Experts claim Galaxy S8’s display is the most impressive they’ve seen in a phone

Why it matters to you

Samsung’s improved display in the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus should benefit everything from gaming and watching movies to simply using the phone outdoors.

One look at Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 and you know the company spent a great deal of time perfecting the screen. From the nearly nonexistent bezels to the elegant curves at both edges, and the way the panel dominates the surface of the phone, the S8’s screen might be its most singularly defining feature. And now, experts at DisplayMate have awarded it with the highest rating they have ever handed out.

In its report, DisplayMate calls the new Samsung flagship’s 5.8-inch AMOLED screen the “most innovative and high performance” the company has ever lab tested and was particularly impressed by the device’s color accuracy and a wider spectrum of colors. The analysts found that the S8’s display could reproduce 113 percent of DCI-P3 and 142 percent of sRGB / Rec.709 color gamuts. Coupled with the Mobile HDR Premium certification, it reportedly outperforms the S7’s screen by almost every measure, but especially when used in high ambient light conditions or for watching 4K UHD content.

More: Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus: Our first take

DisplayMate also notes the sub-pixel rendering technique Samsung used on the 2,960 x 1,440 panel makes the display look significantly sharper. As explained in the report, sub-pixel rendering treats each component of a pixel — the red, green, and blue elements — as independent, rather than constrained in the same cluster. This results in images that can appear to have up to triple the resolution of whatever the screen is rated at. Bear in mind, the S8 already packs 570 pixels per inch.

The S8 set several records in DisplayMate’s testing, the most notable being a peak brightness of 1,020 nits — 17 percent brighter than the S7 — which the report claims are necessary for viewing HDR content as intended. But even when using the phone under normal conditions, the improved viewing angles and automatic brightness setting offered by the S8’s front and back dual ambient light sensors should result in a better experience. The rear sensor measures the light behind the device that you typically see in the periphery, making it a more accurate measure of surrounding conditions to adjust the display.

What makes these improvements even more remarkable is that Samsung apparently didn’t increase the power going to the display with the S8. In other words, the phone is accomplishing all of these enhancements — higher brightness, wider color gamut, and improved sharpness — while sapping the same energy as 2016’s model. As impressed as we were with the S8’s screen when we had some hands-on time with it at Samsung’s Unpacked event, the hard data helps put things into perspective.

This awesome arctic doomsday vault for data has ultra-safe storage down cold

Why it matters to you

Paranoid about losing your cat photos, or something even more important? This underground vault stores data as photosensitive film to keep it safe from any possible attack.

You know what’s cooler than a doomsday vault for storing the world’s most valuable data? A doomsday vault for storing the world’s most valuable data that looks like the villainous lair from a James Bond movie, and opened for business this month.

What we’re referring to is the newly opened Arctic World Archive, a data vault which shares a mountain headquarters with Global Seed Vault, a giant archive of the world’s plant seeds. Located in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole, it promises to be the safest place for your data on the entire planet.

More: How the father of the World Wide Web plans to reclaim it from Facebook and Google

“We’ve developed a unique new technology for the long-term preservation of digital data for future generations,” Katrine Thomsen, project manager for the Arctic World Archive, told Digital Trends. “We needed a really secure place, which turned out to be a mine in Svalbard. In the mine, there are perfect conditions, between negative-5 and negative-10 degrees Celsius, and with the right amount of humidity.”

The technology being used by the Piql, the archiving company which is running the vault, involves writing data onto ultra-durable photosensitive film, much like a massive QR code. By not only not being online but no longer even in digital form, the data is safe from cyber attacks — while the former coal mine bunker is deep enough to survive nuclear attacks, too.

“When you want to retrieve it at some point in the future, you simply scan the film using one of our scanners or use some magnifying light and a means of capturing it like a camera, and you get your data back to re-create the program,” Thomsen continued.

