How to put your iPhone into recovery mode

When all else fails, recovery mode lets you restore your iPhone in iTunes. If updating your iPhone through Software Update simply isn"t working, you"re trying to get off a bad beta, or your device has simply become completely unresponsive and nothing else is working, recovery mode might be just what you need to get things going again. It"s painful, so it"s more of an almost-last resort than a first step. It"s not complicated, however, and knowing about recovery mode is important if you ever need it.

How to put your iPhone 7 or later into recovery mode

1. Because iPhone 7 doesn"t have a physical Home button — it has a capacitive Force Touch Home button — recovery mode functionality has moved to the volume down button.
   
   
   
   1. Turn Off your iPhone 7 if it isn"t off already.
      
      1. Press and hold down the On/Off button on the right side (iPhone 6 or later) or top (all other iPhones) for 3 seconds.
      
      
      2. Swipe the slide to power off confirmation slider to the right.
      
      
      
   
   
   2. Press and hold down the volume down button on your iPhone 7.
   
   
   3. Plug your iPhone 7 into your Mac or Windows PC and make sure iTunes is running.
   
   
   4. Release the volume down button when you see the Connect to iTunes screen.
   
   

 

How to put your iPhone 6s or earlier or iPad into recovery mode

1. Turn Off your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad if it isn"t off already.
   
   1. Press and hold down the On/Off button on the right side (iPhone 6 or later) or top (all other iPhones, iPods, and iPads) for 3 seconds.
   
   
   2. Swipe the slide to power off confirmation slider to the right.
   
   


2. Press and hold down the Home button on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPhone.


3. Plug your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad into your Mac or Windows PC and make sure iTunes is running.


4. Release the Home button when you see the Connect to iTunes screen. 

At this point, iTunes should display an alert saying it"s detected an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad in recovery mode, and will let you restore your device.

 

Facebook helps blood donation go viral

Facebook doesn’t just want to make it easy to sign up to be a blood donor from the News Feed. It’s also creating a special kind of post for requesting blood donations of a certain type in a certain location, and then notifying nearby donors that qualify.

While many people are interested and willing to give blood, they might not know how to sign up, where to go, or have the social pressure to actually go do it. Putting this information on Facebook creates a highly visible reminder, and seeing the blood donor tag on people’s profiles could convince them they should sign up too. Plus, this good-hearted activity is likely to garner Likes in Facebook’s News Feed, which could help posts reach enough donors to find a local match.

It’s all part of an initiative in India pegged to the country’s National Blood Donation Day on October 1st. That’s when Facebook will start showing a message in the News Feed in India requesting people sign up, as well as offering a new section of the profile they can fill out. Users in India can find more information on donating blood here.



In the following weeks, Facebook will roll out the next phase in India, allowing people to make requests for donors to give blood for a specific person or organization like a blood bank or hospital. People will have the option to include the needed blood type, where it needs to be donated, their contact information, and a story about the person or group in need.

Then, people nearby who’ve indicated they’re willing to give blood will get a notification through Facebook requesting they step up. They’ll be able to vet the request and get in contact via phone call, WhatsApp, or Messenger.



One important thing is that people aren’t actually registering with a blood donation bank using this Facebook feature. That will happen when they go to donate.

Eventually if the program goes well in India, Facebook could roll it out to other places. Back in 2012 Facebook similarly did a drive to sign people up for organ donation. And its News Feed alerts to register to vote were shown to have helped get 2 million people registered.

This week Facebook has been dogged by claims of election interference and its potential to negatively influence people. But Facebook has a huge capacity to push people to do good. It’s just a matter of balancing philanthropy and humanitarian causes with avoiding Facebook becoming a big guilt trip.

Bing now means business

Unless you’re a regular Bing user, chances are you haven’t thought about Microsoft’s search engine all that much in recent years. While Microsoft has kept adding features to the service over time, its market share has remained pretty stable.

At Microsoft’s Ignite enterprise conference in Orlando, Florida, however, Bing took center stage for a little while because the company today launched the private preview of Bing for Business, as well as a few new tools for developers.

The idea behind Bing for Business, which is now in private preview, is to integrate data from the Microsoft Graph (that is all of your social graph inside your company, as well as your documents, emails and other data) to give you more personalized and contextual search results on Bing.

Microsoft communications chief Frank X. Shaw explains that Bing for Business uses AI and the Microsoft Graph to “deliver more relevant search results in the Bing search page with a browser on any device based on your organizational context.”



This means that when one of your colleagues has a very common name, Bing will prioritize search results about your colleague over those of others with the same name. Microsoft has been using this internally over the past year or so and Shaw described it as “insanely useful.”

In addition to this, Microsoft is expanding the Bing developer APIs (which are part of the Microsoft Cognitive Services set of machine learning-based APIs) with a new custom search feature that lets developers create a customized search experience for a specific slice of the web, and an updates Bing Search API that promises to introduce more relevant search results and support for autosuggest and spellcheck.

The private preview of Bing for Business is now live and Microsoft plans to open these tools up to more businesses over time.

 

Twitter trials an expansion beyond 140 characters

Twitter for the first time is expanding beyond its 140-character limit, the company announced today. The social network says it will now try out a longer limit of 280 characters in select languages, including English, in order to allow people to share their expanded thoughts without running out of room to tweet.

The feature will initially be made available to a small group of users for the time being, as the expansion is considered more of a test than a large, public rollout for now.

The company says that it came to the decision to expand the character count because it realized the character count limitation more heavily impacted those tweeting in some languages — like English, Spanish, Portuguese or French — as compared with others, like Japanese, Korean and Chinese.

 

As the company explains via a blog post, the latter group could convey about double the amount of information in one character, compared with the former. Twitter then studied what that meant, in terms of tweet length in various regions, and found that only 0.4 percent of tweets in Japanese have 140 characters, but a larger (9) percent of English tweets did.

It also found that most Japanese tweets are 15 characters on average, compared with 34 characters for most English-language tweets.

Because of this, the new, 280-character limit will only roll out to those languages affected by “cramming,” which Twitter says is all languages except Japanese, Chinese and Korean.



The change is a notable move for the social network, whose users for years have been debating the merits of an expanded character count.

While some have argued that doing so would make Twitter feel less restrictive and more likely to encourage longer conversations, others have said that Twitter’s focus on brevity is its biggest differentiator, and, in fact, the very essence of its service.

Twitter, for its part, has historically nixed the idea.

Just last year, for example, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey responded to a report that Twitter was testing a 10,000-character limit for tweets by saying that the 140-character limit was “a beautiful constraint” and that Twitter “will never lose that feeling.”

In more recent months, however, the company has started to distance itself from the 140-character limit — a move it made because the service is now regularly used to share posts that extend beyond just text. With Twitter’s ability to host photos, GIFs, polls, video and quoted tweets, it needed a way to allow users to both post media and their thoughts, all in the same tweet.

