John McAfee claims to have cracked secure WhatsApp messages
John McAfee is already many things — entrepreneur, presidential hopeful, alleged criminal. However, you might have to add one more item to that list: the co-discoverer of a potentially major Android security flaw. He and a team in Colorado claim to have found a hole in Google’s mobile platform that lets them read encrypted WhatsApp messages (and those from other services, for that matter), rendering its privacy safeguards pointless. McAfee is saying precious little about how the intrusion works, but he gave Cybersecurity Ventures enough details to suggest that the story might hold up.
LIFARS, which conducted forensics, notes that the trick didn’t involve getting root access to the phone, and that there were hints of both keyboard recording and spyware vulnerabilities. This could target an everyday Android phone, then, not just one that’s already compromised.
McAfee says he’s sharing the flaw after talking to Google. We’ve asked Google itself if it can shed more light on the claims and outline its plans for a fix (assuming one is needed). If his team really did find a way around encryption, though, this could represent a serious problem. Simply speaking, you couldn’t guarantee that a chat was private unless you knew that everyone was running a safe operating system.
Source: Cybersecurity Ventures
Chrome will downplay Flash as soon as this fall
We’ve come a long, long way from the time when Google was praising Adobe Flash as if it were a cornerstone of the internet. The internet firm has quietly proposed an “HTML5 by Default” initiative for Chrome that would make Flash more of an if-you-must backup than a must-have. The web browser would pick the HTML5 web standard for content when given the choice — when it isn’t an option, it would ask you to activate Flash. It’d skip that activation prompt for the 10 most popular sites using Flash (currently including YouTube, Facebook and Twitch), but only for a year. You’d first see HTML5 by Default in the open source Chromium browser in the fourth quarter of this year, with regular Chrome likely following soon afterward.
Google has certainly given its share of clues that Flash is on the way out, such as axing some forms of Flash ads. However, this would be the biggest push yet if it’s approved as-is. As the company’s Anthony LaForge says, it’s an acknowledgment of the “maturity” of HTML5. The plugin-free format can deliver a lot of what Flash does, just without the slowdowns, runaway battery consumption, security holes and crashes. Between this and existing HTML5-first efforts from rival browsers, it’s evident that Adobe’s proprietary tech is fading away.
Via: Softpedia, VentureBeat
Source: Google Groups
AC editors’ apps of the week: Realtor.ca, Google I/O, Musical.ly and more
It’s Appday Sunday and that means we’re back with more of our favorites to share. Every week we bring a handful of great apps to the table and share them with everyone. Sometimes they are new apps, sometimes old standards, but every time they are apps we love to use.
Give these a look and then take a minute to tell us all about the apps you are using and love so we can give them a try. We all find some of our favorites right in the comments on these posts!
Ara Wagoner — Disney Movies Anywhere
Disney Movies Anywhere is already the best system for digital copies in that you don’t technically need the app to take advantage of the digital copies, since they’re added to Google Play Movies and TV (and iTunes, yay cross-platform!). But their app is pretty great, and an update last week made it a little bit better.
The navigation has been smoothed up a little, and now you can spend all your time in one section if you’re not looking to shell out $10-$20 for new (or newly added titles). Watch Now now hosts Explore and Your Library, meaning you can watch the Frozen Sing-Along for the quintillienth time or you can watch the featurette about Frozen Fever and the magic of short film animation. (Which reminds me, I still need to buy Frozen…)
Download: Disney Movies Anywhere (Free, in-app purchases)
Russell Holly — Hue Gen 2
Philips has performed a massive overhaul of the app that drives their smart lighting, and it is glorious. The app follows Material Design now, allows for room-by-room designations for bulbs, and still plays nice with all of the other apps and smart home tech in the house. It is exactly what I have wanted from Philips for two years now, and I finally don’t feel the need to install a third party app just to use the lights.
