Zuckerberg to receive honorary Harvard degree 12 years after dropping out

Why it matters to you

You don’t necessarily have to go to college to achieve success — and people like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates prove that.

Who says you have to go to college to get a degree? After dropping out of Harvard University 12 years ago, Mark Zuckerberg has announced that he will be finally getting his college degree — an honorary degree that he will receive as part of his presentation of the commencement address to Harvard’s class of 2017.

The news was first announced through a post on Harvard’s website, however it was followed by a whimsical and completely cringe-worthy video on Zuckerberg’s Facebook page — which also starred none other than Bill Gates, who gave the commencement address at Harvard back in 2007. Incidentally, Zuckerberg attended that address — at the time, his wife Priscilla Chan was graduating.

More: Mark Zuckerberg quietly announces a massive increase in Instagram’s user numbers

“Mark Zuckerberg’s leadership has profoundly altered the nature of social engagement worldwide. Few inventions in modern times can rival Facebook in its far-reaching impact on how people around the globe interact with one another,” said Harvard in its post. “And few individuals can rival Mark Zuckerberg in his drive to change our world through the innovative use of technology, as well as his commitment to advance science, enhance education, and expand opportunity through the pursuit of philanthropy.”

Zuckerberg is one of a growing line of tech billionaires to drop out of college and build something huge. Bill Gates also dropped out of Harvard back in 1975, and Apple founder Steve Jobs dropped out of Reed College in 1976.

Zuckerberg enrolled in Harvard in 2002 as a member of the class of 2006, however as mentioned he dropped out before graduation. Zuckerberg founded Facebook in 2004, after which the social media network became a cultural icon and household name. While Zuckerberg is best known as the founder of Facebook, he’s also known for his philanthropic work, which he conducts through an organization he created with his wife, called the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Armed with NFC, the Kerv smart ring works like a contactless credit card

Why it matters to you

With NFC payment technology on the rise, building payment functions into devices we wear every day is a novel way to add some practicality to fashion.

Kerv, a startup that launched a ring for NFC-powered transactions on Kickstarter in late 2015, announced Wednesday at the annual Wearable Technology Show in London that the device is now up for sale on the company’s website.

TechRadar reports that the launch is a U.K.-only affair for the moment, with the United States and Australia to follow if everything goes according to plan. The ring retails for 100 pounds — the equivalent of a little more than $120 U.S. — and is available in 14 different color combinations.

More: Everything you need to know about Android Pay

The brainchild of Philip Campbell, London-based Kerv touts itself as the “world’s first contactless payment ring.” Following recent M/Chip certification from Mastercard, the device is compatible with millions of terminals worldwide that support the credit card company’s proprietary technology, and is issued alongside a Mastercard prepaid account into which funds can be deposited and withdrawn.

Kerv works by way of its Near Field Communication (NFC) payment chip, which is embedded in the ring and activated “when brought close to a contactless reader — at retailers, in taxis, or on public transport.” It’s the same way you would pay with services like Apple Pay and Android Pay.

This means that in the same way that you can now tap your credit card in the U.K., you can just flash your ring, and the encrypted data stored in the NFC chip will authorize the transaction. Assuming you have adequate funds in your prepaid Kerv account, you can easily make a payment and track your balance. And best of all, the complete reliance on NFC means there’s no battery to recharge or need to sync with your smartphone.

Your Kerv account, which can be set up online, works very much like a debit account. The best part (or worst, depending on your spending habits) is that you’ll only be able to make payments via Kerv if you have enough money in your account. This prevents overdraft fees and burgeoning debts, and may also help in keeping you honest when it comes to your shopping sprees.

And as for other safety and security issues, Campbell assures users that Kerv can “only make a payment within a very small radius of a contactless reader, to avoid any unintended transfer of data or funds.” Calling the ring as secure as chip and PIN systems, the Kerv team also notes that “because Kerv never leaves your finger, the risk of cloning or theft is significantly reduced.”

More: Fitbit kills what’s left of Coin, ending support and app services

But it’s not just payments. To date, Kerv is also compatible with “NFC-controlled locks and security systems, information sharing with NFC-enabled smartphones, and one-touch access to London’s public transport system.” Back in 2015, Campbell told Bloomberg that his team was interested in expanding to a “digital wallet with a much smoother user experience and then connect that to multiple hardware devices.” This launch represents an important first step toward that goal.

