Opera’s free unlimited VPN service is coming to Android
Opera previously launched an unlimited VPN service for iOS earlier this year as a result of its 2015 acquisition of SurfEasy, and now it’s doing the same for Android users.
Opera VPN will let you appear as if you’re in a different country such as the US, Canada, Singapore, Germany and the Netherlands in addition to allowing you to block ad trackers. You can effectively bypass content restricted by location with the VPN, and without a data limit you can use it as much as you want.
If you’re not well-versed in VPNs, the app automatically handles setting Android VPN settings for you and will also check the security and integrity of your current Wi-Fi connection. This feature may slow down your internet speed while you’re using it, as TechCrunch attests, but not so much that it’s too problematic to use while surfing.
If you’re interested in trying out the app, you can pick it up via the Google Play Store now.
Via: TechCrunch
Pinterest buys Instapaper to rule the ‘save for later’ market
Pinterest is more than just about collecting Thanksgiving recipes or selecting your dream wardrobe. You can also use the service to save articles for later reading, a feature that’s been around since its inception. Well, the company just made an acquisition that’ll make saving longreads on Pinterest that much better. Pinterest announced today that it is buying Instapaper, which is one of the most popular read-it-later apps out there. According to Pinterest, the company acquired both the team and the technology behind Instapaper to “accelerate discovering and saving articles on Pinterest.” Don’t worry, Instapaper fans; the app isn’t going away. The Instapaper team will continue to keep it alive as a standalone entity.
The acquisition isn’t just about saving articles either. A spokesperson said that the company will also integrate some of Instapaper’s search technology into Pinterest too. Steve Davis, lead product manager in Pinterest, said in a statement: “As the world’s catalog of ideas, we’re focused on making it easy to save and discover content on any device. The Instapaper team are experts in saving, curating and analyzing articles, and they’re a welcome addition to Pinterest. Instapaper will work with us to continue building indexing and recommendations technologies, and we look forward to building great products together.”
In a lot of ways, the acquisition makes sense. It’s a way for Pinterest to leverage a feature that not many people know about, plus it’s now able to use Instapaper’s tech to help the discoverability of its other pins too. Pinterest could now very well be positioned to be the one-stop shop for bookmarking anything and everything on the web. In fact, the company changed its “Pin It” button to “Save” a few months ago to signify just that. Other bookmarking sites like these exist too of course — Delicious, Pocket and Newsvine spring to mind — but few of them have Pinterest’s clout.
“The missions of Instapaper and Pinterest are aligned in helping people easily save content,” said Brian Donohue, Instapaper’s CEO, in a statement. Similarly, he said Pinterest’s tech will be useful to Instapaper too. “The Pinterest team is working on unique technical challenges, and their collective skill will add tremendous value to Instapaper.”
You can buy Parrot’s fixed-wing Disco drone in September
Parrot’s beginner-friendly drone is finally ready to take to the skies, after we first saw a prototype at CES this year. The Disco eschews the more common quadcopter format for a fixed-wing system that makes taking off as easy as throwing the device in the air. It will be available next month for $1,299.
For that price, you’ll get the Disco, Parrot’s Skycontroller 2 and its Cockpitglasses. The latter is a Gear VR-esque headset that offers a first-person view of what the drone’s camera sees. It also displays a radar and telemetric data so it’s as if you’re piloting from the Disco’s cockpit. Or as if you were a bird.
It may have a user-friendly takeoff mechanism, but the Disco is as (or even more) advanced as Parrot’s other drones. It can fly at up to 50 MPH, with flight time of about 45 minutes. After launching into the air, the drone ascends automatically to an altitude of 164 feet before circling in the air as it awaits your commands.
Parrot has plenty of competition to face, but its fixed-wing system is certainly unique in the commercial space, if not a little goofy. We’ll have to wait and see if the Disco’s cool take-off method will rise above the rest.
LG Announces New Collection of Bluetooth Speakers Coming This Fall
LG recently unveiled a trio of new Bluetooth speaker collections ahead of the IFA 2016 tech conference taking place in Berlin September 2-7. The new speakers are called the PH2, PH3, and PH4 and “run the range from casual to audiophile grade” in order to suit the listening style of each LG customer.
