Asus might never make another ZenWatch Android Wear watch

Remember the Asus ZenWatch line? Well, it could be done for good.

Asus’s first ZenWatch debuted in 2014, and it was followed a year later by the ZenWatch 2, both of which are square. Then, in 2016, ASUS released the ZenWatch 3 with a round-face. But don’t expect a ZenWatch 4 in 2017. Asus is reportedly killing the ZenWatch line of Android Wear smartwatches, according to a report on Monday from Digitimes, which cited anonymous sources in Taiwan’s supply chain.

The source apparently claimed that Asus only ships an average of just 5,000 to 6,000 ZenWatch units per month – across the entire product line. If that information is correct, Asus’ ZenWatch sales are very low, and so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Asus did discontinue the product line. Remember, Lenovo-owned Motorola revealed last December that it also hasn’t seen “enough pull” in the smartwatch market.

• When is Android Wear 2.0 coming to my smartwatch?
• Android Wear 2.0: What’s new in the major software update for watches?
• Best upcoming smartwatches: Future wristwear to look forward to in 2017

At the time, the company said it wasn’t planning any new Moto smartwatches. The Android Wear business has actually been the center of much speculation over the last several months, with many reports suggesting that hardware manufacturer want to exit Google’s smartwatch platform. Before Android Wear 2.0 released, we even heard claims that there would be no new Android Wear watches for a while.

But don’t for one second think the platform is dead, as other brands, including Hilfiger and Hugo Boss, are set to release their Android Wear 2.0 watches later this year. Also, Digitimes has a so-so track record when it comes to accurately leaking mobile news, so we’ve contacted Asus for a comment and will update you when we know more.

What is YouTube TV, which channels does it offer, and how does it work?

It’s been long rumoured that Google will use YouTube to introduce a live TV service. The company has now confirmed those suspicions.

Google officially launched its entry into the streaming of live TV, with YouTube TV. It lets you access live and recorded content from major networks typically found on cable. It is available alongside YouTube’s existing content, and it works on practically every screen you can watch YouTube on, but it only costs $35 a month without a contract. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

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• Android TV vs Samsung Tizen vs Firefox OS vs LG webOS

What is YouTube TV?

When people watch TV, they tune into live sports, breaking news, sitcoms, dramas, and a number of other different types of programmes. Although there is a tonne of content to choose from, there are limitations to how you can watch it. You simply can’t watch TV when you want and on any screen without a contract. And you certainly don’t always have access to fancy TV features such as DVR.

YouTube TV is attempting to change that. It is described as “live TV designed for the YouTube generation – those who want to watch what they want, when they want, how they want, without commitments.”

What channels are on YouTube TV?

Google said the initial lineup of “more than 40 networks” includes CBS, Fox, NBC, and CBS, as well as cable players USA and FX. There’s a total of 10 sports networks available, including ESPN, Fox Sports, and NBCSN. Local affiliates will also be included, so you can watch news from the same channels you’d normally get over the air. You can even add Showtime for an additional price.

• Which is the best movie streaming service in the UK?

It’s safe to say YouTube TV directly competes with existing services such as Sling TV and PlayStation Vue, both of which offer access to live TV from major networks, cable players, and sports networks. But there are some holes – like Viacom, Discovery, A&E, AMC, and Turner (with TBS and TNT). Sony’s $35 plan for PlayStation Vue offers many of these networks and more, such as CNN.

YouTube TV

You can see the channel lineup above. Note that YouTube TV added several other channels in May 2017, including AMC, BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV, and WE TV. There’s also a couple add-on packages you can buy: Showtime ($11/month) and Fox Soccer Plus ($15/ month). 

What does YouTube TV feature?

Unlimited cloud DVR storage

Apart from live TV from major networks, YouTube TV includes unlimited cloud DVR storage. With that feature, you can even add a show or sports team to your favourites, and it’ll automatically save them for you. Your cloud DVR records as many shows as you want, simultaneously, without using data or space on your phone (though you can stream recordings from any device at any time).

Google said it stores each of your recordings for nine months. And, yes, you can fast forward or rewind DVR content, so you can quickly pass right over all those annoying commercials.

Available across all your screens

YouTube TV works on both Android and iOS. That means you can watch YouTube TV on your phone, tablet, or computer. You can also stream to your TV with a Google Chromecast or Chromecast built-in TV. YouTube TV will even eventually work with Google Home, too, allowing you to ask Home to play a show on your Chromecast. Google said it’ll “just work,” according to Engadget.

How does YouTube TV work?

