Labour’s election manifesto: What it means for UK tech

The UK has entered election season, which means it’s time for all of the major political parties to cough up their manifestos. Today it was Labour’s turn to put forward its proposed vision, which includes better broadband access, more investment in renewable energy and a renewed effort to tackle cybercrime. Most of these ideas are covered in vague, broad strokes — there’s a lot to cover in a manifesto, after all — but they’re still worth reading and considering, if only to get a general sense of what Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn thinks is most important for the country.

To keep our cities and towns powered, the Labour party is promising investment in new, “state-of-the-art low carbon gas and renewable electricity production.” Exactly where that money would go, and how much would be allocated is unclear, although the party does stress it’s “committed” to green energy projects such as tidal lagoons” Labour says it would also ban fracking to help free the country from its fossil fuel dependency, while supporting nuclear projects and people already working in the field. Such a transition wouldn’t be easy, and Labour admits that better carbon capture and storage solutions would be needed short-term.

All of this feeds into one big mission for Labour: To source 60 percent of the UK’s energy consumption from zero-carbon and renewable sources by 2030. “A Labour government will put us back on track to meet the targets in the Climate Change Act and Paris Agreement,” the manifesto reads.

Internet access is slowly improving, but still there are towns, streets and buildings suffering from woeful broadband infrastructure. The opposition party is promising “universal” superfast (generally defined as 24MB of higher) broadband availability by 2022. If elected, it would also tell the National Infrastructure Commission “on day one” to start investigating how ultrafast (300Mbps) broadband can be rolled out over the next decade. In the cities, Labour wants citizens to have better access to public Wi-Fi, and will look at bringing “uninterrupted” 5G coverage to major roads and railways. Oh, and it generally wants to improve 4G coverage too.

To boost employment and general living standards, the party is set on growing the “digital economy,” a popular buzzword for startups and other internet-enabled companies (which, by this point, is almost all businesses.) Part of that push will include a “Digital Ambassador” tasked with promoting Britain as a good place for investment and entrepreneurs.

To keep Britain on the cutting edge, a Labour government would also prioritise science, technology and health-based research. It would commit “extra research investment” and be “welcoming” to research staff who are keen to work in the UK. The party would also look to maintain the country’s membership of Euratom, the pan-European atomic energy regulator, and the European Medicines Agency. As a single example, Labour says it would focus on the design, development and manufacturing of ultra low emission vehicles — electric, hydrogen and the like.

Uber and Transport for London have had plenty of legal tussles over the last couple of years, debating how the ride-hailing company should be defined (and taxed) in the capital. Labour wants to settle the debate once and for all by reforming the current legislation that governs taxi and private hire services. New rules would include “national standards to guarantee safety and accessibility” and fresh guidelines that can both keep up with innovation and ensure that different companies can compete.

On the internet, the Labour government is keen to tackle “the growing threat of cybercrime” by providing police with additional equipment and resources. It would also force technology companies to introduce new policies that can help protect children and tackle online abuse. These would ensure “young children understand and are able to easily remove any content they shared on the internet before they turned 18.” If that sounds familiar, it’s because the Conservatives are pushing for a similar rule. Finally, Labour wants to sort “the broken ticketing market” that allows scalpers to quickly scoop up tickets and sell them on at an absurd markup.

Most of these ideas sound decent, however it’s hard to judge them without knowing intricate policy details. There’s also the issue of funding — it’s easy to promise radical change, but another to find the necessary cash from the public purse. That’ll be for Labour to figure out if it’s elected — a tall order given the current polls, but not outside the realm of possibility.

Source: Labour Manifesto 2017

Keep tabs on your kid’s location while you binge watch Netflix

It seems like everyone wants to get into your living room. From the Apple TV to Google Home to Amazon’s range of devices, your house is the site of the next battle for connected device supremacy. Instead of a voice command gadget with a screen like the Alexa Show, though, Samsung is looking to use its line of smart televisions to keep you connected with friends and family. The company is bringing location-sharing app Glympse to the Tizen operating system on the Samsung Smart TV.

