Best Pixel and Pixel XL cases: Protect your new Google phone
Google announced its Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones at its October 4 event, revealing the new Android poster boys for all the world to see.
The two devices take over from the popular Nexus range and they bring premium designs, flagship specs, and all the latest features Google has to offer with Android Nougat.
The front of the Pixel and Pixel XL is clean and fuss free, while the rear of the two devices features a combination of metal and glass, with the latter housing a fingerprint sensor and a rear camera that sits flush to the device.
As we always say though, keeping lovely-looking smartphones looking lovely is no easy task. In fact, it’s pretty much impossible without a case of some sort offering some protection unless you are super careful. Luckily there are a few case options out there already for the Pixel and Pixel XL, with some of the most exciting actually coming from Google itself on this occasion.
No doubt more Pixel and Pixel XL cases will appear over the next couple of months so as usual, we will be adding to this feature as more catch our eye.
For now though, click here for the best Pixel and Pixel XL cases we have found so far.
ICYMI: The selfie-obsessed can verify online ID with photos
Today on In Case You Missed It: Mastercard is introducing a way to verify online purchases, by sending a link to the user’s cell phone, which then walks them through taking a selfie and blinking on command to show they’re a real human. Meanwhile Google unleashed a slew of new products at its Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, here’s the full scoop on the new phone.
Toyota’s cute little robot is available only in Japan but sure is darling, the video is here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Wacom’s new hybrid tablets pack power and a more accurate stylus
Wacom is no stranger to standalone graphics tablets. After years of outfitting artists with pen tablets and displays for working on a desktop machine or laptop, the company debuted both Android and Windows versions of the Cintiq Companion in 2013. A year and a half later, Wacom revamped the Windows version with the Cintiq Companion 2 in early 2015. Now the company has another take on the standalone tablet that doubles as a pen display: the Mobile Studio Pro. Wacom actually refers to new duo as “mobile pen computers,” but they still carry the appearance of a large tablet.
The MobileStudio Pro comes in two models: 13 and 16. That former tablet is sized at 13.3 inches while the latter ticks the tape at 15.6 inches. Both sizes pack in Intel processors and run Windows 10, meaning full desktop versions of Adobe Creative Cloud applications and other pro design software is accessible on the mobile device. Unfortunately, Wacom didn’t get into specifics on the exact processor models, but it did reveal that the larger MobileStudio Pro 16 has NVIDIA Quadro graphics on board.
In addition to the power under the hood, another key feature of the MobileStudio Pro tablets is the new Pro Pen 2. Wacom has taken the “if it ain’t broke” approach to its stylus for quite a long time without a major update. And rightfully so, the Pro Pen was a highly capable accessory and performed well with the company’s range of gear. With the Pro Pen 2, Wacom says its go-to input device is now four times more accurate and pressure sensitive than its predecessor. That’s up from 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity last time out.
The MobileStudio Pros also feature better color performance than Wacom’s previous standalone tablets. While the 13-inch model’s IPS WQHD panel covers 96 percent of Adobe’s RGB gamut, the 15.6-inch model houses an IPS UHD display that handles 94 percent of Adobe RGB. Those handy ExpressKeys and Touch Ring are back, offering easy shortcuts to frequently used tools right on the face of the tablet. As we’ve already mentioned, Wacom Link lets you use these new devices as pen displays with either a Mac or Windows machine which comes in handy when working from the comforts of home.
Both the MobileStudio Pro 13 and 16 have SSD storage, and that’s where the prices can start to add up quickly. The 13-inch option starts at $1,499 for 64GB of storage with 128GB ($1,799), 256GB ($1,999) and 512GB ($2,499) versions if you need more space. Base price for the MobileStudio Pro 16 is $2,399 for 256GB of storage, the NVIDIA Quadro graphics and 2GB of RAM. There’s also a version of the 16 with a 512GB SSD, 4GB RAM and an NVIDIA Quadro M1000M for $2,999.
To further sweeten the pot on the priciest options, Wacom is offering Intel’s RealSense 3D camera on the top end MobileStudio Pro 13 and both versions of the 16. That’s an add-on that’s sure to lend a hand to artists and designers working in three dimensions. You do have some time to get your affairs in order before these devices are available for purchase: They’re scheduled to be available at the end of November.
The first Project Tango phone goes on sale next month
Project Ara is no more, but that doesn’t mean Google’s weirder smartphone ambitions are all dead and buried. Project Tango — a push to put 3D mapping in a smartphone — is still alive and well, thanks to Lenovo. Speaking to CNET, Google’s Clay Bavor confirmed that the Phab2 Pro should be coming out next month. The phone promises to track your surroundings and then, augmented reality style, display content that looks like it’s right in front of you. With this, you could visualize new furniture in your home, or shoot aliens that appear to be coming out of the walls.