The cheapest speaker starts with the small PH2, measuring 3.8 inches in diameter and just 1.5 in thickness, along with 2.5W of power inside. It also comes with a strap that can attach the speaker to “a variety of surfaces,” making it ideal for listening to music on the go. The PH3 offers an iterative improvement with 3W of power and a more robust frame measuring in at 3.5 by 4.9 inches. This middle tier also includes a candle-like top half that includes “five different multicolored light modes.”
“LG’s new line of Bluetooth speakers combine powerful sound performance with compact, portable design,” said Tim Alessi, senior director, product marketing for home entertainment at LG ElectronicsUSA. “Understanding the busy lifestyles of many of today’s consumers, we sought to create a diverse lineup of audio products that deliver a seamless listening experience in any situation or setting.”
Finally, the taller and cylindrical PH4 introduces the most features of LG’s new bluetooth speaker lineup: water resistance, 360-degree sound, and a longer battery life with 16W of power. Concerning battery, both the PH3 and PH4 will last up to ten hours, while the PH2 is said to get up to six hours of consistent music playback.
Each speaker uses LG’s 360-degree omni-directional output to deliver consistent audio to any room or outdoor space, with the single and dual passive radiators in the PH3 and PH4 “giving them audio abilities that far exceed most speakers their size.” All of the new speakers also come with the standard auxiliary input ports and include an “advanced multipoint connectivity” feature that lets them connect two different Bluetooth-enabled devices at once, so two users can control audio output to one speaker simultaneously.
Because the company revealed the speakers ahead of their official debut at IFA 2016, the price and release date for the new line wasn’t disclosed. LG did say that customers in the United States can expect a launch sometime this fall, however.
Tag: LG
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Apple The Oaks Reopens Next Weekend, CambridgeSide Next Up for Renovations
Apple has announced that its The Oaks retail location in Thousand Oaks, California reopens this Saturday, August 27 at 10:00 a.m. local time. The location, which first opened on October 29, 2005, has been closed for renovations since March. The renovated space is expected to have a Jony Ive-inspired next-generation design and double the square footage within the shopping mall.
Apple The Oaks, opened on October 29, 2005, prior to renovations
Meanwhile, Apple’s retail location at the CambridgeSide Galleria shopping mall in Cambridge, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, will close for renovations one day later on Sunday, August 28. During the closure, Apple recommends that customers visit the nearby Apple Boylston Street or Apple Chestnut Hill locations. The closure is presumably to allow for similar next-generation design updates.
Apple CambridgeSide, opened on December 15, 2001, prior to renovations
Apple is in the process of renovating several of its retail locations in the U.S. and around the world. The new layout includes a combination of The Avenue, Genius Grove, The Forum, The Plaza, and The Boardroom. All new locations since around mid 2015 have been based on the new design language, including the flagship Apple Union Square. Apple now has over 30 retail locations based on the new design language.
A list of next-generation Apple retail locations renovated or opened to date:
- Infinite Loop in Cupertino, CA
- Apple Union Square in San Francisco, CA
- Apple Corte Madera in Corte Madera, CA
- Apple Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY
- Apple World Trade Center in New York, NY
- Apple Walden Galleria in Buffalo, NY
- Apple Crossgates in Albany, NY
- Apple Aspen Grove in Littleton, CO
- Apple Chestnut Hill in Newton, MA
- Apple Derby Street in Hingham, MA
- Apple Saddle Creek in Memphis, TN
- Apple West County in St. Louis, MO
- Apple Annapolis in Annapolis, MD
- Apple Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, MO
- Apple Sherman Oaks in Sherman Oaks, CA
- Apple Brent Cross in London, England
- Apple Brussels in Brussels, Belgium
- Apple Marseille in Marseille, France
- Apple Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Apple Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, UAE
- Apple Chaoyang Joy in Beijing, China
- Apple MixC Nanning in Nanning, China
- Apple MixC Shenyang in Shenyang, China
- Apple Xiamen Lifestyle Center in Xiamen, China
- Apple Nanjing IST in Nanjing, China
- Apple Parc Central in Guangzhou, China
- Apple MixC Qingdao in Qingdao, China
- Apple Olympia 66 in Dalian, China
- Apple Riverside 66 in Tianjin, China
- Apple Parc 66 in Jinan, China
- Apple Thaihot Plaza in Fuzhou, China
- Apple Global Harbor in Shanghai, China
- Apple Hopson One in Shanghai, China
- Apple Galaxy Mall in Tianjin, China
- Apple Galaxy Macau in Macau, China
- Apple New Town Plaza in Hong Kong, China
Keep track of new and renovated locations with our Apple Stores roundup.
