Baidu’s Deep Voice 2 text-to-speech engine can imitate hundreds of human accents

Why it matters to you

Next time you hear a voice generated by Baidu’s Deep Voice 2, you might not be able to tell whether it’s human.

Baidu, the Beijing-based juggernaut that commands 80 percent of the Chinese internet search market, is investing heavily in artificial intelligence. In 2013, it opened the Institute of Deep Learning, an R&D center focused on machine learning. And in May, it took the wraps off the newest version of Deep Voice, its AI-powered text-to-speech engine.

Deep Voice 2, which follows on the heels of Deep Voice’s public debut earlier this year, can produce real-time speech that’s nearly indistinguishable from a human voice. All the more impressive, it needs just thirty minutes of audio to build a working model, and can imitate the regional accents of hundreds of different speakers.

That’s leaps and bounds better than early versions of Deep Voice, which took multiple hours to learn one voice.

They key is Deep Voice 2’s ability to identify similarities between hundreds of different speakers to build a working model of a human voice. Then, it autonomously derives unique voices from that model — unlike voice assistants like Apple’s Siri, which require that a human record thousands of hours of speech that engineers tune by hand, Deep Voice 2 doesn’t require guidance or manual intervention.

“Give it the right data, and it can learn on [its] own what sort of features are important,” Andrew Gibiansky, a research scientist at Baidu’s Silicon Valley AI Lab, told The Verge.

Baidu isn’t the only company investing in high-quality text-to-speech tech. Google’s WaveNet, a product of the company’s DeepMind division, generates voices by sampling real human speech and independently creating its own sounds in a variety of voices. Adobe’s Project VoCo transcribes human speech to editable text in real time. And Lyrebird, a Canadian AI startup, licenses algorithms that can imitate any voice with just a single minute of sample audio, create one thousand sentences in less than half a second, and can infuse the speech it creates with emotions like anger, sympathy, and stress.

But don’t expect Deep Voice 2 or WaveNet to replace Siri, the Google Assistant, or Amazon’s Alexa anytime soon — AI-powered translation apps require more resources than today’s phones can reasonably supply. But Baidu sees potential in applications like text-to-speech apps and voice-based assistants. “The ability to quickly synthesize multiple human voices will have a huge effect on products such as personal assistants and eBook readers in the future. For example, each character of your eBook could have a unique voice when you listen to the eBook.”

Baidu’s Deep Voice 2 text-to-speech engine can imitate hundreds of human accents

Why it matters to you

Next time you hear a voice generated by Baidu’s Deep Voice 2, you might not be able to tell whether it’s human.

Baidu, the Beijing-based juggernaut that commands 80 percent of the Chinese internet search market, is investing heavily in artificial intelligence. In 2013, it opened the Institute of Deep Learning, an R&D center focused on machine learning. And in May, it took the wraps off the newest version of Deep Voice, its AI-powered text-to-speech engine.

Deep Voice 2, which follows on the heels of Deep Voice’s public debut earlier this year, can produce real-time speech that’s nearly indistinguishable from a human voice. All the more impressive, it needs just thirty minutes of audio to build a working model, and can imitate the regional accents of hundreds of different speakers.

That’s leaps and bounds better than early versions of Deep Voice, which took multiple hours to learn one voice.

They key is Deep Voice 2’s ability to identify similarities between hundreds of different speakers to build a working model of a human voice. Then, it autonomously derives unique voices from that model — unlike voice assistants like Apple’s Siri, which require that a human record thousands of hours of speech that engineers tune by hand, Deep Voice 2 doesn’t require guidance or manual intervention.

“Give it the right data, and it can learn on [its] own what sort of features are important,” Andrew Gibiansky, a research scientist at Baidu’s Silicon Valley AI Lab, told The Verge.

Baidu isn’t the only company investing in high-quality text-to-speech tech. Google’s WaveNet, a product of the company’s DeepMind division, generates voices by sampling real human speech and independently creating its own sounds in a variety of voices. Adobe’s Project VoCo transcribes human speech to editable text in real time. And Lyrebird, a Canadian AI startup, licenses algorithms that can imitate any voice with just a single minute of sample audio, create one thousand sentences in less than half a second, and can infuse the speech it creates with emotions like anger, sympathy, and stress.

But don’t expect Deep Voice 2 or WaveNet to replace Siri, the Google Assistant, or Amazon’s Alexa anytime soon — AI-powered translation apps require more resources than today’s phones can reasonably supply. But Baidu sees potential in applications like text-to-speech apps and voice-based assistants. “The ability to quickly synthesize multiple human voices will have a huge effect on products such as personal assistants and eBook readers in the future. For example, each character of your eBook could have a unique voice when you listen to the eBook.”