YouTube TV

YouTube TV app

Now that YouTube TV has launched, you can access it from the new YouTube TV app for Android and iOS or from the web on your computer. Other devices (like Apple TV, Roku, the PS4, and Xbox One) don’t have access to the new YouTube TV app at launch. However, the mobile app has a “cast” button available at the top throughout, so you can throw a video to your Chromecast or a compatible TV.

The mobile app features just three main screens: live, library and home. But it also has universal search (located at the top; can be accessed from most screens), allowing you to search for content by genre, network, and categories. You can search for something like “dogs” and get a list of programmes that feature dogs. If you choose to search a series, you will see a page with all the episodes.

Live

Live shows what is currently being broadcasted by networks, with live previews of what’s on each channel. Just tap to start playing. To record something to watch later, you can tap a plus icon on the preview. When watching in portrait mode, you’ll see recommendations at the bottom, or you can flip the phone to landscape to enter full screen.

It’s worth noting that because of Verizon’s deal with the NFL, you can’t watch NFL games on your phone. You’ll be able to stream them on the desktop or a TV, but not on your mobile device.

Library

Library shows everything you’ve recorded and everything scheduled to be recorded on your DVR.

Home

Home is kind of like what you see on YouTube. It’ll show what you’ve watched recently, as well as recommendations based on what you’ve watched so far, and you’ll see things you may have stopped and might want to continue playing.

Support

Google told Engadget that you can contact customer service through the YouTube TV app any time, either via text chat or voice chat.

Is this different from YouTube Red?

This is a separate product from YouTube Red, a service Google launched in 2015 as a way to give you an ad-free YouTube experience. YouTube Red does feature some original programming, but with a YouTube TV membership, you can watch YouTube Red Original series and movies via the new YouTube TV app. But, unfortunately, you won’t get the full ad-free YouTube experience.

You can learn more about YouTube Red from Pocket-lint’s guide.

When will YouTube TV be available?

The YouTube TV app is now available.

Where is YouTube TV available?

At launch, YouTube TV is only be available to customers in the US. It is limited to “the largest US markets” but will quickly expand to cover more cities across the country, Google said.

How much does YouTube TV cost?

YouTube TV costs customers $35 a month with no contract. You can cancel at any time. Up to six users can access content when they want – and they each have access to their own recommendations and personal cloud DVR storage.

Note: It’s $35 per month, but signing up from an iPhone or iPad makes the monthly bill jump up to $39.99 (plus taxes and fees). If you sign up from Android or the web, it’s $35 (plus taxes and fees).

Want to know more?

Visit tv.youtube.com learn more about YouTube TV and when it will launch in your market.

iPhone 8 renders point to glass back and wireless charging

Rumor has it that we won’t be seeing the next flagship iPhone until much later this year, but we may have just the right thing to keep y’all entertained for the time being. Earlier this week, a reliable source in the accessory industry showed Engadget a highly detailed CAD file of the “iPhone 8’s” chassis, which allowed us to generate several renders for publishing. The most obvious takeaway here is the dual camera’s new orientation, and that both the microphone plus the flash will be part of the camera bump.

While the contour may look familiar, the back of the device will actually be covered in glass this time, which allows for the integration of wireless charging. This is hinted by what appears to be a carved out area for a wireless charging coil on the underside of the chassis, though we’re not at liberty to disclose related images.

Since this is the smaller of the two next-gen iPhones, these renders suggest that the dual camera plus wireless charging will become a standard feature. Speaking of, our source said both screen sizes will be getting bumped up: the 4.7-inch version will go up to 5 inches, and the 5.5-inch “Plus” version will be stretched to 5.8 inches. Alas, these renders don’t indicate whether the new displays will go from edge to edge as rumored, but the body measurements in the CAD file do point to a slightly taller, wider and thicker body than the iPhone 7.

As with all leaks, there’s always a possibility that these renders may turn out to be false (which we highly doubt given the nature of these files), or that Apple may give up on this design entirely. Either way, there’s still the rumored tenth anniversary iPhone to look forward to as well.

The ‘WannaCry’ ransomware is a stark reminder of a broken system

In April a hacking group called The Shadow Brokers dumped a cache of Windows’ exploits it pilfered from the NSA. The group had decided to start leaking exploits it stole from the agency after it was unable to find a buyer for the government’s hacking tools. Inside that April drop was a remote code execution vulnerability called “EternalBlue” (aka MS17-010). Fortunately, Microsoft issued a security patch that fixed EternalBlue in March. What’s not so fortunate, is that, not everyone had applied it to their machines.

