Instagram Now Supports Photo Uploads From Mobile Site

Instagram made a major change to its service recently, allowing photo uploads from its mobile site for the first time. When accessing the Instagram website on an iPhone or iPad, there’s now a new photo upload button.

Prior to the update, Instagram only allowed photo uploads from its mobile apps, and the iOS app is limited to the iPhone, so iPad users were forced to download an iPhone-only app with an unoptimized layout to upload photos to the social network.

The Instagram website on mobile devices was previously only available for browsing photos, liking content, searching, and viewing notifications, but now it’s possible to upload photos. A new Explore tab is also rolling out on the web.

In a statement to TechCrunch, Instagram said it’s designed to help people “have a fuller experience” on the social network. TechCrunch points out that the mobile upload feature is vital for Instagram’s global growth, as many people in developing countries may not be able to download the app due to cellular connectivity and data concerns.

“Instagram.com (accessed from mobile) is a web experience optimized for mobile phones. It’s designed to help people have a fuller experience on Instagram no matter what device or network they are on.”

Photo uploads are only available when the Instagram mobile site is accessed from an iPhone, iPad, or other smartphone or tablet. The desktop site does not allow for photo uploads.

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AVG AntiVirus FREE review

This top Android antivirus app is free and for anyone who wants total smartphone or tablet protection from a myriad of online threats. It gives you five different areas of protection so you do not have to worry about a hacker getting your information via a method you have not thought of yet. The app has an enhanced firewall and automatically blocks you from accessing any unsafe downloads, email attachments, or links.

Malware such as Trojans, spyware, and viruses are snuffed out, plus you can enable the app to encrypt any personal files or pictures. This blocks anyone except you to access this information. Even your payments via your PC are protected so you are not giving any payment information to copycat websites.

AVG is a developer of antivirus and security products for all types of digital devices. Bought by Avast recently, AVG continues to be a leader in digital security.

How to Use

Find the app at the Play Store and download to your Android device. Once you have downloaded the free Android security app onto your phone or tablet, you are ready to get started.

The main window has a basic protection pane that includes icons for computer protection and for web and email protection, and you will see them both automatically enabled. In the middle is a “Scan Computer” button which will launch a full scan when pushed. This scan will identify not only malware but also things like browser traces, junk files, and system logs. There is also a deep virus scan option, which will take considerably longer to finish the first time it is used. The first time the deep virus scan is activated it will tag files that belong on your device so they will not get looked at again on subsequent deep virus scans.

Malware Detection Power

Malware detection is the strength of this app with a tested detection rate of 99.9 to 100 percent. In some testing, no false positives were received, but some tests had a low incidence of harmless apps being detected as potentially harmful.  In addition, the powerful malware detection is paired with a very light use footprint which makes it even more desirable.

Loads of Features

The AVG antivirus app has many features that will not weigh down the overall performance of your device, and the battery usage feature can help you identify what is sucking up the most power from your battery. Android smartphones will especially benefit from the safe browsing feature as well as the do not track feature. Rooted devices will benefit from the extra protection they will get from this app.
Thieves Beware

The anti-theft feature of the free AVG antivirus app is the icing on the cake of this app. With this app’s anti-theft feature, you can go to the AVG anti-theft website to track down your lost phone or tablet online via google maps. Options associated with this anti-theft feature include the ability to lock your phone, a way to activate a high volume alarm remotely, and a remote complete file wiping capability.

Some Considerations

Where this app is less than average is in its anti-phishing capabilities. Also, the initial scan has been noted to take a very long time. Beware that USSD attacks are not covered with this app. The malicious URL blocking capability is okay but comes nowhere near the app’s malware detection ability.

Even with some weaknesses, AVG Antivirus Free is a solid choice that will give you reliable malware protection with a few extra bells and whistles thrown in.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, the AVG free antivirus app for Android has a robust malware detection ability, just be forewarned that some tests showed that innocent apps and files could be tagged as potentially dangerous when scanned. Be sure to scrutinize what was termed as potentially dangerous before you delete it. Secure web browsing is another plus for this app. The Anti-Theft capabilities of this app are a plus but are limited to utilizing online access. Many more features are available for this app in the paid version, but if you are looking for a good malware detecting app, the free AVG antivirus app is a winner.

