Satechi’s Power Meter might help save your USB Type-C from short circuiting
Why it matters to you
The Satechi Power Meter is an attempt to address the incompatibility issues around the USB Type-C standard.
USB Type-C has a lot going for it. It’s a universal standard and it replaces bulky, outmoded plugs that hogged a disproportionate amount of space in phones and computers. But it has an obvious downside — a minefield of compatibility problems. Just because two devices have USB Type-C does not mean they will play nicely together. It is tempting to use a Google Pixel USB Type-C plug to charge a MacBook Pro, but doing so could short circuit the laptop’s motherboard.
That is where the Power Meter, a new voltage monitor from Satechi, comes in.
The Power Meter’s a bulbous, rounded USB dongle that looks a little like a memory stick. But there is an important difference: A green LED screen on the front. Plug it into a USB port and the screen displays the USB port’s current volt, amp, and milliamp hour output, while a pass-through port on the other end facilitates electron flow. In theory, it’s the perfect solution for folks who regularly swap between USB Type-C cables, chargers, and devices.
More: Not so fast: Google may slow down quick charge progress with new guidelines
There is some doubt whether it works as advertised, to be fair. Satechi has yet to provide third-party evidence that the device’s readings are accurate, much less consistent. But it’s better than the trial-and-error era of early 2016 when plugging your smartphone into an unfamiliar USB Type-C cable was like playing Russian roulette. Google engineer Benson Leung went so far as to order wall adapters and cables from Amazon to determine whether they met the proper standards for the USB-C spec, a series of reviews which led the online retailer to ban sellers from listing cables that were not up to snuff.
In April, the situation improved slightly with the introduction of a new authentication technology. Now, spec-compliant USB Type-C chargers work behind the scenes to ensure that, say, an incompatible phone isn’t charged with a heavy-duty cable.
But that doesn’t solve the problem of manufacturers who ignore the specification entirely. Global chipmaker Qualcomm was accused of implementing a workaround to get its fast-charging technology, Quick Charge 3.0, to work with USB Type-C connectors.
More: The 7 best USB Type-C cables to keep your gadgets powered
Ultimately, it’s best to check the specs yourself before plugging one thing into another — better to be safe than sorry.
The Satechi Type-C Power Meter is available from Satechi’s website and Amazon for $30. It’s capable of handling voltages between 4V and 20V, and wattage from 50mA to 10W.
Buy on Amazon
Your Uber driver might be sleeping in his car at night, report reveals
Why it matters to you
If the prospect of being a full-time rideshare driver so you can be your own boss is appealing, ask yourself if you’d be willing to sleep in your car.
When you follow the money living isn’t always easy. Some Uber drivers who travel to distant cities where fares are better than in their hometowns regularly sleep in their cars, according to Bloomberg.
People who drive for Uber as a side gig account for the majority of drivers. Uber states that more than 60 percent of its drivers work less than 10 hours per week. While there are no public figures of the proportion of drivers classified as full time, defined as those who work more than 35 hours per week, Uber confirmed for Bloomberg that the full-time contractor group provides about half of the Uber rides and brings in about half of the company’s revenue.
More: Uber will shell out $20 million to settle claims it misled drivers over wages
Drivers who work for Uber less than 35 hours a week may be taking full advantage of the company’s flexible policy that allows drivers to work where, when, and the hours they choose. Those part-timers can adjust their work hours around other jobs and their own lifestyle. The reverse is often the case for those seeking to make rideshare driving their full-time occupation and sole source of income, however, and they need to adjust their lifestyles to fit the work.
Drivers for rideshare companies who make it a full-time business and stick with it learn how to maximize their incomes, or they don’t stay. Being a smarter driver involves not just how knowing many hours to work, but which hours of the day and which days of the week are most profitable. The other lesson successful drivers learn quickly is where to drive to get calls for the best fares.
According to Bloomberg, most full-time Uber drivers work close to home. However, those who decide to drive to areas where they can get higher-paying fares sometimes make the decision not to drive back home at the end of their workday. Most often, when drivers travel to wealthier areas to drive, the cost of paying for lodging would negate the greater revenue they traveled to earn. Some do make the long drive home. For other drivers, though, the alternative is to find a place to stay the night that won’t be too costly.
Sometimes drivers stay in hostels where bunks are inexpensive, or share low-cost hotel rooms with other drivers, but the least expensive option is to just sleep in their cars. Bloomberg reports that drivers share information about good places to park where they’ll be safe and won’t be hassled by security guards. Often drivers will find parking lots near supermarkets, convenience stores, or airports where groups of drivers park their cars for the safety and social aspects of numbers.