In Spring 2016, Twitter stopped counting that sort of media toward the character count, then this March more controversially changed the nature of how @replies worked on its service. Again, the goal with the change was to free up more space in tweets for users’ own thoughts and comments — this time, by moving the @reply out of the tweet’s text field to become a piece of metadata instead.

New Twitter compose screen no longer shows character count

Alongside this change, Twitter is also updating the user interface so it no longer counts down the characters until you near the end. Instead, a circle will fill in as you approach the limit, and you won’t know how many characters you have left until only 20 remain (or 10 for Japanese, Chinese and Korean language users).



As to why Twitter is finally dipping its toe in the water of a longer text limit at last, that answer is stated in Twitter’s announcement.

“In all markets, when people don’t have to cram their thoughts into 140 characters and actually have some to spare, we see more people tweeting,” the company says.

(A Twitter spokesperson clarified to us that this understanding is not the result of having already publicly beta tested the 280-character count, but rather its observations of how different language users tweet. That is, in markets where there’s more room to tweet, people tweet more.)

Twitter product changes haven’t impacted growth

The big picture here is that Twitter hopes that by making its service less confounding to use — with things like arbitrary character limits on tweets — more people will use Twitter. And “more people” is something the social network needs right now, given its flat user growth and declines in revenue and its ad business.



But at the end of the day, it may not be technical limitations or their removal that’s slowing Twitter’s growth. It’s the fact that, despite its efforts to crack down on abuse, many still see the social network as a too-public forum for attacks, trolling and other sorts of mistreatment. (This isn’t at all aided by Trump’s continued use of Twitter to broadly troll naysayers and make threats of war.)

Beyond this, Twitter has struggled to police its platform in other ways — like handling the bot problem, for example, or making sure that ads from neo-Nazis don’t show up.

It also has ignored a top product request from users for years: the ability to edit tweets. (But “never say never,” we’re told, when asked if this would ever arrive.)

Twitter says the new 280-character count will initially be available to a small, randomized but representative group of Twitter users on iOS, Android and desktop web. The test is not expected to last long — only weeks — before Twitter plans to make a decision regarding a broader rollout.

https://twitter.com/jack/status/912784057863245824

Netflix adds HDR support on iOS for iPhone 8, iPhone X and 2017 iPad Pro

Netflix has updated its iOS application with HDR support for newer devices, including the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, as well as the forthcoming iPhone X. It also works on the iPad Pro 12.9 and 10.5 from 2017, if you happen to have one of those devices.

Netflix HDR streaming requires a premium subscription plan, as well as more recent hardware. Some of the newest Android phones have already offered HDR support, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the LG G6.

There’s some debate about whether or not you’ll get “true” HDR given the brightness limitations of Apple’s LCD panels, and it’s probably more than you need on a screen that small anyway, but it’s nice to have the option if you’re a regular consumer of streaming media.

Sony"s new Xperia XZ1 can create your 3D replica in real-time

Sony Mobiles today unveiled its latest flagship, the Xperia XZ1 in India, making it the third flagship in the XZ series to be launched in India this year. Prior to the Xperia XZ1, Sony had launched the Xperia XZ Premium and the Xperia XZs in India. The smartphone was first announced at IFA 2017 held in Berlin last month, featuring an HDR-enabled display and a Motion Eye Camera.

Sony has priced the Xperia XZ1 at Rs. 44,990 in India, with the phone being available starting today across the country. While the phone was available in Moonlit Blue, Warm Silver and Venus Pink internationally, in India it will come only in Black colour.

Although the phones from Sony have impressed the tech fraternity when it comes to performance, design and camera, but the pricing had always been the spoiler when it comes to Indian market. But this time around, Sony seems to have worked on improving its pricing, after launching the Xperia XZ Premium for Rs. 59,990 and the Xperia XZs for Rs. 49,990.

After a long time now, Sony has put up a solid innovation called the 3D creator, that is highly capable to challenge the competition. It is based on an algorithm that uses Sony’s Motion Eye technology and proprietary IP. You can not just create 3D objects, but can also share them across social media, get them printed or even use them as your avatar with supported apps. It has four mode; head scan, face scan, food scan, and freeform scan.  Moreover, users can bring the avatars to life by using them in the AI effects option in camera app.

Sony Xperia XZ1 Specifications

The Xperia XZ1 is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor with Adreno 540 GPU. The phone features 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage that can be expanded up to 256GB using a microSD card. Sony is launching the Xperia XZ1 with the Android 8.0 Oreo update out of the box.

An important feature that distinguishes the Xperia XZ1 from other smartphones is the display – Sony has used a 5.2-inch HDR Triluminous display, featuring X-Reality engine and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

In terms of the optics, the Xperia XZ1 comes with a 19MP Motion Eye camera with Exmor RS sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 5-axis stabilisation, predictive capture, anti-distortion shutter, triple image sensing technology, predictive phase detection and laser autofocus, electronic image stabilisation, 4K video recording, 960 fps Super slow motion videos and the aforementioned 3D creator. The new autofocus burst mode is capable of clicking pictures at 10 FPS.

On the front, the Xperia XZ1 comes with a 13MP f/2.0 camera, 1/3” sensor size, electronic image stabilisation and 1080p support.

The Xperia XZ1 continues to feature Sony’s famous glass loop surface design – it comes with a refined unibody metal design, with a single piece of metal that wraps the entire phone. This refined loop design helps makes the sides of the phone curvier and rounded, and gives a svelte feel in hand. Apart from all this, Sony retains its proprietary XZ series features like High-Res audio, IP65/68 certification and more.

In terms of connectivity options, the Xperia XZ1 features dual SIM and 4G VoLTE support, dual band Wi-Fi ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC, USB 3.1 with a Type-C 1.0 connector. The phone comes with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and supports LDAC and digital noise cancellation. Powering the Xperia XZ1 is a 2700mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support.

 

How to Temporarily Disable Touch ID in iOS 11

iOS 11 has a new feature that allows you to discreetly disable the Touch ID unlock functionality, requiring the PIN code for access to the device. Here’s why that’s important (and how to use the new locking feature).

The new feature on iOS 11, one of many new changes, has been called the “cop button”, because the most immediately apparent and practical use of the button is to disable Touch ID discreetly when you encounter law enforcement officers, border agents, or others who wish to access your phone. Why would this matter? Because PIN codes and passwords afford you better protection under current legislative models than biometic identification. U.S. courts have ruled that biometric identifiers like your fingerprint are not covered under Fifth Amendment protections, but codes (which must be recalled from your mind and voluntarily turned over) are. For those of you interested in the legal side of things, here’s a brief article from The Atlantic that covers the basics of it.

With the why side of things out of the way, let’s look at the very simple way you can quickly lock your phone so that only the PIN can be used to unlock it. While your iPhone, running iOS 11, is on, simply grab the phone and rapidly click the power button on the side of the phone five times.



iOS will pull up the emergency calls screen but will also disable Touch ID. Touch ID will not be enabled until the phone is unlocked with a valid PIN.



