Google Could Include Ad-Blocker in Future Versions of Chrome Browser

Google is planning to introduce an ad-blocking feature in both the mobile and desktop versions of its Chrome web browser, according to sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal.

The feature could be turned on by default within Chrome and would be designed to filter out certain online ad types that result in poor user experiences on the web, as defined by industry group the Coalition for Better Ads.

According to the coalition’s standards, ad formats like pop-ups, auto-playing ads with audio, and ads with countdown timers fall under “a threshold of consumer acceptability” and could therefore be targets of any blocker.

Google could announce the feature within weeks, according to the paper’s sources, but it is still working out specific details and could still decide to reverse course and can the feature. One possible implementation of the filter includes blocking all advertising on a website if it hosts just one offending ad, ensuring a set standard is kept by website owners. Another option is to target specific ads.

For a company that generated over $60 billion in revenue from online advertising in 2016, the feature would seem a surprise move. However Google appears to be reacting against the growth of third-party blocking tools – some of which charge fees to let ads pass through their filters – by considering offering its own solution, which would let it control which ads pass through filters.

In the U.S., Chrome commands nearly half of the browser market across all platforms, according to online analytics provider StatCounter.

Tag: Chrome
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Bose Wireless Headphones Spy on Listeners, Lawsuit Alleges

Bose has been hit by a lawsuit that accuses the company of spying on its wireless headphone customers through its Bose Connect mobile app and violating consumer privacy rights (via Reuters).

The complaint was filed on Tuesday in a Chicago federal court by Kyle Zak, who is seeking an injunction to stop Bose’s “wholesale disregard” for the privacy of customers who download the app to their smartphones.

The lawsuit alleges that Bose tracks the listening habits of users when they are wearing headsets like the company’s QuietComfort 35 headphones, gleaning information through the app such as music tracks played, podcasts, and other audio listened to.

According to Zak, who bought a pair of $350 QC35 cans, Bose sends all available information to third parties such as Segment.io, a data capture outfit whose website promises to “collect all of your customer data and send it anywhere”.

“People should be uncomfortable with it,” Christopher Dore, a lawyer representing Zak, said in an interview. “People put headphones on their head because they think it’s private, but they can be giving out information they don’t want to share.”

Audio choices offer “an incredible amount of insight” into customers’ personalities, behavior, politics and religious views, the complaint said, citing as an example that a person who listens to Muslim prayers might “very likely” be a Muslim.

Zak is seeking millions of dollars of damages for customers who bought Bose headphones and speakers, including QuietComfort 35, QuietControl 30, SoundLink Around-Ear Wireless Headphones II, SoundLink Color II, SoundSport Wireless and SoundSport Pulse Wireless.

Zak also wants a halt to the data collection, which he said violates the federal Wiretap Act and Illinois laws against eavesdropping and consumer fraud. Bose has yet to respond to requests for comment on the proposed class action case.

Tag: Bose
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MasterCard Shopping Chatbots Now Taking Orders on Facebook Messenger

MasterCard added its digital wallet Masterpass to Facebook Messenger this week, enabling consumers to place online orders via the chat platform with just a few clicks. The rollout is still in the initial stages but the payment system is already available for some food merchants, including Subway, The Cheesecake Factory, and FreshDirect.

The transaction process involves searching for and interacting with a Messenger chat bot to specify the order from a range of options. The user then arranges a pick-up or delivery location, followed by checkout confirmation, where they pay for the order via Masterpass.

With 1.2 billion users on Messenger, MasterCard hopes the feature will boost fast food sales online by removing the need for consumers to type in their card information for every transaction. Instead, consumers load their card number and other identifying information onto the digital wallets and then use the wallets for faster shopping.

That said, users still need to input their password for every Masterpass transaction, so the system lacks the ease of use of biometric mobile payment systems like Apple Pay. MasterCard is said to be working on a similar solution.

MasterCard’s plans to bring merchant transaction bots to Facebook’s chat service where revealed in October. The credit card company also unveiled plans for bank bots, through which users can ask questions about their account, look at purchase history, monitor spending levels, receive financial assistance, and more.

Tags: Facebook Messenger, MasterCard
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Xiaomi Mi Note 2 review: Close to perfection

Quick take:

The Mi Note 2 is the first Xiaomi phone with global LTE bands, setting the stage for the company’s expansion in the future. With a dual curved display, excellent internal hardware, and high amount of customizability, the Mi Note 2 has a lot to offer for its $420 price tag.