Article originally published in October 2015. Updated on 03-08-2017 by Adam Ismail: Added announcement that device has gone on sale in the U.K., as well as Mastercard certification news.

Armed with NFC, the Kerv smart ring works like a contactless credit card

Why it matters to you

With NFC payment technology on the rise, building payment functions into devices we wear every day is a novel way to add some practicality to fashion.

Kerv, a startup that launched a ring for NFC-powered transactions on Kickstarter in late 2015, announced Wednesday at the annual Wearable Technology Show in London that the device is now up for sale on the company’s website.

TechRadar reports that the launch is a U.K.-only affair for the moment, with the United States and Australia to follow if everything goes according to plan. The ring retails for 100 pounds — the equivalent of a little more than $120 U.S. — and is available in 14 different color combinations.

More: Everything you need to know about Android Pay

The brainchild of Philip Campbell, London-based Kerv touts itself as the “world’s first contactless payment ring.” Following recent M/Chip certification from Mastercard, the device is compatible with millions of terminals worldwide that support the credit card company’s proprietary technology, and is issued alongside a Mastercard prepaid account into which funds can be deposited and withdrawn.

Kerv works by way of its Near Field Communication (NFC) payment chip, which is embedded in the ring and activated “when brought close to a contactless reader — at retailers, in taxis, or on public transport.” It’s the same way you would pay with services like Apple Pay and Android Pay.

This means that in the same way that you can now tap your credit card in the U.K., you can just flash your ring, and the encrypted data stored in the NFC chip will authorize the transaction. Assuming you have adequate funds in your prepaid Kerv account, you can easily make a payment and track your balance. And best of all, the complete reliance on NFC means there’s no battery to recharge or need to sync with your smartphone.

Your Kerv account, which can be set up online, works very much like a debit account. The best part (or worst, depending on your spending habits) is that you’ll only be able to make payments via Kerv if you have enough money in your account. This prevents overdraft fees and burgeoning debts, and may also help in keeping you honest when it comes to your shopping sprees.

And as for other safety and security issues, Campbell assures users that Kerv can “only make a payment within a very small radius of a contactless reader, to avoid any unintended transfer of data or funds.” Calling the ring as secure as chip and PIN systems, the Kerv team also notes that “because Kerv never leaves your finger, the risk of cloning or theft is significantly reduced.”

More: Fitbit kills what’s left of Coin, ending support and app services

But it’s not just payments. To date, Kerv is also compatible with “NFC-controlled locks and security systems, information sharing with NFC-enabled smartphones, and one-touch access to London’s public transport system.” Back in 2015, Campbell told Bloomberg that his team was interested in expanding to a “digital wallet with a much smoother user experience and then connect that to multiple hardware devices.” This launch represents an important first step toward that goal.

Article originally published in October 2015. Updated on 03-08-2017 by Adam Ismail: Added announcement that device has gone on sale in the U.K., as well as Mastercard certification news.

The best inkjet printer you can buy

Inkjet printers are incredibly versatile. Besides text documents, many can also print photos – some can even make museum-quality prints – as well as labels for optical discs or iron-on graphics for shirts. Multifunction (all-in-one or MFP) variants add scan, copy, and fax, making them ideal for small office/home office environments. Even if you don’t print often, these MFPs can be used for scanning documents to PDF or saving them to the cloud. And while inkjet printers aren’t known for speed, some newer models can rival laser printers in both speed and quality. Here are our current favorites.

Inkjet printers offer many advantages, but traditionally speed hasn’t been one of them. Not anymore: The newest printers designed for the small office/home office are capable of making fast, quality prints, and one terrific option is Canon’s Maxify MB5420

Our pick

Canon’s Maxify MB5420

Why should you buy this: Office machine that makes excellent prints.

Our Score

The best

Canon Maxify MB5420

The MB5420 is ideal for small offices, particularly those that print color documents.

$259.99 from Amazon

$329.99 from Jet

Who’s it for: Small offices that want to share a printer.

How much will it cost: $260

Why we picked the Canon’s Maxify MB5420:

Inkjet printers offer many advantages, but traditionally speed hasn’t been one of them. Not anymore: The newest printers designed for the small office/home office are capable of making fast, quality prints, and one terrific option is Canon’s Maxify MB5420.

