WhatsApp desktop app: What is it, how does it work and how do you use it?
Instant messaging service WhatsApp has announced a desktop app, offering yet another way to make it as easy as possible to keep up to date with all your WhatsApp messages throughout the day.
The desktop app works in exactly the same way as WhatsApp web, which launched in January 2015 and it is available to download now for Windows 8 and above, and Mac OS 10.9 and above.
Here is a brief guide to the new WhatsApp desktop app and how to make sure you get the most out of it.
WhatsApp desktop app: What is it?
The WhatsApp desktop app is an extension of your smartphone. It mirrors all the conversations and messages you have on your phone and allows you to see them all and reply to them all on your desktop using your computer’s keyboard instead of the tiny keyboard on your smartphone.
The WhatsApp desktop app also means you can see exactly what is going on in your WhatsApp world while working on a Word document or replying to an email, without needing to take your smartphone out of your pocket.
WhatsApp desktop app: How does it work?
Just like the WhatsApp web platform, the WhatsApp desktop app initially requires you to scan a QR code using your mobile phone in order to access your messages and conversations. Once you’ve done this though, you can put your phone in your desk drawer or pocket and forget about it.
The desktop app will pull up all of your conversations, deliver any new messages and allow you to start new chats or search your current conversations. You’ll also get access to your profile, along with some basic settings and any archived chats.
The WhatsApp desktop app doesn’t offer exactly the same functionality as the smartphone app when it comes to settings but responding to messages and starting new chats is exactly the same, just easier and faster as you have a bigger display and better keyboard functionality.
WhatsApp desktop app: How do I use it?
You’ll need to download the WhatsApp desktop app first, then scan the QR code on your computer screen using your smartphone, as we mentioned. To do this, open the WhatsApp app on your smartphone, go to Settings then WhatsApp Web and the box will appear ready to scan your desktop screen.
Your messages and conversations will then appear on your computer screen. You can change the size of the window, as well as minimise it if you want to. On Mac, any new messages will appear in the top right of your display, as they do with other applications such as Mail and Slack.
To view your profile, change your status or change your profile picture, click on your picture at the top of the desktop app. Next to your picture is the symbol that will allow you to start a new chat, while the small arrow next to new chat symbol will bring up a drop down menu.
The drop down menu is where you will find your archived chats, another way to get to your profile and status, as well as the option to start a new group. The settings are also within this menu, consisting of access to any blocked contacts and notification preferences, including turning sound on or off, as well as choosing whether or not to show previews.
Hovering over each individual chat in the main screen will also bring up a small arrow for that particular chat, offering a couple more options. You can archive a chat, mute it, delete it or mark it as unread from here.
There are also more options in each individual chat. At the top left of a particular chat, you’ll see their name and when they were last online, if they have this feature activated. In the top right, there is the paperclip symbol for attaching any media, along with another small arrow that brings up another drop down menu. Within this menu, you can select messages within that particular chat, mute the chat, clear it and delete that particular chat, as well as see contact information for that person.
Emoticons and audio notes are also available on the WhatsApp desktop app. You’ll find these in the same place as you would on the smartphone app, either side of the message typing box. To send an audio message, press and hold the microphone symbol in the bottom right with your mouse and chat away to your computer. You won’t look strange at all in an office full of people.
WhatsApp desktop app: How do I log out?
Don’t worry, just like the WhatsApp web platform, it’s easy to log out of the desktop app so no one will be able to access to your messages from your computer when you aren’t there.
There are a couple of ways to log out. You can do it through your smartphone by opening the WhatsApp app, heading to Settings > WhatsApp Web > Log out from all computers. Alternatively, you can do it on the desktop app itself by clicking on the arrow in the top left next to the new chat symbol and selecting log out from the menu.
WhatsApp desktop app: Where do I get it?
To download the WhatsApp desktop app, head to http://www.whatsapp.com/download from your desktop browser and hit download. Warning: You’ll get absolutely no work done once you’ve done this but your social organising skills will greatly improve.
EE Jay is a fun and budget-friendly 4G tablet for summer travelling
EE has introduced an entry-level tablet to its range that offers decent spec for a budget price.
