Ultimate Ears Bluetooth speaker update lets friends share DJ duty

Ultimate Ears has been redefining its lineup of Bluetooth speakers lately, waterproofing them and fine-tuning their innards so they all have the same tech at their core. As part of this unification, the company’s pushing a new over-the-air firmware update around 1PM ET that adds the Boom 2’s tap control functionality to Megaboom speakers. That’s not all: An app update for iOS and Android is also rolling out with a new feature called Block Party. It takes the multi-user playback feature (which, to be honest, I’ve rarely had much success with before) and gives it an easy-to-use visual interface. Up to three users (including the host), can connect to a UE Roll, Boom 2 or Megaboom speaker and jump in with their own tunes. To keep potential mayhem in check, the primary user can moderate that input by playing, pausing, skipping to the next track or removing a user entirely from the DJ roster. If a spot opens up, anyone with a Bluetooth connection can hop in and join the party, playing their own jams or letting the host skip through their playlist. It’s yet another step forward for UE’s speaker line, but there are a few inherent limitations to this new feature.

Outside of the Boom 2, which shipped with the feature on board, only the Megaboom will be receiving the tap control update, leaving the lower-priced UE Roll out of the fun. When holding the cylindrical speakers in your hand vertically, a single tap or pat on the top will pause or play the music. A double-tap skips ahead to the next track in your playlist. It’s accelerometer-driven, so when the speakers are lying on their sides or standing up on their own, the tap controls don’t work.

As for Block Party, the main attraction to this update, it’s entirely controlled through the app. The primary user who connects to one of UE’s latest speakers simply needs to swipe left to access the Block Party section. Once activated, they’ll automatically occupy the top spot, leaving two open spaces for anyone in the area with a Bluetooth device to connect. The speakers serve as a hub for all the connections, which then feeds them to the app. Anyone who snags an open slot can immediately start playing music, superseding whatever’s playing at the time. You’ll want to keep this feature under wraps unless you trust everyone’s tact and taste as far as keeping the vibe flowing. The app owner can control speaker volume via the plus and minus icons (or the speaker’s physical buttons), and pause, play or skip to the next track in any of the guest DJs’ queues. They won’t be able to scrub through the tracks, though, so it’s either start to finish or straight on to the next tune. The DJ-in-charge can also delete people from the roster, but as long as there’s an open slot, there aren’t any tools to kick backseat DJs off for keeps.

Overall, this new Block Party feature works solidly and takes the guesswork out of multi-user connections. As long as everyone who earned a slot shows some respect (and restraint), the ability to jump in at any time could be a positive and social experience. People can play from their own music collection or through streaming services like Spotify and Rhapsody, too. One drawback we’ve found with Block Party (although a queueing feature would be nice) is the lack of Double Up functionality while sharing DJ duty. Apparently, Bluetooth limitations ensure that your Block Party will issue from a single speaker and will be less likely to disturb the neighbors — at least the ones who weren’t invited.

1Password switches data formats for stronger security

1Password has decided to switch its default file format as a response to a post by Microsoft software engineer Dale Myers, explaining its current one’s vulnerabilities. Myers has examined his 1PasswordAnywhere’s .agilekeychain file recently and found that its metadata isn’t encrypted. That means the sites you use with the password aggregator and even their precise login locations are stored in plain text. 1PasswordAnywhere is the program’s feature that gives you a way to access your saved passwords without having to install the software itself.

Myers explained that if anyone gets access to that file, they’d be able to tell which sites you’ve signed up for exactly, find out the bank accounts you have, as well as discover which software licenses you bought. They can then employ other tactics from there, such as reset passwords or call up banks pretending to be you. In addition, Google indexes the keychains people put on their websites for easy access; Myers was able to discover someone’s job and family details just by doing a simple search based on his keychain.

This “password anywhere” feature automatically stores data using the company’s older Agile Keychain format. The team explained in their response that since that format was introduced with the program in 2008 back when devices were much simpler, they decided not to encrypt its metadata for performance purposes. The company has released a newer and safer format called OPVault since then, and that’s what will now become default option. If you can give up 1PasswordAnywhere for the sake of additional security, you can follow the company’s instructions on how to migrate your log-ins right here. In case you can wait a bit longer, though, the process will become much easier: once 1Password is done making OPVault the default, it’ll launch a simple migration tool you can use for the switch.

[Image credit: Ervins Strauhmanis/Flickr]

Source: AgileBits, Dale Myers

Google Maps for Android displays quick stops along your route

Google Maps’ upcoming update for Android devices adds a really handy feature that sounds especially useful during grueling road trips. Android Police got its hands on a copy of the app’s new version, which now shows quick stops along your current route, so long as it’s in Navigation mode. It already has shortcuts for common pit stops like gas stations, restaurants, coffee shops and grocery stores that you can click. But if you’re looking for something else, say a motel or a specialty shop, you can use the “Search for more places option,” as well. You can access these quick stop buttons by clicking the Search icon on the top right corner — note that it turns into a mic icon and stays like that while the buttons are shown on screen. If you check Google Play and the update isn’t available yet (it’s also not out for this editor yet), don’t worry: you can download the APK courtesy of Android Police.

Source: Android Police