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Seagate's One Touch 1TB portable SSD has dropped to a new low of $130

3 May 12:51 3 articles
Weight: 2.76
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Weighted average IN: 14.621316043618487

Seagate's One Touch 1TB portable SSD has dropped to a new low of $130

The Seagate One Touch STJE1000402 1TB portable solid state drive is down to $129.99 at Newegg with code 93XPJ39. That's a great low price because the 1TB One Touch normally sells for around $160 or more. You can find it going for $165 at Staples right now. The One Touch has dropped to $140 at a few retailers like Best Buy, but Newegg is the only one offering an extra $10 off. That makes it the best place to go for this portable SSD today. Portable SSDs are usually priced at a premium just because they offer a significant upgrade over portable hard drives in terms of durability and speed, but if you don't want to pay that price and still need some portable storage, we've got you covered. Newegg also has the Seagate Expansion 2TB portable hard drive on sale for $55.99. That's more space and a much more affordable price. Sign up for ExpressVPN today and save 49% Super compact, lightweight, uses a textile design, and fits in the palm of your hand. Has transfer speeds up to 400 MB/s and a USB 3.0 connection. Use it for backup and synchronization. Works with Windows or Mac without reformatting. With coupon: 93XPJ39 In a perfect world, portable solid state drives would be just as inexpensive as portable hard drives. After all, the main feature of SSDs is they have no moving parts, which really makes them perfect for carrying data on the move. Hard drives are much more prone to failure when getting knocked around in your backpack or trampled on the subway. Unfortunately, we're not there yet. Luckily this deal shaves some of that cost off the top and you get a really good product out of it. The One Touch is a mini SSD. It's super compact, very lightweight, and it can fit in the palm of your hand. It also has a nice textile design. It's also super high speed and connects via USB 3.0 with transfer speeds up to 400 MB/s. You can use this drive seamlessly with Windows or Mac, and you don't need to reformat it. It's compatible with Windows 7 or higher and Mac OS X 10.12 or higher. If you do want to use it with Mac's Time Machine, you'll need to reformat. Otherwise, you can just transfer media and data easily between operating systems. You'll also get a year subscription to Mylio Create and two months of Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan. Seagate covers this with a 3-year warranty. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

3 May 12:51 Android Central https://www.androidcentral.com/seagates-one-touch-1tb-portable-ssd-has-dropped-new-low-130?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+androidcentral+%28Android+Central%29
Rating: 1.90
Seagate's One Touch 1TB portable SSD has dropped to a new low of $130

The Seagate One Touch STJE1000402 1TB portable solid state drive is down to $129.99 at Newegg with code 93XPJ39. That's a great low price because the 1TB One Touch normally sells for around $160 or more. You can find it going for $165 at Staples right now. The One Touch has dropped to $140 at a few retailers like Best Buy, but Newegg is the only one offering an extra $10 off. That makes it the best place to go for this portable SSD today. Portable SSDs are usually priced at a premium just because they offer a significant upgrade over portable hard drives in terms of durability and speed, but if you don't want to pay that price and still need some portable storage, we've got you covered. Newegg also has the Seagate Expansion 2TB portable hard drive on sale for $55.99. That's more space and a much more affordable price. Best online learning tools for kids: ABCmouse, Reading IQ, & more Super compact, lightweight, uses a textile design, and fits in the palm of your hand. Has transfer speeds up to 400 MB/s and a USB 3.0 connection. Use it for backup and synchronization. Works with Windows or Mac without reformatting. With coupon: 93XPJ39 In a perfect world, portable solid state drives would be just as inexpensive as portable hard drives. After all, the main feature of SSDs is they have no moving parts, which really makes them perfect for carrying data on the move. Hard drives are much more prone to failure when getting knocked around in your backpack or trampled on the subway. Unfortunately, we're not there yet. Luckily this deal shaves some of that cost off the top and you get a really good product out of it. The One Touch is a mini SSD. It's super compact, very lightweight, and it can fit in the palm of your hand. It also has a nice textile design. It's also super high speed and connects via USB 3.0 with transfer speeds up to 400 MB/s. You can use this drive seamlessly with Windows or Mac, and you don't need to reformat it. It's compatible with Windows 7 or higher and Mac OS X 10.12 or higher. If you do want to use it with Mac's Time Machine, you'll need to reformat. Otherwise, you can just transfer media and data easily between operating systems. You'll also get a year subscription to Mylio Create and two months of Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan. Seagate covers this with a 3-year warranty. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more. LIVE PODCAST Join us for the latest Windows Central Video Podcast We're live with the Windows Central Video Podcast today at 2:30pm ET, make sure you're there! All summer long Geoff Keighley announces Summer Game Fest, 4 months of news and more Geoff Keighley, host of the Game Awards and Opening Night Live at Gamescom, has announced a new four month event called Summer Game Fest. This event will feature news, demos and more from multiple publishers across the gaming industry. 🎓👩‍🎓👨‍🎓 Schools can broadcast graduations on Microsoft Teams for a limited time With many people staying inside during the graduation season, Microsoft is expanding Teams to accommodate. Schools will be able to live stream events, such as graduations, to up to 20,000 people. Buyers Guide These external monitors are a perfect addition to your Surface Book 2 Thinking about adding some screen real estate to your Surface Book 2? Check out these external monitors that will fill the need for high resolution, smooth gaming, or budget pricing.

3 May 12:52 Windows Central https://www.windowscentral.com/seagates-one-touch-1tb-portable-ssd-has-dropped-new-low-130?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wmexperts+%28Windows+Central%29
Rating: 2.16
Seagate's One Touch 1TB portable SSD has dropped to a new low of $130

The Seagate One Touch STJE1000402 1TB portable solid state drive is down to $129.99 at Newegg with code 93XPJ39. That's a great low price because the 1TB One Touch normally sells for around $160 or more. You can find it going for $165 at Staples right now. The One Touch has dropped to $140 at a few retailers like Best Buy, but Newegg is the only one offering an extra $10 off. That makes it the best place to go for this portable SSD today. Portable SSDs are usually priced at a premium just because they offer a significant upgrade over portable hard drives in terms of durability and speed, but if you don't want to pay that price and still need some portable storage, we've got you covered. Newegg also has the Seagate Expansion 2TB portable hard drive on sale for $55.99. That's more space and a much more affordable price. Get an iPhone SE with Mint Mobile service for $30/mo Super compact, lightweight, uses a textile design, and fits in the palm of your hand. Has transfer speeds up to 400 MB/s and a USB 3.0 connection. Use it for backup and synchronization. Works with Windows or Mac without reformatting. With coupon: 93XPJ39 In a perfect world, portable solid state drives would be just as inexpensive as portable hard drives. After all, the main feature of SSDs is they have no moving parts, which really makes them perfect for carrying data on the move. Hard drives are much more prone to failure when getting knocked around in your backpack or trampled on the subway. Unfortunately, we're not there yet. Luckily this deal shaves some of that cost off the top and you get a really good product out of it. The One Touch is a mini SSD. It's super compact, very lightweight, and it can fit in the palm of your hand. It also has a nice textile design. It's also super high speed and connects via USB 3.0 with transfer speeds up to 400 MB/s. You can use this drive seamlessly with Windows or Mac, and you don't need to reformat it. It's compatible with Windows 7 or higher and Mac OS X 10.12 or higher. If you do want to use it with Mac's Time Machine, you'll need to reformat. Otherwise, you can just transfer media and data easily between operating systems. You'll also get a year subscription to Mylio Create and two months of Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan. Seagate covers this with a 3-year warranty. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more. Privacy U.S. Senators propose COVID-19 data privacy bill U.S. Senators have introduced a COVID-19 data privacy bill, designed to strike a balance between innovation, technology, and consumer privacy.  I ❤️ Apple Arcade Gorgeous adventure game 'Neversong' is the latest to arrive on Apple Arcade Apple Arcade has gained another game, this time with the musical adventure game "Neversong" coming to iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. 😎🎶📱 We review the rockin' Lucyd Loud Bluetooth-Enabled Sunglasses That's right, you can listen to music, access Siri, and talk on the phone with these unique Bluetooth headphones/sunglasses hybrid. All around protection Garmin Vivosmart travel cases you will love When you need to store your Garmin Vivosmart HR or HR+, you can go wrong with any of these cases. They are also pretty handy when you have to travel so you have somewhere to keep cables and accessories sorted.

3 May 12:52 iMore https://www.imore.com/seagates-one-touch-1tb-portable-ssd-has-dropped-new-low-130?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheIphoneBlog+%28iMore%29
Rating: 1.49
Technology
Zoom video app logins were put on sale on dark web

3 May 16:47 10 articles
Weight: 2.66
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Weighted average GB: 0.8550421880799263
Average IN: 19.189999999999998
Weighted average IN: 21.19175340551333

Zoom video app logins were put on sale on dark web

Hackers put more than half a million login details for the teleconferencing app Zoom on the dark web, the Sunday Times newspaper reported. The logins were put up for sale at 1 pence (1.25 cents) each and were discovered and bought by cybersecurity intelligence company Cyble, the paper said. Cyble purchased the logins from a Russian-speaking person on the Telegram messaging service, which allows anonymous messaging. Zoom Video Communications Inc. has seen global usage of its service surge during coronavirus shutdowns, but has come under increasing pressure over vulnerabilities in the app's software encryption. The company has been sued amid accusations it hid flaws in its app and has seen cases of online trolls sneak in and disrupt web meetings with profanity and pornography. Zoom's shares have more than doubled this year alongside its meteoric rise in popularity, but privacy and cybersecurity experts have expressed skepticism. From Elon Musk's SpaceX to New York City's Department of Education, agencies around the world have begun to ban usage of the app amid security concerns. It's common for web services to be targeted by activity which involves bad actors testing large numbers of already compromised credentials from other platforms to see if they've been re-used, a Zoom spokesperson said in a statement. Zoom also said it's hired multiple intelligence firms to find these password dumps and the tools used to create them, as well as a company that has shut down thousands of websites attempting to trick users into downloading malware or giving up their credentials. "We continue to investigate, are locking accounts we have found to be compromised, asking users to change their passwords to something more secure, and are looking at implementing additional technology solutions to bolster our efforts," the spokesperson said.

3 May 16:47 Gulf News https://gulfnews.com/technology/media/zoom-video-app-logins-were-put-on-sale-on-dark-web-1.1588524848294
Rating: 3.21
Zoom logins were put up for sale on dark web: Times

Hackers put more than half a million login details for the teleconferencing app Zoom on the dark web, the Sunday Times newspaper reported. The logins were put up for sale at 1 pence (1.25 cents) each and were discovered and bought by cybersecurity intelligence company Cyble, the paper said. Cyble bought the logins from a Russian-speaking person on the Telegram messaging service, which allows anonymous messaging. Zoom Video Communications Inc. has seen global usage of its service surge during coronavirus shutdowns, but has come under increasing pressure over vulnerabilities in the app’s software encryption. The company has been sued amid accusations it hid flaws in its app and has seen cases of online trolls sneak in and disrupt web meetings with profanity and pornography. Zoom’s shares have more than doubled this year alongside its meteoric rise in popularity, but privacy and cybersecurity experts have expressed skepticism. From Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Tesla Inc. to New York City’s Department of Education, agencies around the world have begun to ban usage of the app amid security concerns. © 2020 Bloomberg L.P.

3 May 11:24 Moneyweb https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/tech/zoom-logins-were-put-up-for-sale-on-dark-web-times/
Rating: 1.42
Zoom video app logins were put on sale on the dark web, says report

Hackers put more than half a million login details for the teleconferencing app Zoom on the dark web, The Sunday Times newspaper reported. The logins were put up for sale at 1 pence (1.25 cents) each and were discovered and bought by cybersecurity intelligence company Cyble, the paper said. Cyble bought the logins from a Russian-speaking person on the Telegram messaging service, which allows anonymous messaging. ALSO READ: Hotels offer guests 'pay now & check-in later' option to tide through Covid Zoom Video Communications has seen global usage of its service surge during coronavirus shutdowns, but has come under increasing pressure over vulnerabilities in the app’s software encryption. The company has been sued amid accusations it hid flaws in its app and has seen cases of online trolls sneak in and disrupt web meetings with profanity and pornography. Zoom’s shares have more than doubled this year alongside its meteoric rise in popularity, but privacy and cybersecurity experts have expressed scepticism. From Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Tesla. to New York City’s Department of Education, agencies around the world have begun to ban usage of the app amid security concerns.

3 May 18:14 Business-Standard https://www.business-standard.com/article/technology/zoom-video-app-logins-were-put-on-sale-on-the-dark-web-says-report-120050301144_1.html
Rating: 0.30
Hacker sells 91 million Tokopedia accounts, cracked passwords shared

A hacker is selling a database containing the information of 91 million Tokopedia accounts on a dark web market for as little as $5,000. Other threat actors have already started to crack passwords and share them online. Tokopedia is Indonesia's largest online store, with 4,700 employees and over 90 million active users. This weekend, data breach monitoring and cybersecurity intelligence firm Under the Breach discovered that a hacker was offering the account information for 15 million Tokopedia users on an online hacker forum. To access this data, forum users would need to spend eight site 'credits', which costs approximately €2.13. The hacker claims that this data was a small subset of a more substantial 91 million user dump stolen from Tokopedia during a March 2020 hack. Soon after the smaller subset was released on the hacker forum, the same hacker began selling the full 91 million user database on an online criminal marketplace for as little $5,000. At the time of this writing, the database has been sold two times. From a sample of the leaked data shared with BleepingComputer by Under the Breach, the dump was for a PostgreSQL database that contains many fields for personal user data, but only a small subset actually contain information. The most serious of the exposed data consists of a user's email address, full name, birth date, and hashed user passwords. Some of the exposed accounts also have their mobile device's Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN) listed. In a statement, VP of Corporate Communications Tokopedia, Nuraini Razak has told BleepingComputer that they are currently conducting an investigation into do the data leak and are enhancing the security of their systems. "Tokopedia is working closely with several strategic partners, including the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology RI and National Cyber and Crypto Agency, to conduct a thorough investigation, while enhancing the security system in order to maintain user confidence.  We would like to emphasize once again that Tokopedia is a business of trust. Therefore, the security of our users' data is Tokopedia's utmost priority." Under the Breach has told BleepingComputer that threat actors have already started to share over 200,000 user names and their associated dehashed, or cracked, passwords on hacking forums. These dehashed accounts are being shared for free to use who simply reply to the forum topic or who have upgraded accounts on the forum. Cybersecurity intelligence firm Cyble has also told BleepingCompter that they are aware of threat actors who claim to be selling a list of millions of Tokopedia usernames and their associated dehashed, or cracked, passwords for just $8,000. Cyble believes the database has been privately circulating since April, and now that it is publicly leaked, the threat actor decided to sell their dehashed account list before others release it. BleepingComputer has not been able to independently confirm if these are legitimate dehashed accounts or if the threat actor is trying to pull a money grab scam. Cyble has stated that they acquired the Tokopedia database and users can check if their account has been exposed via Cyble's data breach monitoring platform amibreached.com. All Tokopedia users should make the assumption that if their passwords is not dehashed already, it may be in the future, and should immediately change their password to a unique one only used at that site. For any other site that the same password was used, it should be changed to a unique one there as well. Finally, all users who were exposed by this data breach should be on the lookout for targeted phishing attacks that utilize the information from this data dump. Update 5/4/20: Added statement from Tokopedia

3 May 17:59 BleepingComputer https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hacker-sells-91-million-tokopedia-accounts-cracked-passwords-shared/
Rating: 1.68
Data breach jeopardizes more than 15 million Tokopedia users, report finds

Homegrown e-commerce unicorn Tokopedia has had its internal database breached by an as-yet unidentified party, resulting in a massive data leak that has affected millions of its users, according to a recent report by cybersecurity research collective Under the Breach. The group wrote on its official Twitter page @underthebreach that the hack occurred in March and affected personal information belonging to more than 15 million users. The full database – which reportedly includes 91 million records consisting of email addresses, password hashes (an encrypted form of users’ passwords) and names of Tokopedia users – has now been put up for sale on the dark web for US$5,000 by a member of data-exchange platform Raid Forums, the group said. Tokopedia spokesperson Nuraini Razak confirmed that a breach had taken place but claimed the company had ensured the security of its users’ personal data.  “We have detected an attempt to steal data belonging to Tokopedia users. However, we have made sure that our users’ personal information, such as passwords, remain protected,” Nuraini said in a statement on Saturday. Nevertheless, she urged Tokopedia users to change their passwords to prevent data thieves from misusing their accounts despite the platform’s encryption measures. “Although passwords and other crucial user data remain encrypted, we still encourage Tokopedia users to change their passwords periodically to ensure their safety and security,” Nuraini said. Data related to payment methods stored on Tokopedia, such as credit cards, debit cards and e-wallet information, was not affected by the breach, she said, adding that the company was investigating the breach.

3 May 16:28 The Jakarta Post https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/05/03/data-breach-jeopardizes-more-than-15-million-tokopedia-users-report-finds.html
Rating: 1.40
Zoom Video App Logins Were Put on Sale on Dark Web: Times

Sign up here for our daily coronavirus newsletter on what you need to know, and subscribe to our Covid-19 podcast for the latest news and analysis. Hackers put more than half a million login details for the teleconferencing app Zoom on the dark web, the Sunday Times newspaper reported. The logins were put up for sale at 1 pence (1.25 cents) each and were discovered and bought by cybersecurity intelligence company Cyble, the paper said. Cyble purchased the logins from a Russian-speaking person on the Telegram messaging service, which allows anonymous messaging. Zoom Video Communications Inc. has seen global usage of its service surge during coronavirus shutdowns, but has come under increasing pressure over vulnerabilities in the app’s software encryption. The company has been sued amid accusations it hid flaws in its app and has seen cases of online trolls sneak in and disrupt web meetings with profanity and pornography. Zoom Goes From Conferencing App to the Pandemic’s Social Network Zoom’s shares have more than doubled this year alongside its meteoric rise in popularity, but privacy and cybersecurity experts have expressed skepticism. From Elon Musk’s SpaceX to New York City’s Department of Education, agencies around the world have begun to ban usage of the app amid security concerns. It’s common for web services to be targeted by activity which involves bad actors testing large numbers of already compromised credentials from other platforms to see if they’ve been re-used, a Zoom spokesperson said in a statement. Zoom also said it’s hired multiple intelligence firms to find these password dumps and the tools used to create them, as well as a company that has shut down thousands of websites attempting to trick users into downloading malware or giving up their credentials. “We continue to investigate, are locking accounts we have found to be compromised, asking users to change their passwords to something more secure, and are looking at implementing additional technology solutions to bolster our efforts,” the spokesperson said. (Updates with Zoom comment from fifth paragraph.)

3 May 09:45 Bloomberg.com https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-03/zoom-video-app-logins-were-put-up-for-sale-on-dark-web-times
Rating: 4.04
Google Play Store Apps Infected by PhantomLance Backdoor Had Been Stealing Data Since 2016

A group of hackers has been using Google Play Store to distribute malware which has been used to steal private data since the end of 2016. Kaspersky Labs has shared a detailed report on PhantomLance Trojan backdoor, which is being called a sophisticated form of malware, which is not only harder to detect but also to investigate. Kaspersky shares that the malware can basically get access to all information on an infected smartphone: 11-inch iPad Pro for $699 is a Crazy Good Deal [Free Shipping Included] During investigation, the malware was found in popular apps and utilities that allow users to change fonts, remove advertisements and perform system cleanups. The developers behind these apps were able to bypass any security checks in Google Play Store by starting with non-malicious versions of their apps. Once the apps were published, they were able to add malicious features later onwards through updates, which went unchecked by Google Play Store. The developers were also able to create unique profiles on GitHub to act as credible development sources. The primary targets for PhantomLance have reportedly been users in Vietnam, however, the infected apps had been downloaded in other parts of the world too. The trojan has been linked to a group called OceanLotus, which has a history of similar malware attacks on desktop operating systems. These groups are often backed by high level officials and even governments. Even though Google has removed these apps from Play Store, they are still available online on various APK download websites, and other third-party stores. It seems that even if you only install apps from Google Play Store, you are still unsafe unless you check the authenticity of the developers. A quick Google search can reveal a lot of credible information about developers, and if something seems dubious from the search results, avoid such apps. The open nature of Android can also work against it as anyone can simply sign up to Play Store and publish a malicious app. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Looks Rather Playable In Glitched Third-Person Camera This continues to be alarming for the world's most popular operating system, whether desktop or mobile. Android is used on 2.5 billion devices around the globe, and Google has repeatedlyfailed to provideadequate privacy and security safeguards to users for apps that are distributed through its official marketplace. If you are interested in the technical background of how the malware works and the investigation that went on behind the scenes by Kaspersky Labs, read their detailed report here.

3 May 16:12 Wccftech https://wccftech.com/google-play-store-apps-infected-by-phantomlance-backdoor-had-been-stealing-data-since-2016/
Rating: 1.26
Le Figaro caught out in database exposure 

As well as exposing data about its own staff, the leading French daily has also exposed least information relating to some 42,000 users, as Bleeping Computer has reported. The breach is significant in terms of news media. Le Figaro's site is the most visited news site in France with an audience of more than 23 million monthly unique visitors. The data exposed by this misconfigure could be used by fraudsters for identity theft and fraud, for credential phishing attacks. Due to the fact that there were no passwords on the server, the data was available to anyone who wanted to access it. The repercussions of this breach are beyond the initial exposure, according to Jumio CEO Robert Prigge, who provides comment for Digital Journal. According to Prigge: "The 7.4 billion personal records exposed by Le Figaro are certain to make it onto the dark web where they will be bought and sold for profit and combined with other available information to create a “fullz,” giving fraudsters everything they need to commit automated account takeover fraud." The significance of this, Prigge explains is that: "Cybercriminals can then use this data to access anything from bank accounts to social media apps, which are often used to unlock even more personal accounts. People frequently use the same password across accounts, making it even simpler for fraudsters to execute credential stuffing and access as many user accounts as possible with the same exposed password." In terms of the significant lessons to learn from this incident, Prigge notes: "While the database was not secured with a password, organizations should not be relying on passwords to keep personal records secure. Leveraging biometric authentication (using a person’s unique human traits to confirm identity) is a more secure way to confirm only an account owner can access their data."

2 May 20:41 Digital Journal http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/technology/le-figaro-caught-out-in-database-exposure/article/571103
Rating: 0.78
Beware! Fake email campaign prowling in Indian cyberspace

Country's federal cybersecurity agency has alerted Internet users against an ongoing "fake" email campaign that claims to have recorded personal video of a user which could be published if a ransom amount in crypto-currency is not paid. The Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In), in the latest advisory, has said while there is "nothing to worry" about such emails, users should update or change their passwords, used to log in any of their social media or other online platforms, if they find them compromised. "In email extortion campaign, the scammers have sent numerous emails to people stating that their computers were hacked, a video was taken using their webcam and that they know their passwords," the advisory, also accessed by PTI, said. These emails are fake, scams, and nothing to worry about, it added. The CERT-In is the national technology arm to combat cyberattacks and guarding of the Indian cyberspace. The agency mentions the contents of a typical 'extortion' email in the advisory: Firstly, the scammer would try to grab the recipient's attention by writing their old password in the mail. After that, the scammer would craft a story containing computer jargons in order to convince the recipient that the scammer is a very skilled hacker. The story would state that the hacker had placed a malware on a porn website and while the user was watching the video, his webcam and display screen was hacked breaching all his contacts from messenger, FaceBook and email. The advisory states that this could be the "final step" before seeking the ransom. It adds that the scammer will then demand ransom in the form of Bitcoin (cryptocurrency). "Now, the scammer or cyber-criminal will give a deadline of 24 hours to comply and threaten to send videos to the relatives, co-workers etc of the user," it said. The CERT-In said the user's secret passcode mentioned in the fake email could be "actual passwords used by the recipient of the email in the past, but the attacker does not know them by hacking their account, but rather through leaked data breaches shared online."  "Recipients should not send any payments to the scammers and if the passwords listed are in use or familiar, recipients are advised to change the password at any site that they are being used," it said. 

2 May 14:14 Deccan Herald https://www.deccanherald.com/national/beware-fake-email-campaign-prowling-in-indian-cyberspace-832629.html
Rating: 2.25
Hacker leaks 15 million records from Tokopedia, Indonesia's largest online store | ZDNet

The Tokopedia data has been published on a well-known hacking forum. A hacker has leaked on Friday the details of 15 million users registered on Tokopedia, Indonesia's largest online store.The hacker claims the data was obtained in an intrusion that took place in March 2020 and is just a small part of the site's entire user database that was obtained in the hack.The leaker said he was sharing the 15 million users sample in the hopes someone could help crack the user passwords, so they could be used to access user accounts.ZDNet has obtained a copy of the leaked file with the help of data breach monitoring service Under the Breach.The file was a PostgreSQL database dump, containing user information such as full names, emails, phone numbers, hashed passwords, dates of birth, and Tokopedia profile-related details (account creation date, last login, email activation codes, password reset codes, location details, messenger IDs, hobbies, education, about-me fields, and lots more). ZDNet has verified the authenticity of the leaked data against the official Tokopedia website.An email containing a request for comment sent to Tokopedia returned an error message, but the company has told Under The Breach in a private online conversation that they are investigating the incident. For the time being, Tokopedia users are advised to reset their account passwords.The hashed passwords that the hacker wasn't able to crack were secured with the SHA2-384 hashing algorithm, currently considered to be secure, although not infallible.The hacker also said the database didn't contain the "salt" random strings used to improve the security of the SHA2-384 hashing function. Without the salt strings, cracking the passwords would be a more time-consuming task, giving users enough time to change passwords in the coming days.Tokopedia has raised a total of $2.4 billion in funding over nine rounds, and is currently one of Indonesia's biggest tech unicorns.The website is similar to Amazon, allowing users to buy products from the site or set up stores and sell products themselves. The site is currently ranked in the Alexa Top 200 most popular sites on the internet, and it claims to have more than 90 million monthly active users and more than 7 million registered merchants.Updated on Sunday, May 3, to add that the hacker is now selling Tokopedia's entire user database on the Empire dark web marketplace. The hacker claims they're in possession of 91 million user accounts.

2 May 14:10 ZDNet https://www.zdnet.com/article/hacker-leaks-15-million-records-from-tokopedia-indonesias-largest-online-store/
Rating: 2.21
Technology
This $650,000 pop-top RV built on a medium-duty truck platform can fit 2 queen beds — see inside 'Pangea'

3 May 12:16 3 articles
Weight: 2.49
Importance: 2.50
Age penalty: 0.99
Best date: 3 May 12:16
Average US: 19.733333333333334
Weighted average US: 52.09786007755312
Average GB: 0.13333333333333333
Weighted average GB: 0.35201256809157516
Average IN: 1.1333333333333333
Weighted average IN: 2.9921068287783883

This $650,000 pop-top RV built on a medium-duty truck platform can fit 2 queen beds — see inside 'Pangea'

Global Expedition Vehicles, which specializes in custom overlanding vehicles, created the Pangea RV that can be built on medium-duty trucks from brands like Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Trucks. The Pangea has amenities that can be found in any non-mobile home, such as a kitchen, a dining area, a bathroom, and several beds. But unlike traditional homes, the roof of the Pangea can be hydraulically lifted, giving the tiny home a 10-foot interior height and access to the lofted beds. In total, the tiny home on wheels is 8 feet wide and 17 feet long, although customers can request the length to be extended up to 25 feet. The interior dimensions of the tiny home falls just a bit shorter with a length of 16.3 feet, width of 7.3 feet, and height of 6.3 feet from the floor to the bottom of the lofted bed. This isn't the only build from Missouri-based Global Expedition Vehicles: the company has at least nine other builds — not including custom designs — including the UXV-MAX which, along with the Pangea, starts at $650,000.

3 May 12:16 Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/global-expedition-vehicles-pop-top-rv-pangea-two-queen-beds-2020-4
Rating: 4.40
This $650,000 pop-top RV built on a medium-duty truck platform can fit 2 queen beds — see inside ‘Pangea’

Global Expedition Vehicles, which specializes in custom overlanding vehicles, created the Pangea RV that can be built on medium-duty trucks from brands like Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Trucks. The Pangea has amenities that can be found in any non-mobile home, such as a kitchen, a dining area, a bathroom, and several beds. But unlike traditional homes, the roof of the Pangea can be hydraulically lifted, giving the tiny home a 10-foot interior height and access to the lofted beds. In total, the tiny home on wheels is 8 feet wide and 17 feet long, although customers can request the length to be extended up to 25 feet. The interior dimensions of the tiny home falls just a bit shorter with a length of 16.3 feet, width of 7.3 feet, and height of 6.3 feet from the floor to the bottom of the lofted bed. This isn’t the only build from Missouri-based Global Expedition Vehicles: the company has at least nine other builds – not including custom designs – including the UXV-MAX which, along with the Pangea, starts at $650,000.

3 May 12:16 Business Insider Malaysia https://www.businessinsider.my/global-expedition-vehicles-pop-top-rv-pangea-two-queen-beds-2020-4-2
Rating: 0.30
This $650,000 pop-top RV built on a medium-duty truck platform can fit 2 queen beds — see inside 'Pangea', Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore

Global Expedition Vehicles, which specializes in custom overlanding vehicles, created the Pangea RV that can be built on medium-duty trucks from brands like Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Trucks. The Pangea has amenities that can be found in any non-mobile home, such as a kitchen, a dining area, a bathroom, and several beds. But unlike traditional homes, the roof of the Pangea can be hydraulically lifted, giving the tiny home a 10-foot interior height and access to the lofted beds. In total, the tiny home on wheels is 8 feet wide and 17 feet long, although customers can request the length to be extended up to 25 feet. The interior dimensions of the tiny home falls just a bit shorter with a length of 16.3 feet, width of 7.3 feet, and height of 6.3 feet from the floor to the bottom of the lofted bed. This isn’t the only build from Missouri-based Global Expedition Vehicles: the company has at least nine other builds – not including custom designs – including the UXV-MAX which, along with the Pangea, starts at $650,000.

3 May 12:16 www.businessinsider.sg https://www.businessinsider.sg/global-expedition-vehicles-pop-top-rv-pangea-two-queen-beds-2020-4
Rating: 0.30
Technology
The best deal you'll see today is the Google Home for an insanely low $29 everywhere

3 May 12:01 3 articles
Weight: 2.02
Importance: 2.03
Age penalty: 0.99
Best date: 3 May 12:01
Average US: 30.8
Weighted average US: 31.054508083752662
Average GB: 2.3666666666666663
Weighted average GB: 2.339996434928856
Average IN: 12.833333333333332
Weighted average IN: 11.914971282088786

The best deal you'll see today is the Google Home for an insanely low $29 everywhere

Sure, the Google Home smart speaker has been around for a while at this point, but it is Google's quintessential smart speaker. It all started with the Home. Now you can get it for the same price as the Mini version! The Google Home is down to $29 at several retailers including Target, Best Buy, Walmart, and more. You can even find it this low at Google. Most of these retailers require at least $35 in the cart for free shipping, so you're going to pay an extra $5 to $7 unless you can order it for in-store pickup (or order more than one). This deal price is honestly shocking considering we shared a deal just a couple days ago where it was down to $47, and we thought that was pretty good. I can't imagine this will last long and it looks like some places are already selling out. Get it while you can. Sign up for ExpressVPN today and save 49% Deal available at Best Buy, Walmart, and other spots. Insane low price. The speaker has Google Assistant built in and can control hundreds of third party devices. Use it to make and receive phone calls hands free. Works with Chromecast for streaming. Google Assistant is the brains within the cylinder and can accomplish all sorts of tasks for you. Just ask and Google will answer. Check the weather, stream music, get traffic information, hear the news, make phone calls, control compatible smart home devices, and more. There are a bunch of devices that work with Google Assistant and there's so much that Google Assistant can do. If you're all-in on the Google and Android ecosystem, buying into the Google smart home system is a no-brainer and the Google Home makes for a great starter device for your living room or kitchen. The Google Home is the original Assistant, and it's still a great smart speaker. With excellent sound quality and generous amounts of bass, plus intuitive touch controls, sensitive microphones and a minimalist look, this OG is still the one to get if music is your thing and you don't want to splash on the more expensive Google Home Max. Be sure to check out our original Google Home review where we praised its physical design and tight integration with your Google account. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

3 May 12:01 Android Central https://www.androidcentral.com/google-home-smart-speaker-down-insanely-low-29-everywhere?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+androidcentral+%28Android+Central%29
Rating: 1.90
The best deal you'll see today is the Google Home for an insanely low $29

Sure, the Google Home smart speaker has been around for a while at this point, but it is Google's quintessential smart speaker. It all started with the Home. Now you can get it for the same price as the Mini version! The Google Home is down to $29 at several retailers including Target, Best Buy, Walmart, and more. You can even find it this low at Google. Most of these retailers require at least $35 in the cart for free shipping, so you're going to pay an extra $5 to $7 unless you can order it for in-store pickup (or order more than one). This deal price is honestly shocking considering we shared a deal just a couple days ago where it was down to $47, and we thought that was pretty good. I can't imagine this will last long and it looks like some places are already selling out. Get it while you can. Best online learning tools for kids: ABCmouse, Reading IQ, & more Deal available at Best Buy, Walmart, and other spots. Insane low price. The speaker has Google Assistant built in and can control hundreds of third party devices. Use it to make and receive phone calls hands free. Works with Chromecast for streaming. Google Assistant is the brains within the cylinder and can accomplish all sorts of tasks for you. Just ask and Google will answer. Check the weather, stream music, get traffic information, hear the news, make phone calls, control compatible smart home devices, and more. There are a bunch of devices that work with Google Assistant and there's so much that Google Assistant can do. If you're all-in on the Google and Android ecosystem, buying into the Google smart home system is a no-brainer and the Google Home makes for a great starter device for your living room or kitchen. The Google Home is the original Assistant, and it's still a great smart speaker. With excellent sound quality and generous amounts of bass, plus intuitive touch controls, sensitive microphones and a minimalist look, this OG is still the one to get if music is your thing and you don't want to splash on the more expensive Google Home Max. Be sure to check out our original Google Home review where we praised its physical design and tight integration with your Google account. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more. LIVE PODCAST Join us for the latest Windows Central Video Podcast We're live with the Windows Central Video Podcast today at 2:30pm ET, make sure you're there! All summer long Geoff Keighley announces Summer Game Fest, 4 months of news and more Geoff Keighley, host of the Game Awards and Opening Night Live at Gamescom, has announced a new four month event called Summer Game Fest. This event will feature news, demos and more from multiple publishers across the gaming industry. 🎓👩‍🎓👨‍🎓 Schools can broadcast graduations on Microsoft Teams for a limited time With many people staying inside during the graduation season, Microsoft is expanding Teams to accommodate. Schools will be able to live stream events, such as graduations, to up to 20,000 people. Buyers Guide These external monitors are a perfect addition to your Surface Book 2 Thinking about adding some screen real estate to your Surface Book 2? Check out these external monitors that will fill the need for high resolution, smooth gaming, or budget pricing.

3 May 12:02 Windows Central https://www.windowscentral.com/google-home-smart-speaker-down-insanely-low-29-everywhere?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wmexperts+%28Windows+Central%29
Rating: 2.16
Google's original Home smart speaker is on sale for $30

It’s quite common to see deals on smart speakers, but they’re not often as tempting as this one. Best Buy is selling the original Google Home for just $30, or less than a third of its official $100 price. That’s better than the $50 from not long ago, and puts it at the same price that you’d currently pay for the considerably less capable Nest Mini. You can find the speaker for ever-so-slightly less at the Google Store if you’d rather go direct. Buy Google Home on Best Buy - $30 Buy Google Home on Google Store - $29 The Home’s design may seem a bit old compared to newer Google smart speakers, but it’s still capable. It should sound better overall than the Nest Mini, and its customizable base lets you match it to your decor. Apart from that, the Home shares many things in common with more recent counterparts. Google Assistant remains a powerful AI helper that has improved over time (particularly for smart home integration), and it’s still a good choice if you like to cast audio from Google-friendly services. You won’t get stunning audio quality or a display, but at $30 it’s a better value than just about anything else in Google’s lineup — and rival speakers like Amazon’s Echo, for that matter.

3 May 18:41 Engadget https://www.engadget.com/google-home-speaker-30-sale-172505350.html
Rating: 2.92
Technology
SaniCharge Phone UV Sanitizer now 61% off for just $37.99

3 May 16:46 3 articles
Weight: 1.57
Importance: 1.57
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 14:37
Average US: 40.166666666666664
Weighted average US: 50.40155878934196
Average GB: 1.0
Weighted average GB: 0.9252950148780725
Average IN: 11.266666666666666
Weighted average IN: 9.032985328444493

SaniCharge Phone UV Sanitizer now 61% off for just $37.99

Today's highlighted deal comes via our Gear + Gadgets section of the Neowin Deals store, where you can save 61% off the SaniCharge Phone UV Sanitizer. Your 3-in-1 tool to keep your phone powered up, totally germ-free and aromatherapy scented. Cleaning wipes do not really do justice to your phone what this phone sanitizer can do in just a few minutes. Not only does its strong UV-C light, without using any heat or chemicals, safely and securely kill any bacteria and harmful viruses that are on the surface and gaps of your phone or anything else that fits inside the case; it also charges your phone at the same time it disinfects! Last but not the least, it also works as a diffuser. When you are not charging, just add a few drops of your favorite aroma in the case and it will freshen up your device and surroundings. Specs Compatibility Includes For a full description, specs, and terms, click here. The SaniCharge Phone UV Sanitizer normally retails for $99.95, but you can pick it up for just $37.99 for a limited time, that's $61.96 (61%) off. Optional 1 or 2 year warranty can also be added at an extra cost. >> Click here to purchase or learn more about itSee all discounted Gear + Gadgets on offer ¡ This is a time-limited deal.Get $1 credit for every $25 spent ¡ Give $10, Get $10 ¡ 10% off for first-time buyers. If this offer doesn't interest you, why not check out the following offers: Disable Sponsored posts ¡ Other recent deals ¡ Preferred partner software Disclosure: This is a StackCommerce deal or giveaway in partnership with Neowin; an account at StackCommerce is required to participate in any deals or giveaways. For a full description of StackCommerce's privacy guidelines, go here. Neowin benefits from shared revenue of each sale made through our branded deals site, and it all goes toward the running costs.

3 May 16:46 Neowin https://www.neowin.net/news/sanicharge-phone-uv-sanitizer-now-61-off-for-just-3799/
Rating: 1.20
This handy UV gadget disinfects surfaces in seconds

The demand for disinfectant wipes and liquid sanitizers is on the rise—and retailers are struggling to keep up. Shelves are left empty despite stores desperate attempts to limit purchase quantities, and even Amazon continues to have “Out-Of-Stock” emblazoned across their normally well-stocked website. Fortunately, there are some great options still in stock that are designed to sanitize nearly any surface, like this portable Mini UV Light Bar that can eliminate germs and disinfect surfaces in just 10 seconds. Simply scan the device over your cellphone, tablet, remote controls, steering wheel—you name it—and enjoy the cleanliness. One of the best parts about this device is that you can bring it with you anywhere. Not only is the design lightweight, but, since a full charge lasts up to 6 hours, you can take it with you to sanitize elevator buttons and public toilet seats on-the-go. You can score this Mini UV Light Bar today for just $29.99—that’s 69% off its usual price of $99.95! Considering how much money you will save on Clorox wipes and hand sanitizers, this is a deal you don’t want to miss out on. Buy Now

3 May 14:37 New York Post https://nypost.com/2020/05/03/this-handy-uv-gadget-disinfects-surfaces-in-seconds/
Rating: 2.55
2-in-1 Wireless Charger + UV Sanitizer Is Up For A Super Discount Offer For Just 7 Days – Avail Now

Sanitizing your phone is equally important as sanitizing your hands. Studies suggest that your phone carries a lot of germs, bacteria and viruses than in turn expose you to a lot of illnesses and now is not the time to be the risky devil. Wccftech is offering a limited time discount offer on the 2-in-1 Wireless Charger + UV Sanitizer. The offer is simply amazing and this tool will help you disinfect your phone while it also charges it. So, do you need more reasons to avail this awesome offer? This amazing device supports QI charging and is also compatible with many smartphones. You can even sanitize small items with it like ear buds, jewelry, small toys, sunglasses etc. Here are highlights of what this device has in store for you: Specs Compatibility Includes A deal like this doesn’t come your way every day. So don’t waste time thinking and rethinking your decision, avail it right away. The discount will expire in a week’s time and after that it will be full price and no one likes a full price purchase. Happy Shopping! Original Price 2-in-1 Wireless Charger + UV Sanitizer: $44.99Wccftech Discount Price 2-in-1 Wireless Charger + UV Sanitizer: $37.99

3 May 16:28 Wccftech https://wccftech.com/2-in-1-wireless-charger-uv-sanitizer-limited/
Rating: 1.26
Technology
Contact tracing app to be trialled on Isle of Wight

3 May 12:41 5 articles
Weight: 1.32
Importance: 1.32
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 13:08
Average US: 9.740000000000002
Weighted average US: 13.37988272175711
Average GB: 27.86
Weighted average GB: 23.633793590987352
Average IN: 6.780000000000001
Weighted average IN: 8.242974544139674

Contact tracing app to be trialled on Isle of Wight

A smartphone app to trace the spread of coronavirus will be trialled on the Isle of Wight this week before being rolled out more widely later this month, the Government has announced. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said around 50% to 60% of people will need to use the software for it to be effective as he described it as the “best possible way to help the NHS”. The NHSX app is part of the Government’s test, track and trace strategy and will be central to its efforts in slowing the spread of coronavirus. The Government intends to use the app and a phone team to carry out the tracing. It will be downloaded on to smartphones and use bluetooth technology to work out when other app users are in close enough proximity to potentially spread the virus. The data is recorded under an anonymous ID, rather than by the person’s name. If and when someone starts showing symptoms, or tests positive for Covid-19, they are able to share that on the app. The app then sends a notification warning of possible infection to all those phone users to have come in requisite proximity recently. Mr Shapps told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “The idea is that we will encourage as many people to take this up as possible. “This is going to be a huge national effort and we need, for this to work, 50% to 60% of people to be using this app. “Not everybody has a smartphone and I appreciate that for various reasons not everybody will download it but it will be the best possible way to help the NHS.” He stressed the app will be completely confidential.

3 May 12:41 Jersey Evening Post https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/uk-news/2020/05/03/contact-tracing-app-to-be-trialled-on-isle-of-wight/
Rating: 0.38
Contact tracing app to be trialled on Isle of Wight

A smartphone app to trace the spread of coronavirus will be trialled on the Isle of Wight this week before being rolled out more widely later this month, the Government has announced. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said around 50% to 60% of people will need to use the software for it to be effective as he described it as the “best possible way to help the NHS”. The NHSX app is part of the Government’s test, track and trace strategy and will be central to its efforts in slowing the spread of coronavirus. Contact tracing has been used extensively in South Korea, Hong Kong and Germany, where outbreaks have been contained more quickly. The Government intends to use the app and a phone team to carry out the tracing. It will be downloaded on to smartphones and use bluetooth technology to work out when other app users are in close enough proximity to potentially spread the virus. The data is recorded under an anonymous ID, rather than by the person’s name. If and when someone starts showing symptoms, or tests positive for Covid-19, they are able to share that on the app. The app then sends a notification warning of possible infection to all those phone users to have come in requisite proximity recently. Mr Shapps told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “The idea is that we will encourage as many people to take this up as possible. “This is going to be a huge national effort and we need, for this to work, 50% to 60% of people to be using this app. “Not everybody has a smartphone and I appreciate that for various reasons not everybody will download it but it will be the best possible way to help the NHS.” He stressed the app will be completely confidential.

3 May 11:55 Express & Star https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2020/05/03/contact-tracing-app-to-be-trialled-on-isle-of-wight/
Rating: 0.30
Contact tracing app to be trialled on Isle of Wight

It is part of the Government’s test, track and trace efforts. A smartphone app to trace the spread of coronavirus will be trialled on the Isle of Wight this week before being rolled out more widely later this month, the Government has announced. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said around 50% to 60% of people will need to use the software for it to be effective as he described it as the “best possible way to help the NHS”. The NHSX app is part of the Government’s test, track and trace strategy and will be central to its efforts in slowing the spread of coronavirus. Contact tracing has been used extensively in South Korea, Hong Kong and Germany, where outbreaks have been contained more quickly. The Government intends to use the app and a phone team to carry out the tracing. It will be downloaded on to smartphones and use bluetooth technology to work out when other app users are in close enough proximity to potentially spread the virus. The data is recorded under an anonymous ID, rather than by the person’s name. If and when someone starts showing symptoms, or tests positive for Covid-19, they are able to share that on the app. The app then sends a notification warning of possible infection to all those phone users to have come in requisite proximity recently. Mr Shapps told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “The idea is that we will encourage as many people to take this up as possible. “This is going to be a huge national effort and we need, for this to work, 50% to 60% of people to be using this app. “Not everybody has a smartphone and I appreciate that for various reasons not everybody will download it but it will be the best possible way to help the NHS.” He stressed the app will be completely confidential.

3 May 11:55 Shropshire Star https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/uk-news/2020/05/03/contact-tracing-app-to-be-trialled-on-isle-of-wight/
Rating: 0.30
New app will tell you if you have been in contact with someone who has coronavirus - when it's set to be launched

A smartphone app to trace the spread of coronavirus will be trialled this week before being rolled out more widely later this month, the Government has announced. The NHSX app is part of the government's test, track and trace strategy and will be central to its efforts in slowing the spread of coronavirus. It will be trailled in the Isle of Wight this week with transport secretary Grant Shapps saying that around 50% to 60% of people will need to use the software for it to be effective. The government then wants it to be ready to use widely by mid-May. The app can be downloaded to a smartphone and use bluetooth technology to work out when other app users are in close enough proximity to potentially spread the virus. The data is recorded under an anonymous ID, rather than by the person's name and if, or when, someone starts showing symptoms, or tests positive for Covid-19, they are able to share that on the app. This then allows the app to send a notification warning of possible infection to all those phone users to have come in to recent proximity of the person. Mr Shapps told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "The idea is that we will encourage as many people to take this up as possible. "This is going to be a huge national effort and we need, for this to work, 50% to 60% of people to be using this app. "Not everybody has a smartphone and I appreciate that for various reasons not everybody will download it but it will be the best possible way to help the NHS."

3 May 14:31 men https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/new-app-tell-you-you-18192252
Rating: 1.15
Coronavirus tracing app will go into testing this week

The NHS contact tracing app will be trialled on the Isle of Wight this week before being rolled out more widely later this month. Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: ‘The idea is that we will encourage as many people to take this up as possible. This is going to be a huge national effort and we need for this to work 50-60% of people to be using this app. ‘Not everybody has a smartphone, and I appreciate that for various reasons not everybody will download it but it will be the best possible way to help the NHS.’ He stressed the app would be completely confidential. The app will be central to the Government’s efforts in slowing the spread of coronavirus and will involve alerting people who have been in contact with an infected person and asking them to self-isolate. The NHSX app is part of the Government’s test, track and trace strategy. Contact tracing has been used extensively in South Korea, Hong Kong and Germany, where outbreaks have been contained more quickly. The Government intends to use the app and a phone team to carry out the tracing. It will be downloaded on to smartphones and use bluetooth technology to work out when other app users are in close enough proximity to potentially spread the virus. The data is recorded under an anonymous ID, rather than by the person’s name. If and when someone starts showing symptoms, or tests positive for Covid-19, they are able to share that on the app. The app then sends a notification warning of possible infection to all those phone users to have come in requisite proximity recently. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.

3 May 13:08 Metro https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/03/coronavirus-tracing-app-will-go-testing-week-12648042/
Rating: 2.18
Technology
Google Pixel 4a With 6GB RAM and an 8-Core Chipset Spotted in Latest Benchmark

3 May 15:36 3 articles
Weight: 0.75
Importance: 0.75
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 13:13
Average US: 10.1
Weighted average US: 10.263115498194365
Average GB: 0.5
Weighted average GB: 0.5099965387978804
Average IN: 26.46666666666667
Weighted average IN: 25.921449907483733

Google Pixel 4a With 6GB RAM and an 8-Core Chipset Spotted in Latest Benchmark

Google is gearing up to launch the much-discussed affordable successor of Pixel 3a, the Pixel 4a this May 22. So far, we have come across many leaks giving an insight into the possible design choices, features, and specifications that the new Pixel phone might sport. Now, before its launch, Geekbench confirmed some of the details including the OS that Google’s Pixel 4a will be hitting the shelves later this year. According to the Geekbench listing, the device sports the Sunfish codename and will be running on Android 10 right off the bat. The chipset that Geekbench’s database mentioned is a Qualcomm SoC with eight cores and is running a base frequency of 1.80 GHz. You should be reminded that the Pixel 4a is said to be running a Snapdragon 730; a hardware detail that’s been mentioned in a previous leak as well. Google Pixel 4a Release Date Set for Late May, According to German Retailer As for the memory, the listing suggests a 6GB of RAM and nothing much on the hardware side. The only detail we have for now is that the device achieved 2529 and 6366 points in single-core and multi-core tests, respectively, which is decent for an Android mid-ranger. So far, these are unofficial details, so we cannot bank on them for the time being. However, speaking about the hardware details that have been known so far, is that it comes with a punch-hole display. In addition, it is expected to have a 5.81-inch screen, along with an FHD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. The camera system is being predicted to offer a 12.3MP solution which will be placed in a rear square-module. As for the front side, it is said to be sporting an 8MP shooter with an F/2.0 aperture. The security is being said to be amped with Google incorporating a Titan M chip. More on the security features, the device will come with a fingerprint scanner at the back panel, but that’s about it. The rumored price tag for Google Pixel 4a is being tipped to start from $399, which is the base price of the 2020 iPhone SE. Whether or not Google’s upcoming affordable offering turns out to be the better option, we’ll find out in the future, so stay tuned. Source: Geekbench

3 May 15:36 Wccftech https://wccftech.com/google-pixel-4a-6gb-ram-chipset-details-new-benchmarking-leak/
Rating: 1.26
Google Pixel 4a appears on GeekBench: the launch may be near

Recently, more and more information has appeared regarding the new affordable smartphone from Google, namely the Pixel 4a. Previously, the alleged design and cost of the device appeared on the Web, and now, the confirmed technical characteristics of the new product have become known. Thanks to the information in the GeekBench v4 test databases, its performance results and some device specifications became known. In particular, information was confirmed that the smartphone will receive Android 10 out of the box, 6 GB of RAM and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 chip with a maximum core frequency of up to 1.8 GHz. As expected, the smartphone will not support 5G. The primary test showed the following results. In single-core and multi-core modes, the Pixel 4a scored 2529 points and 6366 points, respectively. Unfortunately, we have no more details from GeekBench. The phone is approximately 144.18mm tall, 69.46mm wide and 8.2mm thick. If you count the camera bump on the back, the thickness goes up to 9.13mm. The camera base itself is 19.4 by 19.4 by 0.93mm. According to preliminary information, the device will receive a 5.81 inch OLED display with a resolution of 2340 × 1080 (FullHD +). The front camera is located in the form of a round hole in the upper left corner. The battery capacity should be 3080 mAh with support for 18 W fast charging. Despite the OLED matrix, the fingerprint scanner will be located traditionally for Pixel devices on the rear panel. Also, the smartphone will receive a 3.5 mm audio jack and USB Type-C. The sales should start from May 22, the price of the new smartphone is likely to start from $399. With this price, it will be a  direct competitor of the iPhone SE 2020. Recall that recently, the first camera samples taken by the  Pixel 4a are leaked. It shows that the smartphone will have a great camera as always with this smartphone lineup.

3 May 13:13 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/google-pixel-4a-appears-on-geekbench-the-launch-may-be-near/
Rating: 1.29
Google Pixel 4A appears on GeekBench as launch draws near

Google has a thing with codenames. Since the birth of the Pixel brand, the company has often given each model a unique codename. It was confirmed in February this year that the Google Pixel 4A is codenamed Sunfish. A device known as Google Sunfish has appeared o the database of GeekBench. This is believed to be the Pixel 4A. The device ran on GeekBench V4 and as usual, a few specs are listed. The Pixel 4A will run Android 10 out of the box and the model in question features 6GB of RAM. The device is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm processor with a base frequency of 1.80Gz. The Pixel 4A is said to be powered by a Snapdragon 730 processor and the benchmark score is within the range of other SD 730-powered models like the Redmi K20. Geekbench didn’t reveal any other details but the Pixel 4A is expected to feature a 5.81-inch OLED display with a punch-hole at the upper-left corner. The display has a full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. A 3,080mAh battery will keep the lights on and the phone supports 18W fast charging. The Pixel 4a punch-hole houses an 8-megapixel camera while at the rear, it packs a single 12MP sensor and LED flash both housed in a square-shaped module. It has a rear-facing fingerprint reader and a 3.5mm audio jack. The handset is likely to arrive in 64 GB and 128 GB storage sizes and will likely be available in Just Black and Barely Blue colour options. The Pixel 4A’s pricing will reportedly start at $399 and will go on sale from May 22. (source)

2 May 16:55 Gizmochina https://www.gizmochina.com/2020/05/02/google-pixel-4a-appears-on-geekbench-as-launch-draws-near/
Rating: 1.16
Technology
These Coronavirus-Fighting Smart Glasses Can 'See' Your Temperature

3 May 08:00 3 articles
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These Coronavirus-Fighting Smart Glasses Can 'See' Your Temperature

Chinese startup Rokid has found a unique and somewhat terrifying market foothold for its AI and augmented-reality tech amid the coronavirus pandemic: smart glasses that clock the temperature of those around you. The Hangzhou-based company has already sold roughly 1,000 pairs to governments, businesses, and schools, according to a Reuters report. While its products are typically tailored to manufacturing and video game markets, Rokid recently pivoted to creating a better way to streamline screening for covid-19 symptoms in response to the outbreak. In about two weeks, the company developed what it’s calling its T1 glasses, a device that can “see” people’s temperatures up to 3 metres (roughly 10 feet) away. Here’s how it works: The glasses come equipped with an infrared sensor that measures nearby temperatures with the help of a camera, and communicates that information in real-time to the display. It carries a Qualcomm CPU, 12-megapixel camera, Rokid’s U.S. Director Liang Guan told TechCrunch last month, and can also deploy augmented reality features to record photos and videos hands-free. Given the prevalence of fixed thermometer checkpoints in industrial parks and public spaces across China amid the outbreak, Rokid Vice President Xiang Wenjie told Reuters that demand for its T1 glasses has been ramping up rapidly. “Apart from fixed temperature measurement, T1 can provide portable, distant and prompt temperature checking, which would be a great help,” Xiang said. As of early April, Rokid reported it was also negotiating deals to supply its T1 smart glasses to American hospitals and local governments, per TechCrunch. In 2018, Rokid completed a round of “billion-dollar” financing, per the company’s website, led by investors Swiss bank Credit Suisse, Singaporean holding company Temasek, and others. The company is currently working on an upgraded model capable of measuring multiple temperature readings at the same time to quickly scan crowded spaces such as malls and airports, Reuters reported. Chinese authorities have been deploying increasingly Orwelliantechnological measures to track the spread of coronavirus as far back as February, with a few big names in American tech following suit soon afterward. Amazon, for instance, has begun using thermal cameras to quickly scan workers at its warehouse and delivery facilities for fevers. Featured photo: Rokid

3 May 08:00 Gizmodo UK https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2020/05/these-coronavirus-fighting-smart-glasses-can-see-your-temperature/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+uk%2Fgizmodo+%28Gizmodo+UK%29&hl=en
Rating: 0.30
These Coronavirus-Fighting Smart Glasses Can 'See' Your Temperature

Chinese startup Rokid has found a unique and somewhat terrifying market foothold for its AI and augmented-reality tech amid the coronavirus pandemic: smart glasses that clock the temperature of those around you. The Hangzhou-based company has already sold roughly 1,000 pairs to governments, businesses, and schools, according to a Reuters report. While its products are typically tailored to manufacturing and video game markets, Rokid recently pivoted to creating a better way to streamline screening for covid-19 symptoms in response to the outbreak. In about two weeks, the company developed what it’s calling its T1 glasses, a device that can “see” people’s temperatures up to 3 meters (roughly 10 feet) away. Here’s how it works: The glasses come equipped with an infrared sensor that measures nearby temperatures with the help of a camera, and communicates that information in real-time to the display. It carries a Qualcomm CPU, 12-megapixel camera, Rokid’s U.S. Director Liang Guan told TechCrunch last month, and can also deploy augmented reality features to record photos and videos hands-free.   Given the prevalence of fixed thermometer checkpoints in industrial parks and public spaces across China amid the outbreak, Rokid Vice President Xiang Wenjie told Reuters that demand for its T1 glasses has been ramping up rapidly. “Apart from fixed temperature measurement, T1 can provide portable, distant and prompt temperature checking, which would be a great help,” Xiang said. As of early April, Rokid reported it was also negotiating deals to supply its T1 smart glasses to American hospitals and local governments, per TechCrunch. In 2018, Rokid completed a round of “billion-dollar” financing, per the company’s website, led by investors Swiss bank Credit Suisse, Singaporean holding company Temasek, and others. The company is currently working on an upgraded model capable of measuring multiple temperature readings at the same time to quickly scan crowded spaces such as malls and airports, Reuters reported. Chinese authorities have been deploying increasingly Orwelliantechnological measures to track the spread of coronavirus as far back as February, with a few big names in American tech following suit soon afterward. Amazon, for instance, has begun using thermal cameras to quickly scan workers at its warehouse and delivery facilities for fevers. 

3 May 04:53 Gizmodo AU https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/05/these-coronavirus-fighting-smart-glasses-can-see-your-temperature/
Rating: 0.49
AR COVID-19 Glasses Allow You to "See" the Temperature of Those around You

A new Chinese startup is offering a product in the fight against COVID-19 that is straight out of a science fiction movie, reported Reuters. What might that be? Wearable glasses that measure the temperature of all around you. The firm called Rokid develops augmented reality products for gaming but has now taken its tech to the street to help in the fight against this global pandemic. The Hangzhou-based company developed the glasses in just two weeks. Rokid Vice President Xiang Wenjie says demand is booming for the glasses called T1. The firm has already sold roughly 1,000 pairs to governments, industrial parks, and schools. “Apart from fixed temperature measurement, T1 can provide portable, distant and prompt temperature checking, which would be a great help,” Xiang told Reuters. The T1 augmented reality glasses can record people’s temperatures up to three meters away. And not only do they help people spot temperatures, but they can also deploy augmented reality features to record photos and videos hands-free.   How does T1 spot temperatures? It uses an infrared sensor that measures nearby temperatures with the help of a camera and then transfers that information over to the display. The company has now announced it is improving its T1 glasses in order to take multiple temperatures simultaneously. This will make them ideal for use in crowded spaces such as malls and airports to help with the fight against COVID-19. “With more new products coming out, especially these glasses, we think we can use them to conduct contactless temperature measurement, they are very efficient when faced with a big crowd of people,” Jin Keli, president of Greentown Property Management, told Reuters. Rokid announced on its website that it completed a round of “billion-dollar” financing led by investors, Swiss bank Credit Suisse, Singaporean holding company Temasek, and others.  We have created an interactive page to demonstrate engineers’ noble efforts against COVID-19 across the world. If you are working on a new technology or producing any equipment in the fight against COVID-19, please send your project to us to be featured.

3 May 09:23 Interesting Engineering https://interestingengineering.com/ar-covid-19-glasses-allow-you-to-see-the-temperature-of-those-around-you
Rating: 1.33
Technology
Covid-19 apps around the world

3 May 03:26 3 articles
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Covid-19 apps around the world

Millions of people in the UK are to be asked to use a phone app to help stop the spread of coronavirus. The Government is “optimistic” people will download the app to allow better contact tracing – a key factor in beating Covid-19 and helping the country out of lockdown. Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said he thought the “vast majority” of people would download the app and “play their part” – but insisted it was just one element of the plan to stop the spread. The app would use Bluetooth to log each time it comes into close range of other devices also running the app. If someone develops symptoms of Covid-19, they can use the app to inform the NHS, which will then trigger an anonymous alert to any other app users the infected person came into contact with by analysing the collected logs. Here, the PA news agency looks at how other countries have been using mobile technology in the fight against Covid-19: – Australia Sorry, this content isn't available on your device. Australia released COVIDSafe last Sunday evening and more than four million people have started using the app. Use of the app is voluntary, but the government said 40% of Australians, or 10 million people, need to use it for the program to be a success. Speaking ahead of the weekend, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said more people downloading the app would speed up the reopening of pubs, adding: “If that isn’t an incentive for Australians to download COVIDSafe on a Friday, I don’t know what is.” – New Zealand Across the Tasman Sea and New Zealand is also planning an app to help with contact tracing, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it would have to be part of a number of measures. She told reporters: “We are working on it but I have to say our big focus has been getting our in-person contact tracing right, because we will all still be relying on that.” – Singapore Developers of the TraceTogether app estimate around one in five people in the city state have downloaded the app, the first Bluetooth contact tracing app in the world. Half of the 1.1 million downloads of the app came in the first 24 hours. Sorry, this content isn't available on your device. – India The Aarogya Setu app uses both GPS location and Bluetooth to track users and has been downloaded 50 million times. It is voluntary for Indian citizens, but the government made it mandatory for all of its employees to download to app and use it last week. – China China’s app gives users a colour based on a traffic light system – green for clear, red for a coronavirus contact – and it is reportedly needed to move about as widespread restrictions are lifted. – South Korea South Korea sits apart from others on the list as it has not used an app-based solution to trace potential contacts. Instead, authorities have tracked people using a number of sources including mobile device tracking and financial transaction information to alert potential contacts. – Elsewhere The Czech Republic has released an app similar to the one from Singapore, while North Macedonia’s StopKorona! app uses Bluetooth. Smittestopp in Norway uses both GPS and Bluetooth, while apps are also in development in Italy, Austria and Germany.

3 May 03:26 ITV News https://www.itv.com/news/2020-05-03/covid-19-apps-around-the-world/
Rating: 0.88
Covid-19 apps around the world

Millions of people in the UK are to be asked to use a phone app to help stop the spread of coronavirus. The Government is “optimistic” people will download the app to allow better contact tracing – a key factor in beating Covid-19 and helping the country out of lockdown. Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said he thought the “vast majority” of people would download the app and “play their part” – but insisted it was just one element of the plan to stop the spread. The app would use Bluetooth to log each time it comes into close range of other devices also running the app. If someone develops symptoms of Covid-19, they can use the app to inform the NHS, which will then trigger an anonymous alert to any other app users the infected person came into contact with by analysing the collected logs. Here, the PA news agency looks at how other countries have been using mobile technology in the fight against Covid-19: – Australia Australia released COVIDSafe last Sunday evening and more than four million people have started using the app. Use of the app is voluntary, but the government said 40% of Australians, or 10 million people, need to use it for the program to be a success. Speaking ahead of the weekend, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said more people downloading the app would speed up the reopening of pubs, adding: “If that isn’t an incentive for Australians to download COVIDSafe on a Friday, I don’t know what is.” – New Zealand Across the Tasman Sea and New Zealand is also planning an app to help with contact tracing, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it would have to be part of a number of measures. She told reporters: “We are working on it but I have to say our big focus has been getting our in-person contact tracing right, because we will all still be relying on that.” – Singapore Developers of the TraceTogether app estimate around one in five people in the city state have downloaded the app, the first Bluetooth contact tracing app in the world. Half of the 1.1 million downloads of the app came in the first 24 hours. – India The Aarogya Setu app uses both GPS location and Bluetooth to track users and has been downloaded 50 million times. It is voluntary for Indian citizens, but the government made it mandatory for all of its employees to download to app and use it last week. – China China’s app gives users a colour based on a traffic light system – green for clear, red for a coronavirus contact – and it is reportedly needed to move about as widespread restrictions are lifted. – South Korea South Korea sits apart from others on the list as it has not used an app-based solution to trace potential contacts. Instead, authorities have tracked people using a number of sources including mobile device tracking and financial transaction information to alert potential contacts. – Elsewhere The Czech Republic has released an app similar to the one from Singapore, while North Macedonia’s StopKorona! app uses Bluetooth. Smittestopp in Norway uses both GPS and Bluetooth, while apps are also in development in Italy, Austria and Germany.

3 May 03:25 Express & Star https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2020/05/03/covid-19-apps-around-the-world/
Rating: 0.30
Covid-19 apps around the world

Many countries have been using mobile technology in the fight against Covid-19. Millions of people in the UK are to be asked to use a phone app to help stop the spread of coronavirus. The Government is “optimistic” people will download the app to allow better contact tracing – a key factor in beating Covid-19 and helping the country out of lockdown. Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said he thought the “vast majority” of people would download the app and “play their part” – but insisted it was just one element of the plan to stop the spread. The app would use Bluetooth to log each time it comes into close range of other devices also running the app. If someone develops symptoms of Covid-19, they can use the app to inform the NHS, which will then trigger an anonymous alert to any other app users the infected person came into contact with by analysing the collected logs. Here, the PA news agency looks at how other countries have been using mobile technology in the fight against Covid-19: – Australia Australia released COVIDSafe last Sunday evening and more than four million people have started using the app. Use of the app is voluntary, but the government said 40% of Australians, or 10 million people, need to use it for the program to be a success. Speaking ahead of the weekend, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said more people downloading the app would speed up the reopening of pubs, adding: “If that isn’t an incentive for Australians to download COVIDSafe on a Friday, I don’t know what is.” – New Zealand Across the Tasman Sea and New Zealand is also planning an app to help with contact tracing, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it would have to be part of a number of measures. She told reporters: “We are working on it but I have to say our big focus has been getting our in-person contact tracing right, because we will all still be relying on that.” – Singapore Developers of the TraceTogether app estimate around one in five people in the city state have downloaded the app, the first Bluetooth contact tracing app in the world. Half of the 1.1 million downloads of the app came in the first 24 hours. – India The Aarogya Setu app uses both GPS location and Bluetooth to track users and has been downloaded 50 million times. It is voluntary for Indian citizens, but the government made it mandatory for all of its employees to download to app and use it last week. – China China’s app gives users a colour based on a traffic light system – green for clear, red for a coronavirus contact – and it is reportedly needed to move about as widespread restrictions are lifted. – South Korea South Korea sits apart from others on the list as it has not used an app-based solution to trace potential contacts. Instead, authorities have tracked people using a number of sources including mobile device tracking and financial transaction information to alert potential contacts. – Elsewhere The Czech Republic has released an app similar to the one from Singapore, while North Macedonia’s StopKorona! app uses Bluetooth. Smittestopp in Norway uses both GPS and Bluetooth, while apps are also in development in Italy, Austria and Germany.

3 May 03:25 Shropshire Star https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/uk-news/2020/05/03/covid-19-apps-around-the-world/
Rating: 0.30
Technology
Google Meet Goes Free, Microsoft Flags Double Spaces…And Other Small Business Tech News

3 May 00:00 3 articles
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Google Meet Goes Free, Microsoft Flags Double Spaces…And Other Small Business Tech News

Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them? 1 — Google Meet is going free as it guns for Zoom and aims to fend off Microsoft Teams.     Google announced this past week that it is going to begin making their video conferencing platform—Meet—free, as a way to stay competitive with video conference giants Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Google Meet has received an influx of new users who are now having to work from home. Google plans to implement the feature slowly to more users in order to make sure that all goes smoothly. Users with a G Suite account will be able to opt-in for alerts in order to be notified of when they can start using Meet. (Source: ZDNet) Why this is important for your business: There will be many changes to our workplaces in the future because of the Coronavirus pandemic and one of them will be the increased use of video conferencing and collaboration systems. Zoom has been getting all the attention, but its rivals–Google, Microsoft, GoToMeeting, Citrix and others–are going to compete aggressively for your attention with free deals and other incentives. 2 — Microsoft Word now flags double spaces as errors, ending the great space debate. Microsoft Word will now highlight when a user puts two spaces after a punctuation mark, flagging it as an error and ending the confusion surrounding this practice in the past. Now—when users are typing—if they accidentally—or intentionally—put two spaces after a punctuation, Microsoft Word will provide the option to fix the double space to a single. Microsoft began troubleshooting the new update through Word’s desktop version and also been providing recommendations using the Word app Editor feature. (Source: The Verge) Why this is important for your business: To double space or not to double space? That’s been an age old question and now Microsoft is taking a stand. Get ready for lots of new grammatical errors in your company’s communications (as if there aren’t a lot already!). 3 —National Business League rolled out a $1.8 million platform to connect black businesses with technology amid COVID-19. This past week, the National Business League Inc.—also known as NBL—is going to utilize their new 1.8 million user platform to help minimize the divide that exists digitally due to the COVID-19 pandemic among black-owned small businesses. (Source: Black Enterprise) Why this is important for your business: If you’re a black-owned company then pay attention: NBL rolled out their newest technology platform along with many other initiatives to help businesses like yours, which will include the creation of a new mobile app and website. NBL plans to utilize social media platforms, online virtual entrepreneurial and educational training, live streaming, and additional services to help the gap among black-owned businesses that exists regarding technology. 4 —Without cloud computing, businesses would now be in even deeper trouble.     According to Canalys—an analyst firm—$107 billion were spent on cloud-computing services all over the world last year. That amount is 37% more than in 2018. It is predicted that public cloud services will rise to 17% this year, totaling $266.4 billion. With the COVID-19 pandemic changing the way businesses run and employees work, the investment in cloud computing has allowed the transition to working from home happen relatively smoothly for many companies. If the Coronavirus had hit in 2010, businesses would have been in even bigger trouble, with only $6,300 a year being spent on cloud computing during that time. (Source: ZDNet) Why this is important for your business: If you’re not convinced that leveraging cloud is a good thing to do, the coronavirus pandemic should have convinced you that the cloud is now and essential thing to do. Even if you have desktop or older applications, you can still move them to a managed server environment. The important takeaway is that you need to have a cloud strategy for your small business going forward. 5— Phishing scams are targeting SMBs seeking COVID aid.    According to data shared by BleepingComputer.com, the relief provided for the coronavirus pandemic through the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) has opened new opportunities for scammers to take advantage of business owners looking for help.. (Source: Pymnts) Why this is important for your business: According to the data, those behind the scams try to trick business owners by sending out emails pretending to be the Payment Protection Program (PPP). The idea behind the fraudulent emails is to try and fool individuals in choosing relief options for their businesses using official-looking log-in pages in an attempt to lift important corporate information.

3 May 00:00 Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2020/05/03/google-meet-goes-free-microsoft-flags-double-spacesand-other-small-business-tech-news/
Rating: 4.41
Google Meet: You can now start or join a video meeting from Gmail account

Everyone around the world is depending a lot on video calling platforms to connect with friends and family members during the coronaviruspandemic time. Since the lockdown, video calling platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and others have recorded all-time high video calling sessions on their respective platform. To offer a seamless experience to users, Google Meet is getting better with every passing day. Last week Google announced that Google Meet will be now available for free for everyone across the world until September 30 including enterprises. The initiative is clearly to take on rivals Zoom, Skype, and others. The company is now making it, even more, easier to start or join a Google Meet meeting. This is a new update and you will find it when you open your Gmail account by inserting your ID and password. You can find the Google Meet option on the left under the compose option. The option will be listed as “Meet” with two more options underneath: Start a meeting and Join a meeting. Just click on the option as per your convenience. The option is currently seen only on Gmail for desktop and not mobile. Also Read: Here’s how to use Google Meet With this new feature coming in users will not be required to download the Google Meet app or open the site in a browser to start or join a meeting. All users need is a Gmail account. If you don’t have one create it or use some other video calling app. There are plenty of them available. *First click on Start a meeting option from the list*A new window will open and your device camera will be enabled automatically.*A meeting link will be generated along with dial-in number and PIN. Send details to contacts you want to join the meeting.*You can turn on the caption of the meeting from the Setting menu. Just click on the three dots next to the video screen.*You can turn on and off the video and audio easily by click on the options displayed on the meeting screen. Also Read: How to open a free Google Meet account *First click on Join a meeting option from the list*Enter the Meeting code provided by the meeting host.*It will take you to the Google Meet meeting room.*You can choose you to turn on or off your video and audio as per your need by clicking on the icons displayed on the screen.

3 May 06:18 The Indian Express https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/how-to-start-join-google-meet-meeting-gmail-6391486/
Rating: 0.30
Google Meet is now free – Here’s how it works

Google has made its premium video calling application Meet free for all Google account users. The company has seen daily usage of Meet increase 30-fold since January and as of April, the service hosts 3 billion minutes of video meetings and adds around 3 million new users every day. In the past, the application was only available for paying customers as part of Google’s G Suite productivity tools. Starting 1 May, any user with a Google account will be able to sign up and use Meet for personal video chats or meetings at no charge. Google said availability will continue to be rolled out in the coming weeks, in the event you cannot access the service immediately. Meet offers an alternative to the increasingly popular Zoom video conferencing app, which has also seen a massive increase in usage. Users of the free version of Google Meet will be able to host and partake in meetings with unlimited duration until 30 September. After this, the length of meetings will be limited to 60 minutes. By comparison, Zoom’s free tier has a limit of 40 minutes per group session. Both Meet and Zoom meetings can take up to 100 participants per video call session, and screen-sharing is also available for free on both platforms. Meet is supported on various browsers – including Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge – and is available as an app for both Android and iOS devices. One of the main features of Meet is its superior security. Zoom has faced backlash over its apparent lack of proper security policies, which has caused concerns over the privacy of its users. Google said Meet is designed, built, and operated to be secure at scale. As it requires the user to be signed into a Google account, it eliminates the possibility of “Zoombombing”. Zoombombing allows unwanted users to intrude on meetings, gaining access to meeting codes shared publicly. Additionally, Meet complies with IETF security standards for Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) and Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP). Google said implements the following security measures in Meet: Additionally, Meet users can enroll their account in Google’s Advanced Protection Program for additional protection against phishing and account hijacking. To use Google Meet, you will require a Google account – which includes a Gmail address. Once you have an account set up, head to meet.google.com on your browser. From the main page, click on Start Meeting to create a new session or Join Meeting if you have a code for an existing video call. Meeting hosts have the option of creating a nickname for a meeting so that people can quickly join it, too. To add participants to a meeting, click “Copy joining info” and paste the details into an email or messaging app to send to people you would like to add. Alternatively, you can click “Add people” and type in an email address to send an invite, or a phone number to call a participant. The video below shows how the process works. Once users have entered the meeting, they have four options of layouts – Auto, Tiled, Spotlight, or Sidebar. To access the options, users click on the three-button menu in the lower-right corner of the display. Auto lets Meet choose the layout for you, while Tiled shows up to 16 people when no presentation is being shown. In Spotlight, the presentation, active speaker or pinned feed fills your window, while Sidebar lets you view the active speaker or presentation with other participants on the side. Meet also allows users to pin, arrange, remove, and mute participants in a video meeting. In addition, users can turn on captions for English speech to make it easier to follow conversations. You can also send text messages and attach files for participants to download in the meeting. For full descriptions on how to use these and other features in Meet, visit the Google Meet Help Centre.

3 May 00:00 MyBroadband https://mybroadband.co.za/news/software/350056-google-meet-is-now-free-heres-how-it-works.html
Rating: 1.91
Technology
Pre-Order One Year of HBO Max for 20% Off, Get HBO Now While You Wait for Launch

3 May 19:00 3 articles
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Pre-Order One Year of HBO Max for 20% Off, Get HBO Now While You Wait for Launch

HBO Max doesn’t arrive until May 27, but WarnerMedia is allowing prospective subscribers to sign up for their first year of the new subscription streaming service for a discounted price of $11.99 per month. That’s 20% off the standard $14.99 per month, less than a year of Netflix’s standard high-definition streaming plan at $12.99, and the same as Hulu’s ad-free subscription. Find out how you can take advantage of this promotional price below. Variety called our attention to the HBO Max discount subscription, which gives you an entire year of the service for a promotional price directly through WarnerMedia. Since the service won’t launch until May 27, you’ll get access to HBO Now right away. However, this promotional price is only available to new HBO Now subscribers and “returning eligible” subscribers who had the service before but canceled it. You’ll have to head over to the HBO Max website to see if you qualify for the promotional price. For some reason, there’s only “a limited number of subscriptions to this HBO Now/HBO Max promotional offer,” so if you’re interested, you may want to act fast. But that could just be a ploy to get more people to sign up for an entire year right away. If you’re a current HBO Now subscriber, or you have HBO Go through your cable subscriber, you won’t automatically be upgraded to HBO Max (unless you accessed HBO through another service like Hulu). However, if you’re paying for either service, it would make more sense to subscribe to HBO Max instead, because you’ll be getting all that HBO has to offer along with a a lot more streaming options, and you likely won’t even have to pay more. For those who don’t qualify for this HBO Max discount, you might still get a good deal on the subscription service if you’re an AT&T customer. Here are all the HBO Max promotions available for AT&T customers: Keep in mind that some of the original programming that HBO Max is slated to offer won’t immediately be available. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down production in Hollywood, many originals have been delayed. But at launch, HBO Max will have the comedy series Love Life starring Anna Kendrick, the Sundance selected documentary On the Record, the underground ballroom dance competition Legendary, YouTuber LaurDIY’s crafting show Craftopia, a new Looney Tunes Cartoons series from Warner Bros. Animation, and Sesame Workshop’s The Not Too Late Show with Elmo. You can see the trailers for those shows over here. HBO Max launches on May 27, 2020.

3 May 19:00 /Film https://www.slashfilm.com/hbo-max-discount/
Rating: 0.73
HBO Max pre-order promo drops price to $12 per month for the first year

HBO Max is taking a page out of the Disney+ playbook by offering sizeable discounts to early adopters. The streaming service is running a pre-order promotion that drops the price from $15 per month to $12 for the first year if you’re either a new subscriber or a “returning eligible” HBO Now customer. That’s less than Netflix’s standard HD plan, Variety said. However, there is a catch: you can’t just sign up wherever you intend to get service. The discount is only available if you sign up through the HBO Max website or otherwise go directly through WarnerMedia. You can’t just go through other distributors (who already take a cut of WarnerMedia’s revenue). That shouldn’t be a problem for most people, but it’s worth noting if you were thinking of signing up through a partner. It’s not surprising that HBO Max would tempt early adopters through a deal. This is WarnerMedia’s (and really, AT&T’s) big play at a stand-alone streaming service that can compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Early commitments could both boost its initial numbers and help build buzz that helps the service compete in the long run.

2 May 18:59 Engadget https://www.engadget.com/hbo-max-12-per-month-promo-185917020.html
Rating: 2.92
WarnerMedia offering HBO Max pre-order discount, but you have to subscribe directly

HBO Max officially launches at the end of this month, and we already know that you’ll be able to subscribe through Apple’s in-app purchase and Apple TC Channels platforms. WarnerMedia, however, is enticing you to subscribe directly with a lower rate. HBO Max is one of the more expensive streaming services, coming in at $15 per month. This compares to Disney+ at $6.99, Apple TV+ at $4.99, and Netflix’s cheapest tier at $8.99. As The Verge reports, however, HBO Max is offering a pre-order promotion where you can sign up for $11.99 per month for the first 12 months. This is billed monthly, not annually, and will renew at the full $14.99 per month after the first year. The trick here is that you have to subscribe directly through the HBO Max website in order to secure this promotional rate — you can’t subscribe through Apple TV Channels or in-app billing in the HBO Max application. The Verge points out a few caveats: But even if you sign up for HBO Max directly through WarnerMedia, you’ll still be able to log into the HBO Max application on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, as well as through your web browser. The HBO Max app will also integrate with Apple’s TV app for features like Up Next and Watch Now. Subscribing through Apple TV Channels does offer a few benefits, such as streaming directly in the TV app on all of your Apple devices. The video is hosted by Apple itself and all billing is managed by Apple, just like with in-app purchases. If you plan on subscribing to HBO Max, you can secure the promotional rate on HBO’s website now. You can learn more about Apple TV Channels in our detailed roundup here and decide whether it’s worth the extra $3 per month. Read more:

2 May 13:11 9to5Mac https://9to5mac.com/2020/05/02/hbomax-discount-pre-order/
Rating: 1.27
Technology
Facebook’s new ‘care’ emoji reaction becomes fodder for memes

3 May 09:11 3 articles
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Best date: 2 May 19:44
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Facebook’s new ‘care’ emoji reaction becomes fodder for memes

With social media being the main source for people to remain in touch with relatives and friends amid the Covid-19-enforced lockdown, Facebook has added a “care” emoji for reacting to posts, giving people an additional way to “show their support”. While the announcement was made in April by Alexandru Voica, communication manager at Facebook, it is only recently that the feature has been incorporated. The new reaction, which is basically an emoji hugging a heart, was shared by Voica along with a tweet that read, “We’re launching new Care reactions as a way for people to share their support with one another during this unprecedented time. We hope these reactions give people additional ways to show their support during the #COVID19 crisis.” However, the new emoji has received mixed reactions from netizens. While many found it cute, others came up with hilarious memes and jokes on the same. Here, take a look:

3 May 09:11 The Indian Express https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-globally/facebooks-new-care-react-triggers-meme-fest-on-social-media-6391626/
Rating: 0.30
Need a hug? Facebook releases new 'care' emoji reactions during COVID-19 outbreak

NEW YORK -- Sometimes you need a hug, and it's hard to get or give one these days because of social distancing, so Facebook is helping with two new emoji reactions that are being rolled out to users.The new reactions on the Facebook app feature a smiley face-hugging a heart, and the one on the Messenger app features a pulsing heart."We're launching new Care reactions on @facebookapp and @messenger as a way for people to share their support with one another during this unprecedented time," wrote Facebook communication manager Alexandru Voica on Twitter. " We hope these reactions give people additional ways to show their support during the #COVID19 crisis.The new options will allow users in both apps to react with more love and positivity to friends and family's posts, according to Facebook. These new care reactions are being rolled out to users. Those who have them already can activate the smiley face hugging a heart by holding down the 'Like' button underneath the post.