Overall, this app is a solid free solution for detecting malware, and the extra features such as the encryption of files, battery usage monitoring, and the do not track option are an added plus.

Handbrake for Mac just had a brief but serious malware problem

Why it matters to you

If you downloaded Handbrake on OSX recently, it’s important to check if you are infected, as the malware could steal your passwords and much more.

The open source video transcoder program Handbrake, and more specifically its Mac version, had a serious security flaw last week. Although it has now been fixed, anyone who downloaded and installed the software between May 2 and May 6 should look to verify that their system is not infected with a nasty trojan.

Although Apple’s ’00s-era marketing suggested that its platform was essentially virus free, today that’s not really the case. Handbrake is the latest example of that, though it does seem like the developers quickly responded and have since cleared up the issue. They’ve also corresponded with Apple to see that OSX’s XProtect feature is aware of the malware and will keep its automated eyes open for it.

The trojan sneaked into the legitimate version of Handbrake through an infected download mirror server. From there it attached itself to Handbrake 1.0.7 and was downloaded by a number of users. According to the Handbrake team, around 50 percent of users who downloaded the software between May 2 and May 6 were routed to the infected server.

With that in mind, Apple is now urging all those who did download the software during that period to perform some checks to see if they have been affected. The first step is to look out for the process “Activity_agent.” If it’s found to be running, then your system is infected. Another way is to compare your download’s checksum hash with the one listed on the official forum post.

If it turns out you are infected with the trojan, there are a few steps to take to remove it. They involve running terminal commands, followed by the removal of any HandBrake.app installs you have. You can find the full list of commands on the Handbrake forum linked above.

Unfortunately, though, you shouldn’t stop there. Once you have confirmed removal of the malware, then you need to change your passwords. One of the tasks that the trojan performs is password thievery, so any passwords you may have used since you installed Handbrake should be changed, as well as any that reside in your OSX KeyChain and any stored in the browser.

It might be a pain in the neck, but it’s an important step to mitigate any damage that the Proton-inspired malware might do.

Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon 845 could debut on the Samsung Galaxy S9

Why it matters to you

Samsung could get the first crack at Qualcomm’s next high-end processor, which is reportedly a good step up from what’s out there now.

Qualcomm’s next high-end smartphone chip could be the Snapdragon 845. That’s according to the San Diego, California-based company’s website, which briefly revealed the chip ahead of a press event in Beijing.

Qualcomm’s website didn’t give much away, but rumors suggest the Snapdragon 845 is a leap ahead of the current generation. It’s reportedly expected to be fabricated on a 7nm process, meaning it’ll have a smaller physical footprint and perform between 25 percent and 35 percent better than its predecessor.

Samsung is likely to get first dibs. The company’s chip division teamed up with Qualcomm to develop the Snapdragon 835, which offered a 40 percent increase in power efficiency and 27 percent better performance than the previous iteration. Unsurprisingly, the next-gen Snapdragon 845 is expected to debut on Samsung’s Galaxy S9, due out early next year.

The inadvertent reveal comes after rumblings in April, which suggested Samsung and Qualcomm had begun developing the successor to the Snapdragon 835 — the chip inside Samsung’s Galaxy S8.

The 7nm process is a growing trend. In January, chip fabricator TSMC, whose clientele includes Apple, MediaTek, and AMD, among others, began finalizing a prototype design for a 7nm chip, which it expects to enter mass production as soon as early as the second half of this year.

Qualcomm is expected to a midrange chips, the Snapdragon 660, in early May. It’s the successor to the Snapdragon 652, and may come with processor cores total — four Cortex A53 cores clocked at 1.9GHz, and four A53 cores clocked at 1.9GHz. It’ll reportedly ship with high-speed UFS 2.1 storage, two LPDDR4 RAM modules clocked at 1866MHz, support for cameras up to 24-megapixels, LTE Cat. 10, and Qualcomm’s Adreno 512 graphics chip.

The Snapdragon 660 may ship first on Nokia’s eponymous Nokia 7 and Nokia 8, Xiaomi’s Mi 6 Lite, and Samsung’s upcoming C10 smartphone.

Qualcomm is also expected to launch the Snapdragon 630 and Snapdragon 635, enhanced versