‘Top Gear’ host Chris Evans bails after poor comeback ratings

After a single season at the helm, Chris Evans is stepping down from Top Gear. The presenter, which took over from Jeremy Clarkson and his fellow partners in crime, James May and Richard Hammond, said on Twitter: “(I) gave it my best show but sometimes that’s not enough. The team are beyond brilliant, I wish them all the best.” The latest series of Top Gear, which wrapped up last night in the UK, has been battered by low audience figures and scathing reviews, both from critics and fans. Replicating the success of the Clarkson era was always going to be difficult, however, when so much of the show’s appeal was attributed to the old presenters.

Still, the BBC has been trying its best. Top Gear is one of its most popular and lucrative shows, with a huge following both domestically and overseas. Simply cancelling the programme was never an option. The team had hoped that Chris Evans’ energy would fill some of the void left behind by his predecessors; as a fail-safe, it brought in Friends actor Matt LeBlanc to give the show some much-needed star power. Then, in a deviation from previous seasons, the BBC hired a large cast of supporting presenters: motorsport pundit Eddie Jordan, professional racing driver Sabine Schmitz, and two younger faces, Chris Harris and Rory Reid, who also present the Top Gear spin-off show Extra Gear on BBC iPlayer.

Some of these presenters have worked better than others. Another problem is, arguably, the format of the show — it’s almost unchanged from the Clarkson years, focusing on short documentaries and celebrity laps. They’re shot and scripted in a similar fashion to previous seasons, which, while visually impressive, often feel like hollow imitations. “I have never worked with a more committed and driven team than the team I have worked with over the last 12 months,” Evans said in a statement. “I feel like my standing aside is the single best thing I can now do to help the cause.”

The BBC is left with a huge role to fill for the next season. In the meantime, Clarkson and co are gearing up to launch their new show, The Grand Tour, on Amazon Prime Video. The exact premiere date is unknown, but it’s due to kick off this fall — fans of the troublesome trio will be hoping their attempt is better than what the BBC has shown over the last six weeks.

Source: BBC

Second Man Behind Phishing of Celebrity iCloud Accounts Pleads Guilty

Edward Majerczyk, a 28-year-old Chicago man who played a role in the phishing of celebrity iCloud accounts in 2014, has signed a plea agreement and agreed to plead guilty to a violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, according to court documents made public on Friday.

Majerczyk was charged in a Los Angeles, California district court, but will enter his guilty plea in the Northern District of Illinois. He faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison. Ryan Collins, a 36-year-old Pennsylvania man who was also involved in the iCloud attack known as “Celebgate,” likewise entered into a plea agreement in March with a recommended sentence of 18 months in prison.

Between November 2013 and September 2014, Majerczyk and Collins engaged in a phishing scheme to obtain the iCloud and Gmail usernames and passwords of over 300 victims, including female celebrities, according to court documents. The perpetrators sent their victims emails that appeared to be from Apple and Google, asking them to provide their usernames and passwords.

Majerczyk and Collins used the credentials to illegally access accounts and extract private information, which included nude photographs and videos. In September 2014, hundreds of nude photos of celebrities were then leaked on online image board 4chan before spreading to multiple internet sites, but investigators have not yet been able to find any evidence that either of the men were directly behind the leak.

Shortly after the breach occurred, Apple conducted an investigation that revealed the accounts were compromised by weak passwords — a Find My iPhone flaw may have also played a role. Apple then strengthened security by adding email alerts when iCloud accounts are accessed on the web, allowing app-specific passwords for third-party apps accessing iCloud, and enabling two-factor authentication on iCloud.com.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

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OxygenOS 3.2.0 now available for the OnePlus 3 with RAM management fixes and more

OnePlus has announced that the OxygenOS 3.2.0 update for the OnePlus 3 will begin rolling out now. The update brings a number of big fixes to the phone, like sRGB mode in developer options, enhanced RAM management, camera quality fixes and more. Plans for the update were previously revealed following some drama surrounding how OnePlus was managing the 6GB of RAM inside the phone.

