Photo editing app Meitu says it needs permissions for analytics, denies selling user data

Meitu details why it needs all those permissions.

Chinese photo editing app Meitu made landfall in the U.S. recently, with the free app shooting up the Play Store rankings over the course of the week. The app adds anime-style filters to photos, and the final results end up being equal parts wonderful and weird.

The app has been popular in China and Hong Kong for several years now, but its entry into the U.S. was fraught with privacy issues. The app asks for twenty-three permissions in total, which include access to your phone’s device ID, storage, Wi-Fi, network settings, local IP, location details, carrier information, the ability to run at startup, and more.

In a statement to the media, Meitu said that it collects all that data to optimize the app’s performance, and get a better understanding of how customers engage with its ads. The company denied that it sells any of the user data it collects, going into further detail as to why it needs so many permissions.

Meitu said that as its services are based out of China, tracking services provided by the Play Store and App Store are blocked. To counter this, it uses a combination of third-party and in-house analytics tools that ensure the “user data tracked is consistent.” The user data is sent back to China securely through “multilayer encryption to servers equipped with advanced firewall and IDS, IPS protection to block external attacks.”

Meitu also went into detail over the permissions it requires:

• MAC address/IMEI number: In some cases, Meitu cannot get both info at the same time and in some cases different devices even have the same IMEI number, so we combine these two details into one unique ID to track user devices.
• LAN IP address is used to prevent business fraud.
• SIM card country code is used for a rough location detection.
• GPS and network location are used for detecting countries and regions for Geo-based operation and advertisement placement.
• Phone carrier info is used as a standard tracking channel for analytics, just like the other third-party analytics tools(e.g., Flurry).
• RUN_AT_START: because the Google service (including GCM) is not available in mainland China, Meitu uses a third-party push notification service called Getui (www.getui.com).

That’s certainly a lot to put up with for a photo filter app. If you’re satisfied with Meitu’s explanation, the app is available for free from the Play Store.

Fujifilm GFX 50S preview: Medium format made easy

When Fujifilm announced at Photokina 2016 it was to launch a mirrorless medium format camera – that is, a camera with a sensor larger than even a pro-spec DSLR – there was explosive excitement.

The company hasn’t been mucking around either, for the GFX 50S’s quick turnaround has been quite astonishing: it’ll hit the shelves on 23 February 2017, priced £6,199 body-only, as a final production camera.

We know what you’re thinking: “six grand?!”. But that’s a small price for what is a big deal – it undercuts Pentax, Hasselblad, et al, in this specialist market – and the viewfinder is included in the box, adding further value for money.

A full month ahead of release date we got to test out the GFX 50S in a variety of settings. And we’re already convinced that it’s medium format made easy. Maybe you don’t want that full-frame DSLR any more after all.

Fuji GFX 50S preview: New beginnings

• 51.4-megapixels (sensor measures 43.8 x 32.9mm)
• New Fujinon GF lenses (G-mount)
• Weighs 825g body-only (sub-1.2kg with lens)
• Built-in 2.36m-dot tilt-angle LCD touchscreen
• 3.69m-dot electronic viewfinder included

The most striking thing about the GFX 50S is how small it is. Well, how small it is for a medium format camera anyway. The body alone is just 825g, making it lighter than some pro DSLR cameras. For something that’s sturdy and weather-sealed, that’s quite an achievement.

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Older medium format systems tend to be rather rigid in their arrangement, with features like waist-level finders a staple. The GFX offers a tilt-angle LCD screen to make looking down on the camera easy, which even offers touchscreen functionality to further ease.

We were surprised that a camera such as this offers touchscreen. Fuji doesn’t even put that in its X100F high-end compact camera. However, whereas plenty of touch-controlled cameras are too easy to accidentally adjust, the GFX 50S needs to be firmly addressed before touch will register. A proper tap on the screen will see the focus point move though.

Not that everyone will use touch. And that’s where the included electronic viewfinder comes into the equation. It slips onto of the camera with ease and given the size and weight it feels just like using a mirrorless system camera or DSLR really. The 3.69m-dot resolution is huge, so things look excellent. And if you don’t want it attached, simply take it off.

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Interestingly Fuji has excluded the EVF-TL1 adapter from the box, which enables the viewfinder to be rotated any which way. It’s ideal for top-down view for portrait orientation work, or as a top-down 90-degree vertical for landscape work. Thing is, the adapter costs £579. Ouch. That’s one expensive hinge.

Fuji GFX 50S preview: What lenses are there?

• Three launch lenses, six by end of 2017
• Fujinon GF 63mm f/2.8 R WR
• Fujinon GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR
• Fujinon GF 120mm f/4 R LM OIS WR Macro
• H-mount adapter for Super EBC Fujinon HC lenses

Part of the GFX’s scale is thanks to the new G-mount lens system, which accepts the new Fujinon GF lens range. The flange back distance is short (26.7mm) which helps keep the overall body size down.

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At launch lenses aren’t particularly plentiful – there’s a 63mm f/2.8, 32-64mm f/4 and 120mm f/4, all of which are weather sealed – but Fuji promises an additional three optics by the end of 2017. Plus, with the H-mount adapter available to buy to use select Fujinon HC lenses (part of the GX645 film system) there’s additional scope. Lenses have 0.85x magnification to equate to their 35mm equivalent, so the 63mm is around a 54mm equivalent (the ideal standard lens).

We used all three lenses and found the 63mm was every bit as quick as it needed to be; the 120mm was a little slow to focus and would sometimes not quite lock-on; while the 32-64mm zoom worked well and had a solid motion to its zoom movement. All the lenses have aperture control rings or you can set them to “C” which allows for front thumbwheel aperture control – which feels like using a DSLR than a typically beastly medium format.