Microsoft Surface Pro vs. Apple iPad Pro: These are no amateur tablets

When does a tablet become a computer? It’s a difficult question to consider; the delineation between phones and tablets sits at 7 inches even (measured diagonally), but even those lines have begun to blur — the “phablet” has become a category in and of itself, rendering such labels effectively archaic. 2-in-1 foldable tablets make for workable laptop replacements, and as the tech powering these devices grows smaller, so too does our insistence upon forcing gadgets into restrictive conceptual cages.

Microsoft’s Surface Pro has long been a harbinger of this paradigm shift, pushing expectations when it comes to computing power in a tablet. The new Surface Pro, unveiled today, aims to carry on that tradition and keep Microsoft’s Surface series of devices in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Apple’s iPad Pro looms large as possibly the standard for tablet computing. Both computers are sizable, straddling the line between tablet and laptop, and both are powerful, but the question remains: Which is superior? We dig in.

12.9-inch iPad Pro

Surface Pro

Size
12 x 8.68 x 0.27 inches
11.5 x 7.9 x 0.33 inches
Weight
1.57 pounds
1.69-1.73 pounds, depending upon processor
Display
12.9-inch LED-backlit multi-touch display
12.3-inch PixelSense display
Resolution
2,732 x 2,048 pixels (264 ppi)
2,736 x 1,824 pixels (267 ppi)
Operating System
iOS 10
Windows 10
Storage
32, 128, 256GB
128, 256, 512GB SSD or 1TB PCIe NVMe
Processor
A9X chip with 64‑bit architecture, M9 coprocessor
7th generation Intel Core m3, i5, i7
RAM
4GB
4GB, 8GB, 16GB LPDDR3
Camera/Webcam
Front 1.2MP, Rear 8MP
Front 5MP, Rear 8MP
Touch
Multi-touch
10-point multi-touch
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+, Bluetooth 4.2
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, LTE later this year
Sensors
Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, barometer, and Touch ID fingerprint sensor
Ambient light sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, Windows Hello face sign-in
Battery
Up to 10 hours of surfing the Web on Wi-Fi, watching videos, or listening to music
Up to 13 hours of battery life
Ports
Lightning, headphone jack
USB 3.0, microSDXC reader, Surface Connect, headphone jack, Mini DisplayPort, Cover port
Price
$799, or $1,079 with cellular
$799 to $2,699
Availability
Now
June 15
DT review
4.5 out of 5
Hands-on

Performance

In late 2015, the iPad Pro began to make news when its A9X SOC processor ranked alongside those considered far more powerful in a number of benchmark tests. Reviewers proclaimed the imminent end of laptop computing as we know it, and crowned the Pro a vanguard of the coming era. In a number of ways, that holds true; the iPad has earned acclaim for its performance, delivering potent processing power and gorgeous graphics despite its slim frame.

Still, those predictions largely turned out erroneous, as further tests placed the iPad toward the middle of the pack, beating out most tablets but lagging behind devices toting Intel i-series chips like Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book Clipboard. The Surface Pro 5 is (unsurprisingly) packing more power than all of the above, with 7th-generation Intel processors that the iPad can’t hope to match.

Depending which model of the Surface you decide upon, you’ll be getting between 128 and 512GB of SSD storage, which you can even upgrade to 1TB of PCIe NVMe for blazing fast access to data, and the Surface boasts between 4 and 16GB of LPDDR3 RAM memory. The iPad’s standard HDD storage and its 4GB memory just can’t compete. Simply put: if you’re worried about power, there’s no competition.

Winner: Surface Pro

Display and design

Kyle Wiggers/Digital Trends

The screen on the iPad Pro is so beautiful you’ll want to cry. At nearly 13 inches, it sounds unwieldy, but the advantages outweigh the drawbacks; in particular, watching videos, movies, and TV is awesome — it’s like watching on a laptop without all the restrictions that come with an attached keyboard. And, at a whopping 264 pixels per inch, the picture is always crystal clear (as long as you’ve got a solid network connection, of course). Similarly, playing games is awesome, but you’re limited to App Store offerings.

The iPad’s display feels like it’s built specifically for artists, and the Apple Pencil feels like a natural addition. Pressure sensors in the iPad and the Pencil automatically respond to your touch, adjusting the width and depth of lines accordingly. Using the Pencil, you’ll notice nearly zero lag, giving the experience a surreal feeling, and it conveniently plugs directly into any Lightning port for quick charging.