Already, Piql is receiving some fascinating material for archiving — such as history documents relating to the constitution in Brazil, as well as historical documents from Mexico, which date back all the way to the Incas. That doesn’t mean the company isn’t available to private companies or citizens, though. If you’re so inclined, you can store your precious snaps of the cat wearing his adorable Christmas coat.

“We can store any kind of data, from pictures and sound to text,” Thomsen said. “When we receive data from someone, which can be sent to us either over the internet or through some other storage method, we run it through our software and print it on film. In the long-term, our solution is much more affordable than other digital storage solutions, where people have to migrate the data all the time.”

Our only question now is how long it takes for this place to show up as a location in a future Dan Brown novel? We give it a couple of years — tops.

This awesome arctic doomsday vault for data has ultra-safe storage down cold

Why it matters to you

Paranoid about losing your cat photos, or something even more important? This underground vault stores data as photosensitive film to keep it safe from any possible attack.

You know what’s cooler than a doomsday vault for storing the world’s most valuable data? A doomsday vault for storing the world’s most valuable data that looks like the villainous lair from a James Bond movie, and opened for business this month.

What we’re referring to is the newly opened Arctic World Archive, a data vault which shares a mountain headquarters with Global Seed Vault, a giant archive of the world’s plant seeds. Located in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole, it promises to be the safest place for your data on the entire planet.

More: How the father of the World Wide Web plans to reclaim it from Facebook and Google

“We’ve developed a unique new technology for the long-term preservation of digital data for future generations,” Katrine Thomsen, project manager for the Arctic World Archive, told Digital Trends. “We needed a really secure place, which turned out to be a mine in Svalbard. In the mine, there are perfect conditions, between negative-5 and negative-10 degrees Celsius, and with the right amount of humidity.”

The technology being used by the Piql, the archiving company which is running the vault, involves writing data onto ultra-durable photosensitive film, much like a massive QR code. By not only not being online but no longer even in digital form, the data is safe from cyber attacks — while the former coal mine bunker is deep enough to survive nuclear attacks, too.

“When you want to retrieve it at some point in the future, you simply scan the film using one of our scanners or use some magnifying light and a means of capturing it like a camera, and you get your data back to re-create the program,” Thomsen continued.

Already, Piql is receiving some fascinating material for archiving — such as history documents relating to the constitution in Brazil, as well as historical documents from Mexico, which date back all the way to the Incas. That doesn’t mean the company isn’t available to private companies or citizens, though. If you’re so inclined, you can store your precious snaps of the cat wearing his adorable Christmas coat.

“We can store any kind of data, from pictures and sound to text,” Thomsen said. “When we receive data from someone, which can be sent to us either over the internet or through some other storage method, we run it through our software and print it on film. In the long-term, our solution is much more affordable than other digital storage solutions, where people have to migrate the data all the time.”

Our only question now is how long it takes for this place to show up as a location in a future Dan Brown novel? We give it a couple of years — tops.

Playback issues frustrate some Google Play Music users

Why it matters to you

Google Play Music is one of the world’s leading music streaming platforms, so these issues could affect a large number of users.

Users on the Google Play Help Forum are reporting issues with playback in Google Play Music, specifically about songs that intermittently stop. The issue in question actually dates back to July of last year, but was unearthed again this week following a post on Reddit.

The problems seem to differ from one account to the next. Some users cite songs that stop playing just before the end. Others, like the first post on Google’s forum, describe being able to play several songs successfully before the fourth or fifth one cuts out during the first few seconds.

More: Some Google Pixel phones have a microphone issue, but Google implemented a fix.

What’s more, the issues don’t seem to be constrained to a single device. That initial post references a Samsung Galaxy S5 Neo, and many others involve Pixel phones running the latest Android firmware. It also doesn’t seem to matter where the music is stored, be it locally or on Google’s streaming platform.

The attempted solutions are wide-ranging and don’t appear to be universally successful. Some have suggested rolling back to a previous version of the Google Play Music app, while others have fixed the bug by clearing the cache. One user even said the issue disappeared after upgrading his account to a 30-day free trial. Certain conditions, like Bluetooth streaming, have also been identified by some to exacerbate the problems; conversely, charging appears to prevent it, indicating power management issues.