Fuji GFX 50S preview: What’s it like to use?

• 425 point contrast-detection autofocus system
• Manual, continue and single autofocus switch
• Dedicated ISO and shutter speed dials
• 1/4000th sec max; 125x shutter sync; 1/16,000th sec electronic shutter
• 1.28-inch sub LCD display

As we’ve eluded to, the GFX makes medium format easy. As this is a mirrorless camera the rear screen display and viewfinder show an accurate preview, including white balance and in-camera effects – there are film, sharpness, contrast and all manner of other real-time adjustments – with minimal black-out affecting use.

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The sheer number of autofocus points is impressive too: there are 425 of them when miniaturised from the standard 117-point setting. Compared to Hasselblads of old that’s heaps more control, with the focus spread wide across the sensor for even focus adjustment to the outer edges of the frame. It’s reasonably quick, too, just don’t expect the very best continuous AF from a contrast-detection setup.

If you don’t want to use the touchscreen controls then the focus lever on the rear of the camera is well positioned for quick adjustment. This little joystick resembles what you’ll find on Fuji’s other cameras, such as the X-Pro2 and X-T2, which gives a familiar family feel and avoids excessive menu digging.

The dedicated ISO sensitivity and shutter speed dials, in combination with the lens aperture ring, also make for a traditional control method. It’s easy to quickly adjust, or lock these dials into place as you please using the individual locks. There’s no exposure compensation dial, though, which is a bit of a shame.

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On the shutter dial you’ll notice the 125x speed, which is the maximum sync possible with the GFX 50S. No surprise as the focal-plane shutter would otherwise get in the way of an exposure. But you can be clever with leaf-shutter lenses – if you can find any HC lenses! – and sync at up to 1/800th sec for that true “medium format special” of a darkened background. We didn’t get a chance to explore that, but know certain photographers will see it as an essential.

Fuji GFX 50S preview: How good is image quality?

• 51.4-megapixels (sensor measures 43.8 x 32.9mm)
• Range of crop formats: from 6:17 to 5:4 and more
• ISO 100-12,800 sensitivity
• Dual SD card slots
• 4K 30p video

Medium format is all about resolution and depth-of-field control. The huge sensor inside the GFX 50S hits 50-million pixels, making it the highest-resolution sensor ever from the company. Sure, it’s made by Sony, but it’s entirely specified by Fuji for the optimum quality.

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And the quality really is astounding. We shot a model, Charlotte, on an old staircase at Althorp House, Northants, and the precision detail in the eyelashes, skin texture and hair is quite incredible. We were shooting at f/8.0, though, to avoid the depth of field being too exaggerated.

That’s the thing with medium format: if you want to be ultra precise an operate at f/2.8 (using the 64mm only for now) then you can. The potential for melty backgrounds is huge, but be slightly off and it’ll ruin your images.

The quality isn’t just astounding because of the lenses, the sensor is mighty capable. The wide ISO sensitivity range holds up well even at higher sensitivities: we went off piste from the photo shoot to snap some antique vases in a low-lit room and at ISO 12,800 they still look exceptional.

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Most are going to be using the staple low ISO sensitivities where possible, of course, but that you can handheld shoot at ISO 1600 with zero fear of disruptive colour or image noise is a great thing. That never used to be the case with Hasselblad medium format cameras, so Fuji has found that leap pad point to entice in not only studio photographers, but those working in the field too.

We do think a tilt-shift lens and a much wider-angle optic will be the signed and sealed deal for architectural photographers though. But that should be in the bag by the end of the year.

First Impressions

Medium format might be specialist, but Fuji has made it easy and accessible in the GFX 50S. The camera avoids fussy features, comes fully equipped straight out of the box and, pending a conclusive lens line-up, stands a strong change of drawing some photographers away from full-frame DSLR.

Sure, its £6,199 price point is far from small, but it’s a game-changing price in terms of the medium format world. All without cutting any corners and delivering exceptional quality. The GFX 50S is one unexpected and special camera indeed.

Seat Leon Cupra review: Simmering rather than on-the-boil hot hatch

Seat launched the first-generation Leon in 1998. Sportier than the VW Golf, and cheaper than the Audi A3 (with which it shared much), it married the best qualities of both and the car reached its zenith as the range-topping Cupra R performance model.

That car used the 221bhp, high-output version of a 1.8-litre turbo petrol engine, which was otherwise reserved for the Audi TT – giving it a distinct sales point over the then contemporary and somewhat lackadaisical Golf Mk IV GTI. As Seat might say, it had a certain level of “auto emocion” (the firm’s tag line).

Fast-forward to 2016 and the Leon continues to share its underpinnings with the contemporary Golf, A3 and Skoda Octavia. But in 2016, what is its selling point?

Seat Leon Cupra review: By the numbers competition

The Leon Cupra we’re testing here comes with 286bhp (290 in rounded, European PS) – and that figure will shortly be upgraded to 300bhp. In 2016, the internal competition is slightly different though. You can get a Golf that out-powers the Seat, in the form of the 300 PS R model. So why buy a Leon Cupra?

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Price, for a start. Comparing to Volkswagen, for the £28,380 a 5-door Cupra costs, you’ll only be able to afford a Golf GTI – which, even in its new 265bhp Clubsport format, has less horsepower than the Leon. Want to get into an equivalent horsepower Golf, and you’ll need £32,340 for that 5-door Golf R.

Sure, the Golf R comes with a few more horsepower and four-wheel drive – but the Leon Cupra counters with standard-fit variable rate dampers, which many critics say you need to fit to the Golf to make it come alive.

Seat Leon Cupra review: A step down?

So has Seat saved the money and skimped compared to its in-house VW rival? If there’s anywhere you’ll notice the difference in the Leon before turning the key, it’s in the cabin.

