Dropped phones, cracked screens and the death of awareness

The worst sound in the world.

I am like a dog, ears pricked and attention diverted, desperately trying to spot the offending sound. It’s a violent combination of bombastic crash and subtle crack, a unique flavor of dread.

It’s the sound of a phone dropping from hand or pocket or table or anything — gravity doesn’t discern — to the cold hard ground. Occasionally, you get lucky and the phone lands on its back, and you see your last interaction — Instagram, let’s be honest — staring back at you, the dog photo not nearly as cute dimmed by the judgemental harshness of the late afternoon sun. But often the screen is hidden from view, phone face down, a tense few moments where you brace yourself for the potential heartache and accompanying dread in knowing all the subsequent steps you’ll have to take to replace the shattered glass, and hoping that’s all it is.

Around 5% said they drop their devices six times per month.

There are no definitive numbers to work with, but a number of studies have attempted to figure out how often people drop their phones, and how often those accidents lead to permanent damage. A 2011 Plaxo study estimates that 33% of people regularly drop their phones on a regular basis — some 20% in to the toilet (which, with a bit of luck, may be less damaging) — while a 2013 study from Tech21 estimates that 90% of people drop their phones at least once a month. Around 5% said they drop their devices six times per month.

For most people, it’s not a matter of if but when, and though the materials used on the outside of our beloved devices have somewhat improved over the past few years, nothing is infallible. Corning, one of the most important companies few people know about, introduced the fifth generation of its Gorilla Glass substrate in 2016, and believes that it is the strongest smartphone cover out there, “surviving 1.6-meter, shoulder-height drops onto hard, rough surfaces up to 80% of the time,” according to the company’s marketing materials. Corning, headquartered in the New York town of the same name, has become synonymous with the front glass of most Android phones, and while there are competitors — Dragontrail is the MediaTek to Corning’s Qualcomm — Gorilla Glass has practically become the Kleenex of mobile screen covers.

Everything you need to know about Corning Gorilla Glass

But even the strongest glass is still breakable (for now), and unless we outfit the world with carpet (which could get gross pretty quickly) there isn’t an alternative to trying to make our devices more durable. A worrying trend, and one that has been criticized since the debut of the all-glass Nexus 4, is outfitting both the front and back of a phone in glass. From the Galaxy S7 to the Honor 8 and many in between, the Gorilla Glass sandwich doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon — the Galaxy S8 looks to have more glass, front and back, then ever — so we’re just going to have to deal with it.

The sight of a person, or groups of people, walking with phones in hand, reading the news or catching up on a Twitter feed, is all too common on busy city sidewalks.

If we assume that people are not generally getting clumsier, the rising prevalence of cracked and broken phones due to drops is likely due to the increasing number of hours people spend each day using their phones. The sight of a person, or groups of people, walking with phones in hand, reading the news or catching up on a Twitter feed, is all too common on busy city sidewalks, and the more we take the technology for granted, the less careful we are with the thing itself. Smartphones may be dropping in cost overall, but they’re rising in importance in our lives, and a cracked screen is more than an inconvenience — it’s a tragedy.

And yet the same Tech21 survey said that many people are willing to continue using a phone with a cracked screen because the idea of having to get it repaired or replaced — often out of pocket, since accidental damage is not covered under most manufacturer warranties — is stressful and, often, traumatic.

I hate seeing cracked screens. It’s a visceral reaction, a combination of anger at the owner and sadness for the phone. But that’s dumb; I should feel angry at the phone for breaking, and sad for the owner who has to go through the hassle of replacing it. I’ve been there; you’ve been there. We’ve all dealt with a cracked screen or at the very least damage a phone’s casing.

For a few years, high-quality polycarbonate — devices like the HTC One X, Nokia Lumia 1020 and iPhone 5C — were all the rage, and while they may not have looked as nice (debatable, since the Lumia phones were perfection), they tended to be very durable. But no material — metal, glass, polycarbonate — is unbreakable and the most important factor to preventing drops is being aware of your surroundings.

