Mosquitos are beating gene editing with rapid evolution

Gene editing and gene drives have the potential to be a massive scientific breakthrough, letting scientists target and eliminate diseases by modifying genes and disseminating them throughout a population. But it’s also a technique that’s not ready for prime time: There’s a lot of work to be done to quiet critics and ensure that releasing gene-edited organisms into the wild will have the desired effect.

But some scientists caution that there are still a number of hurdles to clear before we even deal with problems that could come with releasing gene-edited organisms into the wild. The biggest of those hurdles is evolution. According to a new report published in Nature, mosquitoes altered by gene drives in labs are showing promise, but researchers believe that in the wild, these creatures will quickly evolve resistance to the genetic modifications before they can be spread throughout the population.

That’s not a terribly surprising development; last year, some scientists observed the HIV virus resisting the CRISPR gene-editing technique. To help simulate real-life conditions as best as possible, a project called Target Malaria has been building elaborate mosquito enclosures that help simulate the real-life environment of Africa as best they can — Nature calls them “the world’s most sophisticated mosquito cages.”

The Target Malaria team plans to release a second generation of gene-driven mosquitoes in the newest of these enclosures in 2017 to see how it responds to the real-world environment. While the scientists expect evolution to keep on throwing up barriers to success, it’s still seen as a viable way to stop the spread of Malaria — if scientists can reduce the population of Malaria-carrying mosquitoes, it could be a major breakthrough.

Via: Scientific American

Source: Nature

Snapchat Testing ‘Smarter Lenses’ That Can Identify and Interact With Real-World Objects

Snap is said to be working on a collection of “smarter lenses” that would let users overlay virtual images and objects onto landscapes in the real world, “not just faces,” and let them interact with the virtual objects similar to augmented reality (via The Information). The smarter lenses are an advancement of the “world lenses” that came to Snapchat last year, which placed various simple animations on top of real world scenes, like clouds and snowstorms.

The difference with the new technology is that it “can identify environmental elements,” subsequently allowing virtual objects to interact with objects in the real world, instead of acting as a simple filter. As with most of Snapchat’s popular camera additions, the smarter lenses are believed to eventually lead to bountiful advertising opportunities for brands on the social media app.

An example of Snapchat’s World Lenses from last year
Currently, the new lenses are only being tested on the company’s internal version of the app, and they are “not on Snap’s near-term product roadmap.” If and when they are released, people familiar with the matter believe users would receive the lenses first, ahead of advertisers, who could then construct campaigns and strategies based on how Snapchat’s user base reacts to the advanced feature.

The addition of new features and a potential boost to advertising support is seen as a keen strategy on Snap’s part, amid news that the company is planning to go public in the coming weeks.

Smarter lenses for its users could also help convince Snapchatters to stick around amid growing competition from Instagram and Facebook. Last summer Instagram launched a copy of Snapchat’s disappearing story idea, called Instagram Stories, and now Facebook plans to extend the feature into the main Facebook app with Facebook Stories. According to Facebook, Instagram has 150 million users posting to Stories every day, roughly mirroring Snapchat’s reported user base.

Tag: Snapchat
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Epic’s Tim Sweeney isn’t thrilled about the locked nature of Windows 10 Cloud

Why it matters to you

Tim Sweeney raises a good point: the rumored “cloud” version of Windows 10 may prevent customers from installing Steam and traditional PC games.

Epic Games’ co-founder and Unreal Engine creator Tim Sweeney jumped on Twitter to voice his opinion about Microsoft’s rumored “cloud” version of Windows 10. He calls it “Windows 10 Crush Steam Edition” because this version of Microsoft’s platform apparently locks the end user down to the Windows Store, preventing the installation of traditional software sold elsewhere.

“Looks like Microsoft was waiting till after the election to see if they could get away with their lockdown,” he said.

Windows 10 Cloud was originally thought to be a cloud-based version of Windows 10 that would stream to devices of any size and architecture. But sources stated that Microsoft is creating a version of Windows 10 to compete directly with Google’s Chrome OS platform installed on Chromebooks. Windows 10 Cloud would be lightweight, highly responsive, and would only rely on apps distributed through the Windows Store.

More: Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney: Oculus storefront is anything but ‘open’

That has seemingly pushed Sweeney to jump back on his Windows 10 soapbox — he has been very vocal about the Windows Store and how it presents a “walled garden.” Software sold through Microsoft’s embedded storefront must meet specific guidelines, and must use the company’s Universal Windows Platform model. Thus, unlike Steam and Amazon, Windows 10 users browsing through the Windows Store can’t purchase just any piece of software.

To some degree, Microsoft is treating Windows 10 like a hybrid platform. On the one hand, it’s pushing self-contained “mobile” apps through a platform-locked storefront. On the other hand, the company enables Windows 10 users to install (side-load) traditional desktop software that can be purchased anywhere. However, Windows 10 apps sold through the Windows Store take advantage of special features not offered to traditional software developers.