2 May 19:44 ABC7 Los Angeles https://abc7.com/facebook-releases-new-care-emojis-during-the-covid-19-outbreak/6145507/
Rating: 0.39
Need a hug? Facebook releases new 'care' emoji reactions during COVID-19 outbreak

NEW YORK -- Sometimes you need a hug, and it's hard to get or give one these days because of social distancing, so Facebook is helping with two new emoji reactions that are being rolled out to users. The new reactions on the Facebook app feature a smiley face-hugging a heart, and the one on the Messenger app features a pulsing heart. "We're launching new Care reactions on @facebookapp and @messenger as a way for people to share their support with one another during this unprecedented time," wrote Facebook communication manager Alexandru Voica on Twitter. " We hope these reactions give people additional ways to show their support during the #COVID19 crisis. The new options will allow users in both apps to react with more love and positivity to friends and family's posts, according to Facebook. These new care reactions are being rolled out to users. Those who have them already can activate the smiley face hugging a heart by holding down the 'Like' button underneath the post.

2 May 19:44 ABC7 New York https://abc7ny.com/facebook-releases-new-care-emojis-during-the-covid-19-outbreak/6145507/
Rating: 0.30
Technology
Google Stadia users might be getting chat messaging soon

2 May 18:33 3 articles
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Best date: 2 May 18:33
Average US: 23.5
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Google Stadia users might be getting chat messaging soon

Google Stadia users could soon be able to send direct messages to other players. Google might soon add the ability for Stadia users to send direct messages and have conversations. According to 9to5Google, the latest update to the Stadia app features references to chat, direct messages, and conversations. At present, the only way to communicate is by using a game’s built-in voice chat or through Stadia’s voice system. With messaging, you will essentially be able to send a text message to others using the app without the need for another service. So if you want to find out if someone wants to play, or when they want to play, you will just send a message (thanks, Neowin). Here’s what 9to5Google’s APK Insight team found when breaking down the latest update: The team also found privacy settings that allow the user to control who can message and send chat messages. Subscribe to the VG247 newsletter Get all the best bits of VG247 delivered to your inbox every Friday! Enable JavaScript to sign up to our newsletter Stadia version 2.16 arrived on the Play Store this week.

2 May 18:33 VG247 https://www.vg247.com/2020/05/02/google-stadia-text-chat-messaging/
Rating: 1.10
Google Stadia to get native messaging feature, Google’s 8th or 9th messaging app

Knowing how many messaging apps Google has is about as difficult as knowing how many children Boris Johnson has, and like the PM, Google may be about to add another. 9to5google have torn down the Google Stadia app and found numerous references to a native text chat feature being built into the app, both private and group. These include: The feature would supplement the in-game voice chat feature and Google Stadia’s own voice chat feature already in the app. Google recently released the free version of Google Stadia to everyone, with two months of free Stadia Pro to try out the service. With the service still only available to use on a limited selection of devices, Google brought in a customer base of over 225,000 potential players. While not a staggering number, it is larger than the service’s 150,000 install base during the service’s launch window. via Winfuture

2 May 20:00 MSPoweruser https://mspoweruser.com/big-google-stadia-announcements-are-coming-tomorrow-2/
Rating: 0.78
Google Stadia could soon add chat capabilities

As per 9to5Google's APK Insight team, a teardown of the Stadia app version 2.16 revealed that Google is planning to add the ability to send direct messages and have "conversations" in Google Stadia. As of now, users can talk to their friends either through a game's built-in voice chat or through Stadia's cross-game party voice feature. This means if you want to send your friend a text message asking what time they want to play, you need another messaging app. In the code, there are several references to the ability to chat, converse, and send direct messages. All of these changes are being developed behind an internal flag. A new privacy setting, which was added in a previous version, controls who can send you "chat messages." These additions could be great for the growing platform, as gamers finally might not solely rely on voice chat. Many Stadia players already have the app installed on their phones and they would prefer if a messaging service is integrated into it. However, things appear to be in an initial state so a rollout isn't expected any time soon.

2 May 04:16 Neowin https://www.neowin.net/news/google-stadia-could-soon-add-chat-capabilities/
Rating: 1.20
Technology
I drove a $62,000 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon — here are the rugged pickup truck's best features

2 May 16:22 4 articles
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I drove a $62,000 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon — here are the rugged pickup truck's best features

The midsize pickup-truck segment had for some time been left to the popular Toyota Tacoma and the ancient Nissan Frontier. But about five years ago, automakers decided to liven it up. Chevy brought back its Colorado pickup (as well as a GMC version, the Canyon). Then Honda revamped its Ridgeline, and Ford reintroduced the Ranger. Jeep has done a small pickup in the past, so when it announced that it would restore the Gladiator nameplate to an all-new truck, there was much rejoicing. The pickup arrived last year, and I recently tested it. The upshot was that it gives the off-road-focused Chevy Colorado Bison ZR1 a run for its money. The Gladiator Rubicon, with its stout 4x4 setup and premium extras, is perhaps the full-featured midsize pickup money can buy. Here's why: UConnect is an industry underdog, but we've found it matches up well against the competition. It does everything well, from GPS navigation to Bluetooth and USB device connectivity.

2 May 16:22 Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/jeep-gladiator-rubicon-review-best-features-photos-2020-5
Rating: 4.40
I drove a $62,000 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon — here are the rugged pickup truck's best features

The midsize pickup-truck segment had for some time been left to the popular Toyota Tacoma and the ancient Nissan Frontier. But about five years ago, automakers decided to liven it up. Chevy brought back its Colorado pickup (as well as a GMC version, the Canyon). Then Honda revamped its Ridgeline, and Ford reintroduced the Ranger. Jeep has done a small pickup in the past, so when it announced that it would restore the Gladiator nameplate to an all-new truck, there was much rejoicing. The pickup arrived last year, and I recently tested it. The upshot was that it gives the off-road-focused Chevy Colorado Bison ZR1 a run for its money. The Gladiator Rubicon, with its stout 4×4 setup and premium extras, is perhaps the full-featured midsize pickup money can buy. Here’s why: UConnect is an industry underdog, but we’ve found it matches up well against the competition. It does everything well, from GPS navigation to Bluetooth and USB device connectivity.

2 May 16:22 Business Insider Australia https://www.businessinsider.com.au/jeep-gladiator-rubicon-review-best-features-photos-2020-5
Rating: 0.30
I drove a $62,000 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon — here are the rugged pickup truck’s best features

The midsize pickup-truck segment had for some time been left to the popular Toyota Tacoma and the ancient Nissan Frontier. But about five years ago, automakers decided to liven it up. Chevy brought back its Colorado pickup (as well as a GMC version, the Canyon). Then Honda revamped its Ridgeline, and Ford reintroduced the Ranger. Jeep has done a small pickup in the past, so when it announced that it would restore the Gladiator nameplate to an all-new truck, there was much rejoicing. The pickup arrived last year, and I recently tested it. The upshot was that it gives the off-road-focused Chevy Colorado Bison ZR1 a run for its money. The Gladiator Rubicon, with its stout 4×4 setup and premium extras, is perhaps the full-featured midsize pickup money can buy. Here’s why: UConnect is an industry underdog, but we’ve found it matches up well against the competition. It does everything well, from GPS navigation to Bluetooth and USB device connectivity.

2 May 16:22 Business Insider Malaysia https://www.businessinsider.my/jeep-gladiator-rubicon-review-best-features-photos-2020-5
Rating: 0.30
I drove a $62,000 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon — here are the rugged pickup truck's best features, Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore

The midsize pickup-truck segment had for some time been left to the popular Toyota Tacoma and the ancient Nissan Frontier. But about five years ago, automakers decided to liven it up. Chevy brought back its Colorado pickup (as well as a GMC version, the Canyon). Then Honda revamped its Ridgeline, and Ford reintroduced the Ranger. Jeep has done a small pickup in the past, so when it announced that it would restore the Gladiator nameplate to an all-new truck, there was much rejoicing. The pickup arrived last year, and I recently tested it. The upshot was that it gives the off-road-focused Chevy Colorado Bison ZR1 a run for its money. The Gladiator Rubicon, with its stout 4×4 setup and premium extras, is perhaps the full-featured midsize pickup money can buy. Here’s why: captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. UConnect is an industry underdog, but we’ve found it matches up well against the competition. It does everything well, from GPS navigation to Bluetooth and USB device connectivity. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon. captionJeep Gladiator Rubicon.

2 May 16:22 www.businessinsider.sg https://www.businessinsider.sg/jeep-gladiator-rubicon-review-best-features-photos-2020-5
Rating: 0.30
Technology
Prepare for adventure with a GoPro HERO7 Black bundle at over $100 off

2 May 13:49 3 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 1.82
Age penalty: 0.00
Best date: 2 May 15:06
Average US: 32.766666666666666
Weighted average US: 32.13793529767802
Average GB: 2.5999999999999996
Weighted average GB: 2.5896655563851336
Average IN: 14.4
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Prepare for adventure with a GoPro HERO7 Black bundle at over $100 off

Being well-prepared for any outdoor excursion is important, and this latest discounted GoPro HERO7 Black bundle makes staying prepared easy. Right now B&H has GoPro's The Handler bundle on sale for $235, saving you $114 off its usual cost. The bundle includes a slew of accessories along with the 4K action camera, and you'll even score free 2-day shipping with the purchase. This discounted GoPro HERO7 Black bundle can capture all the action outdoors. The Handler bundle comes with the GoPro HERO7 Black action cam, The Handler floating hand grip, several mounts, a battery, microSD card, and the Casey camera case. GoPro's The Handler bundle includes The Handler floating hand grip, a curved adhesive mount and flat adhesive mount, and the GoPro Casey travel case which helps you store it all securely. The Handler floating grip can be used in and out of water, and even helps your camera float. Plus, its bright orange base makes it a lot easier to see where your camera is in the water, too. Sign up for ExpressVPN today and save 49% The HERO7 Black is capable of recording in 4K at 60 fps. For still images, you'll have 12MP photos and a burst mode up to 30 fps. Beyond the advanced 4K video, the Black also features GoPro's HyperSmooth video stabilization. The new technology will be vital for removing the shakes that often accompany action camera footage, and paired with The Handler, you can capture a professional-looking shot without much effort. The HERO Black is water resistant up to 33 feet and come with a two-inch touch intuitive LCD screen. Expect to find plenty of other features like face and scene detection, SuperPhoto Auto HDR photo enhancement, and more. A few of the features unique to the Black versus the other models include Raw photos, live streaming, and TimeWarp video. You'll even have voice control, which is a great feature for operating the camera from a distance without a remote. B&H offers free 2-day shipping on today's purchase, and you can even earn back the tax you spend on this order with the B&H PayBoo credit card. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

2 May 13:49 Android Central https://www.androidcentral.com/prepare-adventure-gopro-hero7-black-bundle-100?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+androidcentral+%28Android+Central%29
Rating: 1.90
Prepare for adventure with a GoPro HERO7 Black bundle at over $100 off

Being well-prepared for any outdoor excursion is important, and this latest discounted GoPro HERO7 Black bundle makes staying prepared easy. Right now B&H has GoPro's The Handler bundle on sale for $235, saving you $114 off its usual cost. The bundle includes a slew of accessories along with the 4K action camera, and you'll even score free 2-day shipping with the purchase. This discounted GoPro HERO7 Black bundle can capture all the action outdoors. The Handler bundle comes with the GoPro HERO7 Black action cam, The Handler floating hand grip, several mounts, a battery, microSD card, and the Casey camera case. GoPro's The Handler bundle includes The Handler floating hand grip, a curved adhesive mount and flat adhesive mount, and the GoPro Casey travel case which helps you store it all securely. The Handler floating grip can be used in and out of water, and even helps your camera float. Plus, its bright orange base makes it a lot easier to see where your camera is in the water, too. Best online learning tools for kids: ABCmouse, Reading IQ, & more The HERO7 Black is capable of recording in 4K at 60 fps. For still images, you'll have 12MP photos and a burst mode up to 30 fps. Beyond the advanced 4K video, the Black also features GoPro's HyperSmooth video stabilization. The new technology will be vital for removing the shakes that often accompany action camera footage, and paired with The Handler, you can capture a professional-looking shot without much effort. The HERO Black is water resistant up to 33 feet and come with a two-inch touch intuitive LCD screen. Expect to find plenty of other features like face and scene detection, SuperPhoto Auto HDR photo enhancement, and more. A few of the features unique to the Black versus the other models include Raw photos, live streaming, and TimeWarp video. You'll even have voice control, which is a great feature for operating the camera from a distance without a remote. B&H offers free 2-day shipping on today's purchase, and you can even earn back the tax you spend on this order with the B&H PayBoo credit card. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more. LIVE PODCAST Join us for the latest Windows Central Video Podcast We're live with the Windows Central Video Podcast today at 2:30pm ET, make sure you're there! All summer long Geoff Keighley announces Summer Game Fest, 4 months of news and more Geoff Keighley, host of the Game Awards and Opening Night Live at Gamescom, has announced a new four month event called Summer Game Fest. This event will feature news, demos and more from multiple publishers across the gaming industry. 🎓👩‍🎓👨‍🎓 Schools can broadcast graduations on Microsoft Teams for a limited time With many people staying inside during the graduation season, Microsoft is expanding Teams to accommodate. Schools will be able to live stream events, such as graduations, to up to 20,000 people. Save on Storage These 5 cheap external drives pair perfectly with Xbox One These external hard drives upgrade your Xbox One storage without breaking the bank.

2 May 15:06 Windows Central https://www.windowscentral.com/prepare-adventure-gopro-hero7-black-bundle-100?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wmexperts+%28Windows+Central%29
Rating: 2.16
Prepare for adventure with a GoPro HERO7 Black bundle at over $100 off

Being well-prepared for any outdoor excursion is important, and this latest discounted GoPro HERO7 Black bundle makes staying prepared easy. Right now B&H has GoPro's The Handler bundle on sale for $235, saving you $114 off its usual cost. The bundle includes a slew of accessories along with the 4K action camera, and you'll even score free 2-day shipping with the purchase. This discounted GoPro HERO7 Black bundle can capture all the action outdoors. The Handler bundle comes with the GoPro HERO7 Black action cam, The Handler floating hand grip, several mounts, a battery, microSD card, and the Casey camera case. GoPro's The Handler bundle includes The Handler floating hand grip, a curved adhesive mount and flat adhesive mount, and the GoPro Casey travel case which helps you store it all securely. The Handler floating grip can be used in and out of water, and even helps your camera float. Plus, its bright orange base makes it a lot easier to see where your camera is in the water, too. Get an iPhone SE with Mint Mobile service for $30/mo The HERO7 Black is capable of recording in 4K at 60 fps. For still images, you'll have 12MP photos and a burst mode up to 30 fps. Beyond the advanced 4K video, the Black also features GoPro's HyperSmooth video stabilization. The new technology will be vital for removing the shakes that often accompany action camera footage, and paired with The Handler, you can capture a professional-looking shot without much effort. The HERO Black is water resistant up to 33 feet and come with a two-inch touch intuitive LCD screen. Expect to find plenty of other features like face and scene detection, SuperPhoto Auto HDR photo enhancement, and more. A few of the features unique to the Black versus the other models include Raw photos, live streaming, and TimeWarp video. You'll even have voice control, which is a great feature for operating the camera from a distance without a remote. B&H offers free 2-day shipping on today's purchase, and you can even earn back the tax you spend on this order with the B&H PayBoo credit card. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more. Privacy U.S. Senators propose COVID-19 data privacy bill U.S. Senators have introduced a COVID-19 data privacy bill, designed to strike a balance between innovation, technology, and consumer privacy.  I ❤️ Apple Arcade Gorgeous adventure game 'Neversong' is the latest to arrive on Apple Arcade Apple Arcade has gained another game, this time with the musical adventure game "Neversong" coming to iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. 😎🎶📱 We review the rockin' Lucyd Loud Bluetooth-Enabled Sunglasses That's right, you can listen to music, access Siri, and talk on the phone with these unique Bluetooth headphones/sunglasses hybrid. All around protection Garmin Vivosmart travel cases you will love When you need to store your Garmin Vivosmart HR or HR+, you can go wrong with any of these cases. They are also pretty handy when you have to travel so you have somewhere to keep cables and accessories sorted.

2 May 15:06 iMore https://www.imore.com/prepare-adventure-gopro-hero7-black-bundle-100?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheIphoneBlog+%28iMore%29
Rating: 1.49
Technology
‘It was a little Wild West early on’: SpaceX’s president says the rocket company’s failures have prepared it to launch its first NASA astronauts

2 May 15:34 3 articles
Weight: 0.00
Importance: 0.45
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Best date: 2 May 15:34
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Weighted average IN: 0.0

‘It was a little Wild West early on’: SpaceX’s president says the rocket company’s failures have prepared it to launch its first NASA astronauts

SpaceX, for the first time in the company’s 18-year history, is poised to rocket humans into space. But the company wouldn’t have grown enough to be ready for the feat if not for its many failures, Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer, said Friday during a series of NASA press briefings. “We’ve grown up,” Shotwell told Business Insider. “It was a little Wild West early on, but candidly I think that those beginnings and those roots are critically important to our success.” The company joined pre-mission briefings to answer questions about Demo-2, SpaceX’s upcoming mission to launch NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley toward the International Space Station (ISS). The flight will be SpaceX’s first with passengers, who will pilot the company’s new Crew Dragon spaceship after launching atop a 23-story Falcon 9 rocket. Demo-2 is currently planned for May 27 at 4:32 p.m. ET. On Friday, NASA officials said the backup launch day is May 30, and that the astronaut’s stay at the ISS may last for more than six months. Shotwell joined the first virtual press conference with NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine and top members of the Commercial Crew Program Friday. The roughly $8 billion public-private partnership began in 2010 to eventually replace NASA’s space shuttle fleet, which was retired in July 2011. SpaceX won its first contract through the program in September 2014, though the company has officially worked with NASA since 2006. “Hopefully, NASA has enjoyed the relationship as much as we have. We’ve learned from them. We’ve obviously been pleased by their financial support, their technical support, wisdom, and knowledge and helping us get to this day,” Shotwell told Ars Technica’s Eric Berger during the briefing. Shotwell said she joined SpaceX in 2002 as its chief salesperson, and always worked to keep a close relationship with NASA. “I knew when I joined the team that NASA wanted to build a space transportation system that was reliable enough and low-cost enough for people to be able to go to other planets. That sounded very kind of outer-worldly to me at that time in 2002,” she said. “But I certainly understood that if we were to achieve that, we would certainly do that hand-in-hand with NASA. So I’ve seen this company grow from roughly 10 employees to the thousands that we have now.” Yet along with that growth, Shotwell added, came a lot of failures, which the company has seen its fair share of primarily during tests but also operational missions. In 2015, SpaceX’s seventh space-station cargo resupply mission for NASA disintegrated late in its launch. The company also lost a commercial telecommunications satellite to a flawed pressure tank design when a Falcon 9 exploded during a launchpad test in September 2016. Over the past two years, SpaceX also saw parachute issues and an explosive escape engine test on the ground, problems which both the company and NASA say they’ve resolved and closed. “Even today, when we’re talking about flying people and flying other precious cargo as well, you have to learn those hard lessons,” Shotwell said. “I think sometimes the aerospace industry shies away from failure in the development phase. It looks bad, politically. It’s tough, and the media certainly makes a lot out of failures.” But, she added, “the best way to learn is to push your systems to their limit, which includes your people, systems, and your processes, and learn where you’re weak and make things better.” Kathy Lueders, who manages the Commercial Crew Program for NASA, said such lessons have not only been transferred from SpaceX but also learned in partnership with the company – and through disagreements with it. “The best way to learn technically is to have a healthy tension and dynamic and be able to have to defend technical positions. And SpaceX makes us defend technical positions, as we make SpaceX technical positions,” Lueders said. “What that does is creates a body of work that I think we, as an agency, have really been able to build and I can tell you are building on [for] our future programs. So I think this has been a great relationship for the both of us over the last 13 years.” Personally, Shotwell said, she will not rest until Behnken and Hurley safely complete their mission. “My heart is sitting right here, and I think it’s going to stay there until we get Bob and Doug safely back from the International Space Station,” She said, holding her finger up to her throat. “But between now and then, there’s still work to do. I’ve got thousands of SpaceX employees who are focused on this mission.” Shotwell described Behnken and Hurley as “badass” test pilots and astronauts, but also dads and people. She noted that SpaceX employees put photos of the crew on electronic work orders for Crew Dragon to keep the stakes of their task front-and-center. “I will start sleeping again when they when they’re back safely on the planet,” Shotwell told Marcia Dunn of the Associated Press. “I don’t think I need to remind my employees how important this is. They remind themselves, and they are helpful in reminding me.” Behnken said during another press briefing that SpaceX’s agility has impressed him most about Crew Dragon’s development. He also indicated that the ability to work quickly gives him more confidence going into his historic flight – the first debut of a new human-rated spaceship since 1981. “Doug and I flew on shuttle missions separated by a couple of years,” Behnken told Business Insider on Friday. “We [didn’t] get, probably, the same level of change that we can get in a month from the SpaceX team during the couple of years that was between our shuttle flights.” He added: “I hope I don’t have to see it: That agility in response to an issue during our mission. But we’ve seen it during the development process, and I know they could execute it if we needed them to while we are in orbit.”

2 May 15:34 Business Insider Malaysia https://www.businessinsider.my/gwynne-shotwell-spacex-nasa-astronauts-demo2-mission-company-failures-2020-5
Rating: 0.30
'We've grown up': SpaceX's failures prepared it to launch its first NASA astronauts, says rocket company president Gwynne Shotwell

SpaceX, for the first time in the company’s 18-year history, is poised to rocket humans into space. But the company wouldn’t have grown enough to be ready for the feat if not for its many failures, Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer, said Friday during a series of NASA press briefings. “We’ve grown up,” Shotwell told Business Insider. “It was a little Wild West early on, but candidly I think that those beginnings and those roots are critically important to our success.” The company joined pre-mission briefings to answer questions about Demo-2, SpaceX’s upcoming mission to launch NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley toward the International Space Station (ISS). The flight will be SpaceX’s first with passengers, who will pilot the company’s new Crew Dragon spaceship after launching atop a 23-story Falcon 9 rocket. Demo-2 is currently planned for May 27 at 4:32 p.m. ET. On Friday, NASA officials said the backup launch day is May 30, and that the astronaut’s stay at the ISS may last for more than six months. Shotwell joined the first virtual press conference with NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine and top members of the Commercial Crew Program Friday. The roughly $US8 billion public-private partnership began in 2010 to eventually replace NASA’s space shuttle fleet, which was retired in July 2011. SpaceX won its first contract through the program in September 2014, though the company has officially worked with NASA since 2006. “Hopefully, NASA has enjoyed the relationship as much as we have. We’ve learned from them. We’ve obviously been pleased by their financial support, their technical support, wisdom, and knowledge and helping us get to this day,” Shotwell told Ars Technica’s Eric Berger during the briefing. Shotwell said she joined SpaceX in 2002 as its chief salesperson, and always worked to keep a close relationship with NASA. “I knew when I joined the team that NASA wanted to build a space transportation system that was reliable enough and low-cost enough for people to be able to go to other planets. That sounded very kind of outer-worldly to me at that time in 2002,” she said. “But I certainly understood that if we were to achieve that, we would certainly do that hand-in-hand with NASA. So I’ve seen this company grow from roughly 10 employees to the thousands that we have now.” Yet along with that growth, Shotwell added, came a lot of failures, which the company has seen its fair share of primarily during tests but also operational missions. In 2015, SpaceX’s seventh space-station cargo resupply mission for NASA disintegrated late in its launch. The company also lost a commercial telecommunications satellite to a flawed pressure tank design when a Falcon 9 exploded during a launchpad test in September 2016. Over the past two years, SpaceX also saw parachute issues and an explosive escape engine test on the ground, problems which both the company and NASA say they have resolved and closed. “Even today, when we’re talking about flying people and flying other precious cargo as well, you have to learn those hard lessons,” Shotwell said. “I think sometimes the aerospace industry shies away from failure in the development phase. It looks bad, politically. It’s tough, and the media certainly makes a lot out of failures.” But, she added, “the best way to learn is to push your systems to their limit, which includes your people, systems, and your processes, and learn where you’re weak and make things better.” Kathy Lueders, who manages the Commercial Crew Program for NASA, said such lessons have not only been transferred from SpaceX but also learned in partnership with the company – and through disagreements with it. “The best way to learn technically is to have a healthy tension and dynamic and be able to have to defend technical positions. And SpaceX makes us defend technical positions, as we make SpaceX technical positions,” Lueders said. “What that does is creates a body of work that I think we, as an agency, have really been able to build and I can tell you are building on [for] our future programs. So I think this has been a great relationship for the both of us over the last 13 years.” Personally, Shotwell said, she will not rest until Behnken and Hurley safely complete their mission. “My heart is sitting right here, and I think it’s going to stay there until we get Bob and Doug safely back from the International Space Station,” She said, holding her finger up to her throat. “But between now and then, there’s still work to do. I’ve got thousands of SpaceX employees who are focused on this mission.” Shotwell described Behnken and Hurley as “badass” test pilots and astronauts, but also dads and people. She noted that SpaceX employees put photos of the crew on electronic work orders for Crew Dragon to keep the stakes of their task front-and-centre. “I will start sleeping again when they when they’re back safely on the planet,” Shotwell told Marcia Dunn of the Associated Press. “I don’t think I need to remind my employees how important this is. They remind themselves, and they are helpful in reminding me.” Behnken said during another press briefing that SpaceX’s agility has impressed him most about Crew Dragon’s development. He also indicated that the ability to work quickly gives him more confidence going into his historic flight – the first debut of a new human-rated spaceship since 1981. “Doug and I flew on shuttle missions separated by a couple of years,” Behnken told Business Insider on Friday. “We [didn’t] get, probably, the same level of change that we can get in a month from the SpaceX team during the couple of years that was between our shuttle flights.” He added: “I hope I don’t have to see it: That agility in response to an issue during our mission. But we’ve seen it during the development process, and I know they could execute it if we needed them to while we are in orbit.”

2 May 15:34 Business Insider Australia https://www.businessinsider.com.au/gwynne-shotwell-spacex-nasa-astronauts-demo2-mission-company-failures-2020-5
Rating: 0.30
'It was a little Wild West early on': SpaceX's president says the rocket company's failures have prepared it to launch its first NASA astronauts, Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore

SpaceX, for the first time in the company’s 18-year history, is poised to rocket humans into space. But the company wouldn’t have grown enough to be ready for the feat if not for its many failures, Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer, said Friday during a series of NASA press briefings. “We’ve grown up,” Shotwell told Business Insider. “It was a little Wild West early on, but candidly I think that those beginnings and those roots are critically important to our success.” The company joined pre-mission briefings to answer questions about Demo-2, SpaceX’s upcoming mission to launch NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley toward the International Space Station (ISS). The flight will be SpaceX’s first with passengers, who will pilot the company’s new Crew Dragon spaceship after launching atop a 23-story Falcon 9 rocket. Demo-2 is currently planned for May 27 at 4:32 p.m. ET. On Friday, NASA officials said the backup launch day is May 30, and that the astronaut’s stay at the ISS may last for more than six months. Shotwell joined the first virtual press conference with NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine and top members of the Commercial Crew Program Friday. The roughly $8 billion public-private partnership began in 2010 to eventually replace NASA’s space shuttle fleet, which was retired in July 2011. SpaceX won its first contract through the program in September 2014, though the company has officially worked with NASA since 2006. “Hopefully, NASA has enjoyed the relationship as much as we have. We’ve learned from them. We’ve obviously been pleased by their financial support, their technical support, wisdom, and knowledge and helping us get to this day,” Shotwell told Ars Technica’s Eric Berger during the briefing. Shotwell said she joined SpaceX in 2002 as its chief salesperson, and always worked to keep a close relationship with NASA. “I knew when I joined the team that NASA wanted to build a space transportation system that was reliable enough and low-cost enough for people to be able to go to other planets. That sounded very kind of outer-worldly to me at that time in 2002,” she said. “But I certainly understood that if we were to achieve that, we would certainly do that hand-in-hand with NASA. So I’ve seen this company grow from roughly 10 employees to the thousands that we have now.” Yet along with that growth, Shotwell added, came a lot of failures, which the company has seen its fair share of primarily during tests but also operational missions. In 2015, SpaceX’s seventh space-station cargo resupply mission for NASA disintegrated late in its launch. The company also lost a commercial telecommunications satellite to a flawed pressure tank design when a Falcon 9 exploded during a launchpad test in September 2016. Over the past two years, SpaceX also saw parachute issues and an explosive escape engine test on the ground, problems which both the company and NASA say they’ve resolved and closed. “Even today, when we’re talking about flying people and flying other precious cargo as well, you have to learn those hard lessons,” Shotwell said. “I think sometimes the aerospace industry shies away from failure in the development phase. It looks bad, politically. It’s tough, and the media certainly makes a lot out of failures.” But, she added, “the best way to learn is to push your systems to their limit, which includes your people, systems, and your processes, and learn where you’re weak and make things better.” Kathy Lueders, who manages the Commercial Crew Program for NASA, said such lessons have not only been transferred from SpaceX but also learned in partnership with the company – and through disagreements with it. “The best way to learn technically is to have a healthy tension and dynamic and be able to have to defend technical positions. And SpaceX makes us defend technical positions, as we make SpaceX technical positions,” Lueders said. “What that does is creates a body of work that I think we, as an agency, have really been able to build and I can tell you are building on [for] our future programs. So I think this has been a great relationship for the both of us over the last 13 years.” Personally, Shotwell said, she will not rest until Behnken and Hurley safely complete their mission. “My heart is sitting right here, and I think it’s going to stay there until we get Bob and Doug safely back from the International Space Station,” She said, holding her finger up to her throat. “But between now and then, there’s still work to do. I’ve got thousands of SpaceX employees who are focused on this mission.” Shotwell described Behnken and Hurley as “badass” test pilots and astronauts, but also dads and people. She noted that SpaceX employees put photos of the crew on electronic work orders for Crew Dragon to keep the stakes of their task front-and-center. “I will start sleeping again when they when they’re back safely on the planet,” Shotwell told Marcia Dunn of the Associated Press. “I don’t think I need to remind my employees how important this is. They remind themselves, and they are helpful in reminding me.” Behnken said during another press briefing that SpaceX’s agility has impressed him most about Crew Dragon’s development. He also indicated that the ability to work quickly gives him more confidence going into his historic flight – the first debut of a new human-rated spaceship since 1981. “Doug and I flew on shuttle missions separated by a couple of years,” Behnken told Business Insider on Friday. “We [didn’t] get, probably, the same level of change that we can get in a month from the SpaceX team during the couple of years that was between our shuttle flights.” He added: “I hope I don’t have to see it: That agility in response to an issue during our mission. But we’ve seen it during the development process, and I know they could execute it if we needed them to while we are in orbit.”

2 May 15:34 www.businessinsider.sg https://www.businessinsider.sg/gwynne-shotwell-spacex-nasa-astronauts-demo2-mission-company-failures-2020-5
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Technology
There's a new competitor in the world of eerily lifelike four-legged robots — take a closer look at Unitree's robot dogs

2 May 12:07 4 articles
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There's a new competitor in the world of eerily lifelike four-legged robots — take a closer look at Unitree's robot dogs

The world of four-legged robotic dogs just got a little bigger. Chinese robotics company Unitree debuted its newest robot, the A1, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier in 2020. Now, Unitree is using social media to show off the tricks the new robots can do. The robot is small, about one foot wide and two feet long, and it can move shockingly quickly. Unitree says the robot's walking speed is about ten feet per second or seven miles per hour. Walking isn't the only thing they can do, either — videos show them performing all kinds of jumps and flips, thanks to flexible joints and a strong motor. Each foot even has sensors that take in information to send to the motor to make movements more efficient. The A1 weighs about 26 pounds, including its battery, and has a battery life of up to two hours. It can also carry up to 11 pounds, with potential as a delivery robot. A smart camera enables real-time video transmission, with many potential private and public uses for the robot. The A1 is already being compared to Boston Dynamic's Spot robot, arguably the most well-known four-legged robot, with designs that mirror lifelike movements that resemble people and animals leading to an uncanny valley effect that may make viewers uncomfortable. Spot has elicited both positive and negative responses for its uses, like screening patients for coronavirus in a Boston hospital or working with the Massachusetts State Police. For now, Unitree seems to be looking towards private ownership, tweeting that the robot could be a "future pet" and that they are "running with you to the future." The company also emphasizes that it will cost less than $10,000, though it does not name a specific price. Here's what the A1 looks like.  

2 May 12:07 Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/unitree-new-robot-dog-compared-to-boston-dynamics-spot-robot-2020-5
Rating: 4.40
There's a new competitor in the world of eerily lifelike four-legged robots — take a closer look at Unitree's robot dogs

The world of four-legged robotic dogs just got a little bigger. Chinese robotics company Unitree debuted its newest robot, the A1, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier in 2020. Now, Unitree is using social media to show off the tricks the new robots can do. The robot is small, about one foot wide and two feet long, and it can move shockingly quickly. Unitree says the robot’s walking speed is about ten feet per second or seven miles per hour. Walking isn’t the only thing they can do, either – videos show them performing all kinds of jumps and flips, thanks to flexible joints and a strong motor. Each foot even has sensors that take in information to send to the motor to make movements more efficient. The A1 weighs about 26 pounds, including its battery, and has a battery life of up to two hours. It can also carry up to 11 pounds, with potential as a delivery robot. A smart camera enables real-time video transmission, with many potential private and public uses for the robot. The A1 is already being compared to Boston Dynamic’s Spot robot, arguably the most well-known four-legged robot, with designs that mirror lifelike movements that resemble people and animals leading to an uncanny valley effect that may make viewers uncomfortable. Spot has elicited both positive and negative responses for its uses, like screening patients for coronavirus in a Boston hospital or working with the Massachusetts State Police. For now, Unitree seems to be looking towards private ownership, tweeting that the robot could be a “future pet” and that they are “running with you to the future.” The company also emphasises that it will cost less than $US10,000, though it does not name a specific price. Here’s what the A1 looks like.

2 May 12:07 Business Insider Australia https://www.businessinsider.com.au/unitree-new-robot-dog-compared-to-boston-dynamics-spot-robot-2020-5
Rating: 0.30
There’s a new competitor in the world of eerily lifelike four-legged robots — take a closer look at Unitree’s robot dogs

The world of four-legged robotic dogs just got a little bigger. Chinese robotics company Unitree debuted its newest robot, the A1, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier in 2020. Now, Unitree is using social media to show off the tricks the new robots can do. The robot is small, about one foot wide and two feet long, and it can move shockingly quickly. Unitree says the robot’s walking speed is about ten feet per second or seven miles per hour. Walking isn’t the only thing they can do, either – videos show them performing all kinds of jumps and flips, thanks to flexible joints and a strong motor. Each foot even has sensors that take in information to send to the motor to make movements more efficient. The A1 weighs about 26 pounds, including its battery, and has a battery life of up to two hours. It can also carry up to 11 pounds, with potential as a delivery robot. A smart camera enables real-time video transmission, with many potential private and public uses for the robot. The A1 is already being compared to Boston Dynamic’s Spot robot, arguably the most well-known four-legged robot, with designs that mirror lifelike movements that resemble people and animals leading to an uncanny valley effect that may make viewers uncomfortable. Spot has elicited both positive and negative responses for its uses, like screening patients for coronavirus in a Boston hospital or working with the Massachusetts State Police. For now, Unitree seems to be looking towards private ownership, tweeting that the robot could be a “future pet” and that they are “running with you to the future.” The company also emphasizes that it will cost less than $10,000, though it does not name a specific price. Here’s what the A1 looks like.

2 May 12:07 Business Insider Malaysia https://www.businessinsider.my/unitree-new-robot-dog-compared-to-boston-dynamics-spot-robot-2020-5
Rating: 0.30
There's a new competitor in the world of eerily lifelike four-legged robots — take a closer look at Unitree's robot dogs, Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore

The world of four-legged robotic dogs just got a little bigger. Chinese robotics company Unitree debuted its newest robot, the A1, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier in 2020. Now, Unitree is using social media to show off the tricks the new robots can do. The robot is small, about one foot wide and two feet long, and it can move shockingly quickly. Unitree says the robot’s walking speed is about ten feet per second or seven miles per hour. Walking isn’t the only thing they can do, either – videos show them performing all kinds of jumps and flips, thanks to flexible joints and a strong motor. Each foot even has sensors that take in information to send to the motor to make movements more efficient. The A1 weighs about 26 pounds, including its battery, and has a battery life of up to two hours. It can also carry up to 11 pounds, with potential as a delivery robot. A smart camera enables real-time video transmission, with many potential private and public uses for the robot. The A1 is already being compared to Boston Dynamic’s Spot robot, arguably the most well-known four-legged robot, with designs that mirror lifelike movements that resemble people and animals leading to an uncanny valley effect that may make viewers uncomfortable. Spot has elicited both positive and negative responses for its uses, like screening patients for coronavirus in a Boston hospital or working with the Massachusetts State Police. For now, Unitree seems to be looking towards private ownership, tweeting that the robot could be a “future pet” and that they are “running with you to the future.” The company also emphasizes that it will cost less than $10,000, though it does not name a specific price. Here’s what the A1 looks like.

2 May 12:07 www.businessinsider.sg https://www.businessinsider.sg/unitree-new-robot-dog-compared-to-boston-dynamics-spot-robot-2020-5
Rating: 0.30
Technology
A rare Mercedes that was hidden away in a barn collecting dust for more than 40 years just sold for $1.1 million

2 May 12:00 3 articles
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A rare Mercedes that was hidden away in a barn collecting dust for more than 40 years just sold for $1.1 million

A Midwesterner's ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster that had been hidden away for more than 40 years just sold for more than $1 million.  Seven figures is undeniably a huge sum for what looks like a dusty old sports car, but this isn't just any dusty old sports car.  In today's classic-car market, the 300SL Roadster and its Gullwing sibling are two of the hottest collectibles money can buy. All in all, Mercedes only built 1,848 Roadsters between 1957 and 1963, and the Roadster that just sold is one of only 249 produced for the 1960 model year, according to the dealership that sold it.  They generally go for at least $1 million at auction, and untouched "survivor" cars like this one can be even more prized than restorations. That's why it doesn't come as a surprise that after the car was listed by New York-based classic-car dealership Gullwing Motor Cars for $1.095 million, the dealership confirmed to Business Insider that it went for the full asking price. Besides being tucked away in a barn for four decades, this particular 300SL Roadster came with low miles and a known ownership history, making it particularly valuable.  Learn more about this remarkable, 60-year-old Mercedes — initially dug up by Barn Finds — that's worth more than $1 million even in non-running condition: Source: Hemmings

2 May 12:00 Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/300sl-roadster-mercedes-benz-gullwing-barn-find-sold-million-2020-5
Rating: 4.40
A rare Mercedes that was hidden away in a barn collecting dust for more than 40 years just sold for $1.1 million

A Midwesterner’s ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster that had been hidden away for more than 40 years just sold for more than $1 million. Seven figures is undeniably a huge sum for what looks like a dusty old sports car, but this isn’t just any dusty old sports car. In today’s classic-car market, the 300SL Roadster and its Gullwing sibling are two of the hottest collectibles money can buy. All in all, Mercedes only built 1,848 Roadsters between 1957 and 1963, and the Roadster that just sold is one of only 249 produced for the 1960 model year, according to the dealership that sold it. They generally go for at least $1 million at auction, and untouched “survivor” cars like this one can be even more prized than restorations. That’s why it doesn’t come as a surprise that after the car was listed by New York-based classic-car dealership Gullwing Motor Cars for $1.095 million, the dealership confirmed to Business Insider that it went for the full asking price. Besides being tucked away in a barn for four decades, this particular 300SL Roadster came with low miles and a known ownership history, making it particularly valuable. Learn more about this remarkable, 60-year-old Mercedes – initially dug up by Barn Finds – that’s worth more than $1 million even in non-running condition: Source: Hemmings

2 May 12:00 Business Insider Malaysia https://www.businessinsider.my/300sl-roadster-mercedes-benz-gullwing-barn-find-sold-million-2020-5
Rating: 0.30
A rare Mercedes that was hidden away in a barn collecting dust for more than 40 years just sold for $1.1 million, Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore

A Midwesterner’s ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster that had been hidden away for more than 40 years just sold for more than $1 million. Seven figures is undeniably a huge sum for what looks like a dusty old sports car, but this isn’t just any dusty old sports car. In today’s classic-car market, the 300SL Roadster and its Gullwing sibling are two of the hottest collectibles money can buy. All in all, Mercedes only built 1,848 Roadsters between 1957 and 1963, and the Roadster that just sold is one of only 249 produced for the 1960 model year, according to the dealership that sold it. They generally go for at least $1 million at auction, and untouched “survivor” cars like this one can be even more prized than restorations. That’s why it doesn’t come as a surprise that after the car was listed by New York-based classic-car dealership Gullwing Motor Cars for $1.095 million, the dealership confirmed to Business Insider that it went for the full asking price. Besides being tucked away in a barn for four decades, this particular 300SL Roadster came with low miles and a known ownership history, making it particularly valuable. Learn more about this remarkable, 60-year-old Mercedes – initially dug up by Barn Finds – that’s worth more than $1 million even in non-running condition: Source: Hemmings

2 May 12:00 www.businessinsider.sg https://www.businessinsider.sg/300sl-roadster-mercedes-benz-gullwing-barn-find-sold-million-2020-5
Rating: 0.30
Technology
Space X passes final parachute test ahead its historic launch on May 27 that will mark America's first manned spaceflight in nearly nine years before their 2024 Moon trip

2 May 21:27 12 articles
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Space X passes final parachute test ahead its historic launch on May 27 that will mark America's first manned spaceflight in nearly nine years before their 2024 Moon trip

Space X completed its final parachute test as the aerospace company and Nasa prepare to launch two astronauts to the International Space Station on May 27.  Space X, founded by Elon Musk, shared news of the successful test run Friday on Twitter as they gear up for the historic lift off of Demo-2, the first crewed test flight  of the Crew Dragon spacecraft.  '27th and final test of Crew Dragon’s upgraded Mark 3 parachutes complete,' Space X wrote. 'One step closer to flying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station and safely returning them back home to Earth.' A photo of the test showed the Crew Dragon's parachutes fully functional as it safely floated to the ground.  Space enthusiasts are anticipating the launch as it is latest step is helping push the U.S. back to the front of human spaceflight. It will be America's first manned spaceflight in nearly nine years.  NASA has been unable to fly astronauts since the Space Shuttle fleet was retired 2011, and have been forced to rely on Russian Soyuz rockets for rides to the International Space Station at $84million a seat. Space officials also complete an investigation into an engine failure on the first stage of the Space X Falcon 9 rocket during a previous launch in March.  During that test, 60 of Space X's Starlink internet satellites were aboard, Space.com reports.  The misstep didn't interfere with the overall mission since the satellites reached orbit, but NASA and Space X conducted an investigation since the upcoming launch would also use a Falcon 9 rockte.  'We have reviewed the anomaly resolution of the Starlink launch and actually have cleared the engines on our vehicle for that failure,"said  Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.  Space X has developed Crew Dragon in contact with the Commercial Crew Program.   In 2014, NASA awarded contracts to Boeing and SpaceX to create a spacecraft capable of flying humans to the space station.  The following years were bogged down by funding issues and technical problems that halted progress.  However, Space X's deal includes finishing the capsule and flying six operational crew missions to and from ISS.   Meanwhile, Boeing has had difficulty with its Starliner spacecraft, including arriving in the wrong orbit during a test flight and problems with deploying parachutes. It’s unclear when Boeing will need to send another Starliner to the space station without launching astronauts later this year An investigation team is still looking into why the Starliner's automated timer was off by 11 hours during the December test flight. NASA's Artemis mission that is set to land the first woman and next man on the moon has just turned into a space race between billionaires. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX have been chosen to develop human landing systems for the mission set to launch in 2024. Along with the two tech tycoons, NASA has also awarded Dynetics part of the 10 month contract that totals $967 million.   The firms are set to create lander concepts by 2021 and NASA will then pick one or more winners to begin building the spacecraft.  Bringing humans back to the moon has been a dream of NASA for years, but with the Artemis mission just four years away, the agency is working tirelessly to make sure it becomes a reality. The US has not had a human landing system since 1972, but the technologies are vital for the American space agency's deep space exploration plans.  NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said during a live feed of the announcement: 'It is important that the agency do this now, our country and in fact the whole world has been shaken by the coronavirus.' 'We need to give people hope and something dream about that will inspire the nation and the entire world.' 'With these contract awards, America is moving forward with the final step needed to land astronauts on the Moon by 2024, including the incredible moment when we will see the first woman set foot on the lunar surface.' NASA awarded the Blue Origin team with $579 million, the Dynetics team with $253 million and SpaceX with $135 million. Boeing, in partnership with Aerojet Rocketdyne, also bid on HLS but was not awarded with a study contract. The Boeing proposal included using an upgraded Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which Boeing is currently building for NASA. Blue Origin, which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, is developing the Integrated Lander Vehicle (ILV). This is a three-stage lander that will launch on the firm's own New Glenn Rocket System and ULA Vulcan launch system. Bezos revealed plans of 'going to the moon' in 2019, when he shared elaborate concept images of self-sustaining space habitats reminiscent of the film Interstellar, with lush greenery and futuristic homes within its walls. Blue Origin said its lunar lander, dubbed Blue Moon, will be able to carry all sorts of payloads to the surface and can hold 'multiple metric tons.' The craft will 'enable a sustained human presence on the moon,' the company said. And, according to the CEO, the company already has about six customers. The lander builds upon technology the firm has been testing over the past few years in its New Shepard rocket, including propulsion and precision guidance, as well as the vertical landing system. The firm has quietly been developing Blue Moon for years. SpaceX has also joined the team and is set to design its Starship rocket, which it is currently developing and refining in Texas. SpaceX said a 'lunar optimized Starship' would bring crew from lunar orbit to the Moon's surface under NASA's Artemis program. 'A lunar optimized Starship can fly many times between the surface of the Moon and lunar orbit without flaps or heat shielding required for Earth return,' the company said. However, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Bridenstine have a history of bad blood, so it may be a surprise the firm was chosen as for this project. During a conference in 2019, Bridenstine re-hashed Tweets criticizing SpaceX for failing to meet timelines for the development of its Crew Dragon spacecraft, saying they were meant as a warning to all of the space agency's contractors about setting realistic development schedules. 'I have been focused on returning to realism when it comes to costs and schedules,' said the NASA Administrator. 'So I was signaling - and I haven't done it just to SpaceX but to all of our contractors - that we need more realism built into the development timelines.' But Musk has been working with NASA to develop the Crew Dragon capsule that will shuttle US astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). NASA has also chosen Dynetics to design the human landing system, which will work the Dynetics Human Landing System (DHLS) – a single structure providing the ascent and descent capabilities that will launch on the ULA Vulcan launch system. The Alabama-based firm has excelled in designing a myriad of useful components for space, including satellites, propulsion systems, vehicles, satellites and more. NASA's partners will refine their lander concepts during the 10 month contracts. During that time, the agency will evaluate which of the contractors will perform initial demonstration missions and then choose the final designs to be develop for Artemis. Lisa Watson-Morgan, HLS program manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, said: 'I am confident in NASA's partnership with these companies to help achieve the Artemis mission and develop the human landing system returning us to the Moon.' 'We have a history of proven lunar technical expertise and capabilities at Marshall and across NASA that will pave the way for our efforts to quickly and safely land humans on the Moon in 2024. Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology.  NASA has chosen her to personify its path back to the Moon, which will see astronauts return to the lunar surface by 2024 -  including the first woman and the next man. Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars.  Artemis 1 will be the first integrated flight test of NASA’s deep space exploration system: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.   Artemis 1 will be an uncrewed flight that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration, and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.  During this flight, the spacecraft will launch on the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. It will travel 280,000 miles (450,600 km) from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the Moon over the course of about a three-week mission.  Orion will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.  With this first exploration mission, NASA is leading the next steps of human exploration into deep space where astronauts will build and begin testing the systems near the Moon needed for lunar surface missions and exploration to other destinations farther from Earth, including Mars.  The will take crew on a different trajectory and test Orion’s critical systems with humans aboard. The SLS rocket will from an initial configuration capable of sending more than 26 metric tons to the Moon, to a final configuration that can send at least 45 metric tons.  Together, Orion, SLS and the ground systems at Kennedy will be able to meet the most challenging crew and cargo mission needs in deep space. Eventually NASA seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon by 2028 as a result of the Artemis mission. The space agency hopes this colony will uncover new scientific discoveries, demonstrate new technological advancements and lay the foundation for private companies to build a lunar economy. 

2 May 21:27 Mail Online https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8281113/Space-X-passes-final-parachute-test-ahead-historic-launch-27.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
Rating: 4.11
SpaceX releases rare footage of Elon Musk celebrating recent rocket explosion

As the historic return of human spaceflight from American soil rapidly approaches, SpaceX takes a moment to highlight the Crew Dragon’s most recent accomplishment. During a Commercial Crew and International Space Station overview news conference held Friday, May 1st, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer, Gwynne Shotwell debuted new 4K footage of the recent Crew Dragon In-Flight Abort Test. The test, which occurred on January 19th, 2020 from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, demonstrated the Crew Dragon’s capability to keep astronaut occupants safe should a launch ascent emergency abort scenario occur. Prior to making her remarks and answering questions, Shotwell called attention to the video highlighting the Super Draco launch escape system – a defining character difference between Crew Dragon and the cargo variant of the capsule that is used to shuttle resupply missions to and from the International Space Station. The In-Flight Abort test was the final demonstration of the redesigned Super Draco abort thrusters following a catastrophic explosion in March 2019 that resulted in the complete loss of the Demonstration 1 Mission Crew Dragon capsule. The Super Draco thrusters are used to rapidly propel the capsule away from a failing first-stage booster and ensure the safety of all crew members aboard. Along with eight Super Draco abort thrusters, the Crew Dragon capsule also features sixteen maneuvering Draco thrusters. These work in an abort scenario to ensure attitude control – flipping and orienting the capsule to prevent loss of control and ensure proper orientation for parachute deployment. The recap video included footage of the Super Draco thruster system performing successfully and propelling the Crew Dragon capsule away from the first-stage Falcon 9 booster that was experiencing an intentional engine shut down. Shortly after, the video displays a never-before-seen view of the capsule ejecting its trunk prior to parachute deployment. The recap video differs from the typical SpaceX launch webcast in that it features a more behind-the-scenes look at launch – and splashdown – proceedings. SpaceX engineers along with NASA astronauts and company founder Elon Musk are seen inside Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center. The facility was once used to monitor crewed launches during the space shuttle era. The next time it will be used will be during the first crewed launch of a new human spaceflight vehicle since the debut crewed flight of the space shuttle in 1981. The upcoming Crew Dragon Demonstration 2 Mission is currently set to liftoff no earlier than 4:23pm ET on Wednesday, May 27th.

2 May 21:09 Teslarati https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-crew-dragon-in-flight-abort-test-4k-video/
Rating: 0.56
SpaceX aces last Dragon parachute test before crew launch

SpaceX completed Friday the last drop test of the Dragon crew capsule’s parachutes before the first launch of astronauts on the human-rated ship May 27, while technicians at Cape Canaveral have mated the spacecraft’s crew module with its unpressurized trunk section. The drop test from a C-130 cargo plane Friday was the 27th and final test of the “Mark 3” parachute design SpaceX will use for the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Drogue parachutes and then four main chutes unfurled from a test vehicle designed to mimic the Crew Dragon’s weight during return to Earth. SpaceX said in a tweet that the parachute test moves the Crew Dragon “one step closer” to flying NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station, “and safely returning them back to Earth. Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Dragon processing team at Cape Canaveral have connected the spaceship’s pressurized crew module with the spacecraft’s rear trunk, which generates electricity through body-mounted solar panels and houses radiators for thermal control in orbit. The parachute and spacecraft processing milestones kick off a busy month of preparations ahead of the the Crew Dragon’s launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set for May 27 from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The test flight will head for the International Space Station, where Behnken and Hurley will live and work for one-to-four months before returning to Earth for a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean just off Florida’s East Coast. The launch later this month will mark the first time astronauts have flown into Earth orbit from a U.S. spaceport since the retirement of the space shuttle in July 2011. “My heart is sitting right here (motioning to throat), and I think it’s going to stay there until we get Bob and Doug safely back from the International Space Station,” said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer, in a press conference Friday. “But between now and then, there’s still work to do.” NASA has awarded SpaceX more than $3.1 billion since 2011 to develop, test and fly the Crew Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX has put in its own funding, but Shotwell could not provide a figure Friday for the level of internal funds SpaceX has spent on developing the crew capsule. The public-private partnership is a hallmark of NASA’s strategy since the end of the space shuttle program to commercialize transportation to and from low Earth orbit, beginning with cargo services for the space station pioneered by SpaceX’s Dragon capsule and the Cygnus supply ship owned by Northrop Grumman, formerly known as Orbital ATK. “This is a new generation, a new era in human spaceflight,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “And when I say it’s new what I mean is, NASA has long had this idea that we need to purchase, own and operate hardware to get to space. In the past that has been true, but now, in this new era … NASA has an ability to be a customer, one customer of many customers in a very robust commercial marketplace in low Earth orbit.” NASA selected Boeing alongside SpaceX in 2014 to design and build new commercial spaceships to ferry astronauts to and from the space station. Boeing’s Starliner ship is unlikely to fly with astronauts until early 2021 after an unpiloted test flight in December encountered software trouble, preventing the capsule from docking with the space station. Bridenstine said NASA and SpaceX are continuing preparations for the Crew Dragon test flight — designated Demo-2 — amid the coronavirus pandemic while introducing new physical distancing guidelines for the astronauts and support teams. “We’re going to do it in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic,” Bridenstine said. “I’m going to tell you that this is a high-priority mission for the United States of America. We, as a nation, have not had our own access to the International Space Station for nine years.” In the time since the last shuttle flight, all astronauts traveling to the space station have flown aboard Russian Soyuz capsules. In the most recent agreement with Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, NASA paid the Russian government more than $80 million per round-trip seat on the Soyuz spacecraft. NASA’s inspector general last year reported the agency is paying SpaceX approximately $55 million per Crew Dragon seat. Kathy Lueders, manager of NASA’s commercial crew program, said Friday that NASA and SpaceX engineers are “making sure that all the Is are dotted and Ts are crossed” in preparation for the Crew Dragon launch. In parallel with hardware preparations at the Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX and NASA engineers are completing pre-flight data analyses, safety assessments and readiness reviews. The work in the coming weeks will make sure SpaceX and NASA “are ready for this important mission to safely fly Bob and Doug up to the International Space Station, serve as a lifeboat, and return them to their families,” Lueders said. “This is a humbling job,” she said. “I think we’re up to it.” Behnken, 49, will serve as joint operations commander for the Demo-2 mission, responsible for rendezvous, docking, undocking and other activities at the International Space Station. Hurley, 53, will be the spacecraft commander, responsible for launch, landing and recovery, according to NASA. Both astronauts joined NASA’s astronaut corps in 2000, and each has flown twice on space shuttle missions. Behnken and Hurley are also both married to other astronauts. “I think we have a different perspective of the importance of coming to Florida, launching again on an American rocket from the Florida coast,” Behnken said. “And generations of people who maybe didn’t get a chance to see a space shuttle launch, getting a chance again to see human spaceflight in our own backyard, if you will, is pretty exciting to be a part of. “I think that’s the thing that’s most exciting for me, as well as on my first flight, I didn’t have a small child,” he said. “I didn’t have a son, so I’m really excited to share the mission with him and have him have a chance to be old enough at six to see it and share it with me when I get home and while I’m on orbit.” Hurley piloted the shuttle Atlantis on the final space shuttle mission in July 2011. “It’s well past time to be launching an American rocket from the Florida coast to the International Space Station, and I am certainly honored to be part of it,” Hurley said. “We would be asked questions along the lines of, well, the space program is over because the shuttle is not flying,” Hurley said. “And that certainly was not the case. We’ve had people on board the International Space Station since the fall of 2000. And we continue to fly to the space station on Soyuz vehicles. So part of it was just a lack of understanding by the public as far as what we were continuing to do as an agency, but it was also the time it took to develop new vehicles in order to take their place, take the shuttle’s place, to get folks to and from the International Space Station from the United States.” Once Behnken and Hurley return to Earth, NASA will formally certify the Crew Dragon for regular crew rotation flights to the space station, each carrying four astronauts. Another Crew Dragon is scheduled for launch later this year with three NASA astronauts and a Japanese space flier. The Dragon crew has essentially been in quarantine since March, when the threat of coronavirus interrupted daily life for millions of Americans. Behnken and Hurley will begin a formal quarantine protocol next week, then spend a few days inside a controlled facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston before flying to Kennedy in a NASA aircraft May 20. The astronauts will participate in a final integrated simulation Monday with NASA and SpaceX ground controllers and mission managers. “Then we start a quarantine process which escalates as we get closer to launch,” Hurley said. “And we also get some off time to kind of get everything in our lives sort of squared away since we’ve been busy getting ready for this flight, and we are likely to be in space for a few months.” “We have a few more sims with SpaceX, we’ll have some proficiency sims later on, before we go down to Kennedy,” Hurley said. “And then we’ll get down to Kennedy around six or seven days before launch and then spend the rest of the time (in Florida) prepping from that location in the astronaut crew quarters down there.” SpaceX plans a flight test readiness review May 8, followed by a NASA-led test readiness review May 11. Lueders said Friday that NASA has reviewed SpaceX’s investigation into an engine failure that occurred on a Falcon 9 launch in March. One of the rocket’s nine Merlin engines shut down prematurely during a launch with 60 Starlink Internet satellites, but the rocket overcame the malfunction and still delivered the payloads to their intended orbit. “We’re finishing testing on some other launch vehicle components,” Lueders said. “We have reviewed the anomaly resolution of the Starlink launch and actually have cleared the engines on our vehicle for that failure, so that actually is behind us right now. “But like everybody knows, the spacecraft is still processing, the launch vehicle is still processing, and as you’re processing vehicles there are little issues that come up that we have to work through,” Lueders said. “Most of our human certification activities are being completed with this mission, so the team is going through really about 95 percent of the human-rating certification on this mission.” In mid-May the Dragon spacecraft is expected to be transferred from a processing facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to the nearby Kennedy Space Center, where the crew capsule will be attached to its Falcon 9 launcher inside a hangar near the southern perimeter of pad 39A. Behnken and Hurley are scheduled to fly to Florida’s Space Coast on May 20. A test-firing of the Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled around May 22, followed the next day by a “dry dress” rehearsal when the astronauts will put on their black and white SpaceX flight suits and strap inside the Crew Dragon spacecraft at the launch pad. A launch readiness review is scheduled for May 25. On May 27, Behnken and Hurley will again put on their flight suits inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy, the same facility where Apollo and shuttle astronauts prepared for launch. They will ride inside a Tesla Model X from the O&C Building to pad 39A, passing by the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building and the Press Site on the way to the seaside launch complex. They will begin boarding the Crew Dragon spaceship around three hours before liftoff. SpaceX’s ground crew will close the Dragon’s side hatch and evacuate the pad before fueling of the Falcon 9 rocket with super-chilled kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants. SpaceX’s sleek crew access arm, installed on pad 39A in 2018, will retract around 42 minutes before liftoff. The Dragon’s powerful abort engines will be armed 37 minutes prior to launch, giving the astronauts the ability to escape an explosion or other emergency during fueling of the Falcon 9 rocket. Kerosene and liquid oxygen will begin flowing into the two-stage launcher 35 minutes before liftoff, which is timed for 4:32 p.m. EDT (2032 GMT) on May 27. Assuming liftoff occurs May 27, the Crew Dragon is slated to autonomous dock with the International Space Station on May 28 at approximately 11:29 a.m. EDT (1529 GMT). Hurley and Behnken will take over manual control of the spaceship at multiple points during the Dragon’s trip to the space station, testing out their ability to fly the capsule using novel touchscreen controls in the cockpit.

3 May 00:00 Spaceflightnow https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/05/03/spacex-aces-last-dragon-parachute-test-before-crew-launch/
Rating: 0.30
NASA, SpaceX target historic spaceflight despite pandemic

NASA and SpaceX said Friday they were pressing ahead with plans to launch astronauts to space from US soil for the first time in nearly a decade later on this month, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, both veterans of the Space Shuttle program that was shuttered in 2011, will blast off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on May 27. Should the mission succeed, the US will have achieved its goal of no longer having to buy seats on Russian Soyuz rockets to give its astronauts rides to the International Space Station (ISS). It is also an important stage in NASA's new economic model: the space agency has spent billions on contracts with both SpaceX and Boeing to develop spaceships that will each have to make six round trips to the ISS. The model is supposed to save taxpayers from financial black holes of past programs, as well as some still to come—notably the giant Space Launch System rocket that is supposed to take NASA back to the Moon but is plagued by cost overrun and scheduling delays. NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine told reporters that the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will be only the fifth class of US spacecraft to take humans into orbit, after the storied Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. "If you look globally, this will be the ninth time in history when we put humans on a brand new spacecraft," said Bridenstine. "We're going to do it here in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. I'm going to tell you this is a high priority mission for the United States of America," he added. Behnken and Hurley, who have been training for the "Demo-2" mission for years, will dock with the International Space Station (ISS) and remain there for between one to four months, depending on when the next mission takes place, said NASA's Steve Stich. Crew Dragon is able to remain in orbit for around four months (119 days). Hurley, who was the pilot on the last Space Shuttle mission, admitted it was "disappointing" that the launch won't be a public affair, with crowds discouraged from gathering at Cape Canaveral to witness the spectacle. "We won't have the luxury of our family and friends being there at Kennedy to watch the launch but it's obviously, the right thing to do in the current environment," he said. Win for SpaceX The mission is a major milestone for SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk, who also leads and founded Tesla. His firm, which was started in 2002, has now overtaken aerospace behemoth Boeing, which failed in the uncrewed demonstration mission of its Starliner spacecraft last year and will have to start over. SpaceX, which has received billions of dollars from NASA since the late 2000s, has been supplying cargo to the ISS since 2012, and has established itself as the leader in the private space sector thanks to its reusable rocket, the Falcon 9. "I'll feel a little relief when they're in orbit, I'll feel more relief when they get to the station and then obviously, I will start sleeping again when they're back safely on the planet Earth," said Gwynne Shotwell, the company's chief operating officer. The pandemic has, naturally, impacted the program, but Shotwell said all precautions were being taken to protect the astronauts. "We are ensuring that only essential personnel are near them. They're wearing masks and gloves. We're cleaning the training facility twice daily. "I think we're really doing a great job to ensure that we are not impacting the safety or the health of the astronauts' lives." Half of SpaceX's engineers have been teleworking, and on the day of the launch, NASA personnel in the mission control room will be spaced six feet (two meters) apart. Takeoff is scheduled for 4:42 pm (2042 GMT) on May 27, with space station docking scheduled about 19 hours later, on May 28. © 2020 AFP

2 May 12:38 phys.org https://phys.org/news/2020-05-nasa-spacex-historic-spaceflight-pandemic.html
Rating: 1.30
NASA begs spectators for astronaut launch: Please stay home!

NASA and SpaceX on Friday urged everyone to stay home for the first home launch of astronauts in nearly a decade because of the coronavirus pandemic. Top officials warned the public against traveling to Florida for the May 27 launch of two NASA astronauts aboard a SpaceX rocket to the International Space Station. It will be the first launch of astronauts from NASA´s Kennedy Space Center in nine years – ever since the last space shuttle flight in 2011. It also will be the first attempt by a private company to fly astronauts to orbit. For space space shuttle launches, hundreds of thousands of people would descend on Kennedy Space Center and nearby beaches, said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “The challenge that we´re up against right now is we want to keep everybody safe,” he said. “And so we´re asking people not to travel to the Kennedy Space Center, and I will tell you that makes me sad to even say it. Boy, I wish we could make this into something really spectacular.” Bridenstine urged the public to watch the launch online or on TV from home. “We don’t want an outbreak,” of COVID-19, he told reporters. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell agreed it´s a shame more people won´t be able to enjoy the launch from Florida. But she encouraged people to “be there for the ride with us.” “We’ll be together in spirit more so than in physical space,” she said. NASA and SpaceX already are limiting the number of employees near astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. Anyone coming close must wear masks and gloves, and their temperatures are checked. The astronauts also are staying away from all but the most important training events. Hurley said the two are disappointed their families and friends will have to miss their launch in person, but noted: “Obviously, it´s the right thing to do.” The pair will go into quarantine 1 1/2 weeks before liftoff, first at Johnson Space Center in Houston and then at Kennedy. In both the NASA and SpaceX flight control rooms, staff will be spaced at least 6 feet (2 meters) apart on launch day and throughout the mission, and plenty of hand sanitizer, masks and gloves will be available. NASA has been relying on private companies to deliver cargo and ferry astronauts to the space station, ever since the space shuttle program ended. Russian Soyuz capsules, meanwhile, have been the sole means of crew transportation to the orbiting lab.

3 May 00:00 Daily Times https://dailytimes.com.pk/606640/nasa-begs-spectators-for-astronaut-launch-please-stay-home/
Rating: 0.65
SpaceX to bring astronauts to short-handed Space Station for longer stay

Two NASA astronauts gearing up to ride SpaceX's new space taxi will now be on a mission planned to last more than a month, instead of a week, to help the short-handed crew aboard the International Space Station, the U.S. space agency said on Friday. The launch is scheduled for May 27 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and will arrive at the ISS the following day. The mission, SpaceX's first carrying humans, marks the company's climactic test before NASA can certify its Crew Dragon capsule for regular operational flights. Space Shuttle veterans Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are set to be the first astronauts launched from American soil since the shuttle program was terminated in 2011. The mission's extension allows Hurley and Behnken to help swap out the station's batteries, a task that requires an outside spacewalk the current U.S. resident on the ISS, Chris Cassidy, could not do alone. The two astronauts embraced the mission extension, with Hurley saying it could last anywhere from one to four months. "I think that it being in the summertime, hopefully with a May 27 launch date, we're hitting a good time so that my son will be able to follow the mission a little more closely than he would if he was in school," Behnken said. SpaceX and Boeing Co have been awarded a combined $7 billion to build separate crew transportation systems under the Commercial Crew Program, NASA's flagship campaign to use the private sector for ISS missions and curb its reliance on Russia's Soyuz rocket. "We currently are supporting the station with the bare minimum," NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said on Friday. "Without the presence of Behnken and Hurley, we otherwise would likely defer such an operation until additional NASA crew members are available." Kirk Shireman, NASA's ISS program manager, told reporters on Friday that the agency is basing the length of Hurley and Behnken's mission on how quickly SpaceX can finish preparations on its next capsule. Delays with development of both SpaceX and Boeing vehicles have led NASA to extend its reliance on Russia, forcing the space agency to buy additional seats on the Soyuz rocket to ferry more astronauts to space.

2 May 08:24 Deccan Herald https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/spacex-to-bring-astronauts-to-short-handed-space-station-for-longer-stay-832554.html
Rating: 2.25
NASA target historic spaceflight despite pandemic

NASA and SpaceX said Friday they were pressing ahead with plans to launch astronauts to space from US soil for the first time in nearly a decade later on this month, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, both veterans of the Space Shuttle program that was shuttered in 2011, will blast off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on May 27. Should the mission succeed, the US will have achieved its goal of no longer having to buy seats on Russian Soyuz rockets to give its astronauts rides to the International Space Station (ISS). It is also an important stage in NASA’s new economic model: the space agency has spent billions on contracts with both SpaceX and Boeing to develop spaceships that will each have to make six round trips to the ISS. The model is supposed to save taxpayers from financial black holes of past programs, as well as some still to come notably the giant Space Launch System rocket that is supposed to take NASA back to the Moon but is plagued by cost overrun and scheduling delays. NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine told reporters that the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will be only the fifth class of US spacecraft to take humans into orbit, after the storied Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs. “If you look globally, this will be the ninth time in history when we put humans on a brand new spacecraft,” said Bridenstine. “We’re going to do it here in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m going to tell you this is a high priority mission for the United States of America,” he added. Behnken and Hurley, who have been training for the “Demo-2” mission for years, will dock with the International Space Station (ISS) and remain there for between one to four months, depending on when the next mission takes place, said NASA’s, Steve Stich. Crew Dragon is able to remain in orbit for around four months (119 days). Hurley, who was the pilot on the last Space Shuttle mission, admitted it was “disappointing” that the launch won’t be a public affair, with crowds discouraged from gathering at Cape Canaveral to witness the spectacle. “We won’t have the luxury of our family and friends being there at Kennedy to watch the launch but it’s obvious, the right thing to do in the current environment,” he said. – A win for SpaceX – The mission is a major milestone for SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk, who also leads and founded Tesla. His firm, which was started in 2002, has now overtaken aerospace behemoth Boeing, which failed in the uncrewed demonstration mission of its Starliner spacecraft last year and will have to start over. SpaceX, which has received billions of dollars from NASA since the late 2000s, has been supplying cargo to the ISS since 2012 and has established itself as the leader in the private space sector thanks to its reusable rocket, the Falcon 9. “I’ll feel a little relief when they’re in orbit, I’ll feel more relief when they get to the station and then obviously, I will start sleeping again when they’re back safely on the planet Earth,” said Gwynne Shotwell, the company’s chief operating officer. The pandemic has, naturally, impacted the program, but Shotwell said all precautions were being taken to protect the astronauts. “We are ensuring that only essential personnel is near them. They’re wearing masks and gloves. We’re cleaning the training facility twice daily. “I think we’re really doing a great job to ensure that we are not impacting the safety or the health of the astronauts’ lives.” Half of SpaceX’s engineers have been teleworking, and on the day of the launch, NASA personnel in the mission control room will be spaced six feet apart. Takeoff is scheduled for 4:42 pm (2042 GMT) on May 27, with space station docking scheduled about 19 hours later, on May 28.

2 May 06:21 The Express Tribune https://tribune.com.pk/story/2212173/8-nasa-target-historic-spaceflight-despite-pandemic/
Rating: 1.80
NASA Names Companies To Develop Human Landers For Artemis Moon Missions

New submitter penandpaper shares an excerpt from a NASA press release: NASA has selected three U.S. companies to design and develop human landing systems (HLS) for the agency's Artemis program, one of which will land the first woman and next man on the surface of the Moon by 2024. NASA is on track for sustainable human exploration of the Moon for the first time in history. The human landing system awards under the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP-2) Appendix H Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) are firm-fixed price, milestone-based contracts. The total combined value for all awarded contracts is $967 million for the 10-month base period. The following companies were selected to design and build human landing systems: - Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, is developing the Integrated Lander Vehicle (ILV) -- a three-stage lander to be launched on its own New Glenn Rocket System and ULA Vulcan launch system. - Dynetics (a Leidos company) of Huntsville, Alabama, is developing the Dynetics Human Landing System (DHLS) -- a single structure providing the ascent and descent capabilities that will launch on the ULA Vulcan launch system. - SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, is developing the Starship -- a fully integrated lander that will use the SpaceX Super Heavy rocket. "With these contract awards, America is moving forward with the final step needed to land astronauts on the Moon by 2024, including the incredible moment when we will see the first woman set foot on the lunar surface," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "This is the first time since the Apollo era that NASA has direct funding for a human landing system, and now we have companies on contract to do the work for the Artemis program." Further reading: SpaceX and NASA Break Down What Their Historic First Astronaut Mission Will Look Like

2 May 06:00 science.slashdot.org https://science.slashdot.org/story/20/05/01/2351227/nasa-names-companies-to-develop-human-landers-for-artemis-moon-missions?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
Rating: 1.79
NASA Will Pick One Of These Three Astronaut Lander Concepts For 2024 Moon Mission

As NASA prepares to return humans to the Moon in 2024, the space agency has decided to take the private route, selecting three U.S. companies to develop an astronaut landing system. NASA announced yesterday that Blue Origin, Dynetics, and SpaceX will receive a combined $US967 ($1,484) million in funding to develop a human landing system for the Artemis Moon missions. “This is the first time since the Apollo era that NASA has direct funding for a human landing system, and now we have companies on contract to do the work for the Artemis program,” said NASA chief Jim Bridenstine in a NASA press release. This money will not be distributed evenly, however, as Blue Origin, led by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, will get $US579 ($889) million, reports Spaceflight Now. Dynetics will receive $US253 ($388) million, and SpaceX will get $US135 ($207) million. Interestingly, Boeing’s lunar lander was not selected by NASA, so that’s probably done as a concept. A human landing system, or HLS, must safely deliver astronauts to the lunar surface, sustain them for around a week, and then return them back into space. NASA will provide the means of delivering astronauts to space, via its upcoming Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion Capsule. Once in lunar orbit, astronauts would transfer to an awaiting Moon lander. These companies now have 10 months to refine their concepts, as the contract period ends in February 2021. NASA personnel will work closely with each company, offering their expertise. At the end of this stage, NASA will select projects for demonstration missions and ultimately decide which lander gets to deliver astronauts to the Moon in 2024. As SpaceNews reports, however, losing bids won’t just be tossed into the junk pile, as they could be used for future Artemis missions. NASA obviously wants technical proficiency and safety in its technical assets, but it also wants affordability. Not all of these projects are equal in terms of financial sustainability, so while a specific solution may be chosen for 2024, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be allowed to continue over the long haul, as NASA plans on multiple Artemis missions to various spots around the Moon. Interestingly, the selections are notable in that they all feature very different design architectures. Blue Origin’s Integrated Lander Vehicle (ILV) will consist of three stages and be delivered to space by the company’s own New Glenn Rocket System and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Launch System. Developmental assistance will be provided by Draper (flight avionics), Lockheed Martin (ascent module), and Northrop Grumman (transfer stage). Blue Origin will build the descent module. ILV is the most Apollo-like of the concepts and represents the safest route to a lunar landing in 2024. With its hefty price tag, however, it may be the least sustainable option for the duration of the Artemis program. The Dynetics Human Landing System (DHLS) will be an all-in-one module with both landing and take-off capabilities. DHLS would launch onboard a ULA Vulcan rocket. The company is outsourcing to no less than 25 partners, including Sierra Nevada Corporation. Here’s how Dynetics describes the system: It’s a super-sleek design, but probably something that won’t be ready for 2024. That said, DHLS might be a viable consideration for NASA later this decade. Of the three vendors, SpaceX is least likely to be ready for 2024, given the complexity of its design. The Elon Musk-led company wants to use its Starship concept, which would serve as a fully integrated lander and take-off vehicle. SpaceX has had some setbacks in testing, but the system passed an important test earlier this week. This gigantic tin can would be a radical departure from traditional lander concepts (as far as any of these can be called “traditional”), requiring sophisticated descent capabilities and a complex life support system—not to mention an elevator and crane for depositing astronauts and supplies to the lunar surface.  But as the covid-19 pandemic continues with no end in sight, NASA’s already-tight 2024 deadline seems increasingly in jeopardy.

2 May 02:50 Gizmodo AU https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/05/nasa-will-pick-one-of-these-three-astronaut-lander-concepts-for-2024-moon-mission/
Rating: 0.49
SpaceX, NASA hold press conference, historic astronaut launch clears final hurdles before readiness

With less than a month to go before the historic first crewed flight – and final human rating certification test – of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Demonstration 2 mission, NASA and SpaceX jointly held a full day of pre-mission press conferences on Friday, May 1st. Throughout the day many minor, but crucial, details were revealed. Two primary technical concerns remained prior to Crew Dragon’s debut astronaut mission- the final drop test of the Crew Dragon Mark III parachutes and NASA’s clearance of SpaceX’s resolution of an in-flight engine-out anomaly suffered during the ascent phase of a previous Starlink mission. During the March 18th Starlink launch of a four-time flown Falcon 9 first-stage booster, a brief anomalous engine flare was witnessed during the ascent. Although ultimately successful in the deployment of the stack of 60 satellites, the first-stage booster failed to stick the landing aboard the autonomous spaceport drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” resulting in a total loss. SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, responded to comments posted to Twitter confirming the in-flight, early shutdown anomaly of one of the nine Merlin 1D engines. Musk provided assurance that a thorough investigation would be conducted by SpaceX prior to any return to flight. Musk also noted that the first-ever engine failure of a Merlin 1D engine proved its robustness and the importance of redundancy provided by the other eight engines. Just prior to the next Starlink mission on April 22nd marking a recycled Falcon 9 booster’s return to flight, Musk once again took to Twitter to provide insight into the early shutdown, in-flight anomaly. Musk stated that a small amount of isopropyl alcohol, used for cleaning the Merlin 1D engines, had been trapped in a sensor dead leg – later clarified as “an area it couldn’t float through” by SpaceX webcast host Lauren Lyons – and was ignited during flight causing the early shutdown of one Merlin 1D engine. As identified during the April 22nd launch broadcast, out of an abundance of caution SpaceX decided to forgo that cleaning process for the April 22nd mission. However, no information was divulged regarding NASA’s response to either the anomaly or the resolution. Ultimately, the first stage Falcon 9 booster of the Starlink-6 performed flawlessly and even managed to stick the landing aboard the awaiting drone ship. During Friday’s Commercial Crew and International Space Station overview news conference, a question regarding NASA’s response to the anomaly posed by Jeff Foust – reporter for SpaceNews.com – was directed to NASA’s Commercial Crew Program program manager, Kathy Lueders. She was asked to expand on the final technical constraints remaining prior to the launch of the Crew Dragon DM-2. Lueders responded positively stating that NASA had “reviewed the anomaly resolution…and cleared the engines on our launch vehicle” referring to the Falcon 9 booster slated to support DM-2, noting that the engine-out issue had been satisfactorily resolved and is now behind them. Early in Friday’s Commercial Crew and International Space Station overview news conference – and later confirmed during remarks made by Lueders – SpaceX Chief Operating Officer, Gwynne Shotwell noted that a final 27th drop test of the Crew Dragon Mk III parachutes was scheduled to be completed later in the day. During a later Q&A interview with the crew of DM-2 – NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley – Hurley commented that the final drop test had begun, however, he wasn’t quite sure if it had been completed successfully or not. Just after the closing remarks of the crew Q&A interview, SpaceX announced via social media the successful completion of the 27th and final drop test of the all-important Mk III parachutes. The May 1st final parachute drop test followed a worrisome stumble of the parachute program on March 24th. SpaceX announced that a Crew Dragon test article had become unstable forcing the helicopter pilot to prematurely release the test article out of an abundance of caution to maintain the safety of the helicopter crew. SpaceX noted that “while the test article was lost, this was not a failure of the parachute system and most importantly no one was injured.” The confirmation of the successful May 1st drop test and the resolution of the Merlin 1D engine anomaly close out one of the final chapters of prerequisites prior to returning human spaceflight to American soil. The only hurdles that remain to be cleared are various agency-level readiness reviews. According to Lueders, a SpaceX Flight Readiness Review is tentatively scheduled for Friday, May 8th followed by a NASA Flight Readiness Review on May 11th. Just one week ahead of launch, the final joint Launch Readiness Review is tentatively scheduled to be completed Wednesday, May 20th at which point DM-2 will bring crewed astronaut spaceflight back to American soil for the first time in nearly a decade.

2 May 02:14 Teslarati https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-nasa-press-conference-crew-dragon-astronaut-launch-final-preparatioms/
Rating: 0.56
SpaceX to bring astronauts to short-handed Space Station for longer stay

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two NASA astronauts gearing up to ride SpaceX’s new space taxi will now be on a mission planned to last more than a month, instead of a week, to help the short-handed crew aboard the International Space Station, the U.S. space agency said on Friday. The launch is scheduled for May 27 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and will arrive at the ISS the following day. The mission, SpaceX’s first carrying humans, marks the company’s climactic test before NASA can certify its Crew Dragon capsule for regular operational flights. Space Shuttle veterans Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are set to be the first astronauts launched from American soil since the shuttle program was terminated in 2011.  The mission’s extension allows Hurley and Behnken to help swap out the station’s batteries, a task that requires an outside spacewalk the current U.S. resident on the ISS, Chris Cassidy, could not do alone.  The two astronauts embraced the mission extension, with Hurley saying it could last anywhere from one to four months. “I think that it being in the summertime, hopefully with a May 27 launch date, we’re hitting a good time so that my son will be able to follow the mission a little more closely than he would if he was in school,” Behnken said. SpaceX and Boeing Co BA.N. have been awarded a combined $7 billion to build separate crew transportation systems under the Commercial Crew Program, NASA’s flagship campaign to use the private sector for ISS missions and curb its reliance on Russia’s Soyuz rocket.  “We currently are supporting the station with the bare minimum,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said on Friday. “Without the presence of Behnken and Hurley, we otherwise would likely defer such an operation until additional NASA crew members are available.” Kirk Shireman, NASA’s ISS program manager, told reporters on Friday that the agency is basing the length of Hurley and Behnken’s mission on how quickly SpaceX can finish preparations on its next capsule. Delays with development of both SpaceX and Boeing vehicles have led NASA to extend its reliance on Russia, forcing the space agency to buy additional seats on the Soyuz rocket to ferry more astronauts to space.

2 May 00:37 Reuters https://www.reuters.com/article/us-space-exploration-spacex-launch-idUSKBN22D6JV
Rating: 4.04
NASA begs spectators for astronaut launch: Please stay home!

