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The rumors got a lot right about the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Its design isn't too far off from the 6S and 6S Plus, it has an immovable Home button, the Plus has a dual-camera setup to simulate optical zoom, and (crucially) that headphone jack is gone.

But aside from that sticking point, the new iPhones offer a lot of the solid technological improvements that we've come to expect. The battery life is a little better. The camera is a little better. It's faster by a significant margin. We were able to take a look at some of these things in our brief hands-on time with the phone today. Some details will have to wait for the full review, but until then, here's everything you can find out about the phone after holding it for 15 or 20 minutes.

Key comparisons to the iPhone 6S

Apple didn’t talk about things like screen size and resolution or measurements and weight onstage today and I’ve received a lot of questions about it, so let’s lay those facts out up front.

Enlarge (credit: NBCUniversal)

Warning: This piece contains minor spoilers for the most recent episode of Mr. Robot (S2E9)

Time and time again, Mr. Robot has proven to be a show that prides itself on extreme attention to detail. Whether it involves hiring ex-FBI employees as consultants or tracking down the duo behind the Full House theme, the series wants to ground its high stakes story in a healthy dose of realism. 

“The notion of there being an E-Corp, a conglomerate in charge of 70 percent of the world’s debt, is a big pill to swallow," Kor Adana, staff writer and the show's lead tech producer, told Ars recently. "The way I see it, anything we can do to ground the show in reality with all the other tools at our disposal, the better it is to sell this version of reality."

A natural gas fracking well near Shreveport, Louisiana. (credit: Daniel Foster)

Fracking has mostly been studied because of what it can potentially do to the surface environment. The chemicals used in fracking fluid, as well as the gas and brines that can come back up the wells, all pose environmental risks that have to be managed. What's often not considered is that the well is a bit like a two-way street. The fracking fluid, which is anything but sterile when injected, also contaminates the environment deep under the Earth's crust.

A new study, released this week by Nature Microbiology reveals that fracking creates an entire ecosystem 2.5km below the Earth's surface, one that can persist for at least a year after the frack. And the microbes that thrive there may actually have implications for the production and durability of the fracking wells.

The people behind the work (14 of them at three different institutions) took a relatively simple approach: sample the fracking fluid at a couple of wells before it's sent underground, then sample the fluid that comes back up the wells at various time points, including over 300 days after the fracking. The sampling included a look at the organic chemicals in the fluids, and DNA sequencing that's sufficient to reconstruct entire genomes from anything present.

While today's Apple event was all about the iPhone 7 and second-generation Apple Watch, Apple quietly updated its iPad line in a subtle yet important way. Now a few of the older models, specifically the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 4, start at 32GB of storage rather than the 16GB they used to have in their base models. But despite the upgrade in storage capacity, Apple hasn't raised the starting price for either model: both the Air 2 and the Mini 4 start at $399. Both models also have an option for 128GB of storage for those who want a lot of space.

This move is in line with Apple's decision to start the iPhone 7 models at 32GB of storage, foregoing the 16GB options completely. Not only does this simplify the lineup for each iPad model, but it should also make it easier for consumers to store all their photos, videos, and apps. 16GB of storage is simply not enough for most consumers, especially those who use their smartphone or tablet as their primary device. More storage at the base price will likely be an enticing point for anyone who has been thinking about upgrading.

The iPad Pro still has plenty of options, as it comes in two different display sizes and with or without LTE. iPad Pro models start at 32GB of storage and can be purchased with up to 256GB of storage. Apple also cut the prices for the top-tier iPad Pros; the 128GB models are now $50 cheaper (starting at $699, Wi-Fi only) and the 256GB models are $100 cheaper (starting at $899, Wi-Fi only). The final model on offer, the iPad Mini 2, is now only available as a 32GB model for $269.

Enlarge / The Tesla Model S. (credit: Tesla)

A state court has ruled that Tesla cannot issue itself a franchise to sell vehicles directly to consumers in Missouri, a blow to the electric carmaker that wanted to comport with the state's franchise requirement without having to sell cars through an independent dealership.

In a suit brought by the Missouri Automobile Dealers Association, a judge ruled that carmakers cannot issue themselves franchises, which means Tesla will have to stick to selling the vehicles online in Missouri if it wishes to continue its practice of not using a man-in-the-middle car dealership.

The dealers' suit said the state broke the law when it issued a dealer's license to Tesla of Palo Alto, California. That position was supported last week by Cole County Judge Daniel Green. The decision means Tesla can now only showcase its vehicles at its Kansas City and St. Louis locations. Under the ruling, buyers can't purchase them there. They have to go online.

Enlarge / "Asari? I'm sorry, too!" (credit: Electronic Arts / Bioware)

The Internet was abuzz with rumor and speculation prior to today’s Sony PlayStation 4 event that BioWare might sneak in with some surprise information about the next game in the Mass Effect series, Mass Effect: Andromeda. Since formally announcing the game way back at E3 2015, Bioware has played things very close to the vest—in spite of a few teases since, there are few concrete details on the game’s plot or the characters.

The rumors proved right: BioWare General Manager Aaryn Flynn took the stage and showed us a three-minute video that included a bit of gameplay and a bit of exploration—in addition to announcing that the game will take advantage of the Playstation Pro's 4K and HDR capabilities (as will FIFA 17 and Battlefield One). "You'll be totally immersed in Andromeda," he said to the crowd, "discovering all new alien worlds, brought to life with sharper graphics and high dynamic range lighting. We're also able to create more lifelike characters, which will continue to allow you to experience the best stories you can play."

We already know that Mass Effect: Andromeda takes place in the Helios Cluster, a region of space located in the distant Andromeda galaxy. The game breaks from previous Mass Effect titles and features a whole new cast of humans and aliens. Based on tweets and other hints, the humans in the new cast of characters appear to be part of a family with the surname "Ryder," with the story (possibly) centering around the young woman shown in the 2016 E3 trailer.

Before I go off to try out the new HDR and 4K gaming capabilities of the just-announced PlayStation 4 Pro, we at Ars thought you might want to see the hardware itself that is being shown off here at the PlayStation Theater. Here's a quick gallery of the new box that will be sitting underneath many of your entertainment centers this November—if you're willing to shell out $400, that is.

Click through for a good look at the width and height of the new hardware compared to other systems, along with a surprise refresh of the PlayStation Camera, which is now more cylindrical and less like Short Circuit's Jonny 5.

Enlarge / A livestream representation isn't a good way to show off HDR, but Sony's Mark Cerny attempts to show it off. (credit: PlayStation)

Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro event on Wednesday loudly trumpeted the benefits of HDR (high dynamic range) rendering as one reason to buy the new system, but in a surprise move, PlayStation's Andrew House announced that every PlayStation 4 owner can expect HDR compatibility—and as soon as next week.

"With the proper display, all 40 million PlayStation 4 owners can join the HDR revolution," House told the crowd after confirming that a firmware update will go out to all users next week (though an exact date wasn't specified). However, House didn't confirm whether that HDR spec will be locked to the Dolby Vision standard or to HDR-10.

This somewhat leaves Xbox One gamers in the HDR dust, as that system's HDR compatibility only works for owners of the brand-new Xbox One S hardware revision. That system works only with the HDR-10 spec, which is slightly more limited than Dolby Vision in terms of color and brightness spectrum.