Still under recall, GoPro quietly creates a cheaper way to replace crashed Karmas
Why it matters to you
Karma owners can now replace only the wrecked portion of their Karma drones following a crash, and save money doing so.
The Karma hasn’t yet relaunched after an expensive recall — but GoPro is already quietly working to make catastrophic drone crashes a little less disastrous on owners’ bank accounts. Karma Core is a replacement drone for those epic crashes that destroy more than just a propeller, and it sells for half what the drone originally sells for with a camera.
Added to the GoPro website last week under a “coming soon” tag, the Karma Core assumes that the GoPro camera survives the crash, along with the accessories like the controller and gimbal. Since there’s less to replace, getting just the Karma Core allows drone pilots to return to the air for $399, half of the cost of the Karma bundled with a GoPro Hero5 Black.
More: GoPro has started selling its Karma Grip for silky smooth video shots
Besides the Core, GoPro offers replacement parts for fixing wrecked landing gear, arms, propellers, and camera harnesses.
While a cheaper way to fix a crashed drone is welcome, GoPro fans are hoping that the new website listing indicates that the entire GoPro Karma won’t be far behind. Earlier this month, GoPro confirmed that it had identified the issue and that the drone will be relaunching again before the end of the year. The announcement as to just when the Karma will return to the skies is expected early next month.
GoPro’s Karma was initially well received as a drone that anyone could fly, but shortly after launching a few of them lost power midflight. That resulted in a recall of the company’s first drone, bringing back around 2,500 of the folding quadcopters.
Following the recall, GoPro announced a company-wide restructuring that cut 200 employees. According to the company’s statement, the restructuring would allow the firm to focus on its core products and reduce expenses — including axing the relatively new entertainment division. At the time, the company reported an increase in the sales of its latest flagship, the Hero5 Black, but it wasn’t enough to keep the company moving forward without revising just what that forward motion would look like.
GoPro has confirmed that details about the Karma’s relaunch will be shared in early February.
Verizon unveils unlimited calling to certain countries for $15 per month
Why it matters to you
If you’re a Verizon subscriber who places more than a few international calls, Unlimited Together World might be up your alley.
AT&T might have announced its International Day Pass, but Verizon hopes to one-up its biggest competitor with its Unlimited Together World plan for those who place calls to other countries.
According to Verizon, the new plan provides unlimited voice calling minutes to landlines in over 70 countries and to mobile numbers in over 40 countries. If the country you call to is not on either list, Unlimited Together World also offers “discounted” calling to over 160 countries, though the carrier did not say by how much.
More: Verizon says goodbye to two-year contracts, and bumps its upgrade fee to $30
By comparison, AT&T’s International Day Pass lets you use your domestic data plan, as well as unlimited talk and text, in over 100 countries. You will need to fork over $10 for a 24-hour pass, and to prevent abuse, AT&T can remove the pass from any account if international use exceeds 50 percent of total use for two consecutive months.
Unlimited Together World, meanwhile, focuses solely on calls and tacks on an additional $15 each month, so it is more of a long-use plan than International Day Pass. If you do not place that many international calls, Verizon also offers Unlimited Together North America, which lets you call Mexico or Canada as many times as you feel like for $5 per month.
It has been an interesting start to 2017 for Verizon, with its first announcement of 2017 an increase to $30 for its upgrade fee. AT&T followed up with a similar increase from $20 to $25 for its activation and upgrade fee. Verizon also announced it would cut off customers on unlimited data plans who burn through at least 200GB of data each month, which forces those customers to either move to limited data plans or be disconnected altogether.
Making matters worse for Verizon and AT&T is the Federal Communications Commission, which concluded that both carriers violated net neutrality rules. Verizon and AT&T challenged the findings, and FCC commissioner Ajit Pai, who was reportedly elevated to the agency’s top spot, might do away with net neutrality altogether.
Need to multi-task on your Mac? Here’s how to activate split view
Split screen modes divide your computer screen into two different halves, so you can view two different windows at the same time. This is immensely useful for research projects and more complex work assignments (especially on laptops), which is why so many students and professionals hunt down ways to split their screen whenever they get a new computer.
