33M FOR HEALTH RESEARCH 128

BOEING PLEDGES $1.5M FOR STEM TO NATIONAL WWII MUSEUM 130 TRUMP AIMS TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR COMPANIES TO GET TO SPACE 134 NOT SO EASY: TRUMP’S TRADE AGENDA HITS STUMBLING BLOCKS 136

  

AHEAD OF ROSS VISIT, US GROUP CALLS ON CHINA TO OPEN MARKETS 144

EXXON AIMS TO BOOST PRODUCTION EVEN WITH ANY CLIMATE RULES 150

FRANCE TO BEEF UP EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM ON SOCIAL MEDIA 166

HACKER SENTENCED TO 5 YEARS FOR MAJOR YAHOO SECURITY BREACH 170

US SAYS NORTH KOREA BEHIND MALWARE ATTACKS 176

  Formerly known as Passbook, Wallet is Apple’s answer to digitizing cards. With it, the credit cards, debit cards, transport tickets and even loyalty cards that are weighing your wallet or purse down can all be turned into virtual versions of themselves so that you can easily access them anytime, anywhere. Plus, with the addition of Apple Pay, you can easily pay for your next cofee without having to ind the correct change.

  

With this year’s WWDC drawing closer, rumors

are now beginning to circulate about what Apple might have in store not only for iOS 12 but for the way that it allows users to interact with their digital wallet in the very near future.

  When you’re in a hurry, it can be frustrating to trawl through your wallet or purse to try and ind the correct payment or loyalty card. With that in mind and the fact that most of us tend to walk around with our smartphones glued to

our hands, Apple devised Passbook which irst

appeared on iOS 6 in 2012.

  A few years later, in 2015, Apple made a few major announcements to the payment system. Most notably, rebranding it to Wallet. The single app consolidates all of a user’s cards into one place, turning it into a payment-centric service. As part of this, users could also beneit

from Apple Pay to make contactless payments in

participating establishments. Since then, most major retail stores have started accepting this type of payment.

  The Wallet app works by prompting users to download an oicially supported app (some examples include American Airlines and Walgreens) so that whenever you buy a ticket or sign up to a rewards card, the app can pass the barcode to your Wallet app. However, to add unoicially supported cards, the app Pass2U

  

Wallet allows you to bring almost anything into

Wallet – even your local library card.

  Many cards that you’ve added to your Wallet will automatically refresh things like your balance or your light gate numbers; sometimes your connection might be lost. Luckily, they can

  

quickly be refreshed to ensure you’ve always

got the most accurate information.

  As with most new technology, the release of

  Apple Pay in 2014 brought up a few privacy

  and security concerns. Apple Pay works thanks to a near-ield communication (NFC) chip very much like those used in contactless credit and debit cards. Along with Touch ID (or Face

  ID for iPhone X users), you can make secure payments by touching your phone onto a payment terminal. With the release, the company stressed that no credit or debit card numbers are ever stored on the device, nor on Apple’s servers. Instead, a unique “device account number” is assigned and then encrypted and stored in the secure element on the user’s iPhone or Apple Watch. Every transaction made is authorized with a one-time unique number, and instead of using the security number at the back of your card, Apple Pay will create a “dynamic security code” to validate the transaction. This hugely reduces

  Pass2U Wallet By MicroMacro Mobile Inc.

  Category: Shopping Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

  

the risk of data breaches and credit card theft

because transactions don’t produce any data

that may be reused.

  

Perhaps the most signiicant diference between

Apple Pay and other payment systems is that it’s

user-centric. It has not been made with credit card companies or retailers in mind, but rather

for ordinary consumers who are seeking a better

way to pay. The only catch is that, as it stands, it’s

not accepted everywhere…yet.

  A BIG LEAP FOR WALLET IN iOS 12 iOS 12 could be opening doors with NFC technology…literally.

  Recent rumors have circulated around the idea that iOS 12 may be giving some third-party developers full access to the NFC chip inside iPhones, expanding its capabilities. Reports

claim that Apple wants users to use their iPhone

for more than contactless Apple Pay payments, and also to work as a hotel door key or even a virtual transit card for your car.

