ICYMI: A ‘Back to the Future’ jacket and the super-secret space shuttle returned

While manned shuttle missions ended back in 2011, the US government is still sending reusable spacecraft into orbit. This past weekend the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle returned from its super-secret two year mission. Speculation about what the craft was doing up there all this time ranges from; testing autonomous navigation system to evaluating if the X-37B is suitable for surveillance.

Meanwhile back on earth, there’s a kickstarter for a jacket inspired by Back to the Future. Based on the clothing Marty McFly wears in the future (which happened two years ago in 2015), the SDJ-02 coat drys itself off, can heat or cool its wearer, and has a battery pack and pockets for your tablet and smartphone. Sadly it doesn’t have self-adjusting sleeves.

As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @strngwys.

FileMaker 16 Launches With Enhancements to Mobility, Scalability, Security and More

Apple subsidiary FileMaker today announced the launch of FileMaker 16, the newest version of the company’s popular database platform that’s designed to make it easy for businesses to build a range of customized apps able to work effortlessly across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, and the Web.

FileMaker 16 focuses on enhancing mobility, scalability, and security, along with providing new features and integrations for an improved app creation experience.

“Today’s leaders empower their teams with the tools they need to quickly adapt as their needs change. The FileMaker 16 Platform builds on our track record of success, providing customers with the latest features, enabling them to create great apps that work across iPad, iPhone, Windows, Mac and the web.”

When developing an app, FileMaker users have access to a new Layout Objects window, which offers up a hierarchical list of each object in a layout. The feature is designed to make it easier to make quick changes to an object without the need to ungroup the object set.

Enhanced cURL options and predefined JSON functions improve integration to make it simpler to exchange data with other web services and applications, and for large teams, custom apps accessed through FileMaker WebDirect can now be used by up to 500 users simultaneously.

Security has been enhanced and simplified with the addition of third-party authentication through providers that include Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. These existing account credentials can be used to log into FileMaker-based custom apps.

For the FileMaker Go app, there are new animations and transitions that are designed to provide visual cues to make it easier for users to navigate through their custom apps, along with a new enhanced signature capture feature for signing documents on the iPad or iPhone.

Pricing for FileMaker is not changing with the release of FileMaker 16, but there have been some pricing changes in certain countries due to currency adjustments.

Since last year, FileMaker has used a subscription licensing structure for teams of five or more users, with access to FileMaker Server and FileMaker systems across desktop, mobile, and web. Pricing starts at $888 per year for a team of five. A perpetual license is also available for $2,664 for a team of five, but it does not include access to future versions of FileMaker.

For individuals, a perpetual license for FileMaker Pro 16 is available for $329, while FileMaker Pro 16 Advanced is priced at $549. A free trial is also available.

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How to play YouTube videos in the background on iOS and Android

YouTube’s content is so varied, you can find anything from tutorials to TV shows, and even the latest music videos. You may have run into a situation where you wanted to listen to YouTube in the background while doing something else on your smartphone. Closing the YouTube app will stop the video from playing, yes, but there are a few simple workarounds that will allow you to listen to a video in the background while you get on with something else. Here are some very simple ways to play a YouTube video in the background on both iOS and Android devices.

Playing videos with YouTube Red (Android, iOS)

Let’s get YouTube Red out of the way first. YouTube Red is a subscription-based service allows you to play content in the background, watch original shows that are exclusive to YouTube Red subscribers, and avoid ads. This service is available in the United States, and you can subscribe to it from directly within the YouTube app.

If you want to listen to music in the background — and you’re not subscribed to YouTube Red — the music will stop playing as soon as you close the app. So if you want to accomplish this using YouTube’s official app, you’ll need to subscribe to YouTube Red.

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Playing videos with Opera Mini web browser (iOS)

Many people are shocked to find out that you can accomplish this task in iOS without jailbreaking your phone. It’s as easy as playing the video in Opera Mini and then closing it after it starts playing. Make sure you go to the App Store and download Opera Mini before you proceed.

Step 1: Launch Opera Mini as you would normally and go to YouTube.

Step 2: Navigate to the video you want to play in the background.

Step 3: Start playing the video, and press the Home button to close Opera Mini.

Step 4: Swipe up on the home screen to open Action Center and swipe left to reveal the music player.

Step 5: In Action Center, you will see the YouTube video instead of your music. Simply tap play and continue listening to your video as if you were watching it on your device.

Playing videos with Firefox and Chrome (Android)

Playing YouTube videos in the background in Android can be done with both Firefox and Google Chrome. You can use either browser, but your version of Chrome must be v.54 or higher.

Step 1: Launch Firefox or Chrome as you would normally and go to YouTube.

Step 2: Navigate to the video you want to play in the background.

Step 3: Go to the Settings menu by tapping the three dots in the upper-right corner of the window. Afterward, tap Request Desktop Site.

