Google Apps’ new Android notifications for device activations are better than emails
Google Apps is rolling out a new feature to Android accounts that sends direct notifications to users when a new device is activated. This additional security feature has been found to be more effective than sending out emails.
In a blog post, Google stated that when a new device is activated on an Android Google Apps account, that person will now see a notification pop up on any device they have linked to that account. If that user hasn’t bought a new device to add to their Google Appsaccount, they can tap on the “Review Account Activity” selection. They can see which devices was activated, along with its location and IP address. If they didn’t activate that product, then someone else has their Google Apps account password.
Google says this new security feature will have big benefits over old-fashioned email alerts:
Now users are quickly notified on multiple devices when a new device has been added. This increases transparency to the user of what actions they’ve performed and allows them to flag any suspicious activity they may be seeing on the device. We’ve also found that with Android notifications, users are up to four times as likely to review the information as compared to email notifications.
The new notification feature may take a couple of weeks to reach all Android users.
These are the cars that support Android Auto
Does my car work with Android Auto? If it’s in this list, it does!.intro
Android Auto has expanded a great deal since its inception. Its main goal is to use your phone as the brains of the operation, connecting to your vehicle’s infotainment display so that your apps work seamlessly. It’s grown a bit over the months and years and will now work on its own, without a vehicle display. But in its purest form, it’ll work with your car.
Unfortunately, not every vehicle is compatible with Android Auto. But the good news is that the list of vehicles that support Android Auto is growing all the time. This is the official list of supported vehicles, according to Google:
Acura
- 2017: NSX
Audi
- 2016: Q7
- 2017: Q2, A3, A4, A6, A7
Buick
- 2016: LaCrosse, Regal
- 2017: Envision, Encore
Cadillac
- 2016: ATS, ATS Coupe, ATS-V, CTS, CTS-V, ELR, CT6, Escalade, Escalade ESV, XTS
- 2017: XT5
Chevrolet
- 2016: Camaro, Camaro Convertible, Colorado, Corvette, Corvette Convertible, Cruze, Impala, Malibu, Silverado, Silverado HD, Tahoe, Volt, Suburban, Spark
Ford
- 2017: C-MAX, Edge, Escape, Everest, Expedition, F-150, Flex, Focus, Fusion, Galaxy, Kuga, Mondeo, Mustang, Ranger, S-MAX, Super Duty, Taurus, Transit, Vignale
GMC
- 2016: Canyon, Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL
- 2017: Acadia
Holden
- 2016: Spark, Captiva
Honda
- 2016: Civic, Accord
Hyundai
- 2015: Sonata
- 2016: Elantra GT, Veloster, Tucson, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, Sonata PHEV, Azera, Genesis
- 2017: Elantra, Santa Fe, Santa Fe (Sport)
Kia
- 2014 – 2016: Soul (software update)
- 2015: Optima (software update)
- 2015 – 2016: Soul EV (software update), Sedona (software update), Optima Hybrid (software update), Optima Plug-in Hybrid (software update)
- 2016: Optima, Sorento (software update)
- 2017: Sportage, Forte, Soul, Soul EV, Optima Hybrid, Optima Plug-in Hybrid, Sedona, Cadenza, Niro Hybrid
- 2018: Rio
- 2019: K900
Lincoln
- 2017: Continental, MKC, MKX, MKZ, MKZ HEV, Navigator
Mercedes-Benz
- 2017: E-Class, CLS Coupe, CLS Shooting Brake, GLE, GLE Coupe
Mitsubishi
- 2016: Pajero, Pajero Sport
- 2017: Mirage
Opel
- 2016: Adam, KARL, Corsa, Astra, Insignia, Zafira, Mokka
Seat
- 2016: Alhambra, Ibiza, Leon, Toledo, Ateca
Škoda
- 2016: Fabia, Fabia Combi, Octavia, Octavia Combi, Rapid, Rapid Spaceback, Superb, Superb Combi, Yeti, Kodiaq
Vauxhall
- 2016: Adam, Viva, Corsa, Astra, Insignia, Zafira, Mokka
Volkswagen
- 2016: Beetle, Beetle Cabrio, Caddy, CC, Eos, Fox, Golf, Golf Cabrio, Golf Sportsvan, Golf Variant, Jetta, Passat, Passat Variant, Polo, Scirocco, Sharan, Spacefox, T6 Van, Tiguan, Touran
Volvo
- XC90
- S90
- V90
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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!
Go Time! Episode 3: Blanche, Candela, and Spark
It’s time for Episode 3 of our Pokemon Go podcast!
Valor, Instinct, and Mystic are back again with another episode of Pokémon Go. This week we’re talking about our newly uncovered Team Leaders, changed announced at Comic Con, gym sniping, and the delay of the Pokémon Go Plus add-on. We also spent some time debunking rumors surrounding the game.
We’re here because we love Pokémon Go, and we hope you’ll join us!
- Google Play
- Soundcloud
- iTunes
- Or add us to your podcatcher of choice!
You can also join our Facebook page to keep up on all things Pokémon Go. See you in the world!
Pokémon Go
- Join our Pokémon Go forums!
- How to deal with GPS errors in-game
- Which team should you choose?
- How to play without killing your battery
- The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
- Listen to the Pokémon Go podcast!
Russia claims it can collect encryption keys
Russia now requires (or at least, appears to require) that local internet providers offer backdoor access to their customers’ encrypted messages, and it conveniently has a way to make that happen. Its Federal Security Service now claims that it can collect encryption keys, giving it the chance to crack communications that would otherwise remain private. In theory, this means that even locked down messaging services like Telegram or WhatsApp aren’t safe from prying eyes.
The question is whether or not Russian officials have as much power as they claim. President Putin only ordered the FSB to develop an encryption key collection technique two weeks earlier — how did it manage to do that so quickly when surveillance agencies around the world have wanted this for years? The FSB doesn’t say how its technique works (to no one’s surprise), so it’s difficult to know how realistic or wide-reaching its anti-encryption technology might be. The one certainty? You won’t want to assume your chats are safe while in Russia, especially if you’re going to criticize its government.
Via: The Daily Dot, Ars Technica
Source: FSB
Microsoft announces ‘Gears of War 4’ eSports Pro Circuit
When it comes to Xbox-exclusive multiplayer games, Gears of War is second only to Halo — and Microsoft is leaning on that popularity for its next big tournament: the Gears eSports Pro Circuit. This ten-month, international gaming circuit kicks off with the launch of Gears of War 4, and will dole out a million dollars in prize money at eight live regional matches. The best part? The tournament is open to professional and amateur players alike — all you need to qualify is a copy of the game and your own natural talent.
Here’s how it works: When Gears of War 4 launches in October, players will be able to earn “Gears Pro Points” by competing in regional MLG online ladder matches. The players with the most points will be able to qualify for open LAN events hosted at cities across the globe. These top players will be flown out to LAN events in London, Paris, Las Vegas and other cities every couple of months — with each event boasting prize pools between $75-250,000.
In addition to the total million dollar prize pool, Microsoft will be hosting an extra launch event in October, worth an additional $100,000. Fans will also be able to buy Gears eSports-themed in-game content to support the tournament. Additionally, fans will be able to watch a weekly MLG Gears eSports broadcast showcasing the best of online qualifying matches and finals. That’s a lot of events for a game that isn’t out until October 11th. Want to learn more? Check out the source link for the Pro Circuit’s official announcement.
Source: Xbox
TP-Link settles with the FCC over risky WiFi router power levels
When the FCC said it was cracking down on WiFi routers that can operate at power levels that might cause interference, it wasn’t kidding around. TP-Link has agreed to a settlement with the FCC that will have the company both keep its router power levels in check and shell out a relatively small $200,000 fine. As with Linksys, though, it’s not asking TP-Link to block unofficial firmware that could break the rules. Just the opposite, in fact — TP-Link has agreed to talk to both open source teams (think OpenWrt) and wireless chipset makers to enable third-party firmware that abides by FCC guidelines. While this isn’t exactly a back-breaking penalty for TP-Link, it could serve as a warning to other router makers that might veer from the straight and narrow.
Source: FCC (PDF 1), (2)
New York Governor bans sex offenders from ‘Pokémon Go’
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has forbidden registered sex offenders in his state from downloading and playing Pokémon Go and similar augmented reality games. According to a statement released Monday morning, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision will apply the governor’s directive to “nearly 3,000 Level 1, 2 and 3 sex offenders currently on parole” in the state of New York.
Governor Cuomo’s plan comes after a report from New York Senators Jeffrey D. Klein and Diane Savino found dozens of Pokémon, Pokéstops and Pokémon gyms within half a block of 100 different registered sex offenders in New York City. In an open letter to Niantic CEO John Hanke, Cuomo offered to send the state’s sex offender registry data so the company could block those users from its immensely popular game. The Governor’s office has also reached out to Apple and Google to inform them of the same concerns.
“Protecting New York’s children is priority number one and, as technology evolves, we must ensure these advances don’t become new avenues for dangerous predators to prey on new victims,” Governor Cuomo wrote. “These actions will provide safeguards for the players of these augmented reality games and help take one more tool away from those seeking to do harm to our children.”