But with the possible introduction of Windows 10 Cloud, customers won’t have the option of installing the Steam client and purchasing traditional PC gaming software. It’s reminiscent of the days when Microsoft sold Surface devices with Windows RT, which was designed for the ARM processor architecture and could not run traditional desktop software (Win32) based on the x86 processor architecture (Intel, AMD).

“The trouble started when Microsoft began shipping some PCs and regular Surfaces that were so locked down that you couldn’t run Win32 apps; you could only run apps that had been bought from their store. That is a complete travesty.” Sweeney said last year.

Sweeney thinks that Microsoft doesn’t believe in the openness the company is preaching with Windows 10. He thinks the company is performing a series of “sneaky maneuvers” with Windows 10 that will make using traditional software difficult on the platform, driving users into the Windows Store.

“Slowly, over the next five years, they will force-patch Windows 10 to make Steam progressively worse and more broken,” he said. “They’ll never completely break it, but will continue to break it until, in five years, people are so fed up that Steam is buggy that the Windows Store seems like an ideal alternative.”

But with Windows 10 Cloud, there won’t be any possibility of using Steam. Is Sweeney’s prophecy coming true?

Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers put paid apps on sale for free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

More: 200 Awesome iPhone Apps | The best Android apps for almost any occasion

PDF it All

PDF it All is an advanced PDF converter that allows users to convert PDF files out of many sources. Convert Word, Excel, PowerPoint, web pages, Contacts, Messages, Mail to a PDF file in a matter of seconds.

Available on:

iOS

LocalToWeb

LocaToWeb is a GPS tracker that shares your position to the web in real time. Friends and family can follow you live on a map at http://www.locatoweb.com when a track is running.

Available on:

iOS

5coins

You don’t need to be an accountant in order to track expenses. 5coins is a simple, beautiful, and smart app for tracking your daily expenses. It lets you know how much you are spending, and when and where your money goes.

Available on:

iOS

Face Swapper

Take hilarious pictures of yourself and your friends with Face Swapper. Touch to tweak your creations in real time and share the laughs with friends on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and email.

Available on:

iOS

50mm

Create charming 50mm Photo-style photographs with real-time Vintage effects. These effects work great on selfies and other portraits but also for many other subjects.

Available on:

iOS

Hands-free Browser

Getting your hands dirty? With this app you can surf the web without touching the screen. It’s fantastic for reading recipes while you cook, following repair instructions with greasy hands, working out, and more.

Available on:

iOS

Having trouble with your LG V20? Here are solutions to the most common problems

The LG V20 is an amazing smartphone with a sleek design, excellent audio quality, and a fantastic set of cameras. Despite its many highs, however, there are some lows. These amount to a handful of problems that owners have been experiencing since the phone’s release last year. There aren’t enough bugs and glitches to scare people away from the device, sure, but they’re good to know about all the same.

More: The 15 best LG V20 cases to keep your phone in perfect condition

Problem: Battery drain

Battery drain is a common problem among smartphones, but with the V20, the problem seems to be more widespread. People are talking about the phone’s battery life on forums at Android Central, XDA Developers, and Verizon, claiming their batteries are draining far more quickly than expected, sometimes after just a few hours and with minimal to average use. The issue has appeared on Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint versions of the hardware.

Potential solutions:

• Restart your phone and see if the battery drain persists.
• Check to see if an app is draining the battery by going to Settings > General > Battery & power saving > Battery usage. Check for an update for that app, or delete it and see if the battery life improves. Many have suggested removing Facebook and other related apps like Messenger, as they have been known to drain batteries quickly.
• Try the Battery Saver feature. Enable and customize this by going to Settings > General > Battery & power saving > Battery saver.
•  Clear the Cache Partition:
  • Go to Settings > General (if you have that option) > Storage. When the page loads, tap Cached data > Yes. The time it takes for this process to finish will vary based on the size of the data.
  • On T-Mobile devices: Settings > General > Storage & USB > Internal storage. Wait for the page to load, then tap Cached data > OK.
• You can also try a factory reset. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Backup & reset, then tap either LG Backup or Back up my data to backup your important information. Afterward, go to Settings > General > Backup & reset > Factory data reset.

26 best iPhone 7 Plus cases to protect your Apple phone

No one likes a bruised apple, and if you drop your new iPhone 7 Plus it could end up scraped, scarred, or worse. The smart play is to invest in some protection. There are lots of different cases out there; some safeguard against drops, some are all about the style, and some add extra functionality. We’ve been checking out your options and these are some of the best iPhone 7 Plus cases you can buy right now.