The iPad makes for a great computer in some ways, but in some ways it’s also extremely limiting. Not all apps play nicely with iOS, and there’s no real file explorer to utilize. The iPad doesn’t come with a keyboard, and worthy ones cost upwards of $100. As an addition to your lineup of gadgets, it’s the bee’s knees. As a replacement for your main workstation, it’s a bit lacking.

The Surface Pro isn’t quite as svelte or convenient, but it’s got way more to love; Microsoft is calling it “the most versatile laptop on the planet,” and if the Surface ends up meeting its potential, it’ll be tough to argue. The 10-point PixelTouch multi-touch screen offers 267 pixels per inch over 12.3 inches of real estate, so it should look every bit as handsome as the iPad’s. The 3:2 aspect ratio — typical of Surface devices — works especially well with many design apps, and makes side-by-side app use a breeze and the 48-core Intel Iris Plus graphics found in the i7 models are truly beautiful.

The screen will support both the Surface Pen and the Surface Dial, making it the first laptop to do so. Microsoft has redesigned the Surface Pen, and claims that it will be twice as responsive as the Apple Pencil. If that’s true, the Surface Pen will be (by far) the best stylus of all time. Unfortunately, the Pro doesn’t come with the Pen or the Signature Type Cover, the latest iteration of Microsoft’s native keyboard — the Type Cover will run you a cool $160 extra on its own.

If you do decide to splurge on the keyboard, you shouldn’t be disappointed — it’s available in a number of cool colors and it’s lined with the suede-like Alcantara that’s become standard for Surface accessories. It’ll be interesting to see how the Dial works with a smaller screen; on the Surface Studio, it was a designer’s dream, but it could prove obtrusive on the laptop. Only time will tell.

The built-in kickstand and 165-degree hinge mean you can set up the Surface for easy viewing or put it in Surface Mode for design purposes, and the two cheaper models don’t even require a fan to stay cool. It’s a stretch to declare a clear victor without experiencing the Surface Pro for ourselves, but if Microsoft follows through on their promises, it’ll be an incredible piece of tech.

Winner: Surface Pro

Battery, ports, and connectivity

All our experience points to Apple’s 10-hour battery estimate being accurate. Considering that most people will primarily be playing games or watching media on the device, this is a win. Microsoft promises 13.5 hours of battery life for the Surface Pro; for a tablet, this would be great, and for a computer, it’s pretty damn good. However, Microsoft has overstated battery life figures in the past.

It’s good to see that Microsoft decided to buck recent trends and include a litany of ports on the Surface, including a USB 3.0 port, a Mini DisplayPort, and the multi-purpose Surface Connect port. The iPad’s got a Lightning port for charging and connecting to computers, a headphone jack, and… that’s it. Not that most people expect a ton of options on a tablet, but if you’re considering the iPad as a laptop replacement, that could be a deterrent.

Both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, of course, and while the iPad is LTE-enabled, Microsoft claims that the Surface will get the same treatment later this year. If LTE capability is important to you, hold off on pre-ordering the Surface Pro until more information becomes available here.

Winner: Tie

Price and availability

Obviously, the iPad is available now, and the Surface isn’t. Pricing for the iPad is relatively straightforward — you can drop $799 on the regular version, or $1,079 on the LTE-enabled device. That said, if you need full laptop functionality, you’ll probably need to drop a couple more Benjamins on a keyboard, so expect the price to be around $1,000, minimum.

The Surface Pro won’t be out until mid-June, and prices vary wildly depending upon which model you want. The base version — toting an Intel m3 chip, 128GB of SSD storage, and 4GB of RAM — will run you $799, while each more powerful iteration raises the bar by $200-$300, up to a maximum of $2,699. The same qualifier applies here — buy a keyboard, and you’re looking at another extra $200 or so.

Still, most people will want the Surface Pro, unless they’re extremely impatient (or invested deeply into Apple’s ecosystem). It provides more bang for your buck, and as an actual laptop, you won’t be limited to App Store software.

Winner: Surface Pro

Conclusion

Both of these machines are capable of doing all your basic laptop stuff — surfing the web, watching Netflix, word processing, etc. — and they’re both equipped with jaw-dropping displays that deserve your attention. The iPad works well in a number of scenarios, and really shines as a design tool when paired with the Apple Pencil.