  The CoreNFC framework was added in iOS 11, allowing apps to use the NFC chip as an arbitrary scanner of the RFID tags. However, at present, this is very limited. To gain access to the NFC, the users’ iPhone would need to be unlocked with the app in the foreground

• – almost defeating the point of easy access. Nonetheless, the beneit of NFC is that users can automatically transfer data with a simple tap. By opening up this technology to developers, iPhone users may soon be able to

  use their device to open hotel rooms, car doors,

  or to pay transit fares. Some rumors suggest

  that Apple is already in talks with Cubic, a

  company that makes transit cards, in hopes to

replace these cards with iPhone NFC technology.

Those that work at Apple Park are already using

their phones to gain access to campus buildings,

proving that it is certainly secure.

  While it’s clear that Apple is keeping up with

the times (as always), many continue to wonder

when the company will inally fully embrace the

burgeoning trend of cryptocurrency.

  

Back when Apple announced that iOS 11 would

allow users to transfer cash to one another, many saw this as a Trojan horse for something much bigger. The money that your friend has just sent you would be stored in a new card, called Apple PayCash. This is a digital currency

that stores value – Apple’s own cryptocurrency?

With the rise of cryptocurrency, there’s a huge need for more luid cash low between countries to service internationalized industries. Understandably, this is leading to a drive in demand for new and secure digital payment systems. Most cryptocurrencies have a root in traditional payment systems, whereby you must link Apple Pay up to your payment cards. Apple Pay Cash has the potential to change that, with money you receive from others being added to your Apple Pay Cash card in your Wallet app. You can then use this to transfer cash to your bank account or use it to make payments

directly using Apple Pay in stores, on the web,

or anyone else with a supported payment system. There has also been a call for an

  update that allows users to store their cryptocurrency in a kind of Pay Vault.

  It seems almost foolish to dismiss the importance of Apple Pay to the company’s future provision plans. New estimates published at the beginning of this year suggest that the service now has 127 million active users, up from 62 million the year before. With these igures, it’s clear that Apple is well on its way to creating a global platform- based payment ecosystem that could evolve into an international currency as big as Bitcoin or Ethereum. With the forthcoming release of iOS 12, the ability to open your car door with your iPhone may only be the start of what’s to come for Wallet. by Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan

  AMAZON: ECHO DEVICE SENT CONVERSATION TO FAMILY’S

CONTACT

  An “unlikely” string of events prompted Amazon’s Echo personal assistant device to record a Portland, Oregon, family’s private conversation and then send the recording to an acquaintance in Seattle, the company said last week.

  The woman told KIRO-TV that two weeks ago an employee of her husband contacted them to say he thought their device had been hacked. He told them he had received an audio ile of them discussing hardwood loors, she said. In a statement, Amazon conirmed the woman’s private conversation had been inadvertently recorded and sent. The company said the device interpreted a word in the background conversation as “Alexa” — a command that makes it wake up — and then it interpreted the conversation as a “send message” request. “At which point, Alexa said out loud ‘To whom?’” the statement said. “At which point, the background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customers contact list.

  “Alexa then asked out loud, ‘(contact name), right?’ Alexa then interpreted background conversation as ‘right.’” The statement continued: “As unlikely as this string of events is, we are evaluating options to make this case even less likely.” The woman, who was identiied only by her irst name in the news report, said every room in her family’s home was wired with the Amazon devices to control her home’s heat, lights and security system. She said the family unplugged the devices and contacted Amazon after they learned the recording had been sent. Ryan Calo, a law professor who co-directs the University of Washington’s tech policy lab, agreed that the sort of glitch Amazon described is unlikely. But it may trouble customers nevertheless, he said “What makes it particularly unfortunate is the sense that Amazon Echo users will have that there’s any prospect that what they say in their private home might end up outside the home,” Calo said. “We feel less reassured about the control we assert over it than we once did. It’s the feeling you have to watch what you say in front of a device that’s supposed to make your life better.”

  Image: Charlie Schuck

  AFTER AMAZON ECHO MISFIRE,

WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR OWN PRIVACY

  Revelations that an Amazon Echo smart speaker

inadvertently sent a family’s private conversation

to an acquaintance highlights some unexpected risks of new voice-enabled technologies.