These kinds of glitches are really the worst type of problem you can encounter on Android, in that they are platform-wide and seemingly don’t adhere to a set, consistent behavior. It’s challenging to develop a solution to a problem that affects a wide range of devices and presents in a myriad of ways.

Thankfully, the issue appears to be gaining visibility, increasing the likelihood that Google will have a fix out soon. If you’re affected by it, be sure to keep an eye out here as well as on that forum thread. You can also report your experience to the company via chat or phone.

Sprinkles is a new app from Microsoft that uses AI to caption your photos

Why it matters to you

Sometimes, half the battle of posting a good picture lies in the caption. Sprinkles wants to help with its AI capabilities.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but the right words underneath a picture? That’s priceless. That, at least, appears to be the bet Microsoft is making with its latest photo app. It’s called Sprinkles, and it claims to “make your photos fun in two seconds.”

For now, it’s an iOS-only application but it already appears quite popular, having made its way into the “New apps we love” section of the App Store. Taking aim at a younger generation of users, Sprinkles gives you everything you need to decorate your photos (like stickers, emojis, and more), but differentiates itself by adding a bit of artificial intelligence to the mix.

More: Confirmed: Microsoft will unveil Project Scorpio this week

You see, Sprinkles is able to detect faces, figure out how old the photograph’s subject is, how he or she is feeling, and thereby suggest captions for you. Because we can’t all feel clever all the time. Sprinkles can even tell you who your celebrity look-a-like is, which could go a long way in helping you determine what to write under your image.

While none of these features in and of themselves are brand new (Microsoft previously helped you find your celebrity resemblance with CelebsLike.me, and guessed your age with How-Old.net), it’s notable that all these tools are now living under a single roof in a single app. Not only can Sprinkles suggest captions based on the content of the photo, but it can also draw inspiration from where or when the photo was taken (like a TGIF caption for your end-of-the-week snapshot).

Once you’ve sufficiently jazzed up your picture, you can share the masterpiece via text, Facebook, Twitter, email, among other methods. So if you are looking for another photo app to distract you, Sprinkles may be a good way to go.

Black women in tech make 79 cents for every $1 a white man makes in the same job

Why it matters to you

Everyone deserves to make the same amount for the same job — and gender, race, and sexuality shouldn’t influence that.

We live in the 21st century, and as such you would hope that gender, race, and sexuality doesn’t impact how much a person can make. Unfortunately, however, it seems as though we still have a long way to go when it comes to pay equality.

A recent study published by Hired suggests that almost two in three women are paid a lower salary for the same job than their male counterparts. While that’s a little better than last year, when 69 percent of women were paid less compared to 63 percent this year, the figures show that there’s still a lot of work to be done.

More: ‘Oh! THAT memo.’ PayPal plans gender equality program with all-male panel

For the study, Hired looked at data from 120,000 salary offers to 27,000 different candidates at 4,000 different tech companies. In general, 75 percent of the applicants were men — and Hired found that a whopping 53 percent of the time companies only interviewed men, compared to 6 percent of the time when only women were interviewed.

In general, women were paid 4 percent less than men for the same job, but gender isn’t the only differentiator that researchers looked at. Asian men were paid 96 cents for ever dollar a white man made, while Latino men were paid 92 cents. White women were paid 90 cents, and black men were paid 88 cents. Asian women made 87 cents, and Latina women made 83 cents. Finally, black women made only 79 cents for every dollar a white man made.

In addition to the inequality in gender and race when it comes to pay in the tech industry, researchers also looked at sexualities, finding that LGBTQ individuals made less than their non-LGBTQ counterparts.

Of course, its in the companies’ best interests to pay people the same for the same job. For example, the report noted that by paying less to nonwhite men, companies are harming their job retention rate.

Things may be getting slightly better, but better really isn’t good enough. It’s long past time for pay inequality to be a thing of the past.