More: The best iPhone 7 screen protectors to shield your phone’s big, beautiful display

iFace First Class ($30)

The iFace First Class case has an unusual shape to it, adding a subtle curved contour to the sides. The curves make the iPhone 7 Plus more comfortable to hold. The soft rubber edges vastly improve grip, while a special honeycomb-shaped interior increases drop protection. The case also meets military standards. The rear is smooth, has an opening for a lanyard strap, and comes in various colors. We love the pearl gray version and the emerald green model. It’s lightweight, really comfortable to hold, and well-priced. There’s even a metal plate inside the case’s body for use with iFace’s $20 magnetic in-car holder.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Native Union Clic Marble ($80)

It’s simple. Do you want a stunning case that effectively mirrors the investment you made in the device itself? The Native Union Clic Marble is it. The case has a shatter-resistant sliver of real marble — each piece is unique, too — reinforced with fiberglass, and a contrasting metal panel fitted into a rubber body for complete protection. Available in white with gold or black with brushed aluminum, it’s an absolutely stunning case that attracts as many admiring glances as the phone itself. The fit and finish is excellent.

Buy one now from:

Amazon Native Union

Proporta Slim Stand Case ($43)

A folio case for your iPhone 7 Plus with a lot more built-in protection than usual, thanks to the cover having an aluminum plate inside. It’s a great feature. Not only does it really protect the screen, but it provides a strong base when the case folds into a stand and can be used with Proporta’s magnetic car mount. The case is quite heavy, though, however, the interior plastic phone holder is minimalistic, giving the case a slim profile.

Buy one now from:

Amazon Proporta

Native Union Clic Crystal ($35)

Made with Native Union’s characteristic care and attention, the Clic Crystal follows the trend for transparent sections to show off your phone’s color. The rest of the case is made from protective rubber, ready to absorb shocks. If you’re looking for a grippy case with a gorgeous style, that’ll still shows off your new phone, with one of the best fits we’ve tried, this is it.

Buy one now from:

Amazon Native Union

RhinoShield PlayProof ($25)

A break from the many folio cases out there. The RhinoShield PlayProof wraps the iPhone 7 Plus very effectively, including a substantial lip around the screen, plus the smooth polymer body will absorb shocks if you drop the phone. The fit is excellent, and the subtle RhinoShield branding on the side looks great, ensuring the rest of the case looks very simple. One of the most pleasing to hold cases we’ve tried too, thanks to the sleek finish.

Buy one now from:

Amazon RhinoShield

Snakehive Vintage Leather Wallet ($24)

Made from European cowhide nubuck leather, the Snakehive Leather Wallet is one you’ll just want to hold in your hand, it feels so good. It’s all thanks to a wonderfully soft texture on the outside, which has been smoothed out for extra protection on the inside. The iPhone is held in a slim, clear plastic case, with wide cutouts for the volume and power buttons, along with the speakers and charging port, too. Opposite are three card slots and a pocket for cash, plus a magnetic clasp that keeps the case closed. The folio case can fold out into a stand for your iPhone 7 Plus, for watching video. Don’t miss this super stylish, real leather folio available in the burgundy seen here, or in chestnut brown and navy colors, at an excellent price.

Buy one now from:

Snakehive

Benchmark cheating returns — this time with OnePlus and Meizu

Why it matters to you

Some folks use numbers to see how well a phone performs, and if those numbers aren’t accurate, they feel manipulated and lied to.

Benchmarks might not fully represent the performance users can expect from a smartphone, but the hardcore Android community puts stock in them because they paint a rough picture of a smartphone’s potential. That is why Samsung and HTC made headlines a few years ago when the companies cheated with benchmark scores for their devices, and that is why OnePlus and Meizu are making headlines now, reports XDA Developers.

Equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 chipset and a mostly clean version of Android, the OnePlus 3T is a speedy phone and one of the better options available. According to the report, the site’s editor-in-chief wanted to take a closer look at the processor and how it worked in the phone, so he used Qualcomm Trepn and Snapdragon Performance Visualizer to see how the CPU’s clock speed is boosted when opening apps.

More: Problems with your OnePlus 3 or 3T? Here’s how to fix them

What he found was that certain apps on the OnePlus 3T did not go back to normal idling speeds after being opened. XDA teamed up with Geekbench to see whether this was the case, and the results confirmed that the higher clock speeds were due to an application’s name, not the CPU workload. In other words, the clock speeds were kept up when apps like AnTuTu and Geekbench, two of the more popular mobile benchmarks, were opened in order to boost benchmark scores.

The report also calls out Meizu and its Pro 6 for the same practice, though to a lesser extent.

Interestingly, OnePlus confirmed the report and said the benchmark scores were a feature within OxygenOS, the company’s take on Android, to help games and resource-intensive apps perform better.

