Trump’s plans for the EPA will stifle scientific research

Donald Trump’s war against the environment continues. Yesterday the administration froze all grants and contracts at the EPA. It also barred the agency from sharing information with the public and the press as well as remove all references to climate change from its website. Now, NPR (which is also on the president’s chopping block) reports that the administration plans to review any research coming out of the EPA on a “case by case” basis. This would effectively turn the White House into a gatekeeper standing between the EPA’s research and the taxpaying public who fund it.

According to Doug Ericksen, head of communications for the Trump administration’s EPA transition team, who spoke with NPR on Tuesday, scientists working for the EPA will likely have to undergo an “internal vetting process” during the transition period.

“We’ll take a look at what’s happening so that the voice coming from the EPA is one that’s going to reflect the new administration,” Ericksen told NPR. He did not specify on how long the rule would be in place. “We’re on Day 2 here… You’ve got to give us a few days to get our feet underneath us,” he incorrectly stated — it’s Day 5 and the transition team has had since November 9th to get its act together. Trump’s EPA nominee, Scott Pruitt, who sued the agency more than a dozen times during his tenure as Oklahoma Attorney General, is still awaiting confirmation.

This new procedure would fly in the face of the agency’s scientific integrity policy, which has been in place since 2012 and prohibits “all EPA employees, including scientists, managers and other Agency leadership from suppressing, altering, or otherwise impeding the timely release of scientific findings or conclusions.” But then again, the Trump transition team has already signalled that long-standing rules — as well as the definition of “facts” and basic decorum — are open to reinterpretation.

Source: NPR

NYT: Trump is still relying on his unsecured Android phone

Donald Trump is officially in the White House, but he hasn’t actually given up his trusted Android phone, despite major security concerns and reports to the contrary last week. The New York Times claims that Trump is still using his old device — which was outed as a Samsung Galaxy phone last year — over the warnings of some of his aides.

A quick glimpse at his official Twitter account also makes it clear that his most explosive tweets are still coming from “Twitter for Android,” which has been generally been a sign that he’s writing them himself. Meanwhile over at the official @POTUS account, we’re seeing less hyperbolic tweets from Twitter for iPhone, which is a big hint that they’re coming from an aide. It was hard to imagine that Trump would give up on his Twitter addiction entirely, but it’s still surprising to see that he’s still relying on his same combative tone, even though he’s officially President.

If Chicago doesn’t fix the horrible “carnage” going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017

Given how much attention Trump paid to Hillary Clinton’s private email server, you’d think he’d be careful about opening himself up to similar scrutiny. Of course, tweeting from a personal account is different from storing potentially confidential emails, but Trump’s Android phone is still a dangerous vulnerability. We don’t know if he’s actually dealing with government information on the device, for one, and it’s a pretty obvious data goldmine for hackers and thieves. And even if Trump enabled biometric authentication and device encryption, his old Android phone still wouldn’t be up to the security levels required for his position.

Source: New York Times

T-Mobile slams DirecTV Now in free Hulu offer

T-Mobile recently offered DirecTV Now for a year free to AT&T subscribers who switched to its T-mobile One plan, and now says it will offer Hulu Limited, too. In one of the more John Legere-esque news releases yet, the company took the opportunity to lambast its rival, using critical quotes that called DirecTV “a total disaster,” a “complete mess,” and more. “It turns out DirecTV is barely watchable … so every former AT&T customer who took us up on our offer now gets a free year of Hulu on us,” Legere said in a statement.

Even for the Uncarrier, its an odd move offer a service to customers and then rip it to shreds. Maybe it truly thinks that DirecTV Now is that bad; as Variety notes, AT&T’s streaming service has suffered several outages, but those could be chalked up to growing pains. But then, using a free service as a new and interesting way to insult a rival certainly fits with Legere’s modus operandi.

The new offer is for Hulu’s $7.99 Limited service, not the higher price premium offering, but it’s still a pretty good deal on top of DirecTV. The streaming data doesn’t count toward your cap but, as before, you’re limited to 480P video unless you’re willing to pay an extra $25 per month for the “HD add-on” option. If you use more than 28GB per month, the company may seriously curtail your speed until the next billing cycle, too.