We’ve tinkered with Project Tango before. My colleague Chris Velazco, for instance, used one of Google’s developer tablets in Barcelona. Stepping inside the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, he could tap on points of interest and access additional information. A virtual path of breadcrumbs led him through the various exhibits, and a profile system meant he could pick out other visitors in the crowd — a useful feature for parents.
While intriguing, Project Tango has always felt like an R&D project, destined to fade away after a few modest prototypes. The Phab2 Pro could change that perception, however. It’s consumer hardware — not a weird, bulky tablet or accessory. The phone is large though, with a 6.4-inch display and a 4050 mAh battery buried inside. At $499, it’s also expensive. For the same money you could buy a phone that’s more elegant and powerful (the Phab2 Pro uses a Snapdragon 652). Still, it’s proof that Tango can be miniaturized without creating a truly horrific Frankenphone.
Source: CNET
TalkTalk fined £400K for mistakes that led to 2015 hack
TalkTalk’s attempt to shake off its hack-smeared image has been dealt a major blow by the UK’s Independent Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The regulator has handed the company a record £400,000 fine for its security failings last year, which allowed attackers to steal the personal data of 156,959 customers. Of that number, 15,656 had their bank account numbers and sort codes taken. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said the telecoms company, which offers broadband, TV and phone services, failed to implement “the most basic security measures” and “could have done more to safeguard its customer information.”
So what exactly happened? Well, the information was taken from a database obtained as part of TalkTalk’s Tiscali acquisition in 2009. According to the ICO, TalkTalk failed to investigate its new asset properly — three vulnerable webpages slipped through the cracks, because of outdated database software that was no longer supported by its creator. A patch had already been issued by the developer, but neither Tiscali or TalkTalk had applied it. “Had it been fixed, this (hack) would not have been possible,” the ICO claims. In the third week of October 2015, the attacker(s) then used a technique called SQL injection to obtain the data.
“When it came to the basic principles of cyber-security, TalkTalk was found wanting,” Denham said. “Today’s record fine acts as a warning to others that cyber security is not an IT issue, it is a boardroom issue. Companies must be diligent and vigilant. They must do this not only because they have a duty under law, but because they have a duty to their customers.”
The hack has taken a hit on TalkTalk’s profits and subscriber numbers. To recover, the company is attempting a major reboot with new branding, packages and customer guarantees. But shaking its tarnished image could be easier said than done. As the Guardian reports, TalkTalk’s new, simplified tariffs — which bundle line rental for a single monthly fee — come at the expense of its legacy plans. Around half of its customers will be hit with price increases unless they switch to one of the new plans.
TalkTalk says it’s “listened hard” to customer feedback. “People are fed up of confusing packages and loud advertising, they’re frustrated with deals which shoot up mid contract, and they hate seeing the best deals saved for new customers,” Tristia Harrison, TalkTalk’s Consumer Managing Director said. Let’s hope they’ve listened just as hard to the ICO’s criticisms.
Facebook didn’t mean to let you sell guns and hedgehogs
Facebook’s newly launched Marketplace is meant to help you sell all kinds of goods, but it turns out the service has been a little too permissive in its early days. The company has apologized after a “technical issue” with its screening system let Marketplace users sell items that either violate its policies or are downright illegal, including babies, drugs, guns and… baby hedgehogs. Really. It’s promising to “fix the problem” and will make sure that it’s correctly removing forbidden listings before expanding access.
As the New York Times observes, this isn’t the first time Facebook has had trouble with contraband. There has been a rash of Facebook groups dedicated to gun sales, and the social network’s community-based approach to group screening has limited effectiveness in private selling groups where members are unlikely to report violations. Marketplace isn’t supposed to have that issue, but it’s evident that Facebook is still relatively new to reviewing sales itself — the months-long rollout for Marketplace may be necessary to ensure that violations are few and far between.
Source: New York Times, BBC
Apple Pay Expands to Desjardins in Canada and 3 Tiny British Territories
In addition to launching in Russia and at The Co-operative Bank and Metro Bank in the United Kingdom this week, Apple Pay is now available at Canadian credit union Desjardins, serving some 5.8 million members, and to residents of three tiny British territories: Guernsey, Isle of Man, and Jersey.
Desjardins members can use Apple Pay with Visa credit or prepaid cards or Interac debit cards. Desjardins said its MasterCard cards will be supported in 2017. Eligible cards can be added to Apple Pay by tapping the “Add Credit or Debit Card” option in the Wallet app on iPhone 5 and later running at least iOS 8.1.