On May 12, many of those unpatched machines were exploited in the largest ransomware scheme ever seen. Computers at companies small and large displayed a message that their data had been encrypted and for $300 (sent via bitcoin) the owners of the machines could have their data back. The exploit works on Windows XP up through Windows Server 2012. And even though Microsoft issued a patch for newer systems, the computing giant ended support for Windows XP and 2000 back in 2010. In other words, if you have an old computer running legacy software, you’re on your own.

The most disturbing of the ransomware attacks involved the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS). Patient data, including medical histories and test results were caught up in a world-wide extortion racket. This — until recently — NSA-held exploit has and will continue to wreak havoc on systems the world over and there’s a good chance that in the future, we’ll see similar situations and we’ll once again be looking for someone to blame.

As quickly as news of the ransomware surfaced, people were looking to point the finger at someone. Some lashed out at the companies and hospitals for not applying the patch, others found fault with Microsoft. Of course, people were rightfully angry with the NSA for not disclosing the exploits in its possession and embarrassingly not being able to secure its own hacking tools.

While it’s easy for someone with a couple computers in their house or a small company with a large IT budget to apply a security patch immediately, it’s not that simple for large infrastructures — especially hospitals. As pointed out by the NHS, large, expensive medical devices like MRI machines still run Windows XP and can’t be updated or easily replaced.

It’s not just hardware that can be a roadblock to a secure system. Rolling out a software upgrade can take months for larger companies. Rolling out a new OS can take even longer. If you’ve ever updated your computer to find out that one of your critical apps no longer works, imagine that on a company-wide scale.

Some smaller companies simply can’t afford to buy the hardware needed to run the latest operating system. If your restaurant or shop is barely squeezing by financially each month, if the register or ordering system are working, why would you take the financial hit and upgrade to new hardware and untested software. It’s unlikely a family diner that uses Windows 2000 for its food ordering system has an IT department.

Microsoft, for its part, took heat for not issuing patches for legacy systems even though the company warned its users years ago that support was ending for XP and 2000. Security is tough. Companies like Microsoft and Apple are constantly trying to stay ahead of hackers. Sometimes they succeed, other times not so much. There will never be a hacker-proof operating system and the tech giants have to put resources towards what their customers are using right now instead of software that’s decades old.

The reality is the government failed. The NSA, FBI and CIA will continue to stockpile and weaponize exploits. That’s not going to end anytime soon. But the shoddy handling of these exploits and even its top-secret code-breaking systems is alarming. If you were wondering why Apple wasn’t comfortable handing the department of justice encryption keys, this is one of the reasons why.

Bossert dodges question about whether NSA tools were responsible for the spread of the ransomware.

— Eric Geller (@ericgeller) May 15, 2017

Even worse, the government refuses to take responsibility. Cybersecurity executive orders don’t mean anything if the people that allowed this to happen are not held accountable. If a cache of military weapons had gone missing and they were used to hold up banks and businesses, there would be hell to pay. Essentially, this is the digital version of that.

There will always be groups like The Shadow Brokers and the team that created the ransomware that’s crippled so many companies. But there are also hackers and researchers that are working hard to keep our systems running. In the middle are the rest of us just trying to get our work done.

The system is broken from top to bottom and there’s no indication it’ll be fixed anytime soon. We need to not only practice good security (regular system backups, not using the same password, using two-factor authentication, not clicking on email links, applying security patches) we also need to help friends and family that might not be as digitally savvy.

While you’re helping others out, remember that you’re not alone. Researcher MalwareTech found a flaw in the current variant of WannaCry that accidentally stopped it from launching on new computers by registering the website url the exploit was pinging. Once he had control of the site, WannaCry’s computer take-over and encryption process stopped.

Version 1 of WannaCrypt was stoppable but version 2.0 will likely remove the flaw. You’re only safe if you patch ASAP.

— MalwareTech (@MalwareTechBlog) May 14, 2017

But the flaw has already been fixed and a new variant of WannaCry is out there extorting cash from unsuspecting Windows users. So if you can, patch your system. But it you can’t, be careful and ask for help. Increasingly it’s on us to protect our data and while the government can talk a big cybersecurity game, it’s not doing us any favors.

Pandora may ditch its ticket business to focus on streaming

Pandora bought Ticketfly in 2015 in a bid to cover more aspects of your music experience, but it’s already having second thoughts. Bloomberg sources hear that Pandora is considering selling Ticketfly in case it doesn’t find a buyer for the entire company. In other words, it’d return to its focus on streaming music — important when its on-demand Premium service is still getting off the ground. Pandora has declined to comment, but it’s not hard to imagine why the ticketing business might be on the chopping block.