This isn’t an unpleasant interior – and the big, figure-hugging Seats in contrast white and grey Alcantara certainly lift the gloom – but the doors and dashboard are a 50-shades-of-grey colour scheme and rather cliff-like in design.

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And it’s not just in the look or feel: the Seat’s interior is slightly de-contented, so where for instance the door pockets in a Golf or Octavia are flock-lined, in the Leon they’re just hard plastic, leaving your keys to rattle and move around.

On the positive side, the driver’s seat goes low, the steering wheel is small and covered in nice-to-hold perforated leather, and there are a few flashes of sportyness in the Cupra flag that adorns the steering wheel, gear stick and rev counter. Oh and the door handles are cool – they pivot around their centre axis – meaning that as you pull them at one end the other disappears.

The Leon is pretty average space-wise for this type of car – your kids won’t complain in the back, the boot’s not as small as a Ford Focus nor as big as an Octavia – but is generally comfortable, including an adjustable driving position to suit most body shapes and sizes.

Which is kind of the point of hot hatches like this: you get all the performance of a sports car, with none of the compromises. You can bring the family along for fun.

Seat Leon Cupra review: Twist and shout

And fun you will have. Twist the key – the Leon still has an old-fashioned ignition slot, all the better for it – and the 2.0 TSi engine chunters into life with a brief flare and rasp from the exhaust.

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The gearshift of the 6-speed manual box in our test car was precise, a little notchy when cold but soon gets slicker. The Cupra is available with Seat’s DSG auto box and if you’re going to do a lot of town driving or are the sort of person who likes playing racing driver with steering wheel paddles, we’d recommend it. It’s very smooth on up- and down-shifts once off the line and would make the Cupra very easy to drive when you’re commuting or on long runs. The 6-speed box is no hardship though, and gives this car a nice, old-school analogue feel.

The Leon Cupra also comes as standard with a mechanical, limited-slip differential. This helps the front end of the car feel much more keyed into the tarmac than a Golf GTi, which only has an electronic differential. It works when you turn into a corner, apply the power and then it balances power to the wheel with most grip and literally drags you round the bend.

It feels fantastic – a little un-nerving to the un-initiated, because the wheel at times tugs in your hands – but get used to it. As a result the Cupra will cover ground at a devastating pace…

Seat Leon Cupra review: A sunny day special

Well, it will most of the time. Where you’ll notice the difference between the Leon and more expensive Golf R, is when the weather is wet or cold. In a British winter, the Golf’s all-wheel drive system comes into its own for getting what’s ultimately a lot of power down onto the road. It feels less frenetic and more secure.

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The Leon, on the other hand, with almost the same power, but only the front wheels driving, will still spin its wheels with surprising regularity when it’s wet or slimy on the road surface.

This means you have to more actively manage the way you drive than in the all-wheel-drive VW. In the Golf, you just belt the accelerator to get away from the line and off it goes. In the Leon, if it’s wet you’ll need to modulate your input until you’ve hooked second gear more often than not. Whether you consider this a bad thing is open to debate. The Leon’s less brain-out, and arguably harder work – but that means it can feel more involving than the Golf, too.

When the weather’s dry, the Leon is a hoot and will keep up with almost anything on a twisty road. One key advantage the Seat has are those special dampers we mentioned. These can vary how firm (soft) the damping is and means that even on rough roads the firm ride is calm and controlled. It doesn’t ever get crashy despite the 19-inch alloy wheels of our test car.

All the while, the engine never fails to deliver. It feels good for every one of its 290 horsepower. Bury the throttle anywhere in the rev range and it goes like a train.

The Seat is much less peaky than, say, the Peugeot 308 GTi and makes a better noise too – that exhaust rasp dialling up when you select the Cupra option in the drive mode selector. It’ll also return mid-to-late 30s for miles per gallon on the motorway, where the Leon is quite and refined – the exhaust settles down so it doesn’t become tedious like a Ford Focus RS’s might on a long trip.

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It just lacks that last 10 per cent of real excitement. The Leon was never anything other than fast and reasonable fun, but it didn’t have us grinning from ear to ear like a Focus RS does.

And in a British winter we felt the Golf R would be a better companion for covering ground quickly and securely. There may be an answer to this issue lurking in the extensions to the Cupra range though: Seat has until recently offered Cupra Black and Cupra Sub-8 model packs, which add bucket Seats, different tyres and are generally designed to sharpen up the drive. The Sub-8 model refers to the Cupra’s class-leading, sub-8-minute Nürburgring lap record.

However, at the time of publication Seat is in the midst of issuing a small update to the Leon range, so we’ll have to wait and see if these packs are continued in the updated model or not. If they are, and you want maximum Leon fun, we’d suggest giving them a try.

Seat Leon Cupra review: A family affair

In the equipment stakes, the Leon gives you easy-to-use sat nav as standard, running through a standard 5.8-inch touchscreen display, which you can upgrade to an 8-inch unit at extra cost.

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The display is mounted high-up in the dashboard and is easy to see. It works just like the (exact same) system in the VW and Skoda sister models. It can take a minute to boot up, but the hard shortcut buttons down the side mean it’s easy to jump between radio, navigation, media and car info and you can fiddle with the drive modes (throttle response, damper settings, steering weight, exhaust noise) via a button on the console or via this touchscreen.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto also come as standard through the Seat Appconnect system, or you can Mirrorlink your Android phone. The fact Seat offers this as standard might sway your towards the Leon over some of the equivalent VW, Audi and Skoda products in which you’re made to pay extra.

Overall, we find the tech on-board easy to get on with. It’s representative of the easy-to-live-with Leon approach.