  According to Amazon, the fault was an “unlikely” series of inadvertent vocal cues that triggered the speaker, caused it to begin recording and then led it to interpret subsequent conversation as a “send message” request. There’s no way to eliminate these sorts of privacy risks short of unplugging entirely. But you can minimize the odds of unpleasant privacy surprises with these tips:

  — KILL THE MIC: Most smart speakers have a physical button to disable the microphone, so a private conversation can’t be recorded to

begin with. You can hit that when you’re having

sensitive conversations. The button on the Echo

will turn red; other devices have similar cues. It doesn’t make sense to keep the mic disabled throughout the day, though. If the Echo can’t hear you, it won’t be able to order you more toilet paper or play smooth jazz.

  — LIMIT THE MIC: Disabling the microphone

isn’t practical on a smartphone, but you can limit

what apps have access to it. Go to the settings and turn of mic access to all but essential apps such as voice recorders or video conferencing.

  Netlix doesn’t really need voice access; you can simply type the name of the show you’re searching for.

  — ABOUT THAT CAMERA: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg famously puts a piece of tape over his laptop’s camera to prevent spying if anyone were to hack his device. Buy yourself a

roll. Or use bandages. If you have a home-security

camera that’s connected to the internet, turn the camera to the wall when you’re home. Just

remember to turn it back before you leave, or you

defeat the point of having a security camera.

  — BLOCK THE SIGNALS: For smartphones

and other gadgets you carry with you, a “Faraday

bag” that blocks electromagnetic waves can help prevent unwanted spying. The good ones will block cellular and other signals, meaning

privacy-compromising information such as your

location won’t leak out either. Just remember, your phone won’t get any calls while it’s in the bag — that’s the whole point.

  — BE INFORMED: Apple, Samsung and other tech companies have worked over the years to ensure that their products work “out of the box,” without users having to pore through lengthy manuals and operating instructions.

  The downside is that users are often unaware of all the things their gadgets can do, good or

bad. Checking reputable online reviews, how-to

guides and even instructional videos will help

you get the most out of new technologies. They’ll

also tell you about any known glitches and risks.

  Of course, the safest approach is not to buy a

new gadget in the irst place. That might not be

practical for smartphones these days, but do you

really need a smart speaker or a television set

that’s connected to the internet? (As it turns out,

it’s actually diicult to buy a TV without “smart” capabilities these days, but nothing says you have to connect it at home.) From toothbrushes to slow cookers to toys, if companies can dream it up, it’s out there.

Companies often release smart gadgets without

thinking through the risks and ensuring their security. This makes them easy targets for malicious hackers. This is especially true with manufacturers that aren’t well known or that

specialize in toys and other non-tech businesses.

  HANDS-FREE DRIVING LAW TO

TAKE EFFECT JUNE 1

  State Police Sgt. Greg Cunningham wants you to know that starting Friday, you’re going to get a ticket if a trooper spots you holding your phone while driving.

  The state passed a hands-free-driving law last year that takes efect June 1, and state oicials and law enforcement have been working to make sure Rhode Island drivers are aware of the new rules. Drivers will no longer be able to hold their cellphone to their ear, or in front of their face, or really at all. “Leave the phone alone,” Cunningham said. “It’s that simple.” Those behind the wheel can still talk on the phone with Bluetooth or other hands-free technology, but they’re allowed to use their hands only to activate or end a call. If caught, drivers will face a ine up to $100 for the irst

infraction. There will be a irst-time-only waiver if

those drivers show they have purchased hands-

free equipment before the ticket payment is due. Cunningham said the fees increase from there, and drivers can have their licenses suspended after a third infraction. Rhode Island law already prohibited texting while driving. It joins 15 other states, including

nearby Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire

and Vermont, in enforcing a hands-free law. Massachusetts notably doesn’t have a similar law, but its legislature is considering one.

  Rhode Island oicials said there will be signs at all major border crossings to warn drivers from adjacent states about the new rules. Cunningham said there will be extra patrols, including by unmarked cruisers, to enforce the law. “The point is very simple: It’s to make the roads safer,” he said.

  That’s important, according to Kara Macek, spokeswoman for the Governors Highway Safety Association. She said the hands-free policy is only the irst step, and it needs to be strongly enforced if it’s going to change behavior.