Still, Microsoft’s new Surface Pro is designed to do all of that (and more), just more effectively. Surface Dial compatibility and the new Surface Pen update mean that the 2-in-1 is a divine design device, an artist’s dream with a high ceiling when it comes to graphical output. And, on top of that, it’s a really good computer, carrying enough power in its bowels to compete with regular laptops.

If you need a tablet right now, buy the iPad Pro — you won’t be disappointed. But if you can bear to wait for a month, or if you’re looking for a more versatile package, there’s no contest; Microsoft’s new Surface Pro takes the cake.

Microsoft Surface Pro vs. Apple iPad Pro: These are no amateur tablets

When does a tablet become a computer? It’s a difficult question to consider; the delineation between phones and tablets sits at 7 inches even (measured diagonally), but even those lines have begun to blur — the “phablet” has become a category in and of itself, rendering such labels effectively archaic. 2-in-1 foldable tablets make for workable laptop replacements, and as the tech powering these devices grows smaller, so too does our insistence upon forcing gadgets into restrictive conceptual cages.

Microsoft’s Surface Pro has long been a harbinger of this paradigm shift, pushing expectations when it comes to computing power in a tablet. The new Surface Pro, unveiled today, aims to carry on that tradition and keep Microsoft’s Surface series of devices in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Apple’s iPad Pro looms large as possibly the standard for tablet computing. Both computers are sizable, straddling the line between tablet and laptop, and both are powerful, but the question remains: Which is superior? We dig in.

12.9-inch iPad Pro

Surface Pro

Size
12 x 8.68 x 0.27 inches
11.5 x 7.9 x 0.33 inches
Weight
1.57 pounds
1.69-1.73 pounds, depending upon processor
Display
12.9-inch LED-backlit multi-touch display
12.3-inch PixelSense display
Resolution
2,732 x 2,048 pixels (264 ppi)
2,736 x 1,824 pixels (267 ppi)
Operating System
iOS 10
Windows 10
Storage
32, 128, 256GB
128, 256, 512GB SSD or 1TB PCIe NVMe
Processor
A9X chip with 64‑bit architecture, M9 coprocessor
7th generation Intel Core m3, i5, i7
RAM
4GB
4GB, 8GB, 16GB LPDDR3
Camera/Webcam
Front 1.2MP, Rear 8MP
Front 5MP, Rear 8MP
Touch
Multi-touch
10-point multi-touch
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+, Bluetooth 4.2
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, LTE later this year
Sensors
Three-axis gyro, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, barometer, and Touch ID fingerprint sensor
Ambient light sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, Windows Hello face sign-in
Battery
Up to 10 hours of surfing the Web on Wi-Fi, watching videos, or listening to music
Up to 13 hours of battery life
Ports
Lightning, headphone jack
USB 3.0, microSDXC reader, Surface Connect, headphone jack, Mini DisplayPort, Cover port
Price
$799, or $1,079 with cellular
$799 to $2,699
Availability
Now
June 15
DT review
4.5 out of 5
Hands-on

Performance

In late 2015, the iPad Pro began to make news when its A9X SOC processor ranked alongside those considered far more powerful in a number of benchmark tests. Reviewers proclaimed the imminent end of laptop computing as we know it, and crowned the Pro a vanguard of the coming era. In a number of ways, that holds true; the iPad has earned acclaim for its performance, delivering potent processing power and gorgeous graphics despite its slim frame.

Still, those predictions largely turned out erroneous, as further tests placed the iPad toward the middle of the pack, beating out most tablets but lagging behind devices toting Intel i-series chips like Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book Clipboard. The Surface Pro 5 is (unsurprisingly) packing more power than all of the above, with 7th-generation Intel processors that the iPad can’t hope to match.

Depending which model of the Surface you decide upon, you’ll be getting between 128 and 512GB of SSD storage, which you can even upgrade to 1TB of PCIe NVMe for blazing fast access to data, and the Surface boasts between 4 and 16GB of LPDDR3 RAM memory. The iPad’s standard HDD storage and its 4GB memory just can’t compete. Simply put: if you’re worried about power, there’s no competition.

Winner: Surface Pro

Display and design

Kyle Wiggers/Digital Trends

The screen on the iPad Pro is so beautiful you’ll want to cry. At nearly 13 inches, it sounds unwieldy, but the advantages outweigh the drawbacks; in particular, watching videos, movies, and TV is awesome — it’s like watching on a laptop without all the restrictions that come with an attached keyboard. And, at a whopping 264 pixels per inch, the picture is always crystal clear (as long as you’ve got a solid network connection, of course). Similarly, playing games is awesome, but you’re limited to App Store offerings.