The Jay from EE, as it is called, is a 7.85-inch 4G device with Android 5.1 Lollipop, a quad-core 1GHz processor, 16GB of on-board storage and microSD card slot for expansion.
The tech won’t win awards in the power stakes, but EE prices it at just £120 on a pay-as-you-go plan. It is also available on a pay monthly data plan starting at just £16 a month. A £18.50 a month play, for example, gives you 10GB of data with the tablet being around £30 up-front.
Its screen resolution is 1024 x 768, there’s a 5-megapixel camera on the rear, with a flash, and the 3600mAh battery is capable of lasting up to seven hours between charges.
READ: Your EE 4G phone will work “everywhere you go” by 2020
The Jay’s biggest selling point though is its 4G connectivity, which is ideal for outside use during the upcoming summer.
“With double speed 4G on our superfast network, it really does offer one of the best value tablet experiences that will keep users connected on the move,” said Sharon Meadows, EE’s director of devices.
The Jay from EE is available from EE stores on the high-street and online now.
Garmin Vivomove hands-on preview: Step-tracking gets stylish
Step-trackers are nothing new, but it’s taken some time for them to succeed on the style front. Garmin isn’t exactly known for its elegance – more for sporty, practical designs with great features – but the Vivomove is here to change that perception. And boy does it do a good job of that.
Shown off on the show floor at CES Asia, in Shanghai, we got to handle and wear the black and white versions of the Vivomove, testing out both the sporty and leather straps. And we think Garmin has the metal-bodied look of this step-tracker locked down.
But if you’re thinking the Vivomove looks more than a bit Withings Activite Steel then you wouldn’t be wrong. Both products are priced starting at £140, making the competitive intentions here clear (the Garmin price does increment to £240 with the leather strap and stainless steel body though).
The primary function of the Vivomove is to act as an analogue watch; a device that you’ll want to wear all day long. We can totally see that – it’s one of the best looking wearables we’ve seen, without oversizing the design like so many more complex wrist-based wearables (Huawei Watch being a prime example).
Pocket-lint
In addition, however, the Vivomove will track your steps and show progress towards your daily goal via the small digital bar to the left of the watch face. The bar to the opposite side, which fills red to act as an alert when you’ve not moved for too long, is a subtle visual cue to get you moving rather than a wild alert – the Vivomove doesn’t vibrate or anything like that.
The use of digital integration is handled subtly, too, primarily because of the small scale. So with each black blip that appears in the progress bar you won’t feel like you’re staring at a crude screen. However, Withings uses an all-analogue approach with an additional watch hand for the same task, which makes for a more classic looking device.
To pair the Vivomove with a smart device you’ll need to download the Garmin Connect app, which is the base for any other Garmin devices you may own (we use an Edge 1000 cycling computer as it happens). A press-and-hold of the watch dial to the right side begins pairing via Bluetooth – that digital bar showing an animation to confirm, acting as a useful visual cue – and then you can tailor your step goals and measure daily statistics over a period of time. Garmin is known for a decent enough software setup, so you’re in good hands here.
In addition to step-tracking the Vivomove can also monitor sleep, but that’s as far as it goes – there’s no GPS, so it’s not an all-singing all-dancing device with thousands of features, but not everyone wants a device like that. However, year-long battery life (it takes a li-ion cell which can be replaced) and water-resistance to 50-metres means you’ll rarely need to take this watch off.
Pocket-lint
Good job it’s comfortable then. The white silicon sports strap felt comfy around the wrist, plus it’s interchangeable if you want to swap out for the swankier looking leather (only one strap comes in the box, others are sold separately – £46 for leather, £23 for silicone).
Talk about a warning to Withings. We think the Garmin Vivomove looks like a great entry to the stylish step-tracking market – you only need to check out our pictures to see that. It’ll be available later this May, with a rose gold model (that we didn’t see) joining the sleek black and white options.
Huawei P9 Lite hands-on preview: Low-calorie diet
When the Huawei P9 launched earlier this month it went big on its dual Leica cameras feature; that was what really sold it above and beyond its considerable competition. But if that’s the gold-topped pint of milk then, well, the Huawei P9 Lite is red-top skimmed by comparison, as its solitary standard camera attests.