Credit: Getty

In Toronto, where I live, there has been a huge increase in the number of pedestrian deaths in recent years, many of which are caused by people engrossed in their phones as they cross streets or step into intersections. Such accidents are increasingly common in big cities throughout the world, and lest this turns into a PSA against using one’s phone out in public, it’s clear that people are becoming more cavalier about using phones in places that a few years ago would have been considered verboten.

A dropped smartphone is not always a broken one, and avoiding the occurrence completely is likely impossible, but being aware of when and how these drops happen is the first step towards realizing that our devices, as essential (and addictive) as anything we use on a daily basis, can be made safer by being more careful.

And, if you can’t, or just refuse to be, more careful, there are always rugged phones and thick-as-a-brick cases that will probably save you from yourself.

The best rugged Android phones

How to deal with blurry images in PlayStation VR

Seeing clearly in VR is a priority that you shouldn’t overlook.

You’re ready to spend some time in VR. The play area is clean, your accessories are charged, and you put on your PlayStation VR headset. Instead of seeing a crisp, clean image displayed around you, everything looks blurry and ill-defined. This issue can cause nausea, along with being a less than amazing experience. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to deal with this problem.

Read more at VR Heads!

Snapchat to bring Planet Earth to portrait mode every week

Good news for nature-loving Millennials!

Snap is bringing Planet Earth II, which aired at the tail end of 2016 on BBC, to Snapchat this month.

Each episode has been repurposed into 4 to 6-minute chunks and optimized for Snapchat’s portrait mode-only navigation, and features the same categories from the original show, including Islands, Mountains, Jungles, Deserts, Grasslands, and Cities.

The shorter pieces will also have 3D audio, something that few mobile-optimized pieces of content possess these days. They’ll live in the Snapchat Discover section, which was recently overhauled in version 10 of the app, released earlier this year.

Snapchat owner Snap Inc. recently filed for an Initial Public Offering, revealing that the company has 158 million daily active users, and that it feels it needs to prioritize Android development if it wants to increase its user base. It has been criticized in the past, and its S-1 documents confirm, that it has prioritized iOS development because that’s where the majority of its audience live.

Privacy matters more now than ever — these apps will help

Privacy matters.

It may not matter to you as much as it does to others, but how we control who gets what when it comes to our data and when we communicate is still a very important discussion to have. It matters now more than ever and will matter even more as time goes by because tools and tricks to get unauthorized access to our stuff get better and better.

Here in the United States, there has been a lot of recent talk about our messages and what might happen if the right person reads the wrong thing. The NSA can intercept data you send to someone else in a text or email or instant message. They’ve been able to for years. Your internet service provider and cell phone carrier can do the same. While recent fears revolve around what the current administration in Washington might do, it’s important to know that the last administration had the same capabilities and might have done exactly what people are worried about in 2017.

More: What is encryption?

Maybe we can’t keep them from snooping, but we can make it pretty damn hard for them to read it if they do.

Secure messaging

A lot of applications promise secure messages between you and someone else. Some very popular apps, namely WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, offer encrypted and secure cross-platform messaging according to their description. But a lot of researchers and security professionals have a very different opinion and offer some pretty compelling evidence that Facebook has access at will. These folks say we shouldn’t trust WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger when it comes to encrypted messaging and that’s cause for concern and shouldn’t be dismissed.

Security researchers have great things to say about Open Whisper Systems because they can look at every line of code to verify exactly how it works.

Google, too, offers an end-to-end encrypted messenger in Allo. While there is no evidence that Google’s claims aren’t to be taken at face value, many have concerns because Google’s business is looking at your data. And encryption isn’t enabled by default in Allo, so many users aren’t aware it’s there or have trouble finding how to send secure messages. For two savvy users, it’s a valid option.

On the “other” team, iMessage is great. But cross-platform is a must in my opinion, and iMessage can’t offer what we need unless everyone is using an iPhone.

I’ve been testing secure messaging apps for a while. I ignored the most controversial examples from Facebook and Google and instead focused on what else is available on Google Play. The client had to be cross-platform and offer encryption by default. Once you narrow it down this way the choices are fewer, but I found an app that offers everything I need for secure messaging.

