UK MPs propose heavy fines for social networks that don’t tackle abuse

Although the government is looking to curb the rise of social media abuse by introducing tougher penalties for online trolls, companies like Facebook and Twitter currently don’t face much pressure over the policing of their platforms. That could soon change, after Labour MP Anna Turley issued a new proposal calling for communications regulator Ofcom to impose fines up to £2 million for social networks who don’t adequately prevent threatening content appearing on their services.

The call for improved measures comes as part of the Malicious Communications (Social Media) Bill, which is currently making its way through parliament. The private member’s bill (submitted by an MP who doesn’t serve in a government party) would see social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and likely include apps like Snapchat and Instagram, to be added to a register of regulated platforms by the Secretary of State.

If the bill is passed into law, the companies on the list would be encouraged to actively filter content on their networks. Users would be able to opt out if they are over the age of 18, which would force each platform to actively verify the ages of their users. If they don’t, they would possibly face a £2 million fine or 5 percent of their global turnover.

Although the Bill has noble intentions, the fact that it has been submitted by a non-government member of parliament may hamper its progress. Private member’s bills very rarely make it into law, but it does have the backing of notable female MPs.

Ruth Smeeth, who was given police protection after receiving over 20,000 abusive online messages in one day, and Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff, who was sent a Facebook message from a man (who was later given a suspended sentence) that said: “Dead girl walking. Hope you get raped. We got your phone number and details,” are backing the bill. It’ll get its second reading in the House of Commons on March 24th.

Via: The Telegraph

Source: Malicious Communications (Social Media) Bill

Scientists map every atom inside a nanoparticle

Even the smallest defects can create serious problems. It’s a good thing, then, that researchers have found a way to map nanoparticles at an “unprecedented” level of detail — they’ve located the 3D positions of all 23,000 atoms in an iron-platinum particle. The group used an extremely high-resolution transmission electron microscope (TEAM I) to capture 2D projections of the nanoparticle’s structure, and used an algorithm to stitch those together into a 3D reconstruction. If there’s a missing or misplaced atom, you could easily spot it.

The work could help spot consistent flaws in nanoparticle products, which could be vital in health care and other areas where you can’t afford a mistake. And even if it doesn’t, there are numerous other practical purposes. Scientists hope to create an internet database that illustrates atom-level material properties, and the 3D algorithm could be used for CT scans and other imaging tech. In short, this clearer look at the nano-scale world could have a tremendous effect on many fields — it may just be a matter of time.

Source: Berkeley Lab, UCLA

What Snap’s IPO tells us about Spectacles’ future

When Snap Inc officially filed its IPO last week, we finally got our clearest look yet at its operations. In addition to learning that its co-founders will be donating up to 13,000,000 shares of their stock to a philanthropic organization the company quietly set up, we also found out just how much Snap Inc paid for its acquisitions of Bitstrips and Vurb.

But perhaps the most interesting nuggets from the filing document (also known as the S-1) are the insights about the company’s first, and so far only, hardware product: Spectacles. The video-recording glasses were generally well-received since they launched back in September, and have since been the subject of much media fascination. Despite a limited rollout, and CEO Evan Spiegel referring to it as a “toy,” the device is clearly an attempt to come up with another way to make money so that Snap doesn’t have to rely so much on ads for income. And although we still don’t have concrete sales figures for the glasses, the long lines with hundreds of people waiting for hours already speaks to the gadget’s popularity.

Yet, as the IPO filing shows, Spectacles have a long way to go before they make Snap Inc any money. The document states that Spectacles “has not generated significant revenue for us” and that sales from the device were “not material,” but that doesn’t mean the company will stop working on it. And, to be fair, Snap was not expecting the glasses to be huge money makers right off the bat.