Samsung already preloads Glympse on its Family Hub series of smart refrigerators, which may seem like an even weirder place to check up on where your kids are, but there you have it. Both the refrigerator and television versions of Glympse now have a way to create private groups of family and friends, and they’re easy to create. You’ll just type in that friend or family member’s phone number and they’ll get a text to add themselves to the group. Once added, everyone else in the group will be able see where that person is in real time on any Glympse-enabled screen.

Glympse isn’t a simple location-sharing app, either, unlike Apple’s Find My Friends app or Facebook Messenger location features. One of the more handy uses is letting your friends know when you’ll arrive with a simple tap within the Glympse app. Now that it’s on TVs and refrigerators, you have a better chance that the group will see your messages or ETA.

Glympse is also slated to integrate with devices from Logitech, General Motors, Volvo, Logitech, Garmin, Navdy, GoGo and Mojio. If nothing else, having Glympse everywhere will help you keep track of those important to you, whether you’re watching the big game or grabbing a snack during halftime.

Pluto TV adds ‘ALF’ and other classics to its free streaming library

Last we’d heard of Pluto TV, the ad-supported streaming service had just gotten a slew of shows from Hulu. Now Pluto is adding video-on-demand in the form of movies and TV shows from Lionsgate, MGM and Warner Bros. to complement its current programming according to Variety. Expected titles include the full run of ALF (seriously) in addition to the quirky Ryan Gosling movie Lars and the Real Girl among “thousands” of others. Pluto signed the deals earlier this month, and the programming should start appearing today.

Most of Pluto’s offerings thus far are relatively niche, focusing heavily on web video providers, so maybe this move could help attract a mainstream audience. After all, when you’re cord cutting, having something new to watch — regardless of source — is better than having nothing to watch at all.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Variety, Pluto TV

Apple Seeds First Beta of tvOS 10.2.2 to Developers

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming tvOS 10.2.2 update to developers for testing purposes, one day after releasing tvOS 10.2.1, a minor update that introduced unspecified bug fixes and security improvements.

tvOS 10.2.2 is designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV. Registered developers can download the update by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software using iTunes.

Because of the installation requirements, tvOS betas are only available to developers, so tvOS 10.2.2 will not be available to the public until the final version of the software is released to the public.

We don’t yet know what’s included in tvOS 10.2.2, but most tvOS updates to date have been minor in scale, and that’s likely the case with tvOS 10.2.2 too.

tvOS 10 will soon be followed by tvOS 11, which we expect to see introduced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 5.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Don’t Buy)
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Apple Seeds First Beta of iOS 10.3.3 to Developers

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iOS 10.3.3 update to developers, one day after releasing iOS 10.3.2, a minor bug fix update that introduced minor bug fixes and a long list of security updates.

Registered developers can download the first iOS 10.3.3 beta from Apple’s Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile is installed.

We don’t yet know what’s included in iOS 10.3.3, but with a 10.x.x version number, it’s likely to be another minor update that focuses on bug fixes and security improvements rather than outward-facing changes. If anything notable is found in the beta, we’ll update this post.

iOS 10.3.3 may be one of the last updates we see to iOS 10, as Apple is starting to shift focus to iOS 11. iOS 11 will be introduced at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference, which kicks off on June 5. The update will be in testing for several months before seeing a fall public release.

Related Roundup: iOS 10
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Apple Seeds First Beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.6 to Developers

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.6 update to developers, one day after releasing macOS Sierra 10.12.5, a minor update that introduced a fix for a bug with USB headphones and other small improvements.

macOS Sierra 10.12.6 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or using the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

We don’t know yet what’s included in the macOS Sierra 10.12.6 update, but with the debut of the next-generation version of macOS approaching, it’s likely to feature minor bug fixes, improvements, and security enhancements.

Development of macOS is wrapping up as Apple transitions to macOS 10.13, which will be introduced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Related Roundup: macOS Sierra
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Apple Seeds First Beta of watchOS 3.2.3 to Developers

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 3.2.3 update to developers for testing purposes, one day after releasing watchOS 3.2.2, a minor bug fix update.