The FBI’s Gamergate report shows lack of consequences for online harassers
Why it matters to you
Gamergate is in the past, but the FBI’s response to online harassment — and death threats — is an increasingly important part of its job.
Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request, the FBI has finally released its report on the investigation into the controversial Gamergate group — though it has been heavily redacted. The information contained in the report reveals the vicious nature of the threats sent to female developers and social critics, but more than that, it illustrates that the FBI may not have taken the events as seriously as it could have.
For those of us who have blocked out the events of Gamergate, a brief refresher: Essentially, a mob of online bullies decided to harass a number of game developers and social critics who had the temerity to criticize the video game industry’s handling of gender roles and sexism.
More: Russia arrests Kaspersky Labs security investigator on treason charges
The FBI got involved when online harassment blossomed into outright death threats. The investigation report details a number of emails sent to unnamed recipients which threaten bombings, shootings, and all sorts of violence. According to The Verge, the recipients of these threats were very likely social critic Anita Sarkeesian and game developer Brianna Wu, who were popular targets of Gamergate trolls.
Looking into those threats, the FBI as an organization appears to have taken them very seriously — even involving the Behavioral Analysis Unit to try and identify some of the culprits. The agency used a sophisticated Palantir search method to identify the email addresses of some suspects.
But individual FBI agents may not have taken the threats as seriously or may not have understood what it was they were investigating. The report contains emails and filings from individual FBI agents who refer to Twitter as “Tweeter” and TOR as “Thor.”
More: One of the ‘Celebgate’ hackers has just been jailed for 9 months
Additionally, when the FBI tracked down a few of the individuals who admitted being responsible for the death threats, at least two were let off with little more than a warning — despite the horrific levels of violence described in the threatening emails. One suspect apologized, and another — a juvenile — was grounded, but neither suffered criminal penalties.
Wu spoke with the Verge about the FBI report and made it clear that she was not satisfied with the way the investigation was carried out.
“All this report does for me is show how little the FBI cared about the investigation,” Wu said. “Almost nothing we told them is in this report.”
Use your tablet like a laptop with $14 Anker Bluetooth Ultra-Slim Keyboard
Tablet computers give us a lot of functionality in a compact and lightweight package, allowing us to take our entertainment, work, and social contacts with us wherever we go. These devices have become popular in recent years by striking a balance between full-featured laptop computers and small smartphones, giving us bigger and more usable displays while keeping size and weight down. Nonetheless, using a touchscreen input for extended periods of time can sometimes make one wish for a traditional keyboard. With the lightweight Anker Bluetooth Ultra-Slim Keyboard, you no longer have to compromise portability for functionality.
Now only $14 on Amazon, the Anker Bluetooth Ultra-Slim Keyboard lets you turn your Apple, Windows, Samsung Galaxy, or Android tablet into a small laptop computer. The unit features a full set of QWERTY keys in a package that is just over 11 inches long and 0.7 of an inch thick. Weighing in at just 6.7 ounced, this Bluetooth keyboard can easily fit into a briefcase, laptop bag, or purse and go with you anywhere.
More: For a limited time, enjoy 10 percent off when buying two Kindle Fire tablets
The low-profile keys are similar in size to those on a normal laptop keyboard, and let you type comfortably without getting snagged on things while being carried in a bag. Shortcut keys optimized for iOS, Android, and Windows mobile operating systems can launch applications and control media playback with the stroke of a finger. The keyboard is powered by two AAA batteries and features a power-saving auto sleep function.
At $14, the Anker Bluetooth Ultra-Slim Keyboard is now offered at a 46 percent discount from its regular price. While the keyboard is compatible with Apple iPads, Samsung Galaxy Tabs, Android devices, and Windows tablets, customers have reported that it works just fine with Amazon Kindle Fire tablets as well, although the shortcut keys may not fully function. Note that the keyboard is not designed to work with OS X El Capitan.
$14 on Amazon
Use your tablet like a laptop with $14 Anker Bluetooth Ultra-Slim Keyboard
Tablet computers give us a lot of functionality in a compact and lightweight package, allowing us to take our entertainment, work, and social contacts with us wherever we go. These devices have become popular in recent years by striking a balance between full-featured laptop computers and small smartphones, giving us bigger and more usable displays while keeping size and weight down. Nonetheless, using a touchscreen input for extended periods of time can sometimes make one wish for a traditional keyboard. With the lightweight Anker Bluetooth Ultra-Slim Keyboard, you no longer have to compromise portability for functionality.