Apple Pay continues to expand to additional banks and countries, with New Zealand, Japan, and Taiwan reportedly set to launch the mobile payments service in the near future. Last year, Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey said Apple is “working rapidly” to expand the service to additional countries in Asia and Europe.
Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Tag: Canada
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple CEO Tim Cook Remembers Steve Jobs on Fifth Anniversary of His Death
As he has done over the past four years, Apple CEO Tim Cook has shared a tribute to the late Steve Jobs, touching on the importance of remembering the Apple co-founder and former CEO today, which marks the fifth anniversary of his death on October 5, 2011.
“Most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” Remembering Steve and the many ways he changed our world. pic.twitter.com/ONAuEoq3uU
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 5, 2016
Since his death, Jobs’ founding and presence at Apple has only become more scrutinized by the public after a string of films and documentaries aimed to depict his life and decisions during both his time at Apple and his years away from the company. Prior to his death in 2011, Tim Cook took the reins of the company as CEO on August 24, 2011, introducing the iPhone 4S, iOS 5, Siri, and iCloud to the public on the day before Jobs passed.
In previous years, Apple also updated its website to remember Jobs, creating a two-minute slideshow of his various keynote presentations and most famous audio clips on the one year anniversary of his death. In the days following his passing, Apple started posting “Remembering Steve” comments from fans on its website. The company noted that well over one million submissions came in for the project, all from well-wishing fans in the wake of Jobs’ losing battle with pancreatic cancer.
Tags: Tim Cook, Steve Jobs
Discuss this article in our forums
Spotify Free Desktop Users Facing Malware-Filled Ads on Mac and Windows
A few reports coming in over the past day describe occurances where Spotify’s free streaming service on desktop computers is pushing malware-filled advertisements to users without their input.
According to a user posting on Spotify Community, the malware causes ads to launch “and keep on launching” the computer’s default browser to different sites lined with viruses (via The Next Web). Multiple macOS and Safari users have confirmed the issue to be happening on Apple systems.
There’s something pretty alarming going on right now with Spotify Free. This started a several hours ago. If you have Spotify Free open, it will launch – and keep on launching – the default internet browser on the computer to different kinds of malware / virus sites. Some of them do not even require user action to be able to cause harm.
I have 3 different systems (computers) which are all clean and they are all doing this, all via Spotify – I am thinking it’s the Ads in Spotify Free. I hope this has been noticed and Spotify staff are fixing it – fast. But it’s still puzzling something like this can actually happen.
It’s not clear yet what’s causing the issue, but multiple confirmations of its connection with Spotify Free have surfaced on Twitter, with users reporting that malware ads have appeared on both Mac and Windows platforms. Spotify has responded to a few users on Twitter and appears to be looking into the issue, but has yet to make an official announcement.
One Mac user was running OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 on a mid-2014 MacBook Pro when the ads in Safari began popping up.
PSA: uninstall Spotify free, their ads are plagued with malware right now. pic.twitter.com/DUOqDrnDUZ
— Volp (@VolpRS) October 5, 2016
Since no official fix for the problem has come from the company, many users are resorting to simply uninstalling the free Spotify player from their desktop for the time being. The streaming service faced a similar issue five years ago, where advertisements popped up on Windows machines and installed fake antivirus software onto the computer.
Spotify eventually commented on the problem, saying “we sincerely apologize to any users affected. We’ll continue working hard to ensure this does not happen again and that our users enjoy Spotify securely and in confidence.”
Tag: Spotify
Discuss this article in our forums
Sonos Speakers Launch at Apple Stores Today With Free Apple Music Gift Card Offer
Following their addition to Apple’s online store in the United States in late September, Sonos speakers are now available at 468 physical Apple retail stores in both the U.S. and around the world. Sonos speakers have yet to appear on Apple’s website in other countries, but they should be added in the coming weeks.
Sonos’ wireless Wi-Fi-connected PLAY:1 and PLAY:5 speakers can be purchased from Apple for $199 and $499 respectively. Pricing in other countries includes $249 and $649 in Canada, $299 and $749 in Australia, £169 and £429 in the United Kingdom, and €229 and €579 in many other European countries.
In line with today’s in-store launch, Apple has expanded its free 3-month Apple Music gift card offer with the purchase of a Sonos speaker to several countries, including Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
The free 3-month Apple Music gift card offer is valid between today and December 31.
Tags: Apple Music, Sonos, Apple retail
Discuss this article in our forums
AIVAnet 