New AI assistant makes sure your selfies aren’t revealing more than they should

Why it matters to you

Are your selfies revealing private information you’re unaware of? This AI assistant would let you know before it’s too late.

You don’t need to be reading conspiracy theories about global elites secretly being shape-shifting reptiles to become deeply paranoid online. In fact, a quick glance at your favorite computer science academic journal (and everyone’s got at least one, right?) will be enough to convince you that, when it comes to keeping yourself safe and secure, you’ve been doing everything all wrong.

There are a plethora of potential identifiers in virtually every picture, from obvious ones like faces which be recognized by machines to ones that sound like they come straight from a James Bond movie, such as extracting fingerprints from high-res photos that show your hands. Fortunately, researchers at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Informatics are on the case, and in a newly published paper, they reveal their solution: An AI which proactively scans every image you prepare to post and alerts you whether it’s secretly revealing data you really don’t want to share.

More: Facial recognition systems could be confused by these guerrilla T-shirt designs

The system they describe would involve a deep learning neural network trained to recognize revealing patterns in large amounts of data, and then to search for those same patterns in subsequent images. For their work, the Max Planck Institute researchers collected thousands of images, and then filtered them into 68 different privacy categories, based on information they’re revealing.

arXiv/Orekondy et. al.

They also conducted surveys into how much data people were happy to share online, and how much they thought particular photos were revealing — thereby highlighting the fact that we, as puny humans, really aren’t that good at parsing this particular task.

The AI would therefore be a weight off users’ mind, as we would be alerted of potential privacy issues without having to scour every picture, Where’s Waldo?-style, for obscure revealing clues.

No, the privacy-minded Siri isn’t ready yet — with a large part of the reason being that some of the technology described isn’t yet up to the necessary performance standards. But with privacy an increasingly big issue, and deep learning advancing at an astonishingly rapid rate, it’s good to know that people are thinking of new ways to keep us safe.

Who knows? In 10 years time, a tool like this could be as ubiquitous as spell check!

Amazon Cash lets you shop on Amazon without a bank card

You can now pay for things on Amazon with cash… sort of.

Another sign of the increasingly cashless world we live in, Amazon is partnering up with convenience, grocery, and drug stores to give consumers a novel way to quickly flip the cash in your wallet over to your Amazon account balance.

It’s called Amazon Cash, and it uses a unique barcode associated with your Amazon account to essentially add an Amazon gift card to your Amazon account. Simply go to a participating convenience store, get the cashier to scan your barcode and load your account up with cash.

The easiest way to use Amazon Cash is to pull up your account barcode on the Amazon app on your phone, hand over your cash to the cashier, and the funds will be added to your Amazon account nearly instantly. And you don’t necessarily need a smartphone to use the service, either — you also have the option to print out your personalized barcode.

It’s essentially a new, more efficient way to buy an Amazon gift card for your own use, except you’re no longer limited by the pre-set gift card denomination. You may only add between $15 and $500 of cash to your Amazon account on one transaction and there are no fees associated with using Amazon Cash. So far there are only seven participating retail stores — CVS, Speedway, Kum and Go, D&W Fresh Market, Family Fare, VG’s Grocery and Sheetz — but more will be added in the future.

Right now, you can get $10 of bonus cash if you add $50 to your account via Amazon Cash before May 31.

Learn more about Amazon Cash

Project Fi vs. T-Mobile: Which is better for you?

Fi or T-Mo? Which should you choose?

T-Mobile is one of the Big Four carriers in the U.S. (along with AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint), and its casual approach to contracts and limitations is what draws customers in for the long haul. Google takes an even more cavalier approach to contracts and data caps with its Project Fi, leasing coverage from the bigger networks to bring you lower prices (usually).

Which is better for you? Let’s compare the two and see.

• T-Mobile background
• Project Fi background
• T-Mobile plans
• Project Fi plans
• Project Fi phones
• Which is best?