Verdict

In a world where there is a multitude of choice in the hot hatch world, it can be easy to overlook the Leon Cupra. But its underpinnings are close to best-in-class, its pedigree is strong and it’s good value for money.

As a no-nonsense, non-offensive kind of car that won’t irritate you or the family it’s easy to recommend. But it’s for perhaps this reason that when the Leon left us after its week, it didn’t live in the memory. On reflection, it lacks the certain “auto emocion” that cars like the Renault Megane RS, BMW M140i and even Peugeot 308 GTi have. They each have their qualities that irritate too, but at times truly come alive.

So whether the Leon Cupra is ultimately for you will depend on how you want, or like, your hot hatchbacks. It’s a very good car – fun to drive and a decent all-rounder – just one without a selling point quite as clear as it once was. As a result the Cupra doesn’t excite to quite the same levels as some of the competition.

Google Pixel 2: What do we want to see?

With a new year on us, we’re about to head into a cycle where all the phones of the year get updated – Samsung, HTC, LG, Sony and Huawei are expected to launch new flagship devices soon, with some coming as soon as Mobile World Congress.

Nokia too will be rejoining this list, and we already have a good idea about those companies plans. Heading toward the end of 2017 we’ll see the update to the iPhone 8 and Google’s new phone, which we’ll call the Pixel 2. 

We’ve been using the Pixel XL since launch, so here’s a rundown of what we want to see and what we expect for the next Google Pixel phone.

Google Pixel 2: Design

Design is the thing that has probably divided people the most when it comes to the Pixel. Although the body is a high quality design, the top glass section has drawn a lot of criticism. It makes the phone a little different, making it distinctive so it sits apart from the iPhone and all of Android’s metal phones.

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This seems to be an industry problem however, where many devices look the same because, ultimately, how many ways can to design a slab which is all display on the front? The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is perhaps the design success of 2016, being the most distinctive and unique device, but we suspect the curved display is going to become more common. 

Prior to the launch of the Pixel, it was rumoured that HTC had signed up to manufacture multiple devices, so they might be the hardware partner once again, and devices like the U Ultra or the future HTC flagship might be a hint at future Pixel design too. 

But the fundamental failing of the Pixel is the lack of waterproofing: with many competitors offering protection, for the price that Google is asking the Pixel 2 needs to step up with a solid IP rating.

• HTC Ocean: What’s the story on HTC’s next flagship?

Google Pixel 2: Display

With two Pixel models on offer giving you the choice of 5.0 or 5.5-inches, we’re not looking for a huge change. We feel that 5.5 inch size is becoming the norm. As smartphones continue to dominate as the first point of interaction in all things, this is a size that works for a lot of people. 

We also wouldn’t expect a shift in resolution. The 2560 x 1440 pixels offered gives you the detail when magnified in a Daydream headset, it’s crisp and sharp in all things. We also think that AMOLED should remain the display of choice. Although some LCD displays are performing very well at the top level, AMOLED has impressed us the most recently. 

Google Pixel 2: Specs and hardware

When it comes to power, the current Pixel devices opted for a new chip – Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 – a step-up over most of 2016’s flagship phones. Qualcomm doesn’t stand still and the Snapdragon 835 is ready to surpass this and move things forward again.

We’d expect the Snapdragon 835 to feature in the Pixel 2, supported by at least 4GB of RAM. With some companies pushing to 6GB, that may be a suggestion, although we’re yet to see any real demand for that sort of increase.

We’d expect storage options to start at 32GB as they currently do and as Google has avoided microSD card support, we don’t think there will be any luck there.

We’d expect USB Type-C as the standard moving forward, as well as a fingerprint scanner, likely on the rear, unless there are serious moves to embrace a scanner under the glass on the front. This is a technology that’s already been demonstrated by Qualcomm, so it’s not impossible.

There’s no telling what the battery capacity might be, but with 3500mAh offering the performance many want, we’d expect that sort of battery size to be crammed into the frame.

Google Pixel 2: Audio and speakers

The Pixel has been flagged up recently as having some problems with its speakers (although we’ve not suffered anything ourselves). We wouldn’t expect a huge change in the speaker arrangements, we’re also not convinced that Google would drop the 3.5mm headphone socket. Hopefully, that will continue to be the convention for Pixel phones.

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Google Pixel 2: Cameras

Perhaps the biggest movement in cameras at the moment is dual-lens cameras. While LG, Huawei and Apple have all embraced this trend in 2016, we’re yet to see if the likes of Samsung will adopt the format too. From a competitive point of view, Google may choose to use a dual-lens camera to add customer appeal.

On the other hand, the Pixel has a great camera and the Samsung Galaxy S7 is also great and both do so without the added novelty of using a dual lens system. Google might just stand up and say that they’re not about those sorts of gimmicks.

• Dual lens smartphone cameras: The history running up to iPhone 7 Plus

Google Pixel 2: Software

The Pixel launched with Android 7 Nougat and a selection of exclusive features, like Google Assistant, Pixel Launcher and the Pixel camera. That unique software position is being chipped away as features appear elsewhere, but we’d expect the Pixel 2 to debut Google’s new software version.

Currently there’s no talk about Android O or what it might bring, but we’d expect our first glance at Google I/O 2017 around May time. We’d expect things like Android’s instant apps, more Google Assistant developments and more Daydream VR refinement.

• What are Android Instant Apps and why do they matter?

Google Pixel 2: Release date

Google launches its phones towards the end of the year, so we wouldn’t expect to see a new device from Google until around October 2017. Before that happens, we’ll have Google I/O in May which is a key date in outlining what to expect from the Google Pixel. 

Currently there are no rumours about what to expect, but that will change soon enough and we’ll keep you fully updated when they do.