  “What we’re trying to avoid is those ‘gotcha’ moments,” Macek said. “We want people to think, ‘Hey, I can get caught at any time. I shouldn’t do this.’”

  Macek said research from the National Highway Traic Safety Administration showed the laws could help limit distracted driving, but she cautioned the data are inconclusive.

  Deaths in crashes resulting from distracted driving actually declined in 2016, the last year for which data are available, though many believe the problem is worse than the data shows, Macek said. Some argue it’s the activity of using, not holding a phone, that is the true source of distraction.

  “The data and science does show that there are degrees of distractions and that any conversation can be distracting,” Macek said. No state currently bans all cellphone use.

  “The best advice to any driver,” she said, “is to avoid engaging with your phone while driving, period, regardless of the law.”

  Mobile gaming is big business. Smartphone

gaming apps account for $50 billion of the $115

billion gaming market, with 80% of all App

Store revenue coming from gaming releases

alone. It all started back in 1997 when Nokia

shipped the Snake game with its mobile phones,

and ever since, consumers have been looking for new ways to relax and unwind with a new gaming distraction.

  

For Apple, gaming is one of the biggest selling

points for its iPhone and iPod Touch ranges, with the Cupertino irm regularly developing more advanced hardware designed to take gaming to the next level. But despite super-

powerful A11 chips and new developments in

augmented reality, PC gaming is still king, with

new titles such as Far Cry 5, Monster Hunter: World and State of Decay 2 dominating this year’s gaming headlines.

  For mobile gaming to catch up, it needs to ofer cross-platform gameplay, similar to the blockbuster success of Fortnite, which is available to play on iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox

One, Microsoft Windows, and macOS. The multi- million dollar success of the rival Fortnite game, which has allowed one successful

gaming streamer to make $500,000 a month, has opened up new possibilities for better

relations between PC and mobile gaming - and Steam could be the bridge between the two. Valve, the $4 billion company behind Steam, recently sent a new app, Steam Link, to the iOS App Store - but after it was initially approved by Apple, the irm made the decision to reject it. Today, we’re delving deeper into the Apple-Steam relationship and asking whether a company tie-up could change how we play video games forever.

  

HOW APPLE TRANSFORMED THE MOBILE

GAMING MARKET Since the introduction of the App Store almost

ten years ago, gaming has played a huge role in

Apple’s iOS ecosystem. Games like Angry Birds, Clash of Clans, Flappy Bird and more recently

Pokemon Go have all made millions of dollars

and spawned movies and merchandise, bringing casual gamers to the forefront. Online gaming, once considered for nerds and geeks, was now ‘cool’ and the ‘in thing’. Apple was unique in that it gave developers easy access to its platform and full use of users’ powerful touch-screen hardware. Unlike PC gaming, Apple’s closed-of approach meant developers were designing software for just one device - everyone had the same specs and capabilities, so games could be optimized to maximize play and deliver the ultimate experience. In fact, Apple was considered so ahead of its competitors, Android and Windows, that many predicted the irm would launch their own console to compete with Microsoft and Sony, but these rumors never lead to anything concrete.

  In the early days of smartphone gaming, the App Store was the place to be. The Store

ofered just 500 apps on launch but managed

to boast an incredible 100 million downloads

in the irst three months alone. That igure grew and grew as new apps, like Tap Tap

  Revenge and Sega’s Super Monkey Ball were released. And from there, the mobile gaming revolution was born.

Freemium gaming apps have changed the way

developers think about their products, allowing

them to invest millions of dollars in free-to-play

games. As well as in-app advertising, Apple’s

in-app purchases option means that developers

can charge for add-ons, time-saving features,

and other nice-to-have beneits, while the core

functionality of the game can remain free for

all players. This approach to business is vastly diferent from old-fashioned PC games, that

were regularly sold in boxes for upwards of $50.

Now, consumers can try out a game for free and

remove it as soon as they want - there’s no need

to invest or feel short-changed. But the biggest thing that Apple brought to mobile gaming was the masses. In quarter one of 2011, Apple sold an impressive 15 million iPhones; but by quarter two of 2016, the company had sold 51.19 million.