The MB5420 is large, but it’s designed to support a multi-person office – up to nine employees, according to Canon. The company claims a page print speed of 24 per minute for black and white or 15.5 for color. In our tests, we achieved 22.2 and 10, respectively, which we find to be in-line with Canon’s rated speed. The printer also supports one-pass duplex printing, and ink cartridges have high yields.

More importantly, the prints are excellent, particularly with color. Although it isn’t a photo printer, the MB5420 could handle the task when we printed on photo paper.

Canon’s latest printers are well connected, whether it’s Ethernet or Wi-Fi. The MB5420 also supports wireless protocols like Apple AirPrint, and can print from cloud-based services like Dropbox or Google Cloud Print.

As a multifunction device, the MB5420 has an automatic document feeder for scanning documents, although its only weakness is slow copying. We also love the two built-in paper trays, and a touchscreen that’s easy to use.

Don’t look at the MB5420 solely as an office product. If you have a household that prints often, the MB5420 is suitable for that environment too. But if it’s overkill for your needs, check out the Maxify MB5120.

Our full review

Flo uses AI to track period-related symptoms and offer suggestions

Why it matters to you

Some period trackers aren’t reliable enoughand but Flo promises to help accurately manage a woman’s menstrual cycle.

For women, tracking the ups and downs of periods is a little easier with an app than with pen and paper, but not necessarily as seamless as some ads would have you believe. Period trackers tend to make the uncouth assumption that users want to get pregnant or avoid getting pregnant and most don’t take into account variables like short period cycles. But Flo (for iOS and Android), takes a different approach. Using artificial intelligence, it provides a holistic overview of a variety of period-related symptoms and health issues.

The San Francisco-based Flo, which launched in October 2015, is designed to help women predict their menstrual cycles, ovulation, and fertile days with greater precision. It’s a calendar-based system — users schedule cycle reminders in a monthly tracker. But Flo also considers in its analysis a wide range of factors that might influence period cycles, including health information like mood, contraceptive methods, PMS symptoms, and sexual activity.

More: These are the best period, fertility, and ovulation tracking apps out there

It boasts one-touch fast entry with icons that match common symptoms, plus Smart Tracking, a feature that automatically adjusts the app’s calendar to match cycles. Flo Rx suggests specific four-week programs if Flo detects recurring symptom patterns. And the app’s symptom tracker gives insight into cramps, headaches, acne, cravings, mood swings, insomnia, fatigue, among other symptoms.

It is also calibrated to help treat polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, fibroid, low sex drive, menopause, bloating, and even fatigue. It offers recommendations on ways to “optimize hormones” and fix symptoms,” including exercise tips (which workout type is best for each cycle), focus tips (which social and work activities are optimized for the week’s brain chemistry), and love tips (the best sex for each cycle phase).

More: Trying to get pregnant? Clue and Fitbit may be able to make that happen

“The Flo app provides our users with perfect tools for this,” CEO Maxim Scrobov said. “They can analyze how their appetite varies throughout their cycle, examine the mood swings and physical changes. The approach will help women better ‘understand’ their bodies, and based on provided smart recommendations, it will encourage them to change their patterns to more healthy lifestyles.”

Flo’s artifical intelligence-assisted tracking is especially pertinent in light of a new study published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. Researchers found that of the top websites and smartphone apps that claimed to accurately predict a women’s fertile window, only four accurately predicted it.

And Flo’s dedication to privacy is music to the ears of women worried about their data. According to a recent investigation by Consumer Reports, Glow, one of the most popular fertility trackers on the market, had a major flaw that could let anyone who knows a user’s email address access that person’s data. Flo’s data is password protected. A data backup option lets users start tracking a period on one device and pick it up on another.

Qualcomm ARM-based servers to make way into Microsoft’s cloud data centers

Why it matters to you

The processor marketplace is becoming much more competitive as Qualcomm ARM-based servers will now help run Microsoft’s cloud services.

Intel has been facing some serious competitive pressures lately. First was Microsoft’s decision to run full Windows 10 on ARM processors, and then AMD released its new Ryzen CPUs with very competitive price-performance propositions against Intel’s desktop chips.

Now, Microsoft is putting some pressure on Intel at the highest end, specifically on machines made to run Windows Server in its largest data centers running its cloud services. Again, it is ARM support that could cut into Intel’s dominance in this space, according to a Qualcomm press release.

