Logitech Harmony paired with Android is the ultimate universal remote
If you spend a lot of time in the living room with a lot of entertainment devices, the Logitech Harmony system is a worthy investment.
I once owned a universal remote that I’m pretty sure was the size of a shoebox. That’s how I remember it, anyway — a definite two-hander with a large screen (for the time) and very few physical buttons. Something like this.
It was awful. Awful setup and not much better to use. But it still was better than needing to have three remotes by my side at any given time.
Fast forward some 15 years (I can’t believe it’s been that long) and we get to what I have today. Last fall I splurged on new Harmony remotes from Logitech, and they’re probably one of the more important purchases I’ve made. They work, they work well, and they were pretty simply to set up.
Let’s rap.
The basics
Here’s the gist of the whole Harmony thing: It’s first and foremost a universal remote. But gone are the days of looking up codes and hoping the remote would support your device. Also gone are the days of connecting the remote to a computer to sync things up.
These work with (require, actually) the Harmony app on Android or on iOS. You set up the remotes through the apps, they sync over Wi-Fi, then you go about your business.
First you add your devices (either manually or auto-detected over Wi-Fi), and then you use those devices to fill out “activities”, like “Watch TV”, or “Play Xbox”. Harmony does a good job recommending activities, or you can start from scratch. It’s highly flexible, highly customizable, and pretty much just works. My only real complaint is that it can be a little slow to sync, but it’s not like you have to do that too often.
As with everything else these days, Harmony works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, as well as with Philips Hue and other connected devices.
And with that, on to the goodies.
In the bedroom: Logitech Harmony Companion
I’m dead serious when I think the best-designed device in my home is this remote. We talk about curvy phones all the time now, but my wife catches me fondling this remote all the time and gives me a good dirty look for it. It’s that good.
good, and the Companion nails that benchmark.
Beyond that, it’s a fairly standard remote. It’s got buttons — lots of them — a non-rechargeable CR2032 battery, and that’s it. No newfangled touchscreens. It’s easy to learn where things are by feel, which is another must-have in any remote. (And why I refuse to use phone-based remotes except for in a pinch — or when I want to lower the volume on whatever my kids are watching without getting yelled at.)
The real bonus in the bedroom with the Companion is the addition of the home control buttons. They look like lightbulbs and outlets and do exactly what you think they do — they control connected lights and outlets. That’s a great feature in the bedroom, where I’ll do anything I can to stay in bed just a little bit longer. (Yes, in this case that includes spending more money.) You connect Philips Hue to Harmony, set the button, and you’re turning things on and off (or dimming) right from the remote. No voice control necessary (not something you want to deal with when someone’s sleeping next to you), and no having to get up.
The Companion isn’t what I’d call a “cheap” remote. But for me it’s been worth every penny in look, feel, and function. (If you want something a little less expensive, you can get the Harmony Smart remote, which basically is the same thing minus the home control buttons.)
Harmony Companion at Amazon
In the living room
I splurged (quite) a bit in the living room. But this is where I’m watching TV most of the time, right? It’s also where I have the most devices. TV. A streaming box. (Or two or three, depending on the month.) Game console. A lot goes on out there, and more important, a lot of people tend to use remotes in common areas. So I wanted something really good.
As an added bonus, it gives access to “favorites” for some devices and activities, making things even quicker and easier. If I know what channel I want to go to on Roku or a specific station on Sonos, I just hit the favorite on the touchscreen.
Unlike the Harmony Companion, the Elite is rechargeable and comes with a Micro-USB-powered stand. It keeps the remote vertical while it’s juicing up. That keeps it conspicuous, which is a good thing because it means folks generally won’t be hunting for the remote. It’s also just a very nicely designed charging stand and a definite improvement over the old Harmony One I used to use.
This is a serious remote that pretty much has all the bells and whistles: IR, RF, backlit keys, haptics, 15 devices controlled at once — the works. And the price reflects as much. But it also should be pretty well future-proof. If you want mostly the same features minus RF capability and some of those other bells and whistles, check out the Harmony 950. Otherwise, the Elite is the way to go.