Thing is, the P9 Lite isn’t pretending to be anything other than what it is: it’s a stripped-down version of the company’s flagship after all and, having handled the device at CES Asia, in Shanghai, we have to give kudos to Huawei for carrying off pretty decent build quality in this mid-level format. Not that the P9 Lite is the very same phone as the P9 proper, the latter phone which we’ve handled for a number of weeks in use as our day-to-day phone.
The first thing that struck us about the Lite is that it feels bigger. “It can’t be”, we thought. But, sure enough, it is: admittedly only a mere 0.5mm in thickness (of 7.5mm total) and a couple of millimetres in length and width – but being tuned to it we could feel that difference.
Pocket-lint
That therefore adds a few grams to the weight, but at 147g this metal-clad phone is certainly not heavy. It’s well made too, aping the design of the P9 proper, not scrimping on the materials front or chamfered edges. Sure, it still has the not-so-nice white plastic “bars” that intersect the frame, but you’ll not be staring directly at them.
Another difference is the fingerprint scanner to the rear: in the Lite it’s more square and higher up the body than the P9’s circular offering, nor is it recessed into the body, so doesn’t feel quite as immediate in use. Still, maintaining such a feature in a mid-level phone shows the importance a fingerprint scanner has these days.
With the P9 only just arriving in UK stores, there’s still no confirmation as to whether the P9 Lite will follow for a UK audience. We got to see the last-generation P8 Lite, albeit quietly, so that approach may be much the same this time around.
Price-wise, it’s anyone’s guess, but we’d expect it to fall between the £160-200 mark. The reflects the feature set: 2GB RAM, the mid-spec Kirin 650 (it’s still octa-core, mind) and a single 13-megapixel camera to the rear. How that will come together to use we can’t specifically tell you, having only dabbled in the Chinese version of Huawei’s EMUI on the show floor, which isn’t reflective of what would arrive in the UK, Android and full Google love included.
Pocket-lint
Lower spec ought to mean higher performance from the 3,000mAh battery that’s tucked away in this slender shell, though. And with a 5.2-inch 1080p screen to power – which isn’t quite as dazzling as the P9’s – it’s not touching next-level resolution either, not that it needs any more in our view.
So while it might be a low calorie take on the P9, sometimes the skimmed option does everything that you want: which is exactly the point of the P9 Lite. Fair price, fair performance and more than fair design lead the way here, the big difference being the shedding of those dual Leica cameras to the rear.
‘Titanfall 2’ lands this autumn
Slowly but surely, game publishers and developers are starting to reveal their hands ahead of E3 next month. Electronic Arts is no different, and by way of its quarterly earnings report (PDF) the publisher has revealed that the now-multiplatform Titanfall 2 will debut this fall. With the recent news that Mass Effect: Andromeda is slipping into next year, that means the sequel to developer Respawn’s mech-heavy shooter will sit alongside Battlefield 1 from Dice in autumn.
A note at the bottom of Powerpoint slide eight says that the release schedule only includes publicly announced games. So, chances are high that there will be a few surprises come June during the game industry’s equivalent of Paris Fashion Week.
Source: Electronic Arts (PDF)
Computer remixes famous film scenes with classical art
Imagine that you could take any video clip and transform it into the art style of a classic painter with a click of a button. That’s the process that researchers at Germany’s University of Freiburg have been working on thanks to the advancement of computer learning. The team has learned that it’s now possible for computers to watch the action on screen and effectively see the elements that make up each frame. It can then trace the outlines of, for instance, the actors in the foreground, and re-skin them with any art style you choose. For instance, the team took scenes from British TV series Miss Marple and made them look as if they’d been painted by Van Gogh during his Starry Night phase.
As you can see in the first video, some of the clips look no better than some of the images that come out of Google’s DeepMind. Others, however, like the scenes from Cloud Atlas and the Jungle Book, seem significantly better-looking after being processed. It’s still early days, but there are plenty of areas in both filmmaking and art where systems like this could be applied.