Related Roundup: Apple Stores
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How to uninstall the Windows 10 Anniversary Update – CNET
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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
The highly anticipated Windows 10 Anniversary Update dropped earlier this month, but for some users it’s…not great. Specifically, many people found they can no longer use their webcams for things like Skype video chat or Open Broadcaster Software. Microsoft is currently working on a fix, but said fix may not drop until September.
If you’re having the webcam issue or a different issue after installing the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, there is some good news: You can uninstall it, at least temporarily. Windows 10 allows you to roll back to an earlier build of the OS. But be warned, you can’t put off updating forever (well…you can try).
In the meantime, here’s how to get back to the pre-Anniversary Update version of Windows 10, at least until Microsoft releases an update to the update.
Roll back
Windows 10 makes it fairly easy to go back to an earlier build if the most recent update isn’t working for you. Here’s how to do it:
Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET
- Open the Settings menu and go to Update & security > Recovery.
- Under Go back to an earlier build, click Get started.
- A new window will pop up. Tell Windows 10 why you’re rolling back (there are four pre-written answers and a text box where you can write-in your own answer), and click Next to begin the roll-back process.
A few tips for making this a smooth transition:
- Back up your data. In an ideal roll-back situation, all data, even data that was acquired after the most recent update, will be preserved. But accidents do happen. It’s always a good idea to back up your hard drive before embarking on any operating system-changing journey.
- Plug in your laptop. Windows 10 won’t actually let you perform a roll-back unless your device is connected to a power source, so no worries.
Use the Advanced Startup menu
You can also perform the roll-back from the Windows 10 Advanced Startup menu.
- Access the Advanced Startup menu. There are a few ways to do this. I suggest using the power options menu: Open the power menu, press Shift and click Restart. This will work even if you can’t sign into Windows because you can access the power menu from the login screen.
- In the Advanced Startup menu, click Troubleshoot and go to Advanced options.
- At the bottom of the Advanced options screen, you will see a text link that says See more recovery options. Click it.
- You’ll now see an option to Go back to the previous build.
Samsung Gear VR (2016) review – CNET
The Good Affordable. Easy to attach. Great audio-visual quality for a phone-based VR accessory. A growing library of apps and games. This model is more comfortable than earlier versions, and you can charge the phone while using it.
The Bad Only works with a specific collection of Samsung phones. Oculus PC game and app library isn’t cross-compatible with Android or Google Cardboard VR ecosystems. Lacks the positional awareness of PC-based VR rigs. Limited inputs mean it’s less immersive VR than you can get with larger, more-expensive PC-connected systems like the Rift.
The Bottom Line The latest Gear VR adds compatibility with Samsung’s latest phones and cements its position as the best mobile VR product right now.
I remember putting the Samsung Gear VR on my face and being blown away by the experiences it created. It was my first take-home doorway into virtual reality. That was December, 2014.
VR has since become a commodity everywhere: in high-end PC-connected systems like Oculus Rift and Vive, in cheap disposable phone accessories like Google Cardboard. There will be game console-ready stuff in PSVR, soon, too. But in the meantime, the Gear VR abides, a veteran in this fast-moving landscape.
The newest version, which connects to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and a handful of older Galaxy phones, is really pretty much the same. The connectors and a few finishing touches are different. (To be clear: if you’re happy with any one of the earlier Gear VR models, you’re fine — the changes are tweaks, not overhauls.)