Highlights from the update include:

• Enabled sRGB mode in developer options.
• Improved RAM management.
• Improved GPS performance.
• Enhanced audio playback quality.
• Updated custom icon packs.
• Fixed some issues with notifications.
• Improved camera quality/functionality.
• Fixed some issues in Gallery.
• Implemented latest Google security patches.
• Fixed bugs in Clock/Music apps.

The update will begin rolling out now, and OnePlus anticipates all OnePlus 3 owners will see the update within 48 hours. Have you received the update yet? Let us know how it is working out for you in the comments!

OnePlus 3

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The best phone to use with Android Auto

An updated list of what works with Android Auto.

A lot of phones cross my path every month. OK, often every week. Occasionally more than one a day. And that means they also at some point end up in my car. And in my car I have a head unit that supports Android Auto, which undeniably has made me a safer driver. (And Android Auto has the added bonus of having a much better user interface than the dumpster fire that came with my deck.)

But here’s the thing: If there’s a weak link for Android Auto, it comes when you actually plug the phone in. Because the various Android manufacturers do all sorts of nonsense to their phones, including what happens when you plug one in. And on occasion, Android Auto might not work at all. So let’s chat about that. These are the phones I absolutely recommend with Android Auto.

Any recent Nexus phone

This should come as no surprise, but Google’s phones work best with Google’s automotive initiative. I have never had an issue with the Nexus 6P. Or the Nexus 5X. Or the Nexus 6, back when I used it. (I can’t remember if I tried the original Nexus 5.) If I had to recommend just one phone to use with Android Auto, it’d be one of those.

The problem comes when a manufacturer does pretty much anything that interferes with the connection process. Some phones (and these are a blessed few) turn into app installers once you plug in. Others just do something … different … and Android Auto isn’t smart enough to compensate. (We’d argue that it shouldn’t have to, but that’s another thing for another day.

So if you want a phone that absolutely will work with Android Auto, get a Nexus. (Double points if you get a gold Nexus.

If not Nexus, look for something ‘stock-ish’

This one’s sort of a crapshoot. But we’ve generally found that phones that keep things as close to “stock” as possible do pretty well. That’s usually meant Motorola’s phones. (There have been exceptions though.) HTC has done pretty well, too. Beyond that it’s been a little hit and miss.

And just because something looks “stock” doesn’t mean there won’t be some wonkiness going on under the hood. But at the same time, we’ve had phones like the Huawei P9 — something you can’t even buy in the United States — work great. Go figure.

If you’re just dying to know whether a phone works with Android Auto, you should check out our AA forums. I post every phone I test in there, and if I haven’t tried it there’s a chance someone else has.

What about Samsung’s Galaxy phones?

Samsung sells more Android phones than anyone. They’re also more customized than just about anything out there. There’s good and bad news here. Take the Galaxy S7, for example. There are folks who have used it without issue. And then there are those of us who have never gotten the GS7 to work. Maybe it’s a software issue. Maybe there’s something inherent about the GS7 that doesn’t like the cable I’m using. I don’t know.

But I do know that there are 31 separate versions of the Galaxy S7 (worldwide). Some work. And some don’t. Again, I’ll point you to the forums.

We’ll update this post if and when something new and exciting comes our way. Stay tuned!

All About Android Auto

• Getting started with Android Auto
• List of compatible phones and cars
• Android Auto news
• Apps that work with Android Auto
• Join the Android Auto discussion!

Bloodhound’s land speed record attempt set for October 2017

The team behind the Bloodhound SSC, a supersonic car designed to beat the land speed record, has some good news and some bad news to share. First and foremost, it’s secured new funding, meaning the crew can reform (some engineers were forced to take short-term contracts elsewhere) and start preparing for the action in South Africa. The bad news is that the entire timeline for beating the record — currently 763MPH, set by the Thrust SSC in 1997 — has slipped yet again. A slow-speed test run will now take place in the UK next June, rather than later this year. The actual record attempt will be in October, not the April-May window stated before.