More: Your Mac has a hidden screenshot program — here’s how to find it
Now for the good news: Thanks to past MacOS updates, there’s a very easy split screen mode called split view that anyone with an updated Mac can use. Let’s go over how to do it!
Split view requirements
The split screen capability was introduced in Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan. By now, a few additional updates of MacOS have come and gone, and split view remains available in all newer versions of the operating system. If for some reason you have a Mac that hasn’t been updated to El Capitan, you won’t be able to use the split screen option (although frankly, that’s probably the least of your worries at this point).
Exceptions: Not all apps work with split view. You’ll know if it doesn’t work, because the window will just go to full screen and refuse to split no matter how you try. It’s hard to tell if an app works in split view until you try it. However, most Apple-sponsored apps tend to come with split view capabilities. Third party apps are less likely to have the option—for example, some Microsoft Office apps don’t support split view at the moment, which can be a little frustrating.
Get started with split view
Begin by opening the Mac windows that you want to divide into a split screen. Browser windows, app windows, doc windows—any type will work (except for the aforementioned caveats). Pick one window to start with, and look in the upper right corner. You should see three red, yellow and green dots that can be used to control the window.
If you hover over the right-side green dot, you’ll see it has two small expand arrows. This is the button you want. Hold down on the green dot, and the window will expand/contract as needed, then slid into one half of your screen. Do not tap the green button, because this puts the window into fullscreen 
mode instead.
One half of your split view is done! Now select your other window that you want to split view. This window should automatically shift to cover the other side of your screen, completing the split view experience. You can tap either window to switch focus back and forth as needed.
Note: With touchpads and Magic Trackpads, it’s a little harder to “hold down” the split screen button. With most setups you can hold down the button by setting two fingers on the trackpad and using a third finger to click on the split view button, which acts as a long-term press down. You may need to dive into your trackpad settings to see just how to do this. The important thing to remember is that it is possible.
Adjusting split view
Your split view doesn’t have to be a half-and-half deal. Instead, you can choose which window gets more screen time. Look for the thin black bar in the middle of the screen. Click and hold that bar, and you can move it right or left to give either window more real estate. This is particularly useful if you’re trying to view a large web page with odd design, or need extra space for a big spreadsheet, etc.
If you realize you prefer the windows on different sides, then click and hold one window, and drag it over to the opposite side. The windows will automatically switch places.
Also, keep in mind that shuffling between screens can get a little confusing when you’re first learning how to use it. You may find a couple windows vanished to your dock or to a side menu by the time you’re done. Don’t worry, you probably didn’t lose anything permanently, just keep looking for where Apple put it.
Exiting split view
Nothing could be simpler! When you’re ready to leave split view mode, just tap on either green dot in either window. This will return both windows to their original state and allow you to resume what you were doing before you needed split view.
A quick word about Mission Control
Do you have a lot of windows open and once and want something more comprehensive than split view to look at them all? Mission Control can help. This mode shows you all the windows you have open in a top bar while also giving you an at-a-distance look at all the windows currently on your screen.
You can access Mission Control in many ways, but one of the easiest is to simply drag a window up to the very top of your screen, which should automatically enter Mission Control mode (alternatively, Apple keyboards typically come with an F3 Mission Control button). You can enter Mission Control while in split view if you want, which is an easy way of switching split view windows as is necessary.
HTC will have ‘another flagship’ with Snapdragon 835
HTC smartphone boss strongly suggests the U Ultra won’t be the only high-end offering from the Taiwanese firm this year.
After HTC announced the U Ultra earlier this month, running a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chip, as opposed to the upcoming 835, there’s been speculation that the Ultra will be the sole HTC flagship for 2017: An impressive looking phone, to be sure, but one based on a chip soon to be superseded by the latest and greatest. Now, in an interview with Tbreak, the company’s president of smartphones and connected devices, Chialin Chang, has revealed that another device is indeed in the works.
Here’s Chang’s response to a question on whether the Ultra would be the only HTC flagship of the year:
Every time there is a brand new CPU with power that we can leverage, we’re always at the forefront doing that. Some people are talking about the timing [of our release] but timing was determined 9 months ago. This is the best CPU out there. When the next flagship CPU comes, HTC will be one of the very first tier doing that.