The internet music pioneer was arguably caught off-guard by the one-two punch of Spotify and Apple Music, which turned on-demand streaming music into a phenomenon. The purchase of Ticketfly was part of a hasty response meant to counter those surging rivals — it was supposed to give Pandora a convenience you couldn’t find elsewhere, and musicians listening data that could help sell more tickets. Pandora didn’t exactly become a powerhouse as a result, though, and some see the $450 million price for Ticketfly as a waste for a company that’s still bleeding cash. A Ticketfly sale could recoup some of that loss and improve its appeal to prospective buyers worried that it might be distracted.

Source: Bloomberg

Disney faces ransom threat over one of its upcoming movies

It appears that the latest studio to deal with an attack by criminals is Disney. The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline have heard that CEO Bob Iger told Disney employees that a group of hackers claim to have access to a copy of one of its upcoming movies, and are trying to charge a ransom in exchange for not releasing it to the public. Speculation points to high-profile flicks like Cars 3, while Deadline reports that it’s the next Pirates of the Caribbean.

This pretty closely follows an incident where someone calling themselves “thedarkoverlord” posted episodes from Netflix’s upcoming season of Orange is the New Black after stealing them from an audio studio and failing at an attempt to obtain a ransom payment. At the time, they claimed to also have content from ABC, FOX, IFC and National Geographic, but not Disney. It’s not clear if that is related to this situation, but of course, it could be worse — remember what happened to Sony Pictures?

Last week there were rumors that an early work print of Star Wars: The Last Jedi had leaked, although that appears to have been a hoax. Oddly, the details Iger reportedly gave employees are similar to the forum posts that kicked off last week’s rumor, claiming that the threat is to release five-minute sections of the film unless they’re paid. Disney has not responded with an official statement or comment, we will update this post if we receive one.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline

No, Twitter won’t add an edit button if you retweet some dude

It’s a strange age when one person can retweet their way to a lifetime of free Wendy’s nuggets, but some social media messages just can’t be amplified into making change. Especially when they’re fake. In case there was any doubt, Twitter has confirmed that the supposed screenshot promising an ‘edit tweet’ function if a message gets 450,000 retweets isn’t legitimate.

“As a number of the replies to the Tweet suggest, this is fake,” a Twitter spokesperson told Engadget over email. The tweet in question screencaps a purported response from Twitter’s Support account saying that 450,000 retweets will get the ball rolling on the editing feature. You’d think the mischievous user would aim a little higher — the free nugget dream needed over 3.4 million retweets to become reality.

Phiaton BT 110 earbuds review

Some people love the over-the-ear feel of headphones, and others love the in-ear simplicity of an earbud.  I am one of the latter, so when I came across the Phiaton BT 110 “Wireless Compact Bluetooth Audio” buds, I was excited.  These earbuds boast up to 4.5 hours for music and calls, and about five days of standby time, all on a two-hour charge.

Design

It’s difficult to find a great way to have truly wireless earbuds with a microphone, so one will see a wire connecting the two earbuds together, along with the volume/call button that doubles as power and pairing. Phiaton has what they call their “RightFit+ technology”, meaning it comes with three silicon ear wings and four sizes of silicon tips to adjust the fit to the wearer’s ears.

Everything fits neatly in a small black bag, so they are ultra-portable, and they look pretty cool. Their total weight is only 16 grams, so they are no burden to travel with, but I found that the buds were not the most comfortable for long periods of time. After playing around with the different tips, I found some that were more comfortable, so even if the out-of-the-box tip fits, I would highly recommend looking through some of the other tips and see if a different one is more comfortable for you.

Sound

These earbuds do not get very loud, but loud enough to hear a spoken-word track or podcast in a public place. You will still hear your train or flight announcements, even with these in your ears, but they muffle enough of the outside sound so you can concentrate on the audio.

The included microphone sounded a little muffled and distant, which unfortunately, is far too common with many earpieces and headsets.  It was not bad, and I could easily be understood and understand what the other callers were saying, but I would not use these earbuds to record a podcast, for example.

There is also a buzzing sound just before and after audio starts to play, like the earbuds are preparing to work, and then go back into standby mode, which is quiet.  Overall, the sound quality is good, but not amazing.

Features

I love special features more than most people I know, and the best one about the BT 110 is the “multipoint connection”.  With these earbuds, I can connect them to more than one device at the same time.  I paired the earbuds with my tablet and was listening to some music while playing a game, and also had it paired with my phone.  I had a friend call me, and it started ringing through the earbuds, interrupting my music–this is exactly what I was looking for.

On both the box and the website, it specifically mentions that one can pair two devices simultaneously, and that’s exactly what it does.  Once I connected my computer to the earbuds, my tablet was no longer connected.