The iPad’s display feels like it’s built specifically for artists, and the Apple Pencil feels like a natural addition. Pressure sensors in the iPad and the Pencil automatically respond to your touch, adjusting the width and depth of lines accordingly. Using the Pencil, you’ll notice nearly zero lag, giving the experience a surreal feeling, and it conveniently plugs directly into any Lightning port for quick charging.

The iPad makes for a great computer in some ways, but in some ways it’s also extremely limiting. Not all apps play nicely with iOS, and there’s no real file explorer to utilize. The iPad doesn’t come with a keyboard, and worthy ones cost upwards of $100. As an addition to your lineup of gadgets, it’s the bee’s knees. As a replacement for your main workstation, it’s a bit lacking.

The Surface Pro isn’t quite as svelte or convenient, but it’s got way more to love; Microsoft is calling it “the most versatile laptop on the planet,” and if the Surface ends up meeting its potential, it’ll be tough to argue. The 10-point PixelTouch multi-touch screen offers 267 pixels per inch over 12.3 inches of real estate, so it should look every bit as handsome as the iPad’s. The 3:2 aspect ratio — typical of Surface devices — works especially well with many design apps, and makes side-by-side app use a breeze and the 48-core Intel Iris Plus graphics found in the i7 models are truly beautiful.

The screen will support both the Surface Pen and the Surface Dial, making it the first laptop to do so. Microsoft has redesigned the Surface Pen, and claims that it will be twice as responsive as the Apple Pencil. If that’s true, the Surface Pen will be (by far) the best stylus of all time. Unfortunately, the Pro doesn’t come with the Pen or the Signature Type Cover, the latest iteration of Microsoft’s native keyboard — the Type Cover will run you a cool $160 extra on its own.

If you do decide to splurge on the keyboard, you shouldn’t be disappointed — it’s available in a number of cool colors and it’s lined with the suede-like Alcantara that’s become standard for Surface accessories. It’ll be interesting to see how the Dial works with a smaller screen; on the Surface Studio, it was a designer’s dream, but it could prove obtrusive on the laptop. Only time will tell.

The built-in kickstand and 165-degree hinge mean you can set up the Surface for easy viewing or put it in Surface Mode for design purposes, and the two cheaper models don’t even require a fan to stay cool. It’s a stretch to declare a clear victor without experiencing the Surface Pro for ourselves, but if Microsoft follows through on their promises, it’ll be an incredible piece of tech.

Winner: Surface Pro

Battery, ports, and connectivity

All our experience points to Apple’s 10-hour battery estimate being accurate. Considering that most people will primarily be playing games or watching media on the device, this is a win. Microsoft promises 13.5 hours of battery life for the Surface Pro; for a tablet, this would be great, and for a computer, it’s pretty damn good. However, Microsoft has overstated battery life figures in the past.

It’s good to see that Microsoft decided to buck recent trends and include a litany of ports on the Surface, including a USB 3.0 port, a Mini DisplayPort, and the multi-purpose Surface Connect port. The iPad’s got a Lightning port for charging and connecting to computers, a headphone jack, and… that’s it. Not that most people expect a ton of options on a tablet, but if you’re considering the iPad as a laptop replacement, that could be a deterrent.

Both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, of course, and while the iPad is LTE-enabled, Microsoft claims that the Surface will get the same treatment later this year. If LTE capability is important to you, hold off on pre-ordering the Surface Pro until more information becomes available here.

Winner: Tie

Price and availability

Obviously, the iPad is available now, and the Surface isn’t. Pricing for the iPad is relatively straightforward — you can drop $799 on the regular version, or $1,079 on the LTE-enabled device. That said, if you need full laptop functionality, you’ll probably need to drop a couple more Benjamins on a keyboard, so expect the price to be around $1,000, minimum.

The Surface Pro won’t be out until mid-June, and prices vary wildly depending upon which model you want. The base version — toting an Intel m3 chip, 128GB of SSD storage, and 4GB of RAM — will run you $799, while each more powerful iteration raises the bar by $200-$300, up to a maximum of $2,699. The same qualifier applies here — buy a keyboard, and you’re looking at another extra $200 or so.

Still, most people will want the Surface Pro, unless they’re extremely impatient (or invested deeply into Apple’s ecosystem). It provides more bang for your buck, and as an actual laptop, you won’t be limited to App Store software.

Winner: Surface Pro

Conclusion

Both of these machines are capable of doing all your basic laptop stuff — surfing the web, watching Netflix, word processing, etc. — and they’re both equipped with jaw-dropping displays that deserve your attention. The iPad works well in a number of scenarios, and really shines as a design tool when paired with the Apple Pencil.