At this point Touch ID is disabled and if you phone it taken from you your fingerprint cannot be used to unlock it.



There is no need to enable any settings to take advantage of this feature (nor can you disable the feature). Although, if you’re thinking about security in this way and wish to ensure that your locked iPhone doesn’t provide any compromising information, we would recommend popping into the Passcode Lock settings, found under Settings > Passcode Lock, in order to further restrict what your phone can do while it is locked:



If you’re using your phone in a situation where disabling Touch ID is even a consideration, it would also be wise to toggle off the “Allow Access When Locked” settings to remove access to the message reply function and missed calls, for example.

How to Enable Do Not Disturb on Your iPhone

A new feature in iOS 11, “Do Not Disturb While Driving” figures out if you’re driving or not and toggles Do Not Disturb accordingly. Here’s how to enable the feature.

You might be vigilant about not looking at your phone while driving, but getting a notification can still be tempting to check while you’re on the road. It’s best to get rid of those distractions in the first place, instead of simply trying to resist the temptation.

To access the feature, start by opening up the Settings app and tap on “Do Not Disturb”.



Scroll down and tap on “Activate” under “Do Not Disturb While Driving”.



By default it’s set to “Manually”, but you can change it to either “Automatically” or “When Connected to Car Bluetooth”. The latter is probably the best option if your car has Bluetooth, since that way it doesn’t have to guess based on your traveling speed using GPS. Otherwise, select “Automatically”.



When enabled, your iPhone will display a constant alert saying that you won’t receive any notifications while you’re driving.



If you try to unlock your iPhone while you’re driving, it won’t unlock. Instead, you’ll get a pop-up that will let you select “I’m Not Driving” in order to unlock your device—ideal if you’re just the passenger in a moving vehicle.



Once you tap “I’m Not Driving”, it will automatically disable the Do Not Disturb While Driving feature until it’s enabled again (either automatically or manually).

How to Downgrade from iOS 11 to iOS 10

Some may be celebrating all the new iOS 11 features, but others may already regret updating their iPhone. A new iOS version can mean incompatibility issues with older apps, or may lead to battery life issues — and have you wondering how to downgrade from iOS 11.

Whatever the reason, we’re glad you’re here now. There’s still time for you to go back to the previous version of iOS, which was iOS 10.3.3. The way it works is that Apple signs iOS software for a while until newer versions are released. Because iOS 11 was just released, Apple is still signing iOS 10.3.3, so that means you can roll back to that version of iOS. If you want to do this, you’ve picked the perfect time, because when newer versions of iOS 11 come out, Apple will stop signing iOS 10.3.3 and then you will no longer be able to roll back to iOS 10.

So, how do you do it? How can you go back to a previous version of iOS? The process isn’t very difficult, but you have to keep two things in mind. The first thing is that you’ll have to download iOS 10.3.3 manually, but don’t worry because we’ll show you how in the steps below. Secondly, if you need to restore a backup, you’ll only be able to restore backups made under iOS 10.3.3 or restore your iPhone or iPad as a new device.

With that out of the way, let’s get into it. Follow the steps below to downgrade from iOS 11 to iOS 10.3.3

How to downgrade from iOS 11

Step 1: Make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes installed. Go to Help > Check for Updates.



Step 2: You will have to download the iOS 10.3.3 IPSW file for your particular device manually. Download it to your desktop or somewhere easy to find.

Step 3: Before you perform a restore you have to turn off Find My iPhone. To do this, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud. Scroll down to Find My iPhone and make sure that it is turned off.



Step 4: Connect your iOS device to your computer and make sure that iTunes is open.

Step 5: Let’s put your iOS device into DFU recovery mode. If you don’t know how to do this, please follow our guide on how to reset your iPhone. Once you enter DFU mode, iTunes will let you know that it detected an iPhone in recovery mode. You can click OK on this message and begin the recovery process.



Step 6: Hold down the SHIFT key if you’re on Windows, or the Option key if you’re on a Mac, and at the same time click on Restore iPhone in iTunes.



Step 7: A window will come up asking you to browse for the iOS IPSW file. In this case, you want to select the iOS 10.3.3 IPSW file that you downloaded in step 2. For example, if you have an iPhone 7 Plus the file name will be “iPhone_7Plus_10.3.3_14G60_Restore.ipsw.”

Step 8: At this point, iTunes begins the process of restoring your device.



Once finished, iOS will ask you if you want to restore a backup or if you want to set up as a new device. Note that you’ll only be able to restore backups made with iOS 10.3.3.

 

Source: DigitalTrends

How to reset your iPhone

Even though we’ve spent years with the iPhone, and discovered countless tips and tricks to get the most out of it, it’s always good to remind ourselves of the phone’s basic functions and when it’s best to employ them. Something everyone needs to know is how to reset an iPhone. The steps needed to do so were exactly the same on every device up to until the iPhone 6S Plus, but things changed a little with the release of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

If you upgraded from a previous iPhone model to the iPhone 7 or the latest iPhone X, but have never needed to reset it, you may be at a loss as to how to begin the process. It’s not radically different from how it was before, but if you’re used to the old way and have attempted to use it on the iPhone 7 or iPhone 8 Plus, you’ll quickly realize it doesn’t work. Don’t worry, we’re here to explain how to reset your iPhone, when you should restart it, and how to force a restart when your phone is not responding. We’ll also lay out the differences between a restart, or a soft reset, and a factory reset.

How to reset your iPhone (soft reset)

The easiest way to reset your iPhone is basically the inverse of turning it on. This method is often referred to as a “soft reset,” meaning you won’t lose any data and nothing will be deleted from your phone. The best time to perform a soft reset is when your phone is running a bit slower than usual, an app isn’t opening or working properly, or some other relatively small problem has occurred, but your iPhone is still responsive.



Step 1: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the Slide to Power Off slider appears. On the iPhone 6 and later models, you’ll find the Sleep/Wake button on the right side of the phone. On the iPhone SE, iPhone 5S, and earlier models, the Sleep/Wake button is found on the top.

Step 2: Rest your finger on the slider, then swipe to the right.

Step 3: Once there’s nothing on the screen and it goes black, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button again until the Apple logo appears.



Alternatively, provided you have iOS 11 or later installed, you can go to General > Settings and scroll to the bottom where you’ll find Shut Down. When you tap Shut Down, you will see the Slide to Power Off slider. You can then proceed to Step 2 above.

How to force reset your iPhone

Another way to reset your iPhone is to do what Apple officially calls a “Force Restart.” Once again, no important data will be lost. A “force restart” is recommended when your iPhone is completely unresponsive. Examples of this include times when your iPhone’s screen turns black (despite it being powered on), the screen freezes, or your iPhone encounters an issue during startup.

The exact way to perform a force restart differs between older iPhone models and the iPhone 7 and later. Instead of a traditional Home button, the newer iPhones have a Home/Touch ID sensor, which isn’t used to trigger a force restart, and, as we discussed in our iPhone X features rundown, Apple has done away with the Home/Touch ID sensor in the iPhone X entirely in favor of the new Face ID.