When we will look back, it will be clear why HTC introduced [these new phones.] We want to have a couple of months of leadership before the next flagship CPU comes. But that will be in another period of time- not at MWC. Not for us or any other player. I can tell you that for sure. When the new CPU comes, HTC will have another flagship.
Although Snapdragon 835 isn’t mentioned by name, that’s surely what’s being referred to here.
Chang’s comments seem to back up the basis of another recent report stating that the LG G6 would use a Snapdragon 821, because Samsung’s Galaxy S8 would have first dibs on the 835 as soon as debuted in April. Given the timings for other vendors getting their hands on the new chip, it’d seem the next HTC flagship — the direct successor to the HTC 10 — could be ready sometime in the second quarter of 2017.
However, with the Ultra not shipping in major markets like the United States until mid-March, the timings could turn out to be tricky for a company that’s already struggling to maintain interest in its phones.
More: HTC U Ultra hands-on preview
How to make your Chromebook browsing experience way faster
These five tips will make Chrome as fast as it can be on your Chromebook or any other computer. Zoom zoom!
One thing even a basic entry-level Chromebook can do faster than any other computer is surfing the web with the Chrome browser. It makes sense — a Chromebook is designed to run the browser, which is a core part of Chrome OS. It better be fast.
But for many of us, things can never be fast enough. There will always be developer builds or tweaks you can make under the hood if you want to get your hands dirty, but there are also a few things you can do right from the settings that speed up page loading times, and especially the time it takes to load the browser in the first place. The beauty of this is that while this was written with a Chromebook in mind, these tips also will speed up the Chrome browser on other platforms — even on a Mac, where it needs all the help it can get.
If you think you need more speed, do these five things before you try anything else.
Make sure you’re running the latest version
Chrome updates focus on more than just security and features. Oftentimes something here or there is further optimized and a version update can make a big difference. And updating is easy! If you’ve never messed with any settings all you need to do is shut down your Chromebook (or close the Chrome window on other operating systems) and restart it. If you need a refresher on forcing a manual update, we got you covered.
- Open your Settings.
- Click Help then click About Google Chrome.
This shows you the version you’re running and checks for any updates when you open the window. If one is available it will download in the background and be ready to install the next time Chrome is closed then reopened. If an update is downloaded and ready when you open this window, you can press the Relaunch Google Chrome button that you see.
Make sure page prefetching is enabled
Prefetching — properly known as Network Action Predictions — is when a smart computer tries to guess what you’ll do next when you open a website. The most common thing we’ll do is go to another website, and Google’s prefetch service is really good at guessing them, It can load them in the background and be ready to go when you want to actually visit.
You do need to be aware that the current page you’re on as well as other pertinent data is being read by a Google computer when you use this service. Everything is anonymized, but it still is happening.
- Open your Chrome Settings.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Show advanced settings.
- In the Privacy section you’ll see “Use a prediction service to load pages more quickly.” Click the check box beside it.
Shut down or uninstall extensions you’re not using
Extensions need to run in the background so they are ready to get into the action when they’re needed. Because Chrome is a sandboxed application platform, extensions will have their own memory space reserved when you start up the browser.
Most extensions are very light on resources. But it still makes sense to free those resources if you’re never going to need them set aside for an extension you don’t use. Every little bit counts. Here’s how to shut them off or uninstall them.
- Open the top-right menu in the Chrome browser window and find the section labeled More tools.
- Expand it by hovering your mouse pointer over it and click Extensions in the fly-out.
- Scroll through this page to find the extension you want to shut off or remove.
- To shut off an extension but leave it installed untick the box that says Enabled.
- To delete an extension click the trash can icon.
If you delete an extension, you’ll need to download it again from the Chrome Web Store. If you have multiple computers running Chrome that are synchronized to the same profile, this can uninstall the extension on all of them, depending on your sync settings.
Shut off the plugins you’re not using
The Chrome browser uses plugins to view some content. By default, you will have a plugin for watching encrypted media (Widevine), viewing Flash animations, viewing PDF files and for Chrome’s Native Client (a sandbox for running native C and C++ code). You might have others for things like Chrome Remote desktop or WebEx.
If you’re sure you don’t need one or all of these you can shut them off. Here’s how you do it.