Signal is the app I would direct anyone looking for a simple but secure solution to cross-platform messaging. It doesn’t have the giant set of features that WhatsApp or even Allo does, but the interface is pleasantly minimal and the app is easy to use. The setup is easy enough for anyone to walk through and it only takes a few minutes to get everything up and running so you can send end-to-end encrypted messages to anyone who has the Signal app.

The best cross-platform encrypted messenger app is Signal.

After testing, I think the Signal app and technology is secure, and so do security researchers at Oxford, QUT, and McMaster who gave glowing praise during a recent security audit of the app.

Download: Signal (free)

Secure email

Forget Gmail, iCloud or Live email accounts. These services are convenient, easy to setup and use and great for almost any email need. Except for real encrypted mail. Messages may be secured between you and the provider as long as you choose the right settings and send mail the right way, but once it leaves their hands, anything goes. These companies make no claims that they offer a completely private email solution, so we should use them for everyday needs and enjoy their features, but not rely on them for anything sensitive.

The best thing anyone who isn’t ready for keystore-based self-encryption can do is to find a secure third party service who guarantees end-to-end encryption when both parties are using a secured service. There are a few good ones available, but I decided to stick with ProtonMail.

ProtonMail is the best turn-key encrypted email service for most people. And a basic account is free.

ProtonMail offers a single account with 500MB of storage for free. Paid options with multiple addresses and more storage start at $5 per month and extra storage is $1 per month per gigabyte. The prices are reasonable if the free account isn’t enough for you, but that’s not the only reason they are my choice. The company is based in Switzerland and not subject to data access laws from any other country, and it’s very unlikely that anyone will get access to your account unless you give it to them or they find a way to break in.

To top things off they have excellent mobile apps and the desktop web login is responsive and extremely easy to use.

Download: ProtonMail (free, requires account)

Advanced users might want to manage their own encryption and use a paired key system like OpenPGP. That’s pretty simple on an Android device. You’ll need two apps:

• OpenKeychain
• K-9 Mail

OpenKeychain is a full featured OpenPGP key manager that lets you create, import, share and upload an encryption key. You can also encrypt or decrypt files or text or even create a self-signed password-protected encrypted attachment. They offer a complete API and can hook into the Android intents system so that any developer of any app that could use a bit of extra security can build support right into their service. If you are familiar with GPG or PGP encryption and key management, OpenKeychain will be easy to use.

K-9 Mail has been around forever, and version 5.2 or later offer complete OpenPGP support. K-9 supports POP, IMAP, and Exchange accounts and with OpenKeychain installed you can send and receive encrypted email seamlessly. The combination of these two apps mimics the great support for OpenPGP in mail apps for the desktop.

Nothing is foolproof and any encryption can be cracked if you try hard enough for long enough. But these solutions can help you control who is reading your messages and mail and who isn’t.

The PlayStation VR Demos you should try

Trying out a demo before you purchase the full game is a good idea.

Want to find some awesome games for your PlayStation VR, but you don’t want to shell out the cash and then regret it later? Well then you’re in luck because there are demos for some of the best games available on PlayStation VR. Trying to figure out where to start can be a bit daunting though, especially if you’re new to gaming. That’s why we’ve collected the demos that are definitely worth checking out.

Read more at VR Heads!

Google Maps for Android just got a whole lot better for commuters

Google Maps makes it easier to check traffic and transit times.

Google Maps for Android is getting a visual refresh in an update rolling out now, with a new tabbed interface that makes it easier to check on nearby places, traffic conditions, and transit times nearby.

As with many Android apps in Google’s repertoire, Maps seems to be getting an update to come more in line with the company’s updated Material Design guidelines, relying less on menus and more on more visually-pleasing and accessible tabs.

The company says that these tabs — Places, Traffic, and Transit — are three of the most-used features in the app aside from directions, which are still easily accessible from the always-on search bar at the top, and users are familiar with the idea of swiping up from the bottom of the scree to access information.

The move also puts Maps in a better position to take on competitors in the transit space, which have until now had an advantage in the speed at which a user could access transit times.

Like all Google apps, the Maps update will roll out piecemeal over the next few days and weeks, so make sure your version is up-to-date from the Play Store.

