Moto Z Force Droid Edition’s ShatterShield survives drops, phone still dies
It’s not the fall that killed my Moto Z Force Droid Edition. It was the sudden stop at the end. And even then, it took five of them. … And the screen still didn’t crack.
I now have a zombie Moto Z Force Droid Edition. No, it’s not the name that killed it. It was the drop test. And while I’m normally not a fan of killing a phone just to watch it die, we had good reason this time. Moto’s ShatterShield.
This is the multiple-layer system that it put in the Droid Turbo 2 — and now in Verizon’s Moto Z Force — to keep the phone’s screen from shattering should it be dropped. That doesn’t mean it’s a rugged phone. That doesn’t mean you should repeatedly drop it onto concrete. That means should the phone take a spill — like all phones do at some point — the screen should survive.
Yes, there’s fine print. (There’s always fine print.) And it reads thusly:
The display and embedded lens are warranted against shattering and cracking for four (4) years from the original date of purchase; scratches or other damage to the protective lens is not covered by this warranty, but should always be in place to prevent scratches and other damage to the underlying components. This phone is not shockproof or designed to withstand all damage from dropping. All other warranty exclusions, including scratches and other cosmetic damage, intentional damage or abuse, normal wear and tear and other limitations apply.
So I wasn’t surprised after one-two-three-four-five drops that the screen quit working. ShatterShield isn’t meant for the sort of abuse I subjected it to. (The phone still boots, actually. It still works. It’s just as if the display became detached.)
But it did not shatter. It looks beat to hell — because it was. But ShatterShield did its job.
Moto Z and Moto Z Force
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Samsung fixes Galaxy S7 Active’s waterproof flaw, will replace phones
Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Active is meant to be waterproof, but apparently, some units didn’t get the memo.
The rugged smartphone, which works exclusively on AT&T in the US, has an IP68-rating that covers both dust- and water-resistance. It is designed to survive immersion in five feet of water for 30 minutes. But Consumer Reports on 8 June put two units through a dunk test and reported that they both failed. CNET later conducted a similar test, and two out of four units also failed.
All units of the S7 Active were manufactured in the same facility in Asia, and at least some of them appear to have waterproofing issues. On 22 July, Samsung responded to these claims, revealing to Consumer Reports that it found a problem in production. It quickly corrected the issue, declined to provide any further details, and said S7 Active units now being shipped should be flaw-free.
The Korean company won’t remove existing units from store shelves. All Samsung phones carry a one-year limited warranty, it explained, so any S7 Active units that sustain water damage can be immediately returned to where it was purchased or directly through Samsung for a replacement. Samsung warned that it will not replace phones that have not suffered water damage.
Samsung also wouldn’t expand upon how consumers can determine if their phones were flawed (ie, check their serial numbers, etc), though it believes only a small number of units were affected.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and S-Pen shown off in leaked video and render
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Release date and everything you need to know
- Samsung Odyssey is company’s rival to Oculus Rift
3D-printed ‘Pokémon Go’ cover aims for you, obscures screen
Catching monsters in Pokémon Go sounds deceptively simple: find a creature, and throw an imaginary ball at it by swiping up on your phone screen. The reality is a lot more frustrating — if you don’t flick your finger in a perfectly straight line, the throw will curve to the side and miss. There are two solutions to this. You could practice, or, you could 3D-print a ridiculous phone-cover that takes away all of the challenge. Jon Clever chose to do the latter.
We tease, but Clever’s Pokéball Aimer is actually a clever little tool. The custom phone cover fits over an iPhone 6 and creates a trench that guide’s the player’s finger up the center of the screen for the perfect Pokéball throw.
Unfortunately, it also obscures a good deal of the screen — offering only cut-outs for on-screen controls. There’s a Pokéball shaped window that allows the player to see the target, but the case is only really useful on the game’s capture screen. This means it has to be removed for battles, menus and the game’s GPS-guided walking mode. It also makes advanced moves, like the curve ball, impossible. Still, tedium is a small price to pay for catching Psyduck. Want your own? You can get the plans for free on My Mini Factory.
Via: Gizmodo
Source: My Mini Factory
Wikileaks publishes thousands of DNC emails
As if Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party needed any more fuss over emails, Wikileaks has published a trove of messages sent to and from top DNC officials. It covers a period from January of last year to May of 2016, and appear to show party officials spreading negative angles about Bernie Sanders, dreaming up fake Craigslist ads to target Donald Trump and constantly sharing “off the record” details with reporters. The source of the leak is apparently the hacker calling themselves “Guccifer 2,” although claims by the DNC itself, Motherboard and the Washington Post point to Russian government hackers, and Wikileaks has not identified a source.