According to the S-1, Snap plans to “significantly broaden the distribution of Spectacles,” which for now can only be purchased at temporarily installed vending machines in select cities. A more permanent store in New York City is currently slated to stay open through Feb. 19th. Making the glasses more widely available, whether by bringing the vending machines to more regions or by letting people order them online, will give the company a potentially much larger audience and could significantly increase sales.

pic.twitter.com/v7OwodCSER

— Spectacles (@Spectacles) December 3, 2016

But another tidbit in the IPO document reveals how challenging scaling up Spectacles production could actually be. Snap admitted it has “limited manufacturing experience” and that it relies on only one contract manufacturer to build Spectacles. This explains the limited availability of the device to date, and it also means it will be difficult for the company to mass-produce the glasses or ship them globally going forward. As stated in the filing, its supplier “is vulnerable to capacity constraints and reduced component availability.” This also means Snap is extremely reliant on its manufacturer, especially since it has “limited control over [the] manufacturer’s quality systems and controls.”

Typically, using one manufacturer means greater assurance over the product’s quality than employing several suppliers. But we’ve already seen breakdowns in the quality control process, with a recent report of one Spectacles owner’s charging case melting. Snap dutifully replaced the defective product, which is easier to handle when it’s an isolated case. But when targeting a massive global market, addressing quality control issues can become challenging.

Nailing the manufacturing process is important for Snap, especially if it decides to launch other physical devices. The company states in its S-1 that it “may develop future products that are regulated as medical devices by the FDA,” which will have to pass stringent tests. This also means it needs to have excellent quality control.

And before you get too excited about the idea of Snap making “medical devices,” it’s important to note that Spectacles is already classified as such, since it is an “eyewear product.” These future products could simply refer to upcoming iterations of the device.

Ultimately, though, such documents tend to be vague and speculative as they need to be all-encompassing to show potential shareholders the calculated risks involved in the business. You’ll find similar language in almost any other company’s annual report, along with a disclaimer that forward-looking statements aren’t meant to be taken as fact or at face value.

Still, with these disclosures, we’ve learned a bit more about Snap — in particular its dependence on ad revenue and the fact that it is comfortable waiting, “sometimes for a long time,” for its products to reach maturity and gain enough traction before it starts profiting off them. So while Spectacles aren’t likely to be a big source of income for the company now, the device could eventually become a significant revenue maker if Snap can figure out a strategy that works.

Three prepares for spectrum race with UK Broadband purchase

Three announced today that it has agreed to buy UK Broadband Limited for £250 million, making Ofcom’s impending spectrum auction altogether more interesting — as interesting as spectrum auctions can be, anyway. UK Broadband isn’t a household name, given it primarily builds bespoke 4G networks for the private and public sectors. The company does run the consumer-facing brand Relish, though, which offers flexible home broadband services using 4G-fed WiFi routers. While Relish seems like a good fit for millennial-chaser Three, and creates an immediate path for the company to get into home broadband, make no mistake: Three isn’t after UK Broadband’s 15,000 customers, but its spectrum licence.

The parent company that owns UK Broadband is run by the son of the man that runs Three’s parent company, but the deal isn’t just about keeping things in the family. You see, UK Broadband has a licence for 40MHz of spectrum in the 3.4GHz band. Not only that, but in 2014 the licence was extended indefinitely (it was originally due to expire in summer 2018). And later this year, following many delays, Ofcom will finally auction off free spectrum in the 2.3GHz and 3.4GHz bands. UK Broadband’s slice wouldn’t have been up for grabs, of course, but in one canny move Three is jumping the gun and getting a foothold in the 3.4GHz band before bidding has even begun.

Three doesn’t command a great deal of spectrum as it stands, which limits its ability to upgrade its network, increase speeds and introduce new services. The planned merger with O2 would’ve gone some way to solving that, as the resulting company’s combined spectrum would’ve put it on par with Vodafone (though still way behind BT, which owns almost half of all UK 4G spectrum). European regulators ended up blocking that deal on the basis it would eliminate one of the four major providers and ultimately reduce competition.