Now only $14 on Amazon, the Anker Bluetooth Ultra-Slim Keyboard lets you turn your Apple, Windows, Samsung Galaxy, or Android tablet into a small laptop computer. The unit features a full set of QWERTY keys in a package that is just over 11 inches long and 0.7 of an inch thick. Weighing in at just 6.7 ounced, this Bluetooth keyboard can easily fit into a briefcase, laptop bag, or purse and go with you anywhere.
More: For a limited time, enjoy 10 percent off when buying two Kindle Fire tablets
The low-profile keys are similar in size to those on a normal laptop keyboard, and let you type comfortably without getting snagged on things while being carried in a bag. Shortcut keys optimized for iOS, Android, and Windows mobile operating systems can launch applications and control media playback with the stroke of a finger. The keyboard is powered by two AAA batteries and features a power-saving auto sleep function.
At $14, the Anker Bluetooth Ultra-Slim Keyboard is now offered at a 46 percent discount from its regular price. While the keyboard is compatible with Apple iPads, Samsung Galaxy Tabs, Android devices, and Windows tablets, customers have reported that it works just fine with Amazon Kindle Fire tablets as well, although the shortcut keys may not fully function. Note that the keyboard is not designed to work with OS X El Capitan.
$14 on Amazon
Apple’s Support app for iPhone users is now available in a hefty 22 regions
Why it matters to you
Apple’s new support app makes finding solutions to your iPhone problems easier than ever.
Sometimes your iPhone just doesn’t work the way you want it to. Maybe the battery doesn’t last as long as it should, or your email accounts aren’t refreshing properly, or an app is misbehaving. Or maybe the problem is of a more serious nature — the type that requires a skilled technician. Whatever the case, Apple is making it easier to find solutions to common iOS device problems with a new app called Apple Support.
“New” is a relative term, in this case: Apple quietly launched the app in the Netherlands in November. But Wednesday marked an expansion to the U.S., and now the app is making its way to the U.K., France, Spain, and other countries. The move into these new countries comes shortly after Apple promised global expansion for the app.
More: Apple launches support app to reduce your visits to the Apple Store
Apple Support is fairly self-explanatory. It puts topical tips, product information, troubleshooting steps, and service call tools at your fingertips. Struggling to recall your Apple ID password? There is an entry for that, complete with a “reset password” link that lists the date, time, and year you last changed your passcode. Forget how to back up your iPad to the iCloud or use the Messaging app on your iPod touch? There are guides for those issues, too, along with many more.
For issues beyond hope of self-diagnosis, there is a handy section that connects you with a specialist. You can talk out a fix remotely by chatting, calling, or emailing a member of Apple’s support team, or make a reservation to visit the nearest Apple Store Genius Bar. Opting for the face-to-face option cues up a list of available reservation times. If you choose a remote fix, your contact information is recorded and you are provided with a number you can call when you are free to chat.
Apple Support does most of the heavy data lifting, automatically identifying the devices tied to your Apple account. It also surfaces information an Apple agent might require, like your phone’s model number, serial number, and iOS version.
More: Apple is now showing third-party repair stores on its online support website
Apple says the app, which is available on the App Store, will roll out to additional territories in the coming weeks.
Apple Support is the latest in a long line of live support apps. Mayday, a 24-hour live support feature on Amazon’s Fire tablet devices, connects users with a live Amazon adviser who can draw on the screen and perform troubleshooting steps. Google’s new Pixel-branded smartphones feature a dedicated support tab that connects users to customer service agents and lets them share their screen.
Apple’s new app may not be comparable just yet, but it is likely just the start. Last week, Apple began including third-party retail stores in its online appointment reservation system. And in some brick-and-mortar Apple stores around the country, Apple has replaced the Genius Bar with an open-stool design meant to promote “intimacy” and “dynamism.”
Updated on 01-27-2017 by Christian de Looper: Added news that app is now available in 22 regions.
Weekly Rewind: RIP Mary Tyler Moore, a Parkinson’s cure, and DNA-based fitness
In the tech world, a lot happens in a week. So much news goes on that it’s almost impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top 10 tech stories, from a potential cure for Parkinson’s and Alzheimers to a solution to insomnia — it’s all here.
Emmy-winning actress, feminist icon Mary Tyler Moore has died at age 80
Just days after the largest single-day protest in American history was held to advocate for women’s rights, one of the earliest actresses to challenge female characters’ roles in pop culture has died. Oscar-nominated actress Mary Tyler Moore, who starred for seven seasons in her self-titled, Emmy-winning series The Mary Tyler Moore Show, died Wednesday due to complications from pneumonia at the age of 80.