Still, Microsoft’s new Surface Pro is designed to do all of that (and more), just more effectively. Surface Dial compatibility and the new Surface Pen update mean that the 2-in-1 is a divine design device, an artist’s dream with a high ceiling when it comes to graphical output. And, on top of that, it’s a really good computer, carrying enough power in its bowels to compete with regular laptops.

If you need a tablet right now, buy the iPad Pro — you won’t be disappointed. But if you can bear to wait for a month, or if you’re looking for a more versatile package, there’s no contest; Microsoft’s new Surface Pro takes the cake.

Polluted water can be made drinkable by blasting it with pressurized CO2

Why it matters to you

Hundreds of millions of people around the world lack access to clean drinking water. This technique could help change that.

Virtually everyone reading this article takes clean drinking water for granted. But that is not the case throughout the world, where hundreds of millions of people lack access to the necessary kind of water treatment tools that can make it safe to drink.

In a new research project, investigators from Princeton University, Unilever, and the University of Hawaii describe a new method of making water drinkable — by counterintuitively mixing it with carbon dioxide, which is normally considered a pollutant.

“We have used a CO2 gas as a means to remove suspended particles,” Sangwoo Shin, an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University aof Hawaii at Manoa, told Digital Trends. “When CO2 is in contact with water, it dissociates into ions, which subsequently generates a small electricity. Yet, this electricity is big enough to push the suspended particles. We use this principle to achieve efficient, continuous, scalable water filtration that does not involve any porous filters.”

The idea of taking a cup of water from a contaminated pond or river and then blasting it through with pressurized carbon dioxide to get a fresh cup of drinking water sounds impossible, but that is exactly what Shin says the group’s research can achieve. “Imagine a small CO2 tank that goes with a paintball gun or soda stream,” he said, describing the source of the pressurized CO2. He notes that the technology could also be used for military purposes, in which soldiers are not guaranteed a clean source of drinking water.

In tests, the system was shown to be capable of removing all but 0.0005 percent of target particles and doing so with less than 1/1,000 of the energy a membrane filtration system would require.

“Our demonstration is still immature at the moment and limited to a lab scale test,” Shin continued. “There are many engineering design factors to be considered for a possible commercialization, including scaling-up and optimization for use in households or water treatment plants to supply larger communities. We are hoping to see a large-scale water filtration device in the near future.”

You can read the study, published in the journal Nature Communications.

Crazy Taxi Classic is currently free in the Google Play Store

Get the Dreamcast classic remastered for mobile — for free!

Sega wants you to get hyped for its latest entry in the Crazy Taxi franchise by reliving the glory of the original game for free. Save yourself $5 and snag this classic game today!

If you’re wondering what the catch is, Sega has loaded the free version of the game with ads. We’re talking a bunch of ads in all the menus. Fortunately, once you’re into the game, it’s a really solid port of the classic game from 2000, complete with The Offspring blaring over the radio.

The new Crazy Taxi game is Crazy Taxi Gazillionaire, a new idle clicker game that also features songs from The Offspring and familiar art style and characters — but lacks the frantic driving action of Crazy Taxi Classic. If we had to choose between the two, we’d certainly choose Crazy Taxi Classic, but with both currently free, you may as well check out both!

Download: Crazy Taxi Classic (Free)

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Drink up me hearty pirate wallpapers!

Yo ho, yo ho… It’s a pirate’s life for me!

Pirate has been a loaded word for centuries, and now in the digital age, that name is even more loaded. In the old days, pirates actually had to go out and steal something physical, something tangible. Today, everyone’s been a pirate at one point or another — don’t tell me you haven’t! — and pirates are harder to spot because we can plunder digital goods from the privacy of our homes. Fear of pirates has kept services from Android for years, the thought of piracy drives companies to extremes and extreme annoyance for the customers as they have to navigate the chaos of DRM and other anti-piracy features.

But there’s still a romantic air to pirates. The hats, the swords, the freedom of the oceans… So raise a bottle of rum and break out the Jolly Roger!

ARRRRRRGH!

Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the most iconic theme park rides on the planet, and that was before the films sharing the sanme name earned over a billion dollars. Of all the iconic scenes in this iconic ride, this is the one that is most recognizable. You see a dog with keys in its mouth, and you instantly think Pirates. This Disney Parks Blog wallpaper’s simplistic lines and broad palette put you and your phone back in those boats, ready to dive into the world of swashbuckling and scurvy scoundrels.