Registered developers can download the watchOS 3.2.3 update through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General -> Software Update. To install the beta, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it needs to be in range of the iPhone.

watchOS betas are only available to developers because there’s no way to downgrade the software on an Apple Watch, so non-developers will need to wait for the public release to get the update.

We don’t yet know what’s included in watchOS 3.2.3, but as a minor 3.x.x update, it likely focuses on minor bug fixes, performance improvements, and security enhancements. We’ll update this post should anything be discovered in the first beta.

This is likely to be one of the last updates to the watchOS 3 operating system, as Apple is set to debut new watchOS software at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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Siri has leapt from the iPhone to your Mac — here’s how to use it

With the launch of MacOS Sierra came an important change to Siri: You can now use Apple’s virtual assistant on Mac computers, in addition to iPhones and iPads. This makes sense! Siri’s capabilities are growing quickly, and now that voice-enabled assistants like Microsoft’s Cortana are busy hanging out on Windows 10 computers, Siri has a reason to get more competitive.

The result is a more capable Siri, one that is readily available for those who’ve installed the latest MacOS updates and provides plenty of automated services to help you out. However, many Mac users may not know how to activate the feature, or what to do with Siri on a desktop (especially if their iPhone is lying directly beside them). Thankfully, we’ve got some ideas — read on to find out more.

Launching Siri

Siri is not listening in on every conversation you have near your computer — you have to enable and launch the virtual assistant before it will start listening in MacOS. On your desktop, Siri is identified by a circular icon, one filled with multi-colored waves. You can find this circle in your Dock, or in the upper-right corner of your desktop.

If you don’t see the icon, that means you haven’t enabled Siri yet. To do so, access System Preferences in the Dock, and look for the Siri icon and title in the lower section of the window. Click on Siri, and then on the left-hand side of the window, make sure that “Enable Siri” is checked. Here, you can also change the language for Siri, change your mic input, or create keyboard shortcuts for Siri.

Now, click either Siri icon and the voice assistant will immediately pop up in a gray window and start listening (you’ll also hear a short chime). The box even allows you to quickly edit any questions Siri is interpreting, so it’s worth paying attention to. Keep in mind that using Siri on your Mac usually stops or interferes with any other sound your computer is making, including conversations or conferences. Also, remember if your Mac device doesn’t have a built-in mic, you’ll need one.

Controlling settings and apps

With Siri now paying attention, you may be wondering how to use the feature on your desktop. We’re going to talk about two important uses — dealing with settings and apps, and searching for files or info on your computer. Note that you can ask Siri any question that you would on a mobile device, like, say, “What time is it in Spain” or “What’s the weather like in Florida.” Then again, having Spotlight and Google at your fingertips makes these questions kind of silly.

To make the most of Siri, consider using the assistant to change settings and operate apps. For example, a command like “Show my photos from last week” will bring up all the photos uploaded to MacOS last week, which is useful when sorting through pictures or creating slideshows. Many native apps are open to commands this way. “FaceTime [name]” will open a video call, for instance, while “Add [name] to my [event]” will update your calendar with new information. Twitter and Facebook also work with these commands, allowing you to search for tweets from a certain person or time period.

You can also use Siri for more general info. You can say “How much free space do I have on this Mac,” or instance, or “Turn the volume down.” You can control iTunes and Apple Music in this manner, too.

Searching for files and information

Using Siri in MacOS allows you to find files quickly. You can get specific by saying things like, “Show me the file Business Presentation 22,” or perform batch requests with commands like, “Show me the files [name] shared with me over the weekend.” This works for a variety of documents and types of content.

When Siri finds documents that match your description, it pulls up a large menu and shows you the files, allowing you to open or move them as needed.

Finding stuff like this extends to online resources, too. “Search the web for images of Tesla vehicles” will bring up a buffet of images to work with. You can also search for specific emails or contacts that you may only have murky memories of. More mundane searches about stocks, sports data, and measurements work as well.