  Tim Sweeney, CEO and of Epic Games, said Apple was partly responsible for bringing “3.5 billion new computing device owners into the market in the form of smartphones and tablets and billions of new gamers” and added that it

was “one of the greatest events in the history

of the game industry.”

  

While Apple has played its role in revolutionizing mobile gaming, Steam has done a similar job for gaming on the Mac and PC. Developed by the Valve Corporation and released in 2013, the idea of the platform is to provide gamers a ‘hub’ to buy and download new releases to their computers. And it worked; today, the platform is

  used by more than 67 million gamers.

  As well as partnering up with big gaming houses to release games, the company’s Steam Greenlight service allows indie developers to submit early beta versions of their games to give users the ability to beta test new games and features. Not only does this improve developer- gamer relations, but it helps small businesses make their irst steps in the gaming market.

  One of the biggest beneits of Steam over other online gaming options is the price. Because games can be downloaded and updated right from within the Steam app, there’s no need for a physical CD or DVD, so production and retail costs can be low. Award-winning Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, for example, is ofered

  on Steam at 60% of its original RRP - a considerable discount. It’s just one of the

  reasons why Steam now controls an estimated 70% of the PC gaming market.

  As well as price, Steam allows users to download games on whatever devices they choose. The hassle of installing your favorite game on a new computer is no more, as Steam will port over progress and achievements that you’ve made, so long as you have an internet connection.

  And another reason why Steam has innovated the market is its community. With tools designed to interact with other gamers, and an impressive Workshop feature that allows developers and amateurs to create mods and add-ons for their favorite sandbox games, there’s nothing quite like Steam.

  

COMBINING THE BEST OF DESKTOP AND

SMARTPHONE GAMING Not content on dominating PC gaming, Steam now wants to head into the lucrative

smartphone market with a brand new Link app.

The idea behind the new app is simple - to allow

gamers to stream content from their Mac or PC

over a wired Ethernet or 5GHz wireless network

to their iOS or tvOS devices. In short, the app would allow traditional PC gamers to play their favorite titles using their smartphones; so long as they have WiFi and leave their PC or Mac device online with the Steam interface open.

  If the app was approved and added to the App Store, it would mean that powerful games that require an expensive processor, a suped-up

graphics card and signiicant RAM and memory

can be played in the palm of your hands - ofering PC-like gaming performance wherever you are in the world. While Steam’s new smartphone app was rejected from the App Store initially, many predict that the companies will soon come to some agreement and have a modiied version

available in the coming months. After all, Apple

and Valve have worked together in the past, with

the companies partnering to bring SteamVR -

new virtual reality technology that ofers 90 FPS - to macOS.

  

And although Apple usually stays silent on App

Store disputes, marketing chief Phil Schiller has spoken publicly about the new app being rejected from the App Store and ofered some insight into the next steps for Valve and the Link app. Schiller also conirmed that “Apple is working with the Valve team to rectify

  Pocket Build By MoonBear LTD Category: Games Requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

  Heads Up! By Warner Bros.

  Category: Games Requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. the issue” and bring the app to the App Store soon.

  Speaking in an email to concerned customers and Reddit users, who reached out to Apple after the app was rejected, Schiller said that Apple cares “deeply about bringing great

games to all of our users on the App Store,” but

that his “review team found that Valve’s Steam

iOS app violates a number of guidelines around

user-generated content, in-app purchases, content codes, etc.” The suspected reason behind the rejection of

the app is Apple’s lack of control over the Steam

marketplace. “I could see a very real situation

where many people just straight up stop buying

things from the App Store and exclusively purchase Steam games through Valve instead,” Eli Hodapp, of TouchArcade, said.

  Valve is yet to comment on the proposed changes, and it’s not currently clear when a tweaked version of the Steam Link app will be available for purchase, but all signs lead to a positive outcome and a product that makes PC gaming even more accessible on the go. Until then, we’ll have to stick to games like Pocket Build and Heads Up!, in hopes that the next wave of PC gaming is just around the corner.

KANSAS TESTING DRONES FOR DESIGNING ROADS

  Kansas transportation oicials are beginning a pilot project to determine how drones could be used in future road design work. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that last week marked the irst time the Kansas Department of Transportation has employed drone technology in conjunction with a road project.