Harmony Elite at Amazon
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Jelly smartphone review: So tiny
The company that built Jelly doesn’t claim it’s the smallest smartphone in the world. (That honor might instead belong to its predecessor, the Posh Micro X.) Rather, Jelly is touted as the world’s smallest smartphone that also includes 4G. Toss in Android 7.0, dual SIMs, a replaceable battery and a full-size headphone jack, and you start to wonder if maybe a phone that fits in your coin pocket is worth making a few sacrifices – like re-learning how to type on a keyboard the size of a matchbook. And that’s not even taking into account the bargain-basement price.
Is Jelly worth braving the hazards of Kickstarter and MediaTek processors? Is “world’s smallest smartphone” really a title anyone should be chasing? Just how bad can a smartphone camera get, anyway? Hit the MrMobile video above and see if Jelly is a fit for the smartphone lightweight in your life (or a good second phone for the days you need to travel light)
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It’s official: The next Call of Duty will be set in World War II
Call of Duty is going back to its roots, as the next installment in the series will be set during World War II.
On Friday, publisher Activision confirmed the Sledgehammer Games-developed, first-person shooter will be called Call of Duty: WWII, and that the game will be officially unveiled in a livestream on 26 April at 1PM ET. It also released a promo image (pictured above).
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We still don’t have an official release date, but the publisher tends to make spring announcements and then launch Call of Duty games in November. Activision also didn’t specify any platforms in its brief announcement, which merely stated the following:
“Call of Duty returns to its World War II roots with Call of Duty: WWII, developed by Sledgehammer Games. More details are incoming during the game’s Worldwide Reveal livestream on Wednesday, April 26 featuring Sledgehammer Games co-studio heads and founders Michael Condrey and Glen Schofield. Fans will be able to tune in to get a first look at Call of Duty: WWII and get intel on the studio’s vision for the game.”
A leak from last month first revealed the next Call of Duty game could be based in World War II, and in February, Activision told investors that the title “will take Call of Duty back to its roots”. The Call of Duty series began in 2003 with Call of Duty, a game that’s also set in WWII.
However, since 2008, the series has focused on other time periods, such as the 1960s and the future. We’ll keep you posted about Call of Duty: WWII when we get more details next Wednesday.
WWII confirmed. Watch the worldwide reveal of #CODWWII on 4/26 at 10AM PDT/1PM EDT: https://t.co/JtAxQQV4zN pic.twitter.com/culgG1ZQmz
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) April 21, 2017
Samsung promises to fix Galaxy S8’s ‘red tint’ problem
Quite a few of Samsung’s newly-released Galaxy S8 handsets have been showing a noticeable reddish tint on their screens. While the company initially said that the problem was easily fixed with a manual calibration, it’s since decided to roll out an update to fix the problem directly, while also increasing the color range of the hot new Android devices.
Samsung’s flagship smartphone is getting some great reviews, so it behooves the Korean-based company to make these fixes as quickly as possible. After the shame of the Note 7 explosions, Samsung likely wants to squash any potential trouble with its new phone as quickly as possible.
Of course, the company downplayed the issue in a statement to the Korean Herald, saying, “We will upgrade the software because of some dissatisfied customers although there is no problem in the phone itself.”
In addition to fixing the red tint issue, the upgrade will also expand the color range of its screens via software so you can set any red tint even lower. Samsung plans to roll out the update next week, though you can still go into the settings and manually calibrate. We’ve reached out to Samsung and will update this post with any new details.
Via: 9to5Google
Source: Korea Herald
Volkswagen shows off its vision for a driverless future
Back in March, the Volkswagen Group dropped rendered concept images of its futuristic Sedric, an autonomous vehicle that would take riders to their destination at the touch of a button — no human driving required. At Auto Shanghai 2017, VW showed off a real version of its autonomous concept vehicle. As previously shown, the automater has completely removed the cockpit in favor of pure passenger space, which would which would make it capable of level 5 autonomous driving.
#Sedric in #Shanghai: Self-Driving Car without a cockpit celebrates premiere in China #VWGroup https://t.co/hpfKcEgQkM pic.twitter.com/XUcFBEsake
— Volkswagen Group (@vwgroup_en) April 21, 2017
The VW Group wants Sedric’s autonomous driving to be so simple that passengers press a button to get it going. The automaker recently announced its partnership with smartwatch maker Mobvoi, which will craft the AI digital assistance interface getting plugged into Sedric, as well as VW’s other self-driving cars down the line. While this vehicle is just a concept — it’s got air-purifying plants tucked inside the rear windscreen, for gosh sakes — it’s a realistic precursor to a future when we climb in our car, set a destination and let it carry us away.