Making use of Siri results

When Siri shows you a document or piece of information in a drop-down list, you can take an extra step. Each list of results will house a small addition sign in the upper-right corner. Click this, and Siri will move this info to your Notification Center, and keep the subject there permanently. For example, if you ask about game times for the Seattle Seahawks and click the addition sign, you’ll be able to view game times within your Notifications from now on. This works for Twitter feeds, too, as well as various types of documents you want to keep up on.

Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers make paid apps free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money, and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

More: 200 Awesome iPhone Apps | The best Android apps for almost any occasion

Revenge of the Calculators

This app is intended for entertainment purposes only and does not provide true calculator functionality. But it does include nine hilarious mock calculators that you can use to prank your friends.

Available on:

iOS

Multi Translate

Multi Translate is a professional translator and interpreter app able to convert any language into three others simultaneously.

Available on:

iOS

Photosets

This camera is meant for taking stunning motion photography. And while other photo apps may have serious competition on the App Store, Photosets promises to be one-of-a-kind.

Available on:

iOS

dB Meter

The dBA Meter app is well calibrated with professional noise meter tool OKTAVA 110A-PRO, and can measure sound SPL level/noise no matter where you are.

Available on:

iOS

Expenses OK

Expenses OK is the fastest way to track your expenses. Just enter data in the widget of the app and see how you’re spending your money.

Available on:

iOS

Time Manager

Time Manager is an easy way to keep track of your daily activities. With one touch you can access all your common tasks and edit them at any time.

Available on:

iOS

Uber integrates data from Transit app to streamline your multimodal travels

Why it matters to you

An Uber doesn’t always take us to our final destination — sometimes it’s just part of the journey.

Getting from one place to another these days often involves two or more methods of transportation. And no one understands this better than Uber, which will often take you from your apartment to the train station or from the train station to the airport. So now, Uber is making multimodal transportation a bit more of a seamless process by introducing an integration with the Transit app on Android in nearly 50 cities across the United States. That way, you’ll have a better sense (when you’re in your Uber) of what the best next step in your journey ought to be.

Beginning Tuesday, once riders have jumped into their Uber rides and are a block away from a transit stop, they’ll start seeing upcoming departure times in Uber’s feed. The ride-sharing app promises to refresh these times regularly so that passengers will always have the most updated information available. Should you need more data, you can tap once and make your way over to the Transit app, where Uber promises concise directions, service disruption information, and more.

“Our integration with Uber is a perfect match, as we both envision a future in which every journey is shared using a combination of transit options,” said Jake Sion, chief operating officer at Transit. Indeed, the two companies hope that their collaboration will allow for a viable alternative to personal car ownership, reduced traffic and parking, and better connected cities.

“While there’s still much more work to do, we’re excited that our integration with Transit can help us get one step closer to this reality,” Andrew Salzberg, Uber’s Head of Transportation Policy and Research wrote in a blog post. The integration is now available on Android in the following U.S. cities:

• Albuquerque, N.M.
• Ann Arbor, Mich.
• Atlanta, Ga.
• Baltimore, Md.
• Boston, Mass.
• Buffalo, N.Y.
• Charlottesville, Va.
• Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Chicago, Ill.
• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Connecticut
• Dallas, Texas
• Dayton, Ohio
• Denver, Colo.
• Detroit, Mich.
• Fort Myers, Fla.
• Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Hampton Roads, Va.
• Honolulu, Hawaii
• Houston, Texas
• Indianapolis, Ind.
• Jacksonville, Fla.
• Kansas City, Mo.
• Las Vegas, Nev.
• Los Angeles, Calif.
• Louisville, Ky.
• Madison, Wis.
• Miami, Fla.
• New Orleans, La.
• New York, N.Y.
• Orlando, Fla.
• Philadelphia, Penn.
• Phoenix, Ariz.
• Pittsburgh, Penn.
• Portland, Maine.
• Portland, Ore.
• Raleigh, N.C.
• Sacramento, Calif.
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• San Diego, Calif.
• San Francisco Bay Area, Calif.
• Seattle, Wash.
• St. Louis, Mo.
• Tampa Bay Area, Fla.
• Washington, D.C.
• Worcester, Mass.