Since being dealt that blow, Three has changed tack. The carrier successfully campaigned for goliath BT to be limited in the upcoming spectrum auction — which’ll set the stage for improved 4G services and the eventual rollout of 5G networks — on the basis it simply doesn’t have deep enough pockets to compete. Ofcom has blocked BT/EE from bidding on anything in 2.3GHz band, effectively leaving Three, O2 and Vodafone to haggle over that slice. There are no such limitations on the 3.4GHz band though, but by acquiring UK Broadband, Three has already laid claim to a piece of that pie without so much as a low-ball bid.

The acquisition still needs rubber stamping, so Three hasn’t got its hands on the airwaves just yet, but it expects to complete mid-year. And we doubt regulators will voice any opposition, given BT’s smooth ride to snapping up EE to become the dominant spectrum holder.

Via: Financial Times (paywalled)

Source: Three

Uber hires a NASA guru to help it understand flying cars

Uber is eager for the day when you can take a flying car across town, and it just landed a key hire that could help make this a reality. The company has recruited Mark Moore, NASA’s technology lead for on-demand mobility, as its director of engineering for aviation. This doesn’t mean that the ridesharing firm will build its own flying cars, at least not any time soon — rather, he wants to “make this market real.” That will likely involve solving technical obstacles that Uber’s hardware partners face, such as extending the range of electric aircraft or reducing noise pollution.

You might have seen Moore’s work before. On top of contributing to Uber’s initial white paper on its vision for airborne ridesharing, he helped NASA research the viability of a personal electric aircraft nicknamed the Puffin. This is an engineer who understands the specific challenges Uber and its allies will face, and might just help bridge the gap between the company’s idealistic vision and practical reality.

The hire might have come just in time, too. Google co-founder Larry Page reportedly started funding flying car companies (Kitty Hawk and Zee.Aero) in response to Moore’s work, suggesting that the engineer’s talents are in high demand. It may have just been a question of which tech giant snapped up Moore first, rather than whether or not he’d leave NASA in the first place.

Via: The Verge

Source: Bloomberg

Apple Retail Update: Danbury Store Closes for Next-Generation Redesign, Dubai to Get Second Store

Apple recently announced that its Danbury Fair Mall store in Danbury, Connecticut has temporarily closed, presumably to become one of the company’s latest retail locations to be updated with a next-generation design. A temporary store has opened directly behind the existing store during the renovations.

A second-level floor plan [PDF] for the shopping mall shows a large amount of space listed as “available” behind the store, separated into three units, so it is possible the existing Apple Store could expand into at least one or two of the units. One of the units is likely occupied by the temporary location presently.

Apple has opened or renovated a number of retail stores with next-generation designs since 2015, including locations in Brussels, Cupertino, Dubai, London, Memphis, New York, San Francisco, and elsewhere.

The new look often includes wide, open spaces with some combination of indoor trees, large glass doors, touch-sensitive sequoia wood tables and shelves, seating areas, large 6K resolution video screens for product marketing and community events, and light boxes extending the length of the ceiling.

Meanwhile, Apple CFO Luca Maestri recently confirmed that Apple will soon open a second store in Dubai. Last month, a tipster sent us a photo of what appears to be Apple’s typical black construction barrier at Dubai Mall in downtown Dubai.

Based on the photo, it appears the store could span two floors. The tipster told us the location will have the “best view” of the Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Fountain from outside-facing windows in the store. A construction worker allegedly informed the tipster that the store will be ready to open by March.

Related Roundup: Apple Stores
Tag: Dubai
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Apple Launches ‘Back to Uni’ Promotion in Australia and New Zealand, Offers Up to $100 Apple Store Gift Card

Apple today launched its annual “Back to Uni” promotion in Australia and New Zealand, offering students and select other educational employees a $70 to $100 Apple Store gift card with the purchase of a qualifying new Mac or iPad Pro.

Apple is offering a A$100 or NZ$105 Apple Store gift card with the purchase of a new Mac, including the iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and built-to-order versions of those models. Refurbished models and the lower-cost Mac mini do not qualify for the offer per usual.

Meanwhile, students and teachers who purchase any new iPad Pro model will receive a A$70 or NZ$75 Apple Store gift card.