NASA and SpaceX on Friday urged spectators to stay home for the first home launch of astronauts in nearly a decade because of the coronavirus pandemic. Top officials warned the public against traveling to Florida for the May 27 launch of two NASA astronauts aboard a SpaceX rocket to the International Space Station. It will be the first launch of astronauts from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in nine years — ever since the last space shuttle flight in 2011. It also will be the first attempt by a private company to fly astronauts to orbit. For space space shuttle launches, hundreds of thousands of spectators would descend on Kennedy Space Center and nearby beaches, said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.  “The challenge that we’re up against right now is we want to keep everybody safe,” he said. “And so we’re asking people not to travel to the Kennedy Space Center, and I will tell you that makes me sad to even say it. Boy, I wish we could make this into something really spectacular.” NASA turned to private companies in the wake of the space shuttle program to get cargo to the space station. Next up are the crew deliveries. Russian Soyuz capsules, meanwhile, have been the sole means of crew transportation to the orbiting lab. Boeing also is working to launch astronauts under NASA’s commercial crew program; its first crew flight is still months — if not a year — away. Moneycontrol Ready ReckonerNow that payment deadlines have been relaxed due to COVID-19, the Moneycontrol Ready Reckoner will help keep your date with insurance premiums, tax-saving investments and EMIs, among others.Download a copy

2 May 00:00 Moneycontrol https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/world/nasa-begs-spectators-for-astronaut-launch-please-stay-home-5215601.html
Rating: 0.30
Technology
France's COVID-19 tracing app expected to enter testing in week of May 11

3 May 18:19 2 articles
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France's COVID-19 tracing app expected to enter testing in week of May 11

PARIS (Reuters) - France’s state-supported “StopCOVID” contact-tracing app should enter its testing phase in the week of May 11 when the country starts to unwind its lockdown, a government minister said on Sunday. Minister for Digital Affairs Cedric O, a member of President Emmanuel Macron’s inner circle, presented the app as a key element of France’s strategy to stave off the coronavirus as authorities grapple with the prospect of mass testing. “There’s nothing magical about this app, but it’s not technological coquetry either,” O wrote on online publishing platform Medium. “It’s only useful if it’s integrated into a global health system.” Countries are rushing to develop apps to assess the risk of one person infecting another, helping to isolate those who could spread the disease. Like others in Europe, France has chosen the short-range Bluetooth “handshakes” between devices as the best approach, dismissing the alternative of using location data pursued by some countries in Asia as intrusive. But debate has raged about whether to log such contacts on individual devices or on a central server - which would be more directly useful to existing contact tracing teams that work phones and knock on doors to warn those who may be at risk. France has so far opted for a “centralised” approach, which would need Apple in particular to change the settings on its iPhones. The smartphone maker has refused to budge, although discussions with the U.S. company were ongoing, O said. “French health and technological sovereignty ... is the freedom for our country to be able to have the choice and not be constrained by the choices of a large company, however innovative and efficient it may be,” O wrote. France’s most important European partner, Germany, changed course last week over which type of smartphone technology it wanted to use, backing an approach supported by Google and Apple along with a growing number of other European countries. (This story has been refiled to correct headline and first paragraph to make clearer that testing will start in the week beginning May 11)

3 May 18:19 Reuters https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-france-idUSKBN22F0QW
Rating: 4.04
France will start testing its COVID-19 tracking app the week of May 11th

France was one of the first countries scrambling to create a COVID-19 contact tracing app, and now it’s close to finding out how its app works in practice. Digital Affairs Minister Cedric O has stated (via Reuters) that France’s StopCOVID should enter real-world testing the week of May 11th, right as the country will start easing pandemic lockdown measures. He didn’t say when the app might be ready for widespread use, although that’s likely to depend on initial results. And before you ask: no, France isn’t budging on its desire to loosen Apple’s Bluetooth restrictions for the sake of the app. While O acknowledged that both France’s centralized approach (which stores identifiers for positive contacts in one place) had Apple’s decentralized method had flaws, he argued that the method supported by iOS was “crippling.” It allegedly had inferior data protections and gave up control, making it difficult for a health authority to learn from info without asking tech companies. The minister was aware that trusting a central organization created the potential for abuse, but saw French control of health policy as a “sovereign prerogative” that shouldn’t be handed over to private companies. He also noted that France would move forward regardless of whether or not Apple changed its mind. The iPhone version is “satisfactory,” he said. Still, it’s clear the French government is hoping Apple will bend by the time StopCovid is widely available.

3 May 22:20 Engadget https://www.engadget.com/france-covid-19-tracking-app-testing-starts-may-11-week-222030056.html
Rating: 2.92
Technology
3D glasses, double headsets, and rock drilling: NASA engineers told us what it's like to drive a Mars rover from home during the pandemic

3 May 09:01 2 articles
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3D glasses, double headsets, and rock drilling: NASA engineers told us what it's like to drive a Mars rover from home during the pandemic

Remote work doesn't get much more remote than piloting a robot 140 million miles away on the surface of Mars. NASA, alongside many other workplaces, has had to shut its doors during the coronavirus pandemic. For engineers and scientists working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) responsible for driving the Curiosity Mars rover, this meant setting up systems so they could continue to communicate with the rover while all stuck in their homes. Business Insider spoke to two NASA employees currently on the rover team about how they are managing to execute commands and even make scientific advances while working from home. Alicia Allbaugh has worked on and off at NASA since 1991, and oversees the 75-person rover program which she has worked on since 2006. When she heard rumblings about the pandemic and potential lockdowns on NPR, she started to form a plan for if the rover team suddenly had to ship out. The rover team has had to think about some work-from-home plans in the past in case of earthquakes, Allbaugh said. Luckily for the rover team, there was already some infrastructure in place because it works with scientists all over the world, so a degree of teleconferencing functionality was already on hand. They were able to do an experimental test run on March 12, five days before NASA shut its offices. It took everyone a few hours to acclimatize to setting up all their windows and chats so they fit onto home monitor screens. "We figured it out within like two, three hours. We were sort of getting into the groove and understanding the ebb and flow and the pace," she said. The test went off surprisingly well, with the rover receiving and successfully executing a set of orders. Before NASA issued the order sending its employees home on March 17, Allbaugh had also gone into the office and done an inventory of all the spare monitors and headsets the team had on hand and what they would have to order in. When news did come that employees shouldn't come back to work the next day, her team grabbed what they needed and headed home. The Curiosity rover is equipped with 3D cameras, which it uses to send 3D images back to its drivers to help work out where it should go next. Ordinarily the team look at these images with special high-tech 3D goggles which flip which eye is looking at the image at a rate of about 60 times per second. "The reason we have them, in general, is because the Rover drivers need to visualize how the Rover moves over 3D train," said Matt Gildner, the rover planner team lead. Gildner oversees a team of about 20 planners who write and send commands telling the rover where to go. He added that the 3D images give the drivers a better idea of how steep a slope might be, or how sandy the ground might be. But the goggles require heavy-duty graphics cards normally used in gaming computers, and it wasn't going to be practical to get these working at home, so NASA found a less high-tech solution. Rover planners are now using simple plastic red-blue glasses, the same kind you would use to watch a 3D movie. Gildner says he pops the glasses on for about 10 to 15 minutes at a time about three times a day to look around at where the rover is. "It really helps us do our jobs. I mean, we couldn't do it without it," he said. The various groups that work on Curiosity are used to being in large rooms where they can easily talk to each other and convene amongst themselves, and simulating this kind of communication was a big challenge for the team. Broadly speaking the work is split into uplink (what information NASA is sending the rover) and downlink (what information the rover is sending to NASA). "The downlink area where they look at the data is similar to what you've seen in like 'Apollo 13' [...] with little signs above everyone, and they're looking at information from various systems on the vehicle," Allbaugh said. Uplink takes place on a different floor. "[Uplink is] mostly in one really large room that has a whole bunch of computers around the edge of it, and a very large table in the center with people on laptops usually as well," Allbaugh added. As a planner, Gildner works on the uplink side of the team and said it was a struggle to mimic this flow of communication. "We are used to being able to have everyone in one room and have some conversations that are within smaller groups in one room, and then some conversations that participate with everyone," he said. His solution: double headsets. "What we've done is actually we set up multiple teleconferences all at once. I will have one headset called into my team of  rover drivers and we'll be chatting, and I'll have that in one ear. And then I will be called into the larger teams group and have that in my second ear. And so I'm like muting myself in between two teleconferences at once and chatting back and forth and doing this for like eight hours a day," he said. "It does make you a bit more worn out, you have to concentrate a bit more. But it's actually worked very well ... we're able to kind of mimic what we would be doing if we were all in one place in one conference room, or one operations room, trying to work with different teams," he added. Wearing his 3D glasses as well as his two headsets is what Gildner calls his "super nerd" look. "You've got to do both headsets at once too, because that's really key to the whole look," he said. On March 20 a set of commands that were sent to Curiosity were successfully executed, and the robot drilled a rock sample at a location called "Edinburgh," and is now headed on to yet another drilling operation looking for rocks to analyze. In total, the robot has rolled 166 metres (545 feet) since its human operators had to set up shop at home. For Gildner, piloting the rover has taken on a special significance during lockdown. "One of the big draws of working on a spacecraft operation, especially on Mars, is that every day we're driving to a new place and I get to look at images that no human has ever seen before," he said. "We all get to kind of escape on Mars for a few hours every week," he added, pointing out that Curiosity's photos are also uploaded for the public to see, should anyone else care to escape to Mars.

3 May 09:01 Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-technicians-drive-mars-rover-home-2020-4
Rating: 4.40
3D glasses, double headsets, and rock drilling: NASA engineers told us what it's like to drive a Mars rover from home during the pandemic

Remote work doesn’t get much more remote than piloting a robot 140 million miles away on the surface of Mars. NASA, alongside many other workplaces, has had to shut its doors during the coronavirus pandemic. For engineers and scientists working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) responsible for driving the Curiosity Mars rover, this meant setting up systems so they could continue to communicate with the rover while all stuck in their homes. Business Insider spoke to two NASA employees currently on the rover team about how they are managing to execute commands and even make scientific advances while working from home. Alicia Allbaugh has worked on and off at NASA since 1991, and oversees the 75-person rover program which she has worked on since 2006. When she heard rumblings about the pandemic and potential lockdowns on NPR, she started to form a plan for if the rover team suddenly had to ship out. The rover team has had to think about some work-from-home plans in the past in case of earthquakes, Allbaugh said. Luckily for the rover team, there was already some infrastructure in place because it works with scientists all over the world, so a degree of teleconferencing functionality was already on hand. They were able to do an experimental test run on March 12, five days before NASA shut its offices. It took everyone a few hours to acclimatize to setting up all their windows and chats so they fit onto home monitor screens. “We figured it out within like two, three hours. We were sort of getting into the groove and understanding the ebb and flow and the pace,” she said. The test went off surprisingly well, with the rover receiving and successfully executing a set of orders. Before NASA issued the order sending its employees home on March 17, Allbaugh had also gone into the office and done an inventory of all the spare monitors and headsets the team had on hand and what they would have to order in. When news did come that employees shouldn’t come back to work the next day, her team grabbed what they needed and headed home. The Curiosity rover is equipped with 3D cameras, which it uses to send 3D images back to its drivers to help work out where it should go next. Ordinarily the team look at these images with special high-tech 3D goggles which flip which eye is looking at the image at a rate of about 60 times per second. “The reason we have them, in general, is because the Rover drivers need to visualize how the Rover moves over 3D train,” said Matt Gildner, the rover planner team lead. Gildner oversees a team of about 20 planners who write and send commands telling the rover where to go. He added that the 3D images give the drivers a better idea of how steep a slope might be, or how sandy the ground might be. But the goggles require heavy-duty graphics cards normally used in gaming computers, and it wasn’t going to be practical to get these working at home, so NASA found a less high-tech solution. Rover planners are now using simple plastic red-blue glasses, the same kind you would use to watch a 3D movie. Gildner says he pops the glasses on for about 10 to 15 minutes at a time about three times a day to look around at where the rover is. “It really helps us do our jobs. I mean, we couldn’t do it without it,” he said. The various groups that work on Curiosity are used to being in large rooms where they can easily talk to each other and convene amongst themselves, and simulating this kind of communication was a big challenge for the team. Broadly speaking the work is split into uplink (what information NASA is sending the rover) and downlink (what information the rover is sending to NASA). “The downlink area where they look at the data is similar to what you’ve seen in like ‘Apollo 13’ […] with little signs above everyone, and they’re looking at information from various systems on the vehicle,” Allbaugh said. Uplink takes place on a different floor. “[Uplink is] mostly in one really large room that has a whole bunch of computers around the edge of it, and a very large table in the center with people on laptops usually as well,” Allbaugh added. As a planner, Gildner works on the uplink side of the team and said it was a struggle to mimic this flow of communication. “We are used to being able to have everyone in one room and have some conversations that are within smaller groups in one room, and then some conversations that participate with everyone,” he said. His solution: double headsets. “What we’ve done is actually we set up multiple teleconferences all at once. I will have one headset called into my team of rover drivers and we’ll be chatting, and I’ll have that in one ear. And then I will be called into the larger teams group and have that in my second ear. And so I’m like muting myself in between two teleconferences at once and chatting back and forth and doing this for like eight hours a day,” he said. “It does make you a bit more worn out, you have to concentrate a bit more. But it’s actually worked very well … we’re able to kind of mimic what we would be doing if we were all in one place in one conference room, or one operations room, trying to work with different teams,” he added. Wearing his 3D glasses as well as his two headsets is what Gildner calls his “super nerd” look. “You’ve got to do both headsets at once too, because that’s really key to the whole look,” he said. On March 20 a set of commands that were sent to Curiosity were successfully executed, and the robot drilled a rock sample at a location called “Edinburgh,” and is now headed on to yet another drilling operation looking for rocks to analyze. In total, the robot has rolled 166 metres (545 feet) since its human operators had to set up shop at home. For Gildner, piloting the rover has taken on a special significance during lockdown. “One of the big draws of working on a spacecraft operation, especially on Mars, is that every day we’re driving to a new place and I get to look at images that no human has ever seen before,” he said. “We all get to kind of escape on Mars for a few hours every week,” he added, pointing out that Curiosity’s photos are also uploaded for the public to see, should anyone else care to escape to Mars.

3 May 11:06 Business Insider Nederland https://www.businessinsider.nl/nasa-technicians-drive-mars-rover-home-2020-4/
Rating: 0.30
Technology
Amazon discounts its Echo Show speakers to as low as $50

3 May 19:50 2 articles
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Amazon discounts its Echo Show speakers to as low as $50

Now might be a prime opportunity to shop if you’re looking for a connected alarm clock or a video viewer for the kitchen. Amazon is offering substantial discounts on its Echo Show smart displays, with the Echo Show 5 on sale for $50 ($40 off) and the larger Echo Show 8 selling for $80 ($50 off). Those match price drops we saw on Black Friday, and could make them tempting compared to audio-only smart speakers. Buy Amazon Echo Show 5 on Amazon - $50 Buy Amazon Echo Show 8 on Amazon - $80 The Echo Show 5 is clearly meant as a nightstand companion and won’t blow you away with its 5-inch screen, but it delivers better sound quality than you’d expect for the size while including helpful alarm clock features like a sunrise alarm and an ambient light sensor. The Echo Show 8 can fill that role, but its 8-inch display makes it the better of the two for following recipes or catching up on your Netflix queue. In both cases, Alexa is the main draw — it’s still one of the most capable voice assistants and helps you control smart home devices, play music or start video chats (there’s thankfully a built-in privacy shutter). So long as you’re comfortable with Amazon’s ecosystem in the first place, they should fit right in to your household.

3 May 19:50 Engadget https://www.engadget.com/amazon-echo-show-5-8-sale-195003240.html
Rating: 2.92
Echo Show 5 On Sale for $49.99 [Lowest Price Ever]

The Amazon Echo Show 5 is on sale for $49.99 today. That's a discount of 44% off and a match for the lowest price ever, seen last on Black Friday 2019.Echo Show 5 connects to Alexa to give you vivid visuals on a 5.5” screen with a crisp full sound—all in a compact design that fits in any room, in any home. See on-screen lyrics with Amazon Music. Set alarms and timers. Catch up on news highlights and movie trailers. Check weather and traffic as you head out in your new city.Amazon has also discounted its Echo Show 8 to $79.99. That's 38% off list and is also a match for the lowest price ever, seen last at Christmas 2019.If you want the largest screen experience, the Echo Show with its 10.1-inch display is on sale for $179.99, that's 22% off list.Please download the iClarified app or follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and RSS for more deals!

3 May 22:10 iClarified https://www.iclarified.com/75666/echo-show-5-on-sale-for-4999-lowest-price-ever
Rating: 0.30
Technology
Reliance Jio’s Covid-19 tracker tool user data exposed online due to a security lapse: Report

3 May 08:01 2 articles
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Reliance Jio’s Covid-19 tracker tool user data exposed online due to a security lapse: Report

A security lapse in Reliance Jio’s Covid-19 self checker tool has led to one of the tool’s core database being exposed to the internet without a password, TechCrunch reported on Sunday. The security issue was first detected by cybersecurity researcher Anurag Sen who found the database on May 1, right after it was first exposed, the report said. After TechCrunch notified the company, Jio immediately pulled the system offline. There is no specification as to how many people have accessed the database before the system was taken offline. “The logging server was for monitoring performance of our website, intended for the limited purpose of people doing a self-check to see if they have any COVID-19 symptoms,” said Jio spokesperson Tushar Pania as quoted by TechCrunch. Reliance Jio had rolled out the online tool back in March. The self-checker is meant to help people self-assess their symptoms in order to map their risk of contracting Covid-19. The self-test is a list of questions at the end of which the AI-driven tool figures out the test taker’s risk level, from high to low. The questionnaire begins with basic questions, including who the test is for and the age and gender of the person. It then asks the respondent about their health conditions, their travel history apart from if the user or their family have come in contact with a Covid-positive person. The database that was accessed by Sen contained millions of logs and records starting April 17 till the time that it was pulled offline. As mentioned by Pania the server was meant to monitor the website performance and contained a running log of website errors and other system messages. However, it also contained a database of a huge number of user data who had taken the self-test. The data also led back to who the test was taken for, information about the user’s browser version and their operating system. It also had the individual records of users who had signed up on the website to create a profile which allowed them to update their symptoms over time. The database contained the user’s answers to each question. According to the report, certain records also contained a user’s precise geolocation if the user allowed the symptom checker access to their browser or phone’s location data. TechCrunch was able to identify user’s homes using the location data found. Majority of the location data is clustered around cities such as Mumbai and Pune. However, data of users in locations such as the United Kingdom and North America were also found. The company has not yet specified if it will inform users of the symptom tracker about the security lapse.

3 May 08:01 BusinessLine https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/reliance-jios-covid-19-tracker-tool-user-data-exposed-online-due-to-a-security-lapse-report/article31493878.ece
Rating: 1.98
Database containing results of Reliance Jio’s Covid-19 checker tool exposed online

Reliance Jio launched its Covid-19 symptom checker tool back in March this year to help its users identify if they have been infected with the virus. Now, a report says that one of the databases containing the results of users’ Covid-19 tests may have been exposed online without a password. According to a report by TechCrunch, a security lapse in one of the tool’s core databases exposed the users’ test results on the internet without a password. The security lapse was first detected by security researcher Anurag Sen on May 1, who then contacted the publication about the flaw. Reliance Jio took its database offline soon after it was informed about the bug. The leaked database, as per the report, contains millions of logs between April 17 till the time the database was taken offline. It contained details of who took the test (self or a relative with their age and gender) and records of people who signed up to create a profile. These records contain answers to all the questions asked by the tool, which includes users’ symptoms, what health conditions they may have and who they have been in contact with. In some cases, the record also showed users’ precise location with most of them being in cities like Mumbai and Pune. Some records also belonged to people in North America and the United Kingdom. Reliance Jio has taken the database offline. “We have taken immediate action...The logging server was for monitoring performance of our website, intended for the limited purpose of people doing a self-check to see if they have any COVID-19 symptoms,” a Reliance Jio spokesperson said in a statement to the publication.

3 May 03:30 Hindustan Times https://www.hindustantimes.com/tech/database-containing-results-of-reliance-jio-s-covid-19-checker-tool-exposed-online/story-APuv7H0v87xZHWeLdVweSK.html
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Technology
OnePlus Z Leaks: Snapdragon 765 SoC With 5G Support

3 May 15:04 2 articles
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OnePlus Z Leaks: Snapdragon 765 SoC With 5G Support

Flagship killer OnePlus is ready to launch its new smartphone. From leaks, we got confirmed that it is going to be OnePlus Z. More on it we have got one tweet which you can check out below. Earlier, it was said OnePlus Z would come with MediaTek processor and now it is said that it will be powered bt Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 SoC. The device will come with 5G support. It is said that OnePlus Z will have Qualcomm processor and the device will be launched in July 2020. The tipster has shown the live images of the phone, which earlier suggests a flat display which has a hole-punch selfie camera and an in-display fingerprint scanner. Max J, a tipster posted an image on a twitter which shows an outline of the OnePlus Z device. The image shows that it can be a 5G device with Snapdragon 765 SoC. Max J is the same tipster who earlier said that the phone would be launching in July 2020. The smartphone will be called OnePlus Z and not OnePlus 8 Lite. Earlier, the live image of the device was leaked, which shows the look of the phone. According to that picture, OnePlus Z can have a flat display like the recently launched device OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. It can have an OLED display as it is said that the device will come with an in-display fingerprint.

3 May 15:04 Tech Viral https://techviral.net/oneplus-z-leaks-snapdragon-765-soc-with-5g-support/
Rating: 1.32
OnePlus Z will come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 5G chipset instead

Based on a statement by Twitter user @MaxJmb, it seems that the OnePlus’ upcoming OnePlus Z smartphone is expected to come equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 5G chipset instead of the MediaTek Dimensity 1000 chipset. Due to the fact that the OnePlus Z is considered a mid-range smartphone, it makes sense for the device to come with a mid-range chipset which comes with 5G support. Do take every bit of information with a grain of salt, due to the fact that OnePlus has yet to provide an official statement regarding the smartphone in question for now. Not only that, but there’s no official information regarding the Malaysia release date, full tech specs, and local pricing of the device as well. Would you be interested in getting the OnePlus Z as soon as it is available in Malaysia? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.

2 May 14:43 TechNave https://technave.com/gadget/OnePlus-Z-will-come-with-a-Qualcomm-Snapdragon-765-5G-chipset-instead-18201.html
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Technology
OnePlus 5 and 5T Android 10-based OxygenOS Open Beta 2 is rolling out

3 May 17:04 2 articles
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OnePlus 5 and 5T Android 10-based OxygenOS Open Beta 2 is rolling out

OnePlus easily is one of the companies with the best update tracking record nowadays. After having provided Android 10 updates for the OnePlus 7 and 6 series, the company is now moving its focus to the OnePlus 5 and 5T devices. One week ago, the company rolled out the first Android 10-based OyxgenOS 10 Open Beta for the duo of 2017 smartphones. The beta builds allow courageous users to test and provide feedback for developers. The beta program usually take several rounds of Open Beta releases. However, it’s pretty understandable since the company is ensuring that all flaws are fixed before a wider rollout. Today OnePlus is rolling out the Open Beta 2 for the OnePlus 5 handsets. The new firmware basically brings several bug fixes for users running the previous beta. Moreover, it includes April 2020 security patch and improves general stability. Last but not least, the update promises to optimize the Multi-window mode. Curiously, this update can’t be rolled out via OTA for users on Open Beta 1. Instead, users interested in the second build will need to flash it manually. Thankfully, the company states that users on Open Beta 1 or Android 9 Pie Stable release, won’t lose data by flashing this update. The same does not apply to users running Android 9 Pie-based Open Beta branch. OnePlus 5 OnePlus 5T The process of installation is quite simple. You can download the files provided below and use a File Manager of your choice to place the update zip in the root of internal storage. After that, you’ll just need to navigate to Settings >> System Updates and Click on the menu button located in the top-right corner. From there, select Local Upgrade and pick the update package you placed in the root directory. The update process will start and should take a few minutes, be sure to have at least 50% of battery.

3 May 17:04 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/oneplus-5-and-5t-android-10-based-oxygenos-open-beta-2-is-rolling-out/
Rating: 1.29
OnePlus 5 and 5T get OxygenOS Open Beta 2 with April 2020 patches

Last week OnePlus finally delivered on a promise they made back in October of 2019: to update both the OnePlus 5 and the OnePlus 5T to Android 10. As such, the first OxygenOS Open Beta based on Android 10 was released for both phones, allowing users to test drive the early software release and provide their feedback ahead of the official rollout. It may take several rounds of Open Beta releases before we see the final update rolled out, but we’re making steady progress in that direction as the second OxygenOS Open Beta based on Android 10 has just been released for the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T. OnePlus 5 Forums ||| OnePlus 5T Forums As expected, Open Beta 2 is mostly a bug-fixing update, and we’re not seeing any major shuffle in terms of new features or UI changes. The update optimizes the split-screen experience, improves general stability, fixes unspecified bugs, and also bumps the Android security patch level to April 2020. The full changelog for Open Beta 2 is as below: For some reason, this update will not be rolled out as OTA to Open Beta 1 users — as OnePlus previously mentioned in their blog post. Instead, users will have to install it manually. If you’re running the first Android 10-based Open Beta or the latest Android 9 Pie-based stable release, you should be able to install the new update without losing any user data. But if you’re coming from the last Android 9 Pie-based Open Beta, make sure to backup your data beforehand as flashing the Open Beta build will wipe everything. To install Open Beta 2, download the update zip for your device from the below links: Download OxygenOS Open Beta 2 for OnePlus 5 Download OxygenOS Open Beta 2 for OnePlus 5T After downloading the update package, open a file manager of your choice and move the update zip from the Downloads folder to the root directory of the internal storage. Now navigate to Settings > System > System updates and click on the menu button located in the top right corner. From there, select Local Upgrade and select the update package placed in the root directory to begin the installation process. Source: OnePlus

2 May 13:59 XDA Developers https://www.xda-developers.com/oneplus-5-and-5t-get-oxygenos-open-beta-2-with-april-2020-patches/
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Technology
Xiaomi states that Mi Browser is safe and the company isn't collecting data

3 May 19:37 2 articles
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Xiaomi states that Mi Browser is safe and the company isn't collecting data

According to a recent article from Forbes, Xiaomi was collecting a worrying amount of information from its native smartphone browser application – Mi Browser. The report states that the amount of collected user data goes from usage analytics to personally identifiable info. That news broke the web with a number of complaints stating that the company was violating user’s privacy. Now, the Chinese giant published a statement denying the claims outright. Forbes post states that Xiaomi’s Mi Browser collects information like websites the user visited. It also includes search engine queries and items viewed in the browser’s news feed. To make things worse, the report states that the company has been collecting these sensible data even while users were using the browser in the incognito mode. Incognito mode is there to “promote” a safe untraceable browsing mode, however, apparently, it wasn’t the case with Mi Browser. While the browser encrypts the user data, it uses Base64 encoding which is easily crackable. The report goes beyond and states that the information was being sent to remote servers in Singapore and Russia. Forbes also states that the other Xiaomi-developed browsers – Mi Browser Pro and Mint Browser, also had the very same “data collecting powers”. After the buzz, the company replied to these claims denying all the information published by Forbes. The company states that it always had user’s privacy and internet security as one of its top priorities. The company explained its data collection practices in a bid to ensure that it’s not what it looks. Moreover, the company states that users should not believe in “incorrect news” that comes to disgrace its reputation. As per the company’s post, Xiaomi collects two types of data: Aggregated usage statistics data and user browsing data syncs. The latter includes info like browsing data history that sync when user signs in and when data sync function is turned on. The former includes system info, preferences, user interface feature usage, responsiveness and etc. According to the company, a lot of mainstream browsers are doing the same. Furthermore, the company states that it’s not collecting browser information or history while it is on the Incognito mode. To make things more believable, the company shared its browser software code as proof. Despite the company’s response, the researchers at Forbes are still unconvinced. To them, the company is still collecting data about the phone, including unique numbers for identifying the specific device and Android version. For now, we’ll need to wait and see how this case will advance. If you’re feeling unsafe with Mi Browser you can download and install other browsers via Google Play Store. It’s curious to see such reports coming a few days after the reveal of MIUI 12. With the new software, the company promises a new level of security with a bunch of new features and even a new Privacy-focused brand.

3 May 19:37 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/xiaomi-denies-claims-that-it-is-collecting-user-data/
Rating: 1.29
Xiaomi accused of sending ‘private’ user data to China; company denies claims

Xiaomi has been accused of collecting browsing data from its users, according to a new sensational report by Forbes. When cybersecurity researcher Gabi Cirlig examined the Mi Browser on the Redmi Note 8, he found that the phone was collecting a users’ behavior including websites visited, search queries in Google. Things get a little tricky, when Cirlig found that the tracking continued even when the phone’s browser was set to private or “incognito” mode. Researchers also found that even searches on the so-called privacy-centric DuckDuckGo web browser were being sent to China. Forbes cited multiple security researchers who said that the company was collecting information on unique numbers identifying a device as well as the version of Android it’s running. Cybersecurity researcher Andrew Tierney reportedly found that the Mi Browser Pro and the Mint Browser — which have more than 15 million downloads through Google’s Play Store — collected the same data. In response, Xiaomi said “the research claims are untrue,” that “privacy and security is of top concern,” and that it “strictly follows and is fully compliant with local laws and regulations on user data privacy matters.” Xiaomi agrees to the fact that while it was collecting browsing data, that data was anonymized. Forbes reports that it took cybersecurity researchers a mere few seconds to decode the information, which was encoded by a method called base64. In a blog post, Xiaomi said the researchers “misunderstood what we communicated regarding our data privacy principles and policy.” It further added, “User’s privacy and internet security is of top priority at Xiaomi.” Xiaomi is India’s largest smartphone maker, but these new acquisitions could dent the company’s reputation in the country. In the past, Xiaomi’s way of handling user data and privacy has raised eyebrows.

3 May 03:54 The Indian Express https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/mobile-tabs/xiaomi-accused-of-secretly-sending-private-user-data-to-china-6389861/
Rating: 0.30
Technology
Microsoft Inspire 2020 will be a free digital-only event

3 May 17:38 2 articles
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Microsoft Inspire 2020 will be a free digital-only event

Back in March, Microsoft confirmed the cancellation of Inspire 2020. The event was scheduled to take place in Las Vegas from July 20 through 24 but was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Microsoft said the company is working with authorities and partners to find "alternative ways" to host the event. Today, Microsoft updated the official Inspire website, and it now includes a note confirming the dates of the digital-only event. Furthermore, Microsoft has also decided to forgo the ~$2,500 registration price, making the event free for everyone. The event will take place on July 21–22, 2020 and the registrations for the event will begin in June. Microsoft Inspire is geared towards its business partners and usually showcases the company's channel strategy for the next year. Last year, new features for Teams were announced ahead of the event, and in 2018, Inspire was where Microsoft announced the free tier of the service. As things stand, it's possible that Inspire 2021 will also be an online-only event since Microsoft has cancelled all the in-person events through July 2021.

3 May 17:38 Neowin https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-inspire-2020-will-be-a-free-digital-only-event/
Rating: 1.20
Microsoft Inspire 2020 to be a free digital-only event this year

In March Microsoft announced that the physical Microsoft Inspire (formerly WPC)  annual partner conference set to be held on the July 23 in Las Vegas was being cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis. At the time Microsoft did not announce any plans for a virtual event, but today Australian publication ARNnet confirmed that Inspire 2020 will now be held as a digital-only online event between the 21-22nd July 2020. Registration will be open in June and will be free to all attendees, a significant discount from the $2,295 to $2,595 normal asking price. In a message to their partner ecosystem,  Gavriella Schuster – corporate vice president of One Commercial Partner at Microsoft – said the conference will be “absolutely free” for partners across the world. “That means you can invite as many people from your organisation as you like, so they can be a part of this very special experience,” added Schuster. The move echos the plans for Build 2020, which will similarly be held online with pre-recorded and also live, interactive presentations and press rooms held in Teams. Inspire is normally used to announce Microsoft’s channel strategy for the year ahead, alongside showcasing innovative partners from across the world. This year Microsoft is expected to be more flexible in their approach and more responsive to partner needs. “Every day, we are learning more and more about the global impact of the coronavirus,” Schuster acknowledged at the time. “For decades, Microsoft partners have been at the centre of how we deliver technologies and business transformation to customers. “Today, more than ever, we need to collaborate and co-innovate to meet those customers’ needs. For our part, that means ensuring that we’re giving you the support you need in the weeks and months to come.”

3 May 13:00 MSPoweruser https://mspoweruser.com/microsoft-inspire-2020-to-be-a-free-digital-only-event-this-year/
Rating: 0.78
Technology
MIUI 12 with Google apps now available for download - Gizchina.com

3 May 08:06 2 articles
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MIUI 12 with Google apps now available for download - Gizchina.com

Xiaomi launched the latest version of its Android skin, MIUI 12, last week. The company has already released multiple closed beta builds in China. Now, Xiaomi.EU has reworked on these China builds and has released beta builds for global users.  Xiaomi’s latest and greatest MIUI generally sees the light of day first in China. The company then goes on to release several beta builds before a stable roll-out. The Chinese MIUI version supports only Mandarin and English languages. It also lacks Google apps and comes with Chinese bloatware that is really of no use elsewhere, globally. Xiaomi’s EU team has given global users a chance to experience the new UI, by adding more languages to the build. It has also removed the Chinese bloatware and added Google apps so that users can enjoy the latest UI in their daily drivers.  The latest build by Xiaomi EU is available for 28 devices as of now with more unlocked features hidden by Xiaomi, so that users can experience the new MIUI 12 features that include an improved Dark Mode 2.0, new layout changes, improved privacy(in partnership with MACE), a new Control Center and more. Below is a chart released by Xiaomi EU that includes the list of supported devices for the latest MIUI 12 build:

3 May 08:06 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/miui-12-with-google-apps-now-available-for-download/
Rating: 1.29
Xiaomi.EU releases MIUI 12 builds for 20+ Xiaomi Mi and Redmi devices

Last week, Xiaomi announced the latest version of its Android-based software for its Mi and Redmi smartphones—MIUI 12. The update adds a plethora of useful features as we noted in our hands-on. Xiaomi has started rolling out MIUI 12 closed beta builds for a handful of devices in China, but now there’s a better way to try the latest software features thanks to the Xiaomi.EU team. Xiaomi’s MIUI China software releases aren’t intended to be used by global users. MIUI China only has Mandarin and English as languages, lacks Google apps, and comes with a bunch of Chinese services that aren’t of any use outside of the country. The team at Xiaomi.EU takes MIUI China and translates the strings to more languages, adds Google apps, and removes various Chinese services so global users can enjoy bleeding edge MIUI features. In addition, Xiaomi.EU also unlocks a bunch of features that Xiaomi restricts to certain device models or are otherwise hidden in MIUI. Their latest release is based on the Chinese MIUI 12 beta builds and is available on over 2 dozen Mi and Redmi smartphones. Update to MIUI 12. You have to install this update MANUALLY – updater wouldn’t work. System Notification bar Screen time Camera Scanner Home screen Messaging Weather Gallery Calendar Health App vault The initial list of 28 Xiaomi Mi and Redmi devices that Xiaomi.EU based on MIUI 12 supports includes the following: The team dropped support for the Redmi Note 8 Pro due to issues with bricking that can’t be easily recovered from. Here’s a chart that Xiaomi.EU published showing all the devices that are supported in this release, their Android OS versions, and whether rollback protection is enabled in this release. You can download Xiaomi.EU’s MIUI 12 release on the team’s SourceForge or AndroidFileHost pages and read the release notes on the team’s official website. Download Xiaomi.EU based on MIUI 12: SourceForge ||| AndroidFileHost Read the Release Notes To install the release, you’ll need to unlock the bootloader, flash TWRP, and then flash the ROM via TWRP. If you aren’t interested in installing MIUI 12 just yet but you do want to check out the new “Super Live Wallpapers,” then you can download them right here for older Xiaomi devices or here for any other Android device.

3 May 00:45 XDA Developers https://www.xda-developers.com/xiaomi-eu-miui-12-builds-xiaomi-mi-redmi-devices/
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Technology
The Pixel 4a's full camera specs are allegedly detailed in a new leak

3 May 00:00 2 articles
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The Pixel 4a's full camera specs are allegedly detailed in a new leak

The Cuban vlogger TecnoLike Plus has already purported to have reviewed the Google Pixel 4a's cameras well ahead of its launch. Now, the same source has leaked this phone's relevant specs in more detail. It seems the phone has the same Sony IMX shooters as some older Pixels on its front and back. The Pixel 4a's cameras have been leaked by TecnoLike Plus (aka Julio Lusson) to some degree already. Now, it is claimed that he has sent this upcoming budget-Google phone's full camera specs to the XDA. It comes in the form of Device Info HW and DevCheck app read-outs, allegedly associated with this device. Their results may come as little enough of a surprise for in-depth Pixel followers. They apparently show that the 4a has an 8MP Sony IMX355 for a front camera, a sensor with an f/2.0 lens and pixels of 1.14 microns in size. Its single main shooter is a 12.2MP f/1.73 Sony IMX363 with 1.4 micron pixels. If they sound familiar, this is because they have also featured in the Pixel 3/3a and 4 respectively. Despite this apparent recycling of tech at Google, this makes for good news for smartphone photography enthusiasts without quite all of the money. This new leak, should it prove accurate, points to the same shooting power so lauded in the 3 and 4 series. For example, they indicate that the Pixel 4a will be able to do effective portrait shots despite using only 1 sensor at a time. In addition, XDA contributors point out that the 3a's successor may also deliver effective Super Res Zoom, Night Sight and dynamic range. However, these new camera samples also show it may suffer in terms of exposure in some shots. TecnoLike Plus via XDA

3 May 00:00 Notebookcheck https://www.notebookcheck.net/The-Pixel-4a-s-full-camera-specs-are-allegedly-detailed-in-a-new-leak.463699.0.html
Rating: 1.95
Here are the Google Pixel 4a, OnePlus Z and HTC Desire 20 Pro leaks from this past week

Images, renders and videos of upcoming smartphones are continually leaking. All of these leaks are often difficult to follow, so we’ve compiled a list of this past week’s hottest rumours. This week, we’re taking a look at smartphone leaks that occurred from April 25th to May 1st. It’s been a while since I included HTC in this list. A render of the Desire 20 Pro, codenamed ‘Bayamo,’ has appeared online. The leaked render showcases that the smartphone features a hole-punch camera in the top right corner and four rear-facing camera sensors. Details about these cameras are not yet known. For more on the HTC Desire 20 Pro leak, click here. A leaked render of an apparent Samsung phone with a pop-up selfie camera has surfaced online. The leak showcases a pop-up selfie shooter similar to the OnePlus 7 Pro’s. By the looks of the phone, it’ll likely fall into Samsung’s line of mid-range handsets and probably at the lower end of it. Alongside the pop-up camera, the device also features a rear-facing fingerprint scanner and a sizable bottom bezel. For more on the pop-up camera Samsung leak, click here. The leaker behind this rumour says that internal documents indicate carriers will start selling the Pixel 4a on May 22nd. This seems likely as Google was expected to reveal the Pixel 4a at I/O. For more on the Pixel 4a leak, click here. OnePlus is expected to release the OnePlus Z in June this year. Though the company recently revealed the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro, the mysterious OP8 Lite never appeared. Now it seems the company will launch it as the OPZ. Leaks indicate the phone will sport a flat-screen, possibly last year’s camera tech, and a mid-range MediaTek Dimensity 1000 processor. For more on the OnePlus Z, click here. Another leak suggests that the OnePlus Z might have a little bit more in its trunk. This rumour indicates the OnePlus Z will sport Qualcomm’s upper mid-range processor, the Snapdragon 765. For more on the OnePlus Z’s Snapdragon 765 chipset leak, click here. Image Credit: Evan Blass 

2 May 14:04 mobilesyrup https://mobilesyrup.com/2020/05/02/google-pixela-oneplus-z-htc-leaks/
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Technology
Why smartphones are digital truth serum

3 May 17:16 2 articles
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Why smartphones are digital truth serum

Researchers from University of Pennsylvania published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that explains that the device people use to communicate can affect the extent to which they are willing to disclose intimate or personal information about themselves. The study forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing is titled "Full Disclosure: How Smartphones Enhance Consumer Self-disclosure" and is authored by Shiri Melumad and Robert Meyer. Do smartphones alter what people are willing to disclose about themselves to others? A new study in the Journal of Marketing suggests that they might. The research indicates that people are more willing to reveal personal information about themselves online using their smartphones compared to desktop computers. For example, Tweets and reviews composed on smartphones are more likely to be written from the perspective of the first person, to disclose negative emotions, and to discuss the writer's private family and personal friends. Likewise, when consumers receive an online ad that requests personal information (such as phone number and income), they are more likely to provide it when the request is received on their smartphone compared to their desktop or laptop computer. Why do smartphones have this effect on behavior? Melumad explains that "Writing on one's smartphone often lowers the barriers to revealing certain types of sensitive information for two reasons; one stemming from the unique form characteristics of phones and the second from the emotional associations that consumers tend to hold with their device." First, one of the most distinguishing features of phones is the small size; something that makes viewing and creating content generally more difficult compared with desktop computers. Because of this difficulty, when writing or responding on a smartphone, a person tends to narrowly focus on completing the task and become less cognizant of external factors that would normally inhibit self-disclosure, such as concerns about what others would do with the information. Smartphone users know this effect well—when using their phones in public places, they often fixate so intently on its content that they become oblivious to what is going on around them. The second reason people tend to be more self-disclosing on their phones lies in the feelings of comfort and familiarity people associate with their phones. Melumad adds, "Because our smartphones are with us all of the time and perform so many vital functions in our lives, they often serve as 'adult pacifiers' that bring feelings of comfort to their owners." The downstream effect of those feelings shows itself when people are more willing to disclose feelings to a close friend compared to a stranger or open up to a therapist in a comfortable rather than uncomfortable setting. As Meyer says, "Similarly, when writing on our phones, we tend to feel that we are in a comfortable 'safe zone.' As a consequence, we are more willing to open up about ourselves." The data to support these ideas is far-ranging and includes analyses of thousands of social media posts and online reviews, responses to web ads, and controlled laboratory studies. For example, initial evidence comes from analyses of the depth of self-disclosure revealed in 369,161 Tweets and 10,185 restaurant reviews posted on TripAdvisor.com, with some posted on PCs and some on smartphones.? Using both automated natural-language processing tools and human judgements of self-disclosure, the researchers find robust evidence that smartphone-generated content is indeed more self-disclosing. Perhaps even more compelling is evidence from an analysis of 19,962 "call to action" web ads, where consumers are asked to provide private information. Consistent with the tendency for smartphones to facilitate greater self-disclosure, compliance was systematically higher for ads targeted at smartphones versus PCs. The findings have clear and significant implications for firms and consumers. One is that if a firm wishes to gain a deeper understanding of the real preferences and needs of consumers, it may obtain better insights by tracking what they say and do on their smartphones than on their desktops. Likewise, because more self-disclosing content is often perceived to be more honest, firms might encourage consumers to post reviews from their personal devices. But therein lies a potential caution for consumers—these findings suggest that the device people use to communicate can affect what they communicate. This should be kept in mind when thinking about the device one is using when interacting with firms and others. More information: Shiri Melumad et al, Full Disclosure: How Smartphones Enhance Consumer Self-Disclosure, Journal of Marketing (2020). DOI: 10.1177/0022242920912732 Journal information:Journal of Marketing Provided by American Marketing Association

3 May 17:16 phys.org https://phys.org/news/2020-05-smartphones-digital-truth-serum.html
Rating: 1.30
Why smartphones are digital truth serum

Researchers from University of Pennsylvania published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that explains that the device people use to communicate can affect the extent to which they are willing to disclose intimate or personal information about themselves. The study forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing is titled "Full Disclosure: How Smartphones Enhance Consumer Self-disclosure" and is authored by Shiri Melumad and Robert Meyer. Do smartphones alter what people are willing to disclose about themselves to others? A new study in the Journal of Marketing suggests that they might. The research indicates that people are more willing to reveal personal information about themselves online using their smartphones compared to desktop computers. For example, Tweets and reviews composed on smartphones are more likely to be written from the perspective of the first person, to disclose negative emotions, and to discuss the writer's private family and personal friends. Likewise, when consumers receive an online ad that requests personal information (such as phone number and income), they are more likely to provide it when the request is received on their smartphone compared to their desktop or laptop computer. Why do smartphones have this effect on behavior? Melumad explains that "Writing on one's smartphone often lowers the barriers to revealing certain types of sensitive information for two reasons; one stemming from the unique form characteristics of phones and the second from the emotional associations that consumers tend to hold with their device." First, one of the most distinguishing features of phones is the small size; something that makes viewing and creating content generally more difficult compared with desktop computers. Because of this difficulty, when writing or responding on a smartphone, a person tends to narrowly focus on completing the task and become less cognizant of external factors that would normally inhibit self-disclosure, such as concerns about what others would do with the information.?Smartphone users know this effect well — when using their phones in public places, they often fixate so intently on its content that they become oblivious to what is going on around them. The second reason people tend to be more self-disclosing on their phones lies in the feelings of comfort and familiarity people associate with their phones. Melumad adds, "Because our smartphones are with us all of the time and perform so many vital functions in our lives, they often serve as 'adult pacifiers' that bring feelings of comfort to their owners." The downstream effect of those feelings shows itself when people are more willing to disclose feelings to a close friend compared to a stranger or open up to a therapist in a comfortable rather than uncomfortable setting. As Meyer says, "Similarly, when writing on our phones, we tend to feel that we are in a comfortable 'safe zone.' As a consequence, we are more willing to open up about ourselves." The data to support these ideas is far-ranging and includes analyses of thousands of social media posts and online reviews, responses to web ads, and controlled laboratory studies.?For example, initial evidence comes from analyses of the depth of self-disclosure?revealed in 369,161 Tweets and 10,185 restaurant reviews posted on TripAdvisor.com, with some posted on PCs and some on smartphones.? Using both automated natural-language processing tools and human judgements of self-disclosure, the researchers find robust evidence that smartphone-generated content is indeed more self-disclosing. Perhaps even more compelling is evidence from an analysis of 19,962 "call to action" web ads, where consumers are asked to provide private information. Consistent with the tendency for smartphones to facilitate greater self-disclosure, compliance was systematically higher for ads targeted at smartphones versus PCs. The findings have clear and significant implications for firms and consumers.?One is that if a firm wishes to gain a deeper understanding of the real preferences and needs of consumers, it may obtain better insights by tracking what they say and do on their smartphones than on their desktops.?Likewise, because more self-disclosing content is often perceived to be more honest, firms might encourage consumers to post reviews from their personal devices.?But therein lies a potential caution for consumers — these findings suggest that the device people use to communicate can affect what they communicate. This should be kept in mind when thinking about the device one is using when interacting with firms and others. make a difference: sponsored opportunity

3 May 00:00 ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200503092738.htm
Rating: 1.87
Technology
Pluralsight has free courses to help you learn Microsoft Azure quickly

2 May 19:39 2 articles
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Pluralsight has free courses to help you learn Microsoft Azure quickly

Learning Microsoft Azure is now easier than ever thanks to a new partnership between Pluralsight and Microsoft. You can become an expert and strengthen your Azure skills in no time, and the best part is that getting started is absolutely free. There are a number of courses on Azure you can take at Pluralsight to see whether the site and learning method is right for you before paying a cent on any further courses you might decide to take. Learn skills you'll need to be prepared for Microsoft Azure certifications with free courses at Pluralsight. Pluralsight features more courses in Software Development, IT Ops, Cyber Security, and other subjects as well. With your free Pluralsight account, you'll score unlimited access to select Azure courses, along with skill assessments to stay on track of how much knowledge you've actually retained. There are eight free Azure courses in all, and over 200 more to get into if you choose to pay for further courses. Right now, the following courses are available for free to help you improve your Azure expertise in various areas, including: Sign up for ExpressVPN today and save 49% These courses cover skills you'll need to be prepared for Azure certifications. Though the course videos are primarily available in English, there is a closed captioning feature which lets you view the courses with translated subtitles for your preferred language. The best part about Pluralsight is that the learning doesn't have to end there. Microsoft Azure is just one of the many subjects available on the site; at this time, there's a major focus on courses in Software Development, IT Ops, Data Professional, and Information & Cyber Security. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

2 May 19:39 Android Central https://www.androidcentral.com/pluralsight-has-free-courses-help-you-learn-microsoft-azure-quickly?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+androidcentral+%28Android+Central%29
Rating: 1.90
Pluralsight has free courses to help you learn Microsoft Azure quickly

Learning Microsoft Azure is now easier than ever thanks to a new partnership between Pluralsight and Microsoft. You can become an expert and strengthen your Azure skills in no time, and the best part is that getting started is absolutely free. There are a number of courses on Azure you can take at Pluralsight to see whether the site and learning method is right for you before paying a cent on any further courses you might decide to take. Learn skills you'll need to be prepared for Microsoft Azure certifications with free courses at Pluralsight. Pluralsight features more courses in Software Development, IT Ops, Cyber Security, and other subjects as well. With your free Pluralsight account, you'll score unlimited access to select Azure courses, along with skill assessments to stay on track of how much knowledge you've actually retained. There are eight free Azure courses in all, and over 200 more to get into if you choose to pay for further courses. Right now, the following courses are available for free to help you improve your Azure expertise in various areas, including: Best online learning tools for kids: ABCmouse, Reading IQ, & more These courses cover skills you'll need to be prepared for Azure certifications. Though the course videos are primarily available in English, there is a closed captioning feature which lets you view the courses with translated subtitles for your preferred language. The best part about Pluralsight is that the learning doesn't have to end there. Microsoft Azure is just one of the many subjects available on the site; at this time, there's a major focus on courses in Software Development, IT Ops, Data Professional, and Information & Cyber Security. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

2 May 19:39 Windows Central https://www.windowscentral.com/pluralsight-has-free-courses-help-you-learn-microsoft-azure-quickly?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wmexperts+%28Windows+Central%29
Rating: 2.16
Technology
Android TV devices can now be added to speaker groups in the Google Home app

3 May 10:30 2 articles
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Android TV devices can now be added to speaker groups in the Google Home app

The Google Cast protocol is one of Google’s most useful services as it enables you to quickly play music, videos, podcasts, and more on your compatible smart speaker, smart display, TV, and more devices after finding the content you want to play on your Android device. Android TV devices are compatible with Google Cast, and now you can add them to speaker groups in the Google Home app. Last night, Twitter user @androidtv_rumor noticed (via 9to5Google) that he was able to add his NVIDIA SHIELD TV to a speaker group that includes a Google Nest Hub smart display and Google Home Mini smart speaker. He says that this feature was enabled via an update to version 1.47.207274 for the pre-installed “Chromecast built-in” app. Another Twitter user confirmed that they were able to add their SHIELD TV to a speaker group after receiving this update. Creating a speaker group is a handy feature in the Google Home app as it allows you to cast media to multiple Google Cast devices simultaneously. The ability to add Google Cast devices to speaker groups was initially only available for Google Home smart speakers, Chromecast Audio devices, and other Google Cast-enabled speakers. In November of 2018, Google rolled out the ability to add Chromecasts to speaker groups in the Google Home app. Android TV devices have built-in Google Cast functionality but only now are they getting the ability to be added to speaker groups. In case you haven’t received this update to the “Chromecast built-in” app yet, you can sign up for the beta program on the Google Play Store. Then, open up the Google Home app to see if you can add your Android TV device to a speaker group.

3 May 10:30 XDA Developers https://www.xda-developers.com/android-tv-speaker-group-google-home/
Rating: 0.30
Android TV devices can now be added to Google Home speaker groups

One of the best features of Google’s Assistant ecosystem is the ability to create speaker groups that play music throughout your entire home. Now, Google is making it possible to add Android TV devices to a speaker group. Through an update to the Chromecast Built-in app, Google has apparently enabled all Android TV devices to work with speaker groups. Most users who have been able to get this working have been on Nvidia Shield TV models and I was able to confirm it on my unit too. I tried to get things running on Google’s ADT-3 developer device as well, but I’ve been unable to get the Chromecast built-in app to update even with a sideloaded APK. On an AirTV Mini device, the app did install and I was able to get it to appear in the Google Home app after a reboot. Pointed out by @AndroidTV_rumoron Twitter, an easy way to get in on this updated version is to join the Chromecast Built-in beta on the Play Store. Within a little while, that should push the updated version to your device. Why has Google enabled this? Well for one, it’s been a glaring omission to the speaker group feature for a while — why shouldn’t Android TV devices work with this? The timing, however, tells me that Google has enabled this feature now in preparation for the second-gen Chromecast Ultra we exclusively reported on earlier this year. The original Chromecast Ultra supports speaker groups, so not enabling that on Android TV would mean the second-gen wouldn’t have feature parity. Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:

2 May 16:53 9to5Google https://9to5google.com/2020/05/02/android-tv-google-home-speaker-groups/
Rating: 1.32
Technology
Apple's most important product launch in years could be in jeopardy, but Wall Street doesn't seem to care, Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore

2 May 12:35 2 articles
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Apple's most important product launch in years could be in jeopardy, but Wall Street doesn't seem to care, Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore

Apple provided its first glimpse at how the coronavirus has impacted its business on Thursday when it reported its second-quarter earnings. While Apple generated more revenue than analysts had expected, the quarter still looked far different than Apple had expected before the COVID-19 crisis upended daily life and rattled the economy. The report provided some answers about how Apple’s core business segments are performing. But there’s still a big question lingering over the company’s business as the second half of 2020 approaches. And it didn’t come up once on Apple’s earnings call with analysts: How will the pandemic impact the development and reception of Apple’s anticipated 5G iPhone? Recent reports have painted an unclear picture of what to expect from Apple’s typical fall iPhone launch. That’s critical because although Apple’s services and wearables divisions are growing, the iPhone still generates far more revenue for Apple than any other product. And the long-rumored iPhone 12, expected to be Apple’s first 5G iPhone, is projected to drive significant upgrades. Some analysts, like those from JPMorgan and Wedbush Securities, think it’s plausible that Apple’s anticipated 5G iPhone could be delayed by a couple of months. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who has become the most reliable source of Apple leaks, has said some versions of Apple’s next iPhone may launch a few weeks later than planned, but will still likely debut in the fall timeframe. If this is true, it wouldn’t be the first time Apple has launched new iPhones outside of its typical September release window. The iPhone X launched in November 2017 after being unveiled that September, while the iPhone XR debuted in October 2018. Should that be the case this year, Apple would still benefit from launching its iPhone before the all-important holiday holiday season. A bigger potential issue for Apple may not be whether the iPhone 12’s launch is delayed, but whether there will be enough demand for a high-end iPhone. With jobless claims in the US reaching 30 million over the past six weeks as the coronavirus has disrupted the economy, it’s unclear whether those in the window of an upgrade would be willing to pay nearly $1,000 for a new iPhone. The Japanese financial news site Nikkei Asian Review reported in March that Apple has discussed delaying the release of the expected iPhone 12 because it’s concerned that “the current situation would significantly lower consumer appetite.” Apple CEO Tim Cook addressed the current state of consumer demand on the call, saying that it has seen an uptick across the board in the second half of April. But for the most part, analysts didn’t question how the pandemic could impact future product development and demand. Daniel Flax, a senior research analyst at Neuberger Berman, believes weak demand could be a risk for Apple and most other companies. Still, he doesn’t think Apple will be hurt in the long term. “I think what’s important though is that [Apple] has a very strong balance sheet, and you have a management team that’s continuing to innovate and invest in their products and services,” Flax said to Business Insider. “It is likely that Apple is going to come out stronger on the other side.” Given the high expectations around Apple’s 5G iPhone’s, it’s a little surprising that such concerns were not brought up when Apple executives fielded answers from analysts on Thursday. Even before the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro were announced last fall, analysts had pegged the upcoming 5G iPhone as being the jolt the company needed to pull Apple out of its iPhone sales slump. It’s possible that the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro’s better-than-expected performance in Apple’s fiscal first quarter has calmed some of these concerns. Apple’s iPhone sales fell again in its fiscal second quarter, but expectations were already low considering Apple previously said it didn’t expect to meet its initial second-quarter revenue guidance. Another possibility is that analysts didn’t want to bother asking a question that Apple wouldn’t be willing to address- or even have the answer to yet. When the subject came up on last quarter’s earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said global 5G deployment is still in its “early innings.” Plus, there’s still time for production on a fall iPhone to ramp up, says Robert Muller, enterprise hardware analyst for RBC Capital Markets. “The late July call will probably have questions on the issue,” Muller said to Business Insider via email. “However, again we know the answer will be ‘we don’t comment on future products.'” While it’s true that Apple rarely if ever discusses upcoming products before they’re announced, that hasn’t stopped analysts from probing the tech giant about its roadmap in the past. Even on Thursday’s call, some questions about Apple’s forward-looking strategy did come up – just not as it relates to the 5G iPhone. Overall, Apple’s second-quarter earnings didn’t reveal much that wasn’t already known. Yes, like just about every company, the COVID-19 crisis has posed challenges to Apple’s business. Yes, Apple’s services and wearables businesses are still doing very well, and are serving as a bright spot amid slowing iPhone sales as they have in other recent quarters. And, above all, there’s still a lot of uncertainty about what the future may hold for the iPhone and Apple’s business more broadly. In an unusual move, Apple did not offer revenue guidance for the June quarter because of uncertainties around the virus in the near term. Cook did say, however, that the company has adapted to working from home and that the iPhone SE and iPad Pro have proved the company’s business is continuing even during these difficult times. “And so, while we can’t say for sure how many chapters are in this book,” Cook said, “we can have confidence that the ending will be a good one.”

2 May 12:35 www.businessinsider.sg https://www.businessinsider.sg/apple-iphone-12-release-5g-q2-2020-earnings-2020-5
Rating: 0.30
Apple’s most important product launch in years could be in jeopardy, but Wall Street doesn’t seem to care

Apple provided its first glimpse at how the coronavirus has impacted its business on Thursday when it reported its second-quarter earnings. While Apple generated more revenue than analysts had expected, the quarter still looked far different than Apple had expected before the COVID-19 crisis upended daily life and rattled the economy. The report provided some answers about how Apple’s core business segments are performing. But there’s still a big question lingering over the company’s business as the second half of 2020 approaches. And it didn’t come up once on Apple’s earnings call with analysts: How will the pandemic impact the development and reception of Apple’s anticipated 5G iPhone? Recent reports have painted an unclear picture of what to expect from Apple’s typical fall iPhone launch. That’s critical because although Apple’s services and wearables divisions are growing, the iPhone still generates far more revenue for Apple than any other product. And the long-rumored iPhone 12, expected to be Apple’s first 5G iPhone, is projected to drive significant upgrades. Some analysts, like those from JPMorgan and Wedbush Securities, think it’s plausible that Apple’s anticipated 5G iPhone could be delayed by a couple of months. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who has become the most reliable source of Apple leaks, has said some versions of Apple’s next iPhone may launch a few weeks later than planned, but will still likely debut in the fall timeframe. If this is true, it wouldn’t be the first time Apple has launched new iPhones outside of its typical September release window. The iPhone X launched in November 2017 after being unveiled that September, while the iPhone XR debuted in October 2018. Should that be the case this year, Apple would still benefit from launching its iPhone before the all-important holiday holiday season. A bigger potential issue for Apple may not be whether the iPhone 12’s launch is delayed, but whether there will be enough demand for a high-end iPhone. With jobless claims in the US reaching 30 million over the past six weeks as the coronavirus has disrupted the economy, it’s unclear whether those in the window of an upgrade would be willing to pay nearly $1,000 for a new iPhone. The Japanese financial news site Nikkei Asian Review reported in March that Apple has discussed delaying the release of the expected iPhone 12 because it’s concerned that “the current situation would significantly lower consumer appetite.” Apple CEO Tim Cook addressed the current state of consumer demand on the call, saying that it has seen an uptick across the board in the second half of April. But for the most part, analysts didn’t question how the pandemic could impact future product development and demand. Daniel Flax, a senior research analyst at Neuberger Berman, believes weak demand could be a risk for Apple and most other companies. Still, he doesn’t think Apple will be hurt in the long term. “I think what’s important though is that [Apple] has a very strong balance sheet, and you have a management team that’s continuing to innovate and invest in their products and services,” Flax said to Business Insider. “It is likely that Apple is going to come out stronger on the other side.” Given the high expectations around Apple’s 5G iPhone’s, it’s a little surprising that such concerns were not brought up when Apple executives fielded answers from analysts on Thursday. Even before the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro were announced last fall, analysts had pegged the upcoming 5G iPhone as being the jolt the company needed to pull Apple out of its iPhone sales slump. It’s possible that the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro’s better-than-expected performance in Apple’s fiscal first quarter has calmed some of these concerns. Apple’s iPhone sales fell again in its fiscal second quarter, but expectations were already low considering Apple previously said it didn’t expect to meet its initial second-quarter revenue guidance. Another possibility is that analysts didn’t want to bother asking a question that Apple wouldn’t be willing to address- or even have the answer to yet. When the subject came up on last quarter’s earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said global 5G deployment is still in its “early innings.” Plus, there’s still time for production on a fall iPhone to ramp up, says Robert Muller, enterprise hardware analyst for RBC Capital Markets. “The late July call will probably have questions on the issue,” Muller said to Business Insider via email. “However, again we know the answer will be ‘we don’t comment on future products.'” While it’s true that Apple rarely if ever discusses upcoming products before they’re announced, that hasn’t stopped analysts from probing the tech giant about its roadmap in the past. Even on Thursday’s call, some questions about Apple’s forward-looking strategy did come up – just not as it relates to the 5G iPhone. Overall, Apple’s second-quarter earnings didn’t reveal much that wasn’t already known. Yes, like just about every company, the COVID-19 crisis has posed challenges to Apple’s business. Yes, Apple’s services and wearables businesses are still doing very well, and are serving as a bright spot amid slowing iPhone sales as they have in other recent quarters. And, above all, there’s still a lot of uncertainty about what the future may hold for the iPhone and Apple’s business more broadly. In an unusual move, Apple did not offer revenue guidance for the June quarter because of uncertainties around the virus in the near term. Cook did say, however, that the company has adapted to working from home and that the iPhone SE and iPad Pro have proved the company’s business is continuing even during these difficult times. “And so, while we can’t say for sure how many chapters are in this book,” Cook said, “we can have confidence that the ending will be a good one.”

2 May 12:35 Business Insider Malaysia https://www.businessinsider.my/apple-iphone-12-release-5g-q2-2020-earnings-2020-5
Rating: 0.30
Technology
Huawei Rolls Out World’s Highest 5G Station in Mount Everest Area

2 May 10:31 2 articles
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Huawei Rolls Out World’s Highest 5G Station in Mount Everest Area

Despite the ongoing US crackdown on Huawei, in place since May 2019, the Chinese tech giant continues to stay afloat, vowing to find replacements for American technologies in the near future to become independent of them. Huawei Technologies and the network operator China Mobile have completed the world’s highest 5G base station at an altitude of 6,500 metres in the Mount Everest area, according to a press release from the Chinese tech giant. The station, along with another two that were earlier installed at an altitude of 5,300 metres and 5,800 metres in the area, provides full 5G coverage of Mount Everest on the north ridge as well as the summit, with online download speed reportedly standing at about 1 gigabit per second. The world’s highest peak, Mount Everest has an altitude of more than 8,840 metres (29,029 feet). The remarks were echoed by China Mobile which, in turn, touted the 5G project on Mount Everest as “not only another extreme challenge in a human life exclusion zone”, but also as something that “laid a solid foundation for the later development of 5G smart tourism and 5G communications for scientific research”. The installation of the world’s highest 5G base station comes as Huawei is still grappling with Washington’s crackdown, which kicked off in May 2019, when the Department of Commerce prohibited internet providers from using the company’s products and US tech companies from selling technologies (hardware and software) to Huawei without obtaining a special license first. The White House claims that the company is collaborating with the Chinese government to allow the latter to spy on those who use the tech giant's equipment, allegations that have been rejected by both Beijing and Huawei. The US also began a campaign of discouraging countries from allowing the firm to build national 5G networks using similar claims, despite rejections from the UK, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, and some Canadian telecom providers.

2 May 10:31 Sputniknews https://sputniknews.com/science/202005021079171234-huawei-rolls-out-worlds-highest-5g-station-in-mount-everest-area/
Rating: 3.96
Mount Everest gets 5G signal; base station at an altitude of 6,500 metres becomes operational

  New Delhi (the Statesman/ANN)— Chinese mobile maker Huawei and China Telecom have joined forces to set up the world’s highest 5G base station on the altitude of 6500 metres. Mountaineers climbing from the northern side of Mount Everest i.e. from the Chinese side, can now enjoy 5G coverage and Livestream videos from the ‘highest peak’ as the world’s highest-altitude base station has started operation in the remote Himalayan region of Tibet, the state media reported on Friday. Built at an altitude of 6,500 metres, the base station which became operational on Thursday, is located at the advance base camp of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, according to state-run telecom giant China Mobile. Located at the China-Nepal border, Mount Everest has an altitude of more than 8,840 metres, with its north part located in Xigaze prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region. As per the reports, the Tibet branch of China Mobile has so far finished building three 5G base stations along with another two that were previously built at altitudes of 5,300 metres and 5,800 metres respectively. These stations will provide the full coverage of 5G signal of Mount Everest on the north ridge as well as the summit, Xinhua news agency reported. 5G is the fifth generation of wireless communication technologies. In addition to faster speeds, 5G offers greater bandwidth and network capacity, paving the way for a future of driverless cars, more connected devices and high-definition connections for virtual meetings and telemedicine. The facility will ensure telecommunication for the activities of mountain climbing, scientific research, environmental monitoring and high-definition live streaming, said Zhou Min, general manager of Tibet branch of China Mobile. The latest base station located at the height of 5,300 metres from the sea level is expected to serve the base camp area. Once 5G is commercially available, tourists, mountaineers and other local residents will be able to use the service in the base camp area. The base stations located at the 5,800 metres and 6,500 metres are temporary base stations to provide signal coverage over the climbing route to the summit. After the completion of the elevation survey in 2020, the two base stations are expected to be dismantled, the Xinhua reported. Meanwhile, Chinese mobile maker Huawei and China Telecom have joined forces to set up the world’s highest 5G base station on the altitude of 6500 metres. “Together with the launch of the Gigabit optical fibre network at the attitude of 6,500 metres, Huawei enables China Mobile to run its dual Gigabit network on Mount Everest,” the company said in a statement. At the attitude of 5,300 meters, the 5G download speed exceeded 1.66 Gbps, where the upload speed tops 215 Mbps, it said. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first successful arrival at Mount Everest from the northern slope, and the 45th anniversary of China’s first official accurate measurement and announcement of Mount Everest, the 5G network on Mount Everest will provide communication services for this 2020 Mount Everest re-measurement is of great significance, the statement added.      

2 May 02:30 Eleven Media Group Co., Ltd https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/mount-everest-gets-5g-signal-base-station-at-an-altitude-of-6500-metres-becomes-operational
Rating: 0.30
Technology
Google's Fighting A Losing Battle Against Coronavirus Scammers

2 May 08:10 2 articles
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Google's Fighting A Losing Battle Against Coronavirus Scammers

Among all of the other ills currently dumped on us by the current pandemic, swindlers and scam artists have come out in full force. And while we can’t speak to how many hucksters are out there trying to profiteer off the pandemic, now we have something of an idea. According to a blog post released yesterday by Google’s advertising team, the company blocked “tens of millions” of coronavirus-adjacent ads over the past few months. The crimes, according to Scott Spencer, who oversees the company’s ads privacy and safety efforts, included “price-gouging, capitalising on global medical supply shortages, making misleading claims about cures and promoting illegitimate unemployment benefits.” Google, for its part, attempted to staunch this deluge the best they could, according to Spencer. The biggest move came back in March when the company completely axed advertiser’s ability to advertise face masks after reports of scammers charging exorbitant fees to buy them. “These ads promoted products listed significantly above market price, misrepresented the product quality to trick people into making a purchase or were placed by merchants who never fulfilled the orders,” Spencer writes. But a ban on ads didn’t keep these scammers down. In the weeks following the ban, browsers were still reporting seeing facemask-related ads being served through Google’s ad systems. In fact, while reporting this, and scrolling down a story on Google’s mask-ad crackdown, I saw two full-on ads that were obviously for face masks. This isn’t necessarily a surprise. Bad actors in advertising have a reputation of being notoriously slimy, doing anything they can to tiptoe around the guardrails put up by companies like Google. One early-April post on a popular ad-fraudster forum mentioned that the mask ban could be pretty much bypassed by avoiding certain obvious keywords, like “mask” or “virus.” It could explain how the “Healthcare Products” ad slipped through the story I was reading, since you and I might both know that KN95 refers to the popular face mask, but might register to Google’s algorithms as a garbled set of letters and numbers. Aside from avoiding any obvious mask-related lingo, the ad I was served also appeared to be “cloaked.” In ad lingo, this just means that the ad directs Google’s eyes to one landing page and consumers’ eyes to another. You can try this yourself: in the ad above, the link “pharma-depot.com,” when plugged into Google’s search bar, will redirect to a webpage for Nginx—a server that’s become something of a favourite among scammers trying to cloak their webpages from Google’s moderation. By pulling a bit of Google dorking, you should be able to find the real pharma site that’s hidden behind that server. As you might’ve guessed, the prices being listed on this page were nothing short of beefy. Like single-ply face masks being sold for more than a dollar each when they sell for half that in other stores or a box of disposable plastic gloves being sold for $US49 ($76) instead of roughly $US15 ($23). Google’s significantly beefed up its ad-fraud fighting chops as of late—and according to Spencer, the company’s even employed a dedicated coronavirus “task force” that’s dedicated to stamping out these sorts of bad actors. But as anyone in the ad industry will tell you, this sort of thing is a game of high-stakes cat and mouse. As smart as Google is, and as many resources it has, these scammers are just too dang wiley, and they aren’t afraid of buying millions of scammy ads to make a quick buck.

2 May 08:10 Gizmodo AU https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/05/googles-fighting-a-losing-battle-against-coronavirus-scammers/
Rating: 0.49
Google's Fighting a Losing Battle Against Coronavirus Scammers

Among all of the other ills currently dumped on us by the current pandemic, swindlers and scam artists have come out in full force. And while we can’t speak to how many hucksters are out there trying to profiteer off the pandemic, now we have something of an idea. According to a blog post released yesterday by Google’s advertising team, the company blocked “tens of millions” of coronavirus-adjacent ads over the past few months. The crimes, according to Scott Spencer, who oversees the company’s ads privacy and safety efforts, included “price-gouging, capitalising on global medical supply shortages, making misleading claims about cures and promoting illegitimate unemployment benefits.” Google, for its part, attempted to staunch this deluge the best they could, according to Spencer. The biggest move came back in March when the company completely axed advertiser’s ability to advertise face masks after reports of scammers charging exorbitant fees to buy them. “These ads promoted products listed significantly above market price, misrepresented the product quality to trick people into making a purchase or were placed by merchants who never fulfilled the orders,” Spencer writes. But a ban on ads didn’t keep these scammers down. In the weeks following the ban, browsers were still reporting seeing facemask-related ads being served through Google’s ad systems. In fact, while reporting this, and scrolling down a story on Google’s mask-ad crackdown, I saw two full-on ads that were obviously for face masks. This isn’t necessarily a surprise. Bad actors in advertising have a reputation of being notoriously slimy, doing anything they can to tiptoe around the guardrails put up by companies like Google. One early-April post on a popular ad-fraudster forum mentioned that the mask ban could be pretty much bypassed by avoiding certain obvious keywords, like “mask” or “virus.” Aside from avoiding any obvious mask-related lingo, the ad I was served also appeared to be “cloaked.” In ad lingo, this just means that the ad directs Google’s eyes to one landing page and consumers’ eyes to another. For instance, when an ad linked to “pharma-depot.com” is plugged into Google’s search bar, it will redirect to a webpage for Nginx – a server that’s become something of a favourite among scammers trying to cloak their webpages from Google’s moderation. By pulling a bit of Google dorking, you should be able to find the real pharma site that’s hidden behind that server. As you might’ve guessed, the prices being listed on this page were nothing short of beefy. Like single-ply face masks being sold for more than a dollar each when they sell for half that in other stores or a box of disposable plastic gloves being sold for $49 (£39) instead of roughly $15 (£12) they usually are. Google’s significantly beefed up its ad-fraud fighting chops as of late – and according to Spencer, the company’s even employed a dedicated coronavirus “task force” that’s dedicated to stamping out these sorts of bad actors. But as anyone in the ad industry will tell you, this sort of thing is a game of high-stakes cat and mouse. As smart as Google is, and as many resources it has, these scammers are just too dang wiley, and they aren’t afraid of buying millions of scammy ads to make a quick profit. Featured photo: Getty

2 May 08:00 Gizmodo UK https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2020/05/googles-fighting-a-losing-battle-against-coronavirus-scammers/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+uk%2Fgizmodo+%28Gizmodo+UK%29&hl=en
Rating: 0.30
Technology
Apple updates coronavirus screening app with new symptoms

2 May 07:30 2 articles
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Apple updates coronavirus screening app with new symptoms

Apple has updated its Coronavirus screening app with new information about COVID-19 symptoms and mask tips. Apple on Friday issued a new version of its app with updated symptom information and recommendations from the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. New symptoms that could be signs of COVID-19 include chills, shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of smell or taste. Previously known symptoms of the disease include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is responsible for COVID-19, the CDC said. Apple also updated its app with tips related to cloth masks, including creating a mask, how to properly wear it and sanitise it. Apple in late March launched a COVID-19 website and app with a screening tool and other information about the new Coronavirus pandemic. “To help you stay informed, understand symptoms and take proper steps to protect your health, Apple has created a COVID-19 website and a U.S. app in partnership with the CDC,” tweeted Apple CEO Tim Cook.

2 May 07:30 The Hindu https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/internet/apple-updates-coronavirus-screening-app-with-new-symptoms/article31487559.ece
Rating: 0.30
Apple updates coronavirus screening app with new symptoms, mask tips

Apple has updated its coronavirus screening app with new information about Covid-19 symptoms and mask tips. Apple on Friday issued a new version of its app with updated symptom information and recommendations from the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. New symptoms that could be signs of Covid-19 include chills, shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of smell or taste.  ALSO READ: Will Apple's iPhone SE dramatically alter the company's prospects in India? Previously known symptoms of the disease include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus which is responsible for Covid-19, the CDC said. Apple also updated its app with tips related to cloth masks, including creating a mask, how to properly wear it and sanitise it. Apple in late March launched a Covid-19 website and app with a screening tool and other information about the new coronavirus pandemic. "To help you stay informed, understand symptoms and take proper steps to protect your health, Apple has created a Covid-19 website and a US app in partnership with the CDC," said Apple CEO Tim Cook.

2 May 07:36 Business-Standard https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/apple-updates-coronavirus-screening-app-with-new-symptoms-mask-tips-120050200195_1.html
Rating: 0.30
Technology
Samsung’s mid-range Galaxy A51 launches on AT&T and Xfinity Mobile

2 May 04:00 2 articles
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Samsung’s mid-range Galaxy A51 launches on AT&T and Xfinity Mobile

AT&T and Comcast’s Xfinity Mobile are bringing Samsung’s $399 Galaxy A51 to their networks this month. The phone, which is the successor to the incredibly popular Galaxy A50, launched on Verizon and Sprint in April. Although Samsung plans to release a 5G version of the handset in the US later this summer, for now only the LTE-variant is available. There’s a lot packed into the Galaxy A51. The phone comes with four rear cameras, including a main 48-megapixel camera, an ultrawide 12-megapixel camera with a 123-degree field of view, a 5-megapixel macro camera, and a 5-megapixel depth camera. Around the front there’s a 6.5-inch OLED display with a hole-punch notch containing a 32-megapixel selfie camera. There’s also an in-display fingerprint sensor and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Inside is a 4,000 mAh battery, which can be fast-charged at up to 15W, and the phone is powered by an Exynos 9611 processor. Oh, and it’s also one of the two phones features in an absolutely wild Samsung ad from last year. Although its flagship Galaxy S lineup generates the most press coverage, recent reports from market research firms Omdia and Counterpoint Research indicate that Samsung’s A-series phones are the ones that more people actually end up buying globally. Back in February, Omdia reported that the Galaxy A50, the predecessor to the A51, was the fourth best-selling smartphone of the year (behind the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, and Galaxy A10) and Counterpoint Research said it was the best-selling smartphone in Europe. The Galaxy A51 is available to order today from both AT&T and Xfinity Mobile. The device will officially go on sale on Xfinity Mobile on May 8th. Disclosure: Comcast is an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company.

2 May 04:00 The Verge https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/1/21243820/samsung-galaxy-a51-comcast-xfinity-mobile-att-6-5-inch-oled-display-quad-rear-cameras-hole-punch?utm_campaign=theverge&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
Rating: 3.34
Samsung Galaxy A51 is now available from AT&T and Xfinity Mobile in the U.S.

Back in December, Samsung launched the Galaxy A51, the mid-range successor to the Galaxy A50. Priced at $399, this mid-range smartphone is a strong competitor to the Apple iPhone SE and upcoming Google Pixel 4a. The phone was launched in the U.S. early last month and is already available through multiple carriers and retailers. Now, the Samsung Galaxy A51 can be purchased directly through AT&T and Comcast’s Xfinity Mobile. Samsung Galaxy A51 Forums To recap, the Samsung Galaxy A51 features a large 6.5-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a centered hole-punch cutout (Samsung calls this an “Infinity-O” display). This hole-punch cutout houses the single 32MP front-facing camera. On the rear, there’s a quad camera setup consisting of a 48MP primary wide-angle camera, a 12MP ultra-wide angle camera, a 5MP dedicated macro camera, and a 5MP depth sensor. Internally, the phone is powered by the Samsung Exynos 9611 processor, a 4000mAh battery, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage (expandable via a microSD card). The phone supports 15W wired charging via the included USB Type-C charger. The Galaxy A51 runs Samsung’s One UI 2.0 software on top of Android 10. On AT&T and Xfinity Mobile, you can pick up the Samsung Galaxy A51 in Prism Crush Black for a full retail price of $399. You’ll pay $13.34/month for 30 months under AT&T’s Installment Plan with delivery between May 5-7. Xfinity Mobile is offering the phone for $16.66/month for 24 months, but you can bring this down to $12.25/month for 24 months for a total of $100 off if you add a new line and transfer a number. Expected delivery from Xfinity Mobile is May 8th. You can purchase the A51 today from AT&T, Xfinity Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint. You can also purchase it unlocked from Samsung.com or Best Buy. Buy the Samsung Galaxy A51 (U.S.): AT&T (New), Xfinity Mobile (New), Verizon, Sprint, Samsung, Best Buy Here are the full specifications of the device: The Samsung Galaxy A51 has an impressive set of specifications on paper, and because of its $399 price point, it’s widely compared to the new Apple iPhone SE. Although the Pixel 4a hasn’t been released yet, we can expect it go toe-to-toe with the Galaxy A51 based on what we’ve heard from leaks and rumors. There’s also a 5G Galaxy A51 coming later this year, but we don’t know its pricing or availability yet.

2 May 15:36 XDA Developers https://www.xda-developers.com/samsung-galaxy-a51-is-now-available-from-att-and-xfinity-mobile-in-the-u-s/
Rating: 0.30
Technology
Apple Changes Face ID Feature to Recognize Users With Masks On

2 May 14:30 2 articles
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Apple Changes Face ID Feature to Recognize Users With Masks On

The spread of coronavirus has caused significant changes in how businesses and society as a whole functions, and now Apple is looking to adjust some of its products with the current pandemic. Many spaces like grocery stores and other public spaces have required people to wear a mask at all times. This can easily keep people’s faces from being visible, especially if they are using a feature like the iPhone’s Face ID. Because of that, Apple has created a feature that will take you straight to the lock/passcode screen. A Twitter user pointed out the feature, saying, “if you’re wearing a mask, iOS 13.5 goes straight to the passcode screen if you try to unlock with Face ID.” Previously, a security firm demonstrated how a mask could present an issue to iPhone X users, noting an iPhone’s Face ID feature could be hacked with a 3D-printed mask that looks like the user. Now, since a 3D-printed mask is no longer needed, the feature could be vulnerable to hackers looking to exploit the face coverings required to be worn in many states. Stay tuned for more updates on this situation. source: news.sky.com  

2 May 14:30 VLADTV https://www.vladtv.com/article/262249/apple-changes-face-id-feature-to-recognize-users-with-masks-on
Rating: 0.30
Can’t Unlock Your iPhone With Face Mask On? Apple Is Testing a Fix

Straight from the files of small lifestyle changes brought on by the coronavirus: Apple is testing how to make it easier for iPhone owners wearing face masks to unlock their devices. The tech giant, as The Washington Post pointed out on Friday, has developers beta testing a new feature that would recognize whether users are wearing face masks, allowing them to automatically bypass Apple’s Face ID login. Some developers have already shared a look at how the feature would look on iOS 13.5. Instead, users wearing face masks would be directed to the passcode screen, rather than being asked to try multiple Face ID logins. Apple did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment. The new feature comes as millions of Americans have started wearing face masks to run their errands, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If rolled out, the feature would save users a few precious seconds spent taking their face masks on and off to check their iPhones. Apple on Thursday reported iPhone sales dipped 7% between January and March compared to the same time last year. Overall, the company reported $58.3 billion in sales for the period, marking a 1% year-over-year increase. Apple chief Tim Cook, during the company’s earnings call, said the company saw a record amount of FaceTime during the quarter.

2 May 01:11 TheWrap https://www.thewrap.com/cant-unlock-your-iphone-with-face-mask-on-apple-is-testing-a-fix/
Rating: 0.67
Technology
Xiaomi Mi 8 and others now getting MIUI 12 second closed beta -

2 May 19:09 2 articles
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Xiaomi Mi 8 and others now getting MIUI 12 second closed beta -

On April 27, Chinese manufacturing giant, Xiaomi, released the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G as well as its latest MIUI 12 system. Xiaomi also officially announced that the stable version of MIUI 12 will be fully upgraded at the end of June. Furthermore, the company listed a couple of smartphones including the Xiaomi Mi 8 which were eligible to participate in the first MIUI 12 closed beta. After receiving the first MIUI 12 beta, Xiaomi Mi 8 and other models have started to receive the second beta update. This update mainly improve the stability and fluency of the system. According to the company, the first public beta of the MIUI 12 will be available on May 8. The MIUI 12 comes with a plethora of new features including Vientiane Screen +, Dark Mode 2.0, and more. The “Vientiane Screen +” which comes with this new system is now available for beta testing. Users can go to the app store to update and have a feel of this feature. As for the dark mode 2.0, MIUI 12 achieves global coverage. This feature deeply integrates with 42 system applications. In addition, it is specially customized for 20 mainstream applications, and a large number of third-party applications already support nonlinear inverse color algorithms. MIUI 12  comes with a better dark mode feature which can automatically adjust the brightness of the screen. The adjustments depend on the amount of light in the environment. It uses a color design that conforms to the WCAG standard. Furthermore, it has a high color selection contrast and clearer content in bright light environments. However, in a low light environment, the system can intelligently reduce the contrast depending on the screen brightness. The Xiaomi MIUI 12 also comes with a much better security system which gives users some sort of assurance. As for the stable version, the company says that it will release it in June.

