The best multiport USB wall charger

​This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a list of the best technology to buy. Read the full article below at TheWirecutter.com.

After surveying more than 1,100 Wirecutter readers and using six iPads to test 18 top models, we can safely say that Anker’s 36W 4-Port USB Wall Charger is the best USB wall charger for most people. At only $20, it’s essentially the same price as Apple’s single-port 12W USB Power Adapter, but the Anker model can push out three times as much power and charge four devices at once. In fact, it can simultaneously charge three full-size iPads at full speed while also charging a smartphone. Our readers said they prefer chargers that plug directly into an outlet, and this is the most powerful one we tested to do so. Additionally, Anker’s charger allows connected devices to draw the advertised amount of power; some of the competition does not.

How we decided

A selection of the chargers we tested.

We quickly whittled down an initial list of 45 chargers by knocking out those that had only one or two high-speed-charging ports (except for super-compact chargers, mentioned below); had no high-speed-charging ports at all; or had a mix of faster- and slower-charging ports, requiring you to figure out which one is the “right” port if you want to charge your tablet as fast as possible.

We brought in 18 units for hands-on testing. First we connected an iPad Air 2 to a USB ammeter, a tool that measures power transfer. Then we went through each port — 83 in all — and measured the electrical output of each, looking for figures around 2.4 amps, the maximum power draw of the tablet.

Testing our step-up pick, Anker’s 60W charger, with six full-size iPads.

We tested the remaining chargers with a collection of six iPads to ensure that the power draw didn’t drop as we added more devices. After verifying that each USB cable we were using could handle the maximum possible current, we used our ammeters to measure the average draw of an original iPad Air and a fourth-generation iPad — the models that draw the highest current — on each charger while keeping the other ports on that charger connected to the remaining iPads.

Our pick

The Anker 36W charger occupies only a single wall outlet when plugged in.

Anker’s 36W 4-Port USB Wall Charger is the best multiport USB charger for most people. It’s the most powerful charger that plugs directly into a wall outlet, letting you fast-charge up to three full-size iPads at once or four at a slower rate. (Alternatively, you can fast-charge two iPads and two smartphones.) It’s also physically small compared with the competition, and it’s quite affordable. Finally, Anker is a company that has built a strong reputation in the mobile-accessory field with well-designed products that often work better than the competition, usually at lower prices.

The circuitry in the charger can tell whether you’re plugging in a smartphone, a tablet, or another device, and whether it’s Android, iOS, or something else; it then delivers the appropriate amount of current for the fastest charging speed.

The runner-up

You have to provide your own cables, but there are enough ports for the entire family.

Although four charging ports is a lot, some people will need even more. Anker’s 60W 6-Port Family-Sized Desktop USB Charger ($36) is the best option for them. It’s considerably more powerful than the Anker 36W, and it offers two additional ports. Instead of plugging directly into an outlet, it uses a 5-foot cord.

A tiny travel pick

The same amount of power in a much smaller size.

For an impressive amount of power in a tiny package, we recommend Aukey’s 12W / 2.4A Home Travel USB Wall Charger. You get as much juice as you would with Apple’s iPad charger and an extra charging port, in a much smaller package — a scant 1.4 by 1.2 by 1.2 inches with its prongs folded infor half the price.

In closing

Anker’s 36W 4-Port USB Wall Charger is the best multiport charger for most people, but you can find other good options depending on the number and kinds of devices you need to charge.

This guide may have been updated. To see the current recommendation, please go to TheWirecutter.com.

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Swimming nanobots target cancer cells inside your body

Scientists keep saying they’ll put tiny robots into our bodies to cure disease, perhaps not realizing we may not be down with that. But the field is progressing rapidly, and researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) have now found an artful way to propel such ‘bots. They created a “nanoswimmer” the width of a silk fiber, made of several links of polymer and magnetic nanowires. After introducing it into a blood-like fluid, they applied an external oscillating magnetic field, propelling the nanobot the length of its body in a second.

Even better, the team can control exactly where the nanobots finish up — at a particular organ, say — by modulating the field. Though inserting tiny bits of metal into your body sounds weird, scientists believe nanobots could reduce the need for invasive surgery, speed recovery and lower the risk of complications. The new research removes the need for a (tiny) motor inside the nanobots, freeing up space for drugs that can target, say, cancer cells. It also makes the bots fairly easy to build and tune for different applications. There’s still a lot of work to be done before it ever gets to trial, starting with subjects willing to do let robots ply their bloodstream.