In Australia, the promotion is available to full-time or part-time students aged 18 or over studying at an accredited Australian university or other Apple-approved institution. Lecturers and staff members at accredited Australian universities or Apple-approved educational institutions are also eligible.

In New Zealand, the promotion is available to students attending or accepted into a higher education institution, faculty members and staff members of higher education institutions, any employee of a public or private K–12 institution, and parents purchasing on behalf of a current or accepted student.

The promotion runs between February 7 and March 17 in both countries on Apple’s website and at Apple Stores in Australia. Eligible customers can also call 133-622 in Australia or 0800-692-7753 in New Zealand. The promotion can be combined with Apple’s standard educational pricing discounts.

Apple today also launched a similar promotion in Japan, offering students an ¥8,500 Apple Store gift card with the purchase of a new Mac and ¥5,500 Apple Store gift card with the purchase of any new iPad Pro.

Tags: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Back to School promotion
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Apple Seeds Second Beta of iOS 10.3 to Developers

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming iOS 10.3 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the first beta of iOS 10.3 and more than a month after the release of iOS 10.2, the last major update to the iOS 10 operating system.

Registered developers can download iOS 10.3 beta 2 from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air with the proper configuration profile installed. Xcode 8.2 beta 2 is also available with Swift 3.

iOS 10.3 is a significant update, bringing several new features and some major changes to iOS 10. The biggest new consumer-facing feature is a “Find My AirPods” feature, which is designed to help AirPods owners locate a lost earphone. Find My AirPods records the last known location of when an AirPod was connected to an iOS device via Bluetooth and it causes a lost AirPod to play a sound.

Apple’s latest update also introduces a new Apple File System (APFS), installed when an iOS device is updated to iOS 10.3. APFS is optimized for flash/SSD storage and includes features like strong encryption.

Apple plans to introduce some App Store changes in iOS 10.3, allowing developers to respond to customer reviews for the first time. iOS users are also able to label reviews in the App Store as “Helpful” or “Not Helpful,” which should help surface the most relevant review content.

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Apple also plans to limit the number of times developers can ask for a review, allow customers to leave app reviews without exiting an app, and provide a “master switch” that will let users turn off all app review request prompts (said to be included in beta 2).

Also new in iOS 10.3 is a redesigned app open/close animation, an Apple ID profile in Settings, a better breakdown of iCloud storage usage, improvements to SiriKit, and more. For a full rundown of the changes introduced in the first beta, make sure to check out our dedicated “What’s New” post.

Should any new features be discovered in the second beta of iOS 10.3, we’ll update this post.

Related Roundup: iOS 10
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Apple Seeds Second Beta of tvOS 10.2 to Developers

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 10.2 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the first tvOS 10.2 update and more than two weeks after releasing tvOS 10.1.1, the current release version of tvOS.

Designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV, the second tvOS 10.2 beta can be obtained by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, downloading and installing the software from a registered developer account via iTunes or Apple Configurator. Once a profile is installed, subsequent betas can be downloaded over the air.

Given the tricky installation requirements, tvOS betas are limited to developers and will not be provided to the public.

According to Apple’s release notes, tvOS 10.2 introduces improved scrolling behavior, allowing tvOS users to scroll through large lists of information more quickly. A large swipe on the Siri remote automatically activates the new scrolling mode, and a swipe on the far right side of the remote allows users to navigate specific indexes.

It’s likely there are other small feature tweaks and bug fixes included in tvOS 10.2, even though additional changes have not been specifically outlined by Apple. We’ll update this post should any new content be found in the second tvOS 10.2 beta.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Don’t Buy)
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Xiaomi Mi Note 2 review

We’ve seen a lot of interesting devices from Chinese OEMs like the Honor Magic and the Xiaomi Mi Mix, but something that Chinese manufacturers have notoriously been known for is creating smartphone clones. That is what Xiaomi’s latest flagship, the Mi Note 2, would have been, if not for the unfortunate discontinuation of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.