Source: Volkswagen Group
The next version of uTorrent will run in your browser
uTorrent is the most popular Bittorrent client in the world, but it’s clearly getting a bit long in the tooth. You can expect some big changes soon, though. TorrentFreak reports that the app will eventually run in your web browser, based on comments from BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen in an interview with the Steal This Show podcast.
The move will allow uTorrent the offer better streaming support — something the current client has always struggled with — and it’ll also give its developers access to more modern technology to add even more features. And, surprisingly enough, you’ll likely see elements from the company’s defunct Maelstrom browser in the new client too.
uTorrent will take its time before forcing the client on users, though. “We know people have been using uTorrent for a very long time and love it,” Cohen said. “So we’re very, very sensitive to that and gonna be sure to make sure that people feel that it’s an upgrade that’s happening. Not that we’ve just destroyed the experience.”
Via: TorrentFreak
iClever 15,000mAh Portable Car Jump Starter review
We’ve long been fans of having a portable power bank on hand in case your phone runs low on juice. It seems that no matter how big our batteries are that we find ourselves looking around for a charger every so often. It’s definitely not as bad as it was a few years back, especially with Quick Charge technology. A few minutes here and there is all we need to keep afloat.
Once in a while we find ourselves in a dire situation where a more important battery has been completely depleted. We’re talking, of course, about a car battery. Should one of those die or get drained on you, it could spell trouble. If anything, it’s an inconvenience.
The iClever 15,000mAh Portable Car Jump Starter can be used to help charge up both your phone and your car battery. Indeed, it packs enough juice to charge your typical smartphone up some 4-5 times over, but it also has a connector to hook directly up to your lawnmower, boat, or vehicle.
The iClever unit comes bundled together in a carrying pouch that zips up; elastic straps ensure none of the pieces and parts are tossed about or lost in transit. The design is convenient in that you only have to pull out what you need. Just plugging in a phone or two? Grab the main component. Gonna hook up to the car? Pull out the jumper cables and plug in!
The iClever portable charger comes with two USB ports for plugging in your various devices. The pair include Quick Charge Output: (DC 5V-2.4A; 9V-2A; 12V-1.5A) so you’re not stuck carrying around a charger for very long.
With peak current 600A(3s) or 700A(0.3s), this Car Jumper has a ablity to emergency restart your vehicle (up to 6.0L(T) petrol or 4.0L(T) diesel engine or 12V 10A lawnmower) for nearly 30 times. Especially for adventure, outdoor, daily, travel, high and low temperature (-20°c to 60°c), etc.
On the back side of the charger you’ll fine four light indicators to help understand how much battery life is available. With each representing roughly 25% of battery, you can quickly identify whether it’s time to charge the whole iClever device up.
As you’ll sometimes find with other portable power chargers, this one comes with a built-in emergency flashlight. The 100 Lumen LED light offers three different modes: standard, emergency strobe, and SOS.
One of the features we like most about some of iClever’s products is the warranty. This one is no exception in that it comes with an 18 month replacement warranty. Moreover, it has a 30 day money back guarantee and lifetime support.
While iClever does have its own website, you’ll not always find its products there. Rather, sometimes you’ll have to go to outlets such as Amazon if you’d like to purchase. That’s the case with the iClever 15000mAh Portable Car Jump Starter. Currently, you can find it on Amazon for $63.99, which is shown to be down some 36%, so look for a standard retail price of around $100.
We found the kit to be convenient and practical with the entire thing being designed well. Nothing felt cheap or as if there were corners cut and as a standalone portable charger, it works great. Whereas we never had a reason to test the car jumping function, we did note the standby battery was incredible. We couldn’t imagine charging the iClever unit up more than once a quarter.
Arsenal FC delivers match day updates with Alexa
Amazon’s virtual assistant can tell you all sorts of info on a range of topics. Sure, Alexa can already give you sports details, but one English Premier League club is going a step further. With a hand from digital agency AKQA, Arsenal Football Club says its the first team in the league with its own Alexa Skill. The Echo add-on will serve up match day info like pre-game coverage, lineups, live commentary, score updates and post-match analysis. Of course, if you’re truly a fan, why would you need this? Let me explain.