The good

• Gorgeous design
• Excellent build quality
• High-end internals

The bad

• Limited availability
• Average camera

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Full review

Xiaomi rolled out the Mi Note 2 alongside the futuristic Mi Mix, and as a result the phone was overshadowed by its bezel-less sibling. Although it doesn’t have a cantilever piezoelectric driver for making calls, the Mi Note 2 is plenty capable and is the first from Xiaomi to feature global LTE bands. And while the dual curves at the front and back make the Mi Note 2 look like a Galaxy Note 7 knockoff, the design is an evolution from the original Mi Note which made its debut in 2015.

The Mi Note 2 signifies an important step for Xiaomi as it looks to maximize revenues in its home market. With the likes of OPPO and Vivo gaining ground in tier 2 and tier 3 cities on the back of a well-connected (and well-funded) retail distribution network, Xiaomi is looking to the mid-range segment to boost profits.

With a generous 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage along with global LTE bands (37 in total), the Mi Note 2 is the showcase device for Xiaomi’s ambitions, and while the phone isn’t selling in the millions like those in the Redmi series, the goal for Xiaomi is to show that it can hold its own in the mid-tier category.

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Specs

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Design and display

The first thing you’ll notice about the Mi Note 2 is the dual curves at the front and back of the device. The symmetrical curves are near-identical to those on Samsung’s ill-fated Galaxy Note 7, and combined with the availability of global LTE bands, the Mi Note 2 is seen as an ideal replacement for those looking for a large-screened device with a dual-curved display.

The Mi Note 2 fits that bill, but there are a few notable differences — the 5.7-inch display only sports a Full HD resolution, there’s no stylus, and the camera is strictly average.

What the screen lacks in resolution it makes up for in vibrancy. The Full HD LG-made OLED panel offers saturated colors, deep blacks, and high contrast levels. As is the case with all Xiaomi phones in this segment, there are plenty of options to tweak the color temperature, and you get a reading mode that acts as a blue-light filter. There’s also a Sunlight Display mode that selectively boosts contrast and brightness, allowing you to view the screen while outdoors.

While the phone has a dual-curved display, the screen doesn’t extend outward to the edges of the panel. There are noticeable bezels on the side that serve to minimize accidental touches, which is a welcome addition. The back of the device is sparse, sporting a round camera lens and LED flash module along with the Mi logo, which is located at the bottom. The build quality is excellent, and right up there with the best that Samsung and LG have to offer.

The phone definitely stands out in the Piano Black finish, but the downside is that the glass panel at the back attracts a lot of fingerprints. You’ll have to carry a microfiber cloth if you want to keep the Mi Note 2 looking pristine.

Xiaomi has been offering an IR blaster in its handsets for several years now, and the Mi Note 2 also has an emitter up top through which you can control a myriad of TVs and set-top boxes. The Mi Note 2 also offers USB-C connectivity, and the port is flanked by symmetrical grills that house a bottom-firing speaker and a microphone. The headphone jack is located at the top, and Xiaomi has bundled a DAC that allows for 192kHz/24-bit playback.

The fingerprint sensor located in the home button is an extension of what we’ve seen on the Mi 5. Xiaomi dabbled with various implementations last year, like Qualcomm’s Sense ID on the Mi 5s, and trying out a fingerprint sensor at the back in the Mi 5 Plus. The Mi Note 2 has a standard home button up front, and the surface area is thankfully larger than that of the Mi 5. The home button also doubles up as a capacitive key, allowing you to go back to the home screen with a quick tap.

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Hardware

Like the Mi 5s, the Mi Note 2 has top-notch hardware in the form of a Snapdragon 821 SoC. You’re not going to notice any issues with the device when it comes to real-world performance, with the Mi Note 2 holding its own next to the likes of the Pixel and OnePlus 3T.

The Mi Note 2 is available in two configurations — a base variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage, and a global version with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage. The latter variant is particularly interesting as it is the first Xiaomi phone with global LTE coverage, but the downside is that it is limited in supply. Furthermore, as the Mi Note 2 is officially sold in just one country (China), you’ll have to resort to picking it up from reseller sites if you want to get your hands on the device outside Xiaomi’s home market.

The variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage is available for as low as $420, making it a very enticing option in this segment. The Mi Note 2 doesn’t have a microSD slot, but the generous internal storage should be more than sufficient for most users. The global variant with 128GB of storage is available for $100 more.

Both variants offer dual-SIM support, along with NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS with GLONASS and Beidou.

Battery life

Xiaomi has been including massive batteries in its devices of late and the situation is no different in the Mi Note 2. The phone has a 4070mAh battery in a chassis that’s just 7.8mm thick, and when combined with the Full HD display the Mi Note 2 provides all-day battery life without breaking a sweat.

You’ll easily be able to get a day and a half’s worth of usage out of the Mi Note 2, and when you need to top up the battery, you’ll be able to rely on Quick Charge 3.0.

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Software

There’s not a lot to talk about on the software front when it comes to the Mi Note 2, as it runs the same MIUI 8 skin that is present on the Mi 5s, Redmi Note 4, and other recent Xiaomi phones. For better or worse, MIUI offers a ton of customization, and there’s a high learning curve. If you’re one to dig into the settings to customize every single facet of your phone, then there’s plenty to like in MIUI 8. The interface has picked up a host of new features over the course of the years, and it takes a while to explore them all.

Notable additions include Dual Apps, which let you run two instances of the same app on the phone, Second Space, a sandboxed zone that lets you create a second profile, and a built-in video editor. MIUI 8 doesn’t have an app drawer, so if you’re like me and have lots of apps installed, you can install a third-party launcher like Nova to switch to a more familiar-looking interface.

MIUI 8 offers a ton of customizability, but it takes a while to get accustomed to the interface.

MIUI is designed primarily for Chinese users, and as a result a lot of those elements pop up in the global ROM which is installed on Mi Note 2 units sold on reseller sites. Unlike the Chinese variant, the global ROM includes the Play Store as well as other Google apps, making it easy for you to get started with using the phone.

Xiaomi rolls out regular updates to MIUI 8, delivering new features and security updates, but the one area where the manufacturer has lagged behind is platform updates. The Mi Note 2 is still running Marshmallow, and there’s no word on when the Nougat update will be available for the device.

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Camera

Although the Mi Note 2 has a 22.5MP imaging sensor, the small 1-micron pixel size negatively affects its performance in low-light conditions. The Mi Note 2 takes good images for the most part, but when it comes to artificial lighting or night-time shots, the phone fails to deliver.

Taking photos with the Mi Note 2 is an easy affair, with the camera app offering several shooting modes and filters with previews. There’s also the option of shooting 4K video, but as is the case with images, the final quality is passable but not great.

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Bottom line

The Mi Note 2 shows how far Xiaomi has come. The company has consistently put out great phones in the mid-range segment, and the Mi Note 2 is its best showing yet. The Full HD display may not be the densest in this segment, but it gets the job done. The only downside is the camera, which while decent at outdoor shots struggles when it comes to low-light imagery.

However, the biggest drawback with the Mi Note 2 — and recent Xiaomi flagships in general — is its availability. The phone is limited to China, and while you’ll be able to pick up the global version with 6GB of RAM and worldwide LTE bands for $529 (or $15 more than Xiaomi’s retail price), there’s no recourse should you run into any issues with the handset. The standard variant at $419 is also a lucrative deal considering you’re getting a phone with Snapdragon 821 and a dual-curved panel, but once again, there’s that uncertainty when it comes to after-sales service.

The availability of global LTE bands signifies the company’s move to expand its horizons, and while there’s no specific plans on when it will enter Western markets, the Mi Note 2 sets the stage for such an eventuality.

Should you buy it? Yes

It’ll be at least a month before Xiaomi’s 2017 flagship, the Mi 6, goes up for sale at reseller sites, and even after it does, the Mi Note 2 will continue to be a very compelling option. For one thing, Xiaomi isn’t offering a variant of the Mi 6 with global LTE bands, and for now, the Mi Note 2 is the only Xiaomi phone that lets you access LTE networks around the world. You’re getting a lot for its $529 asking price.

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Amazon opens up the voice control technology behind Alexa

Software and app developers can now use the technology that powers Amazon’s Alexa assistant to add voice control to their creations. Amazon has opened up the service called “Lex” in what Reuters describes as a move to become the top player in voice-controlled computing. According to Werner Vogels, the e-commerce titan’s CTO, Lex could lead to assistants and chatbots that sound friendlier and more human than their predecessors.

