Sky Q’s promised voice search feature is finally here

Ever since Sky first started talking about its next-gen TV service, Sky Q, voice search was pitched as one of its fancy features, though clearly labelled as coming eventually. A year and change after Sky Q launched, it’s finally arrived. Subscribers can now — or, by the end at spring of the latest due to a staggered rollout — pick up their glossy Touch Remotes, hit the dedicated voice search button, and well… you get the idea.

Similar to the voice search features on Rokus, Amazon Fire TV streamers et al, Sky Qers can search through live TV and all on-demand content simply by speaking the names of actors, shows, films and directors into the Touch Remote’s microphone. You can also search by genre, age rating, average reviews and other descriptors, as well as compound these for more specific searches — Sky gives examples such as “Tom Hanks’ movies rated five stars” and “films with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.”

It gets a little bit smarter than that, too. Phrases such as “live cricket on this weekend,” “what’s on Sky Atlantic tonight” and “Liverpool game” should turn up the search results you’re after, so there’s some contextual leeway. Sky has even thrown a bunch of easter eggs, letting you to track down classics by reciting popular lines. Give “you had me at hello,” “show me the money” and “say hello to my little friend” a go, for instance.

As part of the update that enables voice search, Sky has also improved the My Photos app so it can play your Facebook videos, and notably, done away with the Sky Q home screen. The personalised My Q tab, complete with recommendations from across the service, takes its place — which is exactly the kind of curated home screen MPs are thinking about regulating, potentially forcing pay-TV providers to do more to promote the efforts of public service broadcasters.

A security expert’s guide for digital domestic violence victims

Domestic abuse takes many forms. And given the future we live in, it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that your digital life is another venue for intimidation. If you find yourself in such a situation where your phone is being used against you, Hack*Blossom has put together a guide for how to protect yourself from location stalking and text abuse, among other scenarios.

“Without judgment or obligation, DIY Cybersecurity for Domestic Violence explores cybersecurity strategies that offer immediate and tangible protection for survivors,” Hack*Blossom’s Noah Kelley writes. “Every strategy is written for accessibility, emphasizing the security potential of existing technologies while minimizing the need for new products.”

Kelley says that what started as a feminist guide to cybersecurity quickly turned into something different, as readers began detailing what they’d been through. “It was a hacked iPhone recording texts. It was a fake Facebook profile threatening physical harm. The loftier threats of political surveillance started to feel irrelevant,” he writes.

Some advice is simple, like using two-factor authentication to guard against unauthorized logins and password changes. Other information is a little more in depth, like explaining how to guard against intimate media being distributed online, and who to contact if it is.

If you or someone you know are yourself in an abusive situation, The National Domestic Violence Hotline offers 24/7 support at 1-800-799-7233 and 1-800-787-3224. Live chat is available online from 7am to 2am Central Time if making a phone call isn’t possible.

Source: Hack*Blossom (1), (2)

Bear Notes 1.1 Update Adds Infinite Nested Tags, Note Merging, 3D Touch, New Code Syntax Support, and More

Flexible writing platform Bear Notes received its first major update on Tuesday, bringing a number of highly requested features to the popular Mac/iOS app.

Perhaps top of the list is the new ability to infinitely nest tags. Previously, users could organize their notes by structuring tags in simple hierarchies, so a parent tag could have one child tag. Now, nested tags can go infinitely deep, allowing for more nuanced note organization.

A handful of other general updates include the ability to bulk delete and rename tags, change the note list font, a new way to exclude search terms, additional support to import from other apps such as Day One, code syntax highlighting in exported documents, and better Word exports.

There’s also a new High Contrast theme ideal for visually impaired users, three additional font choices, new shortcuts, expanded support for programming language syntax highlighting, and the ability to undo completed tasks.

Meanwhile, a raft of Mac and iOS specific enhancements have also been made to the writing platform.