On the iPhone 7 and later:



Step 1: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons until the Apple logo appears.

On the iPhone 6S and earlier:



Step 1: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons together until the Apple logo appears.

What do you do if a restart doesn’t work? Use Force Restart to enter DFU mode

DFU stands for Device Firmware Update. This mode will allow the iPhone to interact with iTunes without loading the operating system. If your iPhone’s operating system is in a state of failure, where you really can’t do anything with your phone and the iPhone is completely unresponsive, entering DFU mode allows you to restore the iPhone. This process will delete everything you had on your device, but sometimes this may be the only way to bring your iOS device back to life. Hopefully, you followed our guides on how to backup your iPhone, with or without iTunes, so that you can recover your data after you erase your iPhone.

Here’s how to enter DFU mode.

For iPhone 7 and later

Step 1: Plug in your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes.

Step 2: Perform a Force Restart by holding down the Sleep/Wake button and the Volume Down button at the same time for 10 seconds.

Step 3: Let go of the Sleep/Wake button.

Step 4: Keep holding down the Volume Down button for an additional 10 seconds.

Step 5: Your iPhone’s screen should remain black.

Step 6: You will see a message on your computer screen saying iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode.

Step 7: Click OK on this message to begin restoring your iPhone.

For iPhone 6s and earlier

Step 1: Plug in your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes.

Step 2: Perform a Force Restart by holding down the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button at the same time for 8 seconds.

Step 3: Let go of the Sleep/Wake button.

Step 4: Keep holding down the Home button.

Step 5: You will see a message on your computer screen saying iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode.

Step 6: Click OK on this message to begin restoring your iPhone.

What’s the difference between a soft reset, a force restart, and a factory reset?

Restarting your iPhone using the software option, or a soft reset, will not result in the loss of any data. The same is true of a force restart, which allows you to use the hardware keys to restart your iPhone when the touchscreen isn’t responsive. A Factory Reset is a completely different beast, however. It essentially reverts your iPhone back to the way it was when it first came out of the box — it wipes all content, settings, and personal information from the device.

We often recommend factory resetting your iPhone as a last resort if you’re having issues that you can’t solve, but it can also be used when you’re trading your iPhone in, giving it to a friend, or if the phone has been lost or stolen. It’s not a permanent process, however, since a previous backup can be used to restore everything that was once on your phone.

 

Source: DigitalTrends

Bose SoundSport Free earbuds

Bose released their first truly wireless earbuds named the Bose SoundSport Free earbuds.

Information on the Bose SoundSport Free

They are focused directly at people who need a pair of wireless headphones for workouts. The SoundSport Free comes with a number of exercise-friendly features, such as water and sweat resistance. They also boast an antenna that claims to keep a strong connection to your device, no matter where it happens to be. The range of the earbuds hover around 30 feet. This is the norm with all Bluetooth headphones.

Bose says that the antenna is strong enough to prevent interruption or popping regardless of where your phone is, whether it is in your pocket or gym bag. Each earbud weighs in at 0.35 ounces. Nevertheless, they come packing a “miniature acoustic package” that features a Bose digital signal processor and volume EQ.

The batteries on the SoundSport Free can run for five hours. As with the AirPods, these earbuds come with a charging case. It can provide an additional ten hours of battery life. Controls on the right earbud allow you to make calls or pull up your phone’s AI assistant. The earbuds are compatible with the Bose Connect App. This means that you can find your headphones through “Find My Buds” in the event that you misplace them.



The SOundSport Free earbuds will retail in up to two different colours. The colours are triple black and midnight blue with yellow citron accents. The pre orders for the triple black have already begun. They are slated to release by the next month. Midnight blue, on the other hand, will be available before the year is out. Unfortunately, there is no pre-order date listed just yet. Regardless of the variant you go with, the SoundSport Free earbuds will set you back $249.95.

Best phones with 8GB RAM

Long ago that 8GB RAM was considered a pretty sizable amount even for a computer. Now we are here in 2017 and 8 GB RAM smartphones are a thing. The majority of phones with 8 GB RAM come from smaller companies. These companies want to make their devices stand out from the crowd.

The best choice when it comes to a phone with 8GB RAM

OnePlus 5

This year’s flagship device from OnePlus is its most expensive device but it still offers great value for money. Announced back in June, the high-end version of the flagship was one of the very first phones with 8GB RAM. The device also offers 128GB storage. Software-wise, it offers a very light skin on top of Android called OxygenOS. It doesn’t change the look and feel of Google’s operating system much. In addition, it adds a few unique features and customization options.



The device features a dual-camera setup on the back. Furthermore, the device is encased in a mesmerizing full metal body that looks great. The OnePlus 5 comes Dahs Charge, the proprietary fast charging tech from the company. It gets the battery up to 100 percent in around 90 minutes and 0 to 60% in an impressive 30 minutes. The OnePlus 5 comes in Slate Gray and can be yours for $539.

Noteworthy mention

Asus ZenFone AR

The ZenFone AR was unveiled back at CES 2017. It is also the very first device with 8 GB RAM. What sets this device apart is that it supports Tango (aka Arcore). That is Google’s augmented reality (AR) platform. Moreover, the device is equipped with a 23 MP primary shooter on the back along with sensors for motion tracking and a depth-sensing camera, all of which are required to run Tango applications.



The smartphone is also Daydream-ready. In short, it is a great choice for those who want to immerse themselves into the world of VR and AR. If thats not enough, the smartphone comes with a large 5.7-inch display with QHD resolution and is powered by the Snapdragon 821 chipset. The device retails for $700.

Nest releases the Nest Secure

Nest makes another move in the home security section with the Nest Secure; a professional alarm system.

How does the Nest Secure work?

A central hub connected to the system. Nest Guard is the name of this hub. It allows home owners to arm and disarm Nest’s various home security devices. The system includes a motion detector, doorbell, and outdoor camera, among other devices.

Running the whole thing is the Nest Guard, a small base that acts as a motion detector, speaker, and light system. The Guard is the centre of Nest Secure, as indicated by the number pad. It allows users to arm and disarm the whole system with a simple pin code. If punching in numbers is not your thing, the Nest Tag makes arming and disarming Guard so much easier.



“When we looked at the home security market, we saw a similar landscape to when we entered the thermostat market,” explained Matt Rogers, Nest’s founder and chief product officer. “Just as people tend not to use programmable thermostats because of their complexity, the current home security offerings are also a huge pain to live with—whether it’s bulky hardware, false alarms or loud and stressful countdown. That’s why 43 percent of people with alarm systems don’t ever arm them.”

Nest’s revamped outdoor camera and video doorbell complement the Nest Guard. The doorbell can detect when people come close to your house and has the ability to even detect noises such as pets or humans conversing. Everything, according to Nest, should work in perfect harmony without much legwork from the user.