Read the full story here.
The SolPad Mobile solar panel can recharge your phone up to 60 times
A new device called the SolPad Mobile looks to demystify the use of solar energy both at home and on the go. The large, yet still portable, solar panels come equipped with everything you need to set up and install a solar charging solution within a matter of minutes. Despite its simplicity, however, the system is still efficient enough to provide power to a wide variety of gadgets, including mobile devices, laptops, and small appliances.
Read the full story here.
Trouble sleeping? You can treat your insomnia online
A new online treatment may help people who suffer from insomnia. SHUTi, or Sleep Health Using the Internet, is a cognitive behavioral therapy-insomnia (CBT-I) internet course that aims to retrain your mind and body for better sleep. CBT-I focuses on a variety of factors to retrain your sleep cycle, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Read the full story here.
HP announces a major expansion to its ongoing battery recall
HP has announced an expanded recall of batteries used in its notebook computers. The company has apparently learned of an incident where a battery overheated to the point of melting and charring the surrounding area, causing around $1,000 worth of property damage. The voluntary recall pertains to lithium-ion batteries containing cells manufactured by Panasonic. They’re compatible with HP, Compaq, HP ProBook, HP Envy, Compaq Presario, and HP Pavilion laptops.
Read the full story here.
Harvard’s robotic exosuit uses science-fiction smarts to put a spring in your step
Thanks to science fiction, we can’t think about artificial intelligence without summoning the ghost of 2001: A Space Odyssey’s killer AI HAL 9000; we have to make the obligatory Terminator reference in any story about cutting-edge robots, and the picture that immediately springs to mind when we mention robotic exoskeletons are bulky pieces of kit straight out of Iron Man or the underrated Tom Cruise flick Edge of Tomorrow.
Read the full story here.
Newly developed input technique controls smartwatch using breath and skin taps
Why it matters to you
These newly developed techniques offer innovative and creative ways to interact with smartwatches.
Picture this: You’re leaving the supermarket with your hands full of grocery bags when you suddenly get a call. Tilt your wrist to read your smartwatch. It’s Mom. You’re sure she’s calling to remind you to pick up milk. And you’re already lugging a gallon back to your car so you deny the call. But instead of dropping all your bags to do so, you simply lift your arm and shush the watch by blowing on it.
This is just one interactive feature developed by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology intended to give smartwatch wearers more control over their device. These apps are designed to enhance LG and Sony smartwatches, allowing users to answer phone calls using their breath, dial numbers by tapping their hand, and scroll through apps by running their fingers against the watch band.
More: Swedish hybrid smartwatch says no to charging, yes to gorgeous classic designs
“We are all aware that the input on smartwatches can be improved,” Cheng Zhang, a Ph.D. student and lead researcher behind Georgia Tech’s WatchOut application, told Digital Trends. WatchOut lets wearers interact with their smartwatch through contact with the bevel and watchband.
“The touchscreen-based interactions are limited due to the small size of the screen,” Zhang said. “For instance, to open an app, the user usually has to slide through a long list on the tiny screen. WatchOut provides an additional set of inputs, which are more efficient. With WatchOut, the user can start an app by simply tapping on the watch case. Combining with the touchscreen-based input, WatchOut would provide a better interaction experience for smartwatch users.”
Two other Georgia Tech apps — Whoosh and TapSkin — are less intuitive than WatchOut but offer wonderfully creative ways to engage with smartwatches.
Whoosh lets users reject or answer calls by shushing or blowing at the device. The app even allows wearers to edit text messages or transfer information from their watch to their phone using various breathing patterns.
Breath-activated interfaces have previously been explored at Georgia Tech, but it took an aha moment for project lead Gabriel Reyes to explore the feature further.
“One day I watched my wife blow some fuzz off her phone while holding the device in one hand and our son in the other,” Reyes told Digital Trends. “I then thought we should revisit the idea of blowable interfaces for the mobile phone and primarily for smartwatches to enable one-handed input.”
TapSkin uses the smartwatches microphone and inertial sensors so users can input numbers into their smartwatch by tapping on the back of their hand.
Although Reyes is not currently pursuing commercialization of Whoosh but encourages manufacturers to use his work and inspiration. Zhang, on the other hand, said his team is working to commercialize the WatchOut technique and hopes it will be available as early as fall.
The latest Windows 10 Insider Build will get you into game mode
Why it matters to you
Microsoft uses the Windows Insider Fast Ring as a testing ground for new features that could improve your Windows 10 experience.