2 May 19:09 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/02/xiaomi-mi-8-and-others-now-getting-miui-12-second-closed-beta/
Rating: 1.29
Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 is on track to receive the Android 10-based MIUI 12 update soon

Xiaomi has apparently started testing the Android 10-based MIUI 12 ROM for the Redmi Note 8 in China implying a global rollout soon. However, the company has not defined any timeline and whether the rollout will eventually happen or not depends on satisfactory performance of the update during testing Last month, we reported about the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 possibly being queued for an Android 10 MIUI 12 update. With MIUI 12 officially announced in China earlier this week, speculation is once again rife about the availability of Android 10 for the Snapdragon 665-powered budget handset. In a response to a query posted on the Mi Community forums as to whether Android 10 followed by MIUI 12 would be available for the Redmi Note 8, a Xiaomi moderator replied,  The above statement implies that the Chinese Android 10-MIUI 12 ROM for the Redmi Note 8 is already in testing and that the global ROM should be available soon.  The statement from the moderator seems assuring. However, we should caution that since the update is still in testing, it may still get paused if any show-stopping bugs are found in the process. Recently, the Redmi Note 8 Pro received the Android 10 update globally, but it removed HDR support for Netflix and HD playback ability on Amazon Prime. The Redmi Note 8 supports Widevine L1 DRM but for some reason does not playback Netflix in HD. Here's hoping this update irons out such bugs. Mi Community via PiunikaWeb

2 May 00:00 Notebookcheck https://www.notebookcheck.net/Xiaomi-Redmi-Note-8-is-on-track-to-receive-the-Android-10-based-MIUI-12-update-soon.463333.0.html
Rating: 1.95
Technology
OnePlus offers to refund, replace or repair OnePlus 8 Pro units with Black Crush issue

2 May 17:35 2 articles
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OnePlus offers to refund, replace or repair OnePlus 8 Pro units with Black Crush issue

OnePlus 8 Pro officially went on sale on April 29 but before then, the company had shipped units to buyers who made pre-orders. Some of the pre-order units were noticed to have issues with their display, with problems ranging from crushed/clipped blacks and even a “green tint.” The tech giant responded swiftly and promised to push an OTA that’ll fix the issue. Apparently, the OxygenOS 10.5.5 update was seeded to OnePlus 8 Pro units and only fixed the green tint issue. OnePlus seems to have confirmed that the black crush display issue is a hardware issue. A post by a Reddit user reveals that the company is giving users facing this issue three options. The first is to send in the device for repairs at the service centre. Buyer may also return the device and get a refund. Finally, they could submit a replacement request on the website and get a replacement. We couldn’t verify the authenticity of this claim but if it is true, it a welcome development. Most buyers will likely opt for the option of getting a replacement or a refund which can then be used to purchase a new one. The OnePlus 8 Pro sells for around $900 and that is so much to shell out and then proceed to get the unit repaired so early. (source)

2 May 17:35 Gizmochina https://www.gizmochina.com/2020/05/02/oneplus-offers-to-refund-replace-or-repair-oneplus-8-pro-units-with-black-crush-issue/
Rating: 1.16
OnePlus 8 Pro: OnePlus confirms that the black crush issue is a hardware defect, offers replacements

Some OnePlus 8 Pro units suffer from well-documented green tint and black crush display issues. OnePlus is now acknowledging the latter to be a hardware defect, and is offering to repair, refund, or replace affected units. A few weeks ago, reports surfaced pointing out flaws in the display of the OnePlus 8 Pro. There were widespread complaints over green tint issues and a black crush problem. OnePlus promised to investigate the matter, and it would seem that the company has now made a decision. Going by a post on the Reddit OnePlus forum, OnePlus has now acknowledged the black crush issue and is classifying it as a hardware defect. The company also gives buyers three options: repair, refund, or a replacement. That's about par for issues like this. The post has been corroborated by other users on the forum. However, it remains unclear as to whether the company is taking the same stance on the green tint issue, as it's similarly a display problem. OnePlus has sent two updates to the OnePlus 8 Pro since the complains began, but the issue persists, supporting our initial assertion that it's a hardware defect as opposed to a software problem like on the Galaxy S20 Ultra. We'll be sure to keep you updated on this. Reddit

2 May 00:00 Notebookcheck https://www.notebookcheck.net/OnePlus-8-Pro-OnePlus-confirms-that-the-black-crush-issue-is-a-hardware-defect-offers-replacements.463468.0.html
Rating: 1.95
Technology
Tesla isn't a car company, and it isn't a tech company — it's a new GE for the 21st century, and it's just getting started. Here's how it could dominate the global business world.

3 May 12:53 1 articles
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Tesla isn't a car company, and it isn't a tech company — it's a new GE for the 21st century, and it's just getting started. Here's how it could dominate the global business world.

I've covered Tesla for over a decade and for that entire time, I've constantly insisted that it isn't a Silicon Valley tech company, but rather a carmaker. Just like General Motors, Toyota, Ford, or Mercedes-Benz, just with electric motors instead of internal-combustion engines. Wrong! So wrong! But not because Tesla is actually a Silicon Valley tech company. It isn't. Silicon Valley doesn't really create technology companies anymore; instead, it creates companies that sit on top of the internet — mainly the mobile internet these days — and sell attention-spans to advertisers and services to businesses.  In effect, they're media companies whose content is generated for free by users: Google searches, Facebook posts, and so on. Apple is an exception, but there we have a design firm, effectively, that lives on the exceptional profit margins of its premium devices, chiefly the iPhone. There have always been powerful media companies and media conglomerates, but nobody ever confused them with old-economy technology companies, such as automakers, aviation giants, or even the first wave of computer companies, such as IBM. Now that we're something like four decades into the "tech" transformation of the economy, we've forgotten what actual technology companies look like. The best example, from the previous century, is General Electric, which can trace its roots to Thomas Edison and the late 19th century. GE is the quintessential American conglomerate. But it's importance, while still critical, has been fading. The successor, it dawned on me a few weeks ago, is Tesla. It should have been obvious to me all along. Here's why: Get the latest General Electric stock price here.

3 May 12:53 Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-elon-musk-future-outlook-analysis-2020-4
Rating: 4.40
Technology
This $90,000 camper van conversion was built on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter for a woman to travel with her 4 dogs — see inside 'Pluto'

3 May 12:34 1 articles
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This $90,000 camper van conversion was built on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter for a woman to travel with her 4 dogs — see inside 'Pluto'

Washington-based camper conversion company Freedom Vans created a custom $90,000 camper van conversion named Pluto on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter for a woman who wanted to travel with her dogs. The 144-inch Sprinter has the same amenities as any normal non-mobile home, such as a kitchen, bed, garage, leisure space, and toilet. But unlike most camper van conversions, Pluto was built out and optimized to accommodate both the #VanLife owner and her four dogs: two that she owns, and two that she's fostering, according to Freedom Vans' YouTube video tour of the build. Freedom Vans was first founded in 2015 and has since expanded to include nine team members and over 42 completed conversions, including the Fitz Roy camper build.  The company is typically booked between 10 to 14 months ahead of time for full conversions. But besides complete custom conversion work, Freedom Vans can also do smaller tweaks on existing builds, such as installing a battery or solar power system. In total, full van conversions from Freedom Vans can cost between $45,000 to $125,000 but averages out at around $70,000, while single tweaks could cost between $20,000 to $35,000. Keep scrolling to see the dog-friendly Pluto:

3 May 12:34 Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/freedom-van-camper-rv-pluto-woman-travel-four-dogs-2020-5
Rating: 4.40
Technology
A 'legendary' 1962 Ferrari GTE used by the Rome police in high-speed car chases is now for sale — take a closer look

3 May 12:25 1 articles
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A 'legendary' 1962 Ferrari GTE used by the Rome police in high-speed car chases is now for sale — take a closer look

A Ferrari that was used by Rome's police force from 1963 to 1968 is now on sale. The Ferrari 250 GTE is considered one of the automaker's most popular models, ultimately evolving into three different series throughout four years, according to Girardo & Co. But unlike any other Ferrari build, the 250 GTE that's now on sale with Girardo & Co has a unique history: the Ferrari 250 GTE Polizia was used by Rome's police force during a time when crime-related car chases were at a high. Before the arrival of the 250 GTE, the police had been driving an Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600. However, the decision to purchase a Ferrari came after one of the force's most revered officers, Armando Spatafora, said, "What could be better than a Ferrari?" in response to being asked what he would need to be "complete," according to Girardo & Co. This statement then started a series of events that ultimately led to the purchase of the now "legendary" 250 GTE Polizia vehicle. That exact Ferrari 250 GTE Polizia is now being sold with its robust history file that includes police documentation and Ferrari build sheets. The car dons a body fitted by Pininfarina and a tan leatherette interior that contrasts its black exterior paint.  Keep scrolling to learn more about its one-of-a-kind history: Source: Girardo & Co Source: Girardo & Co Source: RM Sotheby's (Series II and Series III)

3 May 12:25 Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/1962-ferrari-250-gte-police-force-rome-italy-for-sale-2020-4
Rating: 4.40
Technology
A company that creates electric flying cars wants them to be the future of sports, and the first race could happen this year

3 May 12:06 1 articles
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A company that creates electric flying cars wants them to be the future of sports, and the first race could happen this year

The first electric flying car races of the 21st century could take place as early as this year, according to Alauda, which developed the Airspeeder electric flying car. The first Airspeeder prototype debuted in summer 2019, and now the company is at what it calls an advanced stage of testing. Test pilots from the US Air Force were recruited to test earlier versions of the flying car, and it's now ready to begin testing the newest MK4 model that will be used in races, though tests are currently on hold because of coronavirus restrictions.  Alauda plans for MK4 races to be the next popular motorsport at the intersection of science fiction and gaming, drawing fans of other racing sports and esports. Once races can proceed, the sport will be available to stream globally, and spectators will be limited to a few luxury VIPs. Take a look at the Airspeeder here.   

3 May 12:06 Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/airspeeder-electric-flying-cars-being-tested-in-australia-for-sports-2020-4
Rating: 4.40
Technology
Goofy Greyhound Goes Into Jumping Frenzy on a Trampoline

3 May 16:00 1 articles
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Goofy Greyhound Goes Into Jumping Frenzy on a Trampoline

A hilarious greyhound was caught on camera jumping on a new trampoline. In a video posted on Twitter, the doggo is so ecstatic about his new "toy" that it leaps onto it in such an energetic fashion that it almost overturns it. The pooch proceeds to enjoy its hilarious bouncing - glad that there are colourful balls that jump up in unison. The greyhound also washes its paws before and after the procedure, setting a perfect example for us humans, especially nowadays.

3 May 16:00 Sputniknews https://sputniknews.com/videoclub/202005031079183542-goofy-greyhound-goes-into-jumping-frenzy-on-a-trampoline/
Rating: 3.96
Technology
NASA engineers explain what it's like to drive a nuclear-powered Mars rover from home during the pandemic

3 May 09:01 1 articles
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NASA engineers explain what it's like to drive a nuclear-powered Mars rover from home during the pandemic

Remote work doesn't get much more remote than piloting a robot 140 million miles away on the surface of Mars. NASA, alongside many other workplaces, has had to shut its doors during the coronavirus pandemic. For engineers and scientists working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) responsible for driving the Curiosity Mars rover, this meant setting up systems so they could continue to communicate with the rover while all stuck in their homes. Business Insider spoke to two NASA employees currently on the rover team about how they are managing to execute commands and even make scientific advances while working from home. Alicia Allbaugh has worked on and off at NASA since 1991, and oversees the 75-person rover program which she has worked on since 2006. When she heard rumblings about the pandemic and potential lockdowns on NPR, she started to form a plan for if the rover team suddenly had to ship out. The rover team has had to think about some work-from-home plans in the past in case of earthquakes, Allbaugh said. Luckily for the rover team, there was already some infrastructure in place because it works with scientists all over the world, so a degree of teleconferencing functionality was already on hand. They were able to do an experimental test run on March 12, five days before NASA shut its offices. It took everyone a few hours to acclimatize to setting up all their windows and chats so they fit onto home monitor screens. "We figured it out within like two, three hours. We were sort of getting into the groove and understanding the ebb and flow and the pace," she said. The test went off surprisingly well, with the rover receiving and successfully executing a set of orders. Before NASA issued the order sending its employees home on March 17, Allbaugh had also gone into the office and done an inventory of all the spare monitors and headsets the team had on hand and what they would have to order in. When news did come that employees shouldn't come back to work the next day, her team grabbed what they needed and headed home. The Curiosity rover is equipped with 3D cameras, which it uses to send 3D images back to its drivers to help work out where it should go next. Ordinarily the team look at these images with special high-tech 3D goggles which flip which eye is looking at the image at a rate of about 60 times per second. "The reason we have them, in general, is because the Rover drivers need to visualize how the Rover moves over 3D train," said Matt Gildner, the rover planner team lead. Gildner oversees a team of about 20 planners who write and send commands telling the rover where to go. He added that the 3D images give the drivers a better idea of how steep a slope might be, or how sandy the ground might be. But the goggles require heavy-duty graphics cards normally used in gaming computers, and it wasn't going to be practical to get these working at home, so NASA found a less high-tech solution. Rover planners are now using simple plastic red-blue glasses, the same kind you would use to watch a 3D movie. Gildner says he pops the glasses on for about 10 to 15 minutes at a time about three times a day to look around at where the rover is. "It really helps us do our jobs. I mean, we couldn't do it without it," he said. The various groups that work on Curiosity are used to being in large rooms where they can easily talk to each other and convene amongst themselves, and simulating this kind of communication was a big challenge for the team. Broadly speaking the work is split into uplink (what information NASA is sending the rover) and downlink (what information the rover is sending to NASA). "The downlink area where they look at the data is similar to what you've seen in like 'Apollo 13' [...] with little signs above everyone, and they're looking at information from various systems on the vehicle," Allbaugh said. Uplink takes place on a different floor. "[Uplink is] mostly in one really large room that has a whole bunch of computers around the edge of it, and a very large table in the center with people on laptops usually as well," Allbaugh added. As a planner, Gildner works on the uplink side of the team and said it was a struggle to mimic this flow of communication. "We are used to being able to have everyone in one room and have some conversations that are within smaller groups in one room, and then some conversations that participate with everyone," he said. His solution: double headsets. "What we've done is actually we set up multiple teleconferences all at once. I will have one headset called into my team of  rover drivers and we'll be chatting, and I'll have that in one ear. And then I will be called into the larger teams group and have that in my second ear. And so I'm like muting myself in between two teleconferences at once and chatting back and forth and doing this for like eight hours a day," he said. "It does make you a bit more worn out, you have to concentrate a bit more. But it's actually worked very well ... we're able to kind of mimic what we would be doing if we were all in one place in one conference room, or one operations room, trying to work with different teams," he added. Wearing his 3D glasses as well as his two headsets is what Gildner calls his "super nerd" look. "You've got to do both headsets at once too, because that's really key to the whole look," he said. On March 20 a set of commands that were sent to Curiosity were successfully executed, and the robot drilled a rock sample at a location called "Edinburgh," and is now headed on to yet another drilling operation looking for rocks to analyze. In total, the robot has rolled 166 metres (545 feet) since its human operators had to set up shop at home. For Gildner, piloting the rover has taken on a special significance during lockdown. "One of the big draws of working on a spacecraft operation, especially on Mars, is that every day we're driving to a new place and I get to look at images that no human has ever seen before," he said. "We all get to kind of escape on Mars for a few hours every week," he added, pointing out that Curiosity's photos are also uploaded for the public to see, should anyone else care to escape to Mars.

3 May 09:01 Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-technicians-drive-mars-rover-home-2020-4
Rating: 4.40
Technology
Basketball tech used to fight Covid-19 on factory floor

3 May 17:00 1 articles
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Basketball tech used to fight Covid-19 on factory floor

Wearable chips designed to track the speed and movement of elite sports stars are being deployed to the factory floor, as the world’s largest corporations look at novel ways to restart operations in the age of coronavirus. With sports leagues suspended across the globe, the devices, which usually measure the performances of NBA and NFL players in real time, are being handed out to workers in Germany, Switzerland and the US. Used by teams including basketball’s New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls, and football’s Paris St Germain, the sensors designed by Munich-based start-up Kinexon, which are smaller than a matchbox, measure the proximity of manufacturing staff to ensure physical distancing remains in place. If two devices come into proximity, they emit warning signals and record how long close contact lasted. Private sector companies across the world are racing to develop apps and other tracking tools that can monitor the movement of individual workers around offices, warehouses and factory floors. They hope to build tools that will enable businesses to get back to work quickly, while safeguarding against outbreaks within workplaces. CoronavirusCoronavirus latest: German business groups push for swift end to lockdown However, tracking employee movements has raised concerns about data privacy, while critics have questioned the accuracy of technology that fails to account for other factors, such as protective equipment. Kinexon’s product, called SafeZone, is already being used by one of the biggest car parts makers, as well as multinational logistics companies and food suppliers. Employees can wear the sensors on their wrists or attach them to their ID cards. The company claims that SafeZone, which uses ultra-wideband tracking technology, is 10 times more accurate than tracing tools based on bluetooth or wireless internet connections. The Financial Times is making key coronavirus coverage free to read to help everyone stay informed. Find the latest here. The technology will also allow managers to trace the movements of a worker who becomes infected with Covid-19 and alert those with whom they have been in contact, although personal data will not be held by Kinexon itself. “We just collect the sensor ID, the distance and the timestamp, we do not know the names of the people behind the IDs,” said co-founder Oliver Trinchera, who added that the companies would be responsible for matching the anonymised data with specific employees. Founded in 2012 by graduates of Munich’s Technical University, Kinexon, which has closed two rounds of financing, already works with some of the titans of German industry, including BMW, Audi and Continental.  Its technologies help power so-called “digital factories”, in which assets and tools can be optimised remotely to fit specific tasks and moveable goods can be tracked in real time. However, the company’s original focus was on real-time sports data. Its sensors and software provide in-depth analytics by monitoring players’ heart rates and sweat, as well as their movements, allowing coaches to fine tune tactics as the game progresses. The devices also measure fatigue and can help prevent injuries. Kinexon’s product has been pared down to meet the precise needs of Covid-19 prevention. “It’s a very simple, understandable product,” said Kinexon co-founder Alexander Hüttenbrink.

3 May 17:00 Ft https://www.ft.com/content/ffa5e644-e0b4-4656-b3d6-3069e16774ef
Rating: 2.96
Technology
Samsung's $399 Galaxy A51 comes to AT&T and Xfinity Mobile

3 May 12:31 1 articles
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Samsung's $399 Galaxy A51 comes to AT&T and Xfinity Mobile

Samsung’s Galaxy A51 is a viable alternative to the iPhone SE if you’re looking for a mid-priced phone, but you’ve been out of luck if you wanted to get it through a carrier besides Sprint or Verizon (Engadget’s parent company). You won’t have to wait longer for more options, though. AT&T and Xfinity Mobile have announced (via The Verge) that they’re carrying the A51, with orders open now. This is the LTE model rather than the 5G variant due in the summer, but you might not mind given the $399 price and lack of ubiquitous 5G coverage. The A51 is running on a middling Exynos 9611 chip and doesn’t boast the zoom photography, wireless charging or 120Hz displays of the Galaxy S20 series, but it still offers a lot for the money. The 6.5-inch 1080p OLED screen, quad rear cameras (48MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro and 5MP depth), sizeable 4,000mAh battery and headphone jack should tick some of the biggest checkboxes for many users. This is for people who want the essence of a modern Samsung phone and aren’t particularly worried about performance. Verizon owns Engadget's parent company, Verizon Media. Rest assured, Verizon has no control over our coverage. Engadget remains editorially independent.

3 May 12:31 Engadget https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-a51-att-xfinity-mobile-in-may-123109303.html
Rating: 2.92
Technology
AMD is double-dipping with a new partnership to build game streaming tech

3 May 15:32 1 articles
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AMD is double-dipping with a new partnership to build game streaming tech

Game streaming has the potential to replace consoles as the go-to gaming platform, or otherwise alter their market position. Some predict streaming could also eat into the PC gaming market. Unsurprisingly, noting that AMD makes all the CPUs and GPUs used in consoles and about half of those used in gaming PCs, they have expressed interest in the game streaming space. AMD also currently produces the GPUs for Google Stadia and Microsoft xCloud. That position is not well-cemented, however, as both services use only slightly altered PC products that cannot be made in great volume. Further development into game streaming is a logical way for AMD to win no matter the shape of future gaming. AMD’s new partner is, however, an unconventional choice. Oxide Games have yet to justify the plural form of their name, having only released one complete game, Ashes of the Singularity. More significant, however, is their Nitrous Engine. Nitrous has been impressive in its limited release this far. Ashes, using Nitrous, was the first game to support DirectX 12 and one of the first to support Vulkan. The game also introduced unprecedented technical capability in the real-time strategy genre, able to support far more active units engaged across diverse environments that other games can manage. “Oxide’s motto is to bring games to life that have never been seen or experienced before. We built the Nitrous Engine specifically with that purpose in mind,” said Marc Meyer, president of Oxide Games. “AMD’s commitment to gamers and their leadership in pushing the edge of state-of-the-art hardware is a perfect complement to Oxide’s commitment to the same excellence in software.” The Nitrous Engine also scales better across more cores than most other engines. High core count, low-frequency CPUs are also the most economical processors found in servers today. Pairing optimal hardware with the software that can best take advantage of it is logical -- but adding that to AMD’s substantial lead in the high core count CPU space is a checkmate move.

3 May 15:32 TechSpot https://www.techspot.com/news/85075-amd-double-dipping-new-partnership-build-game-streaming.html
Rating: 2.63
Technology
Intel's Raja Koduri confirms that massive 'father of all' GPU is aimed at the data center

3 May 17:06 1 articles
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Intel's Raja Koduri confirms that massive 'father of all' GPU is aimed at the data center

Intel tweeted a photo teasing a massive and mysterious GPU on Friday, and in doing so, lit the internet aflame with speculation. Early on, pretty much everyone settled on it being a form of Intel's upcoming Xe HP or Xe HPC. As a reminder, Intel's Xe Graphics architecture will span three derivatives: Xe LP, Xe HP, and Xe HPC. Intel's own Raja Koduri seemingly straddled the fence between Xe HP and Xe HPC with a tweet, saying "The 'baap of all' is back, battle-fielding and b-floating." The "battle-fielding" seemed to suggest some sort of consumer or prosumer facing product, indicating Xe HP. Although, the "b-floating" suggested that the GPU was more aligned with Xe HPC. The "b-floating" remark refers to the bfloat16 floating-point format, which is mainly used for deep learning and AI acceleration. While BF16 is key to Intel's supercomputer and HPC strategy, Intel is also adopting BF16 support for its upcoming Cooper Lake-SP Xeons via the AVX-512 BF16 extensions. Initially, there was some speculation that this GPU -- housed inside of a massive LGA package replete with an IHS -- could be Intel's 7nm Ponte Vecchio, destined for the Aurora Supercomputer in 2021. However, by early guesstimates, the GPU being teased looks to have four compute chiplets and four stacks of HBM2e memory. That would rule out Ponte Vecchio. More importantly, Koduri has now confirmed that this GPU is indeed a slice of Intel's Xe HP silicon (and not Xe HPC/Ponte Vecchio), and is targeted at data centers. With that Koduri has put to rest certain conjectures that assumed this card would be aimed at consumers and would outperform products that don't currently exist. Although, Koduri also dropped another tease, suggesting that an even bigger GPU could succeed this one. "This was called the 'baap of all' by our team....The 'Baahubali of all' is baking as well," said Koduri in a tweet. Best anyone can tell, Koduri's "Baahubali" reference is loosely referring to an Indian hero/epic action movie he was involved with, suggesting that the "father of all" will be succeeded by something even more substantial.

3 May 17:06 TechSpot https://www.techspot.com/news/85076-intel-raja-koduri-confirms-massive-father-all-gpu.html
Rating: 2.63
Technology
Apple makes it easier to skip Face ID while wearing face masks in OS update

3 May 15:36 1 articles
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Apple makes it easier to skip Face ID while wearing face masks in OS update

Kindly Share This Story: Apple Apple is doing its part to slow the spread of the coronavirus by releasing a software update that makes it easier for smartphone users to log in without taking off face masks. As governments across the globe are mandating that people don protective gear in public, a new operating system will improve the experience of unlocking an iPhone through Face ID while wearing a face mask, as seen in a Twitter video. The clips, posted yesterday by Apple software developers, show that iPhones with iOS 13.5 Beta will automatically be prompted to use the manual passcode entry if using Face ID while wearing a face covering. This way, users don’t have to potentially expose themselves to disease by taking off their face mask to log in. It also eliminates the hassle of having to physically locate the passcode entry option. Apple hopes that the improvement will reduce the spread of COVID-19 among those who log in to their phones multiple times per day. Apple’s iOS 13.5 software is projected to be available in the coming weeks, although it’s unclear if the face mask-detecting function will be in the update’s final version, reports TechCrunch. A recent Australian study found that the average smartphone is riddled with hundreds of strains with bacteria. “People have to understand that mobile phones are Trojan horses for microbial presence,” said Dr. Lotti Tajouri of Brisbane’s Bond University. The molecular expert added that even if you wash your hands hundreds of times, “if you then touch a contaminated phone, you are contaminating yourself all over again.” NY Post Vanguard Kindly Share This Story:

3 May 15:36 Vanguard News https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/05/apple-makes-it-easier-to-skip-face-id-while-wearing-face-masks-in-os-update/
Rating: 2.43
Technology
Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx raise data privacy concerns

3 May 19:39 1 articles
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Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx raise data privacy concerns

Kindly Share This Story: Consumer Reports has analyzed the privacy policies of Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx and discovered that they may be collecting more data than many people realize. To be clear: Consumer Reports isn’t saying that these apps are unsafe to use. (Indeed, a separate Mozilla report found that nearly every major videoconferencing app meets basic security standards.) But by agreeing to the privacy policies of these services, you are giving companies like Google and Microsoft access to plenty of personal data. According to the report, all three companies reserve the right to collect information from your calls, including how long a call lasts, who’s participating in the call, and the IP addresses of everyone taking part. As the world has become more reliant on videoconferencing tools, people have also started to scrutinize the security measures and privacy policies of these services. And while not as alarming as the security holes in Zoom that came to light in April, leading to a host of “Zoombombing” and other concerns, it’s still worth being aware of the data that Microsoft, Google, and Cisco can collect. None of the companies mentioned go into specific details on what kind of data is actually being collected or how it’s being used. Consumer Reports does note that the data collected here could be combined with information from other sources to create personal profiles on users and their use habits, or even potentially use videos for things like training facial recognition systems. All three companies told Consumer Reports that they only create video recordings or transcripts when participants request them by recording the meetings and promised that the recordings aren’t “directly” used for advertising. The Verge Vanguard Kindly Share This Story:

3 May 19:39 Vanguard News https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/05/google-meet-microsoft-teams-and-webex-raise-data-privacy-concerns/
Rating: 2.43
Technology
COVID and HR Tech: How HR can use smart AI tools

3 May 19:04 1 articles
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COVID and HR Tech: How HR can use smart AI tools

Covid-19 and the resultant impact on the economy have necessitated growth oriented organisations to rethink their business offerings, processes and business models. Business leaders are engrossed with the thinking around how to rejuvenate their businesses using lean principles with an eye on preserving their cash. HR leaders are therefore required to support their business leaders in purposeful ways which would enable the businesses to continue to function while the changes are being introduced. At the heart of this change management process is people and this is the time that businesses would need to know what talent to retain, what new specialist talent to hire and how productive is the talent that is working from home. There are many digital technologies that have transformative impact on HR but have not yet become mainstream. Now is the time that business and HR would see significant advantage in adopting them. AI and analytics tools, for instance, have been implemented in various functions but not so much in HR. In these times, these tools could enable swift and smart decision-making that can not only save capital but also have the ability to help build the future with smart resourcing and realignment of resources retained who could be quickly upskilled or cross-skilled based on the detailing of their competencies. With work from home having become an essential way to continue to do business, HR managers would have to work in close tandem with IT managers in the areas of data security, confidentiality and compliances. Many organisations ‘certify’ employees for their knowledge of compliances based on the online courses employees are advised to take. Smart AI tools from startups like Ahura are now being deployed for checking the exact time spent on the material vs watching TV or spending time on social media during the course and by monitoring their eye contacts it is now possible to provide meaningful feedback to the employees as well as their managers on the efficacy of learning. Wearables have been touted as fashion accessories and there have been attempts to use them in the context of fitness and health but have not become mainstream so far. Covid- 19 is probably the reason why employees could be encouraged by HR managers to adopt wearables as they would be able to access data related to corona virus parameters and alert employees from the likely infection or coming to work or manage quarantine processes. Smart wrist band Tracesafe used in Hong Kong could be used to suggest which employees should work from home necessarily and thus prevent the entire office going into quarantine mode. Since remote learning has come to stay, L&D managers have to identify learning platforms which not only have the ability to host content but can deliver content to employees as per their individual needs based on skill requirements. Since organisations would be interested in deploying a talent pool comprising employees as well as gig economy workers, HR and business managers would benefit by using learning and HR systems that provide real-time skills status and enable planning for upskilling or new resourcing based on this information. New business models, changes in work norms and new methods for assessing people – not by experience or education but on their sheer capabilities would be adopted by organisations. Digital transformation that has skipped HR function in many organisations has now assumed urgency and as a result we would see several digital technologies that have been given cursory consideration in the past getting assimilated and becoming mainstream.

3 May 19:04 The Financial Express https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/technology/covid-and-hr-tech-how-hr-can-use-smart-ai-tools/1946918/
Rating: 2.37
Technology
Zoom 5.0: Your video calls are now safe and secure

3 May 20:33 1 articles
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Zoom 5.0: Your video calls are now safe and secure

The latest update to Zoom video conferencing app is now generally available. This release delivers one of Zoom’s most advanced security enhancements to date with support for AES 256-bit GCM encryption, which provides added protection for meeting data and greater resistance to tampering. What does this new encryption algorithm mean for you, and what other security functionality should users be aware of? Here are five things that answer your queries about Zoom 5.0: AES 256-bit GCM encryptionZoom 5.0 supports the current encryption and GCM encryption. A system-wide account enablement to GCM encryption will occur on May 30, 2020, and only Zoom clients on version 5.0 or later, including Zoom Rooms, will be able to join Zoom Meetings starting May 30. Report a User featureMeeting hosts and co-hosts can report a user in their meeting who is misusing the Zoom platform. Found in the Security icon, the option sends a report to Zoom’s Trust & Safety team for review. New encryption iconA new encryption shield appears in the upper left of Zoom Meeting window and indicates a secure, encrypted meeting. After May 30, the shield will be green, denoting enhanced GCM encryption. Enhanced data center information Meeting hosts can now select data centre regions at the scheduling level for meetings and webinars. The Zoom client also shows which data centre you’re connected to in the Info icon. Ending/leaving meetings Zoom has refined the action of ending or leaving a Zoom Meeting to make it easier and more secure. With a new UI update, hosts can decide between ending or leaving. If the host leaves, they can select a new host and have the confidence that the right person is left with host privileges. Additional security enhancements: Profile picture control: Account admins and hosts can disable the ability for participants to show their profile picture and prevent changing it in a meeting. Minimum password length: This will be six characters for meetings, webinars, and cloud recordings. Cloud recording security: Admins and meeting hosts can set expirations on their cloud recordings and can disable the sharing of their recordings. Updating to Zoom 5.0Zoom end users: Upgrade to Zoom 5.0 by visiting the Zoom download page. Zoom administrators: Get detailed information on how to manage this update for various endpoints in your environment on the Zoom 5.0 IT administrators page.

3 May 20:33 The Financial Express https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/technology/zoom-5-0-your-video-calls-are-now-safe-and-secure/1946927/
Rating: 2.37
Technology
Ghost blogging platform servers hacked and infected with crypto-miner | ZDNet

3 May 17:46 1 articles
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Ghost blogging platform servers hacked and infected with crypto-miner | ZDNet

Ghost platform got hacked via the same vulnerability that allowed hackers to breach LineageOS servers hours before. A serious hacking campaign is currently underway, and tens of companies have been hacked already, ZDNet has learned from security researchers keeping an eye on the attacks.For the past 24 hours, hackers have been mass-scanning the internet for Salt, a type of software used to manage and automate servers inside data centers, cloud server clusters, and enterprise networks.Attackers have been exploiting two recently-patched bugs to gain access to Salt servers and then deploy a cryptocurrency miner. Earlier today, ZDNet reported that hackers managed to breach the servers of LineageOS, a mobile operating system.A second major hack surfaced a few hours later after our initial report. The second victim is Ghost, a Node.js-based blogging platform, built and advertised as a simpler alternative to WordPress. In a status page, the Ghost developer team said they detected an intrusion into their backend infrastructure systems at around 1:30am UTC.Ghost devs said the hackers used CVE-2020-11651 (an authentication bypass) and CVE-2020-11652 (a directory traversal) to take control over its Salt master server. The blogging company said that while hackers had access to the Ghost(Pro) sites and Ghost.org billing services, they didn't steal any financial information or user credentials.Instead, Ghost said the hackers installed a cryptocurrency miner."The mining attempt spiked CPUs and quickly overloaded most of our systems, which alerted us to the issue immediately," Ghost developers said.Similar to LineageOS, Ghost devs took down all servers, patched systems, and redeployed everything online after a few hours. A security researcher who requested we not use his name for this report said the attacks were most likely carried out with an automated vulnerability scanner that detected outdated Salt installs, and then automatically exploited the two bugs to install the crypto-mining malware."It is very possible that the threat actor behind these scans doesn't even know the type of companies they're breaching right now," the researcher told ZDNet in a Twitter chat. "We're seeing unpatched Salt servers at banks, web hosters, and Fortune 500 companies.""Pretty soon ransomware gangs are going to start scanning for this bug, and we're gonna see mayhem, with ransomware deployed at some huge targets."Some of these intrusions are currently being reported on a GitHub thread, with similar reports of an attacker planting a cryptocurrency miner on hacked Salt systems. Our source has identified the attacker behind most of these intrusions as the Kinsing botnet.Saltstack, the company behind the Salt software, published patches earlier this week to address the two vulnerabilities. Companies are advised to either patch the Salt servers or secure them behind a firewall. There are currently around 6,000 Salt servers exposed on the internet.Updated post publication to add that the Digicert certificate authority and the Xen Orchestra hosting service have also had servers breached using the same Salt vulnerability.

3 May 17:46 ZDNet https://www.zdnet.com/article/ghost-blogging-platform-servers-hacked-and-infected-with-crypto-miner/
Rating: 2.21
Technology
How remote working has forced us to look beyond the traditional PC, to Raspberry Pis, Linux laptops, Chromebooks and more | ZDNet

3 May 22:00 1 articles
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How remote working has forced us to look beyond the traditional PC, to Raspberry Pis, Linux laptops, Chromebooks and more | ZDNet

Businesses and consumers are finding new and innovative ways to work and play online, showing how wide the computing device landscape has become. In an attempt to reduce the spread of coronavirus, many millions of people are now working from home rather than commuting to offices.That has put huge pressure on technology teams to make working from home possible, and has also forced many of us to rethink the tools that we use. Foremost among those tools is the PC. Sales have been in steady decline, with occasional upticks, for some years now, and the first three months of this year continued that trend -- but for different reasons. SEE: Working from home: Success tips for telecommuters (free PDF)Much of that first-quarter decline was down to limited supply, with China's PC factories closing early in the year due to the coronavirus. The impact of that shortage was amplified because once the coronavirus spread around the world, there was a sudden increase in demand for PCs as companies and consumers tried to get hold of laptops for work, education or entertainment at home. "Once coronavirus-related lockdowns expanded to other regions, there were new, sudden pockets of PC demand for remote workers and online classrooms that PC manufacturers could not keep up with," noted analyst firm Gartner.A minor but interesting consequence seems to be an increased interest in PC alternatives -- whether because of lack of supply or simply because businesses and consumers have had to respond to changing circumstances with limited budgets. For example, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has noted that sales have rocketed during the coronavirus crisis, which it puts down to people buying the tiny computers to end battles over the single home PC during lockdown. The lastest Raspberry Pi might be diminutive, but it's powerful enough to take on the role of budget computer if need be. Chromebooks, which are slightly easier to work with if you don't have the technical skills to play with a Pi, have also been selling well.And it's not only harassed parents looking for extra PCs that have been getting creative. Here at ZDNet we've also written about how councils have been digging old laptops out of storage, putting Linux on them or otherwise lightening the operating system load, and sending them out to allow staff to work from home. An old or lower-spec device is good enough for many employees, especially if your teams only need to access cloud-based tools and/or virtual desktop services. It's been pointed out that without the option of using a wide range of cloud-computing services businesses would be in even more trouble. The same could be say about ageing hardware that has been pressed back into service.None of this means the PC is obsolete -- it's still the business workhorse, and it's what I'm typing on right now, just that it's not the only option. And it's far too early to tell how this will play out in future. What's very likely is that many of those staff who are now working from home will be there for some time to come; and even after the crisis has passed, remote working will be a bigger part of our lives than ever before.Many organisations -- budgets permitting, in what are likely to be tough times ahead -- will be looking to re-equip those home workers with better hardware. But some may look at the slimmed-down devices they are using and decide that the days of the one-size-fits-all computing device have now passed.SEE: Coronavirus: Business and technology in a pandemicThe make-do-and-mend attitude may continue -- Gartner certainly expects further declines in PCs sales as companies focus on saving money. Meanwhile, rival analyst firm IDC argues that companies that have kept their staff in offices will have to invest more in remote infrastructure, and consumers will long to upgrade their PCs -- both developments that will create "a steady, long-range tailwind for PC and monitor markets."But it's also worth remembering that, when it comes to the choice of computing devices, a few years back it was a PC or nothing.  Now we have a wide range of devices, from single-board computers to tablets that can fill in where the fully fledged PC isn't needed, or available. We should celebrate the ingenuity of those people who are finding new ways of using technology to work, learn or just have fun.Have you changed the way you use technology for work in the current crisis? Let us know in the comments section below. The Monday Morning Opener is our opening salvo for the week in tech. Since we run a global site, this editorial publishes on Monday at 8am AEST in Sydney, Australia, which is 6pm Eastern Time on Sunday in the US. It is written by a member of ZDNet's global editorial board, which is comprised of our lead editors across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America.

3 May 22:00 ZDNet https://www.zdnet.com/article/raspberry-pis-linux-laptops-chromebooks-and-more-how-the-cornonavirus-forced-us-to-look-beyond-the-traditional-pc/
Rating: 2.21
Technology
Best gaming routers: Say goodbye to Wi-Fi lag

3 May 23:00 1 articles
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Best gaming routers: Say goodbye to Wi-Fi lag

So you’ve got a killer gaming laptop, top-of-the-line peripherals, and even a comfortable gaming chair. All you need to compete online now (apart from some skill, but you’re on your own there) is a killer gaming router. Not only will this virtually eliminate lag when playing on Wi-Fi, they offer other special benefits like gigabit ethernet ports and software solutions to manage bandwidth. If you’re looking to take your wireless gaming to the next level, here are the best gaming routers on the market in 2020. As far as gaming routers go, you won’t find a more fitting example than the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000. Not only does its sci-fi spider look fit the gamer aesthetic, it’s one of the fastest and most powerful routers on the market. With full support for 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 is a tri-band router, so you can dedicated one 5GHz band exclusively to gaming. Plus, unique software implementations allow further prioritization of gaming traffic and optimized connections to game servers to reduce ping and latency to a minimum. If that’s still not fast enough, there’s also a 2.5G ethernet port for blazing fast wired gaming. It isn’t cheap, but this is easily one of the best gaming routers you can buy. If Asus’ premier gaming router is too expensive for you, the RT-AX88U is a great alternative. It still supports next-gen Wi-Fi 6 with speeds up to 6000Mbs, but does away with some of the more advanced software features of its more expensive cousin. What makes this one of the best gaming routers you can buy is not just the incredible speeds, it’s also the eight gigabit LAN ports on the back of the router. All this connectivity means you can get the fastest possible speeds from both wired and wireless connections on all devices. For larger homes, it can be combined with the RT-AX92U mesh kit to boost coverage throughout the house. When money is no object and you want the absolute best gaming router you can buy, look no further than the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700. Sure, it has six gigabit ethernet ports and one 10 gigabit SFP+ port for incredible wired speeds, but with Wi-Fi speeds up to 7.2Gbps you can safely leave cables behind. Pure speed isn’t all this gaming router offers, with advanced Quality of Service features to make sure your ping is as low as possible. It also has a built-in Geo-Filter to make sure you’re always connected to the fastest server, plus a fully customizable dashboard to monitor bandwidth utilization by all devices on the network in real time. It might not have all the bells and whistles of dedicated gaming routers, but the TP-Link Archer AX6000 gets the job done. Its eight high-gain antennas boosted by 1024QAM deliver speeds up to 5952Mbps via 5GHz and 2.4GHz connections. Combined with eight gigabit LAN ports and one 2.5Gbps WAN port, you should have ample connectivity for all the devices in your home. Setup is also a breeze, and can be done via Bluetooth with the Tether app, which can also be used to monitor connections on the network. While the above option is great for general use, TP-Link makes another more powerful model that’s truly one of the best gaming routers around. Although it looks like a demon summoning portal or alien mothership (take your pick), this tri-band router has all the features of other gaming routers at a much lower price. With two 5GHz bands (one dedicated to gaming) and one 2.4GHz band, the Archer C5400X will ensure that you never miss a shot due to connection stutters or high latency. It also has eight gigabit LAN ports, more than enough for any wired connections your setup requires. The last entry on our list of the best gaming routers is another relatively budget-friendly option. Zyxel might not be the biggest name in home networking, but its Armor Z2 AC2600 router is fantastic for the price. It delivers on speed with up to 2600Mbps of combined wireless, and even supports more premium features like MU-MIMO and dynamic QoS. It has a respectable four gigabit LAN ports, and the only real drawback is a lack of customization features in the software. If you’re willing to install custom firmware like OpenWRT, you will find that this gaming router can compete with much more expensive devices from better-known brands. Related:

3 May 23:00 Android Authority https://www.androidauthority.com/best-gaming-routers-1112006/
Rating: 2.18
Technology
This week in Android: OnePlus giveaway, Pixel 4a coming soon?

3 May 15:05 1 articles
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This week in Android: OnePlus giveaway, Pixel 4a coming soon?

Julio LussonSource: Julio Lusson Google I/O 2020 would have taken place on May 12th, but it was cancelled. Despite that, it looks like Google is still pushing forward to release the Pixel 4a this month. It may not release on May 12th, but the leaks and rumors are flowing, so we expect to see the new phone fairly soon. We’ve got some new information in our Google Pixel 4a hub for you to check out. Better than that, we’ve also seen some alleged leaked images taken by the new phone. If these Pixel 4a images are real, we’re pretty excited. The DJI Mavic Air 2 released this past week. More than just an iterative update, this is a true “Mavic drone,” in design and function. It looks like a typical Mavic drone, and it folds down for transport in the same way. The upgrades are impressive as well. The Mavic Air 2 is the first DJI consumer drone rated for 10km, that’s 6.2 miles of range. It’s also equipped with a new 1/2-inch camera, similar to some newer phones with a 48MP sensor that bins down to fantastic 12MP images. It’ll start shipping soon starting at $799. You told us: Some of you like to customize your phones, but the rest of you just use a default layout. That was an interesting poll. (We’re a day early, but, May the 4th be with you!) This week, we’re giving away a brand new OnePlus 8 smartphone. Enter this week’s Sunday giveaway for your chance to win! That’s it, folks! We’ll have another giveaway and more top Android stories for you next week. To stay up to date on all things Android Authority in the meantime, be sure to subscribe to our newsletters at the link below. Join over 200,000 subscribers for the latest tech reviews, hot deals, and exciting giveaways.We guarantee 100% privacy. Your information will never be shared. Sign up now and get FREE access to our upcoming exclusive AA Insiders Club:

3 May 15:05 Android Authority https://www.androidauthority.com/this-week-in-android-may-3-2020-1114537/
Rating: 2.18
Technology
OnePlus 8 international giveaway!

3 May 11:00 1 articles
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OnePlus 8 international giveaway!

It’s time for the Sunday giveaway! Like every week, we’re giving away a brand new Android phone to one lucky Android Authority reader. A big congratulations to the winners of last week’s Samsung Galaxy S20 giveaway, Jannat A. from India. This week we’re giving away a brand new OnePlus 8, courtesy of the Android Authority Newsletter! Get caught up on the week’s top stories, reviews, and features by signing up for the Android Authority Weekly Newsletter. Every Sunday, you’ll receive an email alert with a roundup of the best content from the previous week. The OnePlus 8 may not be a “Pro” or “Plus” model, but it’s not necessarily a lightweight. This Snapdragon 865-powered phone carries over a lot of the sex appeal from the larger OnePlus 8 Pro, with features such as a 90Hz display and rapid charging, for $200 less. Whether you run the OnePlus 8 with the screen set to 60Hz or 90Hz, you’re going to get world-class performance. The phone fared well on benchmarks, besting 99% of other devices in the databases of 3DMark, Geekbench, and GFXBench. The 4,300mAh battery of the OnePlus 8 is just 4.6% lower capacity than the Pro version, and much larger than the 3,800mAh pack in the OnePlus 7T. It consistently pushed through a day and a half of normal use for us, and sometimes extended close to one and three-quarters days. A 6.78-inch AMOLED screen, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage complete the package. To learn more about the OnePlus 8, check out our related coverage below. ​Enter the giveaway here OnePlus 8 international giveaway! Winners gallery Terms & conditions

3 May 11:00 Android Authority https://www.androidauthority.com/oneplus-8-international-giveaway-1114176/
Rating: 2.18
Technology
Warner Media's HBO Max to be available on Android, Chromebook and Google Chromecast

3 May 10:37 1 articles
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Warner Media's HBO Max to be available on Android, Chromebook and Google Chromecast

Rich Warren, president of WarnerMedia Distribution, in a statement, said, "We are pleased to make HBO Max available to the significant base of customers who access content across Google's platforms and devices" WarnerMedia has announced that its streaming platform HBO Max will also be available on Android smartphones, Android TV and Chromecast after a deal with Google. New HBO Max users will be able to subscribe directly from the app while the current HBO NOW subscribers can continue to log in and access the HBO Max app on Google Play at no additional charge. Rich Warren, president of WarnerMedia Distribution, in a statement, said, "The availability of HBO Max across Android, Android TV, Chromebook and Google Chromecast devices and on Google Play adds to our growing list of distribution options that will be offered to customers at launch." He added, "We are pleased to make HBO Max available to the significant base of customers who access content across Google's platforms and devices." Earlier, the company had also confirmed that HBO Max will be available on Apple devices - Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TVs. WarnerMedia's new streaming service, which is expected to compete with the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus, is set to debut on May 27 and will cost $14.99 per month. The streaming platform will include "the entire HBO service, together with beloved franchises, titles past and present from Warner Bros., the best of the best from around the world," the company statement added. HBO Max will offer direct-to-consumer experience with more than 10,000 hours of premium watchable content. HBO Max will include the entire HBO service along with franchises and past and present titles from Warner Bros. A handful of original shows will also be available at the launch of the streaming service. Content which is already available on HBO Go/Now include Westworld, Game of Thrones; Boomerang's Loony Toons and Scooby-Doo; and DC Universe's Titans and Doom Patrol. Also Read: Coronavirus lockdown: 78% people want ecommerce sites to sell non-essential items too, shows survey Also Read: China mocks US' response to coronavirus in short animation 'Once Upon a Virus' Also Read: Major milestone! India conducts 1 million coronavirus tests

3 May 10:37 Business Today https://www.businesstoday.in/technology/news/hbo-max-to-be-available-on-android-chromebook-and-google-chromecast/story/402743.html
Rating: 2.10
Technology
Hackers breach LineageOS servers via unpatched vulnerability | ZDNet

3 May 09:25 1 articles
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Hackers breach LineageOS servers via unpatched vulnerability | ZDNet

LineageOS source code, OS builds, and signing keys were unaffected, developers said. Hackers have gained access to the core infrastructure of LineageOS, a mobile operating system based on Android, used for smartphones, tablets, and set-top boxes.The intrusion took place last night, on Saturday, at around 8 pm (US Pacific coast), and was detected before the attackers could do any harm, the LineageOS team said in a statement published less than three hours after the incident.The LineageOS team said the operating system's source code was unaffected, and so were any operating system builds, which had been already paused since April 30, because of an unrelated issue.Signing keys, used to authenticate official OS distributions, were also unaffected, as these hosts were stored separately from the LineageOS main infrastructure.LineageOS developers said the hack took place after the attacker used an unpatched vulnerability to breach its Salt installation. Salt is an open-source framework provided by Saltstack that is usually deployed and used to manage and automate servers inside data centers, cloud server setups, or internal networks.Earlier this week, cyber-security firm F-Secure disclosed two major vulnerabilities in the Salt framework that could be used to take over Salt installations. The two vulnerabilities were CVE-2020-11651 (an authentication bypass) and CVE-2020-11652 (a directory traversal), which, when combined, could allow attackers to bypass login procedures and run code on Salt master servers left exposed on the internet.According to reports from Salt server owners, attacks exploiting these two bugs began sometime yesterday. In some instances, attackers planted backdoors on hacked servers. In other instances, they deployed cryptocurrency miners.There are currently more than 6,000 Salt servers left exposed online that can be exploited via this vulnerability, if left unpatched. Patches for the Salt vulnerabilities have been released earlier this week. Salt servers should normally be deployed behind a firewall and not left exposed on the internet.The LineageOS team has taken down all of its servers last night, to investigate the incident and patch vulnerable servers.This marks the second time a major operating system was hacked in the past year. In July 2019, hackers breached Canonical's GitHub account, however, the Ubuntu source code was also unaffected.Updated at 8:15pm to add that the same Salt vulnerability has also been used to breach servers operated by the Ghost blogging platform and the Digicert certificate authority.

3 May 09:25 ZDNet https://www.zdnet.com/article/hackers-breach-lineageos-servers-via-unpatched-vulnerability/
Rating: 2.21
Technology
These Air Quality Monitors Track Indoor Pollution — So You Know When To Blast The Purifier

3 May 14:00 1 articles
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These Air Quality Monitors Track Indoor Pollution — So You Know When To Blast The Purifier

Indoor air quality monitors can track dust, mold, and pollution levels in your home, which can help guide your air purifier use, as well as let you know when it's a good idea to open or close the windows. The best air quality monitors measure pollutants with the most potential to do harm and have easy-to-read screens that give you important information at a glance. Air quality monitors typically measure a few different pollutants, but two of the most common and potentially harmful ones are particulate matter — like dust, dirt, and mold — and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are gases emitted from certain household products and furniture. Each of the picks on this list measures both VOCs and particulate matter of 2.5 microns (PM2.5), which have the most potential to cause health issues. I’ve also included options that measure humidity (which can lead to mold), carbon dioxide levels (which may affect your cognitive performance), and formaldehyde (which can irritate the skin, eyes, nose, and throat). Your best choice will depend on how much information you want. While these air quality monitors don’t get rid of air pollutants — you’ll want to open windows for ventilation or get a high-quality air purifier to do that — they can help keep an eye on pollution in your house, so you can breathe easier and come in both desktop and handheld models to suit you and your home. We only recommend products we love and that we think you will, too. We may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was written by our Commerce team. Awair Element Indoor Air Quality Monitor$149|AmazonSee On Amazon My pick for best air quality monitor measures PM2.5 and VOCs, along with humidity, carbon dioxide, and even temperature. The monitor is compatible with Alexa and Google Home, and it also syncs to the Awair app to provide real-time feedback, tracking, and tips to help improve the air quality in your home. However, you can also just check the air quality score on the device itself if you don't want to use the app or a smart home hub. This pick scores major aesthetic points, too: The design-savvy monitor blends in seamlessly with any aesthetic, and the LED screen displays easy-to-read air quality scores. According to fans: “The app is well made and offers a lot of useful information. recommendations and a widget for a quick view of the air quality. There are also push notification is the event air quality changes for the worse." Temtop M10 Air Quality Monitor$80|AmazonSee On Amazon This affordable air quality monitor checks for three air pollutants — PM2.5, VOCs, and formaldehyde.It also provides an air quality index (AQI) score to measure overall pollution. This model doesn’t offer Wi-Fi connectivity or an app, but it’s a good choice if you just want a simple device to check air quality levels on an easy-to-read screen. It's USB-rechargeable, and lasts for six hours on one charge, so it can be used in spaces without nearby outlets. Reviewers note that the screen is rather bright and can't be adjusted, which may disturb you at night if you plan to keep the monitor in your bedroom. There's also a more affordable model that only measures PM2.5 and displays AQI, as well as a pricier Wi-Fi-enabled monitor that measures PM2.5, VOCs, formaldehyde, and AQI. According to fans: “It responds quickly to changes in air quality (blow out a candle and it goes crazy!) and with the built in battery it is easy to move around your house to check each room.” Huma-i HI20 Portable Air Quality Monitor$129|AmazonSee On Amazon Featuring large icons and a prominent indicator light, this portable air quality monitor makes it super easy to check air quality levels at a glance, no matter where you are. It measures VOCs and both PM2.5 and larger PM10 particles, like dust, pollen, and mold. With the press of a button, the display switches from icon mode to graph mode for more detailed information on air quality measurements, and the battery offers about 10 minutes of run time before needing to be plugged in and recharged. However, there’s no Wi-Fi connectivity or app, and reviewers note that the display is not brightness adjustable. You can also opt for a more affordable version of this air quality detector that only measures PM2.5 and PM10, or a more comprehensive monitor that also measures humidity and temperature. According to fans: “I've had other air quality monitors that I've returned because they clearly weren't accurate, but I'm impressed with this one and would recommend it to anyone who wants something that is simple, easy to use, and portable." VSON 6930 Air Quality Monitor$116|AmazonSee On Amazon The most comprehensive option on the list, this handheld air-quality monitor measures PM10, PM2.5, PM1.0 (which commonly results from vehicle exhaust), formaldehyde, VOCs, temperature, and humidity. The screen displays a lot of information at once — which can be overwhelming — but there’s an easy-to-read color-coded section that shows the overall air pollution level. And here's a unique benefit: If the monitor detects dangerous levels of air pollution, an alarm sounds and the screen changes color. The monitor works for up to six hours in standby mode. However, there’s no Wi-Fi connectivity or app. According to fans: “Super easy to understand, green is good, and gives a numerical score … Great product, easy to understand but has a ton of advanced features if you’re one of those super nerds that want to get into the details of air quality.”

3 May 14:00 Bustle https://www.bustle.com/p/the-4-best-air-quality-monitors-22827959
Rating: 1.99
Technology
WFH Upgrade: These Outdoor Fans Will Keep You Cool From 9 To 5

3 May 11:52 1 articles
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WFH Upgrade: These Outdoor Fans Will Keep You Cool From 9 To 5

The great outdoors can be an escape from everyday demands. But that escape is anything but relaxing on days when the air feels heavy and still, which is why outdoor fans are a godsend. The best outdoor fan — whether it’s a ceiling fan for your porch, an adjustable wall-mounted fan, or a smaller standing unit — has the weather-resistant build and desired airflow for your location. Outdoor fans can be categorized as either “damp” or “wet” rated, depending on the amount of moisture they can withstand. Damp rated fans can handle a decent amount of humidity but won’t stand up in a downpour. They’re made for areas like covered patios or screened-in porches where they might get a little misty in a thunderstorm but stay relatively protected from the elements. Wet rated fans, as you might expect, will be built for exposed outdoor use. They can be installed on open decks or verandas that experience direct rain or snow. Some fan models can still be built for outdoor use but don't come with designated damp/wet rating. In that case, look for materials like galvanized stainless steel and weather-resistant protective coatings, plus a sealed motor to completely encase the motor’s machinery. Safety features like leak detection and GFCI plugs will provide additional layers of protection from electric shock. One final consideration is airflow. Airflow is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM), and a higher number corresponds to a stronger breeze. Semi-enclosed spaces don’t need as much power to feel cool, but open plans require fans with a stronger output since there aren’t walls to contain the breeze. And, since individual preferences vary, knowing what the CFM is can help you narrow down on the outdoor fan that’s right for you and your space. Keep scrolling for the best outdoor fans that will bring a breath of fresh air to every type of outdoor setting. We only recommend products we love and that we think you will, too. We may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was written by our Commerce team. Honeywell Belmar Outdoor LED Ceiling Fan$107|AmazonSee On Amazon This damp-rated outdoor ceiling fan with a light is a versatile option that was made for covered porches and patios that don’t field direct rain. It can be mounted three different ways (including on sloped ceilings) and comes with a no-light conversion cap if you prefer not to use it as an overhead light fixture at all. There are three fan speeds and it comes with a reversible motor. Several shoppers agreed that it looked good and was relatively easy to install, although some lamented the lack of a remote control. NewAir Outdoor Oscillating Misting Fan$108|AmazonSee On Amazon This outdoor oscillating fan is a surprisingly good multitasker. It's a great all-purpose standing fan with three different speeds, plus the optional mist function can also naturally reduce the ambient temperature by up to 15 degrees (and it connects directly to your standard garden hose without needing any special connectors for quick and easy setup). It also has a few extra safety features: leakage detection will shut the fan down in case of water exposure to the electrical elements, and a GFCI plug affords a level of protection against electrical shock. This is encased in a water-resistant plastic housing for withstanding the elements. iLIVING Wall Mount Outdoor Waterproof Fan$90|AmazonSee On Amazon This waterproof wall-mounted outdoor fan boasts a rust-resistant galvanized steel frame that encases three powder-coated aluminum blades — the same durable protective coating often used on outdoor furniture. The sealed industrial motor runs at three different speeds and was built for use in wet locations. It can even be converted with a misting kit for outdoor fans (sold separately) for double the cooling power. "The housing is robust and there is nothing cheap about any part of it. It even comes with stainless screws for mounting it," one shopper praised. "As far as performance I am already pleased. It is quiet enough on the low and medium settings as to not be obnoxiously loud and it moves a lot of air." Casa Vieja Industrial Outdoor Ceiling Fan with Light$350|AmazonSee On Amazon This wet-rated outdoor ceiling fan combines a few standout features that make it well worth the investment. It has a dimmable light with three different fan speeds, a manually reversible motor, and it operates effortlessly via the included remote control. All of this is housed in a durable body that can withstand even the harshest weather. "Absolutely love the fan, we needed a good fan truly meant for outdoors," one reviewer raved. "The blades are sturdy and holding up to the rain and humidity." For a less expensive option without the light, you can also check out this brushed nickel wet-rated smart fan. Designer Aire Oscillating Indoor Outdoor Standing Fan$190|AmazonSee On Amazon For a less utilitarian take on the outdoor fan, this adjustable outdoor standing fan features a decorative weighted base that won’t tip over in windy areas. It's wet-rated for outdoor use and constructed in brushed stainless steel with an all-weather UV finish, and has a GFCI plug for safety. There are three different fan speeds and the height can be adjusted between 40 to 51 inches. "Stylish and functional," one shopper summarized. "It is important to note that this is an outdoor fan; therefore, it is a bit noisier than an indoor fan...It looks good and moves the air." Kichler Surrey Outdoor Ceiling Fan With Pull Chain$349|AmazonSee On Amazon If you’re buying a fan for a seaside location, you will want to invest in wet-rated fans made from ABS plastic with a protective coating or marine-grade stainless steel to avoid corrosion from salty air. This coastal outdoor ceiling fan was specifically built to withstand the damaging effects of briny sea air. It's wet-rated to protect the internal components, and the brand's trademarked Climates construction is built from a lightweight ABS plastic and coated with a UV protectant that further resists corrosion. It also has the ability to add a light kit, as well. The only downside is that, even though there are three speeds, it doesn't appear to be reversible. Geek Aire Rechargeable Outdoor High Velocity Floor Fan$83|AmazonSee On Amazon This cordless outdoor floor fan is perfect for on the go. The battery lasts up to 24 hours on a single charge, and a handy power indicator lets you know when you're running low, though it can also run while plugged in and charging. It has an IPX4 waterproof design that is safe should it encounter the occasional splash or spray, and a sturdy metal frame that can withstand bumps and drops. Its one-knob control lets you adjust the fan speed to your preference.

3 May 11:52 Bustle https://www.bustle.com/p/the-7-best-outdoor-fans-22829799
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Technology
35 things on sale this weekend that you actually want (or need) right now

3 May 09:00 1 articles
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35 things on sale this weekend that you actually want (or need) right now

Let's get down to business: with no access to in-person shopping, you don't have the luxury of window shopping anymore. So we did you a favor and scoured deals around the internet you'll actually want to take advantage of.  Below is a list of items you'll find hard to resist. From dehumidifiers to vibrating massagers to smart speakers and half-off wine, here are non-essential "essentials" on sale for a limited time. Digital LED Infrared No-Contact Thermometer Check the symptoms of yourself and your loved ones with this no-contact thermometer that will scan their body heat in under one second without having to touch them. Usually $129.99, it's on sale for $79.99. Digital LED Infrared No-Contact Thermometer — $79.99See Details 50% Off World Wine Tour Collection: 18 Bottles of Wine Want your wine fix without stepping foot inside a supermarket? This subscription delivers 18 premium bottles sourced from all over the world straight to your doorstep. You have the option to choose from an all-white pack, all red pack, and an assorted pack. At just $162, you won't find a deal like this elsewhere. World Wine Tour Collection: 18 Bottles of Wine — $162See Details Luxitude Tablet and Phone Holder Stand Numb limbs and a stiff neck don't have to be part of your stay-at-home routine. This adjustable tablet and holder stand delivers the best viewing positions, so you don't have to suffer when you have your weekly Netflix binges. Snag it for only $33.99. Luxitude Tablet and Phone Holder Stand — $33.99See Details Sorbi 1L Air Dehumidifier and Purifier Rated a whopping 4.4 out of 5 stars on Amazon, this dehumidifier and purifier captures 99.97% of microparticles that are circulating around your home, including pollen, dust, and dander. With Peltier technology and HEPA filtration, it makes the air you breathe cleaner and more comfortable. Take one home for $79.99. Sorbi 1L Air Dehumidifier and Purifier — $79.99See Details Motorola Smart Safe with Secure Wall Mounting Protect your most precious belongings inside this smart safe that sends you 24/7 real-time security alerts straight to your smartphone. It comes armed with a water-resistant keypad, humidity and odor control system, remote open capability, and intelligent reminder system, and a bevy of other security features. It's on sale for $109.99. Motorola Smart Safe with Secure Wall Mounting — $109.99See Details 13.3'-inch IPS Display Screen for Raspberry Pi, Windows, and Gaming Feel like you're rotting inside your home? Take your streaming and gaming outside with this portable monitor with a built-in battery and technology that streams HD picture and delivers accurate color rendition. You can connect it with your Raspberry Pi system, PS3, PS4, WiiU, XBOX360, and Windows. Grab it for only $134.99. 13.3-inch IPS Display Screen for Raspberry Pi, Windows, and Gaming — $134.99See Details Revogi® Smart US Power Plug You don't have to buy smart appliances to build a smart household — this power plug does the trick. Simply plug it into a common power outlet and pair it with your smartphone via Bluetooth. That way, you can turn on and off any connected appliance or device from everywhere and anytime. Save 19% when you get it on sale for $20.99. Revogi® Smart US Power Plug — $20.99See Details MPOW X5.0 True Wireless Headphones with Charging Case Switching to wireless headphones doesn't necessitate breaking the bank. These headphones deliver premium sound quality, IPX5 waterproof, CVC 6.0 noise cancellation, Bluetooth 5.0 technology, Signal Enhance technology, and 36 hours of playtime with the accompanying charging case, all for the sweet price of $69.99. MPOW X5.0 True Wireless Headphones with Charging Case — $69.99See Details Raspberry Pi 4B 10.1-inch Display with HDMI Cable and Camera Holder Perfect for the youngins and those who want to dabble into STEM, this IPS LCD display features a wide visual angle, fast response speed, accurate color rendition, and is specifically designed to work with the Raspberry Pi 4B, ready for a multitude of projects. It comes with HDMI and a camera holder, too. Snag the bundle for $126.99. Raspberry Pi 4B 10.1-inch Display with HDMI Cable and Camera Holder — $126.99See Details Power Plate® Roller: Portable Vibrating Massager Just because going to the spa is virtually impossible doesn't mean you can't get the relaxation you need. The Power Plate Roller is designed to help relax and rejuvenate tight and sore muscles, enhance your range of motion, reduce pain, and promote blood flow and fascia release. Get the best massage of your life without leaving your home for only $99.99. Power Plate® Roller: Portable Vibrating Massager — $99.99See Details Active Strap: Modern Leather Strap for Apple Watch Designed to work for Apple Watch Series 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the NOMAD modern strap is built with hydrophobic leather and ventilation channels, meaning it can withstand your most active pursuits without trapping water or dirt. It can handle almost anything, too, whether it's saltwater, dirt, sand, and sweat. Normally $69.95, it's on sale for $49.99. Active Strap: Modern Leather Strap for Apple Watch — $49.99See Details Marshall® Stanmore II Wireless Smart Speaker With an impressive 4.6 out of 5 star rating on Amazon, the Stanmore II packs a serious punch into its compact frame. It's built with advanced components, produces clean and precise audio, and can accommodate smart assistants like Alexa so you can play and control your music hands-free. It features a retro design, too, if you're into that aesthetic. The Stanmore II is currently on sale for $299.99. Marshall® Stanmore II Wireless Smart Speaker — $299.99See Details Moodo®: The Smart Home Fragrance Diffuser Take a whiff of your home — do you like what you smell? If not, you can use this diffuser to mix a variety of high-quality fragrance capsules to control your space's ambiance. All you have to do is use the app to experiment with the scents you like. Get it on sale for $107.99—36% off the usual cost of $169.80. Moodo®: The Smart Home Fragrance Diffuser — $107.99See Details GOLFBUDDY Aim W10 GPS Golf Watch The GOLFBUDDY is more than just a smartwatch. It's an intuitive device with nifty features that can help any golfer lower the score and emerge victorious in any game. It delivers accurate distance measurements, calculations, and your proximity to targets and hazards. Best of all, it's pre-loaded with 40,000 golf courses across 170 countries so you can go swinging anywhere. Grab it on sale for $189.99. GOLFBUDDY Aim W10 GPS Golf Watch — $189.99See Details Apple Watch Wireless Charger Keychain Get rid of wire spaghetti altogether with this smart keychain that uses a microcomputer electronic system to wirelessly charge the touch-sensitive Apple Watch. All you have to do is place the watch on the magnetic charger, and wait for it to refuel completely. Typically $59, it's on sale for a limited time for $19.99. Apple Watch Wireless Charger Keychain — $19.99See Details Bamboo Butcher Block with Juice Groove No one likes making a mess in the kitchen. This highly-rated butcher block has juice grooves to prevent mess and spills and is made from 100% bamboo, meaning it has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. It's also resistant to cuts and scarring and heals itself over time. Cop one for your kitchen for only $19.97. Bamboo Butcher Block with Juice Groove — $19.97See Details Precision Classic 4-Piece Knife Set Speaking of the kitchen, no chef worth their salt uses old, blunt knives to prep meals. Switch to this set from Edge of Belgravia, which is comprised of the Bread, Chef’s, Deba, and Paring blades, all of which are designed for precision in cooking. Get all four premium knives for $59.99. Precision Classic 4-Piece Knife Set — $59.99See Details Active Rugged Case for iPhone 11 Finally, a case that repels water, compatible with wireless chargers, and provides protection for both the screen and the body from drops at all angles. All the klutzes in the world, this is for you. It's on sale for $39.99. Active Rugged Case for iPhone 11 — $39.99See Details Marshall® Acton II Wireless Smart Speaker Dubbed as the smallest Marshall speaker, this compact machine produces powerful audio that you can control by your voice, thanks to its compatibility with Alexa. It connects to TVs, lights, locks, thermostats, and more, providing a seamless smart home experience. For a limited time, it's on sale for $219.99. Marshall® Acton II Wireless Smart Speaker — $219.99See Details Sukasu Osami 3-Piece Chef's Knife Set Slice, dice, and chop any ingredient with this premium knife set that includes a chef knife, utility knife, and paring knife. Each blade features a pakka wood handle, and a stunning pattern etched into it, so they all look pretty in your kitchen. Originally $99.99, it's on sale for $39.99. Sukasu Osami 3-Piece Chef's Knife Set — $39.99See Details Sorbi Mini Air Dehumidifier Named Amazon's Choice, this dehumidifier is designed for small spaces and capable of removing excess moisture up to 300 ml/day. Thanks to this tiny but mighty device, your bathroom won't be as musty anymore. It usually goes for $49.99, but you can get it on sale for $39.99. Sorbi Mini Air Dehumidifier — $39.99See Details Posture Reminder™ T-Shirt with Alignment Technology Who would have thought that it only takes a shirt to stop your bad slouching habit? This t-shirt has alignment technology that prevents you from slumping whether you're sitting or standing by keeping your shoulders aligned. Available for all body types, it's currently on sale for $39.99. Posture Reminder™ T-Shirt with Alignment Technology — $39.99See Details Cushion Lab Adjustable Shredded Memory Foam Pillow Whether you're a side, back, or freefall kind of sleeper, you'll get the ultimate comfort with this memory foam pillow. It has the puffiness of a fresh loaf of bread, meaning it will never be as flat as a pancake. With breathable inner cover, it circulates air out and away, resulting in cooler snoozing. Get it for $29.99. Cushion Lab Adjustable Shredded Memory Foam Pillow — $29.99See Details ProSonic Ultra Whitening Sonic Toothbrush with 4 Brush Heads Give your chompers the TLC they need with this premium electric toothbrush. It delivers 40,000 brush strokes per minute and has four modes to provide a thorough cleaning every time. Save 62% and get it for only $29.95. ProSonic Ultra Whitening Sonic Toothbrush with 4 Brush Heads — $29.95See Details Mini Magic Wireless Photo Printer and 6 Thermal Rolls Don't you miss real snapshots? This magic wireless photo printer is true to its name — it thermally transfers your pictures to a print, meaning it doesn't require ink to print your memories. This bundle, which is on sale for $59.99, comes with six thermal paper rolls so you can print right away. Mini Magic Wireless Photo Printer and 6 Thermal Rolls — $59.99See Details Thai for Two Cooking Kits: Curry Sampler Experimenting in the kitchen? This curry sampler set includes green curry, red curry, and Panang curry, allowing you to perfect all the curry-based dishes you want to create. Grab the sampler for only $31.99. Thai for Two Cooking Kits: Curry Sampler — $31.99See Details Urban Butterfly Portable LED Vanity Lighting Bar Beat your face with proper lightning with this vanity bar. It comes with 4 LED bulbs with Quad-light technology and 50,000 hours of lighting, delivering ample illumination when you're perfecting that winged eyeliner. For only $10.99, you can be the fairest of them all. Urban Butterfly Portable LED Vanity Lighting Bar — $10.99See Details Personal Power Plate®: Portable Massage Platform Achieve your fitness goals faster with this multi-benefit exercise tool. When you step on the platform, it activates your muscles harder using whole-body vibration technology, resulting in you losing twice as much fat over six months compared to combined simple fitness and diet alone. See it for yourself and get one for $1495. Personal Power Plate®: Portable Massage Platform — $1,495See Details Bliss BB-1700 Bidet Toilet Seat Make toilet paper a thing of the past and revolutionize your bathroom experience with this bidet toilet seat. It features a heated seat, three wash modes, and warm water flow for a more comfortable clean. Enjoy a 10% discount and get it for $579. Bliss BB-1700 Bidet Toilet Seat — $579See Details X3 Hurricane Variable Speed Canless Air Duster The idea of canned air may seem absurd, but this one is useful for cleaning your electronics. Just plug it in, and in a short period of time, you have a brand new charge of air to be used for rendering large computers, server rooms, camera lenses and mirrors, sensitive equipment, and more, virtually dust-free. Regularly $159.95, it's on sale for $119.99. X3 Hurricane Variable Speed Canless Air Duster — $119.99See Details Saberlight Bolt A lighter designed for the modern man, this free-form plasma arc can be used with a variety of smoking tools, grills, candles, and whatever else you have to light. It offers 100 ignitions per charge, and it's windproof, splashproof, and butane-free. It can be yours for only $12.99. Saberlight Bolt — $12.99See Details SUC-IT Patented Silicone Suction Phone Holder with Clips Attach this nifty suction to your phone, and you'll be able to stick it on any smooth or glossy surface, allowing you to enjoy your favorite shows or conduct video calls almost anywhere. It's currently on sale for $9.99. SUC-IT Patented Silicone Suction Phone Holder with Clips — $9.99See Details NetGear Arlo Q Indoor Wi-Fi 1080p Security Camera Make sure that no intruder will ever enter your home. This security camera can capture everything in 1080p HD detail, as well as listen in and talk to anyone with its two-way audio feature. When something sketchy happens, you'll immediately get a notification via the app. Get a refurbished unit on sale for $99.99. NetGear Arlo Q Indoor Wi-Fi 1080p Security Camera — $99.99See Details Sound+Sleep SE Therapy System This Sound+Sleep may be the answer to your tossing and turning at night. This therapy system emits 64 immersive, non-repeating sound environments — think sounds of ocean waves, rain, or waterfalls — to mask noise and help you relax before you take a trip to dreamland. The secret to a more relaxing sleep only costs $79.99. Sound+Sleep SE Therapy System — $79.99See Details Pocket Samurai Keychain Knife Capable of performing everyday tasks, this pocket samurai keychain knife boasts a razor-sharp 440C tanto style blade, a stainless steel pocket clip, and a keychain loop. Consider it part of your EDC. Cop it for only $17.99. Pocket Samurai Keychain Knife — $17.99See Details

3 May 09:00 Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/may-3-weekend-deals/?europe=true&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29
Rating: 2.28
Technology
Boost your online security with this ugly duckling

3 May 09:00 1 articles
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Boost your online security with this ugly duckling

TL;DR: A one-year subscription to Private Internet Access VPN is on sale for $2.85 per month as of May 3, saving you 71% on list price. There are a lot of VPN providers out there to consider, and some will try to lure you in with seriously slick sites and interfaces. This sort of thing isn't really important though, and you should always focus on performance and features. Private Internet Access is not the best-looking VPN. The site is a little all over the place, and the interface is dated. Don't let this put you off though, because PIA leads the way when it comes to security and accessibility. Private Internet Access provides state-of-the-art, multi-layered security with advanced privacy protection using VPN tunneling. Its services have been designed from the ground up to be able to operate using pre-existing tech in your computer or smartphone, so you can relax. A one-year subscription to Private Internet Access is now on sale for $2.85 per month, and includes an extra two months of protection for free. This plan is down by 71% on list price, and includes a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.  Boost your online security with Private Internet Access. Private Internet Access — $2.85 per month (71% off)See Details

3 May 09:00 Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/may-3-private-internet-access/?europe=true&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29
Rating: 2.28
Technology
Huawei P40 Telco Price Comparison: Maxis, Digi, U Mobile And Celcom

3 May 10:22 1 articles
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Huawei P40 Telco Price Comparison: Maxis, Digi, U Mobile And Celcom

The Huawei P40 and P40 Pro has been made available in Malaysia  with prices starting from RM2799. While getting them on their own is always an option, you could also get one alongside a telco plan at a subsidised price. As you’d expect, you can get the Huawei P40 series of devices have been made available via our four major telcos. In addition to the varying device prices, all four telcos have similar gifts when you get a device from them. The P40 has a case tied to it, while the P40 Pro will come with a wireless car charger. Here’s what each telco is offering for the phones, as well as their associated plans: Looking at what the telcos offer, Digi is the only one that makes you pay for the phone in installments. But if that’s something that you prefer, then you can do so with Maxis and Celcom too. After all, these two telcos have their Zerolution and EasyPhone plans, respectively. You can check out each telco’s respective pages to find out more about what they offer, in addition to just their device and plan prices. (Source: Maxis, Digi, U Mobile [1], [2], Celcom)

3 May 10:22 Lowyat.NET https://www.lowyat.net/2020/212332/huawei-p40-telco-price-comparison/
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Technology
From the Editor's Desk: Dropped to $600, the Pixel 4 XL is now a compelling mid-range phone

3 May 16:00 1 articles
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From the Editor's Desk: Dropped to $600, the Pixel 4 XL is now a compelling mid-range phone

Google cut the prices of the Pixel 4 and 4 XL on the Google Store by $300 each this week, down to $500 and $600; and Amazon's price dropped to match. Short-term sales and certain retailers had dropped the Pixels down to these prices before, but with Google setting its own store prices there, it shows this is the new ceiling for the Pixels until they're replaced later this year. The combination of this $300 price cut, and a swath of 2020 flagships coming out at ever-higher prices, have created an interesting situation: the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are now compelling mid-range phones. The Pixel 4 XL, in particular, offers surprisingly competitive value with its larger screen and slightly more acceptable battery life. (I still wouldn't recommend the Pixel 4, due to its poor battery life, unless you're dying to have a small phone.) Flagship phones now hover around the $1000 price point, which is an entirely different ballpark than where the Pixel 4 XL is now playing. Sign up for ExpressVPN today and save 49% We all have different definitions of what "mid-range" is, and it certainly has changed over the last few years. But when you look at the data of what phones sell for, anything in the $350-$650 is now considered mid-range. A broad segment, indeed, but anything higher starts to be considered a flagship while anything lower is purely focused on budget buyers. The important point of putting the Pixel 4 XL in this price range is that the expectations change dramatically. For hundreds less than proper flagship phones, you know you aren't going to get everything. For $600, every phone you can buy is going to be missing features, specs or certain capabilities — and individual standout feature matter a whole lot more. And I'm sure this will muddy the waters when the Pixel 4a is announced soon, probably at $400, but that's another discussion to have in a couple weeks when it's official. Think about it: now the Pixel 4 XL, Google's best phone and arguably still the best smartphone camera available, is now $100 less the OnePlus's cheapest phone, the OnePlus 8. Yes the OnePlus 8 has a better screen, longer battery life and newer specs, but it isn't a guaranteed winner here. The Pixel 4 XL has dramatically better cameras, more unique hardware, Google-exclusive software features and wireless charging. At $600, you can probably forgive its slightly dim screen and last-gen spec sheet; and you might even be okay with its weak battery life. And you also know that in giving up a few things there, you're getting incredible camera quality. It's interesting what a difference the price can make — when you're saving hundreds of dollars, you get dramatically more lenient about what you accept in a phone. In my 6-month on review of the Pixel 4 XL I found it still has a whole lot going for it in its software, camera and overall experience — and despite its specs, its performance has continued to be great. Even though we know the Pixel 4 XL can't compete head-to-head anymore with the Galaxy S20+ or even the OnePlus 8 Pro, it absolutely can compete in the middle tier of phones focused on value and price. We should stop looking at the Pixel 4 XL as a flagship phone, and look at it where Google itself sees the phone: in the mid-range. -Andrew With a big price cut, it's worth looking at again The Pixel 4 XL doesn't command its original price — but for $300 off, it plays in a different category and actually looks really good. Yes, its battery life is still bad, and the spec sheet is weak. But the software and camera are exceptional, and there are lots of nice features here to stand out at $600. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

3 May 16:00 Android Central https://www.androidcentral.com/editors-desk-price-drops-pixel-4-and-4-xl-are-now-compelling-mid-range-phones?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+androidcentral+%28Android+Central%29
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Technology
How to change the terrible keyboard on your Samsung Galaxy phone

3 May 19:00 1 articles
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How to change the terrible keyboard on your Samsung Galaxy phone

Let's be frank: Samsung's default keyboard on its Galaxy phones is not good. The touch response just seems off. Word and sentence prediction is horrible. It has lots of customization options, and that's about all it has going for it. Thankfully Android offers everyone the opportunity to choose the keyboard that's right for them, with zero compromises. When Samsung's keyboard starts to grate on you to the point where you want something new, here's how you can switch — and recommendations for which keyboard you should pick. If you want to really get into it, there are hundreds of keyboard options on Google Play. You could spend hours and hours researching, but if you want to cut to the chase, we highly recommend starting with one of our favorites. Google's own Gboard and the ever-present SwiftKey are excellent starting points that millions of people use and enjoy. Critically, they're both leaps and bounds ahead of Samsung's own keyboard. And they're both free! Install either one of these suggested keyboards, or another you find in the Play Store, and then you'll be ready to switch. Now that you have a new keyboard set as the default, there are a few extra things to know about keyboards on Android. When you install most third-party keyboards, they will come with additional settings you can use to tweak how the keyboard looks and acts. Sometimes this comes in the form of an "app" in the app drawer that you can tap that takes you to the settings. You can usually access these settings quickly from the keyboard itself — there will often be a settings icon that'll jump right to the same place. If all else fails, head back to the "Language and input" settings for keyboard settings. You can have multiple keyboards installed at once! Only one can be set as the default, but you can keep several installed if you're still on the fence about which one you like. If you have a need to switch between keyboards regularly, by default, you'll see a small keyboard selection button in the navigation bar any time you have a keyboard open. Just tap it, and you can quickly switch between any keyboard you've previously installed. All of the configurations options stay put. This power bank strikes a good balance between capacity and portability, at 10,000mAh. It has USB-C to quickly recharge and provide power output to modern phones, and it also has Qualcomm Quick Charge to juice up your Galaxy phone as quick as a wall plug. Triple (or at least double) your phone's storage to make tons of extra room for photos, videos, music and more. You don't have to go all-out with a massive card — you still get a huge amount of extra space for a good price. This affordable 10W fast wireless charging pad is thinner on your desk or nightstand than most chargers on the market — even most of Samsung's — but is still very affordable. A blue LED makes it easy to tell if your phone is charging or fully charged. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

3 May 19:00 Android Central https://www.androidcentral.com/how-change-terrible-keyboard-your-samsung-galaxy-phone?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+androidcentral+%28Android+Central%29
Rating: 1.90
Technology
Best Carriers for 5G in 2020

3 May 15:00 1 articles
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Best Carriers for 5G in 2020

Best Carriers for 5G Android Central 2020 It's finally time to think about 5G when choosing a carrier. 5G coverage has continued to grow and is available in more places than ever. Increased use of sub-6 5G has led to great coverage and many supported phones while mmWave is pushing out the boat on speed and capacity in dense urban areas. There are also some MVNO options allowing for even more access. With a mix of sub-6 on low-band and mid-band spectrum for rural and suburban areas and mmWave in progress in urban areas, T-Mobile is the best carrier for 5G. T-Mobile invested heavily in 600MHz spectrum, which is used to bolster it's LTE as well as start building a capable 5G network. While this 600MHz 5G hasn't been able to deliver speeds significantly higher than modern LTE in real world testing, it does deliver these speeds consistently. For most people using it, this network will be plenty fast enough. Perhaps the most important part of T-Mobile's 5G efforts is its heavy investment in a wide range of spectrums. A carrier wants a wide range because higher-frequency spectrums can deliver higher speeds but doesn't travel as far, while sub-6 has similar coverage to LTE. T-Mobile gained access to Sprint's large chunk of 2.5GHz spectrum, which it had already used to start its own small 5G network as well as upgrade its LTE. Combine this with T-Mobile's mmWave and 600MHz sub-6 spectrum, and T-Mobile is poised to have strong offerings in dense urban areas as well as the suburbs and even rural areas — a strategy T-Mobile is calling a layer cake. While 5G phones are still making their way down to more budgets, T-Mobile has opted not to require a certain plan for 5G access. This means all T-Mobile customers can access 5G as soon as they get a phone that supports it. With some phones like the Galaxy S20+ 5G equipped to use all of T-Mobile's 5G spectrum, it will be hard for any carrier to top T-Mobile in 5G for a long time. All kinds of spectrum T-Mobile not only offers some of the best postpaid rates around, but it has also set itself up as the most flexible 5G carrier. T-Mobile owns Metro so it's no surprise it supports T-Mobile's 5G network. What is great is that it is doing so on all plans at no extra cost. While the plans haven't necessarily grown to reflect 5G's additional capacity, it does offer a nice option for lighter users that want to use the new network. Metro by T-Mobile's full 5G support also helps to illustrate that T-Mobile is treating 5G as its current main network obligation. With plans starting as low as $30 per month, all you need is a sub-6 capable and compatible 5G phone and you can gain all of the benefits of 5G without needing to worry about contracts. The other benefits of Metro are here as well, including features like unlimited music streaming on its 10GB plan and savings for family plans up to five lines. With current discounts, customers can get four lines with unlimited data, 15GB of hotspot data, Google One storage and Amazon Prime for $120 per month. Prepaid with plenty of 5G Metro by T-Mobile brings T-Mobile's rapidly growing 5G network to all of its prepaid plans. It's a great option for lighter users. AT&T was one of the first carriers to start building a 5G network with mmWave, which it called 5G+. Around the same time, it launched a misleading update that renamed upgraded LTE service to 5GE on many phones. AT&T claimed this naming was to reflect that the towers had been updated to support 5G, something that other carriers called LTE Advanced. Even so, AT&T did keep building an actual 5G network with limited plan availability. In late 2019, AT&T launched a sub-6 5G network on its 850MHz spectrum that is available to consumers with a capable device. According to AT&T, this rapidly growing 5G network already covers 50 million people. New capable devices such as the Galaxy S20+ 5G are able to take advantage of both the sub-6 and mmWave networks. With one of the strongest mmWave deployments of any carrier, AT&T customers can expect great 5G speeds. With AT&T, customers will need to sign up for its Unlimited Extra plan or higher for 5G access. This plan is rather expensive at $75 per line but there are savings available if you sign up for more than one line. You also get 15GB of hotspot data and unlimited texts from over 120 countries. Fast mmWave and a lot of sub-6 AT&T has a strong 5G network with mmWave for speed and sub-6 for coverage. Verizon was one of the first carriers to jump into 5G and it has done so with its UWB or Ultra Wideband network. This network uses mmWave spectrum to deliver incredible speeds to compatible devices. While this network doesn't have near the coverage of a sub-6 deployment, Verizon's strong LTE service provides a good backup plan. Still, Verizon has sought to make the most of the network with home internet options as well as phone coverage. To gain access, you'll need one of the hefty Play More or Do More unlimited plans, which come in at $80 per month for one line. Still, with incredible speed and capacity available with the UWB network, Verizon has been able to completely remove data caps, streaming limits, and hotspot caps when using UWB 5G. If you've got service, you'll have some of the fastest internet speed anywhere, wired or wireless. It's also worth keeping in mind that the antennas required in phones with UWB are quite a bit larger than those needed for sub-6. As a result, 5G phones on Verizon will be larger and more expensive than some 5G phones on other carriers. Ultra fast Ultra Wideband Verizon's commitment to superfast 5G means that it can remove data caps and speed caps when you're connected. Google Fi has made a name for itself thanks to its network switching, which is great for international travel. If you're willing to give up the former and own a T-Mobile compatible 5G phone, you can access 5G on this flexible carrier. As mentioned, you will be stuck using only the T-Mobile network, so this won't work for everyone, but with T-Mobile's network being stronger than ever, most people won't have any issues. One of the main reasons to sign up with Google Fi is its flexible data plans. With one plan offering unlimited data, that is 22GB of high-speed data, and the other charging per gigabyte up to 6GB and slowed down at 15GB, it's easy to save with Google Fi. Another great feature of Google Fi is the ability to use your data in over 200 countries around the world. You pay the same rate for data no matter where you are. Like other carriers, you can save money by bringing multiple lines to your plan. Data internationally and 5G at home If you have a T-Mobile 5G compatible phone, Google Fi lets you use it with all of the other globetrotting benefits. 5G can mean a few different things for customers and the varied deployment by carriers makes that apparent. For most people today, 5G is an unnecessary upgrade, and LTE offers plenty of speed. That's a good thing. It's better that carriers get a jump on building out 5G before anyone actually needs it and people find themselves with inadequate data speeds and spotty consistency. Most carriers are looking towards a plan that includes both sub-6 and mmWave networks to come together eventually but each carrier approached it differently. The best way for people to experience 5G right now is with T-Mobile and it's low-band 600MHz 5G network. With a huge deployment on its 600MHz spectrum with more spectrum available at 2.5GHz from Sprint and even mmWave spectrum, T-Mobile is set to have the biggest 5G network. With phones already starting to support all three of the network, T-Mobile's customers should have great service in rural, suburban, and urban areas alike. Samuel Contreras When Samuel is not writing about networking and carriers, he spends most of his time researching computer components and obsessing over what CPU goes into the ultimate Windows 98 computer. It's the Pentium 3. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

3 May 15:00 Android Central https://www.androidcentral.com/best-carriers-5g?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+androidcentral+%28Android+Central%29
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Technology
How to fix slow Wi-Fi on your Chromebook

3 May 13:00 1 articles
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How to fix slow Wi-Fi on your Chromebook

I love using my Chromebook when I'm working from home to be as portable and productive as possible. With its touchscreen, stylus, and 360-degree hinge, I also find that it makes a great entertainment device as well — until the Wi-Fi starts acting finicky. If this happens to you, here are a few simple things you can try to get things up and working again as intended. I'm a firm believer in the KISS method (Keep It Simple Stupid), so I always try to reach for the low-hanging fruit first when troubleshooting a Wi-Fi issue. Here are some of the quick and easy settings that you can check to get your Wi-Fi back on track before diving any deeper into the settings. Hopefully, that simple fix was enough to get you back on track. Still having problems? OK, let's move on to phase 2 of Operation Chromebook Wi-Fi. We've checked the router/modem and other devices, so chances are there is some issue with your Chromebook. So let's try these steps and see if they help correct the problem. Now we've fixed your Chromebook's Wi-Fi problems, right? Don't fret if that didn't work. We just need to try the nuclear option. If you've gone through all of the previous steps and still no dice, it's time to bring in the heavy artillery. Thankfully, Chromebooks have a built-in Get Help app that can guide you through most known issues and how to solve them. Let's try that. Hopefully, you were able to diagnose your Chromebook Wi-Fi issues and get back to running online smoothly and speedily! If you happen to be in the market for a new Chromebook, here are a couple of our favorites. The best Chromebook just got better. With double the USB ports and 8GB models on the horizon, Lenovo's aluminum-lidded laptop is more than a pretty face. Google's stylish high-end Chromebook While not a 2-in-1, the Pixelbook Go a powerful, premium clamshell Chromebook with a magnificent magnesium shell and Google's great design prowess. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

3 May 13:00 Android Central https://www.androidcentral.com/how-fix-slow-wi-fi-your-chromebook?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+androidcentral+%28Android+Central%29
Rating: 1.90
Technology
Save almost $200 on Sony's beautiful 75-inch 4K HDR TV today only

3 May 12:26 1 articles
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Save almost $200 on Sony's beautiful 75-inch 4K HDR TV today only

The Sony XBR75X800G 75-inch X800G 4K HDR Smart TV is down to $1,199.99 at Best Buy. The same model goes for $1,398 at most other retailers like Walmart. Today's price at Best Buy is part of the deals of the day, so this won't last very long. This is one of the best prices we've ever seen, even if this is a 2019 model TV. The 4K resolution includes full HD upscaling even for non-4K content so you get ultra HD-level picture quality on everything. Supports HDR video with better color and contrast. Has Android TV and Google Assistant built in. Also works with Alexa. The X800G TV includes 4K upscaling so you'll always see improved detail and clarity even when watching lower resolution content. It uses 4K X-Reality Pro technology to upscale images as close to 4K as they can get. Plus, the TV supports HDR, including HDR10 and HLG, so you'll get even more color and contrast with a wide range of brightness. Sign up for ExpressVPN today and save 49% Use the Sony smart platform to access all your favorite streaming apps, like Netflix and Hulu. The Sony Bonus Offer app even includes ways to save on new content. The system has Android TV built in, and you can use Google Assistant to control the TV and the rest of your smart home with just your voice. It's also compatible with Amazon Alexa so you'll be able to control the TV with your voice no matter which ecosystem you use. If you need a smart speaker, grab the Google Home for $29 right now. Worth it to be able to say "Ok Google, turn my TV off." The TV has two built-in speakers with bass reflex speakers, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS Digital Surround sound. Use the four HDMI inputs to connect your favorite accessories or even something like a Roku device for better streaming access. Get 178-degree viewing angles, which is important for making sure everyone in your living room can watch comfortably. You can also connect USB devices or camcorders using the one USB input. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

3 May 12:26 Android Central https://www.androidcentral.com/save-almost-200-sonys-beautiful-75-inch-4k-hdr-tv-today-only?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+androidcentral+%28Android+Central%29
Rating: 1.90
Technology
AWS-ready jobs earn $104K a year. This training can help you get one of those jobs.