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A larger touchpad, and two buttons instead of one: small differences, but comfy ones.
Sarah Tew/CNET
I said “the same,” but that’s not really true at all. Oculus and Samsung — the headset is a joint venture — have steadily continued updating the software and app library in Gear VR. There are hundreds of apps and games, and so many types of streaming-video experiences via apps like Oculus Video, Within, Jaunt and others, that the amount of things to do seems inexhaustible.
There’s a small price to pay. Many apps cost anywhere from $1 to $10, and it’s hard to vet out the quality. Some games are well worth it (like Anshar Wars, Minecraft or Neverout); others feel buggy and low-quality. And your taste in VR games and apps might not be the same as mine. The aesthetics of virtual reality are still evolving and hard to figure out without trying some stuff. And — VR aficionados take note — just because Oculus helped design the Gear VR doesn’t mean that your PC-based Oculus Rift games will be playable here, and vice versa — there’s very little software crossover, although your Oculus account is the same and there are a growing set of intercommunicating functions…and a few apps like Minecraft that will play nicely together.
But, as a $100 accessory for your phone — provided you have a Samsung phone that works with it — Gear VR is still the best mobile way to dive into other worlds. And, for me, I still use it more than the obviously better, but harder to set up and share Vive or Oculus Rift.
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Old Gear VR (left), new Gear VR (right). The new one adds Note 7 support via USB-C.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The same, with a few tweaks
Gear VR comes in a new blue-black design that looks more like the higher-end PC-connected Rift, but it’s the same concept as the white-and-black accessory it’s replacing. You slot your phone (a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ or Note 5,) in, strap it on your face, and put on headphones.
The new Gear VR has a slightly improved field of view: 101 degrees, versus 96 degrees. I couldn’t discern the difference. The focal wheel, which works with glasses or without, is easier to turn, and the headset fit more comfortably on my face. The side trackpad’s a bit larger, smoother, and is easier to find with your fingers. There’s also a new button above the trackpad that’s a direct Home button shortcut, sitting next to a “back” button that helps navigate the Gear VR menus and settings.
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USB-C and Micro-USB pop-out adapters included (don’t lose them).
Sarah Tew/CNET
Amped Wireless Ally Plus Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The Ally Plus Wi-Fi System includes the Ally router and one Wi-Fi extender.
Amped Wireless
Home mesh Wi-Fi systems are hot right now — we recently covered the Orbi Wi-Fi System from Netgear, for instance — but the new $380 Ally Plus Whole Home Smart Wi-Fi System from Amped Wireless has more than just easy setup to recommend it.
The Amped Wireless system promises to protect your entire home network from malware and online phishing scams in real time. This feature is based on Chime, a smart router platform developed by antivirus company AVG, which is designed to keep hackers out of your smart home gear. Amped also boasts a comprehensive parental control feature.
Essentially, the Ally Plus is a kit comprising one dual-band AC1900 router, called the Wireless Ally Whole Home Smart Wi-Fi Router, and one dual-band AC1900 wireless extender. They’re preconfigured to work together right out of the box. You connect the router to an internet source, such as a cable modem, and then place the extender unit a minimum distance away. The two will connect to each other and create a seamless Wi-Fi network, according to Amped Wireless, large enough to cover up to 15,000 square feet, and fast enough to deliver high-speed internet.
The Ally router comes with four Gigabit LAN port, one Gigabit WAN port and one USB 3.0 port.
Amped Wireless
Amped Wireless says the new system can be managed via both a web interface and a free mobile app for Android and iOS devices. Unlike other Wi-Fi systems where you can add more extenders to further extend the Wi-Fi coverage, Amped Wireless says the Ally Plus will include just the two units for the price of $380. Your only other option is to get just the Ally router by itself, without the extender, for $200.
Both options will be available in early October. Check back then for the full CNET review.
Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Link Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Dyson
With app-enabled smarts, the ability to heat or cool the air, a bladeless design, and a powerful HEPA air filter, the Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Link has a lot going for it. Good thing, too, because it costs an eye-popping $600.