More: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors now fully support Windows 10

The news comes from the Open Compute Project (OCP) Summit 2017, where Qualcomm announced that its Qualcomm Datacenter Technologies (QDT) group is working with Microsoft to run cloud services on the ARM-based Qualcomm Centriq 2400 platform. The move follows years of collaboration between the companies on optimizing a version of Windows Server to run on ARM in Microsoft data centers. There’s no word yet on whether Microsoft will sell an ARM-based version of Windows Server to external customers.

The Qualcomm Centriq 2400 Open Computer Motherboard is at the center of the announcement, and it pairs QDT’s 10nm 48-core server CPU with advanced memory, network, and peripheral interfaces. The assembly fits into standard server racks, meaning it’s possible to swap out Intel-based systems for ARM servers to run cloud services like Microsoft Azure.

“QDT is accelerating innovation in data centers by delivering the world’s first 10nm server platform,” said Ram Peddibhotia, VP of product management for QDT. “Our collaboration with Microsoft and contribution to the OCP community enables innovations such as Qualcomm Centriq 2400 to be designed in and deployed into the data centers rapidly. In collaborating with Microsoft and other industry leading partners, we are democratizing system design and enabling a broad-based ARM server ecosystem.”

QDT is also signing up as a gold member of the Open Compute Project (OCP) Foundation. This follows Microsoft’s own decision to join OCP in 2014, and Microsoft itself announced that Qualcomm will be participating in its Project Olympus initiative to create a next-generation hardware design and model for open source hardware. That means that the ARM64 architecture will join Intel’s Xeon and AMD’s Naples architectures in building out high-performance data centers.

Microsoft

“Microsoft and QDT are collaborating with an eye to the future addressing server acceleration and memory technologies that have the potential to shape the data center of tomorrowm” said Microsoft’s Dr. Leendert van Doorn, distinguished engineer for Microsoft Azure. “Our joint work on Windows Server for Microsoft’s internal use, and the Qualcomm Centriq 2400 Open Compute Motherboard server specification, compatible with Microsoft’s Project Olympus, is an important step toward enabling our cloud services to run on QDT-based server platforms.”

QDT hasn’t announced exactly when ARM-based servers will make their way into Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure. Once it does, however, Intel’s hold on at least Microsoft’s server business will be dealt something of a blow, squeezing the company’s processor business from both the high and low ends as Windows 10 makes its way to ARM and AMD continues to compete against its Core line of CPUs.

Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 driver updates improve speed and stability

Why it matters to you

Your Surface Book or Surface Pro 4 should run faster and with better stability after you install this driver update.

If you own one of Microsoft’s Surface devices, then you’re likely accustomed to waiting patiently for new driver and firmware updates that might solve a problem or two. Certainly, while Microsoft’s Surface line is full of great options and has sold well, the company has struggled at times with getting the machines to perform in a stable fashion.

Many of the worst battery and sleep issues were resolved with firmware updates in 2016 but that is not stopping Microsoft from making additional adjustments and improvements. On Wednesday, Microsoft issued the March 2017 update for both the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 and provided the details in a TechNet blog post rather than the usual Surface update pages.

More: Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Review

For the Surface Pro 4, a number of key components received new driver software versions. Of particular interest is the update to the solid-state drive controller that promises improved storage performance. Here are the details:

• Surface UEFI (V106.1427.768.0) improves system stability and performance.
• Surface Display (V1.0.6.1) updates the display panel driver.
• Surface NVM Express Controller (V11.0.0.1) improves storage performance.
• Intel Management Engine Interface (V11.6.0.1042) improves system stability on startup.

The Surface Book received some of the same and some different driver update, with an apparent focus across the board on improved performance and stability. Here is what has been updated:

• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M (v21.21.13.7667) improves system stability.
• Surface UEFI (v90.1427.768.0) improves system stability and performance.
• Surface NVM Express Controller (v11.0.0.1) improves storage performance.
• Intel(R) Management Engine Interface (v11.6.0.1042) improves system stability on startup.
• Surface Integration (v1.1.328.0) improves battery life during sleep.
• Surface Integration Service Device (v1.0.241.0) improves device stability.
• Surface USB Hub Firmware Update (v1.0.519.0) improves stability and power utilization of the USB hub in the device base.

As usual, the update should roll along and update itself automatically and then ask to reboot the system. You can download the updates in MSI format from Microsoft’s Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 drivers and firmware page if you want to install them manually.

How to personalize your Android phone with themes, launchers, and more!