  The department has contracted the Kirkham Michael engineering irm to operate the ixed- wing drone back and forth above part of the US-75 highway in northern Jackson County. The device is equipped with a still camera that takes hundreds of images of the terrain below. The Transportation Department is looking at making US-75 safer between Holton in Jackson County and Fairview in Brown County. The department and the engineering irm are collaborating on the project and will survey and design a passing lane and 2-mile section of US-75.

  There are many advantages to using drones to do survey work for road projects, said Wayne Scritchield, municipal engineer for Kirkham Michael.

  “With this technology, we don’t have to put people or equipment in the roadway, so there’s a huge safety advantage for both the driving public and the workers,” he said.

  Another advantage is the time diference between using drones and doing conventional survey work, which requires workers on the ground, according to Scritchield.

  “We’ll have the drone up about an hour-and-a- half to two hours,” he said. “It would take weeks to do it conventionally.” Oicials could use drones for road work in the future if the pilot is successful.

  “It’s new technology,” said Ron Feldkamp, department survey coordinator. “We’re going to see how it works.”

  FROM DRONES TO PHONES,

IS MAKING GARDENING EASIER

  New technology is easing the way we garden, store equipment, monitor watering and re- shape landscapes. And some of those tasks can be done remotely, using phones or tablets.

  The innovations extend well beyond downloading a few apps. New to the horticultural mix are 3-D modeling, GPS mapping, laser technology, drones, robotics, devices that can read the weather and moisture in the soil for precision planting and irrigation, and battery-powered and low- or no-emission equipment.

  “We are seeing an uptick in landscape professionals using advanced technology to plan designs for clients,” said Missy Henriksen, vice president of public afairs for the National Association of Landscape Professionals. “Today, professionals are using drones to survey homeowner properties to get a birds-eye view before and during the design-creation phase,” she said. “Drones can also help landscape companies save valuable operational and manpower time that can be used elsewhere on a project.” Three-D modeling also helps streamline landscape design. It can provide a clear picture for homeowners of their property’s potential, Henriksen said.

  Upgrades in battery technology have hastened the move toward lighter, easier-to-carry garden tools. “Cordless tools that use storage batteries ofer the most lexibility and freedom to move around your yard because you don’t have to worry about cords getting in your way,” Henriksen said.

  A number of companies build multi-purpose engines that are used to equip a variety of implements ranging from walk-behind and rider mowers to power washers, snowblowers and more. At least two of these companies — Kohler and Briggs and Stratton — have introduced small engines that don’t require oil changes for the life of the engine. Simply check the dipstick and add oil as needed. No more tilting these walk-behind machines on their sides to drain the oil, spilling some around the driveway or onto your clothing in the process.

  Other innovations have further simpliied small engines by eliminating manual chokes and purge bulbs. Just pull the handle once to start.

  Consumers want easy, and many of these innovations are boosting purchases, said Michelle Gross, a Briggs & Stratton marketing specialist.

  “Our own surveys of consumers indicate that ease of maintenance continues to be in the top 10 purchase factors for walk-behind

mowers,” Gross said. “And the No. 1 thing people

say they would like to improve after owning a lawnmower is the sound level.”

Mowers equipped with Briggs & Stratton’s Quiet

Power Technology make roughly 50 percent less noise, meaning homeowners can do yard work any time of the day without disturbing neighbors, Gross said.

Eicient storage for lawn and garden equipment

makes for less garage clutter and creates space for recreational items like kayaks and mountain bikes.

  Another new Briggs & Stratton design allows lawnmowers to be folded in half and stored upright without causing fuel or oil leaks. It reduces their footprint by up to 70 percent, Gross said. Scotts, meanwhile, recently introduced a series of devices for precision irrigation.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates

traditional irrigation systems waste as much as 50 percent of their water by overwatering.

  “Our goal is to give homeowners simple ways to use water more resourcefully and responsibly, and to make watering and caring for your lawn easier and more eicient,” said Josh Peoples, president and general manager of Scotts. “From using a smartphone to monitor sprinklers and the moisture in plant soil to only watering in speciic areas where plants need it, we’re committed to providing efortless ways to not only conserve water, but also to inspire people to grow, indoors or out.”