Lex, after all, lives in the cloud instead of within the actual apps and software. That means Amazon can make it better and better by continuously feeding it data from people’s interactions with Alexa. While the company’s Echo sales will likely never match Apple’s iPhone sales, Vogels said people use Alexa for various tasks around the house, but they tend to interact with their phones’ voice assistants only when they’re inside their vehicles.

Still, the company needs more sources of data, so it will also feed Lex people’s interactions with third-party developers’ apps that use the service. We’re guessing that data includes whatever it collects from its call center clients. If you’ll recall, Amazon started prepping a software package that includes Lex and another one of its developer services called Polly earlier this year. The package can field questions from customers’ phone calls and texts, giving the retail giant’s software more samples to learn from.

Source: Reuters

MasterCard adds fingerprint sensors to payment cards

Our fingerprints are quickly replacing PINs and passwords as our primary means of unlocking our phones, doors and safes. They’re convenient, unique, and ultimately more secure than easily guessed or forged passwords and signatures. So it makes sense that fingerprint sensors are coming to protect our credit and debit cards. MasterCard is testing out new fingerprint sensor-enabled payment cards that, combined with the onboard chips, offer a new, convenient way to authorize your in-person transactions. Instead of signing a paper receipt or entering your PIN while struggling to cover up the number pad, you simply place your thumb on your card to prove your identity.

The new cards are currently being tested in South Africa, and MasterCard hopes to roll them out to the rest of the world by the end of 2017. Even if that happens, though, you’ll still have to wait for your bank or financial institution to get on board.

Once the technology is ready for the public, here’s how it should work. Your bank will inform you that the biometric card is available, and if you’re interested, you’ll have to go to an enrollment center (most likely a bank) to get your fingers scanned. An encrypted digital template of your fingerprint is stored on the card’s EMV chip. You can save up to two prints, but they would both have to be yours — you can’t authorize someone else to use your card with their fingers. After your templates are saved, your card is ready to be used at compatible terminals worldwide — merchants don’t have to get new equipment to accept your fingerprint-enabled plastic.

The card itself is surprisingly no thicker than a regular credit card. The fingerprint sensor is a small, thumbnail-sized rectangle that sits at the top right corner, and is easily accessible when you stick the card into a payment terminal.

During a recent demo, I tried to use a MasterCard rep’s biometric card with my finger, and received a “Transaction denied” message from the test payment terminal. When she carried out the faux-purchase, the payment went through, and the machine began printing a receipt. What really surprised me was the speed at which it happened.

When the terminal asks you to insert the card, it’s communicating to the bank information like your identity and the amount of the transaction. Then, it verifies your identity by asking for your fingerprint. The sensor reads your finger, and sends the information to the card’s chip, which determines if you’re the owner. If you are, it sends a “Yes” or “Authorized” message to the bank, which then allows the payment to pass.

At my demo, the authorization process happened almost instantly, which is reasonable given it’s all happening on the card instead of going through the bank. When it was me using the card, however, it took a slight pause to register that I wasn’t certified. I didn’t have trouble learning the new process at all, either — it’s intuitive and straightforward to simply leave your finger on the card as you slide it into a payment dock.

Of course, this method is only compatible with chip-and-pin cards, so it won’t work with stores that only accept the older magnetic stripe models. But embedded chip technology has become increasingly popular in the US, thanks largely to regulations making financial institutions and merchants liable for breaches resulting from a lack of support for chip-and-pin cards. Getting a new biometric card is troublesome, since it would require a trip to the bank and a potentially long wait. But the convenience and the joy you’ll get from waving that fancy new plastic in your friends’ faces may make that agony worthwhile.

Google, an ad company, will soon block ‘bad ads’ in Chrome

Android’s native browser could block “bad ads” in a coming update and that’s good for everyone.

While ad-blockers may be the most popular extensions for Chrome on the desktop or your Chromebook, the Android app has been left out of the picture. That might be changing according to the Wall Street Journal.

Alphabet Inc.’s Google is planning to introduce an ad-blocking feature in the mobile and desktop versions of its popular Chrome web browser, according to people familiar with the company’s plans.

The ad-blocking feature, which could be switched on by default within Chrome, would filter out certain online ad types deemed to provide bad experiences for users as they move around the web.

The ads that offer the bad experience will be defined by the Coalition for Better Ads which released a list of best practices and standards in March 2017. They think that pop-ups, auto-playing videos with sound, and ads that use a countdown before they can be dismissed are all bad. We couldn’t agree more.

It’s also suggested that Google will block every ad on a site with a rule-breaking one so that site owners and advertising companies will better police the advertising. This may prove problematic, but it’s still just rumored at this point.