Download: Hue Gen 2 (Requires Philips Hue Bulbs)
Jen Karner — Musical.ly
I have spent more time than I’m actually willing to admit watching videos on Vine, or compilations of Vine videos on Youtube. So when I started seeing videos of original music, or cute new sketches on a new app I had to check it out. Musical.ly is a short video app similar to Vine, except that it revolves around music.
You can find music from popular artists, and people trying to make it big alike. There are filters, and you can even lipsync to your favorite songs and post them up for the world to see. All of the videos have a 15 second cut off, but if you’re a fan of music there is some awesome content just waiting to be discovered.
Download: Musical.ly (Free)
Daniel Bader — Realtor.ca
Buying a house is a lot of work, and across Canada — especially in big cities like Toronto and Vancouver — the market is extremely competitive.
Until recently, the best mobile tool for surveying available homes and condos to purchase, Realtor.ca, was one of the ugliest apps ever designed. Thankfully, in late April the app received a Material Design overhaul, with new features befitting the large, speedy phones many Canadian Android users carry with them every day. Working with all of the major brokerage and listing firms, Realtor.ca aggregates practically every public listing in the country, and provides tools for planning a weekend open house tour, or just a casual stroll through a specific neighbourhood.
It would have been indispensable when I was buying my first house, but I’m happy the Android version finally got the sprucing its iOS and web-based versions have had for some time.
Download: Realtor.ca (Free)
Jerry Hildenbrand — Google I/O 2016
You’re probably reading this post because you’re an Android fan. Cool. We are, too. Every Android fan is going to have something to talk about next week when Google holds their annual developer conference in Mountain View, and discussing everything laid out on stage is something we all like to do.
Since there’s so many different things going on at Google I/O, the best way to keep up with the schedule is with the Google I/O 2016 app. You can look at all the sessions and presentations to see exactly what time you should visit Android Central (we’ve got a whole troop of flying monkeys going to I/O this year and our fingers are ready to talk about it all) as well as check to see when live streams or replays are posted to YouTube so you can check it out yourself. It’s free, so go ahead and grab it.
Download: Google I/O 2016 (Free)
Andrew Martonik — FOX Sports GO
The cable and sports channels historically have pretty horrible apps, but Fox Sports GO has really stepped up its game with the latest update. The new interface is smooth and easy to navigate, and it’s dead simple now to do the most important functions — watch streams, set reminders and share streams with friends.
But beyond the new interface, Fox Sports GO is downright blazing at bringing you a live stream of the sporting event you’re trying to keep up with on the go. It also offers crystal clear HD streaming … which unfortunately isn’t a given on these kinds of apps.
As is often the case here you’ll need to sign in with a cable subscription to get these popular live streams. If you’re a sports fan you’re okay with that, and Fox Sports GO has to be in your arsenal of apps.
Download: FOX Sports GO (Free)
Facebook meets Glenn Beck and other conservatives this week
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg talked about meeting leading conservatives to explain the social network’s trending topics selection, and it’s clear that he’s not wasting any time while making that happen. The company has confirmed that Zuck will meet with “about a dozen” conservative figures on May 18th, including outspoken media persona Glenn Beck. It’s not clear exactly how things will go down, although Beck maintains that it’s partly about assuring the right wing that this furor “won’t happen again” — he’s operating on the assumption that Facebook did something wrong, which isn’t necessarily true. He hopes that former presidential (and vice presidential) candidate Carly Fiorina will be involved, but Facebook hasn’t confirmed this yet.
The meeting may be more important than it seems at first blush. While the primary goal is to dispel the notion that Facebook specifically censors conservative ideas (Beck and others have largely ignored official explanations so far), it could also head off a Senate committee investigation into the company’s news filtering practices. Even though it’s doubtful that the investigation will lead to legal action — free speech rights would get in the way — Facebook likely doesn’t want to give the inquiry legitimacy by remaining silent and appearing like it has something to hide.