Nintendo Switch won’t have Netflix, Amazon Video or BBC iPlayer at launch

Those hoping to use their new Nintendo Switch consoles to watch streamed and downloaded TV shows and movies need think again. The new machine will not feature video apps, such as Netflix, Amazon Video or BBC iPlayer, at least at launch.

Instead, Nintendo is focusing on games solely for launch, even though many use their home consoles to stream media too.

Speaking to Kotaku, Nintendo explained that gameplay is the priority for the Switch: “All of our efforts have gone toward making the Nintendo Switch system an amazing dedicated video game platform, so it will not support any video streaming services at launch,” it said.

“However, support for video streaming services is being considered for a future update.”

• Zelda Breath of the Wild on Nintendo Switch preview: Prepare to lose your breath
• Nintendo Switch preview: Return of the king?
• 5 Nintendo Switch games to pre-order first, and one well worth the wait
• All the Nintendo Switch games: Launch titles and every game for 2017 revealed
• Nintendo Switch: Release date, price, specs and everything you need to know

The Japanese firm has never really been on a par with rivals when it came to streaming movies and television programming. The Wii and Wii U had some apps, such as Netflix, but not the range of services supported by Xbox One and PS4. Wii U owners have even seen the BBC iPlayer app removed from their machines recently as the licence agreement between the Beeb and Nintendo has expired.

Kotaku also received confirmation that there will still be support for Miis on the new console, even though the Miiverse will be absent.

The Morning After: Friday, January 20 2017

Welcome to Friday morning. We’ve got new smartphone teasers, anti-drone guns in action, an even faster Tesla Model S, and so much more.

WTFSamsung will reveal what went wrong with the Galaxy Note 7

Months after its stunning recall, we still don’t know exactly why Samsung’s most recent phablet had a tendency to overheat. The company’s internal investigation has apparently reached a conclusion however, and its results will be revealed in a livestreamed press conference this Sunday night at 8PM ET.

Anti-drone eagles are better.
Swiss cops packed anti-drone guns at the World Economic Forum

Swiss authorities have added another security measure for this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos: anti-drone guns. Bloomberg spotted local police preparing HP 47 Counter UAV Jammers to make sure no unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) gets too close to the venue, whether it’s sent by a spy organization or just a nosy onlooker.

The FF 91 lost its speed record before it could even get started.
Tesla cleared by NHTSA after investigation

Good news for Tesla today, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded its investigation into the company’s Autopilot and emergency braking features without finding any defects. The investigation came after a fatal accident when a Model S with Autopilot engaged ran into a tractor trailer crossing the highway in front of it.

In slightly less-safe news, a demonstration of its Ludicrous Plus software update proved the Model S can best the Faraday Future FF91’s 0-60mph time.

Not quite as advertised
AirTV awaiting update

SlingTV’s AirTV box went on sale almost as soon as it was announced, and the first units have arrived in customer’s homes. The bad news, however is that they don’t have the same features we saw demonstrated at CES. The company says that was beta software, which will roll out soon as an update, providing better integration between streaming and OTA broadcast channels.

Nougat flavor
Samsung starts rolling out Android 7.0

For its less-explosive flagship phones, Samsung has an update instead of an apology. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are starting to get their Nougat Android updates, with new Performance Mode and Samsung Pass features. Split screen abilities are updated to the new standards, while the Quick Panel and notifications have both been tweaked. The only question now, is when will your carrier will actually roll the update out?

Pictures can tell you a lot.
This single image of the Nintendo Switch tells us three things

Nintendo has shown precious little of the Switch’s user interface so far. Now, an image tweeted out (and deleted) by indie developer Nicalis tell us a lot more: The Switch may have multiple users, menu themes and a couple of unannounced games.

Coming February 26th.
LG teases the G6’s launch for February

LG is sending out teasers for the G6 that’ll debut the day before MWC 2017 kicks off in Spain. There’s not much to be gleaned from the invitation, beyond that the unveiling will happen in Barcelona at lunchtime on February 26th. We know that the company has rowed back on modular design after the G5’s lukewarm reception. The company has also said that the G6 will have an 18:9 display, meaning that it’ll be a little taller than a regular 16:9 smartphone screen. The rest will just be happy little surprises along the way.

But wait, there’s more…

• Julian Assange says he’s willing to return to the US…but isn’t doing it just yet
• Donald Trump trades in his Android for a ‘secure’ device
• Harvard-developed robotic sleeve wraps around your heart to help it keep beating
• Kymco scooter’s smart dashboard brings notifications and customization
• Rick Perry didn’t understand the role of the Department of Energy

Matterport brings its Virtual Reality Spaces to the iPhone

iPhone users who love exploring the world from the comfort of their couches have a new app to download: Matterport. The Google Street View rival has brought its virtual reality tours of various real-world locations to the iPhone. Matterport originally offered 3D views of everything from popular travel destinations to celebrity homes and historic places like the very first Boeing 737. It started going into VR late last year, though, and even launched a platform called CoreVR that makes it easy for content creators to turn their Street View-like shots into virtual reality experiences.

The company has converted 150 or so 3D spaces (out of around 250,000) into VR, thus far, which you can access through its iOS, Gear VR and Cardboard apps. It also promises to keep converting and adding the rest of its 3D spaces. Take note that the app will only work if you have an iPhone 5s or one of the device’s newer iterations, and only if it’s running iOS 9.1 and higher. In case you’re a business owner looking to show off your place place in VR, though, you’ll also need Matterport’s $4,500 camera in addition to a new-ish iPhone.