The price of the Nest Secure

A Nest Secure starter pack includes a Nest Guard, two Nest Detects and two Nest Tags. The combined price will be $499. The new security system will be available starting this November.

Google Chrome will no longer autoplay videos

Major changes are coming to Google Chrome in the next few months. Google Chrome will gain abilities to minimize the impact of annoying auto play videos. Starting in January next year, the browser will no longer auto play videos.

The exceptions are if they"re muted and don"t have sound or you"ve shown interest in watching them. The feature will roll out to users with Chrome 64. Chrome 63 does come with its own muting feature too. It is available from October onwards. It gives the user the ability to mute an entire website.

You might wonder what Google Chrome considers as "showing interest in auto playing videos?". When it comes to mobile, it will auto play files only on websites that are present on the home screen of your device. On the desktop version, it will play videos from websites that you usually play media from.

Google says the feature will "unify desktop and mobile web behaviour". Furthermore, they say that the changes "will give users greater control over media playing in their browser. It will also make it easier for publishers to implement auto play where it benefits the user." According to a post on the Chromium Blog, this will “allow auto play to occur when users want media to play, and respect users" wishes when they don"t”.

This is great news for anyone using the internet. We have all come across sites where media starts blaring, regardless of whether you wanted it to or not.

Blocking auto playing videos has more benefits than just the user experience. It can also help improve the battery life of mobile devices and cut down on data usage, especially for those on limited internet packages. Another nice side effect could be content creators working harder to make videos that you actually want to watch.

AI can detect Alzheimer"s Disease

Various researchers around the globe are developing ways to detect Alzheimer"s Disease as early as possible. After all, early detection is crucial when it comes to Alzheimer’s. it can give people time to undergo treatment to slow down the effects of the condition. It can also give them time to arrange things such as their finances and legal affairs.

Some researchers decided to focus on blood and cerebrospinal fluid tests. Others focused their efforts on developing equipment that can look for early signs. One team of researchers went a whole different path. The path of AI.

How does AI help predict Alzheimer’s Disease?

This team of researchers are from the University of Bari which is in Italy. They developed an algorithm that can spot tiny structural changes in the brain. The disease causes these changes. The AI can predict these changes up to 10 years before symptoms become visible.

These researchers trained their AI to the task. They did this by feeding it 67 MRI scans. 38 scans from Alzheimer"s patients and 29 from healthy controls. The researchers divided the scans into small regions.

They then had their AI analyze the neuronal connectivity between. After training was done, they tested the algorithm by having it process brain scans from 148 subjects. Overall, 48 scans were those who had the disease while were scans of people who suffered from mild cognitive impairment and eventually developed full-blown Alzheimer"s.

The AI had an 86% accuracy when it came to detecting the disease. it was able to detect mild cognitive impairment 84 percent of the time. This makes it a potentially effective tool for early diagnosis. The downside to the research was that the scans were limited to the ones in USC LA"s Alzheimer"s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database. With further development, the AI could become more accurate and reliable.

Google’s search app now makes suggestions of other things to read

Google’s search app for iOS is today introducing a feature that will keep users browsing the web, instead of exiting back to their homescreen to use other mobile application. The app is being updated to include a “related content” section that will appear at the bottom of the web pages you visit while using the Google app.

That is, if you search for a topic on Google, then tap to read an article about that subject, the app may offer suggestions of other related articles once you’ve finished. These suggestions appear at the bottom of the app’s interface, below the “G” button, but they aren’t visible as you’re scrolling down to read the page you’ve landed on.

Instead, the bar will only appear when you’ve finished reading and have begun to scroll back up. And even then, the related articles are still partially hidden – you can see the heading “People Also View” and some of the headlines, but you have to actually swipe up on this Google bar to see the suggestions in full.

You can then swipe horizontally through the list of related articles that appears, and tap on those you want to read.



If you are digging into a topic, it could be easy to jump through the various suggestions to keep reading more. But often, a Google search is about finding a very specific answer – and related articles doesn’t work well for that.

For example, if you search for the Mars Rover, you’re probably looking for information about that particular rover – not just space exploration information in general. But Google’s related articles suggest you read about the Opportunity Rover, the Mars Exploration Program Director, or the Santorini Panorama. That’s not necessarily going to help you with your original search query.

That’s not to say there aren’t times when you fall into one of those Google Search holes, where you keep reading more content as one thing leads to another. But typically, Google searches aren’t about getting lost on the web – they’re about getting an answer. Even Google itself understands this, which is why it built out its Knowledge Graph to provide “instant answers” right at the top of its search results.

Google says this change is about making it easier to “explore and discover content” while browsing the web, but it also has the side effect of keeping users in its app longer. And that has an impact on Google’s bottom line, as Google can display more ads to web searchers when they don’t leave its app.

The change is rolling out today to the Google app on iOS.

Musk reveals a long range Tesla Model 3

Out of the more than half a million consumers who preordered a Tesla Model 3, the automaker delivered the first 30 at a handover event in California. The event served as a platform for more news. Elon Musk took the time to show the Model 3 off and talk about it in detail. He spoke about features such as the much talked about spartan interior.

Information on the Tesla Model 3

The Tesla Model 3 starts at $35000 before any incentives. It features a 15 inch touch screen set in the middle. On the side of power, it can do 0 to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds and 220 miles of range. The automobile has enough room to sit 5 people without any discomfort.



Musk also unveiled a new addition. It was a long range Model 3. It promises up to 310 miles of range on a single charge. According to Musk, the long range Model 3 will start at $44,000. It can do 0 to 60 mph in of 5.1 seconds, along with a supercharging rate of 170 miles in 30 minutes.

The costs go up sharply depending on what kind of upgrades you want. Any colour other than black, for example, will cost an extra $1,000. If you are looking for 19 inch sports wheels it will set you back an additional $1,500.

The automaker will also offer a premium package. It costs $5000 and has features like heated seating, an upgraded audio system, tinted glass roof, LED fog lamps, and more.

The company needs to make the automobile at great scale if they are to satisfy the demand. Elon Musk hopes to manufacture around 20000 Model 3’s in December. “We are going to go through at least six months of manufacturing hell,” Musk said at the handover event as he spoke about the automobile.

Why it is important to switch off your Bluetooth when you are not using it

There are many digital entrances that you leave open all the time, such as Wi-Fi and your Bluetooth connection. Here we explain why.

What is the deal in Bluetooth?

The benefit of reducing your Bluetooth usage is that it reduces your exposure to vulnerabilities. That includes an attack called BlueBorne, announced this week by the security firm Armis. It allows any affected device with the wireless feature turned on to be attacked through a series of vulnerabilities.

The flaws aren"t in the wireless feature standard itself. It is in the implementation in all sorts of software. Windows, Android, Linux, and iOS have been vulnerable to BlueBorne in the past. Millions could still be at risk. The best way to protect yourself is to switch off Bluetooth whenever you are not using it.