Pirates of the Caribbean Wallpaper

Treasure Planet is Disney’s forgotten pirate franchise. Tell the truth! You’ve forgotten about it, too! And I don’t know why — Treasure Planet was an out of this world adaptation of one of the world’s most memorable pirate novels, Treasure Island. Buried treasure, bloodthirsty alien pirates, the most adorable fluid-based sidekick until the Ocean in Moana… Treasure Planet was an interesting film with some gorgeous artwork, and this 4K wallpaper adapted from the official poster is just jaw-dropping.

Treasure Planet by jaksonstoker

When sailing the seas, your have the sun, the stars, and your trusty compass to guide you. To use a compass that doesn’t point north defies logic and sanity… but no one ever said Captain Jack Sparrow was sane. Sparrow’s compass doesn’t aim for the Northern Star, but rather for what the holder truly desires, which sounds great right up until what you want changes in the middle of the open ocean and gets you hopelessly lost.

Jack Sparrow’s Compass by ResenZhu

One Piece is more than an anime series that refuses to die. I’ve had friends and colleagues ask me if they should watch One Piece, and I ask them if they’ve got a free month to do that. One Piece is a hell of a ride, it’s not just a pirate show; it’s the pirate show. Between crazy high-seas adventures and ridiculous superpowers, One Piece has so many feels that you can’t help as they steal your heart… and no one can steal hearts and slice them into a million pieces faster than master swordsman Roronoa Zoro.

Roronoa Zoro Minimalist Wallpaper by Darkfate1720

“We wants the redhead! WE WANTS THE REDHEAD!” “Quiet, you swabs!!”

Of all the controversial scenes in Pirates of the Caribbean, the one that has managed to stay almost completely intact is the auction scene, which is home to my favorite character and line of the ride: the Redhead. The auction scene when you think about it is a pretty horrifying concept, and rather than quivering and cowering as so many of the other women in line do, the Redhead takes back a little control of her life by drawing the bidders’ attention with her bright colors and saucy show. This wallpaper is also available as a shirt, if you want to show you love for our awesome Redhead on your next trip to the parks! Now, say it with me:

WE WANTS THE REDHEAD! WE WANTS THE REDHEAD!!

We Wants The Redhead!

Deal: Score 10GB of Data with unlimited text and calling from $27 Per Month

Looking for a killer deal on a new cell phone plan for yourself? Don’t miss this awesome offer from Mint SIM!

In the recent years, we’ve seen a whole lot happen to cell phone plans. First unlimited data, then price hikes, then tiered data, cheaper plans, the return of unlimited data and so much more. Competition continues to grow in this field, and Mint SIM is getting in on the action with some extremely aggressive pricing for its plans. Mint SIM is an alternative carrier that offers you an extremely affordable way to have the data you need on your phone, and right now you can save an additional 20% off any 6- or 12-month plan using the coupon ACMINTSIM20.

Mint SIM utilizes T-Mobile’s growing 4G LTE network to ensure you have great coverage and fast speeds across most of the United States. The way it works is Mint SIM buys access to networks and packages and then is able to resell them to its customers for better rates than the major carriers are charging.

Save 20% with coupon ACMINTSIM20 Learn More

With Mint SIM you can port your existing number over, or start service with a new one if you wish. You can pay monthly, or buy in 3, 6, or 12-month bundles, which help you save even more.

The additional 20% off comes when you buy either 6 or 12-months, but the savings is pretty big. The Big Four carriers charge upwards of $90 a month to gain access to a reasonable amount of data, meaning you are paying nearly $1,100 a year for service. With Mint SIM you can get 10GB of data per month with unlimited talk and text for just $323 for the year.

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There are a ton of deals out there, but none of them are quite this good. You can use the unlocked phone of your choice with any of these plans, so pick one you like, order a new SIM card and give it a shot today!

10GB per month at $27 based on one year plan using coupon code. Does not include regulatory fees of $4.

Cloak & Dagger exploit: What you need to know

Should you be concerned about this new Android exploit called Cloak & Dagger? Here’s what you need to know!

A new Android exploit has been unveiled called Cloak & Dagger and, true to its name, it describes ways in which ill-intentioned apps can take advantage of two Android permissions to steal keystrokes and trick users into divulging personal information.

But is it dangerous? Let’s break it down quickly.

What is Cloak & Dagger?

Cloak & Dagger is the name for a combination of two exploitable Android permissions that, when used independently or separately through an ill-intentioned app, can have dire consequences.

It was published as a proof-of-concept by a four-person team at Georgia Institute of Technology and University of California, Santa Barbara.

It is not an active exploit, and to date there have been no known public uses of it.

How does it work?

According to the team, Cloak & Dagger takes advantage of two Android permissions — SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW (“draw on top”) and BIND_ACCESSIBILITY_SERVICE (“a11y”) — that, when working together or separately, make it possible for an app to “listen in” and either steal text input such as passwords, two-factor authentication numbers, or personal data.

Cloak & Dagger is a new class of potential attacks affecting Android devices. These attacks allow a malicious app to completely control the UI feedback loop and take over the device — without giving the user a chance to notice the malicious activity. These attacks only require two permissions that, in case the app is installed from the Play Store, the user does not need to explicitly grant and for which she is not even notified. Our user study indicates that these attacks are practical.

The “draw on top” permission is known as the Android overlay feature and is used by many apps like Facebook Messenger and Samsung’s own Multi Window feature to enable “windows” that can be minimized and moved around on top of other apps.

How does the exploit work?

Because both the permissions are not part of Android’s explicit permission granting system that began in Android 6.0 Marshmallow, when a malicious app is downloaded, the app can automatically grant the “draw on top” permission.

Once that happens, the app, once opened, can create an overlay on top of a well-known app, like Facebook, to “phish” input like passwords. It can also overlay on top of the Android keyboard, picking up all inputted text.

The accessibility permission is a little bit harder to force a user to enable, but the team says that its proof of concept used the overlay permission to trick users into activating it. Once both are enabled, a “god mode” app can potentially steal data from any app used on the phone.

Everyone is affected

Cloak & Dagger affects all versions of Android, according to the team, including Android 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0, up to the latest release of Android 7.1.2.

Android 7.0 and above makes it a bit more difficult for some of the overlay exploits to work, but some ingenuity can still get around it.

Should you worry?

Right now, there are no known apps that take advantage of these permissions for malicious purposes, though now that they are public, that may change. The team published the research to force Google’s hand to improve the experience, since, unlike other Android vulnerabilities, these exploits take advantage of design flaws in the permissions themselves, not holes or bugs in the software.

What can you do to protect yourself?

This will not be a problem for you if you are careful with the apps you use.

Much is often made of Android’s security flaws, but Cloak & Dagger is not something you need to worry about as long as you’re careful about granting overlay permissions.

In order to mitigate the potential effects of Cloak & Dagger, it’s a good idea to review which apps can create overlays on top of your Android system. On most versions of Android, here’s how to do it:

Open Android Settings.
Scroll down and tap on Apps.
Tap on the Menu or Cog icon.
Find and tap on Special access. It’s usually under the “Advanced” heading.
Tap on Draw over other apps. These are the apps that can create overlays using the above permission.
Disable any apps you don’t recognize.

More: How to turn off screen overlay on the Galaxy S8

Don’t panic!

Seriously, this is not a big deal if you’re careful about the apps you download, especially since Google now scans 50 billion apps for malware every day using its Play Protect system.

Hopefully, Google will address this issue publicly or at least provide some clarification about what it intends to do with app overlays. Android O should eliminate this problem altogether by refactoring the overlay problem with a new API, but it’s unclear how or if Google plans to address the concern on earlier versions.

Magikarp Jump is a decidedly more casual Pokemon game, now available in Google Play

The Pokémon you want, but without leaving the house.

Maybe you’re tired of walking playing Pokémon Go but still need to get a Pokémon fix — well, why not give the new Magikarp Jump game a try? This casual Pokémon-themed game is far less involved than Go but still kicks in with the nostalgia we crave. Announced earlier this week with a limited release, Magikarp Jump is now available in the U.S. and most other countries.

Everything you need to know about Magikarp Jump is right in the title: the objective of the game is to train your Magikarp to jump higher than the other Magikarp. Yes, that’s rather simple and somewhat pathetic, but, y’know, so is Magikarp itself. You’ll train your Magikarp to gain jumping skills, feed it so it grows stronger, and then head into competition where you see just how high your Magikarp can jump.

There’s little more to try and sell someone on this: you’ll just need to download it and play. If you’re a Pokémon fan, you’re going to enjoy playing this casual title (it’s already picking up tons of five-star reviews). It’s free but has in-app ads by default, so expect to drop a little money to clean up the experience.

Pokémon Go

• Pokémon Go Game Guide!
• Pokémon Go Gen 2 FAQ
• Pokémon Go tips and tricks
• How to deal with GPS errors in-game
• How to play without killing your battery
• Join our Pokémon Go forums!