Source: Matterport

Nintendo’s Switch won’t have video streaming apps at launch

We’ve been up close with the Nintendo Switch, tried some of its games and heard the company’s pitch for the system. But still, questions remain. Thankfully, the folks at Kotaku have managed to prise some new information out of the house of Mario. Namely that the system does support multiple users — up to eight accounts can be registered on a single system — and that Nintendo’s colorful Miis will be making a return. “There is a Mii Maker on Nintendo Switch,” a spokesperson confirmed. “Mii characters can be used to represent a user profile, but are not required. [They] can still be used in games if developers choose to include them.”

Multiple account support was teased in a photo posted (and subsequently deleted) by indie developer Nicalis on Twitter. The inclusion of Miis is a new detail, however, that Nintendo chose to exclude from its presentation in Tokyo. That’s not a huge surprise — Switch is a chance for the company to start fresh with new characters and ideas. De-emphasizing Miis, which are representative of the Wii era, is a smart move. In a telling comment, Nintendo said: “The software to create Mii characters is now located in System Settings, and no longer resided on the Home menu as a standalone application. You can also create a Mii character from the Profile screen.”

In a long list of questions and answers — most of which Nintendo declined to comment on — the company also revealed that the system won’t support video streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Video. Or at least, not on March 3rd. “All our efforts have gone toward making the Nintendo Switch system an amazing dedicated video game platform, so it will not support any video streaming services at launch,” a spokesperson said. They quickly added, however, that such apps are “being considered for a future update.” While a disappointment to some, it follows the trend set by the Wii U, which never really thrived as a video streaming set-top box.

Kotaku asked about the Switch’s virtual console, the online multiplayer promised for old SNES games, and more. Nintendo stayed mostly quiet, however. We might have to wait until launch before we find out more.

Source: Kotaku

What’s the point of Snapchat and how does it work?

You’ve probably heard about Snapchat. It’s the popular mobile app that allows you to send videos and pictures, both of which will self destruct after a few seconds of a person viewing them.

Snapchat is also a fun messaging app. You can capture a photo or brief video with it, then add a caption or doodle or filter/lens over top, and send the finished creation (called a snap) to a friend. Alternatively, you can add your snap to your “story”, a 24-hour collection of all your snaps that’s broadcasted to the world or just your followers.

But these are merely part of the many features within Snapchat. Yes, at its core, Snapchat is used to send photos and videos to friends. Your friends can view snaps for up to 10 seconds, and then the snaps disappear. While that’s all fine and dandy, many people are still left stumped by Snapchat.

They can’t seem to understand why someone would actually want to send pictures or videos to friends, especially if they can’t be saved. Well, they can be “saved”, because Snapchat has more to offer than what meets the eye.

What is Snapchat?

Snapchat is a photo- and video-messaging app. It launched in 2011.

Snapchat is unique in that all photos and videos only last a brief amount of time before they disappear forever, making the app ephemeral in nature, though you can take a screenshot of all the snaps you receive to save them in picture form. You can also save your own snaps before sending them to friends or you story.

As of May 2014, the app’s users were sending 700 million snaps a day. Due to the instant popularity of Snapchat, Facebook reportedly offered to acquire Snapchat for $3 billion. One of the app’s cofounders declined the cash offer, however. Facebook later launched a similar app, called Slingshot, but it failed to catch on.

Who uses Snapchat?

Everyone uses Snapchat. But it is directed toward teens and adults.

Snapchat is mostly a hit among teenagers, according to several research firms, though it is catching on and embracing new demographics every day. Viners (creators who used Vine), YouTubers, and celebrities, for instance, are known to use Snapchat as an alternative means of communicating with their followers.

What’s the point of Snapchat?

We could give a long explanation to describe how social media and apps are evolving in order to match the current trends and interests of active users around the world, but we’ll just share the above video instead. It not only gives a humorous and quick overview of Snapchat, but it also provides an interesting take or look at why Snapchat is so popular at this moment in time, especially among teenagers.

(It’s made by Casey Neistat, a popular YouTube creator.)

What’s all the lingo mean?

Here are some of the common terms and phrases used in the Snapchat world:

Snapchatters: Snapchat users.

Snaps: Photos or videos taken with Snapchat. You can send a snap to another snapchatter, but it can only be viewed by the recipient for one to 10 seconds before it disappears forever. To take a snap, open Snapchat, then hit the capture button on the Camera screen.

Snapback: A reply to a snap.

Story: A snap you can broadcast to followers. Recipients can view your story an unlimited amount of times in 24 hours, and you can post multiple snaps to your story in one day to create a narrative loop of sorts. You can access your story and your friends’ stories from the Stories screen (swipe from right to left on the Camera screen).

Scores: A special equation combining the number of snaps you’ve sent and received, stories you’ve posted, and other factors. You can find a friend’s score when you hold down on a friend’s name in your contact list, story feed, or chat area. You can find yours under your Snapcode located in the center of your Profile screen.

Snapcode: Snapcodes are scannable codes that make adding new Snapchat friends even easier. Your Snapcode is located in the center of your Profile Screen, which you can access by tapping the ghost icon in the upper center of the Camera Screen.

Chat: A feature that lets you directly message other Snapchatters. You can access the Chat screen by swiping from left to right on the Camera screen. Tap the create new message button in the upper corner to select a friend to chat with. Alternatively, when you create a snap, select a friend to send it to, and you’ll see a new private chat box appear between you and your friend in the Chat screen.

Video chat: This is a feature within Chat that lets you start a live video call. To start a video chat, simply tap the video record button in a chat. If your friend is available they can choose to ‘Watch’ or ‘Join’. If your friend chooses to ‘Watch’ you will be unable to see them but they can hear you, see you, and send you chats. If your friend chooses to ‘Join’ you will be able to see and hear each other.

Snapstreak: You may have noticed that some of your fellow snapchatters have different emojis next to their Snapchat names in the Chat screen. That means you’re on a Snapstreak, aka you and your friend have snapped each other (not chat) within 24 hours for more than one consecutive day.