Nowadays, the security of devices is much greater. Researchers and attackers both now look towards ancillary features and components to find ways in. Blueborne affects devices from Android, some versions of iOS and Windows. But in addition to endangering core devices such as smartphones and PCs, BlueBorne has implications for the billions of Bluetooth-equipped internet of things devices in the world.

These include smart TVs, speakers, and even smart lightbulbs. Many of these devices are built on Linux. They also don"t have a mechanism for distributing updates. Or even if they do, they rarely receive them in practice. Linux is working on but hasn"t yet issued a BlueBorne patch.

For the time being users do not have a quick fix to this problem. The best thing for consumers to do is to minimize leaving Bluetooth on when not necessary. This might be difficult in scenarios where you use your Bluetooth headphones at work. Google is preparing a patch to fix this critical flaw as soon as possible so it should only be a matter of time before the update hits users.

Best cases for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8

If you have pre-ordered the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, you are probably on the lookout for a protective case to protect your expensive device. There are an array of options that can leave a person confused. Here we narrow the list down to the best.

Spigen Tough Armor Samsung Galaxy Note 8 case

This is the case for anyone looking to add a great deal of durability to their devices. The case is made from TPU body and polycarbonate back. Furthermore, it has raised lips at the front and rear to protect the screen as well as the two cameras.

The case has cutouts on the bottom for the charging port, speaker, S-Pen, and so forth. It sports a kickstand on the back that comes in quite handy when watching videos. The manufacturer claims that the product is shock resistant. However, this also means that it will add a bit of bulk to your smartphone.

This particular case is available in 5 colours; Gunmetal, Black, Deep Sea Blue, Maple Gold, and Orchid Gray. The price varies between $16.99 and $18.99

MNML Case for Samsung Galaxy Note 8

This is an ultra thin case for your device. At a thickness of just 0.35, it claims to be the worlds thinnest case. The thin case will give adequate protection for drops and major falls. It can help you through day to day use and prevent scratches and dents on the phone. The price for this case is $14.99. The MNML Case comes in 6 different colours: Clear black, matte black, clear white, really blue, coral blue and red.

Samsung Alcantara Galaxy Note 8 case

This is an official case made by Samsung itself. It is made using Alcantara. It is both strong and lightweight. The material used provides a great grip and is quite easy on the eyes. It comes in a number of different colours which are black, dark grey, green, and pink. It is quite costly and sells for $49.99.

OurMine Hackers leak Vevo’s celebrity dossiers

OurMine has been grabbing the news recently for a string of hacks into company networks and social accounts. They recently gained access to Vevo servers.

The background to the OurMine Hack

The hacker group posted a screenshot that outlined a conversation they had with a Vevo representative. Below is the screenshot.



As a response, the hacker group dumped 3.1TB of data from Vevo’s servers. Gizmodo first reported this. The data was available through OurMine’s site. The data included Vevo’s private dossiers on 90 different artists, including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, One Direction and U2. Other documents included social-media strategy memos and instructions for disabling the office’s alarm system.

Even though they posted the data online, the group said they would remove the data on one condition. The condition was if they were contacted by a Vevo rep. it seems like the group kept to their word as the data was removed after a few hours. In place of the data, a message was kept. It said the following. “We deleted the files because of a request from VEVO.”

The group did not say how they got to the data. On the other hand, Vevo revealed to Variety that it happened due to “a phishing attack through LinkedIn.”

Vevo joins a long string of companies compromised by OurMine, which typically uses high-profile targets to drum up interest in legitimate security products. Last month, the group compromised both the WikiLeaks website and various HBO-linked social media accounts. In fact, previous targets in the past include Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Jack Dorsey.

The hacker group also brags about each hack on its website. Ironically it names itself a security group. It offers personal and enterprise security checks, with a $1,000 Paypal price tag for a website scan, and $5,000 when it comes to a full company audit.

Twitter says a now-fixed bug allowed ad campaigns to target users with derogatory terms

Add Twitter to the list of companies that have had to respond to questions around the ability to target ad campaigns against derogatory keywords in their advertising platform, though Twitter says this was a result of a bug.

“We determined these few campaigns were able to go through because of a bug that we have now fixed,” a Twitter spokespersons aid. “Twitter prohibits and prevents ad campaigns involving offensive or inappropriate content, and we will continue to strongly enforce our policies.”

Reports came out this week that advertisers were able to target ads based on a collection of derogatory keywords on Facebook. Facebook yesterday told that it is now working to prevent such offensive entries in demographic traits from appearing as addressable categories. Google, too, seemed to face a similar problem.

The Daily Beast yesterday reported that Twitter ads targeted to offensive keywords were able to reach millions of users. Twitter told The Daily Beast yesterday that the keywords “have been blacklisted for several years.”

Twitter, for example, allows advertisers to search for keywords from Tweets, though its policies explicitly ban offensive content on the platform. Twitter has a blacklist for offensive words and phrases to try to ensure that this doesn’t happen, though when you have an audience as large as, say, Facebook or Twitter, it’s possible that things can slip through the cracks.

Part of this pertains to the nature of self-service advertising platforms, which allows advertisers to build their campaigns around customized audiences that can at times be highly targeted, as well as the how people describe themselves on those platforms. Those platforms will lean on their strengths — like search terms for Google or how people identify themselves on Facebook — which at scale can lead to a number of incidents like this potentially falling through the cracks.

 

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is in stores today

One of the year’s top phones went on sale today and, no, we’re not talking iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is now available in stores and online in the US and UK.

This brings the massive Note 8 – with its 6.3-inch display, 6GB of RAM and dual rear cameras – to a carrier or retailer near you. The Note 8 goes on sale in Australia September 22.

US carriers with the Galaxy Note 8 on sale today include AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular and Verizon.

Retailers selling the Note 8 include Best Buy, Samsung, Target and Walmart.

The Galaxy Note 8 price is $929 / £869 / AU$1,499, though some carriers are selling the device for $40 a month for 24 months. We suggest getting the unlocked version, if you can.

While the Note 8 price is more than the iPhone 8 Plus price of $799 / £799 / AU$1,229, it’s still less than the iPhone X price of $999 / £999 / AU$1,579. The iPhone 8 price is $699 / £699 / AU$1,079.

Samsung is offering a trade-in for eligible devices when you purchase a Galaxy Note 8, Samsung Galaxy S8 or Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, something to consider if you want to save towards the purchase of your new phone.

Galaxy Note 8 pre-orders were a record-breaking success, and it seems the excitement will carry over now that the Note 8 is on sale in stores.

Anyone who orders a Note 8 between now and September 24 through Samsung will also be treated to a free Samsung Gear 360 camera or a free “Galaxy Foundation” kit, which includes a Samsung 128GB EVO+ microSD and Fast Charge Wireless Charging Convertible. This offer is only good while supplies last.

 

Advertisers use Google and Twitter to target anti-Semites and racists

Just a few days after Facebook was outed for doing the same for advertisers, Google and Twitter have been dragged into the same debate.