Via: Variety

Source: T-Mobile

Facebook Continues Copying Snapchat by Testing Out ‘Stories’ Update in Ireland

After copying Snapchat inside of Instagram with last year’s “Instagram Stories” update, Business Insider today learned that Facebook is gearing up to launch the exact same feature in its mainline Facebook mobile app. Now called “Facebook Stories,” the social media company is bringing over the same circular user interface to its main app for users in a small test in Ireland, letting them post images and videos that automatically disappear after 24 hours.

Facebook Stories appear at the top of the Facebook app, similar to where Instagram Stories have received top billing in the photo-sharing app. The new feature is said to work “identically” to Instagram’s update, so users can snap a picture or video, edit it with a few filter and sticker options, and friends can tap through each post within the day it gets posted.

Facebook has been focusing on its photo and video features in its iOS app for a while now, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg last year saying that the company plans to launch a camera-first experience that changes status updates from simple written posts to dynamic photos and videos. Through selfie filter tests, holiday updates, and live-streaming add-ons, the company has already begun to make progress towards launching a fully-featured, photo-centric update to the main Facebook app.

After directly becoming a competitor to Snapchat with Instagram Stories, Instagram reported the gain of 100 million users in the second half of 2016. For now, Facebook Stories remains a test of its own in Ireland, but the “new format” will be arriving in more countries in the coming months, according to a Facebook spokesperson.

Tags: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat
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Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 22 With Bug Fixes and Feature Improvements

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March of 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.

Safari Technology Preview release 22 includes bug fixes and updates for JavaScript, CSS, Form Validation, Web Inspector, Web API, Media, Rendering, and more.

The Safari Technology Preview update is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple’s aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.

Tag: Safari Technology Preview
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Blu Vivo XL2 review- What does $150 get you in 2017?

American phone manufacturer Blu is back with another budget friendly device to entice those customers looking for a great unlocked option. The Vivo XL2 is the successor to the popular Vivo XL, which was released one year ago in January of 2016. This year Blu has given us an improved model that builds on the strengths of the Vivo XL and takes some chances with its software that will make users either love it or hate it.

Key Specs:

• 5.5″ 720×1280 display (267 PPI)
• Gorilla Glass 3
• Quad-core 1.4GHz MediaTek processor
• 3150mAH battery
• 3GB of RAM
• 32GB of Storage
• 13MP main camera, 8MP front-facing camera
• Android 6.0
• 4G LTE, (2/4/7/12/17), 4G HSPA+ (850/1700/1900/2100)

Physical design

There’s very little offensive about the Blu Vivo XL2. The front of the phone looks like pretty much every other device out there right now with small bezels and hardware keys. The hardware keys, however, are hard to pinpoint unless in optimal lighting conditions. I tend to think this is a design choice by Blu, rather than an accident. The keys blend in (silver logos on a gold body) and don’t shift the focus away from the screen. Blu went the opposite route as Samsung’s super bright and in your face hardware keys.

The bottom of the device houses a microphone and an off-center microUSB port. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen an offset USB port or a microUSB port so I was not expecting either on a phone released in 2017, but here we are. The left side of the device holds the SIM/microSD card hybrid slot. You can use either one SIM and a microSD card or two SIM cards at the same time. Very convenient for frequent travelers. The right side of the device houses the power and volume rocker, and I must say the buttons are pleasingly responsive.

I really wish it didn’t need to be pointed out as a feature, but yes, Blu did include a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the device. Apple and Motorola have changed expectations for the mobile landscape by leaving out the headphone jack in their 2016 flagships and now I think we’ll see more companies following this worrying trend. Next to the headphone jack is an infrared blaster, which was a nice surprise.

My biggest gripe in the first few days of testing it out is the back of the phone. The slippery plastic rear cover doesn’t look or feel good. It’s a slippery fingerprint magnet that reminds me of phones released in 2013 or 2014. It will hold up well against drops and falls I’m sure, but Blu could have made another choice here while still keeping costs down.