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs S8 Plus: What’s the rumoured difference?

Samsung is rumoured to be announcing the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus flagship smartphones at the end of March, with reports suggesting they will go on sale in April.

The two devices have leaked aplenty over the last few months, giving us a strong indication as to what we can expect. Here is the difference between the Galaxy S8 and the S8 Plus based on the rumours and speculation.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus rumours

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs S8 Plus: Design

• Same design expected
• S8 Plus will be the larger device
• Slim bezels, no home button and rear-mounted fingerprint sensor reported

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are both rumoured to feature similar designs, though as you might expect based on the suggested names, the Plus should be a larger version of the standard device.

Both are reported to offer very slim bezels surrounding their displays, no home button on the front and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor to the right of the camera lens. They are also both expected to retain the headphone jack.

It is thought the two devices will continue with the metal and glass sandwich design, but both are expected to have dual-edged displays, rather than one flat model and one curved model as was the case with the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

Despite the reported increase in screen sizes over their predecessors, the S8 and S8 Plus are both expected to feature the exact same width dimensions to the S7 and S7 edge, putting them at 69.6mm and 72.6mm, respectively. We can also expect IP68 waterproofing on both.

• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge review

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs S8 Plus: Display

• S8 expected to have 5.7-inch or 5.8-inch display
• S8 Plus rumoured to have 6.2-inch display
• Both said to retain Quad HD, Super AMOLED

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is claimed to be coming with a 5.7-inch or 5.8-inch display, while the S8 Plus is said to be featuring a 6.2-inch screen.

Both are rumoured to be curved this time round and it is thought they will both offer a screen-to-body ratio of nearly 90 per cent. Some rumours suggested resolution might increase, though it is more widely thought the two devices will retain the Quad HD Super AMOLED screens but offer improvements on the S7.

Due to the size difference however and if the rumours are true, the Galaxy S8 will have a sharper display on paper, with either a pixel density of 506ppi or 515ppi compared to the 474ppi of the S8 Plus.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Galaxy S7: What’s the rumoured difference?

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs S8 Plus: Camera

• 12MP Duo Pixel rear camera reported for both S8 and S8 Plus
• 8MP front-facing camera for both rumoured
• Iris scanning capabilities reported

Several rumours have surfaced regarding the cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, but the most reliable source claims the new flagships will have the same 12-megapixel Duo Pixel rear snapper as their predecessors.

It is thought the aperture will be f/1.7 and that both devices will have a new visual search feature. There is also rumoured to be an 8-megapixel front-facing camera on both the S8 and S8 Plus, which is claimed to have iris scanning capabilities and auto-focus rather than fixed.

Based on the rumours, it looks like the S8 and S8 Plus will have the same camera capabilities as each other, unlike the Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 vs LG G6: What’s the rumoured difference?

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs S8 Plus: Hardware

• Same hardware rumoured for S8 and S8 Plus
• S8 Plus expected to have larger battery capacity

Like their cameras, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are expected to have the same hardware capabilities. Rumours suggest the devices will feature either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor or the Exynos 8895 chip, depending on the region.

There have been claims of 4GB, 6GB and 8GB of RAM so it isn’t clear which the devices will opt for, but internal storage options are claimed to start at 64GB with microSD for both models.

Battery capacity is expected to be slightly different between the S8 and S8 Plus though, with the smaller model thought to be coming with a 3000mAh capacity, and the larger with 3500mAh. Both are expected to have USB Type-C.

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs S8 Plus: Software

• Android Nougat expected for both S8 and S8 Plus
• Bixby voice assistant rumoured for both

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are both expected to launch on Android Nougat with the company’s TouchWiz software on top so the software experience should be identical.

There will apparently be an always-visible status bar and it’s been claimed the handsets will be able to connect to a monitor for a desktop view of Android.

The two devices are also expected to come with the Bixby voice assistant, powered by Viv, which will apparently feature in all native apps on the S8 and S8 Plus.

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs S8 Plus: Conclusion

Based on the rumours, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus will be almost identical. It looks like the designs and screens will be the same apart from the physical size, while the camera and hardware capabilities also appear to be the same, except the battery capacities.