3 May 10:00 1 articles
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AWS-ready jobs earn $104K a year. This training can help you get one of those jobs.

TLDR: The 2020 Ultimate AWS Certification Training Bundle includes all the background to get familiar with the Amazon Web Services platform to launch a new IT career. If you’re currently unemployed and looking to join an industry surging while so many others are struggling, look no further than the cloud. With the crush of remote workers and greater decentralization than ever before, cloud-based services are growing at an even faster pace now than the already breakneck growth rate happening before COVID-19. In fact, Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world’s largest cloud services provider, are currently looking to fill over 14,000 job openings to keep up with all the demand. With a commanding market share and business still booming, it’s easy to see why learning how to operate in the AWS environment is such a valuable skill — not to mention that AWS-related jobs command an average salary of over $104,000 a year. With the training in The 2020 Ultimate AWS Certification Training Bundle, you can earn the baseline knowledge to get hired in this exploding job sector and seriously advance your cloud-based career. Right now, the collection is on sale at almost 80 percent off, just $59.99 from TNW Deals. This package covering six courses with nearly 90 hours of content is a 360-degree look at everything it takes to lead a company’s successful digital operations on the AWS platform. It all starts with AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner training, an introductory course designed to show off all the services under the AWS umbrella. From basic cloud concepts to security to architecture to support, first-time cloud users will get a firm grasp on what it takes to use all the tools AWS makes available. From there, the training only expands, including in-depth study of how to create scalable apps in AWS (AWS Certified Developer), using AWS tools to collect, store, process, and analyze big data sets (AWS Certified Big Data), and even some of the intricate work needed to create an environment to build out all the processes a company needs to expand and grow (AWS Certified DevOps Engineer).  There’s even advanced instruction in administering AWS operations, including AWS Certified SysOps Administrator and AWS Certified Solutions Architect courses.  These courses also get students ready to take and pass many AWS certification exams, important qualifications for getting hired in any AWS-driven business.  Valued at $274, you can get all six courses now for less than $10 each, just $59.99 while this offer lasts. Prices are subject to change. Read our daily coverage on how the tech industry is responding to the coronavirus and subscribe to our weekly newsletter Coronavirus in Context. For tips and tricks on working remotely, check out our Growth Quarters articles here or follow us on Twitter.

3 May 10:00 The Next Web https://thenextweb.com/offers/2020/05/03/aws-ready-jobs-earn-104k-a-year-this-training-can-help-you-get-one-of-those-jobs/
Rating: 1.84
Technology
Beware of Emails Impersonating 'Microsoft Teams' Notifications

3 May 10:34 1 articles
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Beware of Emails Impersonating 'Microsoft Teams' Notifications

Researchers at the email security company Abnormal Security have discovered "a multi-prong Microsoft Teams impersonation attack" involving "convincingly-crafted emails impersonating the automated notification emails from Microsoft Teams," reports Forbes: The aim, simply to steal employee Microsoft Office 365 login credentials. To date, the researchers report that as many as 50,000 users have been subject to this attack as of May 1. This is far from your average phishing scam, however, and comes at precisely the right time to fool already stressed and somewhat disoriented workers. Instead of the far more commonly used "sort of look-alike" alerts and notifications employed by less careful cybercriminals, this new campaign is very professional in approach. "The landing pages that host both attacks look identical to the real webpages, and the imagery used is copied from actual notifications and emails from this provider," the researchers said. The attackers are also using newly-registered domains that are designed to fool recipients into thinking the notifications are from an official source...As far as the credential-stealing payload is concerned, this is delivered in an equally meticulous way. With multiple URL redirects employed by the attackers, concealing the real hosting URLs, and so aiming to bypass email protection systems, the cybercriminals will eventually drive the user to the cloned Microsoft Office 365 login page.

3 May 10:34 it.slashdot.org https://it.slashdot.org/story/20/05/02/2241203/beware-of-emails-impersonating-microsoft-teams-notifications
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Technology
Seiko Launches New Prospex Line Inspired by Its First-Ever Dive Watch From 1965

3 May 10:00 1 articles
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Seiko Launches New Prospex Line Inspired by Its First-Ever Dive Watch From 1965

In 1965, Japanese watchmaker Seiko created the brand’s first-ever dive watch under the reference 62MAS. Now in 2020, the company is celebrating the iconic watch’s 55th anniversary, first by releasing a special edition re-creation with an updated 8L55 movement, and now launching a new line under its Prospex series inspired by the 62MAS itself. The four new retro-indebted timepieces all come in the form of a 40.5mm stainless steel case with the different colored dials designed to harken back to the 1965 model itself, with the indices, bezel, date window and hands all borrowing from the original. Of course, with 55 years now under its belt, Seiko has also provided a welcome modern upgrade to the movement powering the watch, now relying on its in-house 6R35 automatic movement, which boasts a power reserve of an impressive 70 hours. As usual, all the divers will come with 200m water resistance as well as Seiko’s very own LumiBrite lume for greater legibility in dark conditions. Seiko’s new 62MAS-inspired Prospex line will be available some time this summer, with prices ranging from $1,000 USD to $1,350 USD. Elsewhere in watches, Momotaro has teamed up with Oris for a denim-clad special edition Divers Sixty-Five.

3 May 10:00 HYPEBEAST https://hypebeast.com/2020/5/seiko-prospex-62mas-inspired-divers
Rating: 1.83
Technology
Debloating Windows 10 and increasing privacy with SharpApp

3 May 13:46 1 articles
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Debloating Windows 10 and increasing privacy with SharpApp

A new utility called SharpApp has been released that helps you debloat and increase privacy in Windows 10 by uninstalling preinstalled apps and disabling various telemetry settings. Developed by MirinSoft, SharpApp is a frontend to various PowerShell scripts that will automate the process of uninstalling preinstalled apps (debloating), disabling various Windows 10 telemetry features, and quickly installing a variety of useful applications. "SharpApp is a free and portable tool building upon a PowerShell engine and community powered script files for disabling telemetry functions in Windows 10, uninstalling preinstalled apps, installing software packages and automating Windows tasks with integrated PowerShell scripting," SharpApp's GitHub repository reads. When started, users will be presented with a screen asking what privacy templates they would like to install, which will install a variety of PowerShell scripts that can be executed to perform different tasks. When first using SharpApp, MirinSoft recommends that all users utilize the 'Basic Template', which is already preinstalled, to enable various privacy settings in Windows 10. They also recommend that all users run this template every time they upgrade Windows 10, as telemetry settings may have been reset. To add further functionality, users can also install the "Interactive template" and "Silent template" PowerShell scripts to perform interactive or automated removal of preinstalled Windows apps, turn off data collection, or install common and popular software on the computer. To use an installed template, users need to go to the 'Scripting' section and then select the 'Installed PowerShell scripts' dropdown to see a list of installed PowerShell scripts. As you can see below, SharpApp comes with the appsPrivacyTemplate (disables telemetry in third-party apps) and the basicPrivacyTemplate (disables Windows 10 telemetry) scripts already preinstalled. When you select a particular script, the PowerShell script and a brief description of what will be changed is displayed. To run the basicPrivacyTemplate script, select it from the drop-down and then click 'Run Script'. After applying the basicPrivacyTemplate, you can always revert these changes by executing the '_undobasicPrivacyTemplate' script. To debloat Windows 10 and remove unnecessary preinstalled apps, you can install the 'Interactive template' from the Windows section and then run the 'Windows10Debloater' script, as seen below. This process can take a while, so please be patient while it is running. You can tell that the script is running as the 'Run Script' button will now be renamed to 'Processing'. To illustrate how the Windows10DeBloater script works, below is what my Windows 10 Start Menu looked like before running the script. Below is how the Start Menu looked after the script finished. In addition to the various PowerShell scripts that can be executed, SharpApp also includes an Apps, Telemetry, and Packages section that allows you to manually remove preinstalled applications, block Windows 10 telemetry hosts, and install popular software. For example, below is the 'apps' section where it lists all preinstalled apps and allows you to remove them manually. The 'telemetry' section makes it easy to install various HOSTS files from WindowsSpyBlocker that block hostnames associated with Microsoft and Windows telemetry. Finally, the 'packages' section offers a list of popular utilities, security software, and applications that you can create Ninite installers for and deploy on the computer. Overall, SharpApp is a useful tool for quickly disabling various telemetry settings in Windows 10, removing unwanted preinstalled apps, and quickly install popular software. If you give it a try, let us know what you think.

3 May 13:46 BleepingComputer https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/debloating-windows-10-and-increasing-privacy-with-sharpapp/
Rating: 1.68
Technology
Top 5 BS6-Compliant Bikes Priced Under Rs 1 Lakh – Pulsar To Apache

3 May 15:55 1 articles
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Top 5 BS6-Compliant Bikes Priced Under Rs 1 Lakh – Pulsar To Apache

The sub-Rs 1 lakh segment in the Indian market is one of the most crucial two-wheeler spaces in the country, and while the stringent BS6 emission norms forced manufacturers to discontinue the poor performers, almost all of them stuck with their sub-Rs 1 lakh offerings, and upgraded them to comply with the latest norms ahead of the deadline. We have put together a list of the top 5 BS6 motorcycles priced under Rs 1 lakh (ex-showroom) available in the country right now, take a look – The Bajaj Avenger Street 160 is currently the most affordable cruiser motorcycle you can purchase in the country, since it has been priced at Rs 94,893 (ex-showroom, Delhi). In terms of styling, it gets a roadster-like design, with a round headlamp integrated with LED daytime running lights, blackened engine, black alloy wheels, a flat handlebar, and a relaxed riding posture. Powering this cruiser bike is a 160 cc Twin Spark DTS-i, fuel-injected, 4-stroke, SOHC, 2 valve, air cooled, single-cylinder engine that puts out 15 PS of maximum power at 8,500 rpm, along with 13.7 Nm peak torque at 7,000 rpm. The engine comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox. The braking duties are handled by a 280 mm disc up front, and a 130 mm drum brake at the rear, paired with a single-channel ABS. The FZ V3.0 FI is Yamaha’s entry-level motorcycle in India, and the BS6-compliant bike is currently retailed at a starting price of Rs 99,200 (ex-showroom, Delhi). The bike is powered by a 149 cc air cooled, 4-stroke, SOHC, 2-valve single-cylinder motor, that generates a maximum 12.4 PS power at 7,250 rpm, and 13.6 Nm torque at 5,500 rpm. The suspension duties are handled by a telescopic fork up front, along with a 7-step adjustable monoshock setup at the rear. The braking comes from a 282 mm disc at the front and a 220 mm disc brake at the rear, coupled with a single-channel ABS as standard. The equipment on offer includes a negative LCD instrument cluster which houses a digital speedometer, bar-style tachometer above, fuel gauge, ABS warning lamp, odometer etc. The bike gets a full-LED headlamp with separate bulbs for high and low beam, a short muffler, and a two-level seat; all of which enhance its looks. Hero MotoCorp revealed the all-new Xtreme 160R at the Hero World 2020 in February, alongside the BS6-compliant versions of the Glamour and Passion Pro commuters. The sporty motorcycle is based on the Xtreme 1.R concept which was showcased at the 2019 EICMA, and carries over lots of styling cues from the said concept. The Xtreme 160R sports a dual-tone paint scheme, stylish graphics, a digital instrument cluster and a sleek headlamp. It comes equipped with a 160 cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine with fuel-injection technology, that generates 15.2 PS of max power at 8,500 rpm, along with 14 Nm of peak torque, and comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox. This motor is capable of taking the bike from 0 to 60 kmph in just 4.7 seconds. While the launch details of the motorcycle are yet to be ascertained, Hero claims that it is targeting the youth with the Xtreme 160R. That being said, we expect the homegrown two-wheeler manufacturer to launch the motorcycle in the country soon, and price it around the Rs 90,000 (ex-showroom) mark. The Pulsar range is one of the most successful motorcycle ranges in the country, and the Pulsar 150 is quite a popular choice in the 150 cc segment. The motorcycle gets a 149.50 cc 4-Stroke, 2-Valve, Twin Spark DTS-i fuel-injected engine that belts out 14 PS power at 8,500 rpm, and 13.25 Nm torque at 6,500 rpm. Bajaj retails the BS6 Pulsar 150 in three different variants, namely Pulsar 150 Neon, Pulsar 150 and Pulsar 150 Twin Disc, with a base price of Rs 85,536, Rs 94,957 and Rs 98,835 (ex-showroom, Delhi) respectively. The TVS Apache RTR 160 is one of the oldest motorcycles around, and the bike was recently upgraded to comply with the stringent BS6 emission norms. The transition from BS4 to BS6 brought the RTR 160’s price up to Rs 94,500 for the front-disc variant, and Rs 97,500 (both prices, ex-showroom Delhi) for the dual-disc model. In terms of styling, the bike gets a ‘beast-inspired’ headlamp, a semi-digital instrument cluster, LED tail lamp, a sharp-looking engine cowl and sporty tank scoops as well. The bike is available in a total of six colour options, including Pearl White, Matte Blue, Matte Red, T Gray, Gloss Black and Gloss Red. Powering the RTR 160 is a 159.7 cc single-cylinder, 4-stroke, air-cooled engine that churns out 15.53 PS of maximum power, along with 13.9 Nm of max torque. The said engine comes paired with a 5-speed gearbox. The braking is taken care of with the help of a 270 mm petal disc at the front, and a 130 mm drum or an optional 200 mm petal disc at the back, coupled with a single-channel Super-Moto ABS.

3 May 15:55 GaadiWaadi.com https://gaadiwaadi.com/top-5-bs6-compliant-bikes-priced-under-rs-1-lakh-pulsar-to-apache/
Rating: 1.59
Technology
2021 Toyota Corolla Gets More Aggressive Styling In China

3 May 17:04 1 articles
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2021 Toyota Corolla Gets More Aggressive Styling In China

If the latest set of spy images are anything to go by, China could be seen get its own version of the latest Toyota Corolla with a sharper front-end. The said pictures, which surfaced internet recently, show a new iteration of the popular compact with a more aggressive fascia than that of the current model, which, by the way, is a reflection of that of the North American XSE version. It’s not sure if the spied Toyota Corolla would be sold as a new variant or as a replacement for the current model but we’re sure things would become clearer very soon. These pictures, which come from the good folks at Autohome, allow us to have a good look at the front and the rear facets of the upcoming sedan and one thing that’s pretty much a given is that it would have a lot more street cred than the current model. As seen in these images, the front fascia will feature the same sharp headlamps as the international-spec Toyota Corolla but the graphics of the headlights have been modified a bit and now carry a new set of LED DRLs. Also, the Toyota insignia has moved a bit from between the headlamps to the bonnet. Also, the upper grille now looks a lot sleeker with the clean look without the logo. The revised grill features a black mesh design and gloss black surround. The bumper is now edgier than before and features black air intakes. Also, the front-end has even got a chin spoiler. In spite of all the cosmetic revisions on the front and rear facets, the specifications will likely remain pretty much the same as what we see on the current model. Also, the sedan will continue to be underpinned by the company’s much publicized TNGA platform. Engine options will include a 1.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that will churn out a maximum power of 116 hp, and a hybrid powertrain that comprises a 1.8-liter Atkinson cycle naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine mated to an electric motor.

3 May 17:04 GaadiWaadi.com https://gaadiwaadi.com/2021-toyota-corolla-gets-more-aggressive-styling-in-china/
Rating: 1.59
Technology
Profit Earned From Sale Of 1 Ferrari Model Is Same As Ford Earn On 908 Cars

3 May 18:30 1 articles
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Profit Earned From Sale Of 1 Ferrari Model Is Same As Ford Earn On 908 Cars

Ferrari might be more of a boutique manufacturer who sells merely a few thousand cars every year. However, there’s no denying the huge profits that the Italian carmaker makes every year. As per a new report that was published recently, Ferrari SpA earned much higher in profits on every car sold than what every other manufacturer in the world did. As per the said report, which was released by Fiat Group World and is based on car sale data released by manufacturers, Ferrari has earned a profit of USD 94,000 for every car it has sold in 2019. This way, the supercar manufacturer has earned much more profit on every car it has sold as compared to other popular carmakers. Just to give you a perspective, the profit earned by Ferrari on every car it sold last year is same as what BMW has earned on selling 30 cars. The same profit has been earned by Toyota on selling 44 cars and by Volvo and Volkswagen by selling 45 and 56 cars, respectively. Similarly, the PSA group had to sell 65 cars to earn USD 94,000 in profits, while Mercedes Benz had to sell 67 cars. The stark difference gets further amplified if you compare the data of manufacturers like Ford and Nissan with that of Ferrari. While the Japanese manufacturer had to sell 926 cars to match the profit earned by Ferrari on selling one car, Ford had to sell 908 units to have the same earning. Last year, Ferrari sold 10,131 units of its highly exotic supercars across the globe. What’s really interesting here is that the carmaker has earned a massive profit without having even a single SUV in its portfolio. It is worth mentioning here that while the likes of Lamborghini and Porsche already have a flourishing SUV business, Ferrari boss Sergio Meachionne had earlier said in 2016 that the company has no plans to come up with an SUV. However, thimes are finally changing and the company looks ready to release its first-ever SUV in 2021. It will be called Purosangue.

3 May 18:30 GaadiWaadi.com https://gaadiwaadi.com/profit-earned-from-sale-of-1-ferrari-model-is-same-as-ford-earn-on-908-cars/
Rating: 1.59
Technology
Bentley Launches A Range Of Sporty Carbon Fibre Add-ons

3 May 19:30 1 articles
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Bentley Launches A Range Of Sporty Carbon Fibre Add-ons

While the entire globe is currently shying away from venturing outside, Bentley has decided to try a trick to boost its sales during the ongoing situation. The company enjoys deep roots in motorsports with many countless trophies that give it a true racing pedigree. And now, customers of Bentley can add some sportiness to their exotics with its new ‘Styling Specification’ package. It is worth mentioning here that this set of styling adornments come from the same guys who work on the carbon fibre parts of the Bentley GT3. The accessories pack features bits like front bumper and splitter, side skirts with metallic Bentley badges, rear diffuser and boot lid spoiler. All these are finished in high gloss carbon fibre. For the Bentayga, the Styling Specification package also brings in a bi-plane tailgate spoiler and rear screen strakes. Optionally, the buyers can even pick up front air blades, wing vents and mirror caps in the same colour as the exterior of the vehicle. The company has given a huge attention to detail. The weave is a 2×2 twill pattern that has been woven into the same direction for every part of the kit. The carbon fibre comprises multiple layers to optimize the structural strength and durability of the parts. The side skirts also feature a 3D electroformed Bentley badge. These parts also enhance the aerodynamic performance as they have been made through a sophisticated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. Also, Bentley has tested the effects of the carbon fibre parts on the engine cooling, brake cooling and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). The company has also carried out electrical testing of every part to reduce any sort of effect on vehicle systems from PDC (park distance control) to radar systems and radio antennae. The parts are also tested in varying driving conditions. The parts are also subjected to many tests, such as durability programmes that has included on road tests of 1,00,000 km and the bits being subjected to testing in conditions such as those of wading, kerb strikes, and rough roads. A rig testing conducted in Bentley’s Quality lab notes the performance of these parts in vibration, thermal cycling, point loading and impacts. The Styling Specifications package can be added to both new and existing cars and can be ordered at a Bentley dealership.

3 May 19:30 GaadiWaadi.com https://gaadiwaadi.com/bentley-launches-a-range-of-sporty-carbon-fibre-add-ons/
Rating: 1.59
Technology
GMC Hummer EV Debut Has Been Delayed Indefinitely

3 May 20:30 1 articles
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GMC Hummer EV Debut Has Been Delayed Indefinitely

Earlier this year, GMC surprised us all by confirming that the Hummer nameplate will be revived in the form of a fully-electric truck – with a Super Bowl teaser advertisement featuring basketball star LeBron James. GMC was all set to showcase the Hummer EV on May 20, however, the revelation has now been rescheduled. The American automaker is yet to confirm a revised date, but reassured that “development work continues on track and undeterred.” Going by this statement, we believe that the Hummer’s production will also be as per the schedule, and the car will hit the North American dealerships around the autumn of next year. The upcoming Hummer EV has to be one of the most highly-anticipated electric vehicles in the world, since GMC claimed maximum power output of 1000 horses, and over 15,000 Nm torque at the wheels! These figures will help the upcoming Hummer EV sprint from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 3 seconds. Last month, GM let the media persons take a look at the upcoming Hummer pickup EV at the brand’s EV Day, at its Warren, Michigan facility. Reportedly, the EV has been shod with giant 23-inch all-terrain tyres and also gets tow hooks. The pickup features removable roof panels, and gets a large touchscreen infotainment system along with a digital instrument cluster inside the cabin. Previously, we also learned that the Hummer EV will be seen sporting GMC badges, and that it will use 800-volt battery packs, with upto 350-kW fast charging capabilities. General Motors confirmed that the platform will have the capability to add about 100 miles of driving range in just 10 minutes of charge. The Hummer EV is expected to be manufactured at General Motors’ Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant in Michigan, which is currently being retooled to produce electric vehicles exclusively, including the upcoming Cadillac Escalade EV, and the Cruise Origin autonomous vehicle. Upon its arrival, the Hummer EV will directly rival the likes of the Tesla Cybertruck and Rivian R1T.

3 May 20:30 GaadiWaadi.com https://gaadiwaadi.com/gmc-hummer-ev-debut-has-been-delayed-indefinitely/
Rating: 1.59
Technology
Skoda Karoq SUV To Be Launched In One Variant, 6 Colours

3 May 14:00 1 articles
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Skoda Karoq SUV To Be Launched In One Variant, 6 Colours

Until a few years ago, Skoda India enjoyed a pretty solid representation in the premium small SUV segment with the highly capable Yeti. Today, however, the only SUV its portfolio is the much bigger and costlier Kodiaq but things are bound to change for good in the coming times. Soon, the company will launch the Skoda Kodiaq, the mechanical twin of the recently introduced VW T-Roc. Bookings for the premium small SUV have already been underway for a token amount of Rs 50,000. The new model should launch as soon as the current situation of people not being allowed to leave home comes to an end. As you might already know, the Skoda Karoq will be brought to India via CBU route and like the VW T-Roc, it will be sold in a single variant that will come loaded to its gills with various comfort, convenience and safety-enhancing features. The features list includes bits like a touchscreen infotainment system, dual-zone climate control, an all-digital instrument cluster, a panoramic sunroof, electrically-adjustable front seats, auto headlamps and wipers and interior ambient lighting pack. The safety kit on offer will include various bits like a full quote of 9 airbags, ABS with EBD, front and rear parking sensors, electronic stability control as well as an electric parking brake. The Skoda Karoq will be sold in as many as six colour options, which include Candy White, Magnetic Brown, Lava Blue, Magic Black, Brilliant Silver and Quartz Grey. Powering the Karoq will be a 1.5-litre TSI EVO engine that will be shared with the VW T-Roc. It will feature active cylinder management technology. The motor produces a maximum power of 150PS, while transmission duties are performed by a 7-speed DSG automatic unit. The specs remain the same for both T-Roc and Karoq and the two models won’t get a diesel option anytime soon. The Skoda Karoq will be priced at slightly higher than Rs 20 lakh and will be brought to us via CBU route. It will go on to rival the likes of VW T-Roc and Jeep Compass.

3 May 14:00 GaadiWaadi.com https://gaadiwaadi.com/skoda-karoq-suv-to-be-launched-in-one-variant-6-colours/
Rating: 1.59
Technology
2020 Kia Picanto Facelift Leaked Ahead Of Its Official Unveiling Later This Year

3 May 12:51 1 articles
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2020 Kia Picanto Facelift Leaked Ahead Of Its Official Unveiling Later This Year

The Kia Picanto is in its third generation now and has been available in its latest iteration since 2017 now. As is the case with any car that has spent about 3 years in the market, the Picanto has started to age a bit and is due for a mid-cycle makeover that should make things a tad more interesting. For the uninitiated, the Picanto is a small car similar to the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios. The third generation of the Kia Picanto will receive a handful of styling updates that should help it soldier on for at least a couple of years more. The facelifted version of the small car will get a set of new headlamps that will be similar to those on some of the bigger models like the Kia XCeed. The car will also receive a new front bumper, a new grille and new fog lamps. From what some spy pics reveal, the car will have an edgier look than the outgoing model. The rear is where the car won’t receive any significant changes. The images that we have here show that the car has got a revised bumper that looks sportier due to the C-shaped outer edges. The car will even get revised tail lamps, updated light reflectors and a new end-can for the exhaust. If we talk about the cabin, the interior of the new model could get an upholstery update and some new features. However, we are yet to have any confirmation of the same. That said, it is being said that the updated hatchback will have a Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) advanced driver assistance system. The engine options will remain pretty much the same, which means the car will continue to be sold with a set of petrol and petrol-LPV engine options. The smallest of the lot will be a 1.0-litre petrol unit belting out 67 PS, while next in line will be a 1.0-litre unit that will offer 76 PS. The car will also get a 74 PS 1.0-litre petrol-LPG option, 84 PS 1.25-litre petrol option and 100 PS 1.0-litre turbo-petrol option. Transmission choices include a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic unit. The company is even planning to launch an electric version of the Kia Picanto in the European market but that won’t happen before the advent of the next generation unit. Also, the company has no plans of bringing the small car to India as it plans to focus only on SUVs and MPVs for now.

3 May 12:51 GaadiWaadi.com https://gaadiwaadi.com/2020-kia-picanto-facelift-leaked-ahead-of-its-official-unveiling-later-this-year/
Rating: 1.59
Technology
Half-Life: Alyx spurred a massive jump in VR headset ownership on Steam

3 May 12:16 1 articles
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Half-Life: Alyx spurred a massive jump in VR headset ownership on Steam

In the introduction to our Half-Life: Alyx review, Dustin observed that the game was “shouldering the hopes of the virtual reality industry.” The first post-Alyx Steam Hardware Survey results are in, and it appears as though Alyx has come through: by one estimate, a whopping 950,000 new headsets were connected to Steam in the month after Alyx launched. As Road to VR points out, that’s the biggest single-month increase ever, more than triple the previous record set over the December-January holiday season. April’s Steam Hardware Survey shows 1.91% of Steam users had a VR headset of some kind connected to their PC – making VR twice as popular on Steam as Linux with about half the number of users who are on MacOS. It’s worth noting that Steam’s reported numbers in the hardware survey are a bit fuzzy. First, the survey reports ‘monthly connected headsets,’ which only means that a headset was connected while a user was logged into Steam – it doesn’t say whether the headset was actually used. Second, the numbers are reported as a share of Steam’s overall user population rather than in raw totals, so we don’t have a firm figure on exactly how many Steam users own VR headsets. Helpfully, Road to VR has an in-house algorithm that computes estimates based on available information, and they say the model suggests about 950,000 more monthly connected VR headsets in April over March, which makes for about 2.7 million headsets in the Steam ecosystem. The survey also shows that Valve’s own share of the VR market has increased, making it the third biggest VR hardware manufacturer on Steam after Oculus and HTC just a year after the launch of the Valve Index.

3 May 12:16 PCGamesN https://www.pcgamesn.com/hardware/alyx-vr-hardware-survey
Rating: 1.57
Technology
7 Things You Need To Know About The Tata Sierra EV Concept

3 May 11:00 1 articles
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7 Things You Need To Know About The Tata Sierra EV Concept

Tata Motors revealed a new fully-electric concept at the 2020 Auto Expo in February, and chose to name it after the legendary ‘Sierra’ SUV. The boxy design of the original SUV was retained, as well as the alpine windows; which made us all reminisce and wish that Tata actually brings the car to production. However, there is a lot more to the concept SUV than the boxy design and the alpine windows, and we have listed the 7 things that you should know about the Sierra EV concept. Take a read to know everything about it in detail – The Tata Sierra was originally launched back in 1991, and went on to become the first SUV to be designed and produced in India itself. The three-door four-seat SUV was also the first car produced in the country to be offered with features like electric windows, air conditioning, adjustable steering wheel and a tachometer. So that’s where it all really started for Tata Motors. The new Tata Sierra EV concept might draw a lot of inspiration from the original Sierra SUV, but it has been developed by a Tata Motors European Technical Centre (TMETC) design team based in Coventry, United Kingdom. The original Sierra had large glass panels on the side, and the Sierra EV concept has taken that trend a step further. The concept car is equipped with an all-glass rear compartment, which would make being seated in the backseat of the car a serene experience, especially when it’s raining. With the growing trend of large touchscreen infotainment screens and fully digital instrument clusters, we seem to be forgetting our roots and indulging ourselves in technology more than we should. Hence, Tata has put no infotainment screen or instrument cluster in the Sierra EV. Instead, it gets a portable screen that works as the MID. In order to emphasize the importance of preserving nature, the carmaker has also added a moss garden behind the dashboard. Inside the cabin, a beacon light has been placed just behind the B-pillar, and it further enhances the lounge-like experience of the rear compartment. Unlike the original Sierra SUV that had no rear doors at all, the Sierra EV gets touch-operating sliding doors at the back. In order to open or close either of the doors, you will have to slide on a touch-enabled panel that has been integrated into the black horizontal strip seen on the rear doors. While the Sierra concept was showcased as an EV at the 2020 Auto Expo, Tata Motors also later confirmed that petrol and diesel versions of the car would be launched first, if the company does decide to bring the car into production. Later on, an EV based on the ALFA ARC platform with a 300 km range could also be launched.

3 May 11:00 GaadiWaadi.com https://gaadiwaadi.com/7-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-tata-sierra-ev-concept/
Rating: 1.59
Technology
Roborock's brand new E4 robotic vacuum can be yours for an early bird price of $243 ($57 off MSRP) (Sponsored)

3 May 15:28 1 articles
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Roborock's brand new E4 robotic vacuum can be yours for an early bird price of $243 ($57 off MSRP) (Sponsored)

This story was originally published 2020/05/01 8:00am PDTon May 1, 2020 and last updated 2020/05/03 8:28am PDTMay 3, 2020.  As you've sat indoors throughout the COVID-19 quarantine, you've probably taken note of all the cleaning that needs to be done in your home: dust the banisters, sweep the floors, scrub down the kitchen, and the list goes on. Wouldn't it be nice if you could automatically cross off one of these chores? Never manually vacuum your home again with the new Roborock E4 robotic vacuum, on sale right now for just $242.99 ($57 off). The Roborock E4 robotic vacuum is packed with an array of sensors, motion tracking systems, and custom software to keep your floors free of dust and debris. In comparison to previous models, the E4 features an 11% more powerful 2000Pa of maximum suction, a sizable 640ml dustbin, 10% faster movement speeds, and a 28% larger mopping system, all powered by a 100% bigger 5200mAh battery. The robotic vacuum is guided by an internal mapping system that tells the E4 which portions of the floor still need to be cleaned. At the same time, the Automatic Carpet Boost feature can detect carpet and increase suction for a better, more detailed clean, no matter which kinds of surfaces you have in your home. To take advantage of this discount, head on over to the E4's Amazon page, place the robotic vacuum into your cart, and check out — no coupons or codes necessary. This offer is only valid from now through May 5, 2020, so you'll need to act fast before the Roborock E4 springs back to full price. Note: This post is an ad. The content inside does not represent the views or opinions of the Android Police team. Posts like these help fund all the great stuff you see on AP, and you can help support us further by checking out the products or services featured on this page. Interested in a sponsored post or other advertising options? Fill out this form.

3 May 15:28 Android Police https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/05/03/roborocks-brand-new-e4-robotic-vacuum-can-be-yours-for-an-early-bird-price-of-243-57-off-msrp-sponsored/
Rating: 1.51
Technology
Paranoid Android ROM is back from the dead with Android 10 builds (Update: Two more devices)

3 May 17:26 1 articles
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Paranoid Android ROM is back from the dead with Android 10 builds (Update: Two more devices)

This story was originally published 2020/04/16 11:19am PDTon Apr 16, 2020 and last updated 2020/05/03 10:26am PDTMay 3, 2020.  LineageOS is the most-used custom Android ROM around, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for others. Paranoid Android was a popular choice back in the KitKat days, and while the ROM returned in full force with Nougat builds in 2017, there hasn't been much news since. Now the project is back (again), touting Android 10 builds for nine phones so far. "For Oreo and Pie, we released builds that were of alpha and beta quality," PA said in a blog post. "We are happy to announce that Quartz will be our first stable release since Nougat. This is the first step for us making Paranoid Android worth putting on your phones and that we are releasing on so many devices at once. We also believe that we are now able to commit to giving Paranoid Android the life it really needs to continue to grow." The list of tweaks in the first 'Quartz' builds is expansive, and unlike LineageOS, Paranoid Android is including Google apps in the flash zip. That might disappoint the group of ROM users that are looking for an escape from Google services, but there's still Lineage. Paranoid Android Quartz features Paranoid Android is also starting off with a decent selection of supported devices, with more to come "in the coming days/weeks." Here are the devices with builds available now: And here are the devices that will have builds soon: You can read more about the Quartz release and download the builds at the source link below.

3 May 17:26 Android Police https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/05/03/paranoid-android-rom-is-back-from-the-dead-with-android-10-builds/
Rating: 1.51
Technology
More Pixel 4a camera samples leak, including a full camera review

3 May 17:43 1 articles
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More Pixel 4a camera samples leak, including a full camera review

This story was originally published 2020/04/30 3:03pm PDTon Apr 30, 2020 and last updated 2020/05/03 10:43am PDTMay 3, 2020.  Julio Lusson, one of the YouTubers at TecnoLike Plus, the Cuban venue which previously published a full hands-on "review" of the Pixel 4a back in March, has just published a set of photo comparisons to Twitter, including two photo samples that he claims are from the Pixel 4a. The photos take the form of a quick comparison between the Pixel 4a and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, with Lusson confirming the Pixel 4a's photos are the ones on the left among the samples provided. We've also embedded them just below, in the same order, for a closer look: Above and below Left: Pixel 4a samples. Above and below right: Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 samples. Images: @julio_lusson It's tough to judge these two pairs of photos. Between Twitter's compression and the reference we have to compare it with (most reviews claim the Redmi Note 7 merely offers a "decent" camera), any real judgment is premature. Still, we can look at them in isolation. In broad strokes, you can sort of tell they were taken on a Pixel, if you're familiar with Google's processing. The photo of a Loudred figurine (it's a Pokémon) seems just a tiny bit under-exposed, which is typical of Google's cameras. Edge sharpening doesn't look overly aggressive, and fine processing isn't either muddy or offensively noisy outside a very close crop. Comparing it with the Redmi phone is, frankly, a bit of a joke. The second pair of photos is a little more interesting, since we can see they went for very different color balance/temperature, and there's no way to know which is right. But on a close crop, the Pixel preserved much more detail in the grass and palm fronds (perhaps just a bit oversharpening). And even though the lighting should have been adequate, the Pixel is far less noisy and muddy on a crop. Again, the Pixel beats the Redmi pretty handily — assuming its choice in colors was correct. These photos come from the same people that did the review based on leaked hardware earlier this year (above).  There are a lot of reasons to take these photos with a grain of salt. While this is the same person that brought us the Pixel 4a leaks on YouTube earlier, his reputation as a source is still mostly recent. That's not to mention the fact that we're looking through the veil of Twitter's image compression. The Pixel 4a could also be running pre-production software, or could have some form of modified pre-production hardware that won't appear in the final retail version. Still, it looks like Google's next Pixel will have the same great camera the product line is known for.

3 May 17:43 Android Police https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/05/03/early-pixel-4a-photo-samples-pop-up-on-twitter/
Rating: 1.51
Technology
Haul around a massive Rocksolar 100W Portable Power Station for only $122 ($78 off)

3 May 18:43 1 articles
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Haul around a massive Rocksolar 100W Portable Power Station for only $122 ($78 off)

If you've ever been camping and lost the power to your tunes or flashlights, experienced a protracted blackout at home, or needed to power devices outside that were out of reach of any outlets, you know how irritating that can be in today's tech-based world. Luckily, you can alleviate that frustration with a portable battery, and there's a monster on sale this week: Rocksolar's 100W Portable Power station, down to just $122 on Woot. The Rocksolar Portable Power Station comes equipped with a 222Wh battery that's self-cooling so it doesn't overheat while it's charging multiple devices at once. Despite the battery capacity, it weighs a meager 4 pounds and sports a handle for easy lugging around. It has a charge port for almost anything you can dream up: two 100W AC outputs, 3 DC ports, 3 USB Type-A ports, and 2 USB Type-C ports, including a Quick Charge 3.0 port. There's also an LED flashlight built into the unit itself. A battery this big will take a significant amount of time to charge — around 10 hours — but you can also charge as you go with a sold-separately solar panel. If you spend any significant amount of time outdoors or on camping trips, this is an excellent investment for your travels. This deal lasts until May 12th or until the units have sold out. Buy: Woot

3 May 18:43 Android Police https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/05/03/haul-around-a-massive-rocksolar-100w-portable-power-station-for-only-122-78-off/
Rating: 1.51
Technology
Sony WF-XB700 review: Extra bass, but not extra special

3 May 14:48 1 articles
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Sony WF-XB700 review: Extra bass, but not extra special

This story was originally published 2020/04/23 9:00am PDTon Apr 23, 2020 and last updated 2020/05/03 7:48am PDTMay 3, 2020.  Long associated with compelling personal audio products from the Walkman to studio headphones, Sony's made something of a reputation on the back of its sound credentials. The same has quickly become true of its wireless headphone and earbuds portfolio, being well-known for their great sound (and terrible naming conventions) in premium products like the WH-1000XM3 and WF-1000XM3. With its $130 WF-XB700 true wireless buds, the company takes aim at a more budget-conscious product segment. I really like them — but stiff competition and a pronounced dearth of bells and whistles makes them tricky to recommend. In keeping with Sony's true wireless earbud design legacy, there's something decidedly alien about the WF-XB700's aesthetic. The buds themselves and their case have unusual, oblong shapes that I don't find very appealing. Each earbud has a sort of flat, upside-down-egg-shaped protrusion that sticks out of your ear. That part houses the battery and one button per bud for media control. The case they rest in is a little bigger than I'd like, but it's still pocketable thanks to its curvy lines. It's also pretty funky, though, being symmetrical across only one axis. I guess you could charitably characterize the design overall as "organic," but I think "weird" is more apt. Those charging lights are visible through the subtly translucent lid — a neat touch. Material choices are equally strange. The buds and case are both cast in a cheap-feeling, textured plastic that seems beneath a $130 product from a company as big as Sony. These aren't reasons not to buy the WF-XB700, obviously — but I can't help them coloring my general opinion about the earbuds. There aren't any surprises in the box: the buds, the case, three additional silicone ear tip sizes, and a short USB-A-to-USB-C cable. Standard stuff. The "XB" in WF-XB700 stands for "EXTRA BASS™," and they certainly earn the designation — I don't know that I've ever heard such deep, booming bass from earbuds. The sound has a sort of movie theater flavor to it, if that makes sense: low frequencies rumble prominently in soundscapes. All that low-end representation doesn't come at much expense to highs and mids, either. If you want accurate sound, you won't find it here, but it's a dramatic, generally enjoyable profile if you're into a more bass-heavy sound. There's no aptX support, unfortunately, but I never noticed any audio-video delay. They work fine for talking to folks, too. Callers could hear me fine, although background noise was more prominent than if I'd been talking without earbuds. There's no noise canceling, but that's not unusual at this price point. Consequently, though, battery life is solid: you'll get up to nine hours per charge, with one additional top-up housed in the charging case. Given the case's size, I would've liked more capacity there, but plugging in after 18 hours of use is hardly a burden. IPX4 water resistance is included, and that should be plenty to stop sweat from shorting the buds during a run. I like this button placement. My most missed feature in the WF-XB700 is in-ear detection to pause music automatically when you take the buds out. Other earbuds in this price segment offer it, and it's a bummer not to have it here. Again, that's not a deal-breaker, but it's the kind of niggle that's grating in earbuds that cost well over a hundred bucks. You control playback with two physical buttons, one on each earbud. That's not something I generally enjoy; pressing on something that's in your ear is uncomfortable. Here, though, the buttons are on edges of those weird flat egg shapes that stick out of your ears, which makes activating them a squeeze rather than a press. The controls aren't very intuitive; there are presses, long-presses, double-presses, and triple-presses, and none of them are customizable. But all those different actions mean you can play/pause, skip forward and back, adjust volume, and summon the Google Assistant, all without having to touch your phone. Once you're used to the unconventional setup, it's really convenient. WF-XB7007.5/10 Maybe. Two years ago, these earbuds at this price would have been a revelation. Even now, I really like them. They look a little weird, but they're comfortable, fit securely, and are very fun to listen to. But today, the true wireless market is saturated, and I'm not sure punchy bass is enough of a unique selling point — especially not at $130. It's great for consumers that "too much strong competition" is a reason not to vehemently recommend an all-around good product, but that doesn't change the fact that it is. The WF-XB700 would be a hard yes at $99, but given their position in the current market, they're just okay by comparison. For $20 more, you could get the more feature-rich Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro or Samsung Galaxy Buds+ — when they're not on sale. And if you're on a tighter budget, there are plenty of cheaper options.

3 May 14:48 Android Police https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/05/03/sony-wf-xb700-review/
Rating: 1.51
Technology
OnePlus 8 vs 8 Pro comparison: Which flagship killer is right for you?

3 May 14:38 1 articles
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OnePlus 8 vs 8 Pro comparison: Which flagship killer is right for you?

This story was originally published 2020/04/23 8:30pm PDTon Apr 23, 2020 and last updated 2020/05/03 7:38am PDTMay 3, 2020.  OnePlus' newest smartphones are packing many of the latest and greatest parts and features you can find in high-end phones right now,  and the 8 Pro in particular has brought some long-demanded improvements. The 8 Pro, announced several weeks ago, has become the first phone from the company ever to support wireless charging and receive an IP rating — two of the longest-standing downsides to OnePlus smartphones. But as much as these features have satisfied the demand of fans, they've also created a much more noticeable difference between the basic OnePlus 8 and the 8 Pro. The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro are starkly different from one another — not so much in looks but their overall package — as the Chinese brand sets upon pitting its higher-end phone against more premium flagships. If you’ve found yourself debating whether the few additional features on the Pro would be worth spending more for, then we’ve got you covered with this comparative breakdown. There isn’t a big departure from the overall footprint of the previous OnePlus flagships, as the 8 and 8 Pro inherit a lot from their respective predecessors (barring the unnecessarily large camera disc of the OnePlus 7T). The two 2020 phones have stuck with vertically aligned rear cameras, although the front has received a face lift — kind of. After going all in on pop-up selfie cameras for the Pro last year, OnePlus has switched to hole punches, which, look more modern (arguably) while shunning all the complex mechanics of a pop-up unit. Of the two, the standard model is both thinner and lighter by about 20 grams, and it should also fit your palm better, thanks to its slightly smaller 6.55-inch screen. OnePlus is going for some flatter color options this time around, with both phones getting the standard black color along with a rich green shade. Besides these, the Pro will also get a deep blue hue, while a light gradient is reserved for the 8. Even though Samsung did away with the curved display on its recent flagships, OnePlus chose to keep it on the Pro, while the curve is less pronounced on the standard 8. The stark difference between the two phones we talked about earlier is abundantly clear in the display section. The QHD+ AMOLED screen on the 8 Pro is not only higher-res but also gets a higher refresh rate of 120Hz, while the 8 sticks with last gen’s 90Hz. While not junk by any means, that 90Hz rate is still a step down from what the Pro’s screen has to offer. If you’re wondering, you can enable the 120Hz setting in conjunction with the 2K resolution. The same goes for the new panel with a 10-bit color depth, which remains exclusive to the Pro and is also brighter than the one on the 8. The screen on the 8 Pro also gets a few additional bells and whistles in the form of motion-graphics-smoothing technology to help make videos look better on a high-refresh-rate screen, and something called HDR Boost. It also wraps around the handset's sides for that waterfall effect, which is something not everyone prefers having. However, both phones feature an HDR-enabled screen, share similar color accuracy (as per OnePlus’s measurements), and also include an optical in-display fingerprint scanner. OnePlus has jumbled up the camera situation on these phones a bit: The 8 Pro uses its predecessor’s primary sensor as its ultra-wide unit, while the 8 has borrowed its camera setup from the 7T, almost as-is, and swapped the telephoto camera for a macro. So, the final configuration involves the Pro getting a new 48MP primary sensor along with an 8MP telephoto, 48MP ultra-wide-angle, and an utterly pointless color filter camera. The 8, on the other hand, has a 48MP primary camera paired with a 16MP ultra-wide-angle and a 2MP macro sensor. Both handsets share the same 16MP selfie camera. The common remark coming out of our reviews of these OnePlus phones is that the company has made some great strides in improving its image processing. Even though getting rid of the telephoto camera is a step down from the 7T, Ryan found that the 8’s main camera performs better than that of a Galaxy phone, in some cases. With the 8 Pro, Ryne was pleased with the wide-angle and macro shots, while he encountered some inconsistencies and filter-like processing at times. In essence, the OnePlus 8 Pro has a more capable camera array of the two — sometimes better than even the Galaxy S20 — but certainly not Pixel-good. For an intricate look at the image quality from their individual cameras, you can read our more thorough camera comparison or the Pro's face-off against the Pixel 4 and Galaxy S20 Ultra. From the inside, the two phones are pretty loaded and identical, for the most part. OnePlus made 8GB the default RAM option last year, and that’s the case here too, with 12GB available as the more premium option. However, the two phones use different memory standards — the Pro gets the newer LPDDR5, while the non-Pro sticks with LPDDR4X — again, not a huge difference, but it’s there, nevertheless. Powered by the Snapdragon 865 chip, both are fast phones with instant app load times and effortless general usage, even on variants with the lower memory option. Following the industry trend, OnePlus has equipped all its 8-series devices with 5G modems, allowing them to work with more US carriers than any of the previous OnePlus phones did. Most unlocked and carrier-bought models of the 8 and 8 Pro will only support sub-6GHz bands, with Verizon’s OnePlus 8 5G UW as the sole exception supporting mmWave as well. This particular variant will be priced differently (read: higher) from its standard counterparts. Considering how compromising the 5G experience with higher frequency bands is, at least in its current state, the lack of millimeter wave on other variants shouldn't bother you at all. One of the biggest sore points of previous OnePlus flagships was their lack of wireless charging. The company took its own sweet time and has finally come out with a version of wireless charging that pushes 30 watts of power — twice what the S20 supports — but there is a catch. Only the higher-end 8 Pro has the charging coils, while the 8 doesn’t, and you’ll need OnePlus’s first-party charger if you want those crazy-fast wireless speeds. With other Qi pads, the 8 Pro will charge at relatively paltry 5W and 10W rates. With a difference of just 200mAh, the Pro fares slightly better with its 4510mAh battery, versus 4300mAh on the 8. In our reviews, both handsets turned out to be decent performers, with their batteries consistently lasting well over a day of regular use. While the ongoing quarantining may have had an effect on these results, we can't deny their performance was generally good. The phones continue to support the wired Warp Charge 30T charger that efficiently tops up their large batteries pretty quickly. OnePlus’s phone prices have gone up over the years, and the 2020 models are no exception. In the US, the retail price of the OnePlus 8 starts at $700 for the base 8GB+128GB option, while Verizon’s OnePlus 8 5G UW costs $100 more for the same configuration. The more premium 8 Pro is available as an 8GB+128GB or 12GB+256GB option costing $900 and $1000, respectively. In comparison, last year’s OnePlus 7T Pro started at $670. The OnePlus 8 Pro is perhaps the most complete phone from OnePlus to date, making little to no compromises. It isn’t the flagship killer anymore; it is the flagship. Even at its slightly hiked asking price, the 8 Pro manages to undercut the likes of the Galaxy S20 while still largely maintaining feature parity, and sometimes even surpassing it. With inclusions like fast wireless charging and a relatively reasonable price compared than the competition, the 8 Pro comes across as a better phone and is worth spending an additional $200 on. But make sure to add the cost of OnePlus’s wireless charger, which starts at $70, to the package, if you want to fully realize the phone’s full potential. Wireless charging is a convenience that's hard to live without once it becomes second nature, but if you can and don’t care much for the cameras, you’d be better off saving those 200 bucks. Even without many of the fringe features of the Pro, the standard 8 is still a power-packed phone with much of the same silicon under the hood. Plus, the phone is more compact, has similar 5G capabilities and stereo speakers, and its AMOLED screen packs a decently high refresh rate and resolution. It’s definitely a more value-oriented phone than the Pro, but it’s a shame that OnePlus didn’t upgrade the camera hardware, since what improvements we do get their are mostly in software. You shouldn't buy either phone if having absolutely the best camera around tops your checklist. There are several similarly priced, and even cheaper, options that can take better shots — particularly from Google, which clearly does a better job with image processing. You can take a look at our detailed reviews of the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro to dive deeper into their specifics. Where to buy the OnePlus 8 Pro Where to buy the OnePlus 8 Note: If you use our referral link when buying from the OnePlus store, you can get $10 off accessories.

3 May 14:38 Android Police https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/05/03/oneplus-8-vs-8-pro/
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Technology
How to opt your Wi-Fi network out of Google's location data gathering

3 May 14:23 1 articles
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How to opt your Wi-Fi network out of Google's location data gathering

This story was originally published 2020/02/28 8:30am PSTon Feb 28, 2020 and last updated 2020/05/03 7:23am PDTMay 3, 2020.  Google Maps is an amazing and often indispensable service, and a big part of that is just how good it is at figuring out where you are. And the reason it's so good at is, like so many things Google does, lots and lots of data. Maps doesn't just use GPS to find, but also a huge database of home and business Wi-Fi networks the company has mapped out over the years via crowdsourcing and Street View cars. You can set your phone to GPS-only, but what if you want to hinder Google from collecting data on your Wi-Fi network? There's a solution for that: Just add "_nomap" to the end of your SSID. This trick is already pretty old and has been around since 2011, when Google was forced to create an opt-out solution after data collection concerns in the EU, following the introduction of Street View in Germany. Google also notes that the "_nomap" opt-out is only valid for its own location service, so other companies could continue collecting your Wi-Fi network's position despite the suffix. For example, Microsoft requires you to include "_optout" somewhere in your SSID, so you'd need to create an ID such as "1234_optout_nomap" to reject both services. Why would you even want to opt out, you wonder? If you're adamant about protecting your privacy, this will prevent your Wi-Fi network and its location from being saved to Google and Microsoft servers, helping you leave behind fewer traces of your location. Note that Google says it doesn't save personally identifiable information in these databanks, so the opt-out could really just be of limited benefit — it's still better than nothing, though. It's also useful for mobile hotspots as these frequently change positions, which could potentially confuse other Wi-Fi devices polling for location. Source: Google

3 May 14:23 Android Police https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/05/03/opt-out-wi-fi-from-google-location-services/
Rating: 1.51
Technology
Zoom photo comparison: Galaxy S20 Ultra vs. Pixel 4

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Zoom photo comparison: Galaxy S20 Ultra vs. Pixel 4

This story was originally published 2020/02/27 8:46am PSTon Feb 27, 2020 and last updated 2020/05/03 7:18am PDTMay 3, 2020.  The Galaxy S20 Ultra is Samsung's top-of-the-line smartphone in 2020, and Samsung claims that it offers the best camera experience the company's ever cooked up for a Galaxy smartphone. The most interesting element of its five-camera array is no doubt the periscope tech powering the new "Space Zoom" feature. You've probably seen a few 100x zoom shots of pretty questionable quality (like the ones in our initial camera samples), but what about at lower zoom levels? We've pitted the Galaxy S20 Ultra against the Pixel 4 to see how their zoom capabilities compare. Google made a big deal about the Pixel 4's Super Res zoom when it launched last year, but it only has a 2x telephoto lens. The S20 Ultra has a 4x optical zoom, but both phones rely on advanced processing technology to sharpen photos beyond their native zoom. Below we have a few sets of sample photos, each shot at 2x, 4x, and 8x zoom. There are two outdoor sets, one indoor with good light, and one indoor with poor light. S20 Ultra: Pixel 4:    The S20 Ultra's 2x zoom photo, which is a crop from the main sensor, lacks detail compared to the Pixel 4. However, Samsung flips the script in the 4x and 8x shots. Lines are crisper while Google's zoom ends up looking more processed. That makes sense considering Google's zoom lens is just 2x, and Samsung's is 4x. On the other hand, Google's colors are more accurate, and it got close to Samsung's level of detail with only half the optical advantage. S20 Ultra: Pixel 4:    In this setting, the bright snow background presents a bit of an issue for the S20 Ultra. The white balance is too cool, making the scene look more blue than it was in real life. That said, the improved detail on the keycaps is plainly evident in the S20 4x and 8x shots. The Pixel 4 loses some of the fine lines even if the colors are noticeably better. That's a clear win for the S20 Ultra. Again, Google's 2x zoom is better because that's the native optical zoom of the secondary camera. S20 Ultra: Pixel 4: In this setting, Samsung's 4x and 8x zooms have crisper lines, but they look washed out and a bit noisy—Google's better colors are much more evident indoors. Samsung's 4x zoom shows good detail and impressive bokeh. At 8x, the S20 Ultra cranked the ISO much higher (640 vs. 267) because the f/3.5 aperture of its camera is smaller than the f/2.4 of the Pixel 4. I like Google's 8x zoom photo more here, even if it's not quite as sharp. S20 Ultra: Pixel 4: To be clear, I don't think either phone did wonderfully here, but it's a challenging environment without night mode. Both phones increased exposure and ISO to get the image brightness where it needed to be. Again, Google produced more accurate colors. However, you can see a sort of "mottled" effect from Google's aggressive image processing, which is more obvious in lower light and at higher zoom factors. The S20 Ultra images have lost some detail (Samsung's processing is like that), but the reach of the 4x lens helps them retain more of it than the Pixel 4. Some Samsung phones will switch to the primary sensor for zoom in poor light, but that was not the case here. Samsung is obsessively promoting the 100x zoom on the S20 Ultra, but I don't think that's the best angle. Those extreme digital zooms are blurry messes, but the phone does well below 10x thanks to the periscope camera. An 8-10x zoom that can outperform the Pixel in some respects is more impressive than a fuzzy picture of something really far away. You can check out our full review of the Galaxy S20 Ultra here. And you can scrutinize the uncompressed versions of the photos in this post on Flickr (S20, Pixel 4).

3 May 14:18 Android Police https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/05/03/galaxy-s20-ultra-vs-pixel-4-zoom-camera-comparison/
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Technology
$2000 smartphones make no sense in a post-coronavirus world

3 May 14:11 1 articles
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$2000 smartphones make no sense in a post-coronavirus world

This story was originally published 2020/02/17 11:22am PSTon Feb 17, 2020 and last updated 2020/05/03 7:11am PDTMay 3, 2020.  Whether it be a crazy foldable or just a 5G mega-brick with more storage than most laptops, smartphones are summiting peaks almost no one is asking them to, particularly on price. Samsung in particular has been on the cutting edge of what is a larger and growing trend, with its nearly-$2000 Galaxy Fold and maxed out Galaxy S20 Ultra (which retails for $1600 in 512GB trim). With Apple's new $400 iPhone SE making waves in the market like no handset has in a long time simply for the amazing value it provides, suddenly super expensive smartphones have a lot more of us feeling skeptical. One thing I think we can all agree on is that technology, and microprocessors in particular, have resulted in a tremendous and demonstrable trickle down effect in the marketplace, driven by both commoditization and innovation. As demand for the advanced components and processes necessary to produce smartphones went up, economies of scale drove the cost of components and processes necessarily downward. And as new technologies are introduced, older tech becomes less competitive, and the resulting devaluation makes it accessible to a wider array of products at a wider array of price points. As a result, you can buy smartphones today for under $200 that would run circles around the very best $700 handsets five years ago. We all understand this process, almost unthinkingly, because that's just how technology works. But in the past two or three years in particular, we've watched smartphone prices climb at an unprecedented rate. When Samsung announced the $1400 Galaxy S20 Ultra, the reaction to the pricing was almost one of shock. We all knew 5G would come with an MSRP premium, because that's what 4G taught us way back when, but I think Samsung may even have a lot of the industry experts reeling a bit. When it came time to review the Ultra, we just didn't find $1400 of smartphone inside. The long-standing counterpoint to accusations of phone prices getting out of hand is the fact that the vast majority of people, especially in the US, finance their phones on monthly payment over two years. That makes a $1000 phone marginally more expensive on a monthly basis than a $700 one, and a $1400 one marginally more expensive on a monthly basis than a $1000 one. Or so the thinking goes. While I do agree with the basic premise here—that consumers are frogs in a slowly boiling pot when it comes to phone price hikes—I do so only to a point, because I think there is a point at which this model fails. And I think it is one that is rapidly approaching. While Samsung's $1400 S20 Ultra is a strong $600 shout away from $2000, last year's Galaxy Fold brushed right up against it. Clearly, Samsung is flirting with the idea of a $2,000 smartphone, and I suspect the Fold's successor will run perilously close to that mark as well. And a $2,000 phone, even financed over 2 years, would cost more per month than typical postpaid phone service in the US. You're going to notice that on your bill. And what of 2020's Galaxy Note phones? I have my suspicions they won't actually threaten to unseat the S20 Ultra as Samsung's MSRP top dog (the Note has been of declining relevance for years), but Samsung has clearly made room for them to get serious hikes as well. Prices will doubtless be up across the board in 2020. With all of these ever-rising costs, I do think we're approaching a point at which consumers are more and more likely to start asking questions that phone manufacturers really would rather they didn't. Why is this phone so much more expensive? How much better is it actually than my old one? Do I need superfluous technologies like mmWave 5G or enough RAM to run a Windows installation with 30 open Chrome tabs? Are there cheaper phones that still do what I need? It is easy to say that in a rich, consumerist nation like the United States, people will simply buy what the corporation with the largest ad budget and most influencer marketing tells them to buy, and that they will pay the price asked. And no, no one is forcing anyone to buy the most expensive phone: Samsung still has a very "reasonable" $1000 Galaxy S20 if you don't want the full-fat S20 Ultra. Options remain. But as consumers choose to upgrade their phones less and less frequently (a trend for which there is ample data), manufacturers continue to raise prices in order to reap back the profits of what was once a reliable 2-year replacement cycle. And as those prices rise, consumers are becoming more and more conservative about replacing their phones, more frequently choosing to repair them when they break and generally hold on to them longer. With more reliable security updates, fewer truly experience-breaking changes in new Android releases, and the widening availability of screen repair and battery replacement services, it's easier than ever to just choose not to upgrade. One of the real warning signs for this trend, in my view, has become the widening gap between the most expensive phones and the traditional "mid-range" phones in markets like China and India. While the high end of the market has always significantly outpriced the entry level, the proportion by which that is true has skyrocketed. What was once a factor of maybe two or three between a respectable mid-range value phone and a "flagship" is now five or six. But I don't think anyone could seriously and credibly argue you're getting five or six times the phone. That, to me, is the canary in the coal mine: while affordable phones really are getting much better—and importantly, staying affordable—the most expensive phones are making what are at best marginal advancements year over year, all while becoming markedly disproportionately more costly in the process. As a pattern, it's hard to see how this is sustainable. And as we begin the slow descent from peak smartphone, competition on price and features is only going to intensify. While I agree that the US market has proven surprisingly resilient to the allure of smartphone affordability to date (and that there will always be a significant population who really do want premium products), I feel we're increasingly a wrinkle in a global trend, and one that will—eventually—iron itself out.

3 May 14:11 Android Police https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/05/03/the-march-toward-the-2000-smartphone-isnt-sustainable/
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Technology
The 5 worst things about the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

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The 5 worst things about the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

We've already run down the five best things about the Galaxy S20 Ultra, so now it's time to look at the ways in which it disappoints. It's not unreasonable to expect a $1,400 phone to be damn near perfect, but the S20 Ultra sadly has a few negatives points that bring its overall score down. You can check out our full review to see what Ryan thought about it, but here's a summary of the least appealing aspects of the S20 Ultra. Although the camera system on the S20 Ultra has its good points — it's obviously very flexible and adaptable — it's still not quite good enough for a phone costing so much. The S10 didn't take bad photos, but it couldn't quite compete with the Pixels and iPhones of this world. At the same time, other manufacturers like OnePlus and Xiaomi have continued to close the gap. Samsung really needed to turn things around this year, especially with the astronomical price attached to this phone. Left to right: 1x, 4x, and 100x zoom And yet Samsung apparently learned nothing from the likes of Google and tried to fix things as it always does: by throwing big numbers at the problem. There's the 108MP primary sensor, 100x digital zoom on the telephoto, and four cameras it total — that all sounds impressive, but it's nothing without the image processing to back it up. Google has proven year after year that software is the most important part of a smartphone camera. The S20 Ultra is let down by Samsung's classic over-saturation, over-sharpening, and a zoom system that doesn't live up to the boastful '100x Space Zoom' label printed on the back of the phone. The camera isn't awful, by any means, and if the S20 Ultra cost the same as an S10+, it would be much easier to defend. But for $1,400, and with all the marketing bravado Samsung throws around, it's simply inexcusable. All three S20 models are sizable phones. The smallest S20 carries the same screen size as the S10+ but is also thicker and heavier. By the time we arrive at the S20 Ultra, things are getting out of hand, literally. I don't mind the heft of the S20 Ultra so much myself, but I generally love big phones and have the hands to match them. I'm in the minority here, however, with most people not wanting to go any larger than the regular S20 — understandably so. If this were the Pixel line, that would be fine. Other than the battery and display, both sizes of Pixel have identical hardware. That makes buying a Pixel easy; you know that both sizes offer the same experience. That's not the case with Samsung. The Galaxy S20 and S20+ don't have the same zoom capabilities or selfie camera as the S20 Ultra, and the base S20 even loses the depth sensor. Because of this, buying either of the smaller phones will leave you wanting the extra hardware found in the next size up, which forces you into a difficult buying decision. And that's an understatement almost as huge as the phone itself. If it weren't for the Samsung upgrade program, I'd have had to shell out £1,200 for my S20 Ultra ($1,400 in the US). For perspective, my first car cost £800, and while it may not have taken pictures or downloaded apps, it did go a hell of a lot faster. The smaller phones aren't cheap either, with the 5G variants of the S20 and S20+ rolling in for $1,000 and $1,200, respectively. For that price, a phone should be perfect, and the S20 range is not (nor is there such a thing, in fairness). The Note 10 lost the headphone jack last year, so we all knew this was coming. That doesn't make it any less painful, though, as the 3.5mm jack is still one of the most useful hardware features a phone can have. I know Bluetooth audio is getting better, and most cars have it etc. But for those of us with older cars, or who play the part of DJ with their friends, that's of little comfort. Getting into a friend's car and having to go through the rigor of connecting to their Bluetooth is more hassle than it's worth most of the time. Even more annoying is Samsung's decision to exclude a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter. Google and Apple are doing the same, but those phones lost the jack years ago. For a lot of Samsung users, this is a new experience, and a free adapter in the box would've helped. Samsung does include a pair of AKG USB-C buds, though, which is at least something. It's fair to say Samsung is much faster to update its phones these days. It turned things around with the Android 10 rollout — beating plenty of other companies to the punch — but it was still slower than it would ideally be. You still don't buy a Samsung for instant updates. The more pertinent problem is the number of updates the S20 will receive. Samsung may be excellent at updating old phones with security patches (for three years), but the S20 is only guaranteed two Android version updates. By the time Android 12 arrives next year, this phone will be looking at its last major update. That may not seem so bad in the grand scheme of Android smartphones since it's only really Google that promises three years of major OS updates. But then you consider the price once again — $1,400 is a lot of money to spend on a phone that won't get new firmware after two years, so I think Samsung needs to do better. A word from our sponsor: Spigen has once again released a bold case lineup, this time for the all-new Samsung Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra. Spigen strives to deliver quality protection packed into a slim frame, wrapped in timeless designs made to last. Discover cases ranging from bold and sleek, to simple and clear, or strong and classic. Check out the full collection for Samsung Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra, now at Amazon.

3 May 14:00 Android Police https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/05/03/5-worst-things-samsung-galaxy-s20-ultra/
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The five most repairable Android smartphones you can buy

3 May 13:53 1 articles
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The five most repairable Android smartphones you can buy

This story was originally published 2020/02/17 8:27am PSTon Feb 17, 2020 and last updated 2020/05/03 6:53am PDTMay 3, 2020.  A broken smartphone is a reality none of us really want to confront. Is it fixable? Where do I take it to get it repaired? What am I going to use in the meantime? Do I need a new phone? Can I afford any of this? The questions that a smashed handset inevitably raise aren't fun, and breaking a phone in the current situation around the world right now is almost unthinkable. We're relying on them more than ever, and the availability of repair services is at an all-time low as most shops and electronics stores globally remain shut. All that said, for many of us, it's a fact of life that our phones are going to need repairs at some point. Whether it be a simple drop shattering the display or a battery that will need to be replaced after a couple of years, the right phone can make remedying these issues simple enough that, with a little patience, the right tools, and some elbow grease, a DIY possibility. If repairability is important to you, here are the most repairable Android smartphones on the market. Craig Lloyd is a technical writer and teardown engineer at iFixit. He’s taken apart countless gadgets to teach people how they work, and more importantly, how to fix them. Starting off with a bang, the Fairphone 3 is the most repairable smartphone on the planet, and—along with the original Fairphone and Fairphone 2—is one of the only smartphones to ever score a perfect 10/10 on iFixit's repairability scale. It prioritizes modularity with a removable 3060 mAh battery and an easy-to-replace 5.65” IPS screen, which are the two most commonly replaced components in any smartphone. And with the help of an included screwdriver and visual cues inside the phone to guide your repair, replacing any of the other components is a breeze, all the way down to the motherboard. The company even sells replacement parts for anyone to buy. The bad news? The Fairphone 3 is only available in Europe. Its limited availability makes it a quiet participant in the back of the room, but it proves that manufacturers can make a fully repairable smartphone without sacrificing design or functionality. The Fairphone 3 gets a lot of attention, but the SHIFT6m is nearly worthy of the same praise. It’s the latest product from Shiftphone, a small German phone manufacturer that got its start from crowdfunding in 2014. It’s not quite the dime piece that the Fairphone 3 is, but its 9/10 score still makes it one of the most repairable Android phones in the modern era. It has an easily-removable 4242mAh battery and a 5.7” OLED screen that’s only held down with screws and clips. Its only setbacks are connectors in cumbersome locations and soldered-down components like the headphone jack, vibration motor, and USB-C port. Like the Fairphone 3, the SHIFT6m is only available in Europe with a slightly higher price tag. But this really validates that the Fairphone 3 isn’t just an anomaly—repairable phones are possible, and any manufacturer can build one, provided they have the motivation. The price isn’t the only impressive thing about Google’s latest budget phone. The Pixel 3a is also a somewhat repairable phone compared to most from top-tier phone manufacturers, scoring a 6/10 in iFixit's teardown. While the display is held down with adhesive, it doesn’t use the traditional strong stuff we’re used to on other phones, instead opting for a spongy variant that’s easier to slice through. The thin, fragile OLED panel makes the replacement procedure a nail-biting affair, but achievable with the right attitude. The battery is also stuck to the phone with a couple of adhesive strips, but they have convenient pull tabs you can grab onto. On other phones, these can still be a bear to deal with. On the Pixel 3a, however, the difficulty is reduced to a faint growl. Most flagship Android phones are hardly repairable, but the latest device from OnePlus bucks that trend a bit, with the OnePlus 7T scoring a 5 out of 10 in iFixit's teardown. Granted, a 5 out of 10 isn’t that great of a repairability score (hell, that’s a failing grade in the classroom), but it’s better than a majority of Android phones on the market. The 7T has a battery that’s easy to remove once you’re inside, and many of the components are modular. Getting into the phone, however, is tricky with a glued-down rear panel. The display is firmly attached to the frame and requires disassembling the entire phone to replace. Still, it’s a decent compromise if you want a flagship product, as well as a fighting chance when it comes time to replace something inside. Among the hotness that are Samsung, Google, OnePlus, and others, it’s easy to forget about Motorola. They made headlines with the new Razr foldable, but their substantial lineup of existing smartphones is easily forgotten. That’s a shame, because they make some pretty repairable phones across the board. With their G and E lines, you’ll find a device that’s more repairable than most others on the market. The Moto E6, for instance, comes with an easy-to-remove rear panel and a battery that slips right out of the phone without a fuss—in the year 2020. You just don’t see that kind of user serviceability anymore. On top of that, Motorola is one of the very few big-name phone makers that sells replacement parts publicly to anyone. In fact, iFixit is an official Motorola parts provider, and it sell screens, batteries, and replacement adhesive for a majority of Motorola phones. If only other phone makers were that awesome.

3 May 13:53 Android Police https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/05/03/the-most-repairable-android-phones-you-can-buy/
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Technology
There's a crazy Google Home sale happening, hurry to get one for under $30

3 May 13:29 1 articles
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There's a crazy Google Home sale happening, hurry to get one for under $30

Google Home speakers have become common household items over the last few years, and if you're looking to replace your old one, upgrade from a Mini, or add another to a new room, this is your week: almost every retailer has them on sale for just $30, a full $70 off their regular price. Google has been constantly working on improving and tweaking the Home ecosystem, recently letting you adjust the sensitivity of your device's "Ok Google" listening, and including a separate volume level setting for the assistant's voice, so they're not screaming at you at the volume of your music. Now, it seems Google's next step is moving more units into homes, as the Home — as well as several other Google products — are on sale everywhere this week. Google Home Smart Speaker - $30 ($70 off) Google Store, Best Buy, Walmart, Target If you already own your share of Google Home speakers — or you're looking for something with a bit more oomph — these larger Google Home hubs and speakers are also on sale - though not as drastically as the original Home speaker. Google Nest Hub - $80 ($50 off) Google Store, Best Buy, Walmart, Target Google Nest Hub Max - $199 ($30 off) Google Store, Best Buy, Walmart, Target Google Home Max - $249 ($50 off) Google Store, Best Buy, Walmart, Target This is an excellent opportunity to stock up on easy and useful gifts, as you'll be hard-pressed to match the $30 deal for Google Homes anytime soon.

3 May 13:29 Android Police https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/05/03/theres-a-crazy-google-home-sale-happening-hurry-to-get-one-for-under-30/
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Technology
Telegram passes 500 million installs on the Google Play Store

3 May 13:00 1 articles
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Telegram passes 500 million installs on the Google Play Store

Many of the Play Store install milestones that go by are more a reflection of 'how many phones was this app bundled with' than 'look at how many people downloaded this by choice.' Telegram doesn't ship pre-installed on any Android phones, but despite that, the app just passed 500 million downloads on the Google Play Store. 500 million is a far cry from WhatsApp's five billion installs or Google Messages' one billion installs, but unlike those two applications, Telegram has relied entirely on user downloads. That's quite an accomplishment, especially with the experimental Telegram X client having 10 million downloads on top of that.

3 May 13:00 Android Police https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/05/03/telegram-passes-500-million-installs-on-the-google-play-store/
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Technology
New MacBook Pro details leak | ZDNet

3 May 07:52 1 articles
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New MacBook Pro details leak | ZDNet

Looks like the 13-inch MacBook Pro is getting a refresh real soon. Or maybe not. The coronavirus pandemic has changed a lot of things, but one thing that it hasn't changed is Apple releasing new products. And benchmarks test results suggest that Apple has a new 13-inch MacBook Pro in the works.Well, maybe it won't be the 13-inch model, but more on that in a moment.Must read:Can a simple charging mistake cause your MacBook Pro to overheat?Twitter user @_rogame discovered 3DMark benchmarks for the new MacBook Pro. As you might imagine, there's not a whole lot of information. The i7-1068NG7 processor is a 10th-gen Intel Ice Lake-U chip that as of yet has not been officially confirmed yet. The switch to Ice Lake-U from Whiskey Lake-U is likely to be a significant performance boost. Given the spec of this system, it seems to be a high-end offering and would cost in excess of $3,000. It's likely that Apple would release a more affordable version powered by a Core i5 processor too.  The most interesting this about this "leak" is the suggestion that this may not be a 13-inch MacBook Pro, but instead a new 14-inch model -- Apple's bumped the 15-inch MBP to 16-inch, so why not upgrade the 13-inch to 14-inch?