A move like this would be in Google’s best interests because when all the bad ads are gone more people will be willing to see the rest. That could also pose some regulatory issues, as the company who makes ads also makes the browser and the software that decides which ones to block.

Supposedly this new feature could be coming within weeks. We’re as excited for it as you are, and will let you know more as soon as any word arrives.

Portland wants to get driverless cars on its roads this year

A new initiative from the city of Portland, Oregon hopes to attract the fast-growing self-driving car industry to the city’s streets. According to Bloomberg, Mayor Ted Wheeler and the city’s Bureau of Transportation are working to finalize a new set of rules governing autonomous vehicle pilot programs and hope to have driverless vehicles on the roads by the end of this year.

Portland will be specifically looking to attract programs that actively enhance Portland’s current transit infrastructure or improve accessibility while also helping the city reduce its carbon emissions. The city will finalize its autonomous vehicle regulations after a two year test period. As Bloomberg notes, any autonomous vehicle program operating in the city will also be able to test its cars in a wider range of road conditions thanks to Portland’s notoriously rainy weather. The most popular testbeds in California and Arizona are arid by comparison.

Although city officials wouldn’t reveal which tech companies or automakers were interested in moving to Portland, most of the major players have reportedly reached out. The city has a checkered past with Uber and the ride-hailing giant used a secret project called “Greyball” to evade regulators there, which explains why officials wanted to lay down regulations before another nascent industry comes to town. On the other hand, GM and Lyft’s joint project is about to have a large fleet of autonomous vehicles ready for the roads and it could use a forward-thinking city to roll them out on.

Source: Bloomberg

Facebook’s latest internet-beaming drone is a tiny tethered helicopter

Facebook wants the entire world to have internet. And as part of that quest, it has developed a small helicopter drone.

Here’s the thing: the more people there are with internet, the more people it can get to sign up for Facebook. Naturally, Facebook wants to pipe internet everywhere. So far, it has come up with an internet-beaming drone plan, and its latest drone looks a tiny helicopter.

Facebook quickly introduced it at its F8 developer conference in San Jose, California. Called the Tether-tenna, it is meant to not only deliver internet, but also help out those in disaster situations. It is tethered to a fiber optic cable that connects to a land-line internet connection, and it essentially sends internet out over radio waves to people who need internet access during a disaster.

• Facebook’s new Surround 360 VR cameras will go on sale this year

Currently, the Tether-tenna is in its research phase. But it’s easy to see that Facebook is using it as a signal booster sort of like a Wi-Fi range extender, only instead of blanketing your home with internet, it’ll beam it to those who need it in developing nations. In a blog post, Facebook said it could help a “local community can stay connected while the in-ground connectivity is under repair.”

So, if an earthquake or tsunami or landslide takes out the internet, whether across the world or even here in the UK, these helicopters could be deployed to save the day. Well, it’ll help people to get online so they can check in on Facebook at least. Facebook said the system has been tested for up to 24 hours of continuous operation, but it hasn’t yet been deployed in an emergency.

There’s lots of challenges the company has to work out still, Facebook explained, including enabling it to survive through very high winds and avoid things like lightning. Nevertheless, Tether-tenna could be “just a few years out” from deployment.

• Facebook Friends Day: What is it and how do those cheesy videos work?
• Facebook is making a set-top box video app for premium TV content
• Mark Zuckerberg shows off his ‘Jarvis’ home AI in three cute videos
• Facebook Workplace: How does it work and when can you use it?

Samsung’s Galaxy Book Windows 2-in-1 goes on sale April 21st

At Mobile World Congress, Samsung debuted its Galaxy Book, a power tablet running Windows 10 with a snap-on keyboard that looked to improve on Huawei’s Matebook. Despite promising specs and integration of the device giant’s new S Pen peripheral, it wasn’t clear when the tablet would be released. But with little notice, Samsung announced that the LTE model of the Book will hit Verizon Wireless stores on April 21st, with WiFi versions coming to general retailers on May 21st.

The LTE model released first only comes in the Book’s larger 12-inch size and sells for $1,300, but you can only buy them from Verizon. Pre-orders for the WiFi version start on April 21st, with the 12-inch going for $1,130 and the 10.6-inch for $630. Those will be available in select retailers nationwide on May 21st in silver while Best Buy will exclusively offer the Book in black.

Source: Samsung