- In the Omnibar, type chrome://plugins/ and press Enter.
- Click Disable to shut down the plugin.
You can also check Always allowed to run and you won’t get prompted when they start working. Don’t do that. The picture here was just so you can see how it looks.
If you shut off a plugin you’ll no longer be able to see the content it was designed to deliver. For example, turning off the Widevine plugin means Netflix isn’t going to ever work. Unless you find plenty of plugins are enabled, this setting can be more trouble that it’s worth.
Close all those tabs!
This is a no-brainer. If you’re like me you always have a bunch of tabs open and running. Even tabs that you’ll never ever visit again. The way Chrome operates means that each one of those tabs is sandboxed and resources aren’t shared between them even if those resources are the same. This is why Chrome uses so much RAM instead of letting it sit there empty.
Only the tab you’re currently looking at uses CPU power unless you’re playing media with it. Still, it’s not very difficult to kill a 16GB MacBook Pro by having too many Chrome tabs open. Trust me.
The browser on your Chromebook works a little differently and background tabs can be suspended or even pushed out of memory when necessary. But too many tabs can slow down a Chromebook because it doesn’t take much to fill up 4GB of RAM.
Every once in a while, close all those tabs you aren’t using. The next time Chrome starts up you’ll be happy you did even if you don’t get a speed boost.
Chromebooks
- The best Chromebooks
- Should you buy a Chromebook?
- Google Play is coming to Chromebooks
- Acer Chromebook 14 review
- Join our Chromebook forums
Nougat update rolling out to Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in India; Samsung Pay teased
Samsung is getting ready to bring Samsung Pay to India.
Samsung has started rolling out the Nougat update to the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in India. The update comes in at 1.2GB, and includes visual tweaks to the user interface, improvements to the always-on display mode, addition of Samsung Pass, and much more.
Along with the update, Samsung started teasing the launch of Samsung Pay in the country. As noted by SamMobile, you’ll see a message that reads “The future of payments is coming soon!” once you start using the phone following the Nougat update.
India’s demonitisation drive is paving the way for Samsung Pay.
The Indian government’s decision to ban high-denomination notes back in November has led to a severe cash crunch in all parts of the country, with demand for new notes far exceeding available supply. As a result, there has been a sharp uptick in the number of digital payments being carried out in the country. Mobile wallet provider Paytm was the standout winner of demonetisation, with the app seeing a meteoric rise in usage following the currency ban.
Samsung could win a huge chunk of the market if it launches its contactless payments solution ahead of Apple or Google. Samsung Pay works with NFC as well as MST, making the service compatible with older POS terminals — negating the need for new hardware. And as Samsung is the leading smartphone manufacturer in the country, there are millions of NFC-enabled devices in the Galaxy A and Galaxy S series that can start using the company’s digital payments service once it goes live.
Mobile payment services have failed to take off in India as most consumers were reticent to use digital wallets to pay for goods, but with the government actively working toward a cashless economy in order to curb corruption, the Indian market is primed for the introduction of digital payments.
HTC VP of design departing for Google
Claude Zellweger, who was responsible for the design of the HTC One, HTC 10 and Vive, will join Google’s Daydream team.
HTC’s head of design, Claude Zellweger, has announced that he will be joining the Daydream VR team at Google. Zellweger was responsible for the design of the HTC Vive, as well as phones like the HTC 10, and One M7 (in partnership with Scott Croyle, now of Nextbit).
@vladsavov I am joining Google Daydream, so you can redirect your criticism:).
— Claude Zellweger (@Claudibus) January 26, 2017
Zellweger hasn’t given any further details on his new role at Google, and his Twitter bio still lists his old HTC title of VP of Design. However, sources at the company tell Engadget that he actually departed in July 2016, and has stayed on in a “grace period” in the interim.
In any case, Zellweger’s exit is significant in the context of a long-running brain drain at HTC. The many high-level departures over the past few years have included the other two members of the One & Co. design team HTC acquired in 2008, Scott Croyle (who left for Nextbit in 2014) and successor Jonah Becker (who departed a year later for Fitbit).
Zellweger’s personal announcement comes without any news release from HTC, but we’ve reached out to the company for comment.