3 May 07:52 ZDNet https://www.zdnet.com/article/new-macbook-pro-details-leak/
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Technology
These 6 flagship killers are the best alternatives to the OnePlus 8 series

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These 6 flagship killers are the best alternatives to the OnePlus 8 series

With the OnePlus 8 series, the company has finally hit it out of the park. The hardware is flagship grade and makes next-to-no omissions to reach that pinnacle of performance. The phone has the best display we’ve tested, the cameras finally match up to the competition, and yes, it even has an IP68 rating.  However, with all the improvements comes a justifiable increase in price. Touching almost $1,000, the OnePlus 8 series is a far cry from the flagship-killing, value-focused hardware OnePlus started off with. So, what are your options if you don’t want to empty out your wallet for a brand new, power-packed piece of kit?  Here are all the best OnePlus 8 alternatives to satisfy your flagship-killer needs.  Building its brand on the back of affordable mid-range hardware, Realme finally entered the high-end space with the Realme X2 Pro late last year. Now, the Realme X50 Pro takes on the flagship segment with top-tier hardware and a price that undercuts most of the competition. The phone employs a tried-and-tested design and bolsters it with excellent build quality. The Snapdragon 865 chipset ensures that performance is as good as it gets, and the included 65W fast charger is one of the fastest solutions around. We reviewed the phone earlier this year and rated it positively. That said, you might want to temper your expectations from the camera, as the software has a tendency to go overboard with noise reduction and sharpening. Priced at Rs. 37,999/€599 for the base variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage and going all the way to Rs. 44,999/€749 for the top-end version with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, you can’t doubt the value quotient. If blazing-fast performance is what you crave, the Realme X50 Pro is an excellent OnePlus 8 alternative to consider. Unlike the OnePlus 8 series, Xiaomi’s Mi 10 makes a play for the premium segment while still trying to be affordable. The phone pairs a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 865 processor with a classy design, excellent stereo speakers, and fast 30W charging. The star of the show here is the new 108MP primary camera that is paired with a 13MP ultra-wide camera, a 2MP macro camera, as well as a 2MP depth sensor. Elsewhere, you will find a large 4,780mAh battery that not only supports 30W wired charging but also 30W wireless charging, in addition to 10W reverse charging. Compared to the Mi 10 Pro, you do miss out on an optical zoom stack, but the cost savings make up for it. Despite being a significant step up over the Mi 9, the Mi 10 5G remains an excellent, affordable alternative to 2020 flagships. Indeed, like the OnePlus 8, the Mi 10 Pro is a significant step up as far as specs go, but the phone manages to strike a balance between price, performance that is rather unmatched in today’s smartphone climate. Availability will vary depending on region, but the phone can be had for as little as $599 at Gearbest.  Looking for performance on a budget? Look no further than the Red Magic 5G. Between the 144Hz display, active cooling, and gaming triggers, the phone is a mobile gamer’s fever dream. It’s the perfect OnePlus 8 alternative for the enthusiast crowd. The Red Magic 5G gets a lot right. The 144Hz display, for one, is the smoothest available on a smartphone. If your favorite game includes unlocked frame rates, the Red Magic can enable the smoothest gaming experience around. Add to that programmable capacitive triggers, and you’ve got the hardware to truly elevate the experience.  Further, the Red Magic includes improved haptic feedback similar to HD rumble on consoles like the Nintendo Switch. Once again, your game will need to support the feature, but popular titles like PUBG Mobile already do, so you should be covered. Finally, an active fan keeps everything cool. Yes, I’m not kidding. In addition to the standard liquid cooling solutions, the Red Magic has an honest-to-goodness fan built into it. For all its features, the Red Magic 5G misses out on smartphone essentials like a good camera. Elsewhere, the default launcher can’t be switched out which is a bit of a bummer. Still, priced at $579/€579/£539 for the 8GB RAM variant with 128GB of storage, it is easy to overlook the shortcomings if the hardware package catches your eye.  Okay, I know what you are thinking. This isn’t the freshest hardware around. I hear ya. However, the Snapdragon 855 Plus-toting OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro are still some of the top-performing phones around. Both phones are more than capable of maxing out any game you throw at them. And, with OnePlus’ excellent software update record, they should be well supported for the years to come.  Additionally, there are quite a few features that work out in favor of the older hardware. The camera setup on the OnePlus 7T, for one, is more versatile than the one on the OnePlus 8. The latest model eschews the telephoto lens for a 2MP macro sensor. The OnePlus 7T, on the other hand, gives you a proper 12MP 2x optical zoom lens. Meanwhile, OnePlus has dropped the motorized selfie camera for a punch-hole camera on the OnePlus 8 Pro. If you, like me, prefer the pop-up solution, the OnePlus 7T Pro remains an excellent OnePlus 8 alternative. Finally, OnePlus has already dropped prices for the OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro in certain markets, making the phones an even better deal. It might not be the latest hardware around and you miss out on features like wireless charging and an IP rating. However, it’s hard to look past the sheer value on offer. The OnePlus 7T is priced at just $499 in the US or £549 in the UK. In India, the phone is available for Rs. 34,999 which makes it an incredible deal. The OnePlus 7T Pro is equally affordable and can be had starting at £699 in the UK. The phone got a price drop in India bringing it down as low as Rs. 47,999.  As Bluetooth headphones get ever more common, smartphone audio has become an afterthought at best. LG, however, has long championed the cause and this continues with the LG G8X.  The phone not only includes a headphone jack but also a high-quality 32-bit Quad DAC solution that is more than capable of driving even high-end headphones. Coupled with user-adjustable audio presets and DTS:X, the LG G8X is one of the best phones you can buy if audio is a priority. Elsewhere, the phone delivers serviceable cameras, a last-gen, but still great Snapdragon 855 processor, classic design, and a unique party trick: The LG G8X is the most affordable foldable phone around. Well, kinda. You can pair up a second-screen accessory with the phone in a form-fitting case. The app support is somewhat limited but what’s there is solid. If you can overlook the large bezels between the two displays, the solution gets pretty close to what the Surface Duo promises. The phone can be had for a mere $699 unlocked over at Amazon, with the dual-screen accessory included! AppleSource: Apple With the new second-generation iPhone SE, Apple has built the flagship killer that everyone has been clamoring for. There, I said it. The latest “affordable” iPhone has a laser focus on acquiring the aspirational audience. People who want the best of the best without spending top-dollar. Not only is the iPhone SE significantly more affordable than any other device in our list, it potentially outperforms them too.  Apple’s optimized approach towards the hardware package is no secret and as such, the company is able to eke out the best possible performance out of the hardware. With the same processor as the latest iPhone 11 Pro, the SE is capable of delivering class-leading performance which makes it a near-perfect OnePlus 8 alternative. On the imaging front, the iPhone SE ships with a single 12MP camera that does pretty well as long as there is good lighting. Additionally, like most current iPhones, the second-generation iPhone SE also excels at capturing stunning 4K 60FPS video that has extended dynamic range and amazing color science.  Elsewhere, there’s good and bad. The design is straight out of 2016 and anything but fresh. Massive bezels flank the 4.7-inch display and you will also have to contend with less than exemplary battery life. It might be a controversial opinion, but for once, Apple has a product that delivers the features people want at a price that is approachable. The absolute best performance, a very good camera, and one of the largest app ecosystems, all for $399 leaves you very little to complain about.  We think these are your best alternative options in case you aren’t interested in buying a OnePlus 8, but what about you? What are your favorite OnePlus 8 alternatives? Let us know in the comments.

3 May 07:54 Android Authority https://www.androidauthority.com/best-oneplus-8-alternatives-1108949/
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Technology
Apple Watch helps 80-year-old woman prove heart issue to her doctors

3 May 21:52 1 articles
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Apple Watch helps 80-year-old woman prove heart issue to her doctors

Source: iMore The Apple Watch has had a huge impact on our health. From making sure we stay active every day and close our rings, to help us take a moment to breathe, it is a truly transformative piece of technology when it comes to helping us all live a healthier day. Another area that the watch has played a huge role is in alerting us if there is something to be concerned about regarding our heart. With the release of the Apple Watch Series 4, the watch has not only been able to track your heart rate but take an ECG as well. That feature specifically helped an 80-year-old woman prove to medical staff that something was seriously wrong with her heart. Reported by the European Heart Journal, when a traditional ECG showed no evidence of concern, the woman was able to show proof of an issue with the readings from her Apple Watch. Get an iPhone SE with Mint Mobile service for $30/mo After reviewing the results from her watch, her doctors were able to identify an issue with her heart and perform surgery, adding a stent and releasing her from the hospital a day later. The doctors concluded that, based on their experience, the Apple Watch is seemingly capable of detecting more than what is currently advertised by Apple. While this may be true, it is not something that Apple is not advertising as a feature of the Apple Watch. The company must go through a ton of testing and receive clearance from the government in order to advertise a capability like this. We could, however, see Apple do just that in the future. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more. Opening soon Austria's one Apple Store is set to reopen tomorrow, May 5 Apple fans in Austria are set to have an Apple Store reopen. In fact, it's the country's only Apple Store and it'll be back open for business tomorrow. Here she is Apple announces new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Magic Keyboard and more After weeks of rumors, it's now here. And it's quick. Privacy U.S. Senators propose COVID-19 data privacy bill U.S. Senators have introduced a COVID-19 data privacy bill, designed to strike a balance between innovation, technology, and consumer privacy. Protect that Watch Don't let your Apple Watch get damaged; get a case. You may think you don't need a protective case for your Apple Watch, until that one time you take it to work and it gets all scratched up. Don't make that mistake. Protect your watch from the elements.

3 May 21:52 iMore https://www.imore.com/apple-watch-helps-80-year-old-woman-prove-heart-issue-her-doctors?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheIphoneBlog+%28iMore%29
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Technology
Upcoming BS6 Nissan Kicks Vs 2020 Hyundai Creta – Specs Comparison

3 May 09:30 1 articles
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Upcoming BS6 Nissan Kicks Vs 2020 Hyundai Creta – Specs Comparison

Nissan India recently revealed details about the soon-to-be-launched BS6-compliant Kicks SUV, and while the new emission norms mean the car’s diesel powertrain has been discontinued, the BS4 to BS6 transition brings along an all-new 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol powertrain. Here is a specifications comparison between the recently launched new-gen Hyundai Creta 1.4 Turbo, and the upcoming BS6 Nissan Kicks 1.3-litre turbo-petrol – Talking about the size alone, the Nissan Kicks is superior to the Hyundai Creta in every aspect. The former has a length of 4,384 mm, a width of 1,813 mm, stands 1,656 mm tall and has a 2,673 mm long wheelbase. These dimensions make the Kicks 84 mm longer, 23 mm wider and 21 mm taller than the Creta. The latter also has a 63 mm shorter wheelbase, as compared to the Nissan SUV. The BS6 emission norms have prompted Nissan to completely distance itself from diesel powertrains in the country for now, hence, the Japanese carmaker has decided to fill the void with a new 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine co-developed with Mercedes-Benz, which will make it the most powerful compact SUV in the country. The new BS6-compliant turbo-petrol engine puts out 156 PS of maximum power, along with 254 Nm of peak torque. Nissan has confirmed that the engine will come mated to an 8-speed CVT gearbox, while a 6-speed MT could be introduced as well. The new powertrain will be reserved for the higher-end trims, while the entry-level models will continue to be offered with the 106 PS producing 1.5-litre petrol unit, coupled with a 5-speed MT. In comparison, the 2020 Hyundai Creta gets a 1.4-litre T-GDi turbo-petrol unit on the higher-end trims, which is mated to a 7-speed DCT automatic gearbox as standard. This unit puts out 140 PS of power and 242 Nm of torque. Apart from that, the Creta gets a 1.5-litre NA petrol engine rated at 115 PS/144 Nm as well, which can be had with either a 6-speed MT or an IVT automatic. In terms of features, the Kicks comes equipped with dual-chamber LED projector headlamps, an 8-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, NissanConnect connected-car tech with over 50 features and smartwatch connectivity, automatic climate control, cruise control, 360-degree around-view monitor, 17-inch machined alloy wheels and more. On the other hand, the top-end Creta trim gets larger 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment with an 8-speaker Bose sound system, Hyundai’s BlueLink connected-car tech, a panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats, power-adjustable driver’s seat, a 7-inch TFT colour display in the instrument cluster, a touch-enabled smart air purifier, paddle shifters and drive mode select as well. On the safety front, Nissan has packed the Kicks with features like 4 airbags, Hill Start Assist, Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), ABS with EBD, Brake Assist and a 360-degree camera as well. The Creta gets 6 airbags, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Hill-Assist Control (HAC), driver rear view monitor, ABS with EBD, an electronic parking brake with auto hold, traction control and rear disc brakes. Hyundai currently retails the Creta at a starting price of Rs 9.99 lakh, while the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol variant can be had with two trims – SX and SX (O), which are priced at Rs 16.16 lakh and Rs 17.20 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom) respectively. However, Nissan is yet to reveal the prices of the BS6-compliant Kicks. While we do know that the BS4 model was priced between Rs 9.55 and 13.69 lakh (ex-showroom), the upgraded BS6-compliant version could command a slight premium over that. The BS6 Nissan Kicks could prove to be a tough competitor for the new-gen Hyundai Creta, thanks to the upcoming 1.3-litre turbo-petrol powertrain. The Kicks is bigger in size, and will now be offered with a more powerful engine, but the Creta scores better in terms of equipment, as well as safety features on offer along with a diesel engine option in both MT & AT in this BS6 era.

3 May 09:30 GaadiWaadi.com https://gaadiwaadi.com/upcoming-bs6-nissan-kicks-vs-2020-hyundai-creta-specs-comparison/
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Technology
11+ Real World Flying Car Projects

3 May 21:00 1 articles
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11+ Real World Flying Car Projects

Flying cars have long been the staple of sci-fi films and books for decades and our youthful dreams of flying cars in our lifetime, perhaps sooner than we ever thought possible. Some companies are making literal leaps and bounds in this virgin territory and we could see the first of them released within just a few years. These 11 are some of the closest and most interesting flying car projects that could be taxiing you around your local city very soon indeed. It seems the future, at least part of it, is tantalizingly close.   Founded in 2006 by a team of MIT graduates, Terrafugia is currently developing two interesting flying car projects. The first is called the Transition which, they believe, will be the world's first practical flying car. The other, sexier, project is the TF-X. It is this model that they intend to scale to mass production to revolutionize personal transportation forever. The TF-X is being built from the ground up, if you'll excuse the pun, as an all-electric, vertical takeoff and landing, a computer-controlled flying car. Not only that but its sleek lines will make it a rival for a high-end sports car of today. This is one to really keep an eye out for over the next few years. Joby Aviation had been working on a personal aerial craft for several years before receiving an enormous cash injection from Toyota and Intel. The conditions of the investment were to provide a practical all-electric air taxi of the future. This air taxi is interesting, compared to others on the list, as it is being designed with a seating capacity of up to 5. It will be, by virtue, a lot bigger and heavier than its rivals. Prototype plans reveal that it will be a VTOL but more resembles a traditional airplane but with multiple propellers. This is another interesting one to keep an eye on. The company behind one of the most famous cars in the cinema is currently developing a flying car. This company is DeLorean and this could possibly be the only project that is stepping back in time with its flying car project. DeLorean Aerospace currently has Paul DeLorean at the helm who is the nephew of John DeLorean. John was the man principally responsible for the iconic DeLorean gull-wing car that became so famous in the Back to the Future films as Dr. Brown's time travel device. The DeLorean DR-7 features electric propulsion and is expected to be fully autonomous, meaning you won't need a pilot license to fly it. The company is expecting to build a full-scale prototype at some point this year. PAL-V, a Dutch Aerospace company, is nearing completion of their flying car project - the Liberty. They are so close, in fact, that they intend to take pre-orders for its as early as 2019. If true, this will make it one of, if not the, first commercially available flying car. According to their CEO, Robert Dingemanse, all they need now as the final necessary certifications to make their Liberty market-ready. The Liberty runs on two engines each specially designed for use on the road or in the air. It has been clocked at a top land speed of 160 km per hour and can reach 180 km per hour in the air. If, or perhaps when, it goes on the market in 2019 it is earmarked for a price tag of around $400,000 per unit. Uber are currently developing their own ambitious flying car project or VTOL taxis. The program is called "UBERAIR" and is planned to be introduced in Dallas and Los Angeles first. The project has been in development since 2016 and Uber hopes to get it off the ground very soon. Little is really known about the project beyond that but they have teamed up with five different partners, including Boeing, to make it a reality. Their choice of initial cities does highlight some inherent issues with VTOL craft. Namely, VTOL's don't function very well in harsh environments and are best suited to areas with generally mild weather and low rain for safety reasons. Despite this, they plan to begin rolling out the service as early as 2020 in LA. Airbus, not to the outdone by the apparent 'gold rush' to bring flying cars to the market, have been developing one of their own. It's called the Vahana and it is planned to be another all-electric VTOL that will be self-piloted. The idea is to save money on hiring trained and experienced pilots to actually fly the thing once released. Since autopilot software is pretty mature at this point, it shouldn't be out of the scope of possibility to do this, especially for an accomplished organization with the size of Airbus. This will also have other benefits for things like maintenance whereby the craft can automatically fly themselves to for maintenance and upgrades when required. Progress appears to be going smoothly with it completing its first successful test-fight earlier this year. This was accomplished completely autonomously and Airbus is planning many further tests for things like basic maneuvering in the future. A German startup called Lilium Aviation is also getting in on the flying car project game. Their proposal is, like others, quite ambitious and is planned to be able to carry up to 5 passengers. They also plan to make it possible for their flying car to be summoned using an app on a smartphone. Like all other companies on the list, Lilium hopes that theirs will change public transportation forever. Lilium's solution will, like others, be an all-electric VTOL flying car but with a twist - it will be jet-powered. There jet-powered flying car should have a top range of around 300 km and promises to make a trip between London and Paris in around an hour. They hope to have it up and running by as early as 2025. British company VRCO are currently developing their own flying car project. They have designed their NeoXCraft to be able to traverse on land, in the air, and on the water as well. According to the company's CEO, Daniel Hayes, the NeoXCraft should be ready, at least for road-testing only, by 2020. Its design is particularly innovative. Its ducted fans can be used in flight or rotated to become wheels for driving. The flying car's VTOL mode will enable it to carry around 180 kgs in payload equivalent to about 2 passengers as well. It's already available for pre-order and will cost you just over $2 million. The Cora flying car project from startup Kitty Hawk recently got a huge boost from some significant financial backing by Google co-founder Larry Page. It is pretty advanced in its development and has already begun several rounds of test flights in New Zealand earlier in 2018. Its aim is to break into the flying car project scene and directly provide competition for its potential rivals in development by Airbus and Uber. The craft features no less than 12 lift fans to provide the flying car with vertical take-off and landing capabilities. These are all-electric and are able to be moved independently of one another. The Cora is capable of reaching heights of between 150 and 900 meters and has been clocked at a top speed of 180 km per hour. Not to be outdone by the competition, Toyota is also developing its own flying car project. Their solution is very different from others on the list and is hoped to be showcased by opening the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Toyota SkyDive is currently the smallest electric vehicle in the world and measures a modest 2.9 meters long, 1.1 meters tall, and 1.9 meters wide. It is being developed by a group of specialists Toyota engineers led by Tsubasa Nakamura who actually designed the vehicle in his own spare time. It is hoped by the development team to have the SkyDive max out its land speeds at 150 km per hour with cruising speeds exceeding 100 km per hour. They also hope to begin making test runs of the craft very soon and have it ready for mass production by 2030. The Aeromobil, the name says it all really, is a Slovakian gamble at the flying car market of the future. It is being built by a company of the same name and really does look the part. "AeroMobil is an exceptional vehicle. It‘s a real flying car, with all that a car and an airplane have to offer. Because of its true flexibility, you have a choice: road or air. The choice is ultimately up to you, but, whether you choose to be aerial or earthbound, AeroMobil will always turn heads."  This flying car project is nearing completion and will be powered by a specially designed hybrid-electric system. It also comes in two variants, the 4.0 VTOL and 5.0 VTOL. The Zee.Aero is another great example of a real-world flying car project. Developed by a company also backed by the co-founder of Google, Larry Page, this flying car's progress is something of an enigma. To date beyond its official U.S. Patent, very little other information has been released about it.  The EHang is a specially designed aerial drone taxi. This flying car made the news a few years back after successfully carrying Dutch Prince Pieter Christiaan to Amsterdam just months after the creator's CEO Huazhi Hu took a ride in it himself. It is 100% powered by "green" electricity and has various fail-safe systems that enable it to land itself safely should any malfunctions occur. Once in operation, the taxi's take-off and landing locations will all be digitally preset so passengers can simply be picked up and arrive at their desired destinations without the need for a pilot.  Astro Aerospace's Passenger Drone is yet another flying car currently in development. Its working prototype features a carbon fiber shell, 16 independent rotor blades, and a touch control system in the cockpit.  There is, as yet, no official release date for the craft but Astro Aerospace plan for the flying car to find a home in various industries from agriculture to the military. 

3 May 21:00 Interesting Engineering https://interestingengineering.com/11-real-world-flying-car-projects?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Article&utm_campaign=organic&utm_content=May04
Rating: 1.33
Technology
[Update: Zoom, Night Sight, Portrait] Google Pixel 4a camera stills leak in early comparison

3 May 16:09 1 articles
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[Update: Zoom, Night Sight, Portrait] Google Pixel 4a camera stills leak in early comparison

Back in March, the Pixel 4a was extensively revealed in a video hands-on that showed the design and device in action. The people responsible for that footage are now leaking some camera stills captured by the Pixel 4a. Original 4/30: The Pixel 4a — which we reported has a 12.2-megapixel primary camera in April — is compared to the Redmi Note 7 by Julio Lusson of TecnoLike Plus. Megapixel count does not matter, with the latter 48MP sensor paling next to Google’s upcoming mid-ranger in the first set of shots. Color is noticeably better on the Pixel 4a in both low-light and outdoor conditions. The images from the Google phone share the same Pixel look as the current generation of devices. Update 5/3: We now have a slew of more samples from the same source as part of a video released today. Of particular note are the Night Sight and Astrophotography samples: Software zoom (shown below in 1x, 3x, and 8x) increments are also particularly impressive since this phone lacks the Pixel 4’s telephoto lens: We can also see single-lens Portrait Mode on display: A Google Photos gallery with full resolution imagery is available here, while XDA notes that the Sony IMX363 is the rear camera sensor on the Pixel 4a in another repeat appearance from the Pixel 3, 3a, and 4. That said, there are some caveats about this Pixel 4a camera leak. They are from a prototype Pixel 4a running early hardware and software. We managed to perform an APK Insight on the installed version (7.4) of Google Camera that revealed future work on 4K 60FPS video recording, most likely for other devices. As we reported, the Pixel 4a will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 730 with 6GB of RAM and feature the Titan M chip, but no Pixel Neural Core. There will be a 5.81-inch OLED panel at 2340 x 1080 with hole-punch front-facing 8MP camera. Storage options could range from 64GB to 128GB, while the 3,080mAh battery has 18W fast charging over USB-C. On the software front, it will feature the “new Google Assistant” with pricing, according to one billboard leak, suggesting a starting price of $399. There is no larger model, with the color options being Just Black and Barely Blue. More about Pixel 4a: Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:

3 May 16:09 9to5Google https://9to5google.com/2020/05/03/pixel-4a-camera-leak/
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Technology
[Update: In stock again] Pixel Buds now available from Google Store

3 May 16:20 1 articles
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[Update: In stock again] Pixel Buds now available from Google Store

Launched Monday morning, the Pixel Buds were sold out a day later from most retailers. The US Google Store now has the Pixel Buds back in stock for $179. Original 4/30: Those that ordered immediately at 9 a.m. PT from Google have received them over the course of today with expedited shipping. Buyers that selected the regular speed are having them sent out now. Meanwhile, other stores and carriers managed to deliver yesterday for some lucky buyers. As of Wednesday afternoon’s re-stock, the standard speed will ship Pixel Buds (to California) May 15-18, with the most expensive option guaranteeing May 12-13 delivery. Other parts of the country are seeing slightly earlier dates. Only Clearly White is available today, with the Google Store maintaining a waitlist for Oh So Orange, Quite Mint, and Almost Black. Those colors are expected in the coming months, with Google providing that same timeframe for other countries. Update 4/30: As of this afternoon, the Pixel Buds are again out of stock on the US Google Store. If you previously joined the waitlist, you will still be subscribed for email updates. You can opt out by visiting Account settings and leaving. Update 5/3: The Clearly White Pixel Buds returned to the Google Store on Sunday morning with delivery quoted at May 19-20. Mophie’s wireless chargers — single ($49.95) and dual ($79.95) — are also back in stock. Google’s second attempt at Assistant headphones are truly wireless and drop the fabric cord. There is still a round, touch-sensitive surface that accepts a bevy of single/double/triple taps, swipes, and holds to navigate, as well as the Hey Google hotword for voice commands. They feature 12mm dynamic speaker drivers and are sweat/water resistant (IPX4). Dual beam-forming microphones in each bud work to suppress background noise, while IR proximity sensors detect when Pixel Buds are in your ears for automatic play/pause. A single charge provides 5 hours of listening (2.5 hours of talk) time, while the charging case holds 24 hours. A 10-minute top-up offers 2 hours of listening (1-hour talk) time. Wireless charging compliments USB-C, with the pebble-like package a drastic improvement over the previous fabric holder. Google says the Pixel Buds will remain connected even if the paired Bluetooth 4.0+ device is “three rooms away indoors or a football field-distance away outdoors.” Android 6.0+ phones benefit from Fast Pair, Find My Device, and a notification that lists battery percentage for each component. They’ll otherwise work as regular headphones on iOS and most computers. More about Pixel Buds: Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:

3 May 16:20 9to5Google https://9to5google.com/2020/05/03/pixel-buds-back-in-stock/
Rating: 1.32
Technology
OnePlus Z rumored to take on Google Pixel 5 w/ Snapdragon 765G processor

3 May 13:32 1 articles
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OnePlus Z rumored to take on Google Pixel 5 w/ Snapdragon 765G processor

In response to its phones being more expensive than ever, OnePlus has been expected to debut a spiritual successor to its “OnePlus X” in the upcoming OnePlus Z. Now, a pretty reliable tipster claims that the OnePlus Z will arrive with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G processor. Previously, it was reported that the OnePlus Z — “OnePlus 8 Lite” as we knew it at the time — would ship with MediaTek’s Dimensity 1000 processor. That probably would have been fine in terms of performance, battery life, and the like, but Qualcomm is the king of Android for a reason (and not just because they’re basically a monopoly). Max J, who has a pretty goodtrack record for OnePlus reports, says that the OnePlus Z will arrive with the Snapdragon 765G. The Snapdragon 765G is a lesser processor compared to the 865 found in the OnePlus 8, but that comes with a couple of advantages. For one, the chip itself is less costly compared to the 865. Its slight dip in power, too, might result in better battery life. One of the biggest advantages, though, is that the 765G has its 5G modem built into the chip itself, meaning OnePlus doesn’t have to pay extra for Qualcomm’s X55 modem. Cost is likely the biggest reason OnePlus wants to launch a phone with the Snapdragon 765G. That reason is why we’re expecting the Google Pixel 5 to ship with that same chip when it debuts later this year. The Snapdragon 865 is making every flagship Android phone expensive this year, so why not try some alternatives? We’ll have to wait and see if this report turns out to be true, but it at least makes sense looking at it right here, right now. Hopefully, we’ll get more details soon. Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:

3 May 13:32 9to5Google https://9to5google.com/2020/05/03/oneplus-z-snapdragon-765g/
Rating: 1.32
Technology
Here’s your last chance to nab some of this week’s best deals

3 May 13:00 1 articles
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Here’s your last chance to nab some of this week’s best deals

Every week, we scare up a couple dozen awesome new deals for you to jump all over in the Boing Boing Store. Sometimes, you do, sometimes, you don’t, but with everything happening, it’s not uncommon for at least one or two to slip past your radar in a given week.  Hey, it happens. We get it. It still doesn’t mean you should sleep on some of this cool stuff though. Therefore, we’re showcasing some of the week’s latest and greatest offers here all in one place so you don’t forget. It’s the least we can do. You’re welcome. Look, one of these days soon, the world is going to ramp back up again, so these items should help you accelerate back into the great outdoors. The Splat 3N1 Flexible Tripod ($18.99; originally $24.99) has five flexible and extremely durable legs that can adjust to any surface and hold action cameras, regular cameras, and smartphones in countless positions to help you snap the perfect shot, no matter where you are. Of course, if you’re out and about, sturdy protection like the Active Rugged Case for iPhone 11 ($39.99; originally $49.95) with a sleek design wrapped in hydrophobic leather will keep your iPhone safeguarded against unexpected splashes, sweaty workouts, and any other potentially dangerous adventures. Also built to survive the outdoors, the Active Strap Modern Leather Strap for Apple Watch ($49.99; originally $69.95) uses waterproof Heinen leather from Germany designed to thrive in tough workouts without snapping like those cheap plastic watch bands. Meanwhile, the GolfBuddy Aim W10 GPS Golf Watch ($189.99; originally $209.99) is all about shaving strokes off your golf game. This watch features accurate distance measurements to targets, traps, and the front, center, and back of the green for holes on over 40,000 golf courses worldwide, so you’ll always be ready to make just the right club choice or swing decisions. Be prepared on the road with the 5-in-1 Emergency Car Tool with Portable Power Bank ($19.99; originally $25.99). With an LED flashlight, red SOS light, emergency seatbelt cutter, glass breaker, and a portable power bank with 2,200mAh battery capacity, this tool will have you ready to spring into action anywhere when the need arises. From different lighting conditions to night vision, most home cameras run into problems under certain conditions. However, the CapsuleCam WDR Security Camera ($43.99; originally $89.99) has Starlight Vision Tech, which lets you see clearer images in color, whether in broad daylight, low light, or even in the dark. If you’re going for something a little more low profile, The Eye Night Vision and WiFi Streaming Security Camera ($89.99; originally $115) is the size of a quarter, yet covertly records audio and video in high-definition 1080P resolution, complete with night vision and motion detection capabilities. It’ll even stream right to your mobile device. Meanwhile, the Smart Beat Video Breathing Monitor ($200; originally $249.50) has only one goal in mind: your baby well-being. The Smart Beat tracks movement that is too slow and subtle to be seen by the human eye, sending you notifications when it detects clinical apnea, above or below normal breathing rate, or even when your baby falls asleep or wakes up. From what you see to what you hear, the MPOW X5.0 True Wireless Headphones with Charging Case ($69.99; originally $89.99) delivers premier audio quality using Signal Enhance Technology, maximizing the signal between your phone and earphones. Featuring CVC 6.0 noise cancellation and Bluetooth 5.0, you’ll also get battery life that extends up to 36 hours with the wireless charging case. The HomeCourse Indoor Golf Simulator Enclosure ($1,899.99; originally $1,999.99) brings the driving range right into your living room. The indoor range and golf simulator enclosure has a ballistic grade material screen designed to absorb and deaden the impact of a golf ball and gather errant shots. You can also project a golf simulator on the screen as well to further put you in the true golf mindset when you swing. While the Raspberry Pi dazzles as the world’s most versatile microcomputer, you can’t get far without a screen — like these four monitor options from SunFounder. The Raspberry Pi 4B 7" IPS LCD Display ($95.99; originally $102.99) supports high resolution of 1024×600, multiple video input interfaces such as HDMI, VGA, and 5V/3A output and comes with a high-quality stand built to display the monitor and protect the Pi and also the Pi camera to max out your system. There’s also the Raspberry Pi 4B 10.1" Display ($126.99; originally $135.99) with greater 1280x800 full HD resolution, HDMI and VGA ports and also built-in speakers for better access to all of your content. If 10 inches aren’t enough, the 13.3'' IPS Display Screen ($134.99; originally $149) notches up with this professional IPS monitor, capable of handling full HD gaming from the Pi to the PS4, XBOX 360 and other high-powered gaming systems. Or if a touch screen is on your list, the 10.1'' Touch Screen ($134.99; originally $149) has full versatility. It’s Plug ‘n Play qualities make it easy to use and compatible with various operating systems including Raspbian, Ubuntu, Ubuntu Mate, Windows, Android, and Chrome OS. It looks like a normal t-shirt, but the Posture Reminder T-Shirt with Alignment Technology ($39.99; originally $89.99) actually houses a revolutionary elastic panel in the back that prevents you from slouching and reminds you to stand up straight with your shoulders and shoulder blades aligned into the correct position. With the SPORT Shoe Deodorizer, Protector and Blister Blocker Bundle ($39.99; originally $50), you get three weapons to protect your feet from new shoes and all their side effects. The anti-bacterial spray eliminates germs and bacteria while the all-weather protector provides an invisible layer of protection for suede, leather, and fabric against water, snow, salt, and more; as the blister blocker is a non-toxic, all-natural anti-friction balm to prevent blisters.  Foam rolling gets an upgrade with the Power Plate Roller Portable Vibrating Massager ($99.99), a certified medical device to help relax and rejuvenate tight and sore muscles, release fascia and promote blood flow to help you prepare faster and recover quicker. Meanwhile, the Moodo Smart Home Fragrance Diffuser ($107.99; originally $169.80) is a recovery of a different form, featuring various fragrance capsules harmonized to create a wonderful scent no matter how you mix and match capsules. Compatible with smart home tech like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, you can program when the Moodo runs through their app or discover just the right mix to fit your mood or lifestyle. Of course, there are also other means of self-healing, like the Mighty Safe Vacuum Vault ($26.99; originally $29.95), a stainless-steel food grade storage container that creates a vacuum seal, holding in odor and freshness that will keep up to three ounces of herbs fresh and protected for up to weeks. Meanwhile, the Herbal Infuser ($129.99; originally $144) is the next generation of cannabis-infusion technology, quickly and efficiently transferring plant compounds from herbs directly into a base, such as butter, oil, alcohol or honey with maximum potency, speed, and simplicity. In just 45 minutes, you can produce 2 to 5 cups worth of highly potent cannabis-infused ingredients to make goodies with ease. You can keep your kitchen in order with some class with this bamboo 2-tier dish drying rack ($19.99), featuring a durable, antibacterial x-shape collapsible design so all your plates stay upright as you drain excess water right from dishwashing. And you can stick with the woodsy theme with the extendable bamboo kitchen drawer organizer ($29.99) with adjustable sides for holding up to nine compartments worth of forks, knives, and spoons, all with a reinforced base to assure years of use. Attach the ZAJIA Touchless Infrared Faucet Sensor ($42.99; originally $49.95) to your basin and you’ll never have to touch your sink again. With six different conversion heads, this attachment should fit almost any tap. Just swipe your hand for 20 seconds or 3 minutes of continuous water flow, all with laying a finger on the faucet. Steak lovers are going to want to check out the Otto Lite Professional 1,500°F Steak Grill ($699; originally $899). Gas-powered over-fire ceramic fuel-efficient burners prevent flare-ups to guarantee maximum control over the temperature you need to cook steak, meat, fish, and pizza. In fact, this revolutionary grill is so hot and precise, you can knock out steakhouse-caliber meat in less than 10 minutes.

3 May 13:00 Boing Boing https://boingboing.net/2020/05/03/heres-your-last-chance-to-n.html
Rating: 1.31
Technology
Miniature model Cray X-MP supercomputer

3 May 12:18 1 articles
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Miniature model Cray X-MP supercomputer

The miniature model supercomputers that Cray salespeople carried sometimes hit eBay, and they're getting quite pricey. This 3.75" tall scale model of the Cray X-MP, once the world's fastest computer, is on offer for $700. I wonder, if you put a Rasberry Pi in it, would the resulting machine be faster than a Cray X-MP? The X-MP offers four processors and 800 megaflops, according to Wikipedia; a Pi 4, with four cores, cracks 2 gigaflops in this benchmarking roundup. In this test, a Pi Zero (240 megaflops) outpaces a Cray 2 at calculating digits of Pi, but the consensus seems to be that the Cray would roast it at linear algebra, the sort of work supercomputers were made for.

3 May 12:18 Boing Boing https://boingboing.net/2020/05/03/miniature-model-cray-x-mp-supe.html
Rating: 1.31
Technology
10 Best Slow Motion Videos Apps For Android in 2020

3 May 11:15 1 articles
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10 Best Slow Motion Videos Apps For Android in 2020

The digital world around us is evolving at a rapid pace. Those days are gone, when we have to carry DSLRs to capture extraordinary pictures. Nowadays, smartphone substitutes digital cameras in our life. Another benefit of having a flagship camera smartphone is the ability to record slow-motion videos. Most of the modern smartphones contain a native slow-motion video recorder that can be accessed through the camera app. In case, if your smartphone misses out on the ‘Slow-Mo’ feature, then you need to use a few third-party apps. There are plenty of Android slow motion apps available on the Play Store that can be used to apply the slow-motion effect on videos. However, please keep in mind that apps can only apply the slow-motion effect (slowing down the playback speed), it can’t record videos in slow motion. Contentsshow So, in this article, we are going to share some of the best slow-motion video apps for Android in 2020. With these apps, you can easily apply a slow-motion effect on your videos. This is the best apps to record slow-motion videos on your Android device. You can also make the magic fast motion video. The output video can be uploaded to Youtube or Instagram – show your friends and get hundreds of ‘likes’! Slow Motion Video FX lets you choose the speed of the output movie. Must give a try to this app. This is the best video recorder software where you can Shoot, edit, and share videos in beautifully smooth slow motion without the hassle of transferring files. In this app, the video is slowed down uniformly for a certain duration and then resumes to normal speed. This is the cool apps that will convert your special moments in amazing one. Slow Motion FREE is a slow-motion video viewer. You can either choose a file from your recorded video folder or make a new recording in the app and can also choose the speed of the video you are recording. It is a very handy video editor with many functions. It makes very simple to edit your videos. You can apply video effects like fading, slow motion, sepia, vignette, vintage. Other than that, it also lets you convert the edited video also. Coach’s Eye is the world’s leading video platform for coaches and athletes who need to review athlete technique and game film. And if you are not an athlete you can use this app to capture slow-motion videos Get the perfect moment with Best Shot. It captures multiple shots before and after you tap, recognizing issues like blurred subjects or blinking eyes. It then recommends the best picture to keep. Moto’s smart cameras automatically adjust for light and motion for crystal clear results. It can record slow-motion videos. With ASUS PixelMaster Camera at your fingertips, there’s no need to worry about fiddly options or settings to capture great photos. You can create your own story via a video with High-Speed Video and Slow Motion Video modes. Video Maker and Movie editor is a powerful video editing tools, it is a perfect movie Studio designed for Android platform. Movie Studio allows you easy to edit video, make movies. Movie Studio also a fun and easy way to share your video memories with your friends. This has the option to slow down the video playback. Controlled Capture not only makes it easy to capture normal pictures and videos; it also allows you to capture time-lapse sequence images automatically and also slow-motion videos. This exposes you to a whole new world of uses for your phone or tablet’s camera. With Controlled Capture, you can record slow and fast events, such as a flower opening or a friend’s golf swing, and then observe the intricate details of these events. Video Dieter lets you store all your videos at a smaller file size and share your full-length video via WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram and any messenger app. With this app, you can create beautiful Timelapse & Slow-motion videos as per your wish. As the name of the app suggests, it’s an all in one video editing tool for your Android. Videoshop app for Android features lots of editing options and the best thing is, you can edit the videos in real-time. Videoshop also features an awesome option which can make your video slow and fast. Since it offers the real-time editing option, you can easily make a slow or fast motion video using the slider. This app lets you play HD/SD videos, control video frame rate, audio pitch and apply a color filter for B/W effect. This video player takes advantage of media hardware acceleration so it consumes low CPU power and uses battery power in the most efficient way. Well, KMPlayer is basically a media player that comes with a few unique features. The best thing about KMPlayer is its ability to speed up and slow down any video. Guess what? the Android media player can play any video in the range of 0.4 to 4-second speed. The latest version of KMPlayer also got HD Video support. It is one of the best professional video editing tools that you can have on your Android smartphone. KineMaster – Pro Video Editor packs almost every feature that you need to video editing. The premium version of KineMaster also allows users to speed up or slow down any video. The interface of the app is also very clean and it also has support for real-time audio-video recording. So above is all about the best slow-motion video recording apps for Android. I hope this article helped you! Share it with your friends also.

3 May 11:15 Tech Viral https://techviral.net/record-slow-motion-videos-on-any-android/
Rating: 1.32
Technology
Nike Creates Its First-Ever Indoor Cycling Shoe

3 May 07:59 1 articles
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Nike Creates Its First-Ever Indoor Cycling Shoe

Released just in time when indoor workouts are more important than ever, Nike has launched the brand’s first-ever indoor cycling shoe. Falling under the company’s SuperRep training line, the new sneaker is designed to address the lateral and out-of-seat movements riders experience during a session. A special support arc has been built into the shoe’s medial side, offering greater security of your feet during various combinations such including “Figure 8s.” Using a lightweight translucid mesh construction for its upper, as well as a perforated sockliner and air vents at the bottom of the plate, Nike has managed to keep the sneaker both incredibly light and breathable. A simplified closure system allows for easier accessibility, while rubber studs on the outsole and textured toe plates provide much needed traction as you walk to and from your bike. Available in black and white for both genders or neon orange and pink exclusively for women, the Nike SuperRep Cycle will debut in Europe May 1, followed by a members’ release in North America on May 26. A general, global release will then come on June 1. Elsewhere in sneakers, Saucony has dropped two summer-ready colorways for its Grid Azura 2000.

3 May 07:59 HYPEBEAST https://hypebeast.com/2020/5/nike-superrep-indoor-cycling-shoe-release
Rating: 1.83
Technology
Design of the new CUBOT phone revealed - Gizchina.com

3 May 17:33 1 articles
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Design of the new CUBOT phone revealed - Gizchina.com

Today we have for you a little sneak peek at the newest CUBOT model. It should be their first 4G smartphone of 2020 and it’s coming with a pretty big waterdrop screen. After all, big phones are becoming the go-to option these days and are selling the most units. So how does this one look ? Just look at the title picture for a while to get the better idea about the planned NOTE 20. The edges of the screen are symmetrically curved and of course the phone will have a metal frame. Matte colors are in my opinion also better than the flashy glossy ones and this one should also have a frosted cover for a better on-hand feeling. Back panel of NOTE 20 has a round-shaped camera module with four photo-sensors and LED flash placed next to it. Four camera setup sounds promising so let’s see how it performs. We don’t know more or less anything about the possible hardware specs of the phone, except the promise of the usual pure-style CUBOT Android system without any bloatware. And of course an extremely affordable price, because that’s their thing for sure. According to out information NOTE 20 should be landing on Aliexpress on June 1st, but more info about it will be released next week. Oh and in mid-May we will be getting a giveaway event on CUBOT’s official website with 10 pieces of NOTE 20 for free. So should be certainly worth it keeping an eye on that.

3 May 17:33 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/design-of-the-new-cubot-phone-revealed/
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Technology
GeForce Now gets 21 new titles and DLSS 2.0 support - Gizchina.com

3 May 17:34 1 articles
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GeForce Now gets 21 new titles and DLSS 2.0 support - Gizchina.com

Back in the last year, we saw the big start of cloud gaming platforms. We have Microsoft’s Project Cloud, Google’s Stadia, and NVIDIA’s GeForce Now. The latter probably is one of the best services available since it has a huge portfolio with multi-platform support. The service started beta testing for Android last year and opened up for everyone in February. Last month, NVIDIA pledged to announce new games for GeForce NOW every week. Therefore, today the company is complying with this promise. Back in April, the company rolled out several titles from XBOX Game Studios, Codemasters, Warner Bros, and Klei Entertainment and Ubisoft. Now, the company is rolling out more 21 titles including DLSS 2.0 support. This particular technology makes use of AI and RTX GPUs to enable “the next generation of performance and visuals”. As a result, we have improved deep learning neural networks that work to “boost frame rates and generate beautiful, sharp images for games”. The only single game supporting DLSS 2.0 right now is Control. However, the company will add support for MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries and Deliver US The Moon pretty soon. The complete list of games being added to GeForce NOW includes:

3 May 17:34 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/geforce-now-gets-21-new-titles-and-dlss-2-0-support/
Rating: 1.29
Technology
Samsung Game Tuner service is being terminated - Gizchina.com

3 May 17:59 1 articles
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Samsung Game Tuner service is being terminated - Gizchina.com

Since games have become an important range in smartphones, many OEMs started to implement software tweaks to improve the gaming experience on their custom Android UI. As a result, many companies like Samsung can generate a solid experience for gamers without having to launch a dedicated gaming smartphone. Some offer advanced features like overclocking, while others are simple tweaks to improve the gaming experience. Samsung Game Tuner is the company’s solution for owners of the Galaxy lineup. In a sudden twist of fate, the company decided to shut down this service. We can’t say that it is a surprising move. After all, the last update for the application cam in December 2018. Moreover, the company had already removed useful features like the FPS counter. The app itself still is available on Play Store and Galaxy Store. However, the Korean firm already initiated the retirement process by notifying Samsung Community members as well as blocking downloads since April 30th. Users that are on Android Oreo can keep using it. However, if you’re running One UI 2.0 or 2.1 you should opt for Game Plugins. That’ll be the spiritual successor to Game Tuner. If you’re an avid user of Samsung Game Tuner features, you can opt for a third-party alternative like the Gaming Mode app. This app is supported by XDA-Developers and is available via Google Play Store.

3 May 17:59 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/samsung-game-tuner-reaches-the-end-of-the-line/
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Technology
Meizu 17 teaser reveals haptic mEngine 3.0 - Gizchina.com

3 May 18:34 1 articles
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Meizu 17 teaser reveals haptic mEngine 3.0 - Gizchina.com

After a long period without much “relevant” launches, Meizu is gearing to unveil a new smartphone series made of some of the most ambitious handsets for a long time. The new Meizu 17 series may be composed of a vanilla variant, a Meizu 17 Pro and Meizu 17T. During the past few weeks, several leaks have been taking the headlines along with the company’s own teasers. Today, the company is once again using its Weibo account to tease one of the features coming with the highly-anticipated flagship. Apart from the camera, display, and chipsets, the new handsets will also include a new feature dubbed haptic engine 3.0. According to the Weibo post, it’s a new “engine 3.0 horizontal linear motor” while it’s hard to digest what this really means, it’s easy to assume that the company is teasing a new precise and powerful haptic vibration. In the past, decent haptic feedback was something exclusive to the high-end models. However, it has been reaching more affordable handsets in the last two or so years. As the new feature suggests, Meizu is ready to jump in this trend with the Meizu 17 series. The handset is gearing up to be a solid offering with bezel-less 90Hz display, Quad-Camera setup, Fast-charging support, and powerful battery. Unfortunately, we’re yet to see if this handset will be exclusive for the Chinese market. After all the company has been a little shy with Global releases. Meizu was once one of the most relevant Chinese players but lost space with the intense competition. The lack of proper software support also enraged users. Let’s see if the new 5G smartphone will be enough to reconquer the company’s fanbase.

3 May 18:34 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/meizu-17-will-come-with-mengine-3-0-haptic-feedback-engine/
Rating: 1.29
Technology
Realme 5 Pro latest update brings April security patch and DocVault ID

3 May 19:02 1 articles
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Realme 5 Pro latest update brings April security patch and DocVault ID

For a brand that has just two years of existence, Realme has a huge portfolio of smartphones. However, in counterpart to several companies that launch a myriad of devices to never offer software support for them, the Chinese firm is doing a good job. First of all, the company introduced its own Android skin dubbed Realme UI. While it still takes a lot from ColorOS, it’s more clean and close to vanilla Android. The company has been rolling out Android 10-based Realme UI for several of its smartphones. Besides it, Realme is also providing incremental updates for these handsets. Today, it’s time for the Realme 5 Pro to receive a new incremental update. The new update is an incremental one so don’t expect new fancy features coming with it. First of all, it introduces April 2020 security patch which isn’t the latest one available but still is better than older versions. Second, the update adds the DocVault ID feature to the 5 Pro. However, it is exclusive to the Indian branch of Realme UI. The update bears RMX1971EX_11.C.03 and also brings a couple of bug fixes and stability enhancements. Last but not least, there are some improvements in the audio quality. As usual, this update is reaching some users gradually. If no critical bug appears, then a wider rollout will start in the coming days.

3 May 19:02 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/realme-5-pro-latest-update-brings-april-security-patch-and-docvault-id/
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Technology
Realme X3 SuperZoom to come with 4,200mAh battery with 30W charging

3 May 20:14 1 articles
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Realme X3 SuperZoom to come with 4,200mAh battery with 30W charging

Realme is gearing up to unveil a new smartphone dubbed Realme X3 SuperZoom. The new entry for the X-series already visited Indian BIS as well as Bluetooth SIG certifications. Apart from the camera-centric and super zoom capabilities, the handset is set to include the last year’s flagship SoC Snapdragon 855+, ensuring extreme performance. We believe that Realme is purportedly selecting this chipset to deliver it at an affordable price tag. https://mobile.twitter.com/Sudhanshu1414/status/1256451090632957954 According to a reliable source, the Realme X3 SuperZoom will draw power from a 4,200mAh battery. Moreover, it will include 30W fast-charging support, likely one of Oppo’s VOOC technologies. Unfortunately, details are still scarce about this handset. However, the certification agencies are there to mix up the small pieces of details and give us the first impressions of the handset. According to Bluetooth SIG, the handset supports Bluetooth 5.1 standard. Besides it, we also have a GeekBench benchmark confirming the Snapdragon 855 platform along with 12GB of RAM and Android 10 OS. Besides the SuperZoom, rumors also indicate that the company can release a toned-down version dubbed Realme X3. We believe that both handsets will be quite affordable. After all, the company already has one flagship offering this year dubbed Realme X50 Pro 5G and it sports the Snapdragon 865 SoC. So what is the point of using last year’s flagship SoC? We believe that it’s for the sake of affordability. The Snapdragon 855+ must be cheaper than it was six months ago as the biggest focus is on the Snapdragon 865+. This way, the company can deliver performance while it also focuses in other advanced features.

3 May 20:14 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/realme-x3-superzoom-to-come-with-4200mah-battery-with-30w-charging/
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Technology
Redmi Note 8 Pro gets a price cut in China - Gizchina.com

3 May 20:16 1 articles
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Redmi Note 8 Pro gets a price cut in China - Gizchina.com

Featured photo: Credits to XDA Chinese manufacturer, Redmi, will release a couple of smartphones in the coming weeks. Over the past few weeks, the company has been activating price-cuts for its devices. About a month ago, the Redmi K30 5G version got its first-ever permanent price cut ad a few weeks later, the 4G version also got a price reduction. Now, the company has announced a price cut for the Redmi Note 8 Pro but it is only temporary. According to reports, over the next three days, the Redmi Note 8 Pro (6GB + 128GB version) will sell for 1299 yuan ($184). In addition, the 8GB + 128GB version will be available for 1499 yuan ($212). The main features of this device include its liquid cooling support, 64MP main shooter, and a 4500 mAh battery. However, it should be noted that this price-cut is only available in China and it is probably for the Chinese ROM too. If you have a way around these obstacles, this will be a good time to purchase the Redmi Note 8 Pro.

3 May 20:16 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/redmi-note-8-pro-gets-a-price-cut-in-china/
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Technology
iPhone 12 series price leak - its starting price is cheaper than iPhone 11 -

3 May 21:19 1 articles
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iPhone 12 series price leak - its starting price is cheaper than iPhone 11 -

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause a total or partial lockdown in various parts of the world, smartphone sales are dropping. In recent times, Apple’s smartphones come with multiple memory options and the storage is also double. This makes the device more attractive. It appears that Apple is also working on its pricing such that the iPhone 12 series will have an attractive price tag. The iPhone 12 series will also come with the 5nm A14 Bionic processor which greatly improves energy efficiency. It will have a total of four models, including iPhone 12 (5.4 inches), iPhone 12 Plus (6.1 inches), iPhone 12 Pro (6.1 inches), and iPhone 12 Pro Max (6.7 inches). A recent leak reveals the pricing of the iPhone 12 series. According to the leak, the iPhone 12 starts at $649 for the 5.4-inch model. This price is cheaper than the iPhone 11 starting price ($699). The 6.1-inch iPhone 12 starts at $ 749 while the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max starts at $ 999 and $1099 respectively. The entire iPhone 12 system support 5G network and comes with the 5nm A14 Bionic processor which greatly improves energy efficiency. At the same time, all four iPhone 12s will use smaller notch and OLED screens. The main differences between the four models are the number of cameras and the material of the middle frame. While the two iPhone 12 adopts an aluminum alloy middle frame, and a dual rear camera, the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max use a stainless steel middle frame and a triple rear camera + LiDAR scanner. According to an insider leak, the Pro model is a classic continuation of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5. However, this phone will abandon the 2.5D glass and use flat glass instead. Nevertheless, we still treat this information as speculation because there is no confirmation. If it does not use a 2.5D glass, the overall feel will certainly change. Definitely, Apple will need to expunge some gestures from the edge of the screen. Simply put, if there is no 2.5D glass, it will be very uncomfortable for many users. According to reports, the 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch iPhone 12 will arrive in September, while the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 will be available in October.

3 May 21:19 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/iphone-12-series-price-leak-its-starting-price-is-cheaper-than-iphone-11/
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Technology
Huawei beats Qualcomm and becomes China's top semiconductor brand

3 May 13:40 1 articles
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Huawei beats Qualcomm and becomes China's top semiconductor brand

While Huawei is losing ground in the smartphone market, and even in its home market, its HiSilicon company has bypassed Qualcomm and has become China’s largest supplier of SOC systems for smartphones in the last quarter. HiSilicon managed to occupy 43.9% of the market versus 24.3% a year earlier and 36.5% a quarter earlier, while Qualcomm’s share for the year fell from 48.1% to 32.8%. At the same time, interestingly, MediaTek’s share also fell (from 19% to 13.1%). HiSilicon’s expansion was due solely to the successes of Huawei and Honor. And not because manufacturers began to choose HiSilicon platforms instead of Qualcomm. Apple turned out to be the most stable – its share grew by only 0.1%, to 8.5%. It is also worth noting the growth of other manufacturers whose names the source does not specify. Their total share increased from a meager 0.2% to 1.7%. It is worth to mention that recently, according to an insider post in the Chinese social network Weibo, computers with HarmonyOS 2.0 can enter the company’s home market. The devices will also run on Kunpeng processors. An insider reports that several provinces, cities, and regions are already helping Huawei to set up PC supply chains. Recall that Huawei already reported that HarmonyOS will be a cross-platform solution. This means that the operating system can flexibly run on different devices including smartwatches, personal computers, cars, and others. Last year, the US Department of Commerce blacklisted Huawei. After that, the company announced the development of its OS – HarmonyOS. Now, we know that Huawei plans to release computers with its own operating system. Regarding the smartphone market, According to Richard Yu, the CEO of Huawei consumer business, Huawei has more than 1.3 million developers and partners. It is already second only to Google Android and Apple iOS, ranking the top three globally.

3 May 13:40 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/huawei-beats-qualcomm-and-becomes-chinas-largest-semiconductor-manufacturer/
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Technology
Mahindra Now Has 5 BS6 Diesel SUVs In India – XUV300 To Alturas

3 May 08:30 1 articles
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Mahindra Now Has 5 BS6 Diesel SUVs In India – XUV300 To Alturas

Mahindra & Mahindra has one of the widest portfolios of diesel cars sold in the country due to the presence of a slew of SUVs in its range. Towards the end of last year, the homegrown UV specialist began introducing the BSVI compliant versions and last month the SUVs such as Alturas G4, XUV500, Scorpio and KUV NXT were updated to meet the stringent emission norms. Here we have listed the prices and specifications of the BSVI diesel versions of its popular SUVs: The BSVI compliant version of the Bolero is retailed with a starting price of Rs. 8.65 lakh (ex-showroom) and it goes up to Rs. 9 lakh (ex-showroom). The highly popular people hauler has been around for several years and is one of the major pillars for Mahindra garnering sales volumes. It is offered with a 1.5-litre mHawk75 three-cylinder inline SOHC diesel engine. It is good enough to produce a maximum power output of 75 bhp at 3,600 rpm and 210 Nm of peak torque delivered at 1,600 rpm. The engine is paired with a five-speed manual transmission sending power to only the rear wheels. Only recently, the prices of the BSVI Mahindra Scorpio were out. Just as the Bolero, the Scorpio is a successful model within the brand’s domestic portfolio. Courtesy of the more stringent BSVI emission standards, the engine option in the premium SUV that can be had in seven-, eight- or nine-seat choice is limited to a single diesel unit. The 2.2-litre mHawk turbocharged diesel motor generates 140 bhp and 320 Nm of peak torque. Its down tuned version is no more as well and is paired only with a six-speed manual gearbox as the optional automatic is shelved. The BSVI Scorpio is priced between Rs. 12.40 lakh and Rs. 16 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). Following the launch of the BSVI petrol spec XUV300, Mahindra introduced the BSVI diesel version last month. Offered in four variants namely W4, W6, W8, and W8(O), the compact SUV has its diesel range priced between Rs. 8.69 lakh and Rs. 12.69 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel mill generates 116.6 PS maximum power and 300 Nm of peak torque, and is one of the most powerful engine in its segment. It is sold with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed AMT transmission. The XUV300 also comes with a 1.2-litre BSVI petrol engine. Now available in W5, W7, W9 and W11(O) variants, the 2020 Mahindra XUV500 is powered by the same mHawk155 diesel engine that has been updated to meet the BSVI emission regulations. The powertrain is good enough to deliver a maximum power output of 155 horsepower and 360 Nm of peak torque. Despite the updates, there is no change in the performance of the Diesel engine compared to the outgoing BSVI version. It is connected to a six-speed manual transmission only, as the automatic is no more. It carries a sticker tag of Rs. 13.20 lakh for the W5 BSVI diesel and it goes all the way up to Rs. 17.70 lakh for the range-topping W11 (O) BSVI (ex-showroom, Delhi). Only a few days ago, the BSVI version of the flagship Alturas G4 debuted in India. The full-sized SUV is offered in both two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive configurations and comes priced at Rs. 28.69 lakh for the 2WD variant and Rs. 31.69 lakh for the 4WD variant (ex-showroom). The prices have gone up by Rs. 1 lakh compared to the previous BSIV version. The SUV derives power from the same 2.2-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine. It kicks out 180 PS and 420 Nm and is paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission only.

3 May 08:30 GaadiWaadi.com https://gaadiwaadi.com/mahindra-now-has-5-bs6-diesel-suvs-in-india-xuv300-to-alturas/
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Technology
This week’s top stories: iOS 13.5 beta, iPhone 12 delays, AAPL Q2 earnings, more

3 May 13:12 1 articles
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This week’s top stories: iOS 13.5 beta, iPhone 12 delays, AAPL Q2 earnings, more

In this week’s top stories: Apple starts beta testing iOS 13.5 with key changes, a detailed iPad buying guide, Apple reports its Q2 2020 earnings, and much more. Read on for all of this week’s biggest news. Apple this week released a new beta of iOS 13.5 to developers and public beta users. This update includes the first version of the exposure notification API developed by Apple and Google. There are also two key other changes prompted by how our usage of iPhones is shifting during the COVID-19 outbreak. First, Face ID can detect if you’re wearing a mask and skip directly to the passcode screen if so. Secondly, there’s a new setting for FaceTime that allows you to disable the shifting design during Group FaceTime calls. Learn more about that in our full coverage. Corroborating recent reports from other sources, a new report from The Wall Street Journal this week indicated that iPhone 12 mass production is delayed by one month. Mass production being pushed back does not necessarily mean that the phone release date will also be delayed but is a good indicator of that. Elsewhere, HBO announced this week that it is teaming up with Apple for the launch of its upcoming HBO Max streaming service. Customers who are billed through the App Store or through Apple TV Channels for HBO Now will be “upgraded automatically to HBO Max at no additional charge.” There will also be a new HBO Max app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Finally, Apple this week reported its fiscal Q2 2020 earnings, reporting revenue and profit impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Apple reported revenue of $58.3 billion and profit of $11.25 billion. This compares to $58 billion in revenue and $11.56 billion profit reported in the same quarter last year. These and the rest of this week’s top stories below. Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Sponsored by Disco Elysium: An award-winning and groundbreaking role-playing game, now available on Mac. Get 25% off until May 1 on Steam. Tyler Hayes joins Zac this week to talk about how the Apple Watch has become the ultimate iPod, the best apps for finding new music and playing audio, and much more. Sponsored by:  9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how the Apple Watch is affecting their lives. 9to5Mac Watch Time is available on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, and your favorite podcast player through RSS. iOS 13.5 arrives in beta, Apple’s Exposure Notification API is ready to combat COVID-19 risks, Face ID and Group FaceTime are making changes, Zac has more thoughts on the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard, iPhone SE has a missing feature, Ming-Chi Kuo predicts new AirPods, Apple announces earnings results, and much more. Sponsored by:  9to5Mac Happy Hour is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play Music, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. John and Rambo return to the topic of app architecture, this time to discuss how to build scalable code bases using the MVC design pattern, and also talk about what Apple’s pro-level apps (including Xcode) might look like if ported to the iPad. Sponsored by Disco Elysium: An award-winning and groundbreaking role-playing game, now available on Mac. Get 25% off until May 1 on Steam. Stacktrace by 9to5Mac is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. In this episode of the Apple @ Work podcast, Bradley is joined by Shane Moore from Bitglass to talk about the security risks of the move to cloud applications. Even if you are securing the authentication process, there is still more to consider for IT managers when it comes to creating a security environment in cloud services. Stacktrace by 9to5Mac is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. . Apple @ Work is a weekly series from Bradley Chambers covering Apple in education. Bradley has been managing Apple devices in an education environment since 2009. Through his experience deploying and managing hundreds of Macs and hundreds of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple’s products work at scale, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for students.

3 May 13:12 9to5Mac https://9to5mac.com/2020/05/03/top-stories-ios-13-5-beta-iphone-12-more/
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Technology
Pixel 4a Camera Samples Show Impressive Camera for a Mid-Range Device

3 May 16:14 1 articles
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Pixel 4a Camera Samples Show Impressive Camera for a Mid-Range Device

Google Pixel 4a is still not official, however, that is not stopping the leaks from holding back. As a matter of fact, at this point, we have so much information on the device, that an official launch is just arbitrary. Still, before Google actually comes out with the device, we cannot say much about how it is going to perform in real-world. However, what we do have is some camera samples that do show an impressive camera through and through. We all know that Google Pixel devices are known for boasting impressive camera systems, and that is one thing that we cannot take away from them, but do keep in mind that the Pixel 4a is an affordable device, and having such a good camera for this device is not very common. Xiaomi is Caught Recording User’s Private Data and Phone Usage Cuban tech channel TechnoLike Plus posted an in-depth camera review of the upcoming Pixel 4a, and in that, there were a lot of amazing things that we noticed. First of all, the camera is able to focus on great dynamic range, especially when you compare them with the last generation of Pixel devices. Characteristically, these pictures look a lot like what pictures from Google Pixel phones would look like. We have a good range of pictures ranging from indoor and outdoor samples. Now, before you take these samples seriously. It is important to know that it is reported that the device is running a pre-release software build. Which means that Google is more than likely to make additional changes in the final software once the phone releases later this month. Additionally, the Google Pixel 4a boasts a 12.2-megapixel sensor with an aperture of f/1.73. On the front, you have an 8-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture. We are going to share the samples below now, starting with the portrait mode samples. Portrait mode is definitely something that Google knows how to nail and it is nice to see that the Google Pixel 4a keeps up with the tradition.  Moving on, you can look at the outdoor samples below. You can see that the Pixel 4a is really good at capturing the dynamic range without blowing other details out of the proportion, the same cannot be said about many of the devices available in the same price bracket. Galaxy S20 Ultra Owners are Reporting Broken Camera Glass However, one of the most impressive features of this device is astrophotography. A new feature that Google announced with the Pixel 4, but it has made its return in the Pixel 4a, as well. Let's see some samples and see how it performs. Astrophotography is definitely an impressive thing, especially when you take into the account that these were taken on a smartphone with a sensor that is much, much smaller. Moving on, we have some zoom samples that were also shared in the blog post. Last but not the least, we have some indoor samples as well, and as you can tell, the lighting is not all that great, but still, the camera manages to hold up pretty nicely.   Additionally, for those who want to check out a detailed camera review, you can always check the video that was published on the YouTube channel below. So far, it is safe to say that the Pixel 4a is definitely shaping up to be an interesting device, at least from the camera perspective. You are an affordable Pixel device with camera performance that can easily match, if not outshine the more expensive smartphones available in the market.

3 May 16:14 Wccftech https://wccftech.com/google-pixel-4a-camera-samples-show-impressive-camera-for-a-mid-range-device/
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Technology
Pixel 4a Camera Samples Show Impressive Camera for a Mid-Range Device

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Pixel 4a Camera Samples Show Impressive Camera for a Mid-Range Device

Google Pixel 4a is still not official, however, that is not stopping the leaks from holding back. As a matter of fact, at this point, we have so much information on the device, that an official launch is just arbitrary. Still, before Google actually comes out with the device, we cannot say much about how it is going to perform in real-world. However, what we do have is some camera samples that do show an impressive camera through and through. We all know that Google Pixel devices are known for boasting impressive camera systems, and that is one thing that we cannot take away from them, but do keep in mind that the Pixel 4a is an affordable device, and having such a good camera for this device is not very common. Xiaomi is Caught Recording User’s Private Data and Phone Usage Cuban tech channel TechnoLike Plus posted an in-depth camera review of the upcoming Pixel 4a, and in that, there were a lot of amazing things that we noticed. First of all, the camera is able to focus on great dynamic range, especially when you compare them with the last generation of Pixel devices. Characteristically, these pictures look a lot like what pictures from Google Pixel phones would look like. We have a good range of pictures ranging from indoor and outdoor samples. Now, before you take these samples seriously. It is important to know that it is reported that the device is running a pre-release software build. Which means that Google is more than likely to make additional changes in the final software once the phone releases later this month. Additionally, the Google Pixel 4a boasts a 12.2-megapixel sensor with an aperture of f/1.73. On the front, you have an 8-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture. We are going to share the samples below now, starting with the portrait mode samples. Portrait mode is definitely something that Google knows how to nail and it is nice to see that the Google Pixel 4a keeps up with the tradition.  Moving on, you can look at the outdoor samples below. You can see that the Pixel 4a is really good at capturing the dynamic range without blowing other details out of the proportion, the same cannot be said about many of the devices available in the same price bracket. Galaxy S20 Ultra Owners are Reporting Broken Camera Glass However, one of the most impressive features of this device is astrophotography. A new feature that Google announced with the Pixel 4, but it has made its return in the Pixel 4a, as well. Let's see some samples and see how it performs. Astrophotography is definitely an impressive thing, especially when you take into the account that these were taken on a smartphone with a sensor that is much, much smaller. Moving on, we have some zoom samples that were also shared in the blog post. Last but not the least, we have some indoor samples as well, and as you can tell, the lighting is not all that great, but still, the camera manages to hold up pretty nicely.   Additionally, for those who want to check out a detailed camera review, you can always check the video that was published on the YouTube channel below. So far, it is safe to say that the Pixel 4a is definitely shaping up to be an interesting device, at least from the camera perspective. You are an affordable Pixel device with camera performance that can easily match, if not outshine the more expensive smartphones available in the market.

3 May 16:14 Wccftech https://wccftech.com/google-pixel-4a-camera-samples-show-impressive-camera-for-a-mid-range-device/
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Technology
Google Pixel 4 Currently Discounted to $499 Brand New, Fully Unlocked [$300 Off]

3 May 16:30 1 articles
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Google Pixel 4 Currently Discounted to $499 Brand New, Fully Unlocked [$300 Off]

It's not a prank. The Google Pixel 4 is currently selling for a low price of just $499, which is a flat $300 discount on its retail price. The Google Pixel 4 has been around for quite some time now and has been treated to mixed reviews. But despite what the press has been saying, it's the ultimate smartphone to have if you want to experience Android in its finest form. With a starting price of $799, it's not cheap either. But out of nowhere, Google is offering the smartphone at a super low price of just $499 straight from Amazon. The phone is fully unlocked, brand new and comes with all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a Pixel phone. There's a lot to love about the Pixel 4 and if you are a true Android fan then today is the perfect day to pick up the smartphone for a crazy low price. There are no discount codes or coupons you need to know about. Just head over to Amazon, add the phone to your cart and checkout. You really don't want to miss this deal! Buy Google GA01187-US Pixel 4 - Just Black - 64GB - Unlocked - Was $799, now just $499 Looking for more deals? Check out the following:

3 May 16:30 Wccftech https://wccftech.com/google-pixel-4-currently-discounted-to-499-brand-new-fully-unlocked-300-off/
Rating: 1.26
Technology
NVIDIA DGX A100 – Next-Gen Ampere GA100 GPU Based Supercomputing System Spotted

3 May 20:17 1 articles
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NVIDIA DGX A100 – Next-Gen Ampere GA100 GPU Based Supercomputing System Spotted

NVIDIA's GTC 2020 'Get Amped' keynote is closing in and details of a new DGX system powered by the next-generation Ampere GPU has been spotted. It looks like NVIDIA has registered a trademark for its new DGX system over at Justia which was spotted by Komachi (via Videocardz). Being an HPC product, it makes a lot of sense for NVIDIA to be filing a trademark for a new DGX system that will go on to house its next-generation graphics processing units. The specific name for the DGX system is DGX A100 which has a lot to say. The DGX system is solely designed for the deep learning and HPC community, offering supercomputing capabilities inside a workstation form factor. NVIDIA has released DGX solutions based on its Pascal and Volta GPUs but with the release of Ampere GPU imminent, a new DGX solution has to be designed. Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) and NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) Receive a Share Price Boost on the Back of New Acquisitions The Volta line of DGX systems was streamlined to offer more options to HPC users. We saw several variants ranging from the DGX Station which featured a total of four Tesla V100 GPUs all the way to the 16 Tesla V100 housing DGX-2 monster which NVIDIA had termed as the "World's Largest GPU". With Ampere GPU, NVIDIA would be releasing its latest DGX A100 system. The name makes it clear that the system would be based on the GA100 GPU. The GA100 GPU would be the biggest chip in the Ampere lineup and would definitely feature one of the flagship 128 SM configurations that we expect to see on an NVIDIA GA100 chip. NVIDIA may start off its Ampere line of DGX systems in a more traditional manner, offering 8 Tesla GPU configurations in the beginning and moving on to the larger and denser parts later on as the yields get better for the new Ampere chips. While the Ampere GPU would remain the key component of the DGX system, it will be interesting to see where NVIDIA goes with the rest of the tech configuration on its DGX A100 systems. NVIDIA's current DGX-2 system makes use of Intel's Xeon Platinum processors based on the 14nm Skylake architecture. It also features 1.5 TB of memory and a range of NV Switches which act as the main protocol channel between GPUs. NVIDIA would further expand its NVLINK & NVSwitch proprietary interconnect technologies in Ampere based systems, offering higher bandwidth and tighter links for faster GPU-to-GPU communications than existing products. It will also be interesting to see NVIDIA offer users a choice to select between an Intel Xeon or an AMD EPYC powered DGX A100 system. AMD's EPYC GPUs have been winning the hearts of several top-tier HPC customers and is being embedded in some of the world's faster supercomputers that will become operational in a few years. NVIDIA’s Ampere GPUs Based on TSMC’s 7nm Node, Next-Gen Hopper GPUs Based on Samsung’s 5nm EUV Process, Alleges Rumor – Mass Production Begins This Quarter This would be a great opportunity for NVIDIA to have a lead as the first GPU carrier offering DNN/DL solutions featuring both Intel & AMD HPC chips. We will have to wait and see if this happens but even if NVIDIA goes all onboard with Intel again, then it will make sense from an optimization perspective as NVIDIA's previous line of DGX system had lots of optimizations embedded for Intel's Xeon CPUs. NVIDIA's Ampere GPUs are definitely going to shake things up in the HPC market with several variants already leaked and performance being rated at around 30 TFLOPs (FP32). We will keep you updated as more info comes prior to the 14th of May when NVIDIA will be presenting its next-gen GPU lineup.

3 May 20:17 Wccftech https://wccftech.com/nvidia-dgx-a100-next-gen-ampere-ga100-gpu-based-supercomputing-system-spotted/
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Technology
Starling Home Hub releases 6.0 firmware to continue expanding Nest HomeKit support

3 May 11:40 1 articles
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Starling Home Hub releases 6.0 firmware to continue expanding Nest HomeKit support

I’ve been using the Starling Home Hub since January to enable HomeKit support on my Nest thermostat. Since then, I’ve continued to rely on it daily for using my Nest through the Home app. Today, version 6.0 of the Starling Home Hub firmware is now available to download. One of the key features in version 6.0 is a redesigned security architecture that adds SSL/TLS everywhere and API authentication. Starling has completely re-architected their security using best in class IoT practices and added a new Enhanced Security mode so that if someone gains access to your home network, there’s no way they could gain access to your Nest devices by attacking the Starling Home Hub’s API. They’ve also improved compatibility with Eero routers, added an option to allow the arming of Nest Secure with doors/windows open, improved camera event response time, optimized hub bandwidth utilization, improved compatibility with third-party HomeKit camera apps. Users upgrading from the last major release, 5.0, will also get the following new capabilities: If you want to download Starling Home Hub 6.0, visit this page to launch the internal webserver (assuming you are on the same network as your Starling Home Hub). If you have Nest products and want to add them to HomeKit, head over to the Starling Home Hub website to purchase it for only $89.

3 May 11:40 9to5Mac https://9to5mac.com/2020/05/03/starling-home-hub-6-0/
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Technology
Intel 11th Gen Rocket Lake CPUs Support Added To Linux Graphics Driver, Compatible With 400 & 500 Series Chipsets

3 May 12:05 1 articles
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Intel 11th Gen Rocket Lake CPUs Support Added To Linux Graphics Driver, Compatible With 400 & 500 Series Chipsets

New evidence of Intel's Rocket Lake CPUs being compatible with 400 & 500 series chipsets has emerged from within the latest Linux Graphics driver patches. Phoronix reports that support for the upcoming 11th Gen CPUs with Gen 12 'Xe' platform has been added to the latest Linux driver. In the report, the source states that the first patches have been added to the Linux graphics driver that adds support for the Gen 12 Xe graphics featured on Intel's Rocket Lake CPUs. A total of 23 patches were included in the i915 Linux Kernel driver with over 700 lines of code. As of now, there are a total of 6 six PCI IDs for Xe graphics featured on Rocket Lake CPUs. Intel Alder Lake-S Desktop CPUs Will Only Feature Support on the New LGA 1700 Socket Platform, LGA 1200 To Last Two 2020 CPU Generations A list of differences between the Rocket Lake and Tiger Lake CPUs is also mentioned which include: As these patches roll-out, tech leaker, Komachi, has also revealed that Rocket Lake can be paired with either TGP or CMP as mentioned in the patch. The CMP platform is for Comet Lake & based on the 400-series chipset while the TGP platform is for Tiger Lake & based on the 500-series chipset. This is essentially referring to the mobile parts but we also confirmed in our exclusive report that Intel's Rocket Lake-S Desktop CPUs will be compatible with the newly introduced 400-series for the desktop platform including the Z490 motherboards. This has further been confirmed by board makers such as Gigabyte who revealed that next-gen Rocket Lake CPUs will be compatible with their Z490 lineup. Intel Core i5-10400 6 Core, $180 CPU Benchmarks Leak Out, Faster Than Its Predecessor With Slightly Higher Power Consumption & Temps Several Z490 motherboards are equipped with hardware to support one of the highlight features of the Rocket Lake-S platform which is PCIe Gen 4. The hardware is already featured on the Z490 motherboards but users will only able to activate it by pairing them with a Rocket Lake-S CPU that lands sometime in the second half of 2020. The current Comet Lake-S desktop CPUs don't feature PCIe Gen 4 support but are exclusively designed for the LGA 1200 socket, with more pins allowing for higher current rating than the LGA 1151 socket. Intel's Rocket Lake processors will be fabricated on a 14nm process node but feature an advanced 'Cove' architecture which is speculated to the best of both Sunny Cove and Willow Cove in terms of design. The Rocket Lake CPUs would also feature Gen 12 Xe graphics, same as the ones from Tiger Lake CPUs but there's a slight possibility that like Comet Lake-U/H, the Rocket Lake-U/H series will come with faster clock speeds owing solely due to the refined and much mature 14nm node. Tiger Lake itself will be using an advanced version of the 10nm process node but 14nm has been in the market for so long and we have seen it scale up to 10 cores and up to 5.30 GHz clock speeds it its latest iteration on Comet Lake-S & Comet Lake-H parts. As far as the naming scheme is concerned, things might get confusing as if they aren't already. The Tiger Lake and Rocket Lake CPUs might both be called 11th Generation CPUs. The same is the case with Ice Lake and Comet Lake which are both referred to as 10th Generation CPUs. We might have naming scheme consistency on both mobility and desktop parts by the time Alder Lake CPUs arrive but those are planned for late 2021 or early 2022. Till then, the 14nm/10nm family combos will be part of the same Generation regardless of their very different internal architectures & core specs. In similar news, an internal roadmap of sorts has also been leaked out by Komachi which points out to supply schedule for both, the 11th Gen Tiger Lake and Lakefield CPUs which points out to September as general availability for products based on these chips. This isn't necessarily an Intel roadmap but has more to do with an OEM/Supplier. Intel has already confirmed the launch of its Tiger Lake mobility CPUs by mid of 2020.

3 May 12:05 Wccftech https://wccftech.com/intel-11th-gen-rocket-lake-xe-graphics-cpus-support-added-linux-graphics-driver/
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Technology
How to Install MIUI 12 ‘Super Wallpaper’ On Any Android

3 May 09:24 1 articles
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How to Install MIUI 12 ‘Super Wallpaper’ On Any Android

If you have been reading tech news for a while, then you might know that Xiaomi recently unveiled a massive update to its Android skin. The company unveiled MIUI 12 skin that offers more features, unique animations, and lots of privacy features. One such feature is known as ‘Super Wallpaper’ For those who don’t know, ‘Super Wallpaper’ is an advanced version of Live Wallpaper. Xiaomi has collaborated with NASA to bring these Earth and Mars themed live wallpapers. These are different from the regular live wallpapers because they show you an image of the planet from afar on the lock screen and then zoom in to show you the close up upon unlocking the smartphone. Although Super Wallpaper app is meant exclusively for Xiaomi devices, XDA developers have ported the application to other Android devices. That means you can now enjoy the Super Wallpapers without purchasing a Xiaomi device. However, the ported app runs only on Android version 8.1 & above. So, in this article, we have decided to share a working method to get MIUI 12 Super Wallpaper on any Android device. Before following the method, make sure that your phone is running Android 8.1 and above. Follow some of the simple steps given below to install Super Wallpaper on Android. Step 1. First of all, download and install the Ported Super Wallpaper Zip file on your device. Step 2.Extract the ZIP and you will see 4 apk files. Step 3. Now install all 4 apk files on your smartphone. Step 4. Next, head to the Google Play Store and install the Wallpaper app. Step 5. Now open the Google Wallpaper app and head to the ‘Live Wallpaper’ section. Step 6. There you will find the newly installed super wallpaper. That’s it! You are done. This is how you can get MIUI 12 Super wallpaper on any Android device. So, this article is all about how to get MIUI 12 super wallpaper on any device. I hope this article helped you! Share it with your friends also.