RELEASE: 8,034 US DNC attachmentments including thousands of images, 891 documents & 175 spreadsheets https://t.co/rnA8lBHso2
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 22, 2016
Wikileaks claims this is just a part of the “Hillary leaks” series it plans on sharing, but it’s also being criticized for not redacting some of the information in the files. Details from phone numbers and email addresses to passport ID numbers and some payment account information can be found in the emails that point to regular people who’ve made donations.
That’s mixed in with emails from DNC CEO Amy Dacey discussing the possibility of bringing up Bernie Sanders’ religious beliefs to influence voters in Kentucky or West Virginia, details on how much you need to donate to get facetime with Hillary, and vetting activist Deray Mckesson as a potential surrogate at an event. You can search through the database yourself if you’d like, although the DNC has yet to comment on the leak, which comes ahead of its nominating convention next week.
Source: Wikileaks
Deconstructing the legendary dungeons of ‘Ocarina of Time’
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is one of those games that practically everyone has played and regards fondly. The landmark 1998 game was incredibly influential, and when folks put together lists of “best games of all time,” it’s usually within the top ten. Ocarina also marked the long-running franchise’s move from a top-down view to full 3D thanks to the leap in power that the Nintendo 64 provided. But how do its dungeons stack up to previous games in the series? Specifically, A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening? YouTuber Mark Brown answers just that with a smart and thoughtful examination of the game.
In the video above, he breaks down how Ocarina’s nine temples are structured in terms of flow and design, noting just how linear they are compared to A Link to the Past (another fan favorite in the series) and whether or not that actually works to the game’s advantage. And yep, a healthy portion of the video is dedicated to Ocarina’s devious water temple. The video is part of a larger series examining the franchise on a game-by-game basis, so, if you like what you see, maybe throw a subscription Brown’s way.
Source: Game Maker’s Toolkit (YouTube)
Volt Infinity review – CNET
The Good The Volt Infinity is comfortable to ride and the responsive motor and electric gears make setting off from a standstill quick and easy.
The Bad It doesn’t come cheap, and the design doesn’t exactly stand out.
The Bottom Line Thanks to its large wheels, nippy motor and electric gears, the Volt Infinity is a pleasure to ride on country roads or in the city centre.
Looking for a solid all-round ebike that’s well-equipped to tackle those sweeping countryside roads as well as your daily commute?
The Volt Infinity is the bike for you.
Its 20-inch frame and full-size wheels make it a comfortable ride, helped by the front suspension forks, which absorb all but the worst of East London’s potholes.
The electric motor provides plenty of assistance to your pedaling and has three power modes, selectable with two buttons on the handlebars. It kicks in quickly, which helps you get up to speed without much effort on your part. If you want to blitz through your commute without breaking a sweat, keep the assistance at maximum. Turn it off altogether if you want a proper workout.
Fisher-Price 4-in-1 Smart Connect Cradle n Swing review – CNET
The Good The Fisher-Price Cradle ‘n Swing is a flexible product that performs its basic functions well. Plus, the design is sturdy and reliable.
The Bad This thing will take up considerable space, and its extras aren’t too impressive. For the price, I want something more than the basic music and sound effects.
The Bottom Line This product isn’t a must-buy, especially for its price, but it performs reliably well and will work effectively with many children.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
Sometimes the only way to soothe a baby is by holding her. But if you want to have a life (or just some sanity), an alternative means of soothing the kid is really important. I have personal experience living at the whims of a teething child, and I’m a strong believer in buying some sort of rocker, swing or seat that’ll give parents a little relief when they need it. The question is, which one should you buy?
It’s not an easy question, in part because every child is different. Some babies like to ride in cars, some like to be rocked in cradles. But Fisher-Price’s 4-in-1 Smart Connect Cradle ‘n Swing tries to solve that problem by doing it all. I love the flexibility, but between a high price of $200 (about £150 or AU$270) and a giant frame, the Cradle ‘n Swing loses some of its appeal. It’s still worth considering, but only if you’ve already got the budget and the floor space.
Fisher-Price shoves four baby gadgets into…
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Setting up the Cradle ‘n Swing isn’t as easy as I’d hoped. It took me between 30 and 40 minutes, and by the time I’d screwed together all the metal bars and fastened the plush cushion to the bed, I needed a break.