Engadget was able to see the Bloodhound car — or what had been built so far, at least — at London’s Canary Wharf last September. It’s a ferocious machine, measuring 13.4 meters in length and weighing roughly seven and a half tonnes. Most of that weight can be attributed to the car’s three-pronged power system: a Rolls-Royce EJ2000 jet engine, sourced from an RAF Eurofighter Typhoon, a cluster of Nammo hybrid rockets and a supercharged Jaguar V8 engine, which drives the rocket oxidiser pump. Together, they produce a whopping 135,000 brake horsepower.

The Bloodhound will be driven by RAF Wing Commander Andy Green, who set the previous record in the Thrust SSC. He’ll take on the title twice — the first, at 800MPH, will cement the car and its team as the new land speed record holders. A second attempt will be held later — sometime in 2018, according to the BBC — to see if the car can breach 1000MPH.

Before then, however, the team has some work to do. It wants to disassemble the car and create a “user manual” that can be referenced by its mechanics out in the desert. The crew will then rebuild and, where necessary, modify the vehicle before sending it to Cornwall for a 220MPH test run. “We’ve come through this difficult stage wiser, leaner and fitter,” Bloodhound project director Richard Noble said. “This is probably the biggest moment in the project’s history. Before, we could only see financially a few months ahead, but now we can put our foot down.”

Source: Bloodhound

Android Auto explored: Taking Google on the road

Android Auto has been around for a number of years. Announced in 2014, Android Auto first made its appearance in third-party head units, such as some from Pioneer, with a number of car manufacturers confirming they would be offering it in the future.

The car market moves a lot slower than the smartphone market and since Android Auto’s inception, you’ve probably got through several phones, without ever seeing Android Auto in action. But those cars are starting to hit the road and as the old cliché goes, the future is now.

We spent some time diving a little deeper into Android Auto on the new Audi A3 to see how it all fits together.

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What is Android Auto?

Audi has updated the A3, its best-selling model in the UK, bringing with it Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support through its MMI infotainment system.

Android Auto (and Apple CarPlay) on the A3 means it’s going to be available to a lot of people – as will be the case when Ford Sync 3.0 lands in the UK later in 2016 – when these services are really going to hit the big time. 

The idea behind Android Auto is to seamlessly bring Android into the infotainment system of your car with minimal hassle. It’s basically a bespoke mirrored experience, drawing from your phone an interface that’s suitable for driving. This is different from some Android-based in-car systems, as Android Auto is actually running on your phone, just displayed and controlled using your car’s hardware.

In most cases, you simply have to connect via USB and you’re done. For the Audi A3, we connected the HTC 10 to the USB port hidden in the (optional) “phone box” hiding under the central armrest. The phone box also offers Qi wireless charging, so if you dump your Samsung Galaxy S7 in it, for example, it will charge, but if you’re hooking up to USB to use Android Auto, you’ll be charging anyway.

Android Auto: The app

You can download the Android Auto app for your device from Google Play. If you don’t have the app and you connect to a compatible car, you’ll be prompted to download it, but there’s nothing to stop you installing it in advance.

Once you have it installed and you connect to the car, there’s a whole range of things to agree too, the normal legal disclaimers and so on, as well as granting the app permission to access a range of things on your phone. 

The app will handle establishing a Bluetooth connection to the car and for the Audi A3, that means you’ll then have all your contacts available to use with the car’s phone support, becoming completely integrated with both Android Auto and Audi’s existing MMI system without having to pair Bluetooth devices via the traditional method.

One feature of the app that we really like is that it remembers its last location when it was connected. That means that when you park, you can see at a glance where you left your car. Although Google Now has offered the feature for some time, it doesn’t always seem to know when you’re parked and when you’re not.

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Android Auto: User interface and features

Android Auto has the capacity to make your dumb car smarter, or bring familiarity to your already smart car.

It’s simple, it offers basic functions and it’s designed to stop you fiddling with your phone when driving. In some ways it replicates “car mode” that some phones offer, but without having to dock your phone as an additional display. With a central main home page, you then have the option of moving between a number of major functions: navigation, calling and music.

In the Audi A3, Android Auto sits as a layer on top of the existing system as soon as you plug it in, so as we’ve said, you still get access to both systems. The final option from Android Auto’s home screen is to return to the native Audi MMI interface. One can’t replace the other, because things like car controls or the radio will still live in the car’s systems and you’re not sacrificing one because of the other.