Every Android user has a theme on their phone. They just don’t know it yet.

Updated March 2017: Links were added to newer content and images were refreshed.

Even if you don’t know what icon packs or launchers are, if your phone has a home screen on it, it’s got a theme. Android users don’t have to live in their app drawers; they can choose how their phone looks and functions. They can use widgets to interact with apps without opening them. They can use custom icons to theme or obscure the apps on their phone from prying eyes. They can even use gestures and contextual data to help their phone adapt to where they are and what they’re doing.

So, what are Android themes and how can you get started with one?

What’s in a theme?

There are many types of themes within Android, but the kinds we’re going to refer to throughout this article are home screen themes or launcher themes. A theme is the visual styling of your home screen, through the choice and use of launchers, wallpapers, widgets, icon packs, sounds, and other elements.

When most users think of themes, they imagine complex elements and high-maintenance setups. They imagine custom KWGT widgets and elaborate icon packs. And while there are many people who do completely overhaul their launchers regularly, for most of us, a theme does not mean changing the way your phone is set up, only how that setup looks.

Even if you’re not interested in making your home screen look pretty, there are some other uses for launcher themes and customization that you may be interested in:

• Hiding apps: Most launchers have the option of hiding an app from the app drawer, but for apps that you want easily accessible but away from prying eyes, many launchers also allow you to rename apps and give them icons less likely to draw the eye. Or make them invisible all together.
• Transferring themes and setups: Your mother just got a new phone, but she just wants everything where it was on her old one. Well, with theme backups, you can make all her Android devices look like her old one.
• Efficiency: The less time you spend fumbling around your app drawer looking for the app you need, the quicker you can get back to doing something with your life besides staring at your phone. Many launchers will re-order your apps based on your location, and through the use of your launcher’s folders, you can cut down on the clutter, both in your app drawer and on your home screen.
• Choice: Don’t like the way your app drawer is alphabetized? Don’t like only having a 4×4 grid on your home screen and not being able to resize your widgets? A third-party launcher can let you choose just about everything about your launcher experience.

Launchers and how to use them

All phones come with a launcher, which is the interface through which users interact with their phone’s apps and customize their home screens. [Samsung](/samsung] phones come with the TouchWiz launcher, HTC phones come with Sense Home, LG simply calls its launcher the Home launcher, and Pixel phones use the Pixel Launcher, and so on. Some of these launchers have more options than others.

Samsung’s TouchWiz launcher allows you to resize the home screen grid. Both TouchWiz and Sense allow custom system themes, with theme galleries for users to select from, and the benefit of these themes go beyond the home screen. These themes also reach the notification shade, and system apps like Settings, Messages, and the Phone dialer. So, even if you’re looking into getting a third-party launcher, if you phone has these themes, you might want to browse through them.

If you’re ready to jump into the wonderful world of third-party launchers, there’s a lot out there to choose from, but here are three launchers that should help you get your feet wet.

• Nova Launcher: Nova is one of the most popular launchers out there that doesn’t ship on a phone. While being highly customizable, it’s still a launcher that is easy for most beginners to ease into. Nova is also has a free version for you to cut your teeth on before you invest in Nova Prime.
• Action Launcher 3: Action Launcher 3 is a fan favorite — and an editor favorite, too — and if you’re looking for a launcher with a new twist on efficiency, AL3 may be just the ticket. Quickdrawer can replace the app drawer with a fast-scrolling app list on the left side of the screen, and features like Shutters and Covers help conserve space using folders and widgets in new ways.
• Yahoo Aviate: If you want to let your launcher do the organizational work for you, perhaps try Aviate, the launcher that Yahoo acquired. Aviate adapts to your schedule and your locations to arrange the apps and widgets it thinks you need right now.

If you’re looking for more launchers to try, see our favorite launchers!