Right now, it’s computationally intensive, but not so much that you can’t expect the cost and availability of such power to drop. As MIT Tech Review explains, it takes three minutes for each frame to be processed on a system using NVIDIA’s $1,000-plus Titan X graphics card. Given that Movidus’ deep learning USB stick already costs less than $100 (and fits inside a USB stick), it seems likely that smart TVs of the future could have art-filtering as a feature within the decade.
Via: MIT Tech Review
Source: Arxiv
European regulators block Three and O2 merger
We suspected it was coming, but the European Commission has finally come out and said it: Three UK owner Hutchison Whampoa cannot buy UK carrier O2. In a statement, the Commission said that a potential merger between Three and O2 would have “reduced competition” and “resulted in higher prices,” which may have negatively impacted the quality of service for UK consumers.
When Hutchison confirmed it was buying O2, the UK’s second biggest mobile network, for £10.25 billion in March 2015, it immediately began offering concessions in order to secure approval. One was to introduce a five-year freeze on the price of minutes, texts and megabytes across both networks. Others included the sharing of network capacity with one or two MVNOs, the divestment of O2’s stake in Tesco Mobile and a wholesale agreement with Virgin Media.
European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager today confirmed that they didn’t go far enough to satisfy investigators, stating MNVO concessions were “commercially and technically dependent on the merged entity” and raised too much uncertainty over how they’d be implemented.
“Allowing Hutchison to takeover O2 at the terms they proposed would have been bad for UK consumers and bad for the UK mobile sector. We had strong concerns that consumers would have had less choice finding a mobile package that suits their needs and paid more than without the deal,” says Vestager. “It would also have hampered innovation and the development of network infrastructure in the UK, which is a serious concern especially for fast moving markets. The remedies offered by Hutchison were not sufficient to prevent this.”
Commission has decided to block Hutchison’s plan to take over O2 in the UK. Why? To serve UK consumers – affordable prices and innovation.
— Margrethe Vestager (@vestager) May 11, 2016
Although buyout rumours were swirling at the same time regarding EE and O2, Hutchison’s bid for O2 came after BT’s £12.5 billion deal for EE. The broadband provider was able to secure approval from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the acquisition went through in January, despite opposition from rival providers. However, in Three and O2’s case, the merger would ensure that the UK’s mobile landscape has only three major players, which is something the CMA would only get behind if Hutchison agreed to sell one of its mobile businesses or break them up to form an independent fourth provider.
The Commission’s three major areas of concern focus on the size of a combined Three/O2 network, the development of network infrastructure and a potential squeeze on smaller mobile providers who rely on wholesale agreements from the big four carriers to operate.
Together, Three and O2 would become the UK’s biggest carrier with a market share of more than 40 percent. The Commision argues that because of its size, the combined entity wouldn’t have an incentive to compete with EE and Vodafone, which may result in higher mobile prices across the industry.
Because Three and EE have a 3G network agreement and O2 is sharing infrastructure with Vodafone, the merged company would have played a role in determining its rivals’ network plans. European investigators believe that would weaken both EE and Vodafone and hamper the development of next-generation mobile networks (like 5G).
Hutchison has come out firing following the announcement and is threatening to pursue legal action:
“We are deeply disappointed by the Commission’s decision to prohibit the merger between Three UK and O2 UK. We will study the Commission’s Decision in detail and will be considering our options, including the possibility of a legal challenge.
We strongly believe that the merger would have brought major benefits to the UK, not only by unlocking £10 billion of private sector investment in the UK’s digital infrastructure but also by addressing the country’s coverage issues, enhancing network capacity, speeds and price competition for consumers and businesses across the country and dealing with the competition issues arising from the current significant imbalance in spectrum ownership between the UK’s MNOs.”
What’s next for the two carriers? Reports suggest that now the merger has been denied, other providers may decide to get in on the act. Liberty Global, owner of Virgin Media, reportedly expressed an interest in picking up O2 in the event that European regulators blocked the takeover. Should it not find a buyer, Telefonica may also consider making the company public.