Step 4: Start playing the video, and press the Home button to close your browser. If the video stops playing while using Chrome, you may also have to pull down the notifications bar and press play.

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Playing videos with Awesome Pop-up Video (Android)

We have to mention an app called Awesome Pop-up Video, along with its premium counterpart, the latter of which allows you to play videos that are more than 5-minutes long. We suggest checking out the free version of the app first, however, to see if you like the software. Both versions of the app work in the same way, and will play your desired video in a pop-up window so you can do other things while the video is playing.

Step 1: Go to YouTube using any browser on your Android smartphone.

Step 2: Navigate to the video you want to play in the background and copy the URL.

Step 3: Paste the URL into the app and tap the icon on the right.

Step 4: Close the app and your video will immediately appear in a pop-up window.

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More apps are hearing embedded sounds that let them track our activity, research warns

Why it matters to you

Be mindful about the permissions you grant apps on your phone, because audio-based tracking technology is becoming more widespread and more sophisticated.

A device tracking technology called SilverPush has been thrust back into the limelight, following several years of concerns, after a team of researchers found that, even though most users are unaware of its presence on their smartphones, its use is on the increase. What does SilverPush do? It uses the microphone on your smartphone to listen for special ultrasonic signals embedded in audio content, or sent by beacons, to anonymously track location, habits, and media use.

Why do this? It’s an excellent way of determining if you pay attention to advertising, and in conjunction with other data, it’s a way to tailor new ads that will appeal to you. If your smartphone has an always-listening mode, such as that used for Siri, Google Assistant, or other virtual assistant programs, then SilverPush can also hear the ultrasonic audio markers sent out to it.

These markers may come from in-store beacons, your television, or any audio system. Potentially, it could reveal if you stopped to look at the new promotional items in a store, if an ad on TV made you look away from your phone, or if you picked up your phone to visit a website after seeing an ad. Think of it as the audio equivalent of a browser cookie.

Apps with millions of downloads

The team looked for apps with SilverPush’s code inside, along with code from other companies offering similar services such as Lisnr and Shopkick. It discovered SilverPush technology inside 234 Android applications, all of which listen for ultrasonic audio clips embedded in audio from a television, and do so without your knowledge. Rather than only being found in shady apps few people will download, several apps apparently have millions of downloads, and include those produced by McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme. We’ve contacted both for comment.

Its use in apps — on the increase over the past few years, as only six apps were found with SilverPush technology in 2015 — “emphasizes the step between spying and legitimately tracking is rather small,” say the researchers. Should you be worried? While the potential for SilverPush and related technology to be used for covert tracking is there, and it’s gradually appearing more in our apps, it’s not being exploited at the moment.

The research team didn’t find any television content with the ultrasonic audio embedded inside, for example. The team also noted the hardware on many phones may not be up to the task of hearing these ultrasonic clips at the moment, and that the Android operating system will warn you if an app requires specific permissions to access audio, allowing you to deny the request at installation. It appears that while ultrasonic tracking technology is being investigated, its full potential to become a legitimate privacy concern hasn’t been realized at the moment.

Drawing attention to it may help prevent the technology from becoming a wide concern; but because we’ve been hearing (if you’ll forgive the pun) about SilverPush since 2015, and had several warnings about it in 2016, it appears the message hasn’t quite gotten through yet.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 and 630 chips have high-speed charging, fast LTE

Why it matters to you

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 660 and 630 processors may not match the company’s high-end Snapdragon 835, but they pack quite a performance punch nonetheless.

At a press event in Beijing on Tuesday, San Diego-based chip maker Qualcomm’s announced two systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) bound for future smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and computers: The Snapdragon 660 and 630. Highlights include support for high-speed wireless, enhanced imaging, faster connectivity, and a cadre of processing improvements brought on by the new chips’  14nm manufacturing process.

Architecturally, the Snapdragon 660 and Snapdragon 630 are different animals.

The 660, a midrange performer, is an eight-core chip consisting of four of Qualcomm’s new Kyro 260 high-powered cores — cores which offer 20 percent higher performance, the company claims — clocked at 2.2GHz, and four power-efficient Kyro 260 cores clocked at 1.8GHz. It sports an Adreno 512 graphics processor, and a supports LPDDR4 memory running at 1,866MHz (up to 8GB).

The 660 ships with another big exclusive: Qualcomm’s Hexagon 680 digital signal processor. The dedicated chip, which launched with the Snapdragon 820 last year, is specifically designed to speed up video and photo processing and virtual reality apps. In addition, it packs the Snapdragon Neural Processing Engine SDK, TensorFlow, and Hallide Frameworks, making it the first 600-series chip to support Qualcomm’s new artificial intelligence platform.