Source: Recode, Glenn Beck (Facebook)
Amazon will sell its own food brands to Prime members
Amazon is no stranger to selling self-branded goods, whether they’re tablets, USB cables or baby wipes. However, it’s reportedly close to venturing into uncharted territory: food. Wall Street Journal sources understand that the internet shopping pioneer is weeks away from a “broad push” into selling its own brands of perishables. The Happy Belly label would offer everything from cooking oil to tea, while the Wickedly Prime badge would focus on snacks. There’s also talk of a wider move into around-the-home products like the Presto line (things like laundry detergent) and Mama Bear (baby-oriented goods, including food).
It’s not certain how competitive the pricing would be, but you’d have to subscribe to Prime to even consider it. Amazon historically uses Prime to subsidize the costs of certain services, so it won’t be shocking if these foodstuffs offer better-than-usual value.
Amazon isn’t commenting at this stage. A move like this would make sense, mind you. While it’s more challenging to sell products with expiration dates and potential health worries (what if there’s a bad batch?), Amazon can profit in a way that other food makers can’t. For one thing, it has much more data about the food that sells through its store than anyone else — it knows which categories sell, and it could predict flavor trends simply by looking at its internal data. It also doesn’t have to run ads or fight for space in grocery stores… heck, it even it has its own food delivery service in some areas. Provided this dry run is successful, there could come a time when Amazon’s brands cover all the essentials in life.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus review – CNET
The Good The Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus flaunts a handsome, sturdy design and pulls lots of liquid from citrus and other hard fruit. The machine also has two speeds to handle different types of produce and a food chute to process ingredients with minimal prep. The Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain uses many dishwasher-safe parts for easier clean up.
The Bad The Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus costs more than competing centrifugal juicers and can’t draw moisture out of leafy greens as well as other machines.
The Bottom Line While the Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain sports a lovely, durable design, dishwasher-safe parts, and is adept at juicing fruit, its steep price and poor leafy greens performance are big detractors.
It’s clear that Breville meant business when it dreamed up the $150 JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus. Every inch of this machine screams serious juicer, from its large size and brushed metal parts, to its sturdy steel safety arm which locks its plastic cover into place. Unfortunately while impressive looking, the JE98XL stumbles when processing leafy and fibrous green vegetables.
Specifically when tackling kale, the juicer managed a low average juice extraction percentage of 25.1 (based on amount of remaining pulp, juice extracted, and initial ingredients). That’s the worst result among my test group of five centrifugal juice extractors with the typical ranging between 40 and 50 percent.
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The Juice Fountain does redeem itself somewhat when juicing citrus and other fruit. While juicing oranges, the machine turned in an average juice extraction percentage of 66.4 percent — the second highest logged so far. The Juicer has two speeds too, “low” for softer items and “high” for harder produce.
Breville does include plenty of extras with this juicer such as a cleaning brush, a big 1L juice jug, and a detailed manual with lots juicing advice and numerous recipes to get started. Most of the JE98XL’s parts are dishwasher-safe too, except the juicer cover, so cleaning is less of a headache than handwashing everything.
In a nutshell, only consider buying the $150 Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus if you plan to juice in large quantities and crave a stylishly designed machine. Otherwise the $100 Breville JE200XL Compact Juice Fountain which both performs better, costs less, and is easier to clean makes more sense.
BLACK+DECKER JE2400BD Juice Extractor review – CNET
The Good The Black+Decker JE2400BD Juice Extractor is very inexpensive yet out-juices machines which cost multiple times more. The appliance is also compact and uses parts which are dishwasher-friendly.
The Bad While small in size the Black+Decker JE2400BD Juice Extractor uses an food chute with a tiny mouth so you’ll have to chop your produce before juicing. The machine lacks it own juice container to collect processed liquid.
The Bottom Line Electric juicers don’t get much more affordable than the Black+Decker JE2400BD Juice Extractor, but despite its small stature and price tag it processes citrus and other fruit well.