“In order to give users a better user experience in resource intensive apps and games, especially graphically intensive ones, we implemented certain mechanisms in the community and Nougat builds to trigger the processor to run more aggressively,” said OnePlus in a statement. “The trigger process for benchmarking apps will not be present in upcoming OxygenOS builds on the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T.”

As previously alluded to, Samsung, HTC, Sony, and LG were found guilty of benchmark cheating, though they eventually stopped the practice.

Double your Galaxy S7’s battery life with this discounted $39 charging case

If you love your Samsung Galaxy S7 but find yourself constantly stopping to refuel the battery, then a battery case may be just what you need. The Samsung Galaxy S7 does have a better battery life than the S6 but if you’re using it often throughout the day, it’s unlikely a full charge will last you until evening.

Battery cases can get pricey, but for a limited time, you can get a Trainium Atomic Pro Battery Case designed specifically for the Samsung Galaxy S7 for only $39, which gives you a 44 percent (or $31) discount off the regular list price of $70.

More: Samsung Galaxy S7 review

This updated battery case features a powerful 4,500mAh Li-polymer rechargeable battery and a new reinforced Micro USB port to charge the device. The case can give you an extra 100 percent or more battery power, equivalent to an additional 28 hours talk time or 13 hours web browsing time.

The Trainium Atomic Pro Battery case is designed to pack extra battery life without being intrusive. Unlike some case that are big and bulky, this model is carefully crafted with a 360-degree bumper design and hard-shell backplate that protects your phone from daily wear and tear, yet is slim enough to fit easily into pockets. Small LED power lights indicate how much power you have remaining and are located on the softer side that safely holds your Galaxy S7. Although the case adds a little extra padding to the exterior of your phone it still provides easy access to all buttons and ports, so, for example, you won’t have an issue plugging in your headphones.

It has quick-charge sync-through technology, which allows you to sync your phone to your computer without having to remove your phone from the case. You can also charge your Samsung s7 and battery case together with the included Micro USB cable. Finally, the case comes with a lifetime warranty, ensuring you get maximum use out of the device.

The Trainium Atomic Pro Samsung S7 Battery Case normally retails for $70 but is available on Amazon for only $39, for a limited time.

$39 on Amazon

Lenovo’s Tab3 8 Plus might be the midrange Android tablet you’re looking for

Why it matters to you

If you’re looking for an Android tablet that won’t break the bank, you might want to pay attention to Lenovo’s Mobile World Congress showings.

Ahead of February’s Mobile World Congress hullabaloo, Lenovo’s Tab3 8 Plus leaked in all its glory and, from the looks of things, it seems like a solid midrange offering in the Android tablet realm, reports Italian site Notebook Italia.

On the outside, the Tab3 8 Plus will reportedly feature an 8-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 resolution display, with Dolby Atmos stereo speakers on either the top or bottom of the display — or left and right, depending on how you hold the tablet. An 8-megapixel camera with LED flash sits around back, while the 5MP selfie snapper should be just fine for video chats and the like.

More: Here’s everything we know about Lenovo’s second-generation Moto Z

Under the hood, Qualcomm’s octa-core Snapdragon 625 chipset and 3GB RAM are purported to power the Tab3 8 Plus, with a respectable 4,250mAh battery keeping the lights on. The 16GB of internal memory is on the meager side, but the MicroSD card slot supports up to an additional 128GB.

Those internals are somewhat protected from the elements, thanks to the Tab3 8 Plus’ IP52 certification that protects the tablet from dust. However, the tablet is only splash-resistant, not water-resistant, so while it can withstand a bit of rain, we would not take the tablet to the shower or at poolside.

Finally, the Tab3 8 Plus reportedly runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box.

There are still a few unknowns that surround the tablet, such as availability and pricing. Odds are that Lenovo will officially unveil the Tab3 8 Plus during Mobile World Congress 2017, and since the tablet is part of the company’s Tab3 line of tablets, do not expect it to break the bank, with reports pegging a $200 price point.

Based on leaked press renders, the Tab3 8 Plus will be available in silver and blue and either Wi-Fi-only or 4G LTE-capable once it reaches store shelves.

Why the Google Pixel is the best Android phone

There’s no shortage of great Android phones out there — here at Android Central we’re often bouncing between different devices as we review new phone. But eventually you’ve got to pick one winner — the best Android phone overall. And right now, in early 2017, that’s the Google Pixel, which shares the honor with its big brother the Pixel XL.

We’ve laid out all the reasons why the Pixel is the best of the best in our video feature. Check it out above, and be sure to hit our Pixel written review for all the details.

• Google Pixel + Pixel XL review
• Android Central on YouTube
• Best Android phones of 2017

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

• Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
• Google Pixel XL review: A U.S. perspective
• Google Pixel FAQ: Should you upgrade?
• Pixel + Pixel XL specs
• Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
• Join the discussion in the forums!

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