  Online :

  For more about landscape design hardware for homeowners, see this fact sheet from University of Florida Extension: edis.ifas.ul.edu/ep526

  JURY SAYS SAMSUNG MUST PAY $539M FOR COPYING

PARTS OF iPHONE

  A jury has decided Samsung must pay Apple $539 million in damages for illegally copying some of the iPhone’s features to lure people into buying its competing products.

  The verdict reached last week is the latest twist in a legal battle that began in 2011. Apple contends Samsung wouldn’t have emerged as the world’s leading seller of smartphones if it hadn’t ripped of the technology powering the

pioneering iPhone in developing a line of similar devices running on Google’s Android software. Previous rulings had already determined that Samsung infringed on some of Apple’s patents, but the amount of damages owed has been hanging in legal limbo. Another jury convened for a 2012 trial had determined Samsung should Apple ignited the smartphone revolution with iPhone and it is a fact that Samsung blatantly copied our design.

  Image: Timothy A. Clary pay Apple $1.05 billion, but U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh reduced that amount to $548 million.

  The issue escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court, which determined in 2016 that a lower court needed to re-examine $399 million of the $548 million. That ruling was based on the concept that the damages shouldn’t be based on all the proits that the South Korean electronics giant rung up from products that copied the iPhone because its infringement may only have violated a few patents. Apple had argued it was owed more than $1 billon while Samsung contended the $399 million should be slashed to $28 million. The revised damages igure represents a victory for Apple, even though it isn’t as much as the Cupertino, California, company had sought.

  “Today’s decision lies in the face of a unanimous Supreme Court ruling in favor of Samsung on the scope of design patent damages,” Samsung said in a statement. “We will consider all options to obtain an outcome that does not hinder creativity and fair competition for all companies and consumers.” An eight-person jury came up with the new amount following a one-week trial and four days of deliberation in a San Jose, California, federal courthouse.

  Apple expressed gratitude to the jury for agreeing “that Samsung should pay for copying our products.” “This case has always been about more than money,” a company statement said. “Apple ignited the smartphone revolution with iPhone and it is a fact that Samsung blatantly copied our design.”

  BNSF SAYS IT ON

TRACK FOR SAFETY

TECHNOLOGY

INSTALLATION

  BNSF Railway is one of the irst railroads to fully implement new safety technology that will be required by federal regulators by the end of the year, a company spokeswoman said. The new technology, known as positive train control, is designed to automatically slow or stop a train to prevent accidents such as a collision with another train or a derailment caused by excessive speed. BNSF has spent more than a decade developing and deploying PTC technology at a cost of more than $2.2 billion, according to spokeswoman Amy McBeth. She told KSTP-TV the company is one of the irst to fully implement the technology across all

locomotives and mandated routes. All railroad

companies must have it in place by the end of

2018 to meet a federal mandate. “I think people would be surprised to realize how high tech the railroad is,” McBeth said. “If something were to happen and the crew

doesn’t respond, PTC would take over and stop

that train in certain circumstances to prevent an incident from happening.”

KSTP-TV reports the system gives the operator

a warning using a complex network of GPS technology, track sensors and radio towers to constantly monitor the train’s speed, the

grade it is traveling and the track ahead. If the

engineer doesn’t take action, the computer

can take control of the train to ensure it slows

down to an acceptable speed to round a bend

or even stop to avoid a crash. And while BNSF may be on track, a recent report from the federal Government Accountability Oice study found that as many as two-thirds of the nation’s 29

commuter railroads weren’t expected to meet

the deadline, and that some of them were unlikely to make enough progress to merit a two-year extension.

  Information from: KSTP-TV, www.kstp.com

  NEED AN

ENTRY-LEVEL JOB AT

A STORE? IT CAN BE HARDER NOW

  Asia Thomas knew she was at a disadvantage. It had been 16 years since she quit a job at McDonald’s to raise her kids. When she left, restaurants didn’t have kiosks to take orders, people didn’t use smartphones to pay, and job seekers did applications on paper.

  “Things have changed,” said Thomas, who lives in Baltimore. “And there were a lot of things I forgot.”