It all begins with a wallpaper…

No matter what launcher you use, you need something to put up behind your widgets and apps. Wallpapers come from all corners of the internet and beyond. If you’re not using a picture of your kids or your dog or that lovely little cabin up in Denver that you’re gonna own just as soon as the stock market improves, you may want to consider replacing the wallpaper that came on your phone with pictures from one of these sources:

• Muzei: If you’re looking for beautiful wallpapers that will rotate out on a regular basis, Muzei and its many, many extensions are here for you. Muzei is a live wallpaper, meaning it’s a program rather than a single static image. Muzei will pull pictures from one or more gallery sources and set a new one as your wallpaper every few hours.
• Android Central’s Wallpaper Weekly: We showcase five new wallpapers every week to help give you some topical, top-notch wallpapers for your home screen
• Zedge: Zedge is kinda like the Walmart of wallpapers, ringtones and other theme elements. Zedge hosts tens of thousands of wallpapers for you to download and apply, from dozens of categories.
• DeviantArt: If you’re looking for some more artistic fare for your wall? Go to the venue tens of millions of artists use to share their art with the world. DeviantArt has it all, from nouveau tableaus to digital renderings to classic paintings.
• Icon Packs: If you’re intending to use an icon pack, many packs come with wallpapers to compliment the icons they’ve worked so hard on.

Widgets, widgets everywhere

Widgets are basically miniature apps that run on your homescreen. There are several types of widgets, from toggle widgets to control your Hue Lights to forecast widgets for your local weather to playback widgets to control your music. Most of your apps probably came with some kind of widget, and in addition there are third party widgets you can download if you don’t like those.

They allow us to access and interact with data from our apps without having to open the full app every time. I can go to the next track in Play Music without having to go into my current queue. I can mute my phone and turn off my mobile data without going into Settings. I can turn on my Hue lights without ever leaving my home screen.

Widgets also serve as shortcuts into apps, or better yet into specific functions of an app. The Google Keep widget lets me access my most recent notes or start a new one without keeping the icon in my dock. The Netflix widget can take me to the next episode of my current shows. My weather widget can take me to current conditions of one of my forecasts, depending on what I click.

Also falling under the category of widgets are Shortcuts, which are lumped into Widgets with many launchers including Nova. The icon for your app drawer is a shortcut. Other popular shortcuts are contact shortcuts, to call your spouse or text your kids, and setting shortcuts, such as Tethering, Location, and Power. In addition, shortcuts can take you into certain playlists, albums, or activities within an app.

Make your apps pop — or blend in — with icon packs

Much as we wish it weren’t so, not all icons are created equal. Google has guidelines for app icons, but Samsung and HTC and LG do, too. And each developer may have their own ideas about how their icon should or shouldn’t fit with those guidelines. As a result, our app drawers often look like a melting pot of icon styles. Well, never fear! Icon packs are here to make our apps look uniform again… at least in the launcher.

Now, most launchers that come preloaded on your phone do not allow you to use icon packs from the Google Play Store. Even the themes on HTC and Samsung phones don’t allow you to apply icon packs from the Play Store, only from their proprietary stores. So, if you’re interested in theming your icons without doing it one at a time, you’ll need to seek out a third-party launcher with custom icon support, such as Nova Launcher or Action Launcher 3.

As mentioned before, custom icons can help make your app drawer look uniform, but it can also help apps fly under the radar, as it were. Using a false icon or a blank icon can help turn a curiosity into an innocuous calculator or word processor. We’re not here to judge, we’re just here to help.

Check out some of our favorite icon packs

Can you hear the smartphones ring?

There’s a broadway adage that goes “Nobody leaves the theater humming the scenery”. No matter how beautiful your theme may be, the portion of your theme that those around you will notice most isn’t something they’ll see on their screen. It’s what they’ll hear from your phone every time you get a call, text, or notification. And while you can get sounds for your theme nearly anywhere, here are a few resources for finding sounds that suit your themes, your personality, and your environment.

• Zedge: Zedge has just about every ringtone you can imagine and some more that you can’t. They even have that ungodly Samsung Whistle that my mother just has to have… Anyways, Zedge is a great resource, and you can set the sounds directly in the app instead of having to download them and copy them into the proper system folder.
• Reddit: Even if you’re not much of redditor, Reddit is a wonderful place to look for ringtones and other theme elements. There are threads in r/Android every few months, if not every few weeks, where users will swap ringtones and ringtone ideas, and ringtone/wallpaper threads pop up in fandom reddits all the time.
• Audacity: Okay, this isn’t actually an Android app, it’s a desktop program. I’ve made plenty of themes in my day, and I have to say that my best themes’ sounds usually come from me sampling something from a YouTube video or a track in my music library. So if you’re not finding what you want elsewhere, clip it yourself!

And remember: sounds can be magical, nostalgic, or downright annoying. A co-worker had an Eric Cartman notification tone for two months. Every time he got a text, I wanted to throw his phone through the wall.