Display

The Vivo XL2 has a 5.5″ 720p display covered by Gorilla Glass 3. At a PPI (pixels-per-inch) of 267, it sits at the low end of recent smartphone releases, even budget devices like the Vivo XL2. Text can get a bit blurry if you’re zoomed in and very close to the device, but for every day viewing it’s fine. It’s by no means going against the best from Samsung or LG, but for a device being sold at a quarter of the price of those devices, you’re going to have to make some sacrifices.

I’m not overly impressed with the peak brightness. Indoors you’re probably fine, but once you step out into a sunny or even a partly sunny day, you’re going to be in trouble. In addition to the low max brightness, the display tends to shift towards a red temperature which is pretty unique, but entirely unwelcome. Whites and blues feel… off while reds, oranges, and yellows feel overexposed. Fortunately, if you care about color shifting, the display doesn’t shift too much when viewed at an angle.

Must like the rest of the device, the display isn’t offensive. It wouldn’t force me to buy another device, but it’s not stunning to look at either. The low resolution of the display will keep battery life reasonable and if you’re just looking at YouTube videos and pictures on social media, the coloring shouldn’t bother you too much.

Software

Blu has made some interesting design choices with the Vivo XL2. While most of the stock Android apps remain and are the defaults (the exception being Opera instead of Chrome), we see some heavy changes in places like the lockscreen.

There are a ton of quick toggles on the left side of the lockscreen that slide out to quickly enter you into things like clickbait articles, a search bar, top stories, a media player, RSS feed, quick settings (like WiFi, audio settings, Bluetooth, a Selfie mode, and flashlight), weather, lockscreen games, and live wallpapers. The slide to unlock button can also be slide one of four ways to open up mail, camera, favorite apps, or go directly to the home screen.

The lockscreen isn’t an unwelcome choice, but it is a far departure from what you’d normally expect from an Android device. The settings app, however, is what you’d expect to see on most devices – but with a fresh coat of paint. Your list of settings are all here and in the places you’d expect. Scrolling through the list setting up the settings on the phone was a comfortable experience.

The Vivo XL2 ships with a “Carefree” launcher that is heavily customized from stock Android. Even core features like quick toggles are different- they’re brought up from a swipe up from the bottom of the display instead of living in the notification panel. The notification panel only houses notifications with no real customization.

No app drawer leads to a mess

One major feature that is noticeably absent is the app drawer on the Carefree launcher. A quick download of Nova or a launcher of your choice quickly fixes that. I hope OEMs understand that in 2017, removing the app drawer is a really dumb idea. Please, quit it.

I can see what Blu tried to do with its software here. Customizing it to what it believes the younger crowd will want isn’t entirely silly, but I believe that a better strategy would have been to stick with Stock Android and provide a low-cost alternative to the expensive Pixel devices. Nothing Blu did in the software is too much of a selling feature and I feel like it could have put its resources in better areas.

Camera

The Blu Vivo XL2 features a 13MP main camera and an 8MP front-facing camera. The rear camera features phase detection autofocus but I found that it didn’t seem to matter much.

Action shots routinely came out blurry and the action was generally missed by a slower-than-optimal shutter when using HDR mode. The HDR mode was almost a must as pictures regularly came out under exposed in low-light situations. Decently lit scenes led to shots suitable for social media uploading, but not much else.

The main camera is fine for a phone at this price point, but more expensive phones have much better cameras.

Conclusion

Blu has done a lot right here. The Vivo XL2’s solid body and small bezels will blend into the crowd of much more expensive phones. The battery cover on the back of the phone was my most disliked part of the physical design, but honestly, it’s fine. I don’t love it, but it keeps costs down enough for Blu to offer this at a pretty competitive price and it should stand up fine to falls.

We say it all the time, but cheap phones are getting better every day. The Vivo XL2 is another excellent example of that. The phone is more than the sum of its parts because it brings together some good ideas. I’m not in love with the software, but I can see how some would be. It offers some smart ideas that aren’t for me, but increase the functionality of the phone.