Lenses: You can make Snaps even more fun by adding real-time special effects and sounds with lenses. Go to the Camera screen in Snapchat, tap on your face, and lens options will appear below. Swipe left to select the lens you want to use, then tap the capture button to take a snap.

Filters: You can zazz up your snap by adding a fun overlay with a filter. After you take a Snap, swipe right or left on the preview screen to add colored filters, the current time, local weather, speed overlays or geofilters to your snaps. After taking your snap and applying your first Filter, you can press and hold then swipe to add another filter too.

How does Snapchat work?

We’ll be the first to admit that Snapchat is so simple it’s almost confusing.

The app’s main screen is your Camera screen, and that can be initially a little jarring or weird to navigate around. Try to remain calm however and keep reading to learn exactly how Snapchat works. By the time you’re done our mini tutorial, you’ll be snapping like a 14 year old.

Camera screen

First thing’s first: Download Snapchat (it’s free) and create an account and user ID. Once that’s done, the app will always open and show the Camera screen straightaway. The Camera screen serves as the main screen.

The top left-hand corner has a flash icon for toggling your camera’s flash, while the top-right corner has a camera button for toggling the camera between front- and rear-facing mode. The top-center area has a ghost icon, which if tapped, opens up your Profile screen.

On the bottom of the Camera screen there is a big round capture button for taking photos and videos. Hold the camera button down to record a video with sound, or tap the camera button to take a picture.

The bottom left-hand corner of the main screen has a square icon that will display in numbers how many unread snaps are waiting for you. Tap it or swipe from left to to right to access your Chat screen and view any unread snaps. From the Chat screen you can directly message friends and search.

The bottom right corner of the Camera screen has a Stories icon. Tap it or swipe from right to left to see any available stories. On the Stories Screen, you’ll also be able to discover content from publishers like ESPN, Food Network, etc.

Adding a contact

Swipe down while on the Camera screen or tap the ghost icon at the top to access your Profile screen and add contacts. You’ll see options to view who has added you, find friends to add, and browse all friends. You’ll also see a gear icon in the top right of the Profile screen for accessing settings. If you want skip all that, swipe from the bottom or tap the Capture button to exit the Profile screen.

Creating a Snapcode

Speaking of the Snapcode, while on the Profile screen, tap your Snapcode to add a custom selfie loop that others can see.

Making a snap

While on the main screen, tap the large capture button to take a snap, or hold it down to record a video. Once you’ve finished, a preview screen will appear with options for adding filters, adjusting view length, sending the snap, and more. There’s a timer button in the top left-hand corner, followed by a save button to download your snap to the Memories section, and another button to add a snap to your story.

At the top of the Preview screen, you’ll see an X to exit, a sticker button to add stickers and emoji (if you’ve made a video, you can hold down on a sticker to get it to stick to one place in the video), a T button that lets you add text, and a pencil button that lets you select a color and doodle.

Simply use your finger to select a colour and start tracing or drawing whatever you want on the snap displayed in the preview screen. You can also tap anywhere on the preview screen to access a keyboard and add text (but only after you tap-to-close the colour slider). It’s pretty simple, actually.

You can also slide from left or right on the Preview screen to add various filters based on your location, the current time, the current temperature, the speed you may be traveling at, and more. There’s also ones that just change the colour and look of your snap. Simply swipe around until you find one you like.

When everything is ready to go, you will see a snap length icon in the bottom left of your screen. It should be a circle with a number in it. The number represents how many seconds the recipient will have to view your snap. Tap this icon to adjust length time from 1 second to 10 seconds.

Sending a snap

The only icon on the Preview screen that we haven’t discussed yet is the arrow-shaped icon on the bottom right. Tap it to send your snap to a friend. A send-to screen should open. You will then need to select recipients. Once done, send your snap by tapping the second arrow icon that appears.

You might have noticed that one of the recipient options listed on the send-to screen said “My Story”. This option will add your snap to your story, but again, we will discuss that in detail below.

Viewing a snapback

To view your unread snaps, go to the Camera screen and select the square/numbered icon on the bottom left. A feed of all your sent snaps and snap replies (aka snapbacks) will be listed, including any new snaps from friends. Just tap any one to view it for a limited amount of time. Remember: Snaps disappear.

So, be ready to take a screenshot, if you want (though the recipient will be notified if you take a screenshot). You also get one free daily replay to view it again. You must use your replay immediately.

If you’re wondering what all the arrows and boxes next to names mean… well, similar to WhatsApp, they indicate if you’ve sent a Snap that has been read or unread. Go here to discover what all the different arrow icons and box icons mean. It gets sort of complicated.

Making a story

To make a story, which is basically a snap that exists for 24 hours and can be broadcasted to all your followers, tap the story icon from the Camera screen. It’s right next to the download icon. If you send a story, your followers will be able to view it an unlimited number of times in one day. You will see who has viewed your story too.

Another way to send a story is by simply taking a snap and tapping the send icon. But instead of selecting every friend individually on the send-to screen, you can simply select the My Story option.

You can change who is able to view your stories under settings.

Viewing a story

You can view stories by tapping the story icon on the Camera screen.

You will then see a Stories screen, with a list of your contacts and maybe even recents if you have unread stories. Once you view all the stories under recents, the recents category will disappear. You can still find read stories however by scrolling to the bottom of your contact list on this screen.

Anybody with a little cartoon symbol next to their name is an official, verified person on Snapchat. Actor Jared Leto (jaredleto), for instance, has a cactus next to his name. DJ Calvin Harris has a tiger, and so forth. Go here to learn more about how verified accounts on Snapchat work.

Go here to learn more about how verified accounts on Snapchat work.