T-Mobile background

Who owns it? Deutsche Telekom

Which network does it use? T-Mobile 4G LTE (da-durr)

How long has it been around? Since 1990

Tethering allowed? Yes, up to 10GB of 4G LTE free (3G speeds after 10GB)

Cheapest plan: $45/month: Prepaid, up to 4GB of 4G LTE, unlimited talk, text, and 2G data, Music Unlimited

Project Fi background

Who owns it? Google

Which network does it use? Sprint CDMA and LTE, T-Mobile 4G LTE, U.S. Cellular CDMA and LTE

How long has it been around? Since 2015

Tethering allowed? Yes

Cheapest plan: $20/month: Unlimited nationwide talk and text, unlimited international text

Advertisement

T-Mobile plans

T-Mobile has really pared down its plan selection to, essentially, just one plan, aptly named “T-Mobile ONE”. Starting at $75 per month, you get unlimited talk, text, and data, with speeds throttled after you use 30GB of data in a month (very few people ever do). There are then discounts for every line you add.

1 line	$75/month
2 lines	$100/month (with $5 Autopay discount)
3 lines	$140/month (with $5 Autopay discount)
4 lines	$160/month (with $5 Autopay discount)
What’s included	Tethering unlimited SD video streaming unlimited talk, text, and 2G data Music Unlimited

Price	$45/month	$55/month
What’s included	Tethering unlimited SD video streaming unlimited talk, text, and 2G data Music Unlimited

Note: T-Mobile likes to change its pricing often. Above prices are as valid of April 4, 2017.

Add-ons

T-Mobile ONE Plus: $5 per line, per month gets you unlimited HD video streaming in the U.S., 2x non-LTE data speeds, unlimited tethering with the first 10GB at up to 4G LTE speeds, plus unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi on Gogo-enabled flights, voicemail to text, and name ID.

T-Mobile ONE Plus International: $25 per line, per month gets you unlimited HD video streaming in the U.S., 2x non-LTE data speeds, unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi on Gogo-enabled flights, voicemail to text, name ID, unlimited international calling to landlines in 70+ countries and mobile numbers in 30+ countries, and unlimited 4G LTE tethering.

T-Mobile Tuesdays: T-Mo Tuesdays is not a paid add-on; it’s how T-Mobile likes to show appreciation for its customers. Every Tuesday, you’ll get free stuff, just for having the T-Mobile Tuesdays app downloaded. You’ll get free stuff from great brands, like PetSmart and ESPN, as well as movie tickets, discounts, downloads, and more.

Project Fi plans

Project Fi offers two types of plans: family and single line. What you get with each plan is the same, but you’ll save money on each additional family plan line (up to 5 lines).

Price	$20/month	$10/month
Free Extras	Unlimited international texting Call and text from any Android or iPhone

Family Plan

Primary line price	$20/month	$10/month
Secondary lines (up to 5)	$15/month	$10/month
Free Extras	Unlimited international textingCall and text from any Android or iPhone

Note: Google calls the base Project Fi plan “The Basics.” No data is included and must be purchased at the rate of $10/GB. Data is not shared between lines on a family plan. Each line pays the same $10 per GB of data (domestic and international in 135 countries) with the cost of any unused data refunded at the end of each month

Add-ons

Data-only SIM:

Google offers a data-only SIM card to use in any compatible LTE device, It shares data with the primary line at the same $10/GB rate. You need to have at least one line of service and purchase a minimum of 1GB of data to use the data-only SIM card.

Data pricing:

• 1GB of 4G LTE: $10/month

Phone Insurance:

$5 per month, per device covers accidental damages and device malfunctions. You can make one in a 12-month period. Deductibles are $79 for Pixel, $99 for Pixel XL, $69 for Nexus 5X, $99 for Nexus 6P. When you make a claim Google will ship out a replacement device the next business day.

International add-ons:

International cellular calls cost $0.20 per minute.