The launcher, in my opinion, is a big gamble. It’s the most used part of the software and Blu made some big changes from other phones it has released in recent years. I may sound a bit like a broken record, but I do believe Stock Android offers the simplicity and functionality that should be the standard on phones. Now, don’t get me wrong- I do like some launchers that ship on phones from other OEMs (OnePlus, Samsung, and Sony notably), but I just don’t know if this is the way Blu should go in the future.

The camera is good enough for your everyday Facebook and Instagram pictures, but it’s otherwise a bit of a disappointment. I thought we had come further with camera technology than to have such a disappointing experience in 2017 with a smartphone camera, but maybe Blu can fix it with an update down the road. The camera app that ships with the device is perfectly fine, it’s just the results from the processing of those pictures that leaves a little to be desired.

If you have a kid looking for their first smartphone, a parent looking to upgrade from a flip phone, or you just want a backup then I think this phone is a great choice. It won’t replace anyone’s daily driver if they’ve already had a smartphone, but it’s a great starter phone.

You can grab the Blu Vivo XL2 on Amazon for $149.99 however, when the device launches on January 25th, Blu will knock $50 off, bringing the price to just $99.99 from 11 AM until 5 PM.

Google Home app for Android: Everything you need to know

The Google Home app is for more than the speaker.

Google’s eponymous app controls Google Home and Chromecast devices, and opens up new worlds of content for both. Whether you need to set up a new Chromecast, refine your Google Home actions, or just need to find something to cast, Google Home has got you covered.

Home page

The main page of the Google Home app is pretty busy, but at least it’s fairly easy to find your way around. The main feed on the app’s home screen offers up trending and recommended content. After all, Chromecasts aren’t very fun without something to cast to them.

The Watch tab’s feed starts out with popular videos from YouTube and other Cast-enabled apps you have installed. When it runs out of installed apps, it moves on to recommending new apps for you to install in the Discover tab.

Discover offers up a bevy of films, TV shows and apps for you to expand your entertainment horizons with, but the true diamond in the rough for Discover comes when you search for a film using the app’s search button. Once you find a movie you want to buy or rent and Cast, Google Home will give you the price of the film in each of the compatible stores you’ve installed.

Devices

The devices section lets you view and configure your Cast devices and Cast groups. Tap on the three-line menu button on the top of any device card and you’ll be able to Reboot the device, enable Guest Mode, or edit the device’s Settings. Tapping on the device’s card will also reveal the Settings for you to view and edit.

Within Device settings, you can edit a device’s name, its Wi-Fi network, and if it’s a Google Home, you can edit which apps are tied into Google Assistant through Actions for Google. If you’ve plugged in a new device nearby that needs setting up, Setup will be a big hold action at the bottom of its device card.

More: How to set up Google Home

Guest Mode for Chromecast and Chromecast Audio (including the Google Home) allows people to Cast to it without being on the same network, which is great for parties or for friends you’d rather not give your Wi-Fi login to.

Google Home comes with a few accessibility settings to help users better hear when the device is listening. By checking the settings on this page, you can have your Google Home play a tone when it starts and stops listening to your commands.

You can also see Chromecast Audio groups on the Devices page. By tapping on a Cast group, you can rename it, remove devices from the group, or delete the group altogether.

How to set up and use Chromecast Audio groups

Main menu

The menu in Google Home, without and with a Google Home attached to your account.

Heading back to the main page, we also have a menu hiding under the three-line menu icon in the top-left corner of the screen. If you own a Google Home, you’re going to see significantly more here, as all of Google Assistant’s services are managed through here.

The first few items here are fairly straightforward: Things to Ask brings up a basic list of commands your Google Home will accept, Music picks which app responds to requests for songs or albums, and Shopping list takes you to a Google Keep list that Google Home can add to.

Home control allows you to oversee the connected home devices currently linked to Google Assistant, such as Philips Hue bulbs and Nest thermostats.

The rest of Assistant’s features are under More Settings, like which news sources you hear when you ask for headlines and which services will let Google Home order you an Uber.

How to set up and customize Google Assistant on your Pixel

Now, the rest of the settings in the main menu here can seem mundane, but don’t write them off just yet. Above the Assistant settings is Cast screen/audio, which allows you to Cast your device screen in order to mirror your device on a Chromecast. It will drain your battery faster (in part because you need to keep your screen on the whole time), but it can help you Cast apps that don’t have native support for the feature. Devices takes you back to the Devices page we covered at the top of the article.