From the archives: Claude Zellweger talks HTC 10 design in April 2016
Introducing Ask Jerry, the dopest place to get your questions answered!
You asked for Ask Jerry, and here it is!
We’re very lucky to have Jerry Hildenbrand as part of Android Central. He’s smart, foul-mouthed and oh-so-intelligent, and he’s now yours for the questioning.
In partnership with our community team at the Android Central forums, we have launched Ask Jerry, a place to question and converse with the real Most Interesting Man In The World (Dos Equis got nothing on Jerry). The great news is that this is an ongoing project, and Jerry will intermittently show up in the forums for a marathon answer session — we’ll let you know when he does — or a quick hello to answer some questions and share some insights!
We’ve been wanting to do something like this for a long time. Ask AC is a semi-regular column here on the front page, and we’re ramping up a video series of the same name (and theme) hosted by our video editor, Alex Dobie.
But from questions like “Would you ever shave your beard?” to “What is the best phone in terms of headphone audio?”, Ask Jerry will run the gamut of inquiry. Want to learn a bit more?
Check out Ask Jerry on the Android Central Forums!
Strange bedfellows: The definitive guide to getting rid of bedbugs
Bedbugs. They’re gross, annoying, and can cause quite an itch. If you’ve discovered that your mattress has become a breeding ground for the tiny buggers, you’re probably wondering, “How do I get rid of these bastards?” Removal of bedbugs on your own isn’t easy, but it is possible. However, if you feel the infestation is too severe or overwhelming to deal with on your own, seek professional help. Still, if treating the problem yourself is the way you wish to go, this guide is here to help.
Related: You don’t need no alibi — here’s how to remove bloodstains from clothing, carpet, and upholstery
Identify the source
The first thing you should do, before you rush straight into committing mass-insecticide, is identify the culprit. If you’re looking for methods to get rid of bedbugs, it’s probably for a reason. There are several creepy crawlies that can cause bedbug-like symptoms, however, including fleas, scabies, and even spiders. Just to be sure, here’s how to identify if bedbugs are actually the problem.
- Bedbugs are small, dark brown, or purple critters with flat carapaces, usually appearing in bed sheets, mattresses, and furniture. Bed sheets that show signs of bedbug activity will often be stained with tiny blood spots, and the area around their nests will be darkened with brown or black fecal spots. For comparison, fleas tend to be tiny, brown bugs with long bodies. Fleas are smaller than bedbugs, and tend to stay on pets and other animals. However, they have been known to appear on carpets and other upholstery.
- Bedbug bites are itchy, red bumps that often appear in a line, often in groups of three. Depending on the severity of your reaction, the bites may be tiny and itchy; worse cases can bring pain and swelling. Flea bites typically appear in sporadic patterns, all over the affected person (or pet). The reaction to the latter bites can vary in severity, though flea bites can be felt immediately as a minuscule, quick point of pain. Fleas also bite at any time, whereas bedbugs only bite while someone is near their nest (usually at night while sleeping).
If you’ve discovered bedbugs and homed in on their nesting area, your next step is to quarantine.
LG G6 vs LG G5: What’s the rumoured difference?
The launch of LG’s next flagship is only weeks away, with many expecting the new device to debut at Mobile World Congress at the end of February.
Rumours have been circulating about the device for several months however, giving us an indication of what features we might be able to expect. Here is how the LG G6 compares to the LG G5, based on the leaks and speculation.
LG G6 vs LG G5: Design
- G6 expected to offer more premium design
- G6 expected to be waterproof
- USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack expected on both
The LG G6 is rumoured to be coming with a metal and glass solid body, offering very slim bezels at the top and bottom of the display and curved corners. The company is said to be scaling back the modularity of the G5 and delivering a more premium finish in comparison to last year’s model.
No measurements have been leaked for the G6 as yet, but as there is said to be a good screen to body ratio, chances are it will offer similar measurements to the G5. The G6 is also said to be waterproof.
The LG G5 measures 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7mm and weighs 159g. It has a painted aluminium build, which means it offers a slightly plasticky feeling, but the bottom is removable, allowing for a replaceable battery, along with the addition of LG’s Friends modules.