Apparently, the filter removes almost 100% of particles from the air — Dyson claims 99.97%. It has some built-in smarts and can adjust the airflow automatically depending on the air quality in the room. You can also use the Dyson Link app to monitor the air quality in your home from afar and activate the purifier.
Dyson’s bladeless lineup
- Dyson Pure Cool Link
- Dyson Pure Cool
- Dyson AM009 Hot+Cool
Most of these tricks are the same on the $500 Dyson Pure Cool Link, which hit the market this spring. Dyson’s been incrementally adding more and more features to its bladeless fans for a couple of years now, and this newest version brings heat to its purifier just in time for fall. Dyson has a bladeless fan with the ability to heat and cool, but this is the first with smarts, heating, cooling, and air filtration.
You’ll be able to splurge on Dyson’s newest fan starting September 1 on Dyson.com if you’re in the US. On September 18, the $600 Pure Hot+Cool will roll out to major US appliance retailers. If you’re in the UK, the fan will cost £500 and goes on sale September 5. It’ll be on sale around the same time in Australia for AU$850.
Parrot Disco Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
It’s a drone! It’s a plane! It’s a Parrot!
At CES 2016, the Paris-based wireless technologies company revealed the Disco, a first-of-its-kind, ready-to-fly wing-shaped drone for consumers. Back in January, it was still a project. As of today, Parrot announced Disco is on its way for $1,300, which roughly converts to £990 or AU$1,700.
Like its Bebop quadcopters and line of Minidrones, Disco is designed to be something anyone can pick up and pilot. It’s a lightweight fixed-wing aircraft (it’s less than 700 grams or 1.6 pounds) made from flexible plastic foam with a single rear propeller strong enough to get the Disco up to about 50 mph (80 km) for flights up to 45 minutes.
Joshua Goldman/CNET
A system of sensors inside — accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, barometer and GPS/GLONASS, plus a pitot tube for airspeed — help newbie pilots stay in the air. Parrot even gave the whole system a catchy name: CHUCK, which stands for Control Hub and Universal Computer Kit.
CHUCK makes it possible to simply toss the Disco into the air like a Frisbee and have it automatically ascend to 50 meters (164 feet), at which point it will fly in a circle until you give it a command. Once you’re up, turning left and right is as easy pushing a direction on the control stick, and the same goes for changing altitude.
For the Disco, Parrot shrank its supersized Skycontroller available for the Bebop drones. The new smaller design is closer to a controller you’d get with a toy drone, but the Wi-Fi MIMO remote control still has a theoretical range of 1.2 miles (1.9 km).
Part of the size reduction is because the smartphone/tablet mount is gone. Instead, the Disco comes with Parrot Cockpitglasses, a first-person-view (FPV) headset that, once you insert your smartphone, gives you a view from the full HD camera in the nose. If you need to see something on the ground while you’re flying, the Cockpitglasses can switch to the view from your smartphone’s rear camera.
Parrot
You can still pair the controller with a smartphone or tablet (iOS or Android) and use the FreeFlight Pro app instead of flying by FPV. Along with a live view with telemetry, the app interface lets you set speed, altitude and distance limits and your wireless and photo/video settings. The drone also captures photos and video to 32GB of internal storage.
The biggest difference between piloting the Disco compared to the Bebop quadcopters is that it can’t hover in place or fly straight back or to the sides — the Disco is constantly moving forward. Because of this, Parrot lets you set a geofence to keep it from flying off. When it hits the set boundary, it will automatically return it to you.
There’s no sense-and-avoid system either, so if you’re headed straight for a wall or tree you’re on your own. Landing can be done automatically, with the drone coming down in a spiral the same way it goes up. Or you can manually land it, with the pressure sensors underneath helping to bring it in smoothly.
Also, if you want to skip the autopilot stuff, you can bind the Disco to a regular RC transmitter and pilot it in a full manual mode.
We’ll be taking it out to fly and I’ll be back with soon with some hands-on impressions. If there’s anything specific you’d like to know, though, drop it in the comments.
AIVAnet 