Be memorable, not maddening.

For adding sounds to your Android device, check out our guide to custom ringtones!

This is only the beginning…

Once you get used to your new launcher and some new widgets, we’ll be ready to dive into gesture controls, Kustom widgets, Tasker shortcuts, and much, much more… the world of Android customization is out there, just waiting to be explored. But for now, show us your screen and what you’re using on it! Have a launcher you’ll use forever? Which widget never leaves your home screen? Swear by your icon pack? Share them below! And stay tuned for more Android theming goodness!

Cutting the cord: How Modern Dad ditched cable TV

How my family took the plunge and unplugged cable TV for good.

It’s sort of a rite of passage for folks of a certain age — especially those of us who grew up in a time before cable TV. Our kids? They don’t know the differences between networks and cable news. It all looks the same — who cares how it comes in, right? But for me, the time came when the $150 a month I was paying for cable TV just wasn’t worth it.

It was time to unplug.

I’m hardly the first to cut the cord. And while it hasn’t necessarily been painless, it’s definitely been a bit easier than I expected. And the best part is that there’s no single way to do it.

What works for me may work for you, or maybe it won’t. But at the very least I think it’ll get you moving in the right direction. Here’s a breakdown of everything I’m using.

Subscribe to Modern Dad on Youtube!

The hardware

Android TV

Le Eco sent me a Super4 X65 TV to check out. It’s not the most high-end display out there, and there a number of nagging little software bugs. But it’s pretty darn good for the price and looks great in my living room. (I’d wait for those bugs to be worked out before buying, though.)

Android TV built into the TV is glorious.

But the big difference for me is that it’s got Android TV built in. I’ve been using Android TV since its inception, of course. (Hell, since before it was Android TV, really.) And while it’s great in a box, it’s even better when it’s built in. You don’t have to worry about switching inputs on a remote — you just scroll down through the UI to pick what you want. That’s made things a good bit easier on the wife and kids.

A downside, though, is that if you want to use a separate Android TV box, you’ll essentially be running Android TV on top of Android TV, which was a little crazy when I plugged in an NVIDIA Shield TV. (But that’s also something most folks are unlikely to do.)

Why’d I even attempt that little bit of inception? The Shield TV is the only Android TV instance that has access to Amazon videos. (Damn exclusives strike again.) That’s another thing to consider. If you just have to have Amazon Video, you’ll need a separate piece of hardware to get it.

See at Amazon

In the bedroom: Apple TV

In the bedroom I’ve got an aging dumb TV that I’m using with a latest-gen Apple TV. It’s definitely got more of an app-launcher feel than an embedded OS. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, just different. And there are a ton of apps, and all the content you’d expect to find from Apple.

There’s not a whole lot of fault to be found in Apple TV.

The screen savers are beautiful. Ridiculously so. I’m seriously considering upgrading the TV back there just so they look better. I could spend all day watching the aerials. For as good as the Chromecast backdrops are, these are even better. (And not clunked up by the optional on-screen chrome that Google goes for.) And Airplay is as easy as Chromecast when it comes to shooting things over from an iPhone, iPad or Mac. Maybe even easier. (And it’s seamless when it comes to using one of those devices to input text.)

Apple TV has the added bonus of a proper ethernet port for better connectivity — again, that’s a concern when it comes to streaming. (But even then you’re still at the mercy of the stream itself.)

See at Apple

The only real down side to Apple TV is that the remote is awful. I’m not even talking about the weird touchpad — just the lack of ergonomics and ridiculous button scheme. Which leads me to …

Logitech Harmony remotes

Investing in a couple good universal remotes has made a world of difference. This is especially true if you’ve got multiple boxes connected to a single TV. (I can’t stand having to deal with more than one remote.)

In the living room I’ve been using a Logitech Harmony Pro system. The gist is that the remote doesn’t actually control the TV — it fires commands to a little Wifi-connected hub, and that shoots commands to the TV. The advantage here is that the remote doesn’t actually have to have line-of-sight access to what it’s controlling. (And there’s a little IR extender you can use on the Harmony hub, so you can tuck these things in fun, out-of-the-way locations.

It’s a little overkill. The remotes can control a lot of things. Sonos. Nest. Philips Hue lights. Plus everything in your entertainment system. The Elite has a touchscreen to help out, but I haven’t ever really wanted to change the thermostat on this thing. It’s easier to just yell at Alexa or Google Home to do that.