Source: Europa
Garmin’s latest running watch tracks your suffering
Garmin’s latest running watch can track multiple sports, measure your heart rate and even give you a “suffer score,” but the price might make you gasp. The Forerunner 735XT now occupies the top of the company’s run tracker lineup next to the two-year-old 920XT with the same $450 price. For that substantial sum, you do get a lot: it packs the company’s Elevate heart rate monitor and is the first sports tracker with Strava’s Suffer Score. That app measures your heart rate compared to a baseline, so casual or serious athletes can see how much they’re pushing it.
The watch is compatible with Garmin’s Vector pedal tracking and Varia radar accessories that help keep you safe in traffic. It’s also waterproof to 50 meters and has custom tracking features for swimmers. Other sports tracked include hiking, cross-country skiing, strength training, cardio and multisport. The latest model is made from soft silicon, has a color display, runs up to 14 hours in training mode and goes 11 days as a regular watch.
The wearable links with Garmin’s Connect IQ store, letting you get free apps, watch faces and more. Users can also track workout, sleeping and others stats on the Connect online community, or compete against friends and join larger competitions (then brag about the results, if merited). The devic also connects with your smartphone to control your music and can notify you for calls, emails and social network alerts. The Forerunner 735XT comes in black/gray or midnight blue/frost blue and is available for $450.
EE’s ‘Jay’ own-brand tablet is its cheapest to date
It’s been almost a year since EE added a new tablet to its own-brand, avian-themed range — or one aimed squarely at grown-ups, at least — so you know what that means. With only refurbished Harrier Tabs left in stock, it’s time for a new slate to become EE’s value offering. At £120 on pay-as-you-go, the “Jay” is the cheapest homegrown tablet EE’s ever launched; and it shows, at least when compared with the more powerful, larger-screened Harrier Tab.
The white and silver Jay is fronted by a 7.85-inch, 1,024 x 768 display, with a 5-megapixel rear camera and 2MP front-facer rounding out the rest of the visible features. Inside you’re looking at a 1GHz quad-core MediaTek processor running Android 5.1 Lollipop, a 3,600mAh battery, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable with microSD cards up to 32GB). And of course you get a 4G radio alongside WiFi 802.11b/g/n support, this being an EE tablet and all.
That’s good for users, giving them internet on the go, and also good for EE, since the network can tempt you with a monthly contract as an alternative to the £120 pay-as-you-go price. Available today in-store and online, contracts for new customers start at £16 per month with a £30 upfront payment. Existing customers, however, can forget about the upfront payment and get a slight discount on the monthly fee.
Source: EE (1), (2)
CDC labs sanctioned for mishandling potential bioweapons
You’d think an agency like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be extremely careful in handling potential bioweapons. But according to a report by USA Today, at least one CDC lab’s permit was secretly suspended in recent years for “serious safety violations while working with bioterror pathogens.” In addition, the agency has admitted to the publication that its labs had been sanctioned six times since 2003 for the same reason. Take note that the CDC helps run the Federal Select Agent Program, which oversees any work on anthrax, Ebola and other bioterror pathogens.
The CDC said the lab that got its permit revoked in 2007 is located in Colorado. Its scientists were working on the Japanese encephalitis virus that causes inflammation of the brain. They ended up destroying all their samples after a USDA inspection, but the lab’s permit got reinstated in 2010.
The agency was more secretive when it came to the labs that faced sanctions. It refused to divulge which facilities they are exactly, but it did tell the publication why they were investigated. In three instances, the labs sent pathogens, which weren’t properly killed, to recipients not authorized to receive them. Twice, someone reported that they discovered potential bioweapons in places where they shouldn’t be within the agency’s facilities. The last instance involved “inventory and oversight concerns.” Only one of these cases remain open — the other five were closed after it was determined that the CDC tweaked its procedures to prevent anything similar from happening again.
USA Today unearthed all these info after winning a Freedom of Information Act appeal filed after it found out last year that 100 labs in the US faced federal sanctions. The publication says the new information that came to light proves that the CDC’s facilities have one of the worst regulatory histories in the country. Despite the repeated sanctions and suspended permit involving fatal pathogens, the agency assured the publication that there’s no need to panic. It told USA Today that “[n]one of these violations resulted in a risk to the public or illness in laboratory workers.”
Source: USA Today
AIVAnet 