While sex offender registries have become controversial in some states, Governor Cuomo has a history of tracking sex offenders’ online activity in New York. As Attorney General, he introduced legislation that required sex offenders to register all their current email addresses, screen names and other internet aliases with the state. According to the Governor’s office, that legislation has banned over 18,000 register sex offenders from 40 different social media sites or tech services.
Multitouch is about to get more advanced thanks to Qeexo
Multitouch input, as we know it, is mostly for scrolling, rotating plus zooming with two fingers, and you can use more to toggle various actions on supported trackpads. But if you ask Mountain View-based Qeexo, we’ve only scratched the surface of this technology. Over the past couple of years, this company had been working on a software solution dubbed TouchTools, which can let you bring up virtual tools such as a pen, an eraser, a camera, a tape measure, a ruler, a magnifying glass or even a mouse using intuitive multitouch gestures. Many of these resemble the way you’d hold the real thing which is where the challenge lies, yet TouchTools works on all existing hardware that use a standard multitouch screen controller, which should appeal to device manufacturers.
Without giving away his secret sauce, Qeexo CEO Sang Won Lee explained that TouchTools uses just multitouch data plus machine learning to tell the pose of one’s hands. “It’s not just the number of fingers on the screen; just those data will not be enough to decide which tool to use. We need to understand the orientation [of fingers] and size [of fingertips].” After going through multiple stages of evaluations earlier, the result is a lightweight software engine that claims to accommodate 99 percent of users right out of the box, and it’s now available to OEMs plus app developers.
TouchTools isn’t limited to just smartphones and tablets. Lee reckons his software will be particularly handy for large interactive whiteboards, as it’ll save users from having to stretch all the way to a virtual toolbar or fiddle with a stylus. Similarly, it can be applied to digital signage for some fun advertisements. The exec also expects car makers to implement TouchTools on the dashboard touchscreen to let the driver control, say, the temperature or audio volume using knob rotation gestures — they could be differentiated with the size of the spread. As for app developers, Qeexo is offering integration into downloadable apps as well, so you don’t have to be a manufacturer to take advantage of this software.
Even though you may not be familiar with Qeexo, you may have already used its other solutions without you realizing it. For instance, the company’s more famous product, FingerSense, is already implemented on Huawei’s P9 series, Mate 8, Mate S, P8 series, Honor V8 and Honor 7. Here it’s branded as “Knuckle Sense” and lets you take a screenshot by knocking on the screen twice (I’m a big fan of this feature on my P9 Plus), or launch an app by using your knuckle to draw a designated letter, or toggle split screen mode by using your knuckle to draw a line across the screen. Again, this is achieved by using existing hardware — just data from the touchscreen controller plus the accelerometer — in order to distinguish between a fingertip input and a knuckle input. FingerSense has been working well for me all this time, which should be a reassuring sign for the upcoming TouchTools.
Source: Qeexo
BMW’s First CarPlay Vehicles Now Available
BMW this week became the latest CarPlay partner, introducing the iPhone-based software system as a $300 upgrade option in its 2 Series vehicles.
- 230i Coupe
- 230i Convertible
- 230i xDrive Coupe
- 230i xDrive Convertible
- M240i Coupe
- M240i Convertible
- M240i xDrive Coupe
- M240i xDrive Convertible
Leaked price listings in June confirmed BMW’s plans to offer CarPlay in select vehicles in North America and Europe this year, with 2017 M3, M4, X5 M, and X6 M models expected to follow later this month.
BMW joins a long list of automakers that offer CarPlay, including Acura, Audi, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Citroën, DS Automobiles, Ferrari, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Lamborghini, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Porsche, Peugeot, Seat, Škoda, Subaru, Suzuki, Volkswagen, Volvo, and others.
Related Roundup: CarPlay
Tag: BMW
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New Website Offers Comprehensive List of Siri Commands
Users looking to get the most out of Siri may want to check out Hey-Siri.io, a new website that launched in July. Hey-Siri.io features a comprehensive list of many of the different Siri commands that are available, giving iOS and Mac users a quick way to discover all of the different things Siri can do.
Organized into categories like Apps & App Store, HomeKit, Notifications, Conversion, Messaging, Calendar, Translation, and more. Each section, which can be scrolled through on a single page, includes a range of different Siri commands relevant to each category.
When using Siri, Apple includes a list of sample commands in a “Some things you can ask me” popup, but it only scrolls through a handful of messages and isn’t as comprehensive or useful as the Hey-Siri.io website. Hundreds of commands are included on the site, including some of Siri’s more humorous responses to questions like “Knock, Knock” or “Why did the chicken cross the road?”
While Siri is only available on iOS devices at the current time, starting this fall, Siri will also be available on Macs through macOS Sierra. Hey-Siri.io includes both iOS and Mac commands, and switching between them can be done using the Settings button on the site.
Tag: Siri
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