3 May 09:24 Tech Viral https://techviral.net/miui-12-super-wallpaper-on-any-android/
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Technology
Microsoft Weekly: Higher revenue, new Insider builds, and future games

3 May 12:00 1 articles
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Microsoft Weekly: Higher revenue, new Insider builds, and future games

A brand-new Inside Xbox episode set for next week - with Series X gameplay -, a very good Q3 for Microsoft in terms of revenue, and the May 2020 Update inching ever closer to general availability. You can find that, and much more, below, in your Microsoft digest for the week of April 25 – May 1. On Wednesday, Microsoft released its earnings report for Q3 of its 2020 financial year, namely the quarter ending on March 31. Revenue totaled $35B (up 15% over the same quarter last year), with operating income being $13B (up 25% year-over-year), and net income sliding in at $10.8B (up 22%). Of the total revenue, Intelligent Cloud brought in $12.3B (27% increase YoY), followed by Productivity and Business Processes with $11.7B (15% increase), and More Personal Computing with $11B (3% increase YoY). Beginning with the category that brought in the most money, server products and services increased by 30%, with Azure revenue being up 59%. Server products themselves grew by 11% owing to Server 2008 end of support, while the Enterprise Mobility install base saw a 34% growth to 134 million. Moving on to Productivity and Business Processes, there are now 39.6 million Office 365 subscribers on the consumer side, and nearly 258 million seats on the commercial side - a 20% YoY growth for the latter. Office 365 commercial revenue was up 25%, and total Office commercial products and services revenue saw a 13% increase due to the 21% decline in Office commercial products – i.e. non-subscription offerings. Furthermore, Office products and cloud services for consumers saw a 15% revenue growth due to subscriptions and Office 2019 sales in Japan. LinkedIn revenue was up 21%, sessions grew 26%, and Dynamics products and cloud services revenue was up 17% off the back of Dynamics 365 itself which has seen a 47% increase. Last but not least, More Personal Computing saw a 5% revenue growth in its Windows OEM Pro section due to remote work demand. OEM non-Pro revenue saw a 10% decline on the back of supply chain constraints in China, as well as entry-level segment pressure from Chrome OS. Windows commercial products and cloud services however saw a 17% growth. Surface revenue was up 1% also due to remote work demands, though this was offset by the same supply chain issues. Gaming revenue declined 1%, though Xbox content and services was up 2% in light of the stay-at-home guidelines. Lastly, excluding customer acquisition costs, search advertising revenue grew 1%. Something that’s become pretty expected by now is the release of new Insider builds, whether they’re in the Fast, Slow, or any other ring. Let’s start with the former. At the top of the week, Microsoft pushed out 19613.1005, which is part of the vNext development branch. This was a cumulative update meant to test the servicing pipeline of the Fast ring, and as such contained no new features or fixes. The fixes came two days later via build 19619, and covered issues like stordiag.exe crashing on launch or DPC WATCHDOG VIOLATION bugchecks that were experienced by a handful of Insiders. Additionally, if there’s a network connectivity error that pops up when you use the Sync button under Settings > Time & Language > Time, you will now be explicitly told that this is the source of the problem. Sticking to tradition, Server Insider build 19613 was also made available. As usual, it’s identical in number to the previous week’s Fast ring build, and there’s no changelog to be seen. Moving on to the Release Preview ring, build 19041.208 was released as the new RTM candidate, supplanting 19041.207. This contains the same known issues as the previous one, but adds a fix for the issue that caused the failure in sending NPLogonNotify API notifications from the credential provider framework. We’re on the home stretch for the release of the May 2020 Update (codename 20H1 or version 2004) and so it’s no wonder that the date of general availability is allegedly stated to be May 28. Though initially meant to enter the GA phase on Patch Tuesday (May 12), the release was reportedly pushed back due to a zero-day exploit that Microsoft wants to fix. In the meantime, the current latest feature update, version 1909 or the November 2019 Update, is now on a third of Windows 10 PCs, a 5.2% increase compared to last month. That said, the vast majority of users are still on the May 2019 Update or 1903. Switching gears a tad to Office, Insiders on iPadOS are now able to open two Word or PowerPoint files at once, provided they have the latest update that brings the version up to 2.37. Schools using the Office 365 A1 subscription – which for such institutions is free – will be able to host virtual graduations using Microsoft Teams, at no cost. That’s just as good, since the latest round of updates has brought in new admin features and increased event limits, and a security vulnerability that exploited GIFs to access user data has been fixed. Lastly, if you’re on an Office 365 (now Microsoft 365) subscription, you should start seeing OneNote 2016 being offered automatically during the install process. The rollout of this started in March, and it seems like it’s at the point of broader availability. Mind you, this is the Win32 app, now called just OneNote, and not the UWP app which was recently renamed to OneNote for Windows 10. We got a taste of next-gen this week, albeit sans gameplay, but that’s coming next week. First up, news concerning Flight Simulator was released, revealing NAVBLUE, meteoblue, and FlightAware as additional partners (more about them in separate ‘Spotlight’ bits of news to come). Next week we can also expect more information about the SDK update, and there’s now confirmation that Alpha build 1.3.X.X is expected to be made available within the next 7-10 days. In third-party news, Ubisoft unveiled Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, a Norse-themed entry in the series which will see folks dual-wield heavy weapons, use the iconic hidden blade, and even set sail. Created by Ubisoft Montréal with the help of 14 other studios around the world, the game is set to be available holiday 2020 on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Google Stadia. The PC version is exclusive to Uplay and the Epic Games Store. Sticking to third-parties, Microsoft confirmed that it will have a special episode of Inside Xbox on May 7, at 8AM PT – kicking off Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest four-month event -, where it will showcase “First Look next-gen gameplay” from its global developer partners. In other words, we’ll get to see at long last what the Series X is capable of in terms of actual gameplay. Also in the pipeline is the beginning of testing for Halo 3 and ODST on PC, and the Xbox Game Streaming app for Windows 10. We should of course touch on what’s available now, too. Gears Tactics, the very well received XCOM-like spinoff can be yours now via the Microsoft Store, Steam, or Game Pass, and you should check our review if you want to know more. In case that’s not quite your cup of tea, the May Games with Gold have been announced, with V-Rally 4 for Xbox One being claimable between May 1 - 31, Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr for the same console between May 16 – June 15, Sensible World of Soccer for current and last-gen Xbox consoles between May 1 – 15, and Overlord II for both last and current-gen Xbox consoles between May 16 – 31. V-Rally 4 and Sensible World of Soccercan be yours now, and don’t forget that Knights of Pen and Paper Bundle can be claimed for free until May 15. In terms of changes, Xbox One version 2006 should be available to Xbox Insiders in the Skip Ahead ring, and you are now able to use your Microsoft Rewards points to subscribe to Mixer channels. Ending on quite the high note, Microsoft has revealed that Xbox Game Pass now has in excess of 10 million members in 41 countries, while Xbox Live has almost 90 million active users. According to the company, folks have added 23 million friends since March (a 70% increase), and multiplayer games have seen a 130% increase in play time, with the largest growth being seen in Africa and the Middle East (240% increase). In addition, the Redmond giant says that the model of Game Pass is meant to allow players to easily try new things, which the firm stated has translated into users playing 40% more games after subscribing, and 90% of users playing games they wouldn’t have tried otherwise. We end, in a rather appropriate fashion given the current circumstances, with virtual news. Registration for Microsoft’s digital Build 2020 has kicked off, and if you’re someone who has already paid the $2,395 entry fee for the in-person event, you should have been refunded by now. Unlike previous events, the important keynotes will be broadcast multiple times to hit different time zones, although there will still be breakout sessions, Q&A, and interactive bits. Keep in mind that next year’s Build conference will be all-digital too. In other virtual news, Windows Virtual Desktop deployment has been made easier via a new administration experience that’s now built into the Azure Portal, in addition to compliance enhancements, and security-related additions. In closing, one of the more interesting bits of newsworthy leaks this week was that of HoloScreens, an app meant to bring virtual screens to VR devices. Codenamed Mirage – with a desktop equivalent under the codename Santos -, this app allows folks to position additional monitors and adjust the layout, as an add-on to the main screen. Missed any of the previous columns? Be sure to have a look right here.

3 May 12:00 Neowin https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-weekly-higher-revenue-new-insider-builds-and-future-games/
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Technology
10 Best Time-Lapse Apps For Your Android Device

3 May 09:15 1 articles
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10 Best Time-Lapse Apps For Your Android Device

If you are learning photography or videography, then you might have come across the term ‘Time-Lapse’. Time-lapse is a series of still images taken at regular intervals and then turned into a video sequence. Time-lapse photos could serve as a great way to document a series of events happening around you. If you are still confused with Time Lapse, then let me give you a few examples. Ever seen the video of moving clouds, sunset, growing plants on YouTube? Those were the common examples of time-lapse. Technically, on a time-lapse video, the frames were captured at a much lower rate, and when the video is played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster. Most of the high-end Android devices already have the ‘Time Lapse’ feature built-in, but if your phone doesn’t have this feature, then you need to use third-party apps. There are lots of third-party time-lapse apps available on the Play Store that can be used to record great time-lapse videos. Contentsshow In this article, we are going to share some of the best Time Lapse apps for Android in 2020. Well, if you are looking for a full feature Android app that allows users to create awesome time-lapse videos on Android, then Framelapse might be the perfect choice for you. Guess what? The app is really very fast, and it records clips in intervals to adjust the speed. Apart from that, you can also set video duration beforehand. Talking about the other features, Framelapse allows users to adjust the color balance, exposure, white balance, etc. Lapse It is another popular Android app that is capable of recording awesome time-lapse and stop-motion videos. The great thing about Lapse It is its full-fledged camera app which is fast and full of features. The camera app of Lapse It offers some advanced settings like focus mode, scene mode, white balance, color balance, etc. Apart from that, users also get the option to choose the time interval after which each frame will be clicked. Microsoft Hyperlapse from Microsoft is another best photography app that you would love to use. It’s basically a simple time-lapse app that allows users to shoot smooth and stable time-lapse videos. Apart from that, the app also allows users to choose from multiple speed options like you can select from 1x to 32x times the normal speed. Not just that, but you can also share your time-lapses on social media platforms directly. Well, if you are looking for an Android app that can record both time-lapse and stop-motion videos, then PicPac Stop Motion might be the best pick for you. The best thing about PicPac Stop Motion is that it provides users a full-fledged manual mode which you can control by voice commands. This is a pro camera app that offers lots of unique features and time-lapse is one of those. However, the free version shows the watermark. Time Lapse camera is the last one on the list which can create both video lapse and photo lapse. It’s one of the best and unique apps that you can use to create Timelapse. The best thing about the Time Lapse camera is that it allows users to add audios or music files in the created video. The other best thing about Time Lapse camera is that it’s fully free and it doesn’t show any ads. Not just that, but the app doesn’t even put a watermark on the recorded video. If you are looking for a simple to use Timelapse apps for your Android smartphone, then SuperLapse might be the best pick for you. The great thing about SuperLapse is that it’s extremely simple to use and it allows users to create stunning high-quality time-lapse movies. Not just that, but Superlapse also offers users multiple resolutions to select from including 1080p. TimeLapse is another great Android app that allows users to create full-length time-lapse videos. The great thing about TimeLapse is that it offers users a few unique tools that can be really useful to create a stunning time-lapse. However, this is a new app that only a few knows about. So, TimeLapse is another best app to create stunning Timelapse. Stop Motion Maker is one of the best Android apps to create personal time-lapse & stop motion videos. It doesn’t allow users to capture pictures or videos, but it stitches all clips and images together to make a timelapse. Not just that, but Stop Motion Maker also provides users filters, audio effects, etc to create perfect time-lapse. Timelapse – Sony Camera is another best and top-rated Android timelapse camera app on the list which you can use right now. It’s basically an app to control your Sony Camera through wifi. The app doesn’t create videos from your pictures, but the app can help you to capture pictures remotely with your Sony camera. Not just that, but with the app, you can also choose the delay between pictures, etc. Framelapse Pro is the premium version of popular time-lapse app Framelapse which has been already listed in the article. All features of Framelapse free version are available on the Premium version. However, Framelapse Pro offers users a few advanced options like custom frame interface, custom video duration, custom self-timer, etc. Time Lapse by Sukros is another best timelapse camera app on the list which can be used to capture images at regular intervals. The app allows users to set the resolution as well like 480p, 720p, 1080p, etc. Apart from that, the camera app also provides users with exposure and white balance options, HDR mode, different rendering options, etc.

3 May 09:15 Tech Viral https://techviral.net/time-lapse-apps-for-your-android/
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Technology
Samsung Galaxy BudsX may support an independent audio playback & built-in storage - Gizchina.com

3 May 09:26 1 articles
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Samsung Galaxy BudsX may support an independent audio playback & built-in storage - Gizchina.com

Two months after the successful launch of the Galaxy Buds+, Samsung is clearly preparing for the next headset. After applying for patents in the EU and the UK, the upcoming Galaxy BudsX has entered the US trademark application process. The upcoming Samsung Galaxy BudsX has a unique “bean shape”. However, there are reports that this device will also sell as a fitness headset. As shown in the figure above, the trademark application includes the words ” MP3 player and wearable wireless headset sold as a unit“. This may mean that we can expect the BudsX to support independent audio playback. If that is the case, the device will certainly need storage for songs, audiobooks, or podcasts. This function will be very useful for runners or cyclists who do not want to always hold a mobile phone. In fact, we already know that this headset may have built-in software to track position and movement statistics (such as distance and calories). Thus, this device can be a true all-in-one fitness partner. Of course, you still need to use a mobile phone to answer the call, but at least you can reduce the need for data connections that rely on the phone. Samsung’s Galaxy Buds+ has gotten a lot of positive reviews. Obviously, with the fierce competition from Apple, Google, and other companies, the South Korean technology giant is trying to win a place for itself. The Samsung Galaxy BudsX will also come with an active noise cancellation feature. This feature has been confirmed by the US Patent Office. The active noise cancellation will give it an edge in the competition with the AirPods Pro and Pixel Buds 2. This device has appeared in Europe, the UK, and the US, thus it will probably hit the market soon.

3 May 09:26 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/samsung-galaxy-budsx-may-support-an-independent-audio-playback-built-in-storage/
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Technology
Meizu 17 confirmed to have a custom Samsung AMOLED display

3 May 17:26 1 articles
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Meizu 17 confirmed to have a custom Samsung AMOLED display

Another day, another Meizu 17 teaser poster. Meizu has confirmed that its upcoming flagship has a punch-hole display. The Weibo post also revealed the supplier of the display. The Meizu 17 will have its punch-hole at the top right corner of the display and Meizu says it is a fully-custom Samsung Super AMOLED display. Based on this, we expect the Meizu 17 to be able to measure up to other flagships such as the OnePlus 8 series in terms of display quality. It has already been confirmed that the display has a 90Hz refresh rate. Press renders have depicted the punch hole of the Meizu 17 as being pretty small in size, and we can’t wait to see if it is true. The phone will have a Snapdragon 865 processor, UFS 3.1 storage, 64MP quad rear cameras, stereo speakers, 30W fast charging support, and Wi-Fi 6. It is scheduled to launch on Friday, May 8. (Source)

3 May 17:26 Gizmochina https://www.gizmochina.com/2020/05/03/meizu-17-confirmed-to-have-a-custom-samsung-amoled-display/
Rating: 1.16
Technology
Huawei Watch GT 2e to cost Rs 19,990, hints Flipkart - Gizchina.com

3 May 09:07 1 articles
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Huawei Watch GT 2e to cost Rs 19,990, hints Flipkart - Gizchina.com

Huawei seems to be gearing up for the launch of its new Huawei Watch GT 2e in India. Recently, the new smartwatch has been listed on Flipkart with pricing details ahead of launch. If we recall, the Huawei Watch GT 2e was unveiled alongside the Huawei P40-series back in March. As spotted by Gadgets360, the smartwatch was shortly listed on Flipkart.com for a price of Rs.19,990. However, the listing seems to have been taken down. The models that were listed on the site include both the Active and Sport variants in Graphite Black, Icy White, and Mint Green colour option. The listing has been taken down from Flipkart now which did not include any details about its availability. However, Huawei’s India website has listed the smartwatch with the specifications which could mean the launch date is near. If we recall, the Huawei Watch GT 2e was launched in the European markets in March, priced at  €199(~Rs. 16,500). The models included the Black Stainless Steel and Stainless Steel options along with the same colour schemes listed on Flipkart. Talking about the specifications, the Smartwatch weighs about 43 grams and has a dimension of 53 x 46.8 x 10.8 mm. It has a 1.39-inch HD AMOLED display with a resolution of 454×454 pixels. The display will support both the touch and sliding gestures. It has a power button, a functional button and comes with 4GB of internal storage. The smartwatch has 5 ATM water-resistant coating certified by ISO up to 50 metres in a swimming pool or ocean. Auxiliary features include Bluetooth 5.1, a Magnetic charging thimble supported charging. Sensors in the watch include an accelerometer, gyroscope, geomagnetic, optical heart rate, ambient light, air pressure and capacitive sensors.  There are 15 professional workout modes such as climbing, cycling etc., in the Smartwatch.  In addition to this, it has real-time notifications for incoming calls, SMS messages, and emails from the connected phone. The smartwatch also has a SpO2 sensor for measuring oxygen blood levels. Additionally, there is GPS support to enable real-time tracking. That being said, with the details listed on the site, the launch seems imminent.

3 May 09:07 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/huawei-watch-gt-2e-to-cost-rs-19990-hints-flipkart/
Rating: 1.29
Technology
Covid-19 contact tracing app due to be launched by end of May

3 May 13:44 1 articles
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Covid-19 contact tracing app due to be launched by end of May

THE HSE IS aiming to release its contact tracing app to help identify close contacts of a confirmed case of Covid-19 by the end of this month, CEO Paul Reid said today. The app will only be available on smartphones and will use bluetooth technology to “augment the contact tracing process”, Reid said.  “It’s not a replacement for the very significant resources we are committing to contact tracing,” he said.  “The target time for it to come out is the end of May for the launch of it, but it may be a soft launch first to do some prototype testing on it.”  Ireland’s app will follow the German model in which all information is stored on the device itself rather than a government database. Any information on contact with a confirmed case is pushed through the app in what Reid described as a “less intrusive system” than the one used by some other countries.  The HSE’s director of communications Paul Connors previously said on 29 March that the app could be introduced “in the next 10 days or so” on an opt-in basis.  Countries in Asia were the first to roll out tracing apps, with China launching several that use either direct geolocalisation through phone networks, or data compiled from train and airline travel or road checkpoints. Their use was systematic and compulsory, and played a key role in allowing Beijing to lift the lockdown and halt contagions. South Korea issued mass phone alerts announcing locations visited by infected patients, and ordered a tracking app installed on the phone of anyone ordered into isolation – aggressive measures credited with helping curtail the outbreak. The app being developed in Ireland will fall more in line with other European countries where they are strongly encouraged, but remain voluntary. The apps let relevant authorities see when people’s devices have come into close contact.  Officials in Europe have called for collaborate efforts to ensure users know when and how their personal data is being used.  So far, however, most European countries have forged ahead alone on app development. Paul Reid said Ireland would not simply be copying the app being developed in Germany, instead basing it on “knowledge from the Irish system and Irish social behaviours”.   He said the app is being developed under a whole-government approach.   “It is designed to support, giving us better population based information on the disease. It is a Bluetooth functionality and provides that data through Bluetooth,” Reid said. “We’re currently continuing to work with Google and Apple, to ensure that both applications can provide the support and data that we need.” Last month, Google and Apple announced a joint initiative that would allow apps to be created allowing both operating system to exchange information with a joint “opt in system” using Bluetooth.  Data concerns The Irish app’s project team is developing a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) which will be sent to the Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon.  “We want to set out in depth in the DPIA how we will mitigate any risks or concerns that may be in relation to data issues,” Paul Reid said.  Certain places like the UK and Australia are storing the data on their own health systems rather than on the phone itself.  All information on the Irish app including notifications to people whose device was in close contact with a confirmed case will be pushed out from the app.  “We want them to contribute a phone number because it makes the contact tracing quicker, but it’s an option to submit a number as well,” Paul Reid from the HSE said.  “All European regulators have wanted to see less data centrally held in the government systems, and the use of the application itself to push some form of data.” In the United States, there is no federal tracing plan under consideration, but some states have announced their own, either for bluetooth apps or, in the case of Hawaii, sending out daily questionnaires via text and email to help build a database to track infections.  With reporting by AFP.  #Open journalism No news is bad news Support The Journal Your contributions will help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you Support us now

3 May 13:44 TheJournal.ie https://www.thejournal.ie/hse-contact-tracing-app-coronavirus-5090759-May2020/
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Technology
Microsoft's Win10 global market share declines - now at 56% -

3 May 09:00 1 articles
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Microsoft's Win10 global market share declines - now at 56% -

Statistical survey agency, Netmarketshare, released its latest research report for April 2020. According to the report, the global market share of Windows 10 has an inexplicable decline relative to its March 2020 record. In the April report, Windows 10’s global market share is 56.08%. This is lower than the previous 57.34% market share. The significant decline in Windows 10 is not due to the resurgence of the #StayAtHome order. Furthermore, it couldn’t have been as a result of the Windows 7 “resurrection”  because Win7 market share also dropped from 26.3% to 25.59%. It turns out that the overall market share of Windows dropped which is quite surprising. It had a 3.02% decrease from 89.94% to 86.92%. However, the market share of Linux OS rose from 1.36% to 2.87%. In addition, the macOS market share also rose from 8.94% to 9.75%. It looks like everyone will have to be patient if they want to install the new Microsoft’s Win10 2004 (May 2020 update) via Windows Update. According to the latest information, the official date has now been postponed to the end of May. A possible zero-day exploit must first be patched before the new Windows 10 can be released to the developers and manufacturers. Microsoft’s schedule seems to have a delay by a few days, but a release in May is still in the plan. The original speculation claims that the May 2020 update would arrive on May 12. However, there is a new report that this will not happen, we will now get this update on May 28th. The reason is supposed to be a zero-day exploit, which Microsoft wants to fix before release. According to the new timelines, Windows 10 version 2004 will now be available to consumers on May 28, 2020. In addition, the update will be available for OEMs on May 5.

3 May 09:00 Gizchina https://www.gizchina.com/2020/05/03/microsofts-win10-global-market-share-declines-now-at-56/
Rating: 1.29
Technology
Facebook Comes Up With A Special Application For All The Couples

3 May 17:35 1 articles
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Facebook Comes Up With A Special Application For All The Couples

The social media giant Facebook is all ready to launch its new application. This app is specially designed for all the couples and is named as ‘Tuned’ The social media giant Facebook is all ready to launch its new application. This app is specially designed for all the couples and is named as 'Tuned'. Coming to specifications of this application, all the couples can use happily and also maintain their privacy. This application has 'Private Scrap Book' option which enables the couples to share their personal things. Coming to music, the couples can also listen to their favourite music throughSpotify.Next, one can also set the background colour of the application according to their mood. Coming to photos, greeting cards, voice messages and notes… Couples can happily use these options and this is done with utmost privacy. One can also use myriads of stickers with all the emoticon features. As of now, this 'Tuned' application is only available for iPhone users. The user can share this application invitation thorough their phone number. The 'Plus' symbol will allow the users to share their every detail with their partner in an easy way. Facebook has come up with a great application for all the couples!!! Email ArticlePrint Article Next Story

3 May 17:35 The Hans India https://www.thehansindia.com/technology/apps/facebook-comes-up-with-a-special-application-for-all-the-couples-620552
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Technology
Fewer than 2% of Steam users own VR headsets, despite surge that followed Half-Life: Alyx

3 May 21:35 1 articles
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Fewer than 2% of Steam users own VR headsets, despite surge that followed Half-Life: Alyx

Just 1.9 percent of Steam users own VR headsets. This statistic was revealed by Valve following a recent hardware survey (via Road to VR) – the first survey of this kind since the March release of its flagship VR title Half-Life: Alyx. This statistic represents the number of headsets connected to Steam over a particular month – which means, while it’s the closest we have to data on active VR users, it does not account for headsets which were connected but not actively used. Even so, the numbers are fascinating. April 2020 saw a surge in VR users, nearly three times the prior record reached in the winter of 2019. Based on its own estimates, Road to VR reports that 950,000 additional VR headsets connected during this period, totalling an estimated 2.7 million headsets. As we reported in January, the Index VR headset was already sold out in-stores and online. While Index isn’t the only VR headset you can use to play Half-Life: Alyx – Valve designed the game to work with a wide range of headsets – the increased demand was most likely driven squarely by the game. Half-Life: Alyx was a critical hit when it lauched two months ago, receiving a 5 out of 5 review from VG247.”One of the reasons Valve never counted to three and gave us a proper sequel is the expectation that comes with it,” Kirk wrote of the franchise. “The series’ core ideas have been refined and polished, and believable physics are no longer such a novelty in video games. Where is left for Half-Life to innovate? It turns out Valve just needed new tech. It just needed VR.” Games featured in this article Half-Life: Alyx

3 May 21:35 VG247 https://www.vg247.com/2020/05/03/half-life-alyx-steam-vr-headsets/
Rating: 1.10
Technology
Rare 1975 Mercedes-Benz Pullman Available for $2.3 Million USD

3 May 07:31 1 articles
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Rare 1975 Mercedes-Benz Pullman Available for $2.3 Million USD

If you’re a vintage car collector but RM Sotheby’s recent selection of exotic racers didn’t quite satisfy your desire for more of a luxurious riding experience, you’re now in luck: Autoleitner over in the Netherlands is currently offering a rare 1975 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman W100 limousine for sale. While it only recorded roughly 1,000 miles on the odometer, the car itself received a painstaking restoration process from Mercedes-Benz Classic and Daimler AG themselves, an undertaking that spanned seven years and cost a staggering $3 million USD to complete. The original 6.3-liter V8 engine was rebuilt from the ground up along with the limousine’s transmission system, breathing new life into the vintage vehicle. Though its exterior retains the elegant design sensibilities of ’70s luxury, its interior has been upgraded to include a folding table, an LCD television, a Bluetooth surround sound stereo system, as well as various power-assisted furniture. Purchase of the car will also include its original keys and full documentation. To learn more about the Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman W100 currently up for sale, head over to Autoleitner now. Elsewhere in the automotive world, check out fostla.de’s custom Brabus 700 WIDESTAR.

3 May 07:31 HYPEBEAST https://hypebeast.com/2020/5/mercedes-1975-pullman-maybach-limousine-sale?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=twitter_post&utm_medium=social&utm_source=Twitter
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Technology
Why The Navy's UFO Videos Aren't Showing Aliens

3 May 07:34 1 articles
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Why The Navy's UFO Videos Aren't Showing Aliens

Syfy Wire's "Bad Astronomy" column is written by astronomer Phil Plait, head science writer of Bill Nye Saves the World. This week he looked at the recently-declassified videos taken by the U.S. Navy's fighter jets showing unidentified flying objects "moving in weird and unexpected ways." ("The 'aura' around the object in some of the footage could simply be the camera overexposing around a bright object; infrared cameras can do that, creating an odd glow.")But to prove they're not aliens, Plait ultimately cites an analysis on the site MetaBunk, "run by former video game programmer and critical thinker Mick West" -- and his videos summarizing discussions on the site's bulletin board:[I]n this one he argues, convincingly to me, that the FLIR video just shows a passenger plane seen from a distance. He also shows that the rotation of the object in the GIMBAL video is almost certainly due to the motion of the camera itself as it tracks the objects. The fighter jet is turning, and at the same time the camera is mounted on a rotating mechanism that allows it to track. These two motions combine to make a somewhat confusing series of rotations in the image, which is why the object in the video appears to rotate around.But my favorite bit is a video where he gives a single, simple explanation that accounts for two things seen in the Navy videos, specifically, why the object in the GOFAST video appears to scream across the water so rapidly, and how in the GIMBAL video the object seems to travel against a strong wind. The answer: It's an illusion due to parallax, how an object close to you seems to move more rapidly against a more distant background as the camera moves... Given the distance, angle, and motion, it's likely that the GOFAST video shows a balloon.As a kind of consolation prize, the column concludes by sharing the cheesy opening credits to a 1970 precursor to the TV show Space: 1999 -- called UFO.

3 May 07:34 science.slashdot.org https://science.slashdot.org/story/20/05/02/2324228/why-the-navys-ufo-videos-arent-showing-aliens
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Technology
How to use Canon DSLR camera as a webcam with your PC

3 May 09:28 1 articles
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How to use Canon DSLR camera as a webcam with your PC

With almost all major countries shutting down due to coronavirus outbreak, millions of people across the globe have been forced to work from home. This, in turn, has led to a rise in video meetings and conferences. The problem is that the webcam on most laptops can be of poor quality which means that the video call quality is going to be equally poor. Then, there are people with PCs who don't have a webcam. In both cases, people can buy a webcam from Logitech or any other company to solve the problem. However, there has been a spike in demand for webcams which has led to them being in short supply and their prices increasing dramatically as well. If you find yourself in a similar situation and have access to a Canon DSLR or PowerShot camera, you can use it as a webcam for your PC. While it is possible to use DLSRs from Nikon, Sony, and Fuji as a webcam with your PC as well, it requires one to buy a capture card which can cost anywhere between $100-$150. Canon DSLR owners though simply need a miniUSB/microUSB or USB-C cable to connect their camera to the PC and a utility from the company to turn their DSLR into a webcam. Another benefit of using a Canon DSLR as a webcam is that it will offer superior video quality compared to your laptop's webcam. So, if you are giving online presentations or holding classes online, you should consider using your Canon DSLR as a webcam for the superior video quality it offers instead of relying on your laptop's built-in webcam. One thing to note is that this method will only work if you have a Windows PC because the utility from Canon is currently not available for Macs. The following Canon DSLRs and PowerShot cameras are supported by the EOS Webcam Utility and can be used as a webcam. Step 1: Go to the Canon EOS Webcam Utility page on your PC and then select your camera model to download the utility. Proceed to install the utility on your PC and restart it after everything is done. Step 2: Grab your Canon camera, power it on, and set it to Movie mode. Depending on which Canon DSLR you own, you either need to rotate the mode selector dial to the icon that looks similar to a cinema camera or simply toggle between camera and movie mode using a dedicated button. After that, change the ISO levels, shutter speed, etc. as per your requirement. Step 3: Now proceed to connect your camera to your PC using a miniUSB/microUSB or USB-C cable. After that, open the video calling app of your choice like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Go to the app settings, find the camera option, and select the EOS Web Utility beta from the camera dropdown list. Step 4: Wait for a few seconds and the feed from your Canon DSLR should show up on your PC. If it does not, make sure to quit Canon's EOS Utility app if you have it installed. If it still does not work, quit the video calling app you are in and repeat the steps again. You should now be able to use your Canon camera as a webcam for your PC. Skype users, do note that the version of the app that's available on the app store and the one that comes pre-installed on Windows 10 PCs does not work with the EOS Webcam Utility for some reason. You need to download and use the version of Skype that's available on Microsoft's website. If you are still facing any issues in trying to set up and use your Canon webcam as a DSLR on your PC, drop a comment so that we can help you out!

3 May 09:28 Neowin https://www.neowin.net/news/how-to-use-canon-dslr-camera-as-a-webcam-with-your-pc/
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Technology
How to Prevent Zoom-Bombing in Virtual Classes, Meetings

3 May 11:20 1 articles
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How to Prevent Zoom-Bombing in Virtual Classes, Meetings

Parents are among Kenyans who are up in arms after a wave of attacks on online classes and meetings in Kenya saw pornography streamed. Parents and guardians at a private primary school in Nairobi's Lavington area, for instance, demanded that the school stop administering classes through the video chat service Zoom after classes were interrupted with streams of pornography on Tuesday, April 28. A virtual meeting of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) that had over 150 engineers online was also hijacked on Thursday, April 16, and pornography streamed. A man pictured while working on his personal computer.File Zoom-Bombing Zoom-bombing, as the name suggests, refers to unwanted intrusion in online video chat services such as Zoom, disrupting chats such as meetings and classes. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, working and learning from home has become the new norm, with services such as Skype and Zoom adopting millions of new users. Concerns about privacy and security have, however, been raised with several cases making the need to take various measures to safe-guard your security apparent. Here are a few tips on how to prevent Zoom-bombing, particularly if you plan on using Zoom for virtual classes or meetings. Update Zoom Software To ensure you are able to quickly access the relevant security options, it is important to update the Zoom applications on your devices including your computer and phone. Particular options for the host were only made available after user numbers for the platform surged due to the implications of the pandemic. Use a Unique ID, Password for Calls A Personal Meeting ID (PMI) is generated once you create a Zoom account. While your PMI works well for recurring meetings with close associates and friends, creating a Unique ID for your online meetings or classes will help keep your calls secure. The PMI never expires and therefore, if accessed by the wrong person, it would be quite easy for them to interrupt the meeting. Creating a Unique ID makes your virtual meeting more secure as there is less chance of it being accessed by the wrong parties. One can also, however, add a password to their meetings even when using PMI to provide an added layer of security. Make Sure Only Hosts Can Share Their Screens A lot of the hacks so far witnessed in Kenya have been due to an option that allows participants in the meeting to share their screens. This feature has been used by rogue participants to stream pornography, interrupting meetings and classes. As the meeting host, one is able to ensure that only the host can share their screen. By going to Personal > Settings > In Meeting (Basic), one can enable the setting to ensure that only the host is able to share their screen. Lock a Meeting After it Starts To prevent new participants interrupting your online class or meeting after it starts, make sure to lock your meeting once it begins. This also blocks rogue participants from using different accounts to crash the meeting. As the host, you have the ability to do several other things to control the meeting; including kicking out participants or putting them on hold and disabling their cameras. A masked individual working on a computer.File

3 May 11:20 Kenyans.co.ke https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/52786-how-prevent-zoom-bombing-virtual-classes-meetings
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Technology
Moto Razr in blush gold colour now on sale in UK locked to EE

3 May 23:08 1 articles
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Moto Razr in blush gold colour now on sale in UK locked to EE

If you’re in the market for a folding phone but none of them were quite gold enough for you, then you’ll be happy to see the new Blush Gold Moto Razr is now available in the UK.  The phone is a reboot of the famous 2005 Motorola Razr that became an iconic mobile for its thin design in a world of chunky flip phones. The new model with its vertical folding screen was released in black back in February and is available in the UK exclusively on EE for £1,499 – the same price the new gold version also sells for. Weirdly, even if you buy the phone from Motorola it is locked to EE. The phone doesn’t have a physical SIM slot and relies on eSIM technology. The Razr, which we have only had hands-on with and that Motorola seemingly refused to give out to all UK press for full reviews, was slated by many American reviewers for its poor build quality. Foldable phones are fragile by their very nature, but the Razr had poor specs and a screen thatbroke. 

3 May 23:08 Tech Advisor https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/news/mobile-phone/moto-razr-in-blush-gold-colour-now-on-sale-in-uk-locked-ee-3787268/
Rating: 0.98
Technology
2021 Lexus LC confirmed for Australia, convertible arriving this year

3 May 15:45 1 articles
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2021 Lexus LC confirmed for Australia, convertible arriving this year

- shares Lexus has confirmed its updated 2021 model-year LC Coupe is due in Australian showrooms this June – with the long-awaited LC convertible to join the lineup by the end of 2020. Pricing for the 5.0-litre V8 LC500 Coupe (351kW/540Nm) and 3.5-litre V6 hybrid LC500h Coupe (264kW/348Nm) will be announced closer to its June release. The cost of the V8-only LC500 Convertible will be announced in late 2020. As reported by CarAdvice last month, the 2021 model-year Lexus LC Coupe will get a range of updates to its colour palette options, suspension, driver aid technology, and transmission calibration. CarAdvice understands the LC Convertible will receive the same updates. Khaki Metal and Carnelian colours join exterior paint options, with new 'Flare Red' – with black and red trim, and 'Manhattan Henge' – with black and sunset-coloured trim – options available for the interior. A heated steering wheel and an ‘easy access' front seat slide function – to assist occupants entering and exiting the vehicle – come standard to improve drive comfort. Lighter 21-inch alloy rear wheels, lightweight aluminium lower control arms, revised coil springs and new Yamaha tuned dampers are fitted to the suspension assembly. Tying the assembly together, tubular (hollow) anti-sway bars will replace solid units currently used. Note: Overseas models shown above Complementing the revised suspension, the 2021 model-year Lexus LC also gains a new ‘Active Cornering Function’ which is able to individually brake inside-turning wheels to increase handling dynamics. The 2021 model-year Lexus LC uses the same powertrain options as the previous model, however receives an updated calibration for its 10-speed transmission to keep the engines in their optimum range for performance. 18 nextprevious2021 Lexus LC confirmed for Australia, convertible arriving this year

3 May 15:45 CarAdvise https://www.caradvice.com.au/847074/2021-lexus-lc-confirmed/
Rating: 0.97
Technology
Ken Block unveils next Gymkhana Mustang in black and white

3 May 18:55 1 articles
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Age penalty: 1.00
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Ken Block unveils next Gymkhana Mustang in black and white

- shares Drift king Ken Block has unveiled what the star of his next Gymkhana video could look like, releasing high resolution, computer generated images of a wild-looking Ford Mustang from the 1980s. That particular generation of the Ford Mustang became known as the ‘Fox’ body as it was based on a platform that could be shared with other Ford models – an idea inspired by the Audi Fox of the day, one of the pioneers of fitting different bodystyles onto common underpinnings as a way to introduce more models and save money. The latest Ken Block Ford Mustang Gymkhana machine has already been dubbed the “Hoonifox”, a reference to his “Hoonigan” franchise. The Hoonifox was styled by Ash Thorpe, who came up with the outrageous design for the Batmobile in the upcoming Batman movie. As Ken Block’s behind-the-scenes video below shows, the crew came up with a few different designs: a familiar black-on-black styling theme, and another in all white, inspired by the white Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari Testarossa used in the Miami Vice TV show in the 1980s. Ken Block is hoping to film his next Gymkhana video in Miami on the east coast of the US, which should make for an awesome backdrop. In the meantime, the planning for the next video is still in the early stages and the car is yet to be built, but it’s good to see the coronavirus lockdowns haven’t delayed the next instalment of Gymkhana too much. 111 nextpreviousKen Block unveils next Gymkhana Mustang in black and white

3 May 18:55 CarAdvise https://www.caradvice.com.au/847516/ken-block-unveils-his-next-gymkhana-mustang-in-black-and-white/
Rating: 0.97
Technology
Remembering an electric trailblazer – the Mercedes-Benz 190E

3 May 23:37 1 articles
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Remembering an electric trailblazer – the Mercedes-Benz 190E

- shares The forthcoming Mercedes-Benz EQS might be at the forefront of electric vehicle design and implementation, but the electrified three-pointed star may have shone a little less brightly if it wasn’t for a pioneering EV test 30 years ago this week, featuring none other than the W201 190E. In the innovation hall of the Hanover Fair in May 1990, Mercedes-Benz exhibited a 190E which had been converted to electric drive. The argument from Stuttgart being, the compact sedan presented the ideal and likely footprint of what an electric vehicle would, or should be. A regular 190E tips the scales at 1210kg and is about 4.4m long. Dump the conventional driveline and replace with twin electric motors and a sodium-nickel chloride battery, and the 190E gains 200kg to come in almost exactly where a compact electric car like the Tesla Model 3 is today (4.7m long, 1609kg). However, where the most basic Tesla offers 190kW, the 190 made do with 32kW. Fair to say battery tech has improved somewhat! Feedback from the crowds at Hanover was positive, so Mercedes created 10 electric W201s and sent them to the island of Rügen on the Baltic Sea coast, where they worked as private and mass use (mainly taxis) vehicles for the next four years. A charging network, using solar cells, was also installed for the trial. The program was a significant success, with one car clocking up 100,000km in just one year, not bad for an island just 51km long! The testing results provided detailed insights into battery service life, charge and discharge cycles and, of course, vehicle range and energy consumption metrics, and would go on to help Mercedes-Benz work toward a viable commercial electric car, the first being the EQC SUV. While 1990 may not seem that long ago, in terms of the fast-paced development within the automotive industry, the story of the electric ‘Baby Benz’ is an entertaining anecdote. 13 nextpreviousRemembering an electric trailblazer – the Mercedes-Benz 190E

3 May 23:37 CarAdvise https://www.caradvice.com.au/847577/mercedes-benz-190e/
Rating: 0.97
Technology
2020 Hyundai i30 Elite review

3 May 14:01 1 articles
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2020 Hyundai i30 Elite review

Rating: 8.1$28,040 Mrlp Looking for a deal on this car? - shares Cars do not age well in the short to medium term. Further to rapidly moving design trends that can make a car look old, there’s also the aspect of advancements in technology that can truly lock something into a particular vintage. In a traditional sense, as gizmos become more affordable, or ‘paid off’ by other models, they swiftly trickle down to the cheaper members of the household. Given a car’s long life cycle, anywhere from six years onward, entry-level product can sometimes forgo advanced tech for quite some time. The Hyundai i30 range seems to be holding its own, however. It’s bucking the trend of ageing as a well thought out, all-round package that does exactly what it says on the tin – provide fuss-free, safe motoring at a reasonable cost. Despite being three years old in Australia, and a lot older in terms of design, it still looks smart. Well proportioned with a neat glasshouse and strong character lines, it’s clear that Hyundai spent time and effort reinvigorating the i30 for its second generation. With a facelift due in the second half of 2020, the current i30 range will soon be in runout – representing great buying for the savvy punter. Today, we’re drilling down on what we think is the pick of the bunch – the 2020 Hyundai i30 Elite. Priced from $28,040 before on-roads, it sits squarely in the middle of the six-variant range. For context, the next-step-up models are the Premium and the N Line pair. The Premium is the same mechanical package with even more trinkets, which to some will be considered unnecessary. The N Line is a sportier-looking option with a more powerful turbocharged engine. However, it forgoes some specification found on the Elite model. The middle-tier Elite is a clever trim level that gives you just what you need from a driveline perspective, therefore reducing cost, but throws in plenty of goodies to split it apart from the competitor pack. It represents one of those ‘just right’ packages. Powering the i30 Elite is Hyundai’s workhorse 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine, with a modest 120kW of power at 6200rpm and 203Nm of torque available from 4700rpm. It's paired with a regular six-speed torque converter automatic. Despite being a simple power plant, it delivers acceptable performance for a small car. When flexing, it can become a little thrashy and buzzy, which does result in some vibrations felt in the foot well. Apart from that slight niggle, you don’t find yourself expecting or wanting more from it. Tasks such as merging via on-ramps, overtaking in most regular circumstances, and general off-the-line pep are all well catered for. Admittedly, it lacks the low to mid-range turbo torque that the Honda Civic VTi-L provides. Nor does it have the sparkle that the Volkswagen Golf’s 1.4-litre engine provides, either. But, do you find yourself asking for it when behind the wheel of the i30 Elite? No. Which begs another question. Is the $1700 cost increase to the i30 N Line worthwhile, given it comes with less equipment, a more complex driveline and, in turn, an arguably less-smooth experience behind the wheel? Again, I’d suggest not, if you’re just after neat and easy transport. Opting for the Elite models brings with it some heavy-hitting specification that’s seldom found in the sub-$30K hatchback realm. Inside, you’ll instantly notice and appreciate the leather trim that's decorated with diamond-shaped perforations. Usually reserved for higher-grade models, it’s a nice touch that not only promotes confidence with regard to keeping things clean, but also lends a hand to lift the cabin’s perceived quality tenfold. It’s a shame the seats are not equipped with lumbar support, however. Regardless, neither the Civic VTi-L, Golf Comfortline or Mazda 3 G20 Evolve offer such luxury for under $30K. The cabin, when superficially judged, first comes across a bit dark and a little too plastic. Poking around it quickly reveals some well-thought-out design. The storage pockets around the centre console are deep, meaning a wallet and phone can be stored safely without the chance of toppling. The steering wheel is thin and smart-looking, with a button layout that makes logical sense and is easy to navigate. Getting comfortable is another simple task in the i30, thanks to an equally simple adjustable armrest lid that gives all elbows a place to call home. Underneath the centre stack, there’s a decent-sized storage bin that houses a USB port, 12V outlet, as well as a wireless charger. Again, the ergonomics are well thought out, with USB ports offset enough so that the USB cable is not stressed, therefore possibly damaged, when the lid is closed. It’s also built really well, too. Everything lines up, is generally nice to touch and rattle-free. The second-row features air vents but lacks power outlets of any kind. I felt a touch cramped behind a driver's seat set up comfortably for someone around 6ft (183cm), so the taller drivers will have to readjust their seating position to provide adequate space for those behind. Boot space kicks off from a satisfactory 395L, expanding through to 1301L with everything out and folded. The Honda Civic VTi-L hatch trumps this with 414L and a full-size spare, too, as per the Hyundai. The Mazda 3 hatch’s woeful 295L gets a mention for the sake of coming last only. Consider the i30's boot fair, but not overly huge. Nevertheless, things get back on track in the technology space. The 8.0-inch touchscreen features native navigation, DAB+ radio, SUNA traffic updates, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Dual climate control is also standard, as is keyless entry and start. That is the sort of clever box-ticking the team at Hyundai Australia did really well with this variant. The Elite has that balance of the right usable equipment that adds value. Stepping up to the Premium brings an opening sunroof (that’s optional on the Elite anyway), a premium audio system, electric seats that are also heated and air-cooled, LED headlights, plus a few other trinkets. What’s the cost increase? A whopping $5000 versus the Elite we’re testing here today, bringing the Premium to $35,740 before on-roads. I honestly believe that those additions the Premium brings, as nice as they are, do not introduce some newfound ability or profound improvement to the already great Elite package. To some who like the finer things in life, the stereo, sunroof and seats are no-brainers. But to the rational clique, you’re already getting the bulk of the beneficial fruit with the Elite variant you’re reading about here. You could even go so far as to argue that those who do want to treat themselves have the turbo N Line and N Line Premium to pick from in lieu of the regular, naturally aspirated models. All of these factors further contribute to why we think the Elite makes the most sense for the majority of customers considering an i30. Another critical piece of equipment in the i30 Elite is the standard fitment of the Hyundai Smart Sense package. This includes essentials such as blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, driver-fatigue monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection. If you decide to opt for the aforementioned N Line model instead of the Elite, you’ll be paying more to forgo blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. These systems are not available on the N Line versions, sadly. Again, as nice as turbocharged oomph can be, some may see more value in pocketing the $1700, getting more safety gear and accepting the lesser performance as well as lower running costs associated with the i30 Elite’s more basic non-turbo engine. Over the test it consumed 8.5 litres per 100km travelled. That puts it 1.1L over Hyundai’s official claim of 7.4L/100km on the combined cycle, which isn’t too bad of a result. As with nearly all Hyundai product that comes to Australia, the i30 Elite’s ride and handling have been thoroughly scrutinised and picked apart by its local subsidiary. In this process, a team of engineers and suspension champions tune the car to suit our conditions. They make adjustments to the springs, shock absorbers, bushes and steering calibration, and their hard work is evident here. It's as comfortable at 50km/h as it is at 110km/h. Bigger bumps and ruts, specifically those with pointy tops or sudden drops-offs, do cause for slight harshness, but it's more of a ‘just letting you know’ sort of interruption. Feedback, in ways. The ride has the ability to firm up when required, but overall it feels great on the road and never sketchy or untrustworthy. You’ll have no qualms in taking the i30 on a country weekend away, covering ground on those lovely high-speed sweepers with a sense of calmness and surety. The Hankook Ventus Prime tyres are noisy, however. When combined with coarse road surfaces, they emit a subtle yet noticeable whir throughout the cabin. Wet-weather grip is good, but could be improved with better tyres. I came to the conclusion that most of my criticisms with the handling package were aimed squarely at the round rubber things on each corner of the car. In summary, good on-road manners, plentiful tech, and plenty of baubles to impress your friends, mean that the i30 Elite is a sure-bet choice if you’re looking for a set of wheels. To most, the Elite’s basic driveline won’t raise concern or warrant the extra cash outlay for an N Line upgrade. To the same mob, it might be hard to justify a near on 18 per cent cost increase, or $5000, for things such as a fancy stereo or full-LED headlights, amongst others. Against competitors in the segment, none stand out as much better equipped, much better on the road or much easier to live with. That’s why we recognise the i30 Elite as the smart pick of the bunch, both against its enemies and its frenemies within the same brand house. MORE: i30 news, reviews, comparisons and videosMORE: Everything Hyundai Rating: 8.1 7.5 Performance7.8 Ride Quality7.7 Handling & Dynamics8.6 Driver Technology7.8 Interior Comfort & Packaging8.2 Infotainment & Connectivity7.5 Fuel Efficiency8.3 Safety8.5 Value for Money8.6 Fit for PurposeOur ratings explainedLooking for a deal on this car? 132 nextprevious2020 Hyundai i30 Elite review

3 May 14:01 CarAdvise https://www.caradvice.com.au/840007/2020-hyundai-i30-elite-review/
Rating: 0.97
Technology
Minneapolis Technology Company Launches Breakthrough Health Safety Kiosk that helps Mitigate Spread of Covid-19

3 May 21:30 1 articles
Weight: 0.47
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Age penalty: 1.00
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Minneapolis Technology Company Launches Breakthrough Health Safety Kiosk that helps Mitigate Spread of Covid-19

Helps Facilitate Safe Reopening of Private and Public Sector Ensures Body Temperature and Hand Sanitization Compliance with Controlled Entry and Optional Mask Monitoring MINNEAPOLIS, May 3, 2020 /CNW/ -- Municipal Parking Services, Inc. (MPS) today announced the launch of the first and only automated system to help mitigate the asymptomatic spread of Covid-19 on private and public premises through the detection of elevated temperatures, audited hand sanitation and entry access control. Known as the Sentry Health Kiosk™, the system was inspired by the company's line of touchless smart parking products currently installed in municipalities and university settings around the world.  Sentry Health Kiosk™ is a non-contact kiosk that automatically takes and reports body temperature, mandates hand sanitization and manages access control while creating a comprehensive audit trail. The system leverages MPS patented technologies to provide best-in-class safety and peace of mind for consumers, employees and employers.  With an optional facial recognition function, it can also ensure compliance in locations where face masks are required. "Studies show that most people with Covid-19 are asymptomatic, so having a device that just takes temperatures is inadequate at best," said Joe Caldwell, founder of Sentry Health.  "According to experts, the best way to protect yourself and mitigate the spread of a virus is simply to wash your hands. Sentry Health Kiosk is the only system that checks both boxes – temperature reading and audited hand sanitization.   If a person doesn't complete the process, they simply can't come in," Caldwell added. About Municipal Parking Services (MPS) Founded in 2009, MPS is a leader in touchless payment and enforcement systems for both public and private institutions. Sentry Health Kiosk is a division of MPS focused on detection and prevention technologies for retailers, manufacturers, public institutions, educational institutions, healthcare settings and the sports and entertainment industries. See www.sentryhealth.life for more product details and specifications. See www.mpspark.com for more information about Municipal Parking Services. Contacts: Joe Caldwelljoe@mpspark.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/minneapolis-technology-company-launches-breakthrough-health-safety-kiosk-that-helps-mitigate-spread-of-covid-19-301051579.html SOURCE Sentry Health

3 May 21:30 finanzen.ch https://www.finanzen.ch/nachrichten/aktien/minneapolis-technology-company-launches-breakthrough-health-safety-kiosk-that-helps-mitigate-spread-of-covid-19-1029157816
Rating: 0.95
Technology
This Modified Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Scrambler Is Mouth Watering

3 May 07:30 1 articles
Weight: 0.47
Importance: 0.80
Age penalty: 0.60
Best date: 3 May 07:30
Average US: 1.44
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Average IN: 89.78
Weighted average IN: 89.78

This Modified Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Scrambler Is Mouth Watering

Royal Enfield introduced the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 in late 2018 and it has received tremendous response over the last year and a half. The 650 Twins’ sales crossed more than 20,000 units in the financial year period between April 2019 and March 2020. They have certainly dominated their premium rivals from Harley-Davidson and Triumph and are largely adored for their no-frills characteristics in a highly accessible price range. The homegrown manufacturer has been able to expand its reach aggressively in the international arena with the 650 Twins and their sales tally in Europe and Southeast Asian markets has also been appreciable. Consequently, we have seen some mouth-watering renderings and mod jobs in the recent past from elsewhere. The Thailand-based Ranger Korat has come up with another brilliant piece of modification and this time with the Interceptor 650. The front and rear fenders have been chopped for customised units and the bright yellow finish can be seen on the fuel tank, top section of the engine and Royal Enfield lettering as well as on the exhaust tip. Moreover, the custom round-shaped twin headlamps has bright housing too. The aftermarket seat and the chopped fenders do bring a scrambler look to the modified Interceptor 650. Additionally, the handlebar is also modified while the competition 23 number on the visor with Ranger Korat wording shows that the Interceptor can also be considered as a tracker. For touring purposes, the auxiliary lights are mounted on the crash guards while the compact rear section, lacking the grab rails and turn signals, comes with a tiny rear tail lamp. The seat is also stitched in contrast yellow colour. The massive bash plate protects the engine from damages while the studded tyres appear to play the dual-purpose on- and off-road role. No mechanical changes seem to have been made as the customised Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 derives power from the 648 cc parallel twin-cylinder engine with 270-degree firing order. The powertrain produces a maximum power output of 47 horsepower and 52 Nm of peak torque and is paired with a six-speed transmission. It gets dual-channel ABS and a slip assist clutch as well.

3 May 07:30 GaadiWaadi.com https://gaadiwaadi.com/this-modified-royal-enfield-interceptor-650-scrambler-is-mouth-watering/
Rating: 1.59
Technology
Benchmarks For AMD RDNA-Powered Samsung Chipsets Appear

3 May 06:54 1 articles
Weight: 0.44
Importance: 0.99
Age penalty: 0.45
Best date: 3 May 06:54
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Benchmarks For AMD RDNA-Powered Samsung Chipsets Appear

It’s nearly been a year since Samsung and AMD entered into a partnership, with the latter promising to provide the prowess of its current RDNA graphics architecture to the former’s future chipsets. While a physical manifestation of such a chipset still sits over the horizon, evidence of its existence seems to have made its way online. Specifically, the existence AMD GPU-powered Samsung chipset comes in the form of benchmarks performance numbers. Conducted and obtained through a GFXBench test. Further, the SoC was benched alongside Qualcomm’s current Adreno 650 GPU that resides within its Snapdragon 865 SoC. According to the report, the Samsung SoC with the AMD GPU outperforms its Qualcomm rival by a significant margin, with the source of the story even going so far as to say it “blows the Qualcomm Adreno 650 out of the water”. Statistically, we’re looking at a performance difference of 25% between the two GPUs. It should come as no surprise that at the time of writing, there’s no word as to when the new Samsung chipset with AMD’s GPU technology will officially hit the market. That said, there is speculation that the Korean electronics giant’s upcoming Exynos 1000 series is a prime candidate for the new GPU. Which in turn means that we could be seeing the AMD GPU as early as next year. (Source: BGR via Hexus)

3 May 06:54 Lowyat.NET https://www.lowyat.net/2020/212331/benchmarks-for-amd-rdna-powered-samsung-chipsets-appear/
Rating: 1.98
Technology
Gradient wallpapers for iPhone mega pack

3 May 14:30 1 articles
Weight: 0.42
Importance: 0.42
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 14:30
Average US: 33.9
Weighted average US: 33.9
Average GB: 1.4
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Average IN: 14.6
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Gradient wallpapers for iPhone mega pack

The iDB Wallpapers of the Week gallery is full of incredible images. Posted every Sunday, the collection grows by a modest number of wallpapers each week. This week, I’m excited to have found an incredible, matching gradient wallpaper set for iPhone with fifteen total images. Given that gradient style wallpapers are some of the hottest on the site, I hope you too are as excited as I am to give these a run on your device. The gallery is often curated by me via Twitter @jim_gresham, where I stumbled upon @sreeragag7‘s post. If you give him a follow, he regularly tweets out different wallpapers and does other great design work, including icon packs. The gradient wallpaper pack below is all from a single collection, spanning the color range with soft hue changes across the total canvas. I am personally a big fan of smooth gradient wallpapers because they are not too “busy” as a Home screen image and the color transition, when done correctly, does not have color banding or noise in the image. Check out the entire pack below! Download Wood:iPhone Download Venice:iPhone Download Tranquil:iPhone Download Sunset:iPhone Download Royal:iPhone Download Roseanna:iPhone Download Orca:iPhone Download Morning:iPhone Download Mauve:iPhone Download Frost:iPhone Download Earthly:iPhone Download Disco:iPhone Download Deep Sea:iPhone Download Decent:iPhone Download Atlas:iPhone If you would like to download the entire collection @sreeragag7 has them hosted on mediafire within a zip file. Just be careful on mediafire not to click the wrong link.

3 May 14:30 iDownloadBlog.com https://www.idownloadblog.com/2020/05/03/gradient-wallpapers-iphone-pack/
Rating: 0.84
Technology
Jailbreak tweaks of the week: DockX, Groups, Quart, Scorpion, and more…

3 May 13:30 1 articles
Weight: 0.42
Importance: 0.42
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 13:30
Average US: 33.9
Weighted average US: 33.9
Average GB: 1.4
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Average IN: 14.6
Weighted average IN: 14.6

Jailbreak tweaks of the week: DockX, Groups, Quart, Scorpion, and more…

Got a jailbroken iPhone or iPad, but aren’t entirely sure how to get the most out of it? If this sounds anything like you, then you’ve come to the right place. In this roundup, we’ll showcase all the latest jailbreak tweaks released from Monday, April 27th to Sunday, May 3rd. As usual, we’ll kick things off by discussing our favorite releases first and then wrap things up with an outline of the rest afterward. Counted is a simple new jailbreak tweak that adds a day-centric countdown timer to your iPhone’s Lock screen. With it, you can more easily count down the number of days to a special event, be it a Birthday or something else. It’s somewhat unfortunate that the iPhone doesn’t already have a feature like this given the platform’s wonderful timekeeping tools. On the other hand, it wouldn’t be the first time that the jailbreak community has addressed one of the iPhone’s shortcomings. You can learn more about Counted and where you can get it in our full review. DockX adds a slew of useful text-editing shortcuts to the bottom of your iPhone’s native keyboard interface, including copy, paste, cut, redo, and undo among others. What we like about DockX is that it preserves the beauty and integrity of the iPhone’s wonderful native typing experience while also bringing something new and useful to the table. You can learn more about DockX and where you can get it in our full review. Groups is a must-have add-on for iMessage and SMS addicts who have more conversation threads than they can count. With it, you can sort your conversation threads into… you guessed it… groups. This tweak makes it easier to differentiate between personal and professional conversation threads, whether that be work vs. friends, or school vs. family. Best of all, it integrates directly into the native interface, almost as if Apple themselves had created it. You can learn more about Groups and how it works in our full review. Quart is a drop-dead gorgeous Lock screen and notification UI replacement for jailbroken iPhones. It will make receiving notifications and interacting with them a lot more fun throughout the day. With it, the Lock screen displays information in a more civilized manner, while notifications throughout the rest of iOS are less intrusive than ever before. You can learn more about Quart and why it’s a must-have for your pwned handset in our full review. Scorpion brings a beautifully re-imagined incoming call interface to the iPhone, replacing the clunky full-screen interface with a non-intrusive banner that lives at the top or bottom of your display. The banner is fully customizable, and includes all the buttons and shortcuts that you’d come to expect from an iPhone’s incoming call interface. You can learn more about Scorpion and how it can improve your life in our full review. AlbumPref: Lets you choose the default Photos app album you select images from via the Messages app (free via Julio Verne’s beta repository – review) AutoRedial: Automatically redials outgoing phone calls until they connect ($1.49 via Twickd repository) BanAvoider: A tweak that can allegedly help jailbreakers avoid bans in certain mobile games (free via BigBoss repository) Blanca: A gorgeous leaf-shaped redesign for iOS’ notification system (free via Packix repository – review) CCMonoAudio: Brings a mono audio toggle to Control Center (free via shepgoba repository) Custom SW: Lets jailbreakers customize the aesthetics and functionality of their App Switcher ($0.99 via Twickd repository – review) DarkAlertPls: Makes even iOS’ alert messages obey iOS’ system dark mode settings (free via Chariz repository – review) DarkSwitch: Automatically switches between light and dark mode depending on display brightness (free via udevs’ beta repository – review) Dusky: Selectively enable iOS’ Reduce Transparency mode for individualized items (free via Packix repository – review) IconRenamerX: A fast and easy way to rename your Home screen icons (free via BigBoss repository) iconvibe: Brings haptic feedback to the action of opening apps (free via Packix repository) iCTMiZ: Device customization for iOS 12 and 13 (free via Twickd repository) Listen to Instagram Music: Lets users enjoy Instagram Music from anywhere without location restrictions (free via Packix repository) Mitsuha Forever: The popular Mitsuha Infinity audio visualizer updated for iOS 13 (free via ConorTheDev’s repository – review) Multipla: A re-imagined iPhone Dock with support for widgets and more ($1.99 via Chariz repository – review) NoRecentFiles: Hides the bottom bar from the Files app (free via keshavbabu repository) Owip (Twickd): Lets users colorize their SpringBoard ($0.99 via Twickd repository) RoundMe: Brings rounded corners to the screen and App Switcher (free via BigBoss repository) ShyLabels: Your app icon labels will hide themselves automatically when not in use, now for iOS 13 (free via ConorTheDev’s repository – review) SITUM Pro: A paid version of the popular SITUM tweak with more options ($1.50 via Packix repository – review) StopItWithTheCoins: Prevents Reddit from nagging users about coins (free via lint repository) TikTok God: A plethora of improvements for the TikTok app (free via haoict repository) URLSchemer: Lets users add, edit, or remove URL schemes in iOS (free via DirtyBeans repository) WhatsATab: Lets you customize the WhatsApp Messenger app’s tab bar (free via keshavbabu’s repository) WechatFriendCheck: An add-on for the Weechat app (free via BigBoss repository) YouFold: A stylish ten-icon folder for the iPhone’s vertical display (free via Packix repository – review) That just about wraps things up for this week’s jailbreak tweak roundup, but stay tuned to iDB throughout the week to remain updated regarding novel releases as they materialize. If you’re looking for more tweaks, then consider adding third-party Cydia repositories to your device to expand your scope and check out last week’s jailbreak tweak roundup in case you missed anything special. We also have several dedicated roundups to help you find cool ways to tweak your jailbroken iOS device below: Those interested in jailbreaking might also find the following tutorials helpful: What was your favorite jailbreak tweak released this week? Share in the comments section below.

3 May 13:30 iDownloadBlog.com https://www.idownloadblog.com/2020/05/03/jailbreak-tweaks-of-the-week-05-03-2020/
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Another kernel-level jailbreak detection bypass released, better than the last?

3 May 12:54 1 articles
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Another kernel-level jailbreak detection bypass released, better than the last?

It was only a few days ago that a kernel-level jailbreak detection bypass had been released to the general public. Dubbed FlyJB by @XsF1re, the project was quickly taken down after the developer lost confidence in his work. But much of his efforts remained open source, permitting future projects to draw inspiration from it. Now, a second kernel-level jailbreak detection bypass called KernBypass by has been released, this time by Twitter user @akusio_RR.  The project credits @XsF1re for vnodebypass, hacker Jake James for jelbrekLib, and @0x7ff for maphys. But what does all this mean? Shortly after the KernBypass project was announced this morning on Twitter, hacker Jake James got to work in studying the open source release to discern its differences from FlyJB. Interestingly, James Tweeted that this one is “better than the previous one,” albeit not as good as an alternative that James appears to be working on for a future release: So, what is a jailbreak detection bypass? It’s essentially a means of tricking App Store apps into thinking you aren’t jailbroken. These can come in the form of jailbreak tweaks, but it can be easy for an app update to break it. A kernel-level jailbreak detection bypass like KernBypass, on the other hand, works at a higher chain of software command in the kernel level and, in theory, shouldn’t be detectable by an app even after it receives updates. Kernel level jailbreak detection bypasses are highly sought after by the jailbreak community because many apps are starting to adopt jailbreak detection that either bars the user from using said app or bans the user’s account for breaking its terms of service with third-party hacks. Obviously, each of these are inconvenient. Whether the app is a game you enjoy playing or a banking app that you absolutely must use, jailbreak detection often rides a careful self-righteous line that defines Lady Justice. On one side, users should have the freedom to do what they want with their devices, and on the other, app developers must remain mindful about user security, especially when performing sensitive banking activities on a hacked device. Ultimately, this choice should come down to the user and the risks they decide to take on, and this is why jailbreak detection bypasses are such a big deal. Moreover, one that can evade detection by operating at the kernel level is an even bigger deal. While hacks like these are used entirely at your own risk with no endorsement implied by iDownloadBlog, those who feel comfortable putting their trust in a third-party hack to evade account bans and jailbreak restrictions in apps can follow these instructions via /r/jailbreak to install KernBypass: Note: if at any time you want to uninstall the kernel-level jailbreak bypass, you can merely uninstall it via your preferred package manager. You will then need to reboot, not respring, your device for the changes to take effect. According to James, users are advised to use his kernel-level jailbreak bypass when it gets released, but he also notes that users could install KernBypass in the interim since his bypass isn’t yet ready for the public. For those interested in learning more about it, KernBypass is fully open source on the developer’s GitHub page. It will be interesting to see how these kernel-level jailbreak bypasses shake up the realm of jailbreak detection. After all, this seems to be an increasingly annoying issue for jailbreakers, especially those that enjoy playing popular titles like Call of Duty mobile, Fortnite, Pokémon GO, and PUBG among others. Even commonly-used apps that aren’t games seem to be adopting jailbreak detection more frequently than in the past. Do you have any plans to try these kernel-level jailbreak detection bypasses? Discuss your stance in the comments section below.

3 May 12:54 iDownloadBlog.com https://www.idownloadblog.com/2020/05/03/kernel-level-jailbreak-bypass-kernbypass/
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Quart is a new notification interface that will make non-jailbreakers jealous

3 May 12:00 1 articles
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Quart is a new notification interface that will make non-jailbreakers jealous

When compared with other smartphone operating systems, there’s no question that iOS leaves a lot to be desired in the notification department. Fortunately, those with jailbroken handsets no longer have to settle with what Apple provides out of the box. Quart is a newly released jailbreak tweak by iOS developer LaughingQuoll and designer timeloop that replaces the lackluster native notification system on your pwned iPhone with one that will get you riled up every time you receive a text message or any other sort of notification. In the screenshot examples above and below, you can see for yourself just how much more aesthetically pleasing Quart is when compared with the native notification system. The tweak primarily works its magic on the Lock screen, offering a slick new appearance for incoming notifications as well as the Lock screen’s date and time display. Just to the right of that, Quart summarizes the number of missed notifications you have. As you’ve probably noticed, Quart supports the ability to clear all missed notifications in one fell swoop by pulling down on them. The tweak also works its magic on the Lock screen’s Now Playing media player, helping it to confirm with the new look and feel of your notification banners. In addition to making the Lock screen look nicer, Quart also redesigns notification banners everywhere else. For example, if you receive a text message while perusing the Home screen or while using an app, the tweak displays a non-intrusive notification bubble at the top of your display that you can interact with if you so choose to reply: It should be mentioned that Quart is fully customizable. Upon installing the tweak, users will find a dedicated preference pane in the Settings app for configuring their settings how they like: Here, you can: A Respring button is provided at the bottom of the preference pane to save any changes you make on demand. Those who follow the developers on Twitter would know that Quart has been under development for quite some time, but it was only made available to the general public starting this weekend. Quart is a slick replacement for the notification system that most of us are used to, and those interested in trying it can purchase it for $1.99 from the Packix repository via your preferred package manager (or just $0.99 for Patreon subscribers). The tweak supports jailbroken iOS 12 and 13 devices. What are your thoughts about the redesigned Quart notification interface? Let us know in the comments section below.

3 May 12:00 iDownloadBlog.com https://www.idownloadblog.com/2020/05/03/quart/
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Android Screen Mirror Tool ‘Scrcpy’ Adds Rotation Lock, Improves Quality

3 May 16:33 1 articles
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Android Screen Mirror Tool ‘Scrcpy’ Adds Rotation Lock, Improves Quality

Handy mobile tool scrcpy app gains rotation locking and improved quality on smaller displays in its latest release. If you’re not familiar with scrcpy it’s a small app that lets you mirror your Android phone screen on your desktop via a USB cable (or wirelessly using android adb). You can interact with your device and all of its apps using a regular mouse/touchpad and keyboard. What’s particularly great about Scrcpy is that it is open source, cross platform (works on Windows, macOS and Linux), and doesn’t require any sort of root access. You just plug and play. Scrcpy 1.13 introduces the ability lock video orientation from the command line; adds shortcuts to rotate the display without physically rotating your phone; and is able to mirror secondary displays in Samsung DeX style set-ups. When interacting with your phone via scrcpy you can now press: You can also pass the --lock-video-orientation flag at runtime to lock the orientation in one of four ways: The inclusion of support for trilinear filtering (which you can see in the hero screenshot at the top of this article) improves the quality of the mirrored screen when it is smaller than the display’s actual resolution. This means no more pixelated or glitchy-looking screens when resizing the window to a smaller size. You can learn more about scrcpy 1.13 on GitHub, where you’ll also find downloads for various systems including Windows. Want to install scrcpy on Ubuntu? Just run sudo snap install scrcpy from a terminal window, or visit the Snap store listing: Scrcpy on the Snap Store Remember that scrcpy is a command-line tool; you will not see a shortcut for it in the applications screen.

3 May 16:33 OMG! Ubuntu! https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2020/05/scrcpy-rotate-screen-lock?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+d0od+%28OMG%21+Ubuntu%21%29
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Deal Alert: Dell XPS 13 9360 13.3″ price touches a new low

3 May 16:00 1 articles
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Deal Alert: Dell XPS 13 9360 13.3″ price touches a new low

The XPS lineup is Dell’s premium laptop offering and surely, Dell XPS 13 9360 is one of the most capable Windows 10 laptops you can buy in 2019. If you’re on the lookout for a premium quality Windows 10 laptop, the XPS 13 has all the boxes ticked and can fulfill almost everything you’d expect from a premium quality laptop. And thanks to handsome a $545-discount, the purchasing of the XPS 13 is now easier than ever before. Dell XPS 13 9360 128GB is now available at $955, down from its $1,500 price tag at Amazon, and if you do the math that’s a straight 36 percent discount. You can purchase the Dell XPS 13 9360 at a discounted price just by clicking here. The Dell XPS 13 9360 features a 13.3 inches full HD display, with a 16: 9 aspect ratio, powering the laptop is a 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5. Under the hood, you get 8GB RAM coupled with a 128GB storage capacity, Intel HD Graphics 620, two USB 3.0 type-a, one USB 3.1 Type-C, one Thunderbolt 3 via USB Type-C. You can use the XPS 13 9360 for 16 long hours on a single charge.

3 May 16:00 MSPoweruser https://mspoweruser.com/dell-xps-13-9360-heavy-discount-at-amazon/
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Technology
Deal Alert: Echo Dot (3rd Gen) price is back to its record low — again

3 May 18:00 1 articles
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Deal Alert: Echo Dot (3rd Gen) price is back to its record low — again

If asking digital assistants to play music, answer questions, read stories, and tell jokes is your thing, then Amazon Echo Dot is definitely a great product and in many aspects, it’s even better than what rivals are currently offering. It’s easy to recommend even more so because the discount on the third-gen Echo Dot is back again at Amazon, so it’s now easier for you to make the purchase. Third generation Amazon Echo Dot is now selling at a price point of $29.99, down from its original price point of $49.99 at Amazon. So, if you cash in on the deal today, you’ll be paying $20 less than the original price point. The deal is available for a limited time only, so you better make the purchase right now. Amazon has a decent collection of music, but in case you want to invest in other music subscriptions, you can click here and cancel Amazon’s music subscription. Echo Dot comes with fabric design and improved speaker for richer and louder sound. You’ll also be able to stream songs from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Sirius XM, and others. You can buy Echo Dot(3rd Gen) by clicking on this link.

3 May 18:00 MSPoweruser https://mspoweruser.com/echo-dot-3rd-gen-discounted-price-amazon-2/
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Microsoft removes “Hey Cortana” response from Windows 10 app

3 May 19:00 1 articles
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Microsoft removes “Hey Cortana” response from Windows 10 app

Microsoft’s development of their digital assistant, Cortana, has always been rather curious, with each newer version appearing to do less than the one before. Such is once again the case with the latest version of Cortana, as delivered with the latest version of Windows 10 2004. Version 2.2004.22762.0 of Cortana Beta appears to have lost the ability to respond to a wake word, reports Italian site HTNovo. The highlighted text reads: The update also brings a slightly wider window for Cortana. Of course, given the pace of de-development of Cortana the next version may not have any window at all. What do our readers think of this latest move? Let us know in the comments below.

3 May 19:00 MSPoweruser https://mspoweruser.com/microsoft-removes-wake-word-response-from-cortana/
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Like Windows 10 19H2, Windows 10 20H2 update may just be a minor update

3 May 21:15 1 articles
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Like Windows 10 19H2, Windows 10 20H2 update may just be a minor update

Last year Microsoft decided that the second update of 2019 would be a minor update, delivered as a cumulative update, we were told to bring Windows 10 and Azure in sync in terms of development. This was meant to be a one-off case, with Microsoft expected to continue releasing 2 major updates each year. According to the latest rumours however, it seems history may be repeating itself, as Windows 10 20H2 may also end up being a minor update. This is according to Mary Jo Foley from ZDNet, who usually has her ear to the ground. She writes: As this news is not official yet we can not say what the reasons for the change are, but Microsoft has been working recently to decrease the workload on network administrators, and a minor update to Windows 10 in the second half of the year will reduce the work of both Microsoft developers and also end-users and admins. Windows 10 20H2 was expected to continue the work of phasing out the old control panel, bring numerous improvements to settings, changes to the file explorer and many other small changes. It is not clear if a switch to a smaller update in the second half of the year will mean these improvements will be delayed. via Winfuture

3 May 21:15 MSPoweruser https://mspoweruser.com/like-windows-10-19h2-windows-10-20h2-update-may-just-be-a-minor-update/
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Technology
Watch: Amazing demo shows developer copy and paste real life objects into photoshop

3 May 23:05 1 articles
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Watch: Amazing demo shows developer copy and paste real life objects into photoshop

They say sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, which makes digital interaction artist Cyril Diagne’s tech demo pretty magical. Today he uploaded a video showing how you can copy real-life objects from your environment and paste them into Photoshop on your desktop, merely by pointing your phone. Of course, even when you understand what is going on, the technology itself remains pretty impressive. In the demo Cyril combined augmented reality and AI, using BASNet  AI microservice for object detection and background removal, allowing him to create a clear object from the photo captured by his phone, which then uses the OpenCV SIFT algorithm to find where on the screen he is pointing the camera by comparing a screenshot of the screen with the field of view of the phone camera to derive and X-Y coordinate to paste the image into photoshop, using a local server running on the laptop. If you still find this rather hard to believe, Diagne, who is doing an art residency at Google,  has made the code available on GitHub to try yourself. One can, of course, imagine this feature easily showing up on the Microsoft HoloLens, and I am sure it will not be long before someone with HoloLens posts a similar demo. Check out the project at Github here and see some more of his demos below:

3 May 23:05 MSPoweruser https://mspoweruser.com/watch-amazing-demo-shows-developer-copy-and-paste-real-life-objects-into-photoshop/
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Microsoft’s Windows 10 May 2020 update(v2004) will have this known issue

3 May 15:00 1 articles
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Microsoft’s Windows 10 May 2020 update(v2004) will have this known issue

Although software companies quash all the critical bugs before shipping an update to the consumers in order to ensure a smooth rollout, minor issues in any software update are quite common. Similar will be the case with Microsoft’s upcoming major Windows 10 update, which is officially named Windows 10 May 2020 update(v2004). According to Microsoft, Windows 10 May 2020 update has an issue that can sometimes intervene in the proper functioning of DISM, short for Deployment Image Servicing and Management, and as a result of which it’ll incorrectly report system corruption status. While the company had confirmed that it’ll bring a fix for the issue in an upcoming servicing release, we don’t exactly know as to whether Microsoft will officially release the May 2020 update with the known issue. A couple of days ago, we reported that Microsoft pushed the release date of May 2020 update from May 12 to May 28. The delay, however, isn’t due to Microsoft wanting to fix the DISM bug before release. Instead, it’s a zero-day exploit in the OS that made Microsoft push the release date to the end of May. Windows 10 May 2020 update brings a vast number of new features and should bring improved performance to low-end PCs. See the full changelog here. via Windowslatest

3 May 15:00 MSPoweruser https://mspoweruser.com/windows-10-may-2020-updatev2004-known-issue/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
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Technology
Review: New voice control clock mimics natural sunsrise 

3 May 19:23 1 articles
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Review: New voice control clock mimics natural sunsrise 

The key feature with the Heim Vision light is its focus on replicating the light patterns of the outside world. A device was sent through to Digital Journal for review, and it produces an evocative array of sounds together with some pleasing light effects. Most notably with the lighting, the developer has taken sunrise as inspiration, moving through soft dawn reds towards a warm orange. On the highest setting, a room can be cast in bright yellow light. The device also features a range of different sounds, designed to help the user to relax, such as bird song, rain forest and running water. The sounds can be coupled with a simulation of sunset, programmed to run for 30 minutes and which can induce a sense of calm. In terms of waking up, the alarm and light function can be set for birds chirping in the morning (which builds up to a crescendo) and a gradually increasing light intensity, to simulate the rising of the sun (as if it was gradually shining more strongly through curtains). There are also several color setting, to suit different moods. There is also a clock function and in-built FM radio. In terms of functionality, the light can be controlled through an app (which proves relatively easy to set up although more than one pass light be needed in order to connect). The light is also compatible with voice assistants like Google Home and Amazon's Alexa (the light was tested out using Alexa, using commands like 'Alex turn on light' and 'Alex increase brightness'). Issuing voice commands and the response time is pretty seamless. With the design, the light is lightweight portable (although it does require mains power), and it is reasonably robust in the sense that the odd knock is unlikely to cause any damage. The light is another development for the smart home, and it further signals the direction that digital technology for the home environment is taking. The light is available from Amazon.

3 May 19:23 Digital Journal http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/technology/review-new-voice-control-clock-mimics-natural-sunsrise/article/571139
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Technology
Review: Chotech delivers new super-fast USB-C charging cable 

3 May 19:53 1 articles
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Review: Chotech delivers new super-fast USB-C charging cable 

Chotech have launched a new fast charging cable for an array of smart devices. This is the 'CHOETECH 100W USB Type C 6.6Ft Braided Fast Charging Cable 2 Pack'. A sample was sent to Digital Journal to evaluate. Review: Choetech Wireless Car Charger enhances the driving experience The new charging cable utilized USB-C technology. Cables built to this standard are being increasingly adopted since they can carry significantly more power, and they are also able to charge larger devices like laptops and heavier-duty smartphones. USB-C (originally referred to as USB Type-C) is a 24-pin USB connector system. The technology differs to earlier variants in that it has a two-fold rotationally-symmetrical connector. Devices designed to operate USB4 (a USB transfer protocol standard) require USB-C connectors to enable power supply and data transfer. USB4, a variant of the Thunderbolt 3 protocol specification, has been available since September 2019 (although few devices are yet available for this standard). Review:Choetech's T316 4 in 1 charging device for Apple products Choetech are based in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, and they manufacture a range of wireless chargers, USB cables and chargers, USB 3.0 and USB C PD connectivity devices. In examining the new cable, it has a high-bend tolerance and is designed to be tangle-free. The cable nylon braided cable and it is housed in an aluminium-alloy case. The cable is far longer than many on the market, charges rapidly and it looks very makes durable. The cable retails for around $16.

3 May 19:53 Digital Journal http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/technology/review-chotech-delivers-new-super-fast-usb-c-charging-cable/article/571143
Rating: 0.78
Technology
Google's Project Zero team find 'numerous Apple vulnerabilities'

3 May 20:46 1 articles
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Google's Project Zero team find 'numerous Apple vulnerabilities'

New vulnerabilities (described as 'numerous') have been detected in Apple’s Image I/O, impacting on MacSecurity and iPhone functionality. This comes following news that every iPhone running a version of iOS 6 or newer is vulnerable to remote attacks, which was reported on Digital Journal following detection by cybersecurity experts at ZecOps, comes information data unveiled by Google's Project Zero team. According to Forbes, the new vulnerability is dubbed 'Fuzzing ImageIO'. This can lead to security gaps relating to media files sent over messaging platforms. Full details have not been specified, since Google's Project Zero has a policy over not disclosing the actual nature of security flaws. Instead the Google's security analysts (who specialize in finding zero-day vulnerabilities) have contacted Apple directly. In response, Apple has stated it has addressed the flaws in its latest platform updates. In terms of the risk to consumers, however, this very much depends on whether people update to the latest versions of iOS and macOS and have appropriate cybersecurity measures in place. There's a 'Catch-22' situation otherwise: the vulnerability can introduce a serious crash bug, which renders users unable to download and install the required updated. To overcome this dilemma, Apple are apparently fast-tracking the release of iOS 13.5 together with patches suitable for Macs and iPhones.

3 May 20:46 Digital Journal http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/technology/google-s-project-zero-team-find-numerous-apple-vulnerabilities/article/571144
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Technology
Cost of staying connected: Global differences revealed

3 May 11:42 1 articles
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Cost of staying connected: Global differences revealed

Socializing, learning and even streaming are well established as the main reasons why most people cannot seem to put down humanity's new best friend; the smartphone. Add to this the reliance upon remote working and home working as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic (as reported by The Guardian), the sum total of social and work activities can consume huge amounts of data which can leave many users with a hefty bill. But how much data does it cost in every country and are to what extent are people paying way more than others for 1GB of data? A new study by Business Fibre highlights the pricing of data in different destinations to reveal the countries where surfing the net is the most and least expensive. The new study is titled 'The Cost To Stay Connected by Business Fibre'. With data transfer speeds, the global average download speed for mobile data is 31.61Mbps, whilst the average upload speed is 11.29Mbps2. In terms of the price that businesses and consumers are paying, the study reveals that the lowest cost for data is Israel, with 1GB data only costing around 50 cents. This means that Israel comes out on top as the cheapest place to stay connected. With the UK, the country comes in 14th place for the most expensive country for data. The cost of 1GB data is around $8, while the average download speeds for mobile data in the UK is 35.21 Mbps that’s 1.5 times faster than Israel (22.63 Mbps). For the U.S., the country has some 21 mobile plans available and over 70 different broadband plans. The average cost for 1GB data is $13, which makes it the fourth most expensive country. Canada does not fare well, either, coming in as the sixth most expensive country, at around $12.50. However, coming top in the data transfer stakes is Switzerland. Here the average cost of data is around $20, which is 22 times more expensive than Israel. With 12 mobile plans at hand, the average mobile upload speed is 19.91 Mbps.