In the bedroom I’ve got a Harmony Companion. It’s basically the same thing, with a scaled down remote. No touchscreen, but damned if this isn’t the most beautifully designed device I own. The curves on the back of the remote are to die for. (I desperately want this thing to be made into a phone.) It’s also a lot less expensive, but it still lets me control the Hue lights in the bedroom. This is probably the remote I’d recommend for most folks.

Harmony CompanionHarmony Elite

Yeah, but what about …

I know, I know. There are a million different ways to cut the cord. And I’ve tried a lot of hardware in the past few months. Some other serious contenders include:

• OTA HD antenna: Not every service covers everything yet. I’m using a couple indoor over-the-air antennas for networks. These things are directional, though, so check first to see what’ll work best for you.
• Roku 4 Ultra: This is the best solution for most people, I think. It has access to more services than either Google or Apple alone. (And it includes Amazon video.) It’s also a relatively inexpensive $99.
• NVIDIA Shield TV: This is the only standalone Android TV box you should consider. It’s way powerful, and needs to be because it’s also a pretty good gaming console. Plus it’s got access to Amazon video.
• Xbox One S: It’s a gaming console first, and a streaming box second. But also having a Blu-Ray player built-in makes it pretty compelling. Problem is it doesn’t have access to two of the streaming services I use.
• Streaming sticks: They’re small. They’re cheap. And I don’t use them. They’re just not very powerful, and streaming is prone to lag and freezes even on good hardware. Spend a little extra and get good hardware.

The streaming services

This is where you have to do a little homework if you want to save some money. First I looked at what we were spending on cable TV every month. Then I started comparing streaming plans. If we broke $150, then none of this would be worth it.

The really nice part here is that there aren’t any contracts, and generally speaking there are free trials. So you can try things out, and come and go as you please.

Also, yes: You get live TV. And a good bit more.

We started out with Sling. It’s not bad at all, and certainly worth a look. But ultimately we’ve ended up on PlayStation Vue. We’re on the most expensive plan at $65 a month, which is what we had to do to get all the channels we wanted. (Some things — like bundles — may never change, I guess.) We probably have about as many channels as we did with cable (I never actually counted), including some we didn’t have before.

The bottom line

So let’s do some math.

Our previous cable TV bills were $152 a month, including taxes and fees and box rentals and lord knows what else.

We’re now paying $65 a month for PSVue. I haven’t even been counting the $10 a month for Netflix, and $7.99 for Hulu, for which we already were paying. (And if you break Amazon Prime costs down monthly, that’s another $8.35 a month.)

You need to do a little homework (and math) if you want to save money. But I’m now saving hundreds of dollars a year.

So that all totals out to $91 a month for more channels and content than any of us at home can (or should) watch. For the math-impaired, we’re saving about $732 a year, and not watching any less.

Is it as easy as cable TV? Nope. Menus are a little slower and not as simple. Picture quality isn’t always 100 percent as good — but generally it’s good enough.

And this one’s going to be a thing going forward — my ISP gives us 1 terabyte of data before it starts charging us extra. That’ll be something we have to watch as we consume more 4K content. (And is maybe a reason to deal with Blu-Ray disks.)

Again, your mileage will vary. There’s no one way to do this. You need to do your homework to see if the available services will actually save your any money in the first place, and then whether it’ll save enough to make the switch worth it.

For my family, though? We haven’t looked back.

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How to turn off the LG G6’s ‘squircle’ icon frames

There’s a fix for that rounded square issue.

When it comes to squircle-shaped icons, there are two distinct groups: those who don’t care at all and those who feel like they’re nails on a chalkboard. If you land in the latter group, you’ll be scrambling to turn off the LG G6’s “rounded square” icon frames, which are turned on by default in order to normalize the size and shape of all icons on the phone.

It only takes a few taps to turn everything back to normal, though, and here’s a quick step-by-step process to get it done.

Open the Settings and scroll down to Home screen
Tap on Icon shape in the list
Tap the circle next to Original

• For a quick comparison between the two styles, toggle back and forth to watch the icons change above

Tap OK in the bottom right corner
Press the Home button to see the new icons on your home screen!

And there you are! All of your icons will be back to their own unique shapes. It’s worth noting that LG’s own apps will still retain their squircle shapes, though that may not be nearly as bothersome as forcibly applying the same shape and framing to other apps.

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