Google’s ad tech is the main contributor to its parent company Alphabet’s roughly $100 billion in annual revenue. It allows advertisers target search users by what phrases they type into the query field. A report from BuzzFeed News found something interesting today. It found that Google’s ad platform permitted advertisers to sell ads next to anti-Semitic and racist queries. These include phrases such as “Jewish parasite,” “the evil Jew,” and “black people ruin everything.”

It gets worse in the case of Google. The company’s ad platform even suggested potential advertisers run ads next to other, similar hateful phrases. It suggested an ad next to the phrase “Jewish control of banks. This was when one typed in “why do Jews ruin everything". Buzzfeed also purchased ads and ran a live campaign after it came up with the findings. It then alerted Google, which promptly disabled a number of the keywords involved.

Shortly afterwards the Daily Beast reported that Twitter too lets advertisers target users interested in hateful words and phrases. This includes the N-word, “wetback,” and “Nazi. The targeting methods on Facebook and Google’s platforms were visible to only a few thousand people in the US. in the case of Twitter it is much more serious. This is because Twitter’s platform appears more far-reaching.

The Daily Beast also briefly ran its own ad campaign to test the company’s tools. It says Twitter’s platform shows 18.6 million accounts “likely” to engage with the word “Nazi,”. The N-word draws in another 14.5. For Twitter, the process seems entirely automated and there appear to be no safeguards in place. The Daily Beast tried a number of different hateful words and phrases and none were blacklisted by Twitter’s tools.

The new iPhones support fast charging but with a catch!

A few days ago, Apple released three new iPhones. These three devices are the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X. These smartphones come with a host of new features that are a first for iPhones. One such feature is called fast charging.

As the name implies, it fast charges your device. This seemed like great news when it was first announced but now there appears to a problem with this implementation.

What is the catch about fast charging?

Apple announced that the new iPhones are capable of charging from 0 to 50% in 30 minutes. The catch is that you need specific gadgets to achieve fast charging. These gadgets are a USB Type C to Lightning cable as well as a compatible power brick.

As is the norm with Apple devices, the company does not include these gadgets in the box with the phone. The normal USB Type A cable that comes with the box will not cut it. Nor will the 5W adapter that comes with the phone. This is hardly any surprise. Apple seems to have a habit of forcing its customers to buy additional cables, dongles, and other adapters.



Now you might be wondering how much this will set you back in terms of cash. Well to start with, a USB Type C cable to lighting cable from Apple will cost you $25. The most inexpensive 29 W power brick on the site sells at $49.99. These are the prices from Apple’s official website. The combined cost to get fast charging runs up to $75.

Apple doesn’t specify on its site if its 29W charger will be able to deliver the fast charging capability. This means there is a chance that the price may be higher than specified. Owning Apple products has never been cheap, and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.

Upcoming versions of Google Chrome will let you permanently mute sites, block autoplaying videos

One of the most annoying things about surfing today’s web – besides all those ads, of course – is landing on a site and getting blasted by a video that starts playing automatically. Not only does the experience surprise and annoy web users, it can also consume power and use data – which is concerning for mobile users, in particular. Now Google says it will do something about the problem. In the upcoming version of the Google Chrome web browser (Chrome 64), Google will limit the ability for sites to autoplay videos.

As the company explains in a blog post, autoplay will only be allowed when the media itself doesn’t include sound, or when the user has indicated an interest in the media. In that latter case, user interest can be determined by a variety of factors. For example: if the user has frequently played the media on the site before when visiting from the desktop browser; if they’ve tapped or clicked on the screen during the browsing session; or if they’ve added the site to their home screen on mobile.

However, at the same time, Google is disabling some of its protections against autoplay for mobile users. On Chrome for Android, it’s removing the ‘block autoplay’ setting that’s currently available, and it will also remove autoplay blocking on mobile when the Data Saver mode is enabled.

The company says that, by doing so, it will make this new “muted autoplay” more reliable. In reality, though, that means if you’ve already taken a specific action to block autoplay videos on mobile, you might actually see them play more often as a result of the changes if you’re not careful.

There will be some help on that front, however. In addition to the changes coming to Chrome 64, Google will also introduce a new user option within Chrome 63 that will allow you to completely disable audio for individual sites. That means if you have a favorite site whose content you like, but that’s abusing autoplay video – perhaps a news site or one with informative reviews – you can simply opt to have that site muted indefinitely.

This change will persist even when you close your browser session, and then later return, Google notes.



Site muting will arrive in the stable version of Chrome 63 in October, while the new autoplay policies will arrive in Chrome 64 (beta build) in December, and then to the stable build of Chrome 64 in January 2018.

Autoplay video isn’t the only internet scourge Google plans to address in the near future. The company has already been developing a native ad blocker for Chrome, which popped up in the Android developer build earlier this summer.

That feature will choose the ads to block based on guidelines from the industry group, Coalition for Better Ads. It will include blocking ads like repeated pop-ups or those that prevent you from seeing content until a countdown timer completes, among other things. This ad filter is also set to arrive next year.

Upcoming versions of Google Chrome will let you permanently mute sites, block autoplaying videos

One of the most annoying things about surfing today’s web – besides all those ads, of course – is landing on a site and getting blasted by a video that starts playing automatically. Not only does the experience surprise and annoy web users, it can also consume power and use data – which is concerning for mobile users, in particular. Now Google says it will do something about the problem. In the upcoming version of the Google Chrome web browser (Chrome 64), Google will limit the ability for sites to autoplay videos.

As the company explains in a blog post, autoplay will only be allowed when the media itself doesn’t include sound, or when the user has indicated an interest in the media. In that latter case, user interest can be determined by a variety of factors. For example: if the user has frequently played the media on the site before when visiting from the desktop browser; if they’ve tapped or clicked on the screen during the browsing session; or if they’ve added the site to their home screen on mobile.

However, at the same time, Google is disabling some of its protections against autoplay for mobile users. On Chrome for Android, it’s removing the ‘block autoplay’ setting that’s currently available, and it will also remove autoplay blocking on mobile when the Data Saver mode is enabled.

The company says that, by doing so, it will make this new “muted autoplay” more reliable. In reality, though, that means if you’ve already taken a specific action to block autoplay videos on mobile, you might actually see them play more often as a result of the changes if you’re not careful.

There will be some help on that front, however. In addition to the changes coming to Chrome 64, Google will also introduce a new user option within Chrome 63 that will allow you to completely disable audio for individual sites. That means if you have a favorite site whose content you like, but that’s abusing autoplay video – perhaps a news site or one with informative reviews – you can simply opt to have that site muted indefinitely.

This change will persist even when you close your browser session, and then later return, Google notes.



Site muting will arrive in the stable version of Chrome 63 in October, while the new autoplay policies will arrive in Chrome 64 (beta build) in December, and then to the stable build of Chrome 64 in January 2018.

Autoplay video isn’t the only internet scourge Google plans to address in the near future. The company has already been developing a native ad blocker for Chrome, which popped up in the Android developer build earlier this summer.