If you’d like to try out juicing at home with minimum financial investment, I suggest you consider the $40 Black+Decker JE2400BD Juice Extractor. Coming in much less than competing centrifugal juicers, this machine still managed to pull plenty of liquid from our test oranges and even handled hardy kale leaves decently.
In terms of actual numbers, using oranges the JE2400BD notched a respectable juice extraction percentage of 59.6 percent (calculated by comparing the average remaining pulp to juice volume yield). Running tough kale leaves through the juicer resulted in an average juice extraction percentage of 46 percent — middle of the pack performance in my review group of five centrifugal extractors.
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The Black+Decker JE2400BD’s design and features though leave much to be desired. While it’s quite small and easy to shoehorn into tight spots on kitchen counters, the appliance doesn’t have much in the way of extras. Like the Hamilton Beach 67601A Juice Extractor, Black+Decker decided not to bundle a special vessel for collecting its juice so you’ll have to supply your own.
There’s no brush to clean its steel cutter/mesh strainer by hand either but you can drop this and the machine’s other removable parts into your dishwasher for cleaning. The biggest drawback to using this juicer though is its small food chute. A fraction of the size of openings you’ll find on other appliances from Breville, Vonshef, and Hamilton Beach, you’ll have to chop produce into bite-size chunks before running them through the JED2400BD.
So, unless your budget is locked down tight you’d be better served choosing the $80 Hamilton Beach 67601A Juice Extractor which for a little more offers much better performance and a wide opening for produce.
Hamilton Beach 67601A Juice Extractor review – CNET
The Good The Hamilton Beach 67601A Juice Extractor is affordably priced yet outperforms other juicers which cost twice as much. The 6760A Juice Extractor’s large food chute and mouth accepts big pieces of fruit and vegetables and its parts are dishwasher safe.
The Bad With thin clamps, plastic design, and no juice cup included, the Hamilton Beach 67601A Juice Extractor is not a luxury model. The machine lacks a cleaning brush as well, a standard accessory on most juicers.
The Bottom Line For less than its centrifugal juicer competition, the Hamilton Beach 67601A Juice Extractor pulls the most liquid from citrus, even kale, than any centrifugal juicer we’ve tested to date.
With a price that’s $30 less than its closest juicing rival, the $70 Hamilton Beach 67601A Juice Extractor serves up excellent performance without having to spend a ton of green. This machine produced the greatest amount of juice from our sample oranges, beating out four other products within a group of five centrifugal juicers.
I recorded a very efficient juice extraction percentage of 71.8 percent (based on average remaining pulp and drinkable juice yield) from the appliance. It also managed to leach more liquid from fibrous kale leaves than any of these machines we put through the wringer, an impressive juice extraction percentage of 50.1 percent.
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Juicing results aside, the Hamilton Beach 67601A does cut some corners. The appliance’s plastic construction, specifically its pair of thin locking latches, give it a cheap appearance. Additionally, while this juicer’s components are dishwasher-safe, Hamilton Beach doesn’t include a cleaning brush to scrub its strainer basket or even a juice cup to collect fruit and vegetable liquid. To be fair, these accessories are bundled with slightly pricier juicer models the company sells.
You will find a wide feed chute on the Hamilton Beach 67601A which is designed to accommodate larger produce items. It will accept medium to small whole fruits such as apples, peeled oranges, and tomatoes. Anything bigger and you’ll be forced to do some chopping. All this makes this $80 Hamilton Beach model perfect if you seek good juicing performance for a reasonable price. Shoppers searching for a juicer that’s more stylish plus easier to clean will find the $100 Breville JE200XL Compact Juice Fountain more their taste.
VonShef 990w Professional Juicer review – CNET
The Good The VonShef 990w Professional Juicer is powerful enough to extract a decent amount of liquid from citrus and has a wide mouth which accepts small to medium-sized whole fruit. The machine can also juice leafy vegetables like kale in a pinch and has two speed settings.