On the Mac side, Bear introduces Touch Bar support, tag drag and drop, multiple note merging, Quadro app support, QuickLook preview support, and a new Firefox extension.

For iOS users comes the ability to Peek and Pop notes in the notes list via 3D Touch, enhanced formatting options for importing web pages via the Bear Notes extension, haptic feedback options for multiple actions, and the ability to ask Siri to read Bear notes.

The full list of updates and enhancements can be found on the Bear Notes blog.

The core version of Bear Notes v1.1 is a free download for Mac and iOS. Bear Pro is offered as a $1.49 monthly or $14.99 yearly subscription, and enables syncing between devices, exporting notes, and switching themes.
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U.S. confirms cabin ban affecting large gadgets on flights from multiple airports

Why it matters to you

If you’re impacted by the new rules, be sure to carefully pack your larger gadgets inside your hold luggage.

New rules banning plane passengers from taking electronic devices larger than a mobile phone into the cabin will go into effect this week for airlines flying to the U.S. from eight countries.

The move, put in place by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Tuesday, comes in response to new threat intelligence received by the U.S. government. No American airlines are subject to the new rules.

Ten airports will now have to ensure that devices such as laptops, tablets, e-readers, portable DVD players, and cameras are packed inside checked luggage and kept out of the cabin, until further notice.

These are:

• Dubai International in the UAE
• Abu Dhabi International in the UAE
• Istanbul Ataturk in Turkey
• Cairo International in Egypt
• King Abdulaziz International in Saudi Arabia
• King Khalid International in Saudi Arabia
• Queen Alia International in Jordan
• Kuwait International
• Doha International in Qatar
• Mohammed V Airport in Morocco

The affected airlines include Emirates, Etihad, Turkish Airlines, EgyptAir, Saudi Airlines, Royal Jordania, Kuwait Airways, Qatar Airways, and Royal Air Morocco. The ban will begin on March 24, according to information released by Royal Jordania.

The U.K. has also implemented a similar rule for in-bound flights from particular countries.

If you’re wondering how sending electronics to the hold instead of the cabin improves the safety of an aircraft in the face of a security threat, ABC News points out that the machines scanning checked luggage are in most cases more powerful than those used for hand luggage, so have a better chance of pinpointing suspicious contents.

More: The 5 longest flights in the world make NY to London feel like a hop

If you’re heading to the U.S. and you’re hit by the ban, best you load up your smartphone with content and maybe get back to basics by taking a few printed books with you. Of course, you’ll want to take extra care packing your tech gear in your suitcase — use bubble wrap or soft foam before placing it inside a tough case, and then bury it among your clothes. It goes without saying that you should use luggage locks, a measure that provides at least some protection against those on the hunt for pricey freebies. And don’t forget to password protect your laptop, just in case it does disappear en route.

The ban is sure to be a pain for carriers as well as passengers, but Emirates and Turkish Airlines have been quick to use it to trumpet their respective in-flight services:

Let us entertain you. pic.twitter.com/FKqayqUdQ7

— Emirates airline (@emirates) March 21, 2017

2 Billion minutes of entertainment on air #TurkishAirlines pic.twitter.com/2RnfZDqUWT

— Turkish Airlines (@TurkishAirlines) March 21, 2017

New Galaxy S8 leak reveals screen resolution as retail box breaks cover

The QHD+ panel on the Galaxy S8 has a resolution of 2960 x 1440.

The display scaling options we’ve seen on the Galaxy S7 with the Nougat update will be carried over to the Galaxy S8, albeit with a few changes to accommodate the tall display.

A new leaked image shows off the resolution settings for the Galaxy S8, which will also have three options: HD+ (1480×720), FHD+ (2220×1080), and QHD+ (2960×1440). The last option is the native resolution of the Galaxy S8, and similar to the LG G6, the extra-tall panel sports an 18.5:9 ratio.