That feature will choose the ads to block based on guidelines from the industry group, Coalition for Better Ads. It will include blocking ads like repeated pop-ups or those that prevent you from seeing content until a countdown timer completes, among other things. This ad filter is also set to arrive next year.

The winners of the Material Design Awards 2017

Google has announced the winners of its Material Design Awards. The award seeks to felicitate apps that have best used Google’s Material Design to deliver a better experience and functionality. What makes this year more exciting is that Google has allowed the public to help out with the nominations. After hundreds of entries, Google has chosen 4 winners in 4 categories.

Brand Expressiveness Award at the Material Design Awards 2017

Blinkist is the winner in this category. It is an app that compresses over 2000 best selling non fiction books into 15-minute reads or listens. It received the award because of its engaging use of iconography, motion, and typography. Google had the following to say when giving the award to Blinklist. “The type layout establishes clear hierarchy while maintaining a reader-friendly presentation through the comfortable use of white space.”

Interaction Design Award at the Material Design Awards 2017

Eventbrite Organizer is the winner in this section. It is an app that lets you oversee the event management process from start to finish. The app lets you create tasks directly in the app, track and control ticket sales, and quickly accept payment for tickets and merchandise. Within the app, all of your information is quickly accessible and looks beautiful.

Platform Adaptiveness Award at the Material Design Awards 2017

Due to its flexibility, NPR One was decided as the winner. The app allows users to consistently perform tasks in a way that feels natural to each device. The device can be a smart watch or a smartphone. NPR One got high marks for the organization of its stories, as well as enabling targeted searching and casual discovery of stories.

Innovation Award at the Material Design Awards 2017

Momondo is the winner in this category. It basically compares and books hotels as well as flights. What sets it apart is the manner in which it presents the information. It has beautiful backgrounds, graphs, and loading screens. These make it different from the usual apps present on the Play Store.

Rolls Royce is planning to make an autonomous naval ship

Rolls Royce has announced plans to enter the autonomous shipping market with a 60m autonomous ship that will conduct patrolling, surveillance, mine detection, and fleet screening.

Information on the Rolls Royce naval ship

The company said they saw a lot of demand from major navies who wanted autonomous vessels rather than remotely controlled ones. Rolls Royce says it will create an intelligent and aware system that can navigate safely. They will make use of AI and sensors to achieve this.  The support tools include tools for the management of energy, monitoring the health of equipment as well as remote maintenance.



The range of the ship is said to be 3,500 nautical miles. It can also run for up to 100 days with a top speed of 25 knots. The company says the ship will have a powerful electric propulsion system with two generators. They will provide four megawatts of electrical power to a 1.5-megawatt propulsion drive. It will also feature solar panels and 3,000kWh of energy storage for when the ship is loitering at lower speeds.

Many ships are slowing becoming autonomous. The two main reasons for this is the lower cost of operating ships and the higher levels of safety that these autonomous ships have. Rolls Royce is not the only one who has announced plans for an autonomous ship. Last year, the US military unveiled an experimental warship. At 132 foot, it has the ability to operate on its own for months at a stretch. Norwegian company Yara has gotten into the game too. Their crewless, automated cargo ship will launch in 2018. It is expected to be fully autonomous by 2020. Earlier reports seem to indicate Rolls Royce is around a decade or decade and a half away from actually putting an autonomous ship on the water so we might have to wait a while to see this.

Google Pixel 2 will launch October 4 with promise of long battery life

Although it didn’t say the words outright, a cryptic video posted by Google appears to confirm the launch date of October 4 for the Google Pixel 2.

In said video below, Google poses its upcoming phone as the search result, as in the solution, to a wide variety of common complaints from phone users.

Google was careful not to namedrop the Pixel 2 or utter a single spec that we’ve heard so much about already through many, many leaks over time. But there is a bit of info to surmise here.

Pixel-by-pixel analysis

The playful searches hone in on skills that the original Google Pixel was already pretty stellar at and we assume its successor will be even more proficient.

Things like battery performance, waterproofing, image quality, and providing an added layer of smarts via the Google Assistant could very well make the Pixel 2 one of 2017’s best smartphones.

This teaser drops just hours after eagle-eye Boston residents noticed a fresh billboard that also confirms the October 4 launch, but had “Ask more from your phone” plastered on.

Whether the Google Pixel 2 will be waterproof or lack a headphone jack are questions that not even Google can answer, but we don’t have long to wait now.

Spotify launches an iMessage app for texting songs to friends

Spotify has quietly launched its own iMessage application that let you text songs to friends with just a few taps. The new app hasn’t been officially announced, but appears to be similar in functionality to Spotify’s Messenger app, which went live earlier this spring as one of Messenger’s new chat extensions.

As with the Messenger bot, the new iMessage app also lets you quickly search across Spotify’s full catalog for a track you want to share, then tap a button to paste a preview of that song into your chat session. This preview includes an album image, song title, and artist information.

But in the iMessage app’s case, the image is much larger than on Messenger, and there’s no “play” button. Instead, a small Spotify logo at the top left is what indicates that what you’ve sent is a song.



The recipient then taps the image which launches a new window, overlaid on top of the chat session. From here they can play the provided 30-second clip, or tap the “Play on Spotify” button below to hear the full track.



The iMessage extension itself rolled out in Spotify’s latest iOS app update this week, and was then spotted by iGeneration, MacRumors, and others.

As reports have noted, a key difference between Spotify’s iMessage app and Apple Music’s is that the latter allows you to listen to the full track right in iMessage. However, Apple’s is more limited because it only pulls up tracks that are in your ‘recently listened’ list.



If you have Spotify’s iOS app already installed, you can switch on the new Spotify iMessage app from the iMessage App Store (unless you have your Settings configured to automatically enable all new iMessage apps by default, in which case you can just start using the app).

On iOS 11, that means heading to the end of the horizontal row of iMessage apps that appear when you tap the App Store button next to the text entry box in iMessage, then tapping the “More” button. This launches a window where you can manage which apps are switched on. (Just tap the “Edit” button to display their toggle switches).

Though the functionality on iMessage is limited to just sharing tracks – not finding hot or trending music or building group playlists, for example – that may actually be a smart design choice on Spotify’s part.

One thing some iMessage apps have done wrong is require too many steps to use. When you’re in the middle of a back-and-forth conversation, you don’t want to disappear from the chat for too long while you fiddle with apps. By simplifying the process to just three steps – search, tap, and share – it’s a lot quicker to send a Spotify clip now, rather than hunting down the URL of the track instead.

Spotify’s Messenger app has also seemingly pared down since launch, we should note. Originally it also highlighted popular tracks and made various recommendations, but now it just lets you search, pull from recent songs, or create playlists.

Spotify confirmed the launch of the new iMessage app in a statement.

“Spotify’s iMessage app is available now, allowing users to quickly search for and share music with friends directly from iMessage,” a spokesperson said. “It’s the latest way in which we’re empowering users to share music with friends in a fast and fun way.”