The LG G5 has a USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, all of which are also expected to feature on the LG G6.
- LG G6: What’s the story so far?
LG G6 vs LG G5: Display
- G6 to offer a larger, sharper display
- G6 expected to provide better screen-to-body ratio
- G6 to offer 18:9 aspect ratio
The LG G6 is confirmed to be coming with a 5.7-inch 2880 x 1440 Quad HD+ LCD display. It is claimed to be the first screen to sport an ultra-wide 18:9 aspect ratio and it will deliver a pixel density of 564ppi.
LG has said the display will be ideal for multi-tasking and dual-screen functions and the company has also said it will use its In-Touch technology for a more responsive experience.
The LG G5 has a 5.3-inch display with a standard Quad HD resolution that produces a pixel density of 554ppi, meaning despite it being smaller, it has a slightly softer display to the new model. It does offer an Always-On screen though, which delivers certain notifications without the need to power on the main display, something which hasn’t been confirmed yet for the G6.
The G5’s display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4 and has a screen-to-body ratio of 70.1 per cent. The G6 will most likely have Gorilla Glass 5 protection and it has been suggested its screen-to-body ratio will be above 90 per cent.
- LG G5 review
LG G6 vs LG G5: Cameras
- G6 reported to have all-in-one front camera and iris scanner
- G6 expected to retain dual-rear camera setup
- G5 delivers excellent results
Rumours surrounding the LG G6’s camera have been thin on the ground so currently it is not clear what we might see on the new device. There has been one report of an all-in-one camera and iris scanner on the front, and we’d expect the dual rear camera setup from the G5 to remain, but camera leaks have been minimal.
The LG G5’s dual rear camera is made up of a 16-megapixel sensor with a f/1.8 aperture and an 8-megapixel wide-angle sensor offering a f/2.0 aperture. Laser autofocus and optical image stabilisation are both on board and it is one of the phone’s best attributes, delivering fantastic results.
Accompanying the dual-rear camera is an 8-megapixel front-facing snapper. It features an aperture of f/2.0 and it is capable of video recording up to 1080p. We’d expect improvements for the G6 as with any flagship successor, but what these will be is not yet known.
LG G6 vs LG G5: Hardware
- G6 expected to have SD821 chip
- Bigger battery expected for G6
- G5 has a removable battery
According to the leaks, the LG G6 will come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, rather than the latest SD835. We’d expect at least 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, along with microSD support, though leaks have been scarce in this department too.
The G6 is reported to be coming with wireless charging and chances are there will be a larger battery capacity on board, though as the modularity element of the G5 is said to be ditched, don’t expect a removable battery for the G6.
The LG G5 features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip, supported by 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and microSD support. The battery capacity sits at 2800mAh and although there is no wireless charging, the G5 does have a removable battery.
Last year’s flagship also supports 24-bit audio so we would expect the new flagship to do the same.
- Samsung Galaxy S8: What’s the story so far?
LG G6 vs LG G5: Software
- G6 expected to launch on Android Nougat
- Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa both rumoured for G6
- Similar software experience, but G6 will offer new features
The LG G6 will no doubt launch on Android Nougat with LG’s Optimus UX interface over the top. It has been claimed that LG might also include Google’s Assistant, something which is currently only found on the Google Pixel and Pixel XL devices, as well as Amazon Alexa, which Huawei introduced on the Mate 9.
The LG G5 launched on Android Marshmallow, though it too now runs on Nougat and it also has the LG software over the top. The software and user experience between the G6 and the G5 should therefore be similar, though there will be some extra new and exciting features on the G6 when it arrives, as is normally the case.
LG G6 vs LG G5: Conclusion
The LG G6 is likely to improve on the G5 in several areas, as is normally the way with a new flagship. Based on the rumours, it looks like the G6 will offer a better, more premium design, along with a better display and hardware improvements.
The LG G5 took all the right steps when it came to innovation, but the modular design wasn’t for everyone, leaving it to fall short of its competition. The LG G6 looks like it could set right the wrongs of its predessor however so fingers crossed all those rumours become reality.
We will update this feature as more leaks appear, as well as when the final announcement and official details regarding the LG G6 are revealed.
- LG G6: What’s the story so far?
AIVAnet 