Alongside the display options, we’ve got a leak that shows off the retail box of a Verizon-branded Galaxy S8 Plus. The box reveals that the phone will offer 64GB storage, but there’s no mention of the AKG-branded headphones that Samsung was rumored to include with the device. With the launch just over a week away, we don’t have to wait long to find out all there’s to know about the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

• Latest Galaxy S8 rumors!
• Galaxy S8 announcement coming March 29 in NYC
• Galaxy S8 release date set for April 28
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

Galaxy S8 DeX Station desktop dock leaks, shows off 4K support and built-in fan

The DeX Station sets the stage for the Samsung Galaxy Desktop experience.

Samsung’s Continuum-like DeX desktop dock has leaked, showing off its design as well as the features on offer. The accessory will be called the DeX Station, and will allow users to dock their Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus via a USB-C port at the bottom of the unit. The dock has two full-sized USB 2.0 ports for connecting peripherals like a mouse and keyboard, an HDMI out that supports 4K resolutions at 30fps, and there’s even a 100Mbit Ethernet port.

An interesting feature is the addition of a cooling fan, presumably to ensure that the Galaxy S8 doesn’t overheat when docked. According to WinFuture, the dock has a collapsible design, with the fan — which serves as a stand — folding inward to make the dock easy to carry around. The dock also has Adaptive Fast Charging and supports USB PD, making it convenient to charge the Galaxy S8 once its connected.

The leaked image states that the DeX Station will retail for €149, coinciding with earlier rumors. Samsung will unveil the DeX Station and the Galaxy S8 on March 29, so stay tuned for more.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

• Latest Galaxy S8 rumors!
• Galaxy S8 announcement coming March 29 in NYC
• Galaxy S8 release date set for April 28
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

Hollywood again considers $30 early movie rentals

Slowly, movie studios are putting the pieces in place for reducing the time between a film’s theatrical run and when you can watch it at home. The latest step toward this is news that Warner Bros. would be cool with people watching its movies as soon as 17 days after theatrical debut, according to Variety. That privilege would come with a $50 price tag — the same price Napster founder Sean Parker proposed over a year ago for his Screening Room service.

That price is too high though, and other studios are angling for something that won’t induce sticker shock. Rather than offer expensive immediacy, the current counteroffer from Fox is a 30-45 day gap between theatrical release and rental, with a $30 price tag. If that number sounds familiar, that’s because it’s been kicked around since at least 2011. Universal doesn’t have a price in mind yet, apparently, but wants movies to make their way home within 20 days.

As Variety notes, thanks to anti-trust laws, each studio has to come to agreements with theater chains individually. Understandably, theaters are worried that if movies make their way home too early and too cheaply that people will abandon hitting the theater in general. As such the key demand is that home video sales stay on track with the 90 day gap between debut and Blu-ray availability for at least five years. What, getting sprayed in the face with real water during a rainy scene in a movie isn’t enough to lure you back to the multiplex?

Source: Variety

Google doubles down on the news part of its ‘News & Weather’ app

Folks looking for a quick look at day’s forecast and stories have always been able to turn to Google’s News and Weather app for an overview — but apparently, it didn’t offer enough. According to Google News’ Anand Paka, users routinely hit the bottom of the app’s home page wanting more. So they’re getting more. Today Google announced that more than 200 news stories will be added to the bottom of the daily summary as a new, plainly named section: More Headlines.

It’s exactly what it sounds like — after users pan past the normal cards featuring weather and the days biggest news, the app will load extra content from the business, entertainment, sports and tech sectors. The list grows larger the longer the user scrolls, and promises fast-loading, high quality content sourced from Google News’ ranking system. The feature is rolling out to all devices over the next few days. That should keep the news junkies satisfied.