Unless you have a cable subscription, Premier League games are out of reach in the US. You might not always be able to watch in the UK, either. This team-focused Alexa Skill could give people the ability to follow along who otherwise couldn’t. Think of it as the modern sports radio, but with voice controls.
The feature will gather details on the club on off days as well and if there’s a match in progress, the “Alexa, open Arsenal” voice commanded will immediately connect to what’s happening in real time. If you’re an Arsenal supporter in the UK or US, you can enable the Skill inside the Alexa app by searching for “Arsenal.” Of course, you can also have the virtual assistant do the work for you by saying “Alexa, enable Arsenal.” Which, let’s be honest, is the more 2017 way of doing things.
Source: Arsenal
Spyware living in Google Play Store lets hackers control your phone via SMS
Why it matters to you
Identifying and being mindful of malicious apps like this is one is the first step toward stamping them out for good.
An internet security company has published its findings on an Android app that contained spyware controlled via text messages. Researchers at Zscaler have determined an app suspiciously titled “System Update” gave attackers the ability to execute commands on a remote device and receive its location data. The app — which was just deleted on Google Play Store — had been available for the last three years, and was listed as having been downloaded anywhere from 1 million to 5 million times.
The reviews all indicate users had been installing System Update believing, unsurprisingly, that it would update the version of Android on their device. Instead, when opened for the first time, the app would display the standard system error message — “Unfortunately, System Update has stopped” — and remove itself from the app drawer.
Zscaler
This would activate the spyware, named SMSVova, and set things into motion. SMSVova fetches the user’s location data and begins reading text messages, looking for an SMS message that reads “get faq.” If another device texts “get faq” to the infected party, the latter will automatically respond with a list of commands. By texting these commands to the affected device, the attacker could remotely lock the phone with a password or even issue fake low-battery warnings.
At this point, the attacker is given total access to the coordinates of the infected phone. Although the app is no longer available to download from Google’s marketplace, Zscaler reports it found the code living in another remote access program, called DroidJack.
There is of course no shortage of ways in which an unscrupulous hacker could gain access into your phone, especially with the help of user-installed software. But this is certainly one of the more interesting methods. It’s also quite frightening, considering it gives the attacker so much power through the seemingly harmless and unsophisticated medium of text messages. Then again, in light of the deadly string of emojis that can incapacitate an iPhone, perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised.
The world’s largest X-ray laser is one step closer to completion
Why it matters to you
European XFEL X-ray will let scientists capture images of atomic elements on a previously unimaginably tiny scale.
The world’s largest X-ray laser is one step closer to completion after researchers at Germany’s Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) announced that they’ve passed a major milestone in its development.
The laser, known as the European XFEL, will one day let scientists capture images of atomic elements on a previously unimaginably tiny scale. That’s thanks to the European XFEL’s ability to flash up to 27,000 X-ray laser illuminations in one second. These flashes are so brief and so intense that they’ll allow researchers to take pictures of structures and processes down to an atomic level.
The milestone hit this week involved successfully firing electrons through a particle accelerator measuring a whopping 2.1 kilometers in length. The entire X-ray laser measures 3.4 km.
“The European XFEL’s particle accelerator is the first superconducting linear accelerator of this size in the world to go into operation,” Helmut Dosch, chairman of the DESY board of directors, said in a statement. “With the commissioning of this complex machine, DESY and European XFEL scientists have placed the crown on their 20-year engagement in developing and building this large international project. The first experiments are within reach, and I am quite excited about the discoveries ahead of us. I am exceptionally happy about arriving at this milestone and congratulate all involved for the outstanding work and their great tenacity.”
The superconducting particle accelerator of the European XFEL has taken seven years of development to get to this point. After this week’s milestone, the next step for the project involves increasing the energy of the electrons, prior to them being sent into the machine’s “magnetic slalom” section, where the X-ray laser light will ultimately be generated. The hope is that this will take place in May.
Of course, the biggest question is how long until the European XFEL shows up as the setting of a Dan Brown thriller? We’re giving it two years. Three, tops.
AIVAnet 