Aside from the multipoint connection, it is IPX4 sweat and water-resistant, so it can be used on-the-go for exercising or walking in the rain–just don’t take them swimming with you.

Battery

The battery life of these earbuds work as expected.  They go from empty to a full charge in about two hours, like the box says, and with normal usage. That is, not sitting around all day with them in, they lasted me about four days before I had to recharge them.

I would typically wear them in 30-60 minute spurts to listen to a podcast or some videos while I would have coffee.  Conveniently, the Phiaton BT 110 charges with a standard micro-USB, so it was easy to grab a quick charge in my car while on the go.  In all, it performs as expected, and I was not disappointed.

Conclusion

I would put these earbuds in the mid-range market.  Although they retail for $119, there are some deals at the sites below. I like these earbuds, especially since I can use one pair for both devices.  My tablet has a 3.5mm headphone jack, but my phone does not, so not having to carry around two sets of earbuds is invaluable to me.

They might not be the perfect set of earbuds, but they do the job, even if they are a little quiet.  Their frequency range is between 20Hz and 27kHz, and work from a 10-meter distance, so that’s not too shabby.

Availability

Walmart has the Phiaton BT 110 on special now for only $50; Amazon has them for just under $60; Best Buy is selling them for $59; Newegg has them for $99.

App Highlight: Goalify – My Goals and Habits

The App

Developed by onebytezero GmbH, Goalify is a new app that will help you reach your goals and succeed in your tasks and tracking your habits. Having been recently updated on May 9 to version 2.5.2, the developer is constantly applying fixes and improving performance with regular updates. Goalify allows you to effectively and efficiently record any goals or tasks that you want to accomplish.

What it does

Goalify will work on tracking everything you do in life, from simple goals and to do lists right up to tracking your habits to improve your persistence and productivity. The app also features a social aspect by allowing you to create challenges and share motivating messages with your friends. You can set up your own daily targets and completely tweak it to suit your lifestyle and motivation. There’s also 7 categories and over 50 ready-to-use goal examples to get you started.

Goalify has also recently introduced a new training plan feature to monitor your activity for professionals. Goalify has a new Coaching Edition that will help you to connect with your students, clients and athletes utilizing the extensive ecosystem for coaching and study support included in the app.

Why we like it

Goalify combines functionality that previously was split over 2-3 individual apps into a single well designed app. With the constant updates and rich feature set, you are able to customize the goals and tracking to your own pace making sure that it works for you. This, combined with the social aspect to provide healthy competition, means Goalify has found a permanent place on our homescreen.

How to get it

Goalify is available for free from the Google Play Store. You can download it right here.

The Pentagon is hunting ISIS using big data and machine learning

Military and civilian intelligence analysts “overwhelmed” by the sheer volume of video surveillance data recorded over the America’s numerous military incursions against ISIS will soon get some relief. The Pentagon announced on Monday that it is tasking its newly-minted Algorithmic Warfare Cross Functional Team (AWCFT), dubbed Project Maven, with using big data and machine learning to accelerate the process of discovering actionable intelligence in all that aerial imagery.

There’s simply too much incoming information for the Pentagon’s stable of analysts, says. Air Force Lt. Gen. John N.T. “Jack” Shanahan, director for defense intelligence for warfighter support. “We’re not going to solve it by throwing more people at the problem…That’s the last thing that we actually want to do. We want to be smarter about what we’re doing,” he told Defense One.

The idea is to reduce the amount of time analysts spend performing administrative tasks, like manually entering data into spreadsheets whenever they find something of interest, and more time actually analyzing. To that end, the AWCFT will leverage and improve upon existing Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination (PED) capabilities and automate the data-labelling process.

The group has 90 days to complete its first phase: to either develop the algorithms itself or acquire them from the private sector. The second and third phases, each also 90 days, involve procuring the hardware needed to run the algorithms and implementing the completed system.

The need for a fast turnaround is essential, Shanahan argued. “It’s no good if it’s just shown and demonstrated in a research lab somewhere. We want to deliver — in this calendar year — some capabilities out to the warfighters that make a difference.”

Should this program meet with success, Shanahan hopes to expand Project Maven’s machine learning efforts throughout the rest of the armed services. “We see all sorts of things for intelligence, for targeting, for collection management, for sensor fusion. For the department… logistics, command and control, communications,” Shanahan told Defense One. “Everything that [the tech industry] is working on has some applicability throughout the entire department.” Hopefully that success will also cajole Congress into approving a $70 million transfer of funds until the unit gets its own budget.

Source: Defense One