Source: Google Blog

DoubleAgent attack can use anti-virus apps to hijack your PC

Security researchers from Cybellum have discovered another technique cyber criminals can use to take over your computer. The zero-day attack called DoubleAgent exploits Microsoft’s Application Verifier tool, which developers use to detect and fix bugs in their apps. Developers have to load a DLL into their applications to check them, and Cybellum’s researchers found that hackers can use the tool to inject their own DLLs instead of the one Microsoft provides. In fact, the team proved that the technique can be used to hijack anti-virus applications and turn them into malware. The corrupted app can then be used to take control of computers running any version of Windows from XP to the latest release of Windows 10.

The researchers notified these companies three months ago that their anti-virus apps are susceptible to the technique:

• Avast (CVE-2017-5567)
• AVG (CVE-2017-5566)
• Avira (CVE-2017-6417)
• Bitdefender (CVE-2017-6186)
• Trend Micro (CVE-2017-5565)
• Comodo
• ESET
• F-Secure
• Kaspersky
• Malwarebytes
• McAfee
• Panda
• Quick Heal
• Norton

They’ve been working with some of them since, but thus far, only Malwarebytes and AVG have issued a patch. Trend-Micro plans to release one soon, as well. If you use any of the three apps, you may want to update as soon as you can. To note, Cybellum only focused its efforts on anti-virus programs, but the technique could work with any application, even Windows OS itself.

To better understand what DoubleAgent can do, make sure to watch the video below. It shows how it can turn an anti-virus app into a ransomware that encrypts files until you pay up.

Via: Bleeping Computer

Source: Cybellum

AMD’s latest driver fixes texture flickering in ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda,’ more

Why it matters to you

This new driver from AMD fixes texture flickering seen in ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ when playing the game on a multi-GPU system.

Less than a week after releasing Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.3.2, AMD issued version 17.3.3 on Tuesday, packing specific changes for Mass Effect: Andromeda. The driver includes a new multi-GPU profile for running the game using DirectX 11 and a fix that clears up texture flickering seen when running Mass Effect: Andromeda on a multi-GPU system.

Unfortunately, that is the only fix AMD customers get with the new driver for Radeon-branded graphics chips. The company issued an optimized driver for Mass Effect: Andromeda with the launch of v17.3.2 last week, getting PC gamers ready for the highly anticipated action RPG game hitting store shelves on Tuesday. So far, the overall critic reviews are mixed at best.

More: ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ review

The release notes for Radeon Software Crimson ReLive Edition 17.3.3 show that AMD still has a number of outstanding issues regarding specific games. These include Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Sniper Elite 4, Shadow Warrior 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and World of Warcraft. Here they are (again):

Ghost Recon: Wildlands:
The game may fail to launch on systems with three or four Radeon GPUs installed.
Ghost Recon: Wildlands:
Players using multiple Radeon GPUs in one system may see flickering when changing the graphics settings or performing a task switch.
Sniper Elite 4:
The game may not function with AMD FreeSync enabled.
Sniper Elite 4:
Players may see image cropping with supersampling enabled.
Shadow Warrior 2:
A missing application profile in Radeon Settings may prevent the game from using multiple Radeon GPUs at launch.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

and World of Warcraft:

Flickering or performance issues may be experienced in these games the first time they are launched with AMD FreeSync enabled.

Outside the game-specific problems listed above, AMD still has three outstanding general issues that need to be addressed. Two are tied into Radeon Settings, with one issue preventing the feature from retaining application settings when users log off the PC or reboot the device. The other Radeon Settings problem actually crashes the app after users toggle the AMD CrossFire mode and switch to another Windows account.

On the Radeon ReLive front, there are nine outstanding issues that persist, such as the incompatibility with Xbox DVR and the inability to install Radeon ReLive on devices based on AMD’s family of APUs. There is even a problem tied into Microsoft Office that corrupts the video when capturing footage containing the use of those applications.

To grab AMD’s new driver, choose your operating system below:

Windows 10:
64-bit
32-bit
Windows 8.1:
64-bit
N/A
Windows 7:
64-bit
32-bit