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Android Auto: Audi controls

For the Audi A3, which doesn’t have a touchscreen, control is through MMI’s existing controls, namely that four-way click wheel on the transmission tunnel. It only takes a few minutes to become familiar, essentially clicking left to open side menus, rotating the dial to move through options, clicking up and down to move around, and so on.

On car systems that offer touch, you’ll be able to hit the display to control Android Auto instead. For those familiar with the Audi MMI controls, it feels logical and seamless, with no need to look down at the controller, so it’s easy to use on the road with minimal distraction.

There’s very little cross-over to steering wheel controls in the Audi, as many of these are used to control the driver’s display. Things like skipping tracks and voice control does work through the same controls however, but more on that later. 

It’s also worth noting that at the same time, your phone is essentially disabled. It shows “Android Auto” on the display, you can swipe to see notifications, but the idea is that when you’re in the car, you leave it alone.

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Android Auto: Notifications

The central home screen of Android Auto gives you card-style notifications, in major categories, very much like a Google Now experience. It gives you the time it will take to drive home – a Google Now favourite – with the option to click through and start that navigation.

You can sit on that home screen with an overview of navigation instructions or playing music, without being in that specific section. 

It will also serve up messaging notifications, with the offer to read them out to you, which is really handy. You then get the option to speak the reply, which is a little like the Android Wear voice experience, i.e., sometimes a bit hit and miss, but as it’s Google, you probably already know what works.

Voice is fully integrated across the experience as you’d expect. Audi also offers voice control in its cars and you can still get to both systems. A short press on the steering wheel voice button uses Audi’s own system. A long press gets you to Ok Google. 

The Google offering extends far beyond what you can see, because you can ask questions of Google and get a useful response – such as asking what’s in your calendar – at which point you’ll be told just how busy you are. Just like Android Wear, you can issue voice instructions that your phone will attempt to respond to and action. We suspect that with the advent of Google Assistant, the voice options will become increasingly sophisticated.

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Android Auto: Google Maps Navigation

One of the attractive things for those using Android Auto, is that you can use Google’s navigations and maps. Depending on what car you have and how the options are arranged, there’s the potential to save yourself money, using Android Auto rather than an expensive satnav upgrade from your car manufacturer – certainly something to weigh-up on the options list when buying a new car.

The Google Maps driving experience is very much as you get when you have your Android phone in navigation mode. There are things like traffic, all the information you need, but the real strength is finding locations through search. Although Google’s route planning and guidance isn’t as sophisticated as that of TomTom’s dedicated devices, it is very convenient and in many cases it performs better than some car’s expensive satnav options.

However, for the Audi A3 with the virtual cockpit – offering full widescreen mapping right in front of your eyes – it’s unlikely you’ll better the experience. With the virtual cockpit letting you shrink the dials for a bigger view, and nice clear instructions, Audi’s system is one of our favourites. However, you can’t use both at the same time, it’s either or – and there’s no Android Auto mapping on the driver’s display, only on the central display. 

In that sense, Audi’s own system has plenty of appeal particularly for those speccing the virtual cockpit. However, if you’re sticking to traditional dials, then Android Auto’s offering holds more appeal.

One final thing to note is that if you’re navigating on one system and you start planning a route on the other, the existing guidance will stop.

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Android Auto: Music

Entertainment is obviously one of the big things that Android Auto offers. Although this isn’t a huge step over using Bluetooth audio – and Audi and others have offered this for years – it does mean that you have a nice clear interface in Android Auto, as well as the choice of the music service you use. 

The default or preferred option is Play Music as you’d expect. If you have lots of music in Google’s music service, or a subscription, then you’ll be well served. 

But as a Spotify subscriber, we were drawn to support for that service. It works really well, with full playlist support, so you can just fire up Spotify and listen as you would anywhere else. There’s a wide range of supported apps on Google Play, from radio apps to podcasts. Just remember that unless you have something saved locally on your device, you might be using up a lot of data playing all that music as you drive.

Never at any point do you have to touch your phone, as all the volume and track skipping works with the Audi’s existing controls.