• Learn more

Google Wi-Fi services:

Your Project Fi phone service includes Wi-Fi calling and texting anywhere in the world. In addition, Google VPN services are available and allow you to connect to open Wi-Fi hotspots safely and securely.

• Learn more

Advertisement

Project Fi and Google Hangouts apps:

The Project Fi app is tied to your Google account and can be installed on any Android or iPhone. You can pay your bill, check account balances and talk to customer service through the app at no cost. The Google Hangouts app allows calls and texts using your Project Fi number on any Android or iPhone.

Project Fi phones

Project Fi only supports phones from Google. That means your selection is currently limited to:

• Nexus 5X
• Nexus 6
• Nexus 6P
• Google Pixel
• Google Pixel XL

Note: While it’s possible to enable Project Fi on unsupported phones, this is against the Project Fi terms of service.

A data-only SIM is available and can be used in any compatible LTE device as long as at least one line of Fi service is active.

Which one is better?

Looking at the big picture, Project Fi is the better way to go, because $75/month for 30GB is a lot of money to spend on a lot of data that you likely won’t use. According to NPD Research, the average person only uses 3.53GB per month. In fact, 95% of Americans don’t use more than 10GB of data per month.

If you pay for The Basics and 4GB of data from Project Fi, that’s only costing you $60/month. Plus, if you pay for more data than you actually use on Project Fi, you get a refund for that amount at the end of your billing cycle.

Project Fi also leases coverage from more than one network, so where T-Mobile’s coverage falters, Fi is able to fill in the blanks with Sprint and U.S. Cellular’s networks.

All that being said, Project Fi only works with five phones. If you’re not into any of their hardware or software, then you’ll likely be put off by Project Fi. You can bring just about any unlocked phone to T-Mobile — all you need to do is make sure it’s compatible.

T-Mobile’s multi-line deals are pretty attractive, especially at $100 for two.

Alternative carriers (MVNOS)

• What is an alternative mobile carrier?
• What are the advantages of going with an alternative carrier?
• How to make sure your phone works on a prepaid alternative carrier
• 8 Important Considerations When Switching To An MVNO
• These are the cheapest data plans you can buy in the U.S.
• Mint SIM vs. Cricket Wireless: Which is better for you?

LeEco reportedly didn’t have enough money to pay U.S. employees in March

Things aren’t looking so good for LeEco lately…

LeEco Inc. was forced to delay payroll for U.S. employees in March, according to Bloomberg Technology, which spoke to people familiar with the matter. This latest bit of bad news from the embattled Chinese technology conglomerate seems to further confirm that the company is struggling for cash.

It’s been a tough go overall for LeEco since the company attempted to make a big splash last October when it launched LeMall, its U.S. e-commerce store. It entered the North American market as a virtual unknown in a highly competitive space, but instead of building up its brand of smartphones, TVs, and other electronics in the new market, the company reportedly continues to struggling financially.

We reported last November how the company’s co-founder and CEO Jia Yueting wrote a letter to employees explaining how the company may have “over-extended” itself and was running out of cash. Since then, the company has started falling behind on payments to some suppliers and has struggled to maintain its premium sports broadcasting rights.

While Jia has been able to raise some capital amongst some Chinese investors, Bloomberg reports that its plans to expand into the U.S. — including its tentative deal to acquire California TV manufacturer Vizio — continues to hit roadblocks:

Jia has aggressively chased funding and attempted to establish a foothold in the U.S. But those efforts may be faltering. A proposed $2 billion acquisition of California TV maker Vizio Inc. is being held up by tighter controls on Chinese currency outflows, according to a person familiar with the matter, and as reported in Chinese media. That deal was intended to create a beachhead for branding and acquiring American customers. LeEco is now exploring other options, including taking a minority stake in or partnering with Vizio, the person said.

This latest bit of news certainly fits within the narrative of LeEco’s continuing struggles in North America. In October 2016, Jia confirmed that the company had at least 500 U.S. employees who may have been affected by this payroll delay.

Here’s what you need to know about LeEco