Microsoft rolled out a new Windows Insider build to users on the Fast Ring on Friday, and this one brings a long-awaited feature to Windows 10 — a “Game Mode” designed to optimize your PC’s gaming performance.
Additionally, the update includes a number of bug fixes and usability enhancements based on user feedback from the Microsoft Feedback Hub. Let’s have a look at what you Fast Ring users can look forward to in this update.
What’s new in the latest Fast Ring build
Build 15019 is focused almost entirely on PC gaming. That said, you will likely encounter some serious bugs in some games, as Microsoft works to iron out the kinks in its newly unveiled Game Mode.
First up, the new Windows Insider build features built-in streaming using the Beam streaming service. Starting today, with the new build, you’ll be able to stream using the Beam service by pulling up the game bar with Windows Key + G. It’s always nice to have built in streaming, but the feature might have seen more use if it supported a more popular platform like Twitch.
Additionally, you’ll find a new section under your Windows Settings, one exclusively for games and game integration. The new Gaming section features settings for the Game bar, DVR, broadcasting and, you guessed it, Game Mode.
Okay, so what is Game Mode? It’s a new feature that Microsoft hopes will improve your gaming experience, by changing the way Windows 10 handles resources while you’re playing games. Whether or not it will actually improve the performance you can get out of your games will remain to be seen, but Microsoft’s increased attention on PC gaming in Windows 10 is definitely good news.
Also included in the update are a handful of smaller features, like revamped emojis, improved privacy settings, and a new night light setting that should reduce the amount of blue light your PC produces (similar to Night Shift, just announced for MacOS). For details on all the new features, right down to the tiniest bug fixes, check out the Windows 10 blog here.
Seagate plans to produce a 16TB hard drive within the next 18 months
Why it matters to you
Despite falling numbers in the mainstream hard drive market, Seagate continues to push the envelope to reach its 20TB goal by 2020.
During a conference call after Seagate released its earnings report for the second fiscal quarter of 2017, Chairman and CEO Steve Luczo provided a roadmap of the company’s hard drive rollout over the next 18 months. During this period, the company plans to expand the capacity limit up to 16 terabytes (16TB), surpassing Seagate’s current hard drive products on the market that are maxed out at 10TB.
“Our eight terabyte product leads the market in cost and performance and we are pleased with the ramp of our 10-terabyte product in terms of quality, performance, and customer qualifications,” he said.
More: Seagate’s portable storage device automatically syncs files to Amazon Drive
Luczo also said that Seagate customers are currently testing its 12TB helium-based hard drive and providing positive feedback. It will follow the 10TB version released a year ago for the enterprise sector, relying on helium to create a turbulence-free environment inside the hard drive shell for packing in more spinning platters. These platters are what store data, which are read like a record player by stationary read/write heads.
Seagate’s current 10TB helium-based drive includes seven spinning platters and 14 heads crammed into a 3.5-inch form factor. Helium reduces the amount of friction and resistance caused when spinning platters are close together. That reduction in turn lowers the amount of power the drive will pull, reduces the level of cooling the drive needs, and enables Seagate to increase its capacity by cramming in more platters.
Drives pushing 10TB or more are typically used by the enterprise sector or in network-attached storage devices. Right now, the biggest mainstream-focused desktop hard drive appears to be Seagate’s 8TB STBD8000400 model for $330 while the biggest enterprise-grade hard drive is Seagate’s helium-filled ST10000NM0086 model costing $466.
In the mainstream market, mechanical hard drives are being replaced by NAND-based solid state drives (SSDs) as the primary storage device. SSDs have no moving parts and store data in cells rather than magnetically in tracks on a spinning platter. That means SSDs are faster, and ideal for housing the operating system and installed programs, enabling extremely fast system boot and program load times.
In the initial days, SSDs were rather expensive. But as prices have come down and capacities have gone up, hard drives are becoming the secondary solution in systems for storing files, music, video, and so on. However, the enterprise sector is a different story, given that data centers mostly rely on mechanical drives, and moving from HDDs to SDDs would be costly.
Despite the declining hard drive sales in the mainstream market, Seagate said in 2013 that it plans to produce a 20TB hard drive by 2020 using shingled magnetic recording. Seagate compared this method to shingles on a roof, stating that the data tracks overlap each other, thus increasing the density of each track and the platter’s overall aerial density.
Luczo said in the conference call that delivering hard drives up to 20TB in capacity “takes a lot of investment, a lot of technology.”
AIVAnet 