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Android Auto: Calling

Calling is perhaps the least revolutionary aspect of Android Auto, because it’s so well established through existing Bluetooth connections in cars. If you have nothing in your car, then great, you’re now connected; but with Bluetooth phone connections coming as standard on most new cars, you might find you never need Android Auto’s option. 

Except, of course, that everything is displayed in an Androidy way, so it feels closer to your phone than your car’s interpretation of it.

In the Audi A3, calling is well handled by the default systems. Once you’re hooked up to Bluetooth, the car has full access to your contacts and they are accessible from the steering wheel controls, and viewed in the central display. In this case, it’s very easy to scroll to a contact and hit the call button, with very little effort.

Whichever you choose, it works well enough, but we suspect it will be of most interest to upgraders, rather than those with a brand new car.

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Final thoughts

One of the most attractive things about Android Auto is that it’s run by your phone, not the car. Sure, in this case there’s a lot of integration and cross-over with Audi’s existing offering, but taking the normal environment of your phone – the phone that knows what you’re doing and everything about you – has its advantages. For those who use multiple cars, it’s good to know that your phone is keeping track of everything, so you can plug in and go.

The Audi A3 is a well connected car, offering a wide-range of options and in some cases, Android Auto might seem unnecessary, especially as Audi’s existing offering is very strong. With that in mind, it might have more appeal in cars with weaker systems, or give you the option to save money, by letting Google do the work rather than your car.

As it’s drawing on apps from your phone, you’ll have the latest features, without having to wait for your car to be updated, which is another immediate advantage.

If you’re an Android user, then speccing your car with Android Auto certainly makes sense, with the potential to make your car smarter, more personalised and more familiar, and all with very little effort.

Bluetooth Star Trek Communicator now available to pre-order

The company behind remote controls shaped like Harry Potter’s wand, The Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver and a Star Trek Phaser has again turned its attention to the latter, but this time for an extension to your mobile phone rather than a TV controller.

The Star Trek: Original Series Bluetooth Communicator from The Wand Company has been crafted by 3D scanning the only remaining Communicator prop from the TV show. It has exactly the same dimensions, therefore, as the ones used by William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and the rest of the original cast.

However, it isn’t just a replica dummy. It can also be used to make and receive phone calls wirelessly, by pairing it with a smartphone.

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It also has a whole raft of authentic sound effects and voices from Star Trek, to make you feel like you really are on board the Enterprise or part of an away team – just don’t wear a red shirt.

In spec terms, as well as Bluetooth, there is a MEMS microphone on board for clear voice calls. The speaker can also be used to listen to music.

A foam-lined transit case is included.

You can now pre-order the Star Trek: Original Series Bluetooth Communicator from Firebox in the UK. It costs £119.95 and would go down a treat while you’re watching the entire run of Star Trek, from the first episodes through to Enterprise on Netflix.

London police consider using drones to pursue motorbike thieves

In its bid to curb the rise of drive-by snatches on the streets of London, the Metropolitan Police may turn to drones to track motorbike-riding suspects. At a recent meeting of the London Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee, Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey said that UAVs could be a safer alternative to officers pursuing so-called moped gangs across the capital.

The Evening Standard reports that police are struggling to come to terms with an increase in motorbike raids, specifically in Camden and Islington. In the past 12 months, more than 3,000 phone thefts were recorded, many of them linked to drive-by crooks on two wheels.

The Met has launched a review of its pursuit tactics after an inquest found that 18-year-old Henry Hicks died in a crash during a high-speed chase. The teen, who wasn’t suspected of a crime, was trying to evade two unmarked police cars and a helicopter in Islington in 2014. In order to reduce the chances of a similar incident happening again, Mackey said the force is now considering its options and available tactics, which may involve the use of drones.

“The possibilities of unmanned aerial vehicles to tackle suspects using two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles to commit crime are currently being discussed at a national level by the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s steering group and the Centre for Applied Science and Technology,” the Metropolitan Police said.

Drones have already proven effective in day-to-day police operations, helping operators control protests and investigate intrusions. However, their use in pursuits could also save money by reducing the need for helicopter support. UAVs will be able to track and monitor the movements of potential suspects, directing ground forces to wherever they are hiding.

Source: Evening Standard