Getting a job at a store or fast-food restaurant — often a way into the economy for an unskilled worker — used to be as simple as walking up and down the mall and applying. Now, with store chains closing and laying of thousands of workers, that path is more complicated. The stores that remain inancially healthy are actually raising wages in a tight labor market.

But they’re seeking a new type of worker — one

who has a lot more skills up front.

  Thomas, 44, was able to get a job at wholesale club B.J.’s for $12 an hour — but that was only

after signing up for computer lessons and taking

a class in retail basics like how to track inventory

and handle issues like returns. That led her to another opportunity at a casino.

  Across all entry-level retail jobs, the number of skills being demanded rose from 2010 to 2016,

according to an analysis done for The Associated

Press by Burning Glass Technologies, which scours 25 million job postings. Burning Glass found a greater emphasis on

customer service and communications skills for

cashier, stock clerk and sales loor support jobs.

And for many other entry-level jobs, employers

want even more skills, like the ability to use customer relations software like Salesforce. Even forklift operators are being asked to be proicient in inventory management software.

  This has major consequences for workers without college degrees or vocational training trying to get an economic foothold. A decade ago, workers, especially young ones, could start as cashiers and move up to become store

managers or even higher. But now, it’s harder to

even get in the door. “The bottom may be coming out of the career ladder,” said Burning Glass CEO Matt Sigelman.

  Experts say those who might otherwise have

started out at working at a store may head instead

to cleaning, dishwashing or health aide jobs.

  The number of jobs in those ields is expected

to grow far more than in retail. While these jobs

may pay about the same as retail, they can be more demanding physically and provide less opportunity to move up. “This phenomenon is creating more pressure

on incomes at the lower end of the middle class

and will push people down closer to and even below the poverty line,” said Fred Crawford, senior vice chairman of consulting irm

AlixPartners. “It will exacerbate the growing gap

between the haves and have-nots.”

These changes are being driven by companies’

use of large amounts of data not available a generation ago. Supermarkets, for instance,

use loyalty programs to better track customers’

shopping habits. Clothing chains are now quickly reacting to the latest fashion trends, adjusting the merchandise on store shelves within days. That means front-line workers must do more.

  Take cashiers. Employers asked for ive skills in 2016, up from three in 2010. The job often requires running sophisticated registers that track loyalty cards, digital coupons and real- time inventory. “We are looking for workers who are not only

friendly and passionate but people who are tech-

savvy,” said Marisa Velez, store director of DSW

Designer Warehouse in New York’s Union Square.

  That’s a shift from just ive years ago, when the technology a sales clerk at the serve-yourself shoes and accessories chain would use would involve a calculator or calling another store to check if they have an item. Getting a job as a store cashier or a sales assistant _ often an easy way into

the economy for an

unskilled worker _ used

to be easy. Now, that

path is getting much

more complicated as

employers demand

higher-level skills.

  At DSW, Phoebe Li swiftly navigates the aisles stacked with boxes of shoes, seeing if customers need help while she scans an iPad to check on online inventory. The tablets DSW uses will soon be able to ring up a sale as well. “If I see someone bending down looking for a size, I ask them, “How is everything?’” said Li, 24, who has worked at DSW part-time since February.

  “Customers are coming in with limited time,” Velez said. “They’re rushing. They want what they are looking for. We’re able to expedite that through the app, through the iPad and making sure we are respecting their time while still capturing the sale.” Online home goods retailer Wayfair is increasingly looking for customer service and warehouse workers with problem-solving skills. Its employees help customers design a room, or they igure out how to pack a truck without damaging fragile items. So it’s now recruiting gamers at places like Comic Con for those roles, said Liz Graham, who oversees customer service and sales.

  Nearly a third of all irst jobs in the U.S. are in retail. But 62 percent of service-sector workers, which includes jobs like cashiers and store sales assistants, have limited literacy skills and 74 percent have limited math abilities, according to the National Skills Coalition, funded by Walmart Inc.’s charitable arm. Chains like Target and Walmart are increasing training on the job. And the nonproit arm of the industry’s trade and lobbying group, the National Retail Federation, launched a training and credential program for entry-level workers last year, joining with nonproit groups like