3 May 11:42 Digital Journal http://www.digitaljournal.com/internet/cost-of-staying-connected-global-differences-revealed/article/571129
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Technology
Microsoft’s Trello clone Outlook Spaces may also be available for regular users

3 May 11:00 1 articles
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Microsoft’s Trello clone Outlook Spaces may also be available for regular users

A few weeks ago we learned that Microsoft is working on a project management solution called Outlook Spaces. Spaces is a web experience that will help you organize your emails, meetings, and docs into easy-to-follow project spaces. With Spaces, you can pull together your relevant documents, emails, and events in Outlook using search terms in a single location. You can also create to-do lists, add notes, include any relevant links and more. Once you have populated the relevant content as a project, you can invite others for collaboration. In the future, Outlook Spaces will use AI in assisting you to add items to projects in Spaces. Superficially the service looks a lot like Trello, a project management service, but it now appears Microsoft is not just targeting corporate users. WalkingCat has revealed that Spaces will also be available under the consumer-focussed “Live” domain, rather than the enterprise-focussed “Office” domain.  At present, the service is not available at that URL yet, but it appears to be under construction. Check out the introduction video of Outlook Spaces below. via WBI

3 May 11:00 MSPoweruser https://mspoweruser.com/microsofts-trello-clone-outlook-spaces-may-also-be-available-for-regular-users/
Rating: 0.78
Technology
NVIDIA’s Ampere GPUs Based on TSMC’s 7nm Node, Next-Gen Hopper GPUs Based on Samsung’s 5nm EUV Process, Alleges Rumor – Mass Production Begins This Quarter

3 May 07:30 1 articles
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NVIDIA’s Ampere GPUs Based on TSMC’s 7nm Node, Next-Gen Hopper GPUs Based on Samsung’s 5nm EUV Process, Alleges Rumor – Mass Production Begins This Quarter

In a new report, ChinaTimes has reported that NVIDIA's Ampere GPUs are indeed going to utilize TSMC's 7nm process node technology whereas the next-generation Hopper GPU family would be based on the Samsung 5nm EUV process node. NVIDIA will be publishing a pre-recorded version of its GTC 2020 'Get Amped' keynote featuring Jensen Huang, the company's CEO, who will be presenting new innovations, announcements, and technologies. The core segment of the online keynote will focus on the Ampere GPU which will be unveiled along with technical information such as specifications and products that it would be featured inside. NVIDIA DGX A100 – Next-Gen Ampere GA100 GPU Based Supercomputing System Spotted According to ChinaTimes, NVIDIA has been confirmed as one of the biggest customers of TSMC's 7nm process node. This seems to indicate that NVIDIA's Ampere GPUs, at least for the HPC & the data center segment, will be based on TSMC's advanced chip manufacturing process. As soon as the news came out, Samsung released a statement in its Q1 earnings report, confirming that it will begin production of its 5nm (5LPE) EUV process in Q2 2020. Samsung has already reportedly received orders for processors, graphics cards and various other products to utilize its 5nm process node. According to the report, most of these products are going to be utilized in consumer applications. Based on internal roadmaps, AMD is not expected to use Samsung foundries for its next-generation processors or graphics cards but it is very likely that the next-generation Hopper GPUs from NVIDIA will utilize Samsung's 5nm EUV node which would be replacing Ampere GPUs. It will be definitely interesting to see an updated roadmap that clears this up during the GTC 2020 keynote. There also exists an opportunity for NVIDIA to go with Samsung's 5nm for its consumer-based graphics card lineup since mass production is indeed happening this quarter and GeForce cards replacing the Turing lineup could arrive by the end of 2020. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX lineup was also unveiled in late 2018. We have internally confirmed with several sources that NVIDIA's AIB partners are aggressively clearing up their GeForce RTX (Turing GPU) inventories ahead of a big launch of a consumer-based GeForce lineup in Q3 2020. Q3 2020 also makes sense because that is where Computex 2020 has been shifted to but NVIDIA might select another venue to host its GPU (GeForce) announcement. XMG Ultra 17 Premium Notebook With Intel’s 10th Gen Desktop CPUs & Z490 PCH Announced – Up To RTX 2080 SUPER & 17″ 240 Hz Displays But More Expensive Than AMD Ryzen Options With that said, NVIDIA's Ampere GPUs are definitely going to shake things up in the HPC market with several variants already leaked and performance being rated at around 30 TFLOPs (FP32). We will keep you updated as more info comes prior to the 14th of May when NVIDIA will be presenting its next-gen GPU lineup. What process nodes do you think NVIDIA's Ampere & Hopper GPUs are likely to utilize? View ResultsPoll Options are limited because JavaScript is disabled in your browser.

3 May 07:30 Wccftech https://wccftech.com/nvidias-ampere-gpus-tsmcs-7nm-and-next-gen-hopper-gpus-samsungs-5nm-euv-rumor/
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Technology
Five automotive technologies that guard against distracted driving

3 May 13:31 1 articles
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Five automotive technologies that guard against distracted driving

Distracted driving puts not only drivers on the road at risk but also passengers, cyclists and pedestrians. In 2018, it led to the deaths of 2,841 people, according to the most current data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Holding a phone and texting are two of the most common causes, but eating, changing the radio or anything else that causes you to lose focus on the task of driving can also be considered a distraction. The problem is so widespread that NHTSA and the Centers for Disease Control have addressed the issue on their websites. Automakers and technology companies are coming out with features aimed at reducing injuries and deaths related to distracted driving. Edmunds experts have selected five new car technologies designed to reduce distraction and help make you a safer driver. Driver monitoring systems This is one of the latest technologies to start appearing in cars. BMW, Subaru and other automakers have installed cameras and sensors inside vehicles that use facial recognition technology to identify signs of driver distraction or fatigue. Some can measure head and eye movements to make sure your eyes are up and on the road ahead. The car will then notify you to pay more attention if necessary. For cars with advanced cruise control systems, there are sensors to make sure your hands are still on the steering wheel and cameras watching your face. Some systems will put the control back in your hands if you start to look down at your phone or don’t keep your hands on the wheel. A slightly older variation of this tech are the drowsiness meters found on vehicles from Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. These systems use steering inputs to determine whether a driver is getting sleepy. Notifications often take the form of a coffee cup in the in-dash digital display to suggest the driver stop for a break. These systems won’t steer the car or lock out controls, but they can serve as a reminder to pay more attention. More advanced systems can link to a car’s navigation and suggest rest stops along the route. Advertising Lane departure warnings As any driving instructor will tell you, our hands tend to follow our eyes, and if you’re looking at the scenery or down at your phone, it can be easy to wander out of your lane without noticing. That’s why lane-departure warning systems are becoming more common in new vehicles. Essentially, these systems use sensors to keep track of where the vehicle is within its lane. If a system detects that the vehicle is straying across lane lines, it will issue a warning to the driver. The functionality varies from vehicle to vehicle, but common alerts are lights in the instrument cluster, a pop-up notification in a gauge cluster display, or even a rumble in your seat. Lane keeping assist Often used as a companion to lane departure warning, lane keeping assist takes the extra step of recentering the vehicle by applying light steering correction, though it’s not what you should consider self-driving. You may feel a light tug as the wheel turns slightly in your hand, recentering the car in its lane. If you have cruise control activated, lane keeping assist may deactivate cruise, forcing you to take more control of the car. These systems are found in late-model vehicles from BMW, Cadillac, Honda and more. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay These two smartphone integration systems come in nearly every new vehicle on sale today. When you connect your Android or Apple phone to the vehicle, the system will display many of your smartphone’s apps in your car’s infotainment system. While these systems may seem like another distraction, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay can be beneficial. They provide a reliable voice control that can read out and reply to text messages, use navigation apps on your phone, and allow you to communicate without looking at your phone. They can also prevent the phone from being used by locking out certain functions, including the on-screen keyboard on Android phones. Locking out controls Many vehicles from Mazda, Toyota and Volkswagen still use this older anti-distraction method today. These cars will partially lock out controls for an on-screen keyboard while the car is moving so you can’t type in an address, for example. But these functions can still be accessed by using voice commands. All this is done to prevent you from looking away from the road and down at a screen for an extended time. This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds. Reese Counts is a vehicle test editor at Edmunds. Twitter: @rmcounts. REESE COUNTS of Edmunds

3 May 13:31 The Seattle Times https://www.seattletimes.com/business/car-tech-to-guard-against-distracted-driving/
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Technology
[Chew on IT] Samsung keeps multivendor strategy for Exynos despite users’ aversion

3 May 06:59 1 articles
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[Chew on IT] Samsung keeps multivendor strategy for Exynos despite users’ aversion

If a Samsung Galaxy user gets a smartphone powered by Samsung’s Exynos chipset, is the person getting the short end of the stick? Depending on where they buy their Samsung phones, two users might end up owning Galaxy devices with identical exteriors, but different brains -- that is, different mobile application processors. The chances are 50-50: Users get either Samsung’s Exynos or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset. In the case of the Galaxy 20 series, Samsung equipped phones bound for Europe with its in-house Exynos 990 chips, while adopting Snapdragon 865 for the other markets, including the US and Korea. Korean Galaxy users were delighted to see Snapdragon-run Galaxy S20 phones on Samsung’s home turf, welcoming its decision to dump the Exynos chipsets. Meanwhile, consumers in Europe have voiced disappointment for years -- ever since the Galaxy S8 series came out -- as they learned their Samsung phones would continue to run on Exynos, not Snapdragon. In March, a Samsung phone user with the online username “Daniel H” started a petition to Samsung on Change.org, a global petition platform, urging the company to stop selling flagship phones with Exynos. “Phones with Exynos SoC chips are shown to perform slower, have less battery life, use inferior camera sensors and processing, overheat and throttle faster, amongst other issues,” Daniel wrote in the petition. As of Monday, more than 43,000 people around the world had signed the petition. Many tech reviewers have compared the two mobile chipsets in terms of battery life, refresh rate, download speed, camera sensor and other factors. Battery life is one of the most important factors used to evaluate a chipset’s overall performance. According to a recent test by YouTuber PhonBuff, the Snapdragon 865 in the Galaxy S20+ offered a battery life that turned out to be about an hour longer than the Exynos 990 variant, when the same tasks -- making a phone call, texting, gaming and web browsing -- were done simultaneously. Spec details also reveal that the Snapdragon outperforms the Exynos.  The peak download speed of the Qualcomm chipset is 7.5 gigabits per second, while that of the Samsung chip is 7.35. The refresh rate, the number of times your monitor updates with new images each second, is 144 Hertz for Snapdragon and 120 for Exynos. The Snapdragon 865 also supports up to 200 megapixels for a single camera, while the Exynos 990 supports 108 megapixels. European consumers want to know why Samsung continues to use Exynos in flagship phones sold in Europe, and have asked the company to disclose the reason. “At the very least, we would appreciate if Samsung were transparent about their inconsistencies. Alternatively, for Samsung to ensure we weren’t paying the exact same price or even higher than our US friends,” the petition said.  Some say Samsung stands to profit more by using the in-house chipset in global markets other than the US. That’s because to offer phones on the largest mobile carriers -- such as Verizon and Sprint, which use the CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) standard -- Samsung needs to use the Snapdragon chipset for smartphones released in the US market. Qualcomm has an effective monopoly on the CDMA standard. In markets that use the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) standard, Samsung can make more money by using its own Exynos instead of paying Qualcomm. Samsung declines to explain why the company sells Exynos-powered phones in Europe, but highlights its multivendor strategy for sourcing parts. “For upcoming models, it isn’t yet known whether the company would adopt Snapdragon for the European market,” said a Samsung official. “The company will stick to the current multivendor strategy.” Some industry sources say Samsung will be increasing the proportion of Exynos chipsets in its upcoming phones, including the Galaxy Note 20, despite the negative feedback. The sources speculate that Samsung’s system-on-chip business unit is working on an upgraded version of the Exynos 990, supposedly called the Exynos 992. Also, there are rumors that Qualcomm might delay the launch of an upgraded version of Snapdragon, slated for the second half of the year, due to the impact of COVID-19. In that case, Samsung’s plans to expand its use of the Exynos chipset would become more viable, industry insiders say. By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)

3 May 06:59 Koreaherald http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200503000182
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Technology
A scramble for coronavirus apps that do no harm

3 May 12:01 1 articles
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A scramble for coronavirus apps that do no harm

Faced with a growing coronavirus threat, the governor of North Dakota last month posed a question to a friend from his private-sector days. The friend, a software engineer, had once created a location-tracking app for football fans at North Dakota State University who liked to meet up when traveling to big games. “Can you track people for COVID?” asked the governor, Douglas Burgum. Within days, the engineer, Tim Brookins, had reworked the football app to do just that, he recalled in an interview. The app is now being used in North and South Dakota as part of statewide efforts to ramp up contact tracing for people infected with the coronavirus. The new app is part of a worldwide scramble to deploy smartphone tools to rein in the pandemic. If the virus’s path can be tracked, even predicted, the hope is that more people will be able to resume at least part of their normal routines — and fewer will need to confine themselves at home. At their core, the apps are intended to gather information about the movements of people who have tested positive for the virus, alert others who might have crossed their paths and, in some cases, make sure infected people stay quarantined. They use smartphone technologies, such as GPS and Bluetooth, to collect and share the data, making them agile and easy to use but also providing an enticing target for hackers or government surveillance. Several dozen countries, states, universities and companies are racing to develop and begin using the digital tools, which public health experts said could improve person-to-person contact tracing but are not a panacea. The mad dash has left some places with a confusing mishmash of options and has some computer security researchers worried about vulnerabilities in hastily written software. There is no evidence that the apps will be effective without widespread testing for the virus and without enormous numbers of voluntary participants, which could be hampered by years of privacy scandals involving both governments and companies. Advertising Aware of the problems, Apple and Google announced this month they were creating software that public health authorities could use to make apps. The tool will allow different apps to work together and has the support of many privacy experts. But several technology law scholars expressed concern that even well-intentioned digital surveillance tools could become problematic and are difficult to withdraw. “We’ve already learned what moving fast and breaking things can do to society,” said Woodrow Hartzog, a professor of law and computer science at Northeastern University, referring to the negative consequences of a tech mindset that values speed and disruption above all else. Only 25,000 people in North Dakota, about 3% of the population, have downloaded the state’s app, which until recently was available only for iPhones. In March, Singapore introduced a voluntary contact-tracing app, but only about 1.1 million people — 20% of the population — have downloaded it. Norway’s app has caught on more quickly, with nearly 30% of residents signing up for it since it was released last month. Still, a recent study by epidemiologists at Oxford University estimated that 60% of the population in a given area would need to use an automated app that traces contacts and notifies users of exposure, combined with other tactics such as broader testing and the quarantining of the most vulnerable people, for the app to contain the virus. While some compliance is better than none, the researchers found, low rates of adoption in many areas suggest voluntary programs may not provide a breakthrough. “With 10%, 20%, 30% uptake of the app, you get a progressive reduction in the size of the epidemic,” said Christophe Fraser, an expert in infectious disease dynamics and control at the Big Data Institute at Oxford, who has advised Britain’s National Health Service on an app it is developing. Advertising Despite the uncertainty, some health experts say the virus spreads so quickly and stealthily that there is an urgent need for new mechanisms to combat it. Even with partial participation, for example, the apps can allow traditional contact tracing to focus on people without phones, who are often poorer, older and more vulnerable. Only about half of Americans ages 65 and over have a smartphone. “Automated contact tracing is a big idea, an ambitious idea,” said Dr. Louise Ivers, the executive director of the Center for Global Health at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who has been working with a team at MIT to develop contact-tracing technology. “But it’s important to be ambitious right now.” On the trail of the pandemic The proliferation of coronavirus apps has trailed the spread of the pandemic around the globe. Often, the differences among apps are technical ones but can create vast differences in their security, privacy and effectiveness. In February, China began requiring residents in more than 200 cities to download a health code app that automatically dictates whether people must quarantine. Location data is sent to the government from the phones, but it is unclear how the quarantine decisions are made. By contrast, Singapore’s app uses Bluetooth rather than location data to identify nearby phones, and the information is stored on the phones unless a person tests positive for the virus and agrees to share the data with contact tracers, who can then notify others who may have been exposed. In Norway, the app sends data from the phone’s GPS and Bluetooth to central servers that can be accessed by government health authorities. A new law mandates that the information be used only for the pandemic and that it be deleted every 30 days.   North Dakota’s app, Care19, uses Wi-Fi, cell towers and GPS to gauge people’s locations, usually within about 175 feet, making it much less accurate than Bluetooth-based apps. This means it is now useful only to help patients tell contact tracers where they were while they were contagious. An analysis by The New York Times confirmed that the app sends people’s location data to a private server hosted on Microsoft’s cloud platform. Brookins, the developer, said that only he and one other person had access to the server and that health officials could get the data only of people who tested positive for the coronavirus and who then agreed to share it. India, which, like the United States, is relying on a combination of state and federal efforts to tackle the pandemic, is a case study in the rush for new technologies. A quarantine app in the Indian state of Maharashtra, which includes the country’s most populous city, Mumbai, uses GPS data collected from people’s smartphones to create a virtual perimeter around their homes. If users move beyond their permitted radius, the app notifies local authorities. Another app, called Quarantine Watch, in Karnataka state, also records the locations of certain people under quarantine and requires them to take selfies to prove they are staying home. In an effort to coordinate public health surveillance, the central government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced its own contact-tracing app in early April. The app, called Aarogya Setu — or health care bridge — uses smartphone location data and Bluetooth to log people’s travel routes and the other phones they encounter. With urging from Modi, more than 77 million people, about 5.6% of the population, have downloaded it so far. Local authorities are promoting the Modi government’s app along with their own. Advertising An expert advising the Modi government on its app said it had already helped public health monitors pinpoint hot spots for the virus and speed their door-to-door visits to certain neighborhoods to alert residents, many of whom did not own smartphones. But civil liberties groups have warned that the rush to adopt virus-tracking technologies may entrench new forms of government surveillance and social control even if the apps do not prove effective in fighting the coronavirus. “They just pilot it out, see how it works and, as the debate is taking place, they scale the project — and once it’s scaled, then it becomes a lot harder to roll back,” said Sidharth Deb, the policy and parliamentary counsel for the Internet Freedom Foundation, a digital rights group in New Delhi. Preventing surveillance The wide-ranging efforts, and their varying quality, have led to calls for industry standards related to privacy and other matters. Whether to send data to central health authorities is the biggest sticking point. Technologists who focus on privacy say the best way to prevent governments from using data to surveil people is to never let them have it in the first place. Advertising “You can look at what happened after 9/11,” said James Larus, the dean of the School of Computer and Communications Science at EPFL, a science-focused university in Switzerland. “There were all these consequences for privacy made possible by a crisis.” But centralized collection of the data may be essential for effective contact tracing, others argue. “Having location history helps you better identify where infections might be, helps you identify the hot spots,” said Lalitesh Katragadda, the founder of Indihood, a group developing technologies for underserved populations, and an adviser on the Indian government’s app.   A key to making the apps successful, proponents said, is persuading people that the apps will help keep them safe and allow them to emerge from lockdowns. “When you hear people saying there will never be takeup of the app,” said Fraser, the Oxford epidemiologist, “they are talking like we are not in the world we are currently in.” This story was originally published at nytimes.com. Read it here.

3 May 12:01 The Seattle Times https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/a-scramble-for-coronavirus-apps-that-do-no-harm/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all
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Technology
Brochure offers to help you "understand Latvians better"

3 May 09:05 1 articles
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Brochure offers to help you "understand Latvians better"

A new downloadable publication from the Latvian Institute - the state agency tasked with promoting the country abroad - is on offer to give the uninitiatied a glimpse of all things Latvian. As previously reported by LSM, it is titled "The Latvian ABC" and is based on the alphabet. "THIS BOOK IS HERE TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND LATVIANS BETTER," the booklet promises, adding "After reading this, you will get 'the Latvian thing' wherever you are in the world". The brochure can be downloaded in PDF format.

3 May 09:05 Public broadcasting of Latvia https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/culture/brochure-offers-to-help-you-understand-latvians-better.a358311/?utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=rss&utm_medium=links
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Technology
Microsoft releases new Office Insider Preview Build for macOS, here is what’s new

3 May 09:06 1 articles
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Microsoft releases new Office Insider Preview Build for macOS, here is what’s new

Microsoft has released a new Office Build for Office Insiders on macOS. The latest Office Insider Preview Build (20042808) for macOS adds no new features, but it offers a number of bug fixes. You can see the official changelog below. To update to the latest Office Insider Preview Build, open any Office program and go to File> Account> Update Options> Update Now.

3 May 09:06 MSPoweruser https://mspoweruser.com/office-build-20042808-for-macos/
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Technology
Toyota Will Start Building Cars Again Soon

3 May 15:30 1 articles
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Toyota Will Start Building Cars Again Soon

Automakers are beginning to work on their plans to resume production following coronavirus-related factory closures. Toyota originally planned to reopen its North American manufacturing operation on May 4 but upon further consideration, it has decided to postpone these plans by one week. The Japanese automaker now says its production ramp-up will begin on the week of May 11. Toyota stresses that it intends to slowly restart production in compliance with federal health and safety guidelines, and local and state ordinances, keeping the health and safety of employees and stakeholders as the top priority. The automaker currently operates 14 manufacturing plants in North America, 10 of which are located in the United States. The Indiana plant builds the Toyota Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, the Kentuck plant builds the Avalon, Camry, RAV4 Hybrid, and Lexus ES, the Texas plant builds the Tacoma and Tundra, and the Mississippi plant builds the Corolla. There are also factories located in Canada and Mexico that build the RAV4, Tacoma, and Lexus RX. In order to keep workers at these facilities safe, Toyota says it has introduced new protocols. Toyota hasn't specified any of these protocols but we have seen similar measures put in place by Hyundai, with the availability of cleaning stations and other protective equipment. Hyundai will send workers back on May 1, a bit earlier than Toyota, and Tesla has already asked some employees to return to work. We are still waiting for official announcements from the big three American automakers. May 18 has reportedly been targeted as a date for Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler to restart but some members of the United Auto Workers union feel that this might be too soon and too risky. Automakers are anxious to get back to producing cars but even when these factories are back up and running, it may be a while before the assembly lines get back to pre-coronavirus volumes.

3 May 15:30 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/toyota-will-start-building-cars-again-soon
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Technology
Ford's Plan For Self-Driving Cars Appears In Danger

3 May 16:11 1 articles
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Ford's Plan For Self-Driving Cars Appears In Danger

One of Ford's most exciting ventures for next year was to be the launch of its autonomous robotaxi service - essentially, these self-driving taxis can pick up and drop customers off without the need for a driver. The advantage over regular ride-hailing services like Uber would be reduced costs to the consumer. Unfortunately, due to changing customer behaviors in light of the coronavirus, Ford has elected to push back the robotaxi service to 2022. Ford made the announcement as part of its Q1 2020 financial report which, as you can imagine, made for tough reading. A $2-billion loss in the first three months of the year probably doesn't make for the best foundation to launch an all-new, radical service like the robotaxi. But it's not all bad news, as the new Bronco and Mustang Mach-E are still expected before the end of the year. News of the postponed robotaxi comes after Ford tested self-driving prototypes in cities like Austin and Miami, with several self-driving Fusion sedans spotted around these areas. We previously reported on the self-driving vehicles being used to deliver groceries to customers at home, too. In a statement, Ford said: "Given the challenges of the current business environment, as well as the need to evaluate the long-term impact of Covid-19 on customer behaviors, Ford has made the decision to shift the launch of its self-driving services to 2022." The statement went on to emphasize the importance for customers to feel "safe and protected" in the vehicles they travel in, a nod to the pandemic and the need for increased social distancing. Ford's decision may be a disappointment for commuters, but it's likely a wise move on the automaker's part, as there is no telling exactly what consumer habits will be when life eventually returns to normal. In China, surveys have already shown that more people intend to purchase private cars in the months ahead, a trend that may also be repeated in the US. And private transportation doesn't get much more intriguing than with the arrival of the Mustang Mach-E, which remains the biggest move for Ford this year - we can't wait to experience this Tesla rival in the flesh, especially since we found out it's going to be even more powerful than expected. Although the 2020 allocation of the Mach-E has been accounted for, selected trims will be delivered to customers this year, provided everything goes according to schedule. The EV should help Ford close out the year on a much more positive note.

3 May 16:11 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/fords-plan-for-self-driving-cars-appears-in-danger
Rating: 0.68
Technology
America's Biggest Automaker Doubles Down On Its Bold Plan

3 May 17:36 1 articles
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America's Biggest Automaker Doubles Down On Its Bold Plan

Automotive technologies are advancing faster than ever, driven by a number of factors, among them safety and environmental. Cutting emissions has become the chief goal and going all-electric is the key to doing so. General Motors, America's biggest automaker, realized this new reality under the leadership of CEO Mary Barra. The company that produced the Chevy Corvette, Camaro, and many other sports and muscle cars, trucks and SUVs, is now taking direct aim at becoming an all-electric automaker. You read that right. The upcoming GMC Hummer EV will only be the first fully electrified truck and there have even been rumors the next Camaro may ditch internal combustion for batteries. Speaking to Automobile Magazine, GM Vice President for Electric and Autonomous Vehicles, Ken Morris, made clear his belief the automaker will make a complete transition to EVs in the not too distant future. "Our future's electric," he said. "You'll start to see some vehicles going away and frankly it's already happening a little bit. I see for sure a day when we're all-electric, and how many years is that from now? Maybe sooner than people would think." Bear in mind the automaker's only pure EV right now is the Chevy Bolt, which launched in 2016. Obviously this won't be the case for much longer as the Bolt CUV, Hummer, and Cadillac Lyriq are on their way. However, there's still a significant issue GM knows it must overcome, pricing. EVs are typically more expensive than their ICE counterparts, an issue that rightly discourages buyers. Morris acknowledged this and admitted GM is currently working on ways to bring down battery costs and to offer a greater variety of EVs in several segments. "On a daily basis we're talking about how we drive that down. It's going to have a broad band of price entry points. That'll come very quickly between now and 2025." Higher-priced EVs like the Hummer and Lyriq will, for the short term, help GM recoup some of the costs required for EV tech. The new modular Ultium battery system will power the planned 10 new EVs slated to launch by 2025 and this should help reduce some costs. The 400-plus mileage range and quick recharging capabilities will also lure customers. Above all, GM is moving at full-speed ahead with these EV projects despite the coronavirus pandemic forcing designers and engineers to work from home. "We know what we're doing is different than anything else that's out there right now. So, that's all I could tell you," Morris summed up.

3 May 17:36 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/americas-biggest-automaker-doubles-down-on-its-bold-plan
Rating: 0.68
Technology
Pontiac Grand Prix Limo Is For Gearheads On Prom Night

3 May 18:10 1 articles
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Pontiac Grand Prix Limo Is For Gearheads On Prom Night

Pontiac is long gone and like GM's other rebadged Chevy division, Oldsmobile, it's not coming back. Yesterday's Pontiac Grand Prix buyer is probably driving a Chevy Equinox crossover today instead. But as far as GM sees things, as long as those buyers stick with the automaker as a whole, then it's all good. But we still miss Pontiac, even rather unexciting models from the "Excitement" division like the Grand Prix. Clearly there are still plenty of them around despite their advancing age, but this doesn't mean they all have to end up in the junkyard. Take this 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix turned limousine. It's currently up for sale at CNC Motors in Upland, California for an asking price of $17,900. They'll even drop that amount by $2k if you purchase it online. Clearly a Nascar fan had the final say for the mid-size sedan-turned limousine's theme. Aside from the racing body graphics there's a hilarious rear spoiler and some hood pins. The engine under that hood is GM's old L26 3.8-liter V6 pumping out 200 horsepower that's sent to the front wheels via a four-speed automatic. Don't even ask about 0 to 60 mph times. Trust us, it'll take a while. This stretched Gran Prix has been driven a total of 22,564 miles, which really isn't at all bad considering it's a 16-year-old car. Supposedly, it'll return 20/30 mpg city/highway. The interior is a mix of tan cloth up front and a Nascar-themed booze fest in the back with black leather seats, a minibar, and a huge mirror mounted on the ceiling. This is definitely not the typical limousine you see these days, many of which are based on the Lincoln MKT. Still, given its relatively affordable sticker price, this thing is actually not a terrible buy, especially for a limo service looking to add something a bit different to its fleet.

3 May 18:10 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/pontiac-grand-prix-limo-is-for-gearheads-on-prom-night
Rating: 0.68
Technology
Super Rare Gemballa Avalanche Porsche 930 Turbo Is Still Expensive

3 May 19:36 1 articles
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Super Rare Gemballa Avalanche Porsche 930 Turbo Is Still Expensive

If you have around $200,000 to spare on a new ride, you could go out and buy a new 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo. But if you want something that'll stand out from the rest of the pack that still wears the Stuggart crest and don't mind going a bit old school, then this 1986 Porsche 930 Turbo-based Gemballa Avalanche is the answer. The Porsche 930 was already one of the best high-performance sports cars of the 1980s before aftermarket tuners Gemballa and RUF decided to take a crack at making it even better. Gemballa has long been known for its, shall we say, unique exterior styling and bespoke interiors. Founder Uwe Gemballa was tragically murdered in 2010 while in South Africa for a business trip gone wrong. But there were happier times. The Avalanche debuted in 1985 with a price tag of 390,000 Deutsche Marks, or about $700,000. Almost immediately it became the must-have exotic for 80s era celebrities like rapper Vanilla Ice. He even mentioned the car in the lyrics for one of his songs: "Of course a Vanilla rides the groove like a Gemballa Porsche." Each 930 donor car received bespoke body panels and interior upgrades fitted with the era's latest technologies. As for RUF, the renowned performance tuner was given the task of mechanical upgrades, including a dual-exhaust system, power output upgrade to 375 horsepower, and a five-speed "dog-leg" manual transmission. There are also 17-inch chrome-finished split-rim alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot rubber, chrome strut brace, and pop-up headlights instead of the classic fixed units. The interior is decked out with white dials, black leather sports seats, an electric sunroof and windows, and air conditioning. There's even a Cobra alarm system and an Alpine tuner CD player complete with a digital amplifier. This Avalanche's backstory dates back to 1986 when it was first registered to a dealer in Puerto Rico. Somewhere along the way, it was shipped to the UK where it remains today. It's just one of 15 examples built. Supposedly, it was built towards the very end of the production run and has barely been driven. There's less than 14,000 miles on its clock. The price? 199,950 GBP, or about $249,000 according to current exchange rates. Like we said, if you can afford a new 911 Turbo, this ultra-rare 80s oddity is also doable. The car is located in the UK so expect additional shipping costs.

3 May 19:36 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/super-rare-gemballa-avalanche-porsche-930-turbo-is-still-expensive
Rating: 0.68
Technology
Why You Should Get The Charger Hellcat Daytona Edition

3 May 20:11 1 articles
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Why You Should Get The Charger Hellcat Daytona Edition

The 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody is already the most powerful and exclusive version of the full-size Charger sedan but for 2020, Dodge decided to introduce a new special edition version. Called the Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition, it commemorates 50 years since the original 1969 Charger Daytona broke the 200 mph barrier in NASCAR. Fun fact: this Charger Hellcat can't actually hit 201 mph because of the widebody kit. Dodge said it would only build 501 numbered copies of the Charger Hellcat Daytona Edition and one of those was already wrecked. With only 500 examples up for grabs, should you buy one? Here's what you get with the 50th Anniversary Package and why we think it is worth the upgrade. It isn't too difficult to spot a Daytona Edition from the outside because of its large Daytona stripe and lip spoiler on the rear end. While not as outrageous as the original car's massive wing, the stripe and spoiler add a unique touch to the Charger. If you opt for B5 Blue, which is now an exclusive color for the Daytona Edition, or either Pitch Black or Triple Nickel, the Daytona stripe and the Hellcat fender badges are finished in white. If you opt for White Knuckle, these accents become blue. The only other major difference on the exterior is a new "Warp Speed" wheel finished in Satin Carbon, rather than the dark grey, black, or bronze of a standard Hellcat. It is always disappointing when a special edition model doesn't get an upgrade in power but this is Dodge after all, so power is always on the menu. The 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 has been cranked up to 717 horsepower, which is a 10-hp increase over the standard car. With 650 lb-ft of torque, Dodge says the Charger Hellcat Widebody can hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds (if you can manage the wheel spin) with a top speed of 196 mph. The 10-hp bump might not be much, but you will always know your Charger Hellcat is a bit more powerful than any other (until the Redeye comes out). In the cabin, there are several indicators of this car's special edition pedigree. The word "Daytona" is embroidered on the seats and matched with blue stitching on the suede/leather combination seats. There is also a "Daytona Limited Edition" badge on the dashboard, indicating what number the car is out of 501. Getting the Daytona package also adds real carbon fiber trim on the dashboard and surrounding the shifter. A 2020 Charger Hellcat Widebody starts at $69,645 and the Daytona Edition only adds another $4,495 to the price. With the Harmon Kardon stereo and built-in navigation, the price comes out to just under $80,000. That still seems like a bargain for a car with 717 hp but there is a catch. Due to the rarity of the Daytona Edition, some dealerships have marked up their cars to well over $100,000. We love the uniqueness of the Daytona package but we do not recommend paying $20,000 (or more) over sticker price for it. If you can find one at sticker, you should pull the trigger. And just remember, if all you want is a car with over 700 hp and you don't need four doors, used Challenger Hellcats can now be found used for less than $40,000.

3 May 20:11 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/features/why-you-should-get-the-charger-hellcat-daytona-edition
Rating: 0.68
Technology
One-Off Tesla Shooting Brake Has A Supercar Price Tag

3 May 21:36 1 articles
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One-Off Tesla Shooting Brake Has A Supercar Price Tag

The initial plan was to build 20 examples but, unfortunately, this didn't pan out. Instead, Dutch coachbuilder RemetzCar built only one Tesla Model S shooting brake, originally commissioned by car collector Floris de Raadt. With styling done by Niels van Roij Design, a bespoke tailgate was developed to make the final product look as if it came directly from Tesla itself. However, it was necessary to make new aluminum body panels and modify the window seals. A rear spoiler was also developed featuring a hidden rear window wiper and brake light. Above all, the vehicle's core elements remain intact, specifically its crumple zones; only the roofline has been extended. And now it's up for sale. What started off as a Tesla Model S P85 Performance RWD has become the only shooting brake of its kind by this particular coachbuilder. We previously learned about its existence exactly two years ago and we liked it immediately. Aside from the body modifications, chrome trim has been added from the A-pillars all the way along the roofline and around the panoramic sunroof. The all-electric powertrain with a total of 422 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque and 85 kWh battery pack remained untouched. The interior, however, received unique green piping on the leather seats while the exterior has a cool green metallic paint finish with a touch of gold. There are only 37,000 miles on the odometer and it still looks brand new inside and out. Now that it's achieved one-off status, this Model S shooting brake's exclusivity factored has shot up, as has the price tag. The asking price is 224,521 euros, including VAT, which is about $245,000 according to current exchange rates. However, customers from outside the EU don't have to pay the 21 percent VAT, which drops the price to 185,555 euros, or $205,863. Still, we're talking nearly supercar pricing here. A stock Model S P85 begins at $104,470 and fully-optioned comes to $140,370. Is the custom bodywork and interior tweaks worth the extra cost? Perhaps, actually. The coachwork here is extremely well done and the shooting brake styling suits the Model S nicely. There's also the one-off bragging rights that come with it.

3 May 21:36 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/one-off-tesla-shooting-brake-has-a-supercar-price-tag
Rating: 0.68
Technology
A BMW 3 Series Wagon Is A Practical Bargain For The Whole Family

3 May 22:35 1 articles
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A BMW 3 Series Wagon Is A Practical Bargain For The Whole Family

If an engineer wants to make a vehicle handle well, they lower the suspension. By all accounts then, station wagons should handle far better than lifted crossovers, which sacrifice center of gravity for a raised ride height and the illusion of off-road ability. Despite this, a harsh stigma of "uncoolness" still surrounds wagons in the United States after an entire generation of children was toted around in boxy Volvos and fake-wood paneled Caprices. There are very few wagons on sale in the US in 2020, which is why the body style accounts for just 1.4 percent of overall sales volume. Even BMW, a brand that has long embraced the idea of a sporty wagon, no longer offers one in the US market. The 2019 BMW 3 Series Wagon (F31 generation) was the last long roof car we got from Bavaria and now, used examples are very affordable. Station wagons offer a best-of-both-worlds approach to practicality and driving dynamics. They offer comparable storage space as crossovers but since they sit low to the ground, they still handle like a normal sedan or coupe. The F31 3 Series Wagon was not the most performance-oriented model we've ever seen but it does offer attractive styling, a well-appointed interior, and two drivetrain options. Since BMW will not offer the new 3 Wagon here in the US, buying a used F31 is the only way to get a relatively modern BMW wagon. The F31 3 Series wagon was sold from 2014 to 2019 and prices range highly depending on the year, equipment, and mileage. On the low end, early examples near the 100,000-mile mark start around $11,000 to $14,000. Very low mileage examples with a certified pre-owned BMW warranty can command over $40,000. BMW's CPO program includes a one-year/unlimited-mile warranty. BMW only offered a handful of configurations on the 3 Series Wagon including a turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine and a turbocharged four-cylinder diesel. 2014 to 2016 models with the gas engine were known as the 328i and included a 2.0-liter engine producing 241 horsepower. In 2017, the 328i was changed to the 330i, which received an increase to 248 hp. There was also the 328d, which produced only 180 hp but a chunky 280 lb-ft of torque. All 3 Series wagons were equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission going out to an xDrive all-wheel-drive system. The 328i and 330i models were pretty zippy with a 0-60 mph time of around 5.5 seconds while the 328d took around 7.5 seconds. Unless you look in the rearview mirror, there isn't much to differentiate a 3 Series Wagon's cabin from the sedan. Most of these cars came pretty well-optioned with iDrive navigation, heated seats, and Bluetooth, but some models did leave the factory with a smaller head unit offering a paired down infotainment experience. Being less than a decade-old at this point, the F31's cabin doesn't seem highly out of date compared to a modern BMW outside of the analog gauge cluster. Where the 3 Series Wagon branches away from its sedan counterpart is behind the rear seats. While the sedan only offered 13 cubic feet of space, the wagon holds 17.5 cubic feet behind the second row with room for nearly 53 cubic feet with the seats folded. There is even additional, hidden storage space underneath the load floor. Both examples of the 3 Wagon were quite frugal, even with xDrive. The 328i could achieve 22 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway while the 330i even improved the city fuel economy by one mpg. With the 328d, you could get up to 31 mpg in the city and 43 mpg on the highway, though the EPA later lowered these numbers down to 30 and 40 mpg, respectively. If you ask owners, those figures are highly conservative. Even though BMW never offered the F31 3 Series Wagon with a manual transmission, six-cylinder engine, or a sporty M version, we still think it would make a great daily driver for an enthusiast. Prices are now very affordable and with no new BMW wagons on the horizon, this may be your last option to buy one. We would recommend the more frugal diesel model with its juicy 280 lb-ft of torque or if you are feeling truly ambitious, buy a cheap one and swap in the engine from an M3.

3 May 22:35 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/features/a-bmw-3-series-wagon-is-a-practical-bargain-for-the-whole-family
Rating: 0.68
Technology
All-Original 1970 Plymouth Cuda Has An Eye-Popping Price Tag

3 May 23:20 1 articles
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All-Original 1970 Plymouth Cuda Has An Eye-Popping Price Tag

Modern-day muscle cars like the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat are a relatively common sight. Anyone can walk into a Dodge dealership and place an order. Aside from the Demon, production is based on demand and Dodge will build however many units necessary to meet that demand. Assuming you have the money, that 707 horsepower will set you back around $60,000. But if you're looking for one of the Challenger's ancestors in an all-original, unrestored state, be prepared to pay an awful lot more. Like twenty times more. Take this 1970 Plymouth Cuda, for example. Not only is it unrestored, but it has also just 86 original miles. How is this possible? Well, it was purchased new back in 1970 from Shreves Plymouth-Dodge by a guy who had recently retired. He must have had some fun retirement plans because he ordered this thing fully loaded. It has the 426 cubic inch 7.0-liter Hemi V8 good for 425 horsepower, a 727 automatic gearbox, that awesome Shaker hood, tie-down hood pins, dual exhaust with chrome tips, body-colored steel wheels wearing Dog Dish hubcaps, and vinyl bucket seats with a woodgrain console. The Tor Red exterior paint and black interior are clear-cut signs the original owner wanted to get attention. Unfortunately, that never happened. He died the same year he bought the car and barely had a chance to drive it. His wife then decided to place it into storage but not long after, she sadly died as well and the Cuda remained hidden away. Fast-forward a few decades, the car was found in its all-original glory, along with its original documents. It is a literal time capsule that will surely draw the attention of collectors. Thing is, you'll have to be a very wealthy collector. The asking price is $1.2 million - 20 times the price of a new Hellcat. This might just be the lowest mileage, completely original 1970 Plymouth Cuda in existence, and it was already special when new; it was one of the last 1970 Cudas built. But unlike a new Challenger Hellcat, chances are very slim you'll ever see this old Cuda on display at your local Saturday morning Cars and Coffee.

3 May 23:20 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/all-original-1970-plymouth-cuda-has-an-eye-popping-price-tag
Rating: 0.68
Technology
Weekly Treasure: 1990 Nissan Bluebird Wagon

3 May 14:51 1 articles
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Weighted average IN: 3.6

Weekly Treasure: 1990 Nissan Bluebird Wagon

Let's face it: station wagons are on the decline. While we have the Subaru Outback, Audi RS6 Avant and Allroad, Mercedes E-Class All-Terrain, and the Volvo V90, aside from the Outback, the rest are all luxury vehicles with high price tags. The affordable wagon's US market decline actually began over 30 years ago when the original Dodge Caravan arrived and continued in its downward spiral as crossovers and SUVs gained in popularity. But wagon fans are always on the lookout for an old school special. That's why this 1990 Nissan Bluebird Wagon is a seriously cool find. It's up for sale right now on Bring A Trailer and, as you can tell, it's a right-hand-drive model that was imported from Japan only last year. Power comes from a transverse-mounted 1.6-liter inline-four paired to a five-speed manual sending power to the front wheels. If you can't already tell, this example isn't totally stock as it features a lowered suspension and aftermarket wheels. The silver exterior paint also isn't original, but it works extremely well against the black bumpers, grille, and dual fender-mounted mirrors. The wheels also aren't stock, as they've been swapped out for a set of 14-inch Yokohama Advan Neova tires. The interior is trimmed in grey vinyl and the AM radio doesn't work. The odometer reads a total of about 12,000 miles, which is quite good considering the car is 30 years old. The Bluebird nameplate actually dates back decades to a time when Nissan was still called Datsun. In fact, the Bluebird is the Japanese automaker's most internationally recognized vehicle, though it's far more known as being a sedan. There were, however, some wagon body styles launched over the years. Some even made it to the US. The Bluebird nameplate has since been retired and models like the Nissan Maxima took its place. Of course, there is no wagon version of the Maxima and there never will be. Aside from some noted corrosion under the hood, rear hatch hinges, and underneath, this old Bluebird wagon appears to be in pretty good shape. As of this writing, the highest bid was only $1,000 though this will surely climb towards the auction's end date.

3 May 14:51 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/weekly-treasure-1990-nissan-bluebird-wagon
Rating: 0.68
Technology
McLaren's Ambitious Plan Is Now Behind Schedule

3 May 14:10 1 articles
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McLaren's Ambitious Plan Is Now Behind Schedule

Here's the good news: final work of the McLaren 765LT will proceed as planned. The bad news? Other projects further behind in the development phase are now behind schedule. Blame the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to the Automotive News Weekend Drive podcast, McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt said the virus outbreak will likely put the supercar company about two years behind schedule. "This [the pandemic] will have interrupted our momentum. This will have cost us probably two years," Flewitt admitted. "2020 we're going to do very little. I think it'll take us the whole of 2021 to climb back where we are now." Flewitt is referring to the Track25 program, an ambitious $1.6 billion plan that will see the launch of 18 new models and variants by 2025. The end goal is to make McLaren's entire lineup hybrid. Pausing McLaren's momentum is not easy and has been quite painful considering its solid sales success last year, but Flewitt stressed the importance of maintaining a positive attitude. "We are an ambitious company. I always like to think that this competitive spirit comes from our motorsports background because we're always pushing forward," he explained. "You can in the darker moments think 'This is such a shame, to have interrupted that momentum'. On the other hand, all of your energies go into 'How am I going to manage this? How are we going to keep the business moving forward? As you get to where we are now, how are we going to climb out of this?' We have two cars to launch this year, the 765LT and the Elva, and it'll be a bit more challenging to get it done. I think you keep yourself very focused on the challenges… but the trajectory is only interrupted temporarily and we will fight back through this." It's still too early for a complete business plan damage assessment, but there's a decent chance Flewitt will have to make some tough decisions in the months ahead. Mainly, which development programs are priority and which are less so. Variants of some models might have to be pushed aside entirely in order to remain focused on all-new vehicles, such as the upcoming next-generation Sport Series, which currently includes the best-selling McLaren 570S Spider. Resources can only go so far. While McLaren's Track25 plan may soon be renamed Track26 or Track27, there's no doubt the automaker will assess the damage, lick its wounds, and successfully implement a new plan.

3 May 14:10 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/mclarens-ambitious-plan-is-now-behind-schedule
Rating: 0.68
Technology
Fight Off Muscle Cars With This Juiced Up Audi Q5 Plug-In Hybrid

3 May 13:30 1 articles
Weight: 0.34
Importance: 0.34
Age penalty: 1.00
Best date: 3 May 13:30
Average US: 50.9
Weighted average US: 50.89999999999999
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Average IN: 3.6
Weighted average IN: 3.6

Fight Off Muscle Cars With This Juiced Up Audi Q5 Plug-In Hybrid

The Audi SQ5 is no longer the most powerful version of Audi's best-selling Q5 crossover you can buy - that accolade now belongs to the Q5 Plug-In Hybrid, at least until the Q5 eventually gets the full-fat RS treatment. Whereas the SQ5 has a 3.0-liter turbo V6 producing 349 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, the Q5 Hybrid's (or the 2020 Audi Q5 55 TSI e Premium with quattro S tronic, to give it its long-winded full name) 2.0-liter turbocharged engine and 14.1 kWh battery delivers a combined 362 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. To fill the void of a hardcore RS Q5, aftermarket tuner ABT Sportsline has worked its magic and given Audi's plug-in hybrid SUV a power boost. ABT also recently turned the RS6 Avant into a 740-hp supercar slayer. This is the first time ABT has tuned a plug-in hybrid vehicle. Thanks to a new power upgrade from ABT Sportsline, the 2.0-liter turbo combustion engine now produces 305 hp and 309 lb-ft of torque, resulting in a combined output of 419 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque. ABT hasn't said how this upgrade affects the performance, but it's probably safe to assume the modified Q5 Plug-In Hybrid will do the 0-62 mph sprint quicker than the standard model, which takes 5.3 seconds before the electrified crossover maxes out at 149 mph. To complement the performance upgrade, ABT has fitted 20-inch wheels with a two-color design. The most popular finish for the wheel is glossy black with a diamond-machined rim flange according to the tuner, but customers can also finish them in matt black with an entirely diamond-machined surface. In addition, ABT offers a comprehensive range of interior upgrades, ABT integrated entrance lights with logo projection, a start-stop switch cap with the ABT logo, and a shift knob cover in high-quality carbon fiber and leather. Pricing for ABT's tuning package hasn't been announced yet, but the standard Audi Q5 Plug-In Hybrid starts at $53,895 including the $995 destination charge. All ABT parts include a four year/100,000 mile warranty.

3 May 13:30 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/fight-off-muscle-cars-with-this-juiced-up-audi-q5-plug-in-hybrid
Rating: 0.68
Technology
There's A New Lexus Rumor That Will Haunt BMW

3 May 12:51 1 articles
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There's A New Lexus Rumor That Will Haunt BMW

The future of the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 from Toyota and Lexus has been confirmed: it will be phased out and a new twin-turbo V6 will take its place. The announcement shouldn't have come as a big surprise, but it's still sad to hear nonetheless. However, before that V8 takes its final bow, Lexus might launch a certain model variant that will surely please brand enthusiasts and could even give the likes of BMW some trouble. According to Japanese language Carsensor.net, a V8-powered Lexus IS 500 is reportedly in the works specifically for the North American market. A right-hand-drive JDM version is not planned. If true, think of the IS 500 as a last hurrah for not only the V8 but also the current generation Lexus IS sport sedan. Revealed back in 2013, the third-generation IS last underwent an update for the 2016 model year and instead of being replaced outright, it'll receive yet another significant refresh for 2021. The plan would be to continue with the current IS for another three years until the fourth-gen model arrives. Interestingly, the report claims the new IS won't switch to the brand's rear-wheel-drive architecture or even the RWD platform that will underpin the next Mazda 6, which is being co-developed with Toyota. Instead, the plan is to turn the Lexus IS into a Tesla Model 3 fighter. If so, it will be the first Lexus model to utilize the new e-TNGA electric vehicle architecture. Going from a naturally aspirated V8 to an all-electric powertrain would be a major change, but there is some logic here. Lexus also just announced the discontinuation of the GS RWD sedan, which also means the GS F is finished. It's powered by that same V8 and the IS provides Lexus with the opportunity to keep that engine around a little while longer. A Lexus IS 500 could potentially produce a hearty 475 horsepower and 395 lb-ft of torque. Think of it as the Lexus IS F we've been hoping to see return for years. For the time being, Lexus has not applied for the IS 500 trademark in the US, though that could change at any time. Allowing the IS to fill the void that'll soon be left by the GS F would enable Lexus to stay in the high-powered sports sedan game for the next few years. Again, this is merely a rumor for now but it doesn't sound so far-fetched.

3 May 12:51 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/theres-a-new-lexus-rumor-that-will-haunt-bmw
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Technology
Classic Mercedes G-Wagen Becomes Awesome Camper

3 May 12:11 1 articles
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Classic Mercedes G-Wagen Becomes Awesome Camper

If you want to live in a vehicle, a van like the Mercedes-Benz Metris is a great place to start. For those who want something more retro and aren't in love with the idea of driving a van, a classic pickup truck can also make an interesting camper. But what if you want something even more unique? Lorinser is a German tuner that specializes in building luxury vehicles based on modern Mercedes models. The company would normally set its sights on a 2020 Mercedes Benz G-Class but has instead opted to restore a handful of ex-Swiss Army G-Wagens. If you want a totally unique camping vehicle, look no further. This particular is example is a 1993 230GE, which wears a Puch badge rather than the Mercedes three-pointed star. The G-Class was once sold as a Puch in markets like Austria and Switzerland, which could be a fun bit of trivia for the next time you go to a Mercedes car meetup. Here's the best part: since this example was built in 1993, it is legally eligible to be imported into the United States! Lorinser took the 230GE and installed a hardtop that is painted with a map, originally drawn by Flemish cartographer Petrus Bertius during the 17th century. The body was painted in a green-gray matt color while the 116 horsepower four-cylinder and four-speed automatic transmission were both left alone. Other modifications include brighter LED headlights and modern steel wheels with BF Goodrich tires. The Puch has less space than most camper vans but it appears to house plenty of room to sleep two adults with as many beds. It also includes a microwave, kitchenette, sink, two folding tables, hand shower, and auxiliary heating. There are even solar panels on the roof to power some of the equipment. Lorinser says the G-Wagen only has 88,000 kilometers (55,000 miles) on the odometer and the restored vehicle is now up for sale with a list price of 69,900 euros ($75,705). That's cheaper than your average house, that's for sure. Would you venture off into the wilderness in this thing? Let us know in the comments below.

3 May 12:11 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/classic-mercedes-g-wagen-becomes-awesome-camper
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Technology
Drag Race: 840-HP BMW M5 Vs. McLaren 720S

3 May 11:30 1 articles
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Drag Race: 840-HP BMW M5 Vs. McLaren 720S

The drag race game has evolved substantially over the last decade with the introduction of electric cars that can launch rapidly and dismantle super sedans and supercars alike. We've become accustomed to seeing Teslas destroying mid-engined Lamborghinis as just another day on the internet, so when we see high-speed races that don't involve anything electric, we tend to take notice a little more. Today's race, in particular, piqued our interest, not just because it features the world-beating McLaren 720S, but because it lines up against a BMW M5 tuned to deliver 840 horsepower. Place your bets… The video, which appears to be a full review of the 720S really takes off at around the 17-minute mark, however, when we're introduced to the BMW M5 it's set to take on. In stock form, the BMW produces up to 617 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque from its twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8, sending that power to all four wheels via M Drive, with the option to become RWD-only. The McLaren is substantially more potent, developing 710 hp and 568 lb-ft from a mid-mounted twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, sending power exclusively to the rear wheels. While the BMW can achieve the 0-60 mph sprint in 3.1 seconds, the McLaren manages it in 2.8 seconds, and from there, it would usually just keep extending its lead. But this isn't an ordinary M5, and with an additional 130 hp over the McLaren, things could be very different indeed. While the BMW has a definite power advantage, as well as a traction advantage, the McLaren is a lightweight, built-for-purpose machine that has been proving time and time again that it punches way above its weight. To jump straight into the action, jump to the 21-minute mark in the video, and get ready for an explosive drag race.

3 May 11:30 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/drag-race-840-hp-bmw-m5-vs-mclaren-720s
Rating: 0.68
Technology
Ford's Potentially Devastating F-150 Problem Has Been Solved

3 May 10:50 1 articles
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Ford's Potentially Devastating F-150 Problem Has Been Solved

The Ford F-150 is critical for the automaker. For years, it has been the best-selling vehicle for the Blue Oval as well as in America. Without this full-size truck, Ford would be a very different automaker. Last month, a tornado struck the BorgWarner factory in Seneca, South Carolina, severely damaging the facility that produces transfer cases for the F-150 as well as the Ford Explorer and Expedition, and Lincoln Aviator and Navigator. The plant's roof was ripped off and part of the building itself collapsed. Without this critical transmission component, Ford would have a serious problem (as if the coronavirus pandemic isn't already enough of a problem). Fortunately, it seems Ford has dodged a bullet on this one. Automotive News reports Ford and plant officials moved fast with a damage assessment and numerous various other efforts and have managed to find a way to get the plant up and running. Within only 12 hours of the tornado strike, repair teams were on the scene and quickly got to work. The plant's roof has been temporarily repaired as well as the necessary computer rooms that manage the production line. As a result, Ford reports there will be no production disruption. "I'm extremely confident that when we start up our systems in the US and North America, BorgWarner will support them. The risk is dropping every day," said Gary Johnson, Ford's chief manufacturing and labor affairs officer. "The decision was made to help retrofit the plant to make it viable to come back." BorgWarner added it plans to resume production at the end of the month. And speaking of production, Ford said late last week it intends to restart production at its North American plants the moment the government gives approval. No specific restart dates have been set as of this writing. Meanwhile, Ford's European plants are scheduled to reopen tomorrow, May 4.

3 May 10:50 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/fords-potentially-devastating-f-150-problem-has-been-solved
Rating: 0.68
Technology
Here's How Porsche Uses Augmented Reality To Fix Your Car

3 May 10:15 1 articles
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Here's How Porsche Uses Augmented Reality To Fix Your Car

As carmakers adapt to a new reality, it appears that Porsche already had a piece of technology in its service centers that is now coming in handy. As of a year ago, Porsche service centers have had the ability to use augmented reality to conduct a Porsche "Tech Live Look." With Field Technical Experts currently unable to visit dealerships in person, Tech Live Looks allows the experts to communicate with local technicians using a "see what I see" feature. This feature is seen being used here to service a 2020 Porsche Panamera but could also be used to service classic vehicles that require additional expertise. Porsche says the number of Tech Live Look sessions have tripled from February to March and are now being used at least once per day on average. It may be a while before global travel goes back to normal and in the meantime, Porsche has found a clever way to service cars safely. "Tech Live Look has gained a new level of significance for us in the current situation," said Doug House, Manager, Technical Support for Porsche Cars North America. "It accelerates the service on the vehicle and, most importantly, helps ensure customers' mobility at a critical time." Using the Tech Live Looks, Porsche says it can shorten service resolution times by up to 40 percent. In addition to the service's real-time video capability, the technical support team can also take screenshots and send technical bulletins while the service technician is working on a vehicle. Porsche has a US team of experts answering calls from Atlanta where the PCNA headquarters is located and for more complex issues, a team at the Porsche HQ in Germany is also available.

3 May 10:15 CarBuzz https://carbuzz.com/news/heres-how-porsche-uses-augmented-reality-to-fix-your-car
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Technology
US Department of Transportation Says Blockchain Has Many Applications For Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones)

3 May 19:30 1 articles
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US Department of Transportation Says Blockchain Has Many Applications For Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones)

Blockchain technology could assist with adjusting and improving current technical challenges in the expanding business of commercial drone delivery, said the US Department of Transport (DOT). Distributed ledger technology could see utilization in different sectors, from security and identification to flight data recording. According to a research paper from the US Department of Transport, the estimated number of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) was roughly 1.1 million in 2017. A projection on the matter predicts that the number will rise with 50% by 2024. Daily applications include carrying medicine and organs for transplant, making consumer deliveries, and even operating flamethrowers and machine guns. According to Jay Merkle, Director of the Federal Aviation Administration UAS Integration Office, there are “nearly four times as many UAS as registered manned aircraft.” You Might Also Like: Despite their growth in the past several years, the DOT outlined several potential issues with the current operational systems. Per the report, “the integrity and compliance of any UAS swarm can pose challenges to bystanders, infrastructure, and controllers.” Being unmanned is a significant benefit in some circumstances, but it also raises additional trust concerns. Blockchain has already addressed some UAS trust and integrity issues, the report informed. Future employments include flight data recorders (black boxes). However, instead of investigating data following an incident or other event, blockchain-based flight recorders could be examined in real-time, allowing law enforcement agencies to be proactive. During delivery operations, a DLT-based repository could log information about processes such as time, location, delivery date, and resources. Thus, it could make the data accessible to authenticated users and stakeholders again in real-time. The tech giant IBM has obtained a patent allowing blockchain utilization for drone fleet security. By storing data associated with UAS flights, the DLT ledger would ensure air traffic controllers supervise the ever-increasing number of drones. Enjoy reading? Please share: Facebook Twitter Whatsapp LinkedIn Telegram Binance Futures Limited Offer: Use this link to register & get 10% discount on fees (Exclusive to CryptoPotato).Click here to start trading on BitMEX and receive 10% discount on fees for 6 months.Read more on: BlockchainBlockchain AdoptionUnited States

3 May 19:30 CryptoPotato https://cryptopotato.com/us-department-of-transportation-says-blockchain-has-many-applications-for-unmanned-aircraft-systems-drones/
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Technology
OPPO A92 looks like a refreshed A9 2020 with better features

3 May 16:16 1 articles
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OPPO A92 looks like a refreshed A9 2020 with better features

Oppo Malaysia is launching the Oppo A92 very soon and it offers a big display and a huge battery. Ahead of the launch, Oppo has dropped a number of clues and it appears to be an upgraded version of the Oppo A9 2020. The Oppo A92 will now feature a Full HD+ display that comes with a punch-hole for its selfie camera. As teased earlier, the device will feature a quad-camera setup and Oppo has confirmed that it will get a 48MP main camera and an ultra-wide-angle lens. For a clean look at the rear, the device is using a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. There’s no mention of the processor just yet but the A92 will come with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage. Powering the device is a huge 5,000mAh and it supports 18W fast charging. Previously, it was speculated that the A92 could be a higher-spec variant of the A52 that was launched in China. According to serial leakster Roland Quandt, the European market is getting the Oppo A72 instead which comes with a 48MP main camera and a 16MP selfie shooter. He also added that the device will be running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665. Overall, this looks like a model refresh of the A9 2020 that was released in Malaysia last year for RM1,199. The biggest change is the higher resolution display and the ability to support 18W fast charging via USB-C. This could be a serious challenger to Samsung’s Galaxy A51. All shall be revealed during the Livestream that’s happening today, 4th May at 11am. You can watch the livestream on Facebook. Oppo is also doing a giveaway during its live stream with one unit of Oppo A92 and three units of Oppo Enco W31 up for grabs. You can learn more about the giveaway here.

3 May 16:16 SoyaCincau.com https://www.soyacincau.com/2020/05/04/oppo-a92-malaysia-launch-key-features-revealed-xrs/
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Technology
How To Send Money Using WhatsApp To Any Of Your Contacts – New Feature

3 May 09:34 1 articles
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How To Send Money Using WhatsApp To Any Of Your Contacts – New Feature

How To Send Money Using WhatsApp To Any Of Your Contacts This is some extremely incredible news! life will never be the same again as the biggest messaging platform,WhatsApp, has made sending and receiving money easier by joining Unified Payment Interface (UPI).  What does this entail? WhatsApp users will now be able to make payments to anyone from their WhatsApp contact list.  This In-Chat Payment feature will enable users to both send and receive money. Sending and receiving cash has never been this easy and straightforward. So how do set this In-Chat Payment feature and get to use it? Here is how to go about it To enable this, ask somebody who has activated this feature on their mobile device to initiate a transfer. Just like that, the feature will start showing up on your phone as well once they initiate a transfer. When you have just enabled the option, follow the process below in order to register your phone with WhatsApp Payments. Stage 1: Open WhatsApp and go to settings. Stage 2: From the following rundown of options, select Payments. Basically, this is where you should set up your UPI account and link it with WhatsApp. Stage 3: The accompanying screen will request that you confirm your phone number, tap on ACCEPT AND CONTINUE to continue. On the following screen, confirm your number and if everything is right, tap on VERIFY VIA SMS. Step by step instructions to SEND MONEY ON WHATSAPP When you have completed the process, sending money through WhatsApp is extremely simple. It’s much the same as sending an instant message. Here’s how you can do it. Stage 1: Select the individual you need to send cash to. Open the current chat or another separate chat. Select the paperclip symbol on the base of the screen and tap on the Payment option. Stage 2: Enter the ideal sum that you need to send. To test, we actually transferred some money utilizing WhatsApp Payments. When the cash is effectively sent, you will get a text notification, alongside two blue-ticks if the user has enabled that. WhatsApp Payments is a splendid feature, however, unfortunately, it’s simply restricted to users in India since UPI requires Aadhaar validation to work. To imitate this for different nations, WhatsApp can proceed with PayPal or even use digital currency for this. Related Articles You May Be Interested In : How To Never Miss IHarare Latest News On Your News Feed Following Facebook’s New Algorithm IMPORTANT NOTICE: Dear invaluable iHarare Reader. It is our sheer delight to introduce our intelligent Whatsapp service which allows you to access the latest News, Jobs and Exchange rates on WhatsApp. Send a WhatsApp message with the word HIE to +263718636522 or just CLICK HERE to try it out. iHarare has morphed into an integrated information one-stop-shop. Please click on the links highlighted in Red to access News, Events, Jobs, Pricecheck, Classifieds, Dating and Education services by iHarare.For any queries contact us by CLICKING HERE .

3 May 09:34 iHarare News https://iharare.com/how-to-send-money-using-whatsapp-to-any-of-your-contacts-new-feature/
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Technology
Toronto-based dotmobile adds three new brands to upcoming marketplace

3 May 13:37 1 articles
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Toronto-based dotmobile adds three new brands to upcoming marketplace

Toronto-based wireless startup, dotmobile, has partnered with Solutions 2 Go (SG2) to add three new brands to its marketplace on its upcoming app. Brampton-based SG2 is a global distributor of video game products, and currently represents all video game publishers in the Canadian market. Through the upcoming app, Dotmobile plans to deliver a “hyper-focused” shopping experience that is not available through other wireless service providers. The app is currently in closed alpha testing. “We offer more than just cases and chargers, introducing our members to great brands and unique products that wireless providers typically ignore,” said Alex Bauman, the chief experience officer of dotmobile, in a press release. The first brand joining the marketplace in the app is California-based Speck, which is known for its durable phone cases. Next is Seattle-based 8Bitdo, which designs and manufactures high quality retro Bluetooth controllers for gaming on the go. California-based Razer will also be joining the marketplace. The company is a global hardware manufacturing company, as well as an esports and financial services provider. Dotmobile says that most wireless providers focus on the traditional retail environment and the latest generation of devices, but that it will offer more services centred around the phone that people already have. The company says that being able to service, repair or buy new accessories for your phone, instead of buying a new one every year, is part of making wireless more affordable. “In the changing landscape, being able to do business online is a strategic imperative for us as a future wireless service provider,” said Algis Akstinas, CEO of dotmobile, in a press release. Dotmobile’s goal is to make wireless more affordable for youth, seniors, students, newcomers, visitors to the country, small businesses and families that want to save. Source: dotmobile

3 May 13:37 mobilesyrup https://mobilesyrup.com/2020/05/03/dotmobile-marketplace-brands/
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Technology
BMW: “Driving down battery cost will lead to widespread EV adoption”

3 May 16:37 1 articles
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BMW: “Driving down battery cost will lead to widespread EV adoption”

We recently had the chance to have a sit down with some BMW experts working in the Battery Cell Competence Center in Munich. The new 120 million Euro facility allows engineers and scientists to work on one of the hottest topics in the automotive industry today: batteries. The world is hellbent on adopting electric vehicles on a wider scale but there are some hiccups in the way, hiccups that will eventually be dealt with. We’ve had the chance of talking about solid state batteries and the challenges they pose, as well as other related topics. BMW says that “it doesn’t seem to be a ‘Holy Grail’ solution rising in the horizon for now, so we’ll have to make due with the technology we have right now and continue refining it.” When it comes to the current electric cars, most of them, as you might’ve noticed, have a higher price tag than you would expect from cars in their respective segments. There’s a reason for that, as car makers keep highlighting: the electric drivetrain cost. Batteries are expensive to make and it’s not because of the car makers, but rather because of the materials needed to make them. According to the experts, some noticeable improvements have been made in the field but there’s still a lot more work to be done. Therefore, the primary goal of their work is to cut down cost. “The battery system itself is heavily driven by the material costs. And the material costs are include the active materials – the metals – and the battery manufacturing costs. About 80% of the total battery pack cost comes from the materials used for the cells and only 20% comes from the manufacturing process and everything else needed to make them.” As such, when you take into consideration the total cost of an electric drivetrain, the most expensive parts are the raw metals used to make up the cells inside the battery, accounting for about 50% of the sum. Therefore, in order to cut down costs and eventually offer cheaper EV cars for the masses, these prices need to come down. BMW says that the biggest problem in this regard is cobalt, which is the most expensive and the hardest to get, creating social problems in the areas where it is mined. BMW was among the first companies to raise a flag about these issues. The Bavarians are now part of a number of initiatives that seek to improve the life of the people in the cobalt. They also source its supply responsibly from Morocco and Australia. All those efforts, however, come with a price that is reflected in the end product. Luckily, the amount of cobalt needed for batteries these days has dropped considerably from about 50% back in 2013 to less than 10% right now. It also looks like cobalt-free batteries are on the way and should arrive over the next few years.

3 May 16:37 BMW BLOG https://www.bmwblog.com/2020/05/03/bmw-driving-down-battery-cost-will-lead-to-widespread-ev-adoption/
Rating: 0.41
Technology
PHOTO GALLERY: BMW M850i xDrive Coupe featured in Sunset Orange metallic

3 May 16:42 1 articles
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PHOTO GALLERY: BMW M850i xDrive Coupe featured in Sunset Orange metallic

Delight your eyes with this fresh photo gallery from the Australian market of the BMW M850i xDrive Coupe (G15). The Sunset Orange metallic paintwork is a perfect match with the dynamic character of the M850i xDrive Coupe. It certainly renders the car a spectacular look with its unique shine. The color powerfully contrast with the shiny black finish of the kidney grille, side window ornaments and alloy wheels, as part of the BMW Individual high-gloss Shadow Line package with extended content. This BMW M850i Coupe is also enhanced with specific M Performance carbon fiber parts like the aerodynamic elements on the front air intakes, the exterior mirror casings, the discrete, trunk-mounted spoiler, the impressive rear diffuser and the CFRP, lightweight roof. As seen in these photos, the M850i is certainly a beefy, high-performance grand tourer with a very slender silhouette and a concentrated, dynamic elegance like the original E31 8 Series. The cabin of this V8-powered 8 Series is dressed in the full BMW Individual Merino Black leather upholstery, with aluminum trim finishers on the center console, CraftedClarity glass applications and ///M seat belts. Besides the Carbon Core and M Performance lightweight components, the BMW M850i is also equipped with the high-performance M brake system, the M rear-axle differential and the fully adaptive M chassis. The extensively reengineered N63 petrol engine retains the 4,395 cc displacement and V8 cylinder architecture, boasting a peak output of 390 kW / 530 PS (523 hp) and delivering a maximum torque of 750 Nm (553 lb-ft). The extensive package of technical measures oriented towards achieving a sharp driving performance certainly make the M850i xDrive Coupe an ideal companion for fast and pleasurable journeys. It is quite sad that the G15 model is, most likely, the very last proper 8 Series Coupe. After this generation, the 8 Series is rumored to live on solely as a Gran Coupe, set to be developed with a significant contribution from the M division. Now, let’s see more photos of the Sunset Orange BMW M850i xDrive Coupe in the following gallery.

3 May 16:42 BMW BLOG https://www.bmwblog.com/2020/05/03/photo-gallery-bmw-m850i-xdrive-coupe-featured-in-sunset-orange-metallic/
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Technology
Cardano (ADA) Runs Shelley Network Tests Successfully

3 May 16:07 1 articles
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Cardano (ADA) Runs Shelley Network Tests Successfully

Decentralized blockchain network Cardano (ADA) on May 1, 2020, shared several roadmap updates in its weekly development report. Among other significant developments, the Cardano team successfully ran the first tests of the decentralized Shelley Network. High-throughput distributed ledger technology (DLT) network Cardano recently shared the latest developments to take place in the rapidly budding ADA ecosystem. Most notably, the Cardano team stated that it had run its first successful tests of a completely decentralized Shelley network, with blocks issued by stake pool operators rather than genesis delegates. This milestone is particularly significant for the ADA ecosystem which validates the ledger and consensus implementation of the team. The announcement reads in part: Adding: For the uninitiated, Cardano is steadily moving toward the highly-anticipated Shelley upgrade which is poised to bring a slew of performance improvement changes to the network. BTCManagerreported on April 28 how the first block of the Shelley mainnet had been mined signifying a major milestone for the network. Cardano shared that its DevOps team has been rigorously testing the Shelley CLI tools to ensure they can generate genesis blocks and run nodes in Praos. In addition, the Cardano team worked on improving the Daedalus installer by adding detection for unsupported operating systems at install times. The installers will now also support WebAssembly code from the JavaScript chain libraries. The team reimplemented the wallet recovery phrase verification feature to improve the overall user experience. Improvements in the wallet’s delegation fee calculation when delegating or under delegating stake were also made, the announcement added.

3 May 16:07 BTC Manager https://btcmanager.com/cardano-ada-shelley-network/
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Technology
IOTA-Powered Decentralized Social Media Platform Announced

3 May 10:00 1 articles
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IOTA-Powered Decentralized Social Media Platform Announced

On May 2, 2020, SOCIETY2 announced an IOTA-based social network that gives back users control over their privacy and content ownership. The newly announced social network leverages IOTA’s distributed ledger technology (DLT) to give users an alternative to traditional social media. Inspired by the ecosystems and applications made possible by leveraging blockchain technology, SOCIETY2 is developed on top of the IOTA network. The project recently announced its social media network with an aim to put control of personal data, social media content, and communication back into the hands of users. In recent times, the exponential rise of popular social media networks including Facebook, Instagram, and WeChat in Asia, has compromised the safety of personal data to a large extent. Today, data has become a commodity enjoyed by web and social media oligarchs. By utilizing the decentralized-nature of DLT, SOCIETY2 seeks to enable choice and control for social media users. Per sources close to the matter, SOCIETY2 users will be able to “explicitly, transparently, and easily” choose their level of privacy. Data shared on the platform is stored on IOTA’s cutting-edge Tangle network. On SOCIETY2, users can choose to view ads as per their preference for which they also get paid. Such a micropayments-based payment system on the network will enable profit sharing, and fair revenue splits between content creators and consumers. It’s worth reiterating that information shared on SOCIETY2 will be “portable” in nature in that any user who isn’t satisfied with the social network can choose to migrate to another platform. This will be enabled with the help of Decentralized Identity (DID) built on top of IOTA. Of late, several blockchain and cryptocurrency projects have taken initiatives to launch their own social media networks that typically encourage the use of native digital tokens. Further, by capitalizing on the decentralized nature of blockchain, it’s fairly easy for such projects to stand out in the largely undifferentiated social media space. For instance, in June 2019, Block.One, the firm behind the EOS blockchain project unveiled plans to launch its own social media platform with an aim to reward quality content creators. Most recently, major cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex announced the launch of its native social network called Bitfinex Pulse.

3 May 10:00 BTC Manager https://btcmanager.com/iota-decentralized-social-media-platform/
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Technology
Another Apple Finally™: The iPad Toaster-Fridge

3 May 15:22 1 articles
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Another Apple Finally™: The iPad Toaster-Fridge

Follow by Jean-Louis Gassée Ever since it first shipped ten years ago, the iPad has been bedeviled by controversy: Is this a toy or a serious computer? Content consumption tablet for tech illiterates, or content creation tool for real pros? From day one, I liked the iPad’s unique combination of power and simplicity but I was frustrated when I tried to use the beguiling tablet for my everyday work. Year after year, I tried to use the latest iPad and iOS instances to write my weekly Monday Note but couldn’t get into a pleasant and productive workflow. I envied the skill and enthusiasm of adept iPad users who claimed they used Apple’s tablet “for everything”, but to this klutzy — and perhaps too set in his ways — keyboard and mouse pounder, it sounded a bit like the Third Lie of computing: You Can Do It! Then, at the June 2019 WWDC, Apple introduced iPadOS, an iPad-dedicated version of iOS that promised a multi-window/multi-app user interface afforded by a broad gamut of multitasking gestures. Here, “promised” is the operative word. In reality, as discussed in an October 2019 Monday Note, there was serious iPadOS discoverability trouble. Unlike on the almost self-evident Mac, the iPad’s new gestures were hard to figure out. I heard similar complaints percolating from a certain circular building in Cupertino. In early February, in iPad at 10 — Now What?, I quoted (and strongly agreed with) John Gruber, a well connected and articulate Apple observer [as always, edits and emphasis mine]: It seems that Apple was listening. On March 18th, Sr VP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi introduced the iPad Magic Keyboard and trackpad in this YouTube demo. When the first units shipped last month, favorable reviews appeared, especially a very detailed, very positive one from John Gruber that concluded thus: Other helpful reviews include those by Tech.pinions’ Ben Bajarin, The Verge’s Dieter Bohn, and Six Colors’ Jason Snell. Encouraged, I decided to try again and started using the Magic Keyboard that landed on my doorsteps late last week. This meant going iPad-only for apps that I use on a daily basis: Mail, Safari, Tweetbot, Feedly, and, of course, Pages to write this very Monday Note. On the whole, things didn’t go too badly. I needed to learn (or relearn) the iPad features and gestures that drive the “content creation” workflow, but I managed to research and write this piece and get my daily dose of tweets, blog posts, mail, and news in the US and in Europe. But… Some third-party apps are not (yet) fully cognizant of the Magic Keyboard and its trackpad. And some Apple apps behave in ways that make me question whether iPadOS and macOS engineers actually work for the same company. I gave up an attempt to list the inconsistencies between macOS and iPadOS versions of Mail, Pages, and Safari — they’re too numerous. Some are minor but annoying, such as the way cursor keys work or the handling of hyperlinks. Others are more perplexing…why does Pages handle paragraph indentation differently in the two Apple OS? Upon reflection, I come to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter for the medium term. The inconsistencies that really matter, that make the user’s life less enjoyable, will get fixed. Measuring the progress of the hardware and software that shipped in less than a year and extrapolating into the future, we may now — finally™ — agree with Tim Cook’s 2015 statement that the iPad represents “the clearest expression of our vision of the future of personal computing”. After a decade of iPad evolution, we now have a shape-shifting personal computing device whose personalities range from media consumption, to white collar professional uses, to creating works of art. As a pretend laptop replacement, the current incarnation isn’t as polished as the MacBook Air, but it offers a much richer gamut of uses and interaction modes. I’ll add a special mention for the new iPadOS Smart Cursor, one that really deserves its name. A few thoughts to end my Pages-on-iPad romp. With an 11” iPad Pro + Magic Keyboard on my lap, I can’t help but think how much lighter an ARM-based Mac would feel and how long its battery would last. (Five weeks ago, I postulated such Macs wouldn’t happen but it now seems I’ll be proven wrong sometime next year.) Second, the combination of keyboard + trackpad + touch screen is quite pleasant. Yes, Microsoft has offered the combination for a while, but the touch implementation on the Surface isn’t as natural as it is on the iPad. Finally, and because I can’t help myself, let’s pause and meditate a moment on past statements from Apple execs who breezily dismissed talk of besmirching the iPad’s pristine purity by grafting a hardware keyboard and trackpad that would give the company’s cherished tablet “laptop-like” capabilities. ‘No way, this would amount to a toaster-fridge contraption!’. We’ll not hold it against them. — JLG@mondaynote.com

3 May 15:22 Medium https://mondaynote.com/another-apple-finally-the-ipad-toaster-fridge-30655e71e305?gi=95667518d8e5
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Technology
Original Google Home is Just $29 Right Now

3 May 15:27 1 articles
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Original Google Home is Just $29 Right Now

The original Google Home, the device that kickstarted this whole smart home speaker category for Google, is down to $29 today and what has to be its lowest price ever. First introduced in May of 2016 before going on sale in November later that year, this device is closing in on being 4 years old. We have seen this Google Assistant-powered speaker’s family grow during that time with Home Hubs and Minis and Maxes over the years, many of which have been upgraded. This device, however, has never been upgraded or replaced. Maybe that’s coming soon with this wild flash sale. The original Google Home started at $129, so you are saving $100 from that original price. Almost every single retailer that sells it has dropped the price to $29.

3 May 15:27 Droid Life https://www.droid-life.com/2020/05/03/original-google-home-is-just-29-right-now/
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Technology
Concept Creator shows his vision of Nokia 9.3 Pureview

3 May 15:34 1 articles
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Concept Creator shows his vision of Nokia 9.3 Pureview

A talented friend of mine, Jermaine Smit, has realized his own version of the yet unreleased Nokia 9.3 PureView on his YouTube channel Concept Creator. This new Nokia 9.3 PureView concept didn’t rely previous generation, but instead made its own statement using the ageing, but still gorgeous Lumia design. The concept phones are seen in three colorways — one is black with some chrome highlights, the other is simple Pixel-esque white, and of course, the bright Lumia 1020-esque yellow which we assume has a polycarbonate backplate. On the front is a large bezel-less display with rounded corners, featuring an in-display camera (which unfortunately, will not come on the Nokia 9.3 PureView due to some technological limitations). The back has 5 cameras, with triple LED flash. Jermaine still hasn’t replied what those cameras are (busy), but let’s pretend that it has a dedicated wide-angle lens. And yes fam, it has a dedicated camera button – instead of the useless Google Assistant trigger. Unfortunately, the ToF sensor is nowhere to be seen. What do you think about this concept? Let us know in the comments down below. 🙂 Thanks Mark for the link 🙂

3 May 15:34 Nokiamob https://nokiamob.net/2020/05/03/concept-creator-shows-his-vision-of-nokia-9-3-pureview/
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Technology
Beware! Smartphone Users More at Risk to Reveal Personal Info Online

3 May 15:36 1 articles
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Beware! Smartphone Users More at Risk to Reveal Personal Info Online

New York: People are more willing to reveal personal information about themselves online using their smartphones compared to desktop computers, says a study. Also Read - 'Sharp Spike in Emergency Requests For User Information by Indian Government,' States Facebook Transparency Report 2019 The study, published in the Journal of Marketing, suggests that the device people use to communicate can affect the extent to which they are willing to disclose intimate or personal information about themselves. Also Read - Fitness app games no substitute for actual exercise For example, tweets and reviews composed on smartphones are more likely to be written from the perspective of the first person, to disclose negative emotions, and to discuss the writer’s private family and personal friends. Also Read - Do you know how Google responds to search warrants? Likewise, when consumers receive an online ad that requests personal information (such as phone number and income), they are more likely to provide it when the request is received on their smartphone compared to their desktop or laptop computer, said the study. “Writing on one’s smartphone often lowers the barriers to revealing certain types of sensitive information for two reasons; one stemming from the unique form characteristics of phones and the second from the emotional associations that consumers tend to hold with their device,” said the co-author Shiri Melumad from University of Pennsylvania First, one of the most distinguishing features of phones is the small size; something that makes viewing and creating content generally more difficult compared with desktop computers. Because of this difficulty, when writing or responding on a smartphone, a person tends to narrowly focus on completing the task and become less cognizant of external factors that would normally inhibit self-disclosure, such as concerns about what others would do with the information. Smartphone users know this effect well — when using their phones in public places, they often fixate so intently on its content that they become oblivious to what is going on around them. The second reason people tend to be more self-disclosing on their phones lies in the feelings of comfort and familiarity people associate with their phones. “Because our smartphones are with us all of the time and perform so many vital functions in our lives, they often serve as ‘adult pacifiers’ that bring feelings of comfort to their owners,” Melumad added. The downstream effect of those feelings shows itself when people are more willing to disclose feelings to a close friend compared to a stranger or open up to a therapist in a comfortable rather than uncomfortable setting. “Similarly, when writing on our phones, we tend to feel that we are in a comfortable ‘safe zone.’ As a consequence, we are more willing to open up about ourselves,” said study co-author Robert Meyer from University of Pennsylvania. The findings are based on analyses of thousands of social media posts and online reviews, responses to web ads, and controlled laboratory studies. Initial evidence came from analyses of the depth of self-disclosure revealed in 369,161 tweets and 10,185 restaurant reviews posted on TripAdvisor.com, with some posted on PCs and some on smartphones. Using both automated natural-language processing tools and human judgements of self-disclosure, the researchers found robust evidence that smartphone-generated content is indeed more self-disclosing. For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Technology Latest News on India.com. Comments - Join the Discussion

3 May 15:36 India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News | India.com https://www.india.com/technology/beware-smartphone-users-more-at-risk-to-reveal-personal-info-online-4018667/
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Technology
How to turn on Nokia Mobile’s TÜV RHEILAND-CERTIFIED blue light filter

3 May 15:47 1 articles
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How to turn on Nokia Mobile’s TÜV RHEILAND-CERTIFIED blue light filter

Every smartphones nowadays features a “blue light filter”. But how many of these smartphones really undergone some extensive testing to certify that their claims actually works?Nokia Mobile recently revealed that the low blue light filter feature on their Nokia smartphones is TÜV Rheinland-certified — TUV stands for Technischer Überwachungsverein (lit. Technical Inspection Association). TÜV Rheinland is an independent inspection service that has been a global leader since its foundation 145 years ago. It is one of the three major TUVs in Germany, and is the largest of all. A TÜV Rheinland certification is globally recognized, and ensures the authenticity of a company’s safety claims in compliance to international safety standards. There is no mention which Nokia smartphones has a TUV Rheinland-certified low blue light filter. However, we assume that any of the Nokia smartphones which has low blue light filter feature has undergone the same testing via TÜV Rheinland laboratories. Why blue light is dangerous? Of all the visible light portion of electromagnetic spectrum, blue light has the shortest wavelength — which means it produces high amount of energy. This blue light penetrates through cornea and lens before reaching the retina. Prolonged exposure to blue light will cause problems with your eye health such as itchy and red eyes, headaches, blurred vision, and even poor sleeping pattern. Since most of us are currently undergoing lockdown and quarantine, we spend most of our time with our gadgets. Our smartphone display emit such light, and so the display industry has created a solution to this problem. They call it low blue light mode, also Blue Light Filter, Night Light, Eye Care etc., depending on the smartphone manufacturer. While the blue light is really not hundred percent eliminated, this mode will ensure that your smartphone’s display will only emit a safe limited amount of blue light. If you have a Nokia smartphone, you can enable this by going to Settings -> Display -> Night Light -> Turn On. Note that enabling this will give your display a warmer tones, but you can adjust the intensity. Are you using Night Light option? Nokia community forum

3 May 15:47 Nokiamob https://nokiamob.net/2020/05/03/how-to-turn-on-nokia-mobiles-tuv-rheiland-certified-blue-light-filter/
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