While initial setup isn’t that big a deal, once the Cradle ‘n Swing is assembled, it’s also hard to move. This is a beast of a device, with the largest footprint of any baby-related tech I’ve tested. While it isn’t too much larger than comparable non-smart devices, I still feel like its frame could be a little more compact. Additionally, it doesn’t collapse well for travel or storage, so expect a permanent fixture in your home.
The genius trick that keeps trash bags from falling in – CNET
Trash bags and waste bins were meant to work perfectly together. Yet that’s rarely the case. As trash bags start to fill up, something absurdly annoying happens: the bag falls in.
If any of this sounds familiar, there is hope. Grant Thompson, or The King of Random on YouTube has a quick and easy hack to keep garbage bags secured in place. It also helps a bit with removing the bag from the can.
All you need are two medium- or large-sized Command Hooks, a large waste bin and trash bags with drawstrings.
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To make this hack work:
- Remove the protective coating from one Command Strip and press it against the backside of the Command Hook.
- Remove the other protective coating and position the Command Hook about halfway down the side of the trash bin, with the hook facing downward.
- Repeat this step with a second Command Hook on the opposite side of the waste bin.
- Insert a trash bag into the waste bin, making sure the exposed drawstrings are positioned above the Command Hooks.
- Pull the drawstrings down and hook them over the upside down Command Hooks.
Now, as you add trash to the waste bin, the bag will not get pulled inside the bin, and it should be a little easier to grab the drawstrings, tie and lift the full bag out of the waste bin.
Thompson does suggest drilling some holes in and near the bottom of the waste bin to make it easier to lift the bag out, and this works, but it’s best to drill the holes a few inches up from the very bottom of the bin to keep any liquids that may leak from the bag in the bottom of the trash can an not on the floor.
10 Reddit keyboard shortcuts for more efficient time-killing – CNET
The Reddit Enhancement Suite (RES) is a browser extension for Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera that gives you customizable modules and keyboard shortcuts to make your Reddit experience an efficient one.
If you spend large chunks of your day or evening on Reddit, then the RES is worth checking out if only for the keyboard shortcuts. Below are, by my estimation, the 10 most useful shortcuts the RES offers.
1. Show or hide all images
You can click the View Images tab at the top of a subreddit to toggle between showing and hiding all of the images of a thread. But the top menu bar isn’t static, so it’s easier to hit Shift-X to show and hide all images.
2. Move to the next or previous post
To move to the next post, hit the J key. To move back to the previous post, hit the K key.
3. Load the next page
You can jump to the bottom of current page of the thread you are viewing and load the next page by hitting Shift-J.
4. Return to the top
You can quickly go down a wormhole on Reddit. To return to the start of a thread, hit Shift-K.
5. Follow a link
Instead of clicking on a link in a comment to open it, just hit the Enter or Return key. To close the link and return to its thread, hit the Backspace or Delete key.
6. Open comments
To open open a link along with its comments, hit the C key. To open the link and comments in a new tab, hit Shift-C.
7. Open a link and its comments
To open a link in one tab and its comments in another tab, hit the L key. Shift-L does the same thing but keeps the new tabs in the background.
8. Meet the parent
There are comments upon comments upon comments in Reddit. To move up a level in the comment hierarchy, hit the P key and you’ll move up to the parent of whichever comment you are viewing. Keep hitting P and you’ll eventually return to the first comment. Meanwhile, hit Shift-P to see a small pop-up window that shows the parent comments for the comment you are currently viewing.
9. Up- or down-vote
If you like a comment, you can up-vote it by hitting the A key. Conversely, you can down-vote a comment you don’t appreciate with the Z key.
10. See all shortcuts
To see a handy cheat sheet of all of the above shortcuts and many more, hit Shift-/ to call up the master RES list of shortcuts.
Where to buy the Moto Z
Verizon’s has the exclusive on the Moto Z, but it won’t last forever.
So here’s the deal with the Moto Z, insofar as when and where you’ll be able to buy it.
The Moto Z is currently exclusive to Verizon, as a “Droid Edition.” It’s up for preorder and will officially be available on July 28. It costs $26 a month, or $624 outright.
It’s not the only phone, however. Verizon also has the Moto Z Force Droid Edition. It’s got a larger-capacity battery, higher-resolution camera and an unbreakable “ShatterShield” over the display. (We tried it. It works very well.) The Force costs $30 a month, or $720 outright.
Verizon’s exclusive doesn’t last forever, though. Globally you’ll be able to buy a SIM-unlocked (but GSM-only) Moto Z (not the Force) in September, from Motorola.
We’ll update this page as the Moto Z becomes available in more places.
See at Verizon
AIVAnet 