The Bad The VonShef 990w Professional Juicer uses parts that aren’t dishwasher safe which must be hand-washed. The juicer’s design is unexciting and its strong suction-cupped feet make it a pain to move around the kitchen.
The Bottom Line For a little less than competing appliances the VonShef 990w Professional Juicer handles fruit well, won’t choke on kale, but is a chore to clean.
Packing a 900 watt electric motor, the $100 VonShef 990w is proof you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to own a capable juicer. It’s quite efficient at wringing delicious liquid from oranges, limes, apples, and other citrus and hard fruit too. On our tests with oranges the machine scored a high juice extraction percentage of 65.9 percent (based on average remaining pulp and juice yield)
The VonShef even has the ability to separate some moisture from fibrous greens such as kale. I measured an average kale juice extraction percentage of 40.5 percent, the second highest result so far within my group of five centrifugal extractors.
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The biggest drawback to the VonShef though is its many parts which are not dishwasher-safe, making it a headache to clean. Not counting the main unit that houses the appliance’s power cord and motor, its food chute, lid, centrifuge bowl, filter tray, etc., all must be washed by hand.
By comparison, other similar machines from Breville, Hamilton Beach, and Black + Decker have components sturdy enough to toss into your dishwasher’s top rack and take a wash cycle in stride. The VonShef 990w’s basic black and gray color scheme and plastic parts also feel a bit cheap. If luxury looks and feel are your priority in a centrifugal juicer, you’re better off choosing the handsomely crafted, compact (and dishwasher safe) $100 JE200XL Compact Juice Fountain. To those who care more about performance, I suggest the $80 Hamilton Beach 67601A Juice Extractor which juices like a champ
Breville JE200XL Compact Juice Fountain review – CNET
The Good The Breville JE200XL Compact Juice Fountain is cleverly designed to use less parts and take up less space than ordinary juicers. The machine is a solid performer whether juicing fruit or leafy vegetables. It’s also relatively easy to clean and uses components which are safe for your dishwasher.
The Bad The Breville JE200XL Compact Juice Fountain is more expensive than similar juicing appliances which offer performance just as good or better. The JE200XL’s compact size also means it makes smaller batches of juice at a time.
The Bottom Line The Breville JE200XL Compact Juice Fountain makes up for its higher price by offering a smart design that simple to clean along with satisfying juicing abilities.
An interesting twist on your average centrifugal juicer, the $100 (roughly £70 in the UK or AU$140 in Australia) Breville JE200XL Compact Juice Fountain places its pulp collector, food chute and mesh filter apparatus as close together as possible. The result is a machine that is relatively easy to clean and occupies a minimum of space on kitchen countertops.
The Compact Juice Fountain also handled itself well on our tests, earning a lofty average orange juice extraction percentage of 60 percent (calculated by factoring in the amount of ingredients, remaining pulp and extracted juice). Sucking liquid out of kale wasn’t terribly difficult for the appliance either. I recorded an average 41.2 juice extraction percentage when I ran leaves of the vibrant green and fibrous plant through the machine.
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Like its bigger sibling, the JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus, Breville crafted the Compact Juice Fountain to be durable and easy on the eyes. Its chassis relies on similar premium materials such as brushed metal and sports a steel locking arm to keep its lid in place. You’ll find a handy bristled brush to clean the juicer’s mesh strainer bundled with the juicer too, plus a detailed printed manual offering a variety of drink recipes.
The only minor drawback to the Breville JE200XL Compact Juice Fountain, aside from a relatively steep price, it makes slightly less juice in a go: 800 ml instead of the typical 1 liter most juicers produce. Even with those issues, this juicer adds up to the most compelling machine in our review group of five recent centrifugal juicers. Of course if you’d like to save a few bucks, then the $80 (roughly £55 or AU$110) Hamilton Beach 67601A Juice Extractor delivers even better performance but with a no-frills design.
AIVAnet 