Now, the Xiaomi flagship is instead the closest thing you can get to a worthy alternative. But is this phone merely a carbon copy, or does it have more to offer beneath the surface? We find out, in this comprehensive Xiaomi Mi Note 2 review!

Design

If you miss the design of the Galaxy Note 7, the good news is that the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 features the same design, albeit while not being as refined as what was seen with the former. For example, the bezels along the sides of the display are thicker, making for a phone that is wider overall, and there is a much clearer and sharper distinction with the way the glass and metal meet on the sides.

Other than that, the design language is practically identical. You get curved glass on the front and back, that Xiaomi is calling 3D glass, and it’s all wrapped in a smooth and solid metal frame. The build quality is fantastic and the Mi Note 2 is a beauty, assuming you can keep it clean from fingerprints, smudges, and dust, all of which are especially prominent on this Piano Black version of the device that is seen in this review.

Of course, there is also no S-Pen like stylus that is housed at the bottom of the device, and there is only the USB Type-C port flanked by the single speaker unit and a microphone, found under symmetrical grills. Up top is the headphone jack as well as an IR blaster, that will let you control your TV or other peripherals. On the right is the volume rocker and the power button, that are also made of metal and offer a lot of tactile feedback, and on the left is the dual SIM card slot.

Below the display up front is the physical home button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner, but at first glance, the home button may look like a solid state button because of how flush it sits with the glass. It does have some capacitive functionality, so when the phone is unlocked, all you need to do is touch the home button to go home, and the only time you really have to press it is when accessing Google Now or when unlocking the phone.

The home button is flanked by two capacitive buttons denoted by dots, and it is up to you as to which side works as a back key and the Recent Apps button, and you can change the order depending on which orientation you are more comfortable with.

Display

The Mi Note 2 comes with a 5.7-inch AMOLED display, but unlike other flagship smartphones, Xiaomi decided to stick with a 1080p resolution instead of Quad HD. The screen is definitely sharp enough though, and unless you’re planning to use the phone for VR, you won’t even notice the difference, and you get the inherent benefits of an AMOLED screen, including deep blacks, high contrast, and punchy colors.

There are also some options within the Settings to adjust the color and contrast to what best suits you, and there is a reading mode available that makes it easier on your eyes at night. If you like big screen phones for a more comfortable media consumption experience, you’ll definitely have a great time with this display. Xiaomi also did a great job of leveraging the large size by giving the Mi Note 2 a very high dpi, that allows you to see a lot more content on the screen at one time.

Performance

Under the hood, the Mi Note 2 has got all the specs you’d expect from a flagship smartphone. All versions of the device come with the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, clocked at 2.35 GHz, backed by either 4 GB or 6 GB of RAM.

This review unit is the premium edition with 6 GB of RAM, and unsurprisingly, the performance has been nothing short of wonderful. It is as fast and fluid as you’d expect, and the touch response is excellent. You can enjoy high-end games without any lag or dropped frames, and with that much RAM, jumping between various apps isn’t a problem at all. Of course, multi-tasking shouldn’t be much of an issue with the 4 GB of RAM iteration either.

Hardware

The Mi Note 2 comes with 64 GB or 128 GB variants, which also dictates how much RAM you will get. There is no expandable storage available, but the high capacity internal storage should be more than enough to cover the needs of most users.

The device does come with dual SIM capabilities, and the premium edition with 128 GB of storage and 6 GB of RAM will also be available in a global version, that supports a total of 37 bands, including 22 LTE bands. If you are looking to use the Mi Note 2 outside of China, this iteration of the phone will be your safest best as far as network compatibility is concerned anywhere in the world, or with GSM carriers in the US like T-Mobile and AT&T.

As mentioned, the home button up front comes with an integrated fingerprint scanner. The sensor is very accurate and unlocks the phone very quickly. Rarely did it fail to unlock the device with the first attempt, and with the scanner placed on the front, it is much more convenient when the phone is sitting on a table or a desk.