The software experience should also be identical so based on the rumours, the only reason for buying the larger device is if you want a bigger phone.

Everything is based on speculation for now though, meaning Samsung could still have something extra up its sleeve for the S8 Plus device. We will update this feature as new leaks appear, as well as when the official specs are announced.

TomTom Touch Cardio is an entry-level fitness tracker that covers the basics

TomTom Sports has announced its second fitness wearable, the Touch Cardio, it joins the TomTom Touch with Body Composition. This new model has been designed and priced to make it more accessible to more people and to encourage healthy lifestyles. 

• TomTom Touch review: Out of touch

he Touch Cardio can measure your heart rate, track the number of steps you take, calories burned, sleep and active time. It’s essentially a stripped back version the Touch with Body Composition. That model can measure your fat and muscle percentage, on top of the features covered by the Touch Cardio.

However, the Touch Cardio shares the same slim design, OLED display and 24/7 monitoring, the only real difference is the loss of the silver touch button from the Body Composition version. From our time with the TomTom Touch, we found the basic fitness tracking functions to perform relatively well, our only real niggles with it were the design and the fact it was a less intuitive to use than the Fitbit Charge 2. 

The TomTom Touch Cardio can also be used for basic smartwatch functions, such as notifying you of incoming calls and messages on the display. All the activity data it collects is synced to the accompanying TomTom Sports app where you can view your progress, activity trends and comparisons, along with sharing your data with other users.

When we last used the TomTom Sports app, we found it to be too tricky to use and not as user-friendly as the competition. Thankfully it’s had a complete redesign now, so we look forward to trying it out in its new guise.

• TomTom Spark 3 review: Getting better with age
• Fitbit Charge 2: Taking charge

The TomTom Touch Cardio will be available from March for £89.99, some £40 cheaper than the Touch with Body Composition.

An entire ‘Pokemon’ game is playable inside ‘Minecraft’

When you think of Minecraft add-ons, you probably think of mini games or the occasional clever machine — fun, but you’ll likely be back to the main game before long. Well, you might want to clear your schedule with this one. Phoenix SC has released Pokémon Cobalt and Amethyst, a Minecraft add-on that recreates the adventuring and creature battles of its namesake game with uncanny attention to detail. There’s a brand new storyline, 136 (!) new Pokémon and many of the experiences you know, including a blocky Pokédex. Reportedly, it could take you longer to beat than the official Pokémon games — Phoenix SC is estimating that it’ll take 60 to 80 hours to finish.

Cobalt and Amethyst has some hiccups, which isn’t surprising when the team is building on top of another game. There are some actions you can take that will break the game, and you’re encouraged to back things up so that you’re not stuck if something goes wrong. Even so, the work is impressive — the 31 months of effort has resulted in a game deep enough that you might not return to the base Minecraft gameplay for weeks. Let’s just hope that The Pokémon Company and Nintendo don’t object and shut this down, as it’d be a shame to lose such a well-produced tribute.

Via: Videogamer

Source: Phoenix SC, Minecraft Forum

Airbnb wants to house 100,000 displaced people in five years

Airbnb was one of several tech companies to take a firm stance against Trump’s immigration ban last weekend, but the company has since expanded its assistance beyond just those affected at American borders. In a blog post titled #weaccept, Airbnb’s founders outlined a goal to provide short-term housing for 100,000 displaced people in the next five years. It will start with refugees, disaster survivors and relief workers, and has pledged to contribute $4 million over four years to the International Rescue Committee.

The company is not only looking to its community of hosts to open up their homes to those in need, but also for them to help make displaced people feel “connected, respected and part of a community again.” At the same time, Airbnb acknowledged its own challenges with discrimination faced by its guests and said it is “dedicated to achieving greater acceptance in our community.”

The blog post isn’t clear on how the company plans to reach out to displaced people who need accommodations, but it does offer a link for users to volunteer their homes or spaces to those affected by natural disasters or “war, government policy or economic disaster.” You can also suggest a cause that you believe would benefit from temporary housing.

Source: Airbnb