Accessing Discover

From Story screen. you can also view Discover content, which is original programming from publishers. Just tap on any of the the publishers, such as Comedy Central, to launch their channel and a stream of content they’ve chosen to broadcast exclusively via Snapchat. You can also swipe from right to left on the Story screen to access more Discover content.

Viewing Scores

To view your score, swipe down from the camera screen. Your score will appear under your Snapcode. You can view friends’ total scores by tapping on their name in your contacts.

Chatting with a friend

Apart from sending snaps and stories, you can message with a friend.

To access the Chat screen, swipe from left to right on the camera screen. To message a friend, go to your contact list, then tap on the friend’s name, and select the chat icon. If you’ve already started messaging someone, they’re name will appear in your recent’s list on the chat screen. Swipe from left on their name to start chatting again.

While in a chat box, you will see various options. There should be a picture button that lets you send photos or videos from your camera roll. There’s also a phone call button, a capture button, a video record button, and a button for sending emoji and stickers.

Placing a call

Press the video camera button in any chat box with a friend to start a live video call, or press the phone call button to place an audio-only call. If your friend is available when you try video call, they can choose to ‘Watch’ or ‘Join’. If your friend chooses to ‘Watch’ you will be unable to see them but they can hear you, see you, and send you chats. If your friend chooses to ‘Join’ you will be able to see and hear each other.

Sending money

Snapchat partnered with Square to launch Snapcash in 2014.

It lets you use your debit card to pay for goods or simply send money to friends. It works like this: enter your debit card under settings, then go to any chat box with a friend, and type a dollar sign along with an amount (like $11.50). Once you’re done, hit the green send button.

Your card details are securely stored by Square, a mobile payments company co-founded in 2009 by Jack Dorsey. So you don’t need to worry about a hacking scandal that will result in you losing money. Snapcash via Square is available to all snapchatters in the US. They just have to be 18 years or older.

Applying a lens

When you’re using the Camera screen, press and hold on your face to activate a feature called Lenses. It includes facial recognition software that’s able to distort your expression and apply various effects to your face. Once you active it, a spiderweb-thing covers your face.

You’ll then see lens options appear next to the shutter icon. Select one and follow the instructions. Also, you can swipe to the left to change the lens.

Go here to learn more about lenses.

Saving to Memories

Since launch, Snapchat has added several features that allow you to either screenshot or save snaps (you can even broadcast them to your “story”, allowing your followers to view them an unlimited amount of times in a 24-hour period), with the latest example being Memories.

Memories not only gives you another way to keep snaps but also introduces a new section. You can access this Memories section to search for saved snaps and much more. For instance, when you take a snap, you will see an option to save your snap to Memories (it’s like a camera roll or collection), where you can organise, edit, search, lock, and share snaps after they’re taken.

In the past, you’ve been able to save your snaps and stories to your phone’s local camera roll, but now, you can save them to Snapchat’s servers too. Memories lives below the camera view. Just swipe up from the camera view to open it.

On the Memories screen, you will see a search button in the top corner, followed by a menu bar that consists of several tabs: All (shows all your saved photos and videos), Snaps (shows just your snaps), Stories (shows just your stories), Camera Roll (shows your phone’s complete camera roll), My Eyes Only (shows your locked memories).

From any of these tabs, tap and hold a snap to enable new interactions, such as editing, adding geofilters and timestamps, sharing to your current story, creating a new story by selecting multiple snaps, sending snaps to friends as a message attachment, and exporting.

Go here to learn more about how to use Moments.

Using Bitmoji

If you and a friend have both set up Bitmoji in Snapchat, you’ll see “friendmojis” that include both of you when you send them a Chat or reply to their Snap. To link Bitmoji with your Snapchat account, make sure you’ve downloaded the latest versions of both Snapchat and the Bitmoji app. 

Go here to learn more about Bitmoji in Snapchat.

What are Snapchat Spectacles?

In October 2016, Snapchat announced a pair of connected sunglasses called Snapchat Spectacles. They can record video snippets that automatically save to your Snapchat Memories, a new feature in Snapchat that stores all your saved snaps, stories, and locked content. The sunglasses feature a camera with a 115-degree lens, with the purpose of mimicking how humans actually see.

The glasses will cost $129.99 (roughly £100), come in one size, and will be available in three colours: black, teal, and coral.

Go here to learn more about Snapchat Spectacles.

Want to know more?

Check out Pocket-lint’s Snapchat tips and tricks piece.

Tag Heuer Connected more successful than expected, new version arrives in May

Tag Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver has said in an interview with German publication Neue Zürcher Zeitung that the company’s Connected smartwatch was a lot more successful than expected. Tag Heuer thought it would only sell around 20,000 units but it in fact sold 56,000 units in 14 months.

• Tag Heuer Connected review: Android Wear gets its luxury tag

It’s a little surprising considering its £1,100 price tag, but it’s justified by being a fantastic smartwatch with a gorgeous design. Biver also revealed details of the company’s plans for a successor, and said a new model would arrive in May 2017. He said there wouldn’t be many new features, other than a “payment function”, which means it will have NFC built-in. Otherwise there will be more accurate GPS, a longer battery life, more powerful displays and generally better reception. Biver said there will also be smaller models for women and Asian markets, along with new colours and materials.

The Tag Heuer CEO also revealed that the company has set up an office at Intel’s campus in Santa Clara in Silicon Valley, where it will be employ 8-12 people so it can be “close and know what’s going on”. The overall design and watchmaking will still be developed in Switzerland, but the technology and microprocessors will be developed with Intel.

• Android Wear 2.0: What’s new in the major software update for watches?

And we don’t have long to wait until Tag’s new smartwatch, as Biver said it will be released in May 2017. It sounds like it will just as good, if not better than the current model. We can’t wait.