The biggest benefit of having a 1080p display is how much easier it is on your phone’s battery, and the Full HD panel of the Mi Note 2, along with a massive 4,070 mAh battery, is a potent recipe for impressive battery life. The Mi Note 2 will comfortably last for a full day, and even longer with more casual usage. With usage involving a lot of gaming, watching videos on Youtube, browsing social media, and more, I got around 6.5 hours of screen-on time, which is great.

If you are worried about running out of battery, the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 does come with fast charging capabilities with its support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology. A charge of just half an hour will get you back up to 83% of battery, so even if you are crunched for time, a short charge will get you a lot of battery life back.

Camera

The Mi Note 2 comes with a 22.56 MP rear camera with a f/2.0 aperture, and a 8 MP front-facing unit. Unfortunately, there is no OIS to support the primary shooter, but it does at the very least have some form of electronic image stabilization.

The camera application is straightforward and simple to use, and comes with a handful of shooting modes like panorama, a group selfie mode, beautify, and a manual mode that gives you more granular control over certain aspects. The camera app is nothing out of the ordinary, but it could use some improvements. It is geared more towards the portrait orientation, so when shooting in landscape, only some of the UI elements rotate, while a good majority stay locked in portrait, which can be a touch annoying.

Of course, none of this matters if the picture quality isn’t up to par, and the good news is that the Mi Note 2 is capable of taking some great looking shots. It is fast to focus and capture photos, and with 22 MP, you get plenty of detail and sharpness, which can be seen when zooming into a shot. It does crush shadows a little too much and underexposes in certain situations, but it is nothing that cannot be fixed by using HDR.

Even without optical image stabilization, the camera performs decently well in low light situations as far as capturing detail is concerned, but it does sometimes struggle with white balance, and there also tends to be a flaring effect with highlights. The camera is much slower to capture photos in low light when using HDR, which makes it difficult to grab shots that are in focus without using some other form of stabilization like a tripod.

Software

The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is running the latest iteration of MIUI with version 8, based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. MIUI 8 was introduced earlier last year, and it brings with a host of new changes to the user interface and overall experience.

There is now a new clean color palette that can be seen throughout the interface and in Xiaomi’s standard set of applications, and the font has also been updated to one that Xiaomi claims is much easier on the eyes even after several hours of reading. The notification panel received a face lift as well, with notifications and the Quick Settings toggles now being bundled into one panel. You also get a convenient weather widget integrated into the notifications window that will change color depending on the time of day.

Aside from the aesthetic changes, MIUI 8 also brings a lot of new and interesting features, one of which is called is Dual Apps. With Dual Apps, you can run two instances of the same app, that are completely independent of each other, which is quite unique, and can be very useful with apps that don’t support multiple user logins. Facebook and Snapchat would be prime examples of such apps, but there are many others that can take advantage of this.

Another feature that stands out is called Second Space, that basically lets you create a secondary profile with its own homescreen and apps and is completely seperate from your main profile. If you use your phone for both work and play, this is great way to keep your personal and professional profiles separate, with you able to switch between the two easily.

MIUI is a far cry from stock Android, but Xiaomi’s much needed overhaul to the interface has made it more aesthetically pleasing, and includes many features that actually add a fair amount of value to the software experience and without coming off as gimmicks.

Specifications

Gallery

Pricing and final thoughts

The most unfortunate part about the Mi Note 2 is that it will officially only be available in China. You can still pick it up in the US via resellers, but it will be quite expensive in that case, with a price point upwards of $700. Of course, to be able to use it in other markets, your best bet will be to get the global edition, which will add to the premium.

So, there you have it for this in-depth review of the Xiaomi Mi Note 2! Aside from the design and the screen size, the device’s similarities with with the Galaxy Note 7 pretty much end there, and you don’t have to dig very deep to see what the differences are. If you are on the hunt for an alternative to the Note 7, the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 will cover you on the aesthetics, but when you get to know this phone inside and out is when you will realize it has a lot more to offer and is more than just your average smartphone clone.