Account preferences is where you can refine which emails Google sends you concerning your devices and Cast services. This includes emails for the Chromecast Preview program, which can show you new features Google is working on. Offers takes you to the offers available for your Cast devices. There’s normally at least one available for your device, new or old, so check back here every now and again for free and discounted goodies.

How to Cast takes you to Google’s support website so you can see how Chromecasts work, and can be helpful if you’re trying to show a visiting relative how to put their cat videos on your TV.

The Google Store link below it likewise sends you to the Google Store website in the browser of your choice to order more Cast devices.

The setting at the bottom of the menu is one that you’ll likely overlook, but one you should absolutely use: Help and Feedback. This brings up a Web View of the help site if you need to troubleshoot your device, and also brings up a big blue feedback button so you can help Google improve its products.

Once you’ve got things set up, you might not think there’s much reason to come back to the Google Home app, but it’s definitely not an app worth forgetting about on your phone. From the Offers to Discover’s handy price comparisons to giving helpful feedback, there’s plenty of reason to make yourself at home in the Google Home app.

More: 10 Tips and Tricks for Google Home

Google Home

• Google Home review
• These services work with Google Home
• Google Home vs. Amazon Echo
• Join our Google Home forums!

Google Store Best Buy Target

Grab an ASUS OnHub router for just $99 right now!

Right now you can pick up an ASUS OnHub wireless router for just $99 at Best Buy, a savings of nearly 50%. If you are in the market for a new router, and want something that will automatically update itself to keep as secure as possible, this may be the one for you. Setting it up is extremely easy, and you can customize it to prioritize certain devices to ensure they get the most bandwidth from the router at all times. It has a USB 3.0 port, built-in LAN and WAN ethernet ports and an LED display to easily see your connection status.

This deal is only good for today, January 25, so be sure to act quickly if you are interested!

See at Best Buy

Weak G5 performance hurt LG’s mobile business in Q4 despite ‘strong sales’ of V20

LG couldn’t catch a break in 2016. Let’s hope 2017 fares better.

The hits keep coming for LG, as the company posted a loss of some $224 million in the fourth quarter on declining mobile sales.

Revenue in the mobile division declined 25% between Q4 2015 and the same period last year, with LG calling the situation “challenging.” The G5 was mainly to blame, though there was some slowdown in the entire category for the Korean giant, which couldn’t manage a huge hit despite commendable performance in the mid-range market, along with “strong” sales of the V20 later in the year.

LG says that “weak sales” of the G5 suppressed the company’s overall outlook, and looks forward to “recover[ing a] premium position in 2017 by launching successful flagship model,” referring to the G6 that launches at Mobile World Congress next month. The company sold 14.1 million devices in the quarter, down 8% year-over-year.

The story has been similar for LG over the past few months, with the modular G5 proving to be one of the worst decisions the company has made in a long time. With the G6 on the horizon, though, with a more streamlined metal-and-glass design, it is better primed to take on the Galaxy S8 — even if it won’t have the latest Snapdragon processor inside.

LG G5

• LG G5 review
• LG 360 CAM review
• LG G5 complete specs
• LG’s G5 Friends modules are a neat idea, but they won’t matter
• LG G5 Hi-Fi Plus w/ B&O
• Join the LG G5 discussion

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How to watch 3D movies on your Gear VR

How do I watch 3D movies in my Gear VR?

There are a lot of great ways to watch video on your Gear VR. Major streaming apps like Netflix and Hulu are a fingertip away, the Oculus Store has its own movie purchase service for a lot of new films, and several great 360-degree video apps are available to download. The thing almost all of these video apps have in common is the way the video is presented. It’s nearly all 2D video, even the 360-degree stuff.

That doesn’t mean there’s no 3D video out there for you to enjoy on your Gear VR. In fact, you have several great tools at your disposal for enjoying 3D video in both standard theater formats and in 360-degree viewing. Here’s how you get started!

Read more at VR Heads!