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The 630, by contrast, is a pared-down model destined for cheaper devices. It sports eight older cores — four Cortex-A53 cores at 2.2GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores at 1.8GHz — and a slower Adreno 508 graphics. And unlike the 660, its LPDDR4 support maxes out at the slower 1,333MHz variety (up to 8GB).

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Despite the two chips’ differences, Qualcomm said that the Qualcomm 660 and 630 both offer up to 30 percent better graphics performance and between 50 to 70 percent lower power consumption (for location services) than their predecessors, the Snapdragon 653 and Snapdragon 626. And they ship with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X12 modem, an LTE chip that debuted with last year’s Snapdragon 821. It delivers download and upload speeds of up to to 600Mbps and 150Mbps, respectively, and leverages Qualcomm’s TruSignal technology and Bluetooth 5 to optimize voice quality, improve battery life, and extend network coverage.

Another shared highlight is Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4 technology, which was previously exclusive to the Snapdragon 835. The 660 and 630 can charge 20 percent faster and 30 more efficiently than Quick Charge 3.0, Qualcomm said, which translates to five hours of talk time in five minutes and 50 percent battery in 15 minutes of charging.

Both the Snapdragon 660 and 630 pack Qualcomm’s Spectra 160 image signal processor (ISP), which supports many of the sames features as the Spectra 180 ISP in Qualcomm’s high-end Snapdragon 835. Hybrid autofocus is in tow, plus phase-detect autofocus, electronic video stabilization, dual-camera focal length adjustment, bokeh effects, and enhanced low-light processing.

It won’t be long before the new chips make their way to devices. Qualcomm said the Snapdragon 660 is shipping to its device partners now, and that the Snapdragon 630 will ship later in May.

LG X Power 2: Everything you need to know

Why it matters to you

The LG X Power 2 might be the phone for those looking for remarkable battery life, without a remarkably high price tag.

LG launched the X Power 2 at the end of February, but soon afterwards, the stunning LG G6 arrived and stole all the limelight. Little was said about the X Power 2 until the beginning of May, when the company announced its imminent arrival around the world. Interested in LG’s midrange Android phone with a massive battery? Here’s everything you need to know about it.

Price and availability

The X Power 2 will be released in May, and sold in North America first, before continuing out through selected countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Exact locations haven’t been announced yet, and the price will be set by those offering the phone locally. Additionally, LG says the name of the phone may vary, so if you’re outside the U.S., it may not be called the X Power 2.

Features and specification

As alluded to in its name, the X Power 2’s raison d’être is its enormous 4,500mAh battery, a nice bump from the original X Power’s 4,100mAh power pack. LG claims the X Power 2 can give you 26 hours of talktime, 18 hours of continuous video playback, 14 hours of GPS navigation, and 19 hours of web browsing. The company even boasts the phone was designed to last an entire weekend without the need to recharge. When it comes time for that, the X Power 2 will go from 0 to 50 percent in an hour, while a full recharge will take around two hours.

On the outside, the X Power 2 features a 5-megapixel camera above its 5.5-inch, 1,280 x 720 resolution display, while a 13-megapixel camera with a soft-LED flash sits around back. On the front is a 5-megapixel selfie camera with gesture and face recognition to snap photos when they’re spotted. The IPS LCD screen improves on the X Power and offers brighter colors and better viewing angles. Improvements have also been made to the display’s outdoor visibility, and there is a blue light filter added into the software for use at nighttime.

The X Power 2 runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, something the original X Power still cannot say. An unnamed 1.5GHz octa-core processor and either 1.5GB or 2GB RAM run the show, with the 16GB of native storage augmented through the MicroSD card slot that takes up to 2TB cards.

Article originally published in February 2017. Updated on 05-09-2017 by Andy Boxall: Added in new images, release information.

128GB OnePlus 3T goes out of stock as OnePlus 5 teasers emerge

OnePlus shifts focus to its 2017 flagship.

The 128GB version of the OnePlus 3T is seeing supply shortages globally, and according to Dutch publication Tweakers, it is because the variant is discontinued by the Chinese manufacturer. The reasoning behind the move could be a simple one: Samsung ended production of the 128GB UFS 2.0 storage module used in the device, prompting OnePlus to discontinue the model.

Currently, the 128GB model is available in the UK, Hong Kong, and Amazon India, but it is unlikely stock will be replenished once it sells out. You’ll still be able to get your hands on the 64GB version of the device in Gunmetal and Soft Gold color options.

OnePlus is getting ready to unveil the OnePlus 5 sometime next month, and the company has started teasing its upcoming flagship on Weibo with the tagline “Hey Summer! Give me five!”

There’s not a whole lot of reliable information regarding the OnePlus 5 other than the fact that it has dual rear cameras, but it’s reasonable to assume the handset will feature top-tier hardware, including a Snapdragon 835, at least 6GB of RAM, and 128GB storage.

OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3

• OnePlus 3T review: Rekindling a love story
• OnePlus 3T vs. OnePlus 3: What’s the difference?
• OnePlus 3T specs
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• Discuss OnePlus 3T and 3 in the forums

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Samsung is selling the Galaxy C7 Pro for ₹25,990 for Amazon Prime members

Prime subscribers in India can pick up the Galaxy C7 Pro for a ₹2,000 discount.

Samsung is aggressively promoting its latest mid-range device in India, the Galaxy C7 Pro. The phone made its debut in the country last month for ₹27,990, with availability exclusive to Amazon India. Samsung is now rolling out an offer where Amazon Prime members can get the phone for ₹25,990, a discount of ₹2,000 from its launch price.

The C7 Pro features a 5.7-inch Full HD AMOLED display, Snapdragon 626, 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, 16MP front and rear cameras, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C, NFC, and a 3300mAh battery. On the software front, it’s running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The phone isn’t as powerful as the OnePlus 3T, but it has a great design combined with decent internals along with Samsung’s brand name.

The Galaxy C7 Pro is available in Navy Blue and Gold color options, and the deal itself is valid until later today. If you’re a Prime subscriber and are interested in getting your hands on the Galaxy C7 Pro, head to Amazon from the link below to pick up the phone for ₹25,990.

See at Amazon India

Galaxy S8 gets red screen fix in the UK

426MB update likely contains other minor fixes.

After Canada and the U.S., Samsung’s “fix” for the red screen tint issue affecting some Galaxy S8 owners is now rolling out to unlocked handsets in the UK. The update to software version G950FOXM1AQDG and G955FOXM1AQDG, for the S8 and S8+ respectively, started rolling out on unlocked S8 models this morning. The update weighs in at 426MB, so it’s likely Samsung has bundled other minor fixes into the OTA.

According to Samsung’s official changelog, the update brings “improved color optimization and convenient color adjustment” — which translates to a fix for whatever was causing some S8 displays to show a reddish hue, and an easier way to tweak the overall color balance in the Display Settings menu.

For what it’s worth, the Android security patch level remains unchanged on 1 April 2017 — no sign of that May security patch yet.

And it’s worth remembering that carrier-branded Galaxy S8 phones will likely lag behind today’s unlocked rollout by a few days or weeks.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ review!
• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
• Get to know Samsung Bixby
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

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How to add live TV channels to NVIDIA Shield TV

With the right hardware, your NVIDIA Shield can show you live, over the air TV. Here’s how.

If you have an Android TV set, then obviously live television is built right in; otherwise, it’d be a pretty poor product. But if you’re picking up a set-top box like the NVIDIA Shield, you’re not left out in the cold. With some additional hardware and a few spare minutes, you can have the same experience on any TV.

Here’s what you need to know.

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What you need

For the purposes of this how-to, we’re using the excellent HDHomeRun Connect tuner from SiliconDust. It acts as a go-between that pulls in your OTA TV signals and then broadcasts them over your local network. Similar products are available, which may also be compatible with Android TV, and for those the basic steps would be the same.

What we’re using is:

• HDHomeRun Connect
• OTA TV antenna (internal or external)
• Ethernet cable (for HDHomeRun)
• NVIDIA Shield TV

Before doing anything with the Shield, you’ll need to make sure the HDHomeRun is all up and running. If you need a guide on what to do there, our buddies over at Windows Central have just the thing. Just hit the link below.

How to setup the HDHomeRun tuner

How to add live TV channels

Start up the NVIDIA Shield TV and before doing anything, make sure the Live Channels application is installed and up to date. Then follow the steps below.

Download and install the HDHomeRun application from the Play Store.

Open the Live Channels app on the Shield TV. You should see HDHomeRun input as a source for channels.

Select the HDHomeRun input and the app will populate with the channels from the source.
Select done.

What you’ll now see when you open the Live Channels app on the Shield is all of the channels you can get on your regular OTA TV antenna with a fully populated guide. It’s a little unfortunate that Live Channels requires the HDHomeRun app to be installed before it will find the input, but it’s a mild inconvenience.

You could also just ignore the Live Channels app and use the HDHomeRun app to watch TV. The interface in Live Channels is nicer, though, and it has the added benefit of being a central location for other apps that can hook into it. If you’re using the beta of the HDHomeRun DVR, however, then you’ll be making use of it.

That’s all there is to it. It’s super simple to set up live TV on the Shield and makes the overall experience just that little bit better.

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Questions?

Let us know in the comments below.

NVIDIA Shield Android TV

• Read our Shield Android TV review
• The latest Shield Android TV news
• Shield vs. Shield Pro: Which should I buy?
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• Complete Shield Android TV specs

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