Filed under: Robots, Science

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Source: American Chemical Society

High Court sides with UK music industry in challenge to CD copying law

A group of organisations representing the UK music industry has today succeeded in challenging recent copyright legislation that legalised the duplication of music for personal use. You see, before October last year, it was actually illegal to copy media, even for private consumption — and yes, we’re talking about stuff you’d legitimately bought. Ever ripped a CD so you could listen to the album on your phone? Well, that was technically an offense, or at least before October 1st 2014 it was. On that date, the government addressed the outdated legislation and added a private copying exception to copyright law, making ripping CDs and the like for personal use legal. The music industry wasn’t best pleased. Not because of the private copying exception itself, but because the government didn’t include any “copyright levy” as part of the revised legislation.

Sometimes referred to as “blank media tax,” copyright levies give content creators such as music labels a cut from the sales of blank CDs, DVDs and other types of digital storage, including devices like computers and MP3 players that contain storage drives. While it might seem strange that media companies should be paid when there’s no telling what blank storage will be used for, it’s supposed to offset the shortfall these firms might face when consumers copy media instead of, say, purchasing an album again in a digital format. Most EU countries include this right to compensation in their own private copying exceptions, but the UK government said in was unnecessary since our version of the law is stricter than in other countries, and unlikely to impact the balance sheet of rightsholders.

A group comprising The Musicians’ Union (MU), The British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA), and UK Music didn’t agree, and took their grievance to the High Court in November last year. Today sees the completion of the judicial review process, and while the High Court dismissed four out of the five complaints raised, it’s sided with the British music industry on one key point. The court’s ruled that the government didn’t have enough evidence to conclude that copyright holders would suffer minimal to no financial shortfall as a result of the private copying exception. And as such, the decision to amend copyright legislation “in the absence of a compensation mechanism is unlawful.”

In short, the High Court has deemed the private copying exception is deficient in its current form. Just to be clear, the High Court’s ruling doesn’t invalidate the exception, so there’s no need to feel guilty if you’re building a summer playlist from old NOW compilation CDs. Copyright legislation will have to be revised as a result of the ruling, however, and the matter will be returning to the High Court next month as a resolution is hashed out. We’re no copyright experts, but it’s unlikely the exception will be axed entirely, and will instead be tweaked to include “fair compensation” for rightsholders. And as you’d expect, “BASCA, MU and UK Music remain open to meaningful talks to resolve this issue.”

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Storage

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Via: TorrentFreak

Source: High Court, UK Music (1), (2)

Soundwall is art that demands to be seen… and heard

Hang something like a painting on your wall, and it fades away into the background after a while; you’d notice if it were missing, but otherwise you wouldn’t necessarily fixate on it. Rather than let art suffer this indignity, Soundwall would like to change your relationship with the work on your wall. Paintings have been transformed into objects that add an extra dimension to invite you to engage further: sound.

Unlike other connected artworks that focus more on the visual aspect, Soundwall is, at its heart, a speaker, not a screen. It’s powered by a Raspberry Pi 2 and draws audio via AirPlay from any device on the same WiFi network. But while you can hook up the Soundwall with sound from something like Spotify, it’s really meant to be experienced with the music provided — in this case, the work displayed was by Bisco Smith, who painted each piece while listening to his own compositions. Smith’s work is stark black-and-white, a combination of carefully arranged blotches, solid lines of dripping paint and graffiti. They’re nice enough as fixtures on the wall, but when you download the Soundwall app for iOS and open it up, you’ll see a list of all connected paintings and their associated audio files. Tap on “play music,” and the appropriate file will then play directly through the painting itself. Each Soundwall is actually a distributed-mode loudspeaker; step closely enough, and you can see (and feel) the material vibrating slightly as it projects sound throughout the room.

As a speaker the Soundwall isn’t going to impress hardcore audiophiles, but it’s not really intended to replace a home sound system. The Soundwall is about projecting a mood and creating ambiance around a piece of art, and in that regard, the audio quality is sufficient. It can be connected to a subwoofer if needed, but the standalone audio is pretty robust. It’s a device that commands attention — CEO Aaron Cohen told us that at the gallery opening in New York, a crowd of about 60 people went completely silent as the musical prompts for each work on display were activated. However, the volume can be adjusted through the app, meaning that those who’d prefer a more ambient sound level will also be satisfied.

Smith may be the current artist on display at the Soundwall gallery, but his work is only a glimpse at the product’s potential. Several of Smith’s paintings from his exhibition “12” have already been sold, which is set to close June 22nd. The next show, “Naked,” opens June 26th and will invite visitors to paint their own canvas in the gallery, showcasing both the creation process and Soundwall’s potential. The website also allows customers to print their own images onto a Soundwall (even photos), while those of a more creative bent can purchase their own Soundwall devices made from a variety of materials to suit their needs. The earliest pieces, like Smith’s work, were done on Gatorboard (a polystyrene core topped with a laminated wood fiber surface), but now artists can also choose from art paper, chalkboard, aluminum and even canvas — a material that Cohen says would normally rip from the vibrations. Other base materials are planned as well, like wood. Future possibilities being discussed by the Soundwall team include a board of lights that can be reprogrammed by the artist from afar if desired.

The idea behind Soundwall is to give the owner an ongoing relationship with their artwork. New tracks can be sent by the artist at any time to revitalize the piece or add new context — though owners who prefer the old audio may keep that as well. Behind-the-scenes information can also be attached to each work, like interviews with the artist about their work and their process. Cohen likened it to DVD commentaries, but regular museumgoers will find it similar to audio tour narration. It’s certainly a more elegant solution than the text labels found in galleries and museums, and less intrusive to the decor in a private home.

Prices for a Smith piece start at $1,200 for a limited edition print, and $3,500 for an original. But wannabe artists have their choice of materials and sizes starting at $400 for the smallest size of Gatorboard. A 24 x 36-inch blank made from art paper, chalkboard or canvas is $500. Or, you can opt for an aluminum model starting at $600 and going up to $800 for a 36 x 48-inch blank Soundwall.

Filed under: Misc, Home Entertainment, Alt

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Source: Soundwall

Google will pull ‘revenge porn’ out of its search results

An unintended side effect of the increasingly connected world we live in, is that sometimes your identity can be maliciously tied to information that should remain private. The proliferation of “revenge porn” that’s often used to target and harass women has taken advantage of the internet’s unforgiving search capabilities in exactly that way, and as a result Google is announcing a change in its policy to fight that. Soon, the search giant will accept requests from people to remove nude or sexually explicit images of themselves shared without their consent from its search results.

As USA Today reports, until now Google has usually required a legal request to remove information from its search results, except in Europe where the “right to be forgotten” law lets people remove links that appear in searches for their name. According to the blog post, Google already accepts requests to remove info like bank account numbers and signatures. While we don’t have a similar regulation here, making a preemptive change that cuts out the business model of people like Kevin Bollaert is probably a good thing.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Google Public Policy Blog

QuickPic Beta 4.5 add Google Photos functionality

QuickPic has long been my go-to gallery app ever since it was released many moons ago. From it simple layout to powerful features, there is little reason not to use QuickPic instead the pre-installed gallery app on your device. In their pursuit to stay ahead of the competition, they have updated their beta app to version 4.5 and the update comes with more than a number increment.

“Fast, lightweight, modern, QuickPic is the best alternative album/gallery app for all your beloved photos, which can replace the stock Gallery app!“

For those that have not had a chance to check out Googles latest Photos app (You should, it’s pretty cool), the gallery app allows you to select multiple pictures by just holding down and swiping. This way you don’t have to click a thousand times to delete those embarrassing pictures of you when you were in middle school. QuickPic took note of that interesting feature and decided to add it to the beta version of their app that provides the same functionality. After testing it out, I have to say that a great app just got even better! It really does make it a hundred times easier to select multiple pictures in a row. The official update should hit the Play Store in the upcoming weeks but if you don’t wan tot wait, you can follow the link below to snag the app and download it today!

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Pogoplug Personal Backup: 3-Yr Subscription

Need more storage? Of course you do. With higher quality photos and videos taking up more room on your devices than ever before, and some newer handsets not having expandable memory, you may find yourself faced with the dreaded deletion debate. Well, fret no more my photogenic friend. We’ve got you covered with Pogoplug Personal Backup.

This 3-year subscription to Pogoplug provides unlimited storage and automatic backup to all of your devices. With just one click, all of your tablets, phones and computers will be synchronized and backed-up. In addition, you’ll be able to instantly stream any of your video or audio files on the fly and share with no fear of size limitations.

While you might expect to shell out hundreds of bucks for this service, AndroidGuys readers can grab this backup solution, along with some peace of mind, for just $49, today!

See more at deals.androidguys.com

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Amazon has announced the Fire OS 5 Developer Preview

Many of you are familiar with Amazons popular devices, such as the Kindle Fire or the Fire Phone. While admittedly the Kindle was considerably the most popular of the two, they were both decent devices that catered to a different group of consumers (mainly entertainment focused peeps). All of which run on Amazons skinned version of Android (to the chagrin of many.) While a decent skin, it does limit the amount of apps that can run on the device, as they are not all optimized to run on the Fire OS as most of them are created for stock Android. Amazon has taken note of this and today has released a developer preview of the latest OS upgrade, Fire OS 5.

“Starting today, developers have the opportunity to participate in a Developer Preview of Fire OS 5, the next generation Android-based operating system that powers Fire tablets, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire phone devices.“

While it may not seem like a big deal for the average consumer, it will allow developers to go ahead and test their apps on what will the OS that will ship on Amazon latest devices when they are released later on. So now developers can squash all the bugs that may be on their apps when used on Fire OS and make sure that their apps will play nice with the OS. If you are developer, you can follow the link below to test out all the cool tools and services that Amazon has made available so that you can be prepared for when the tech giant releases their new devices. Among them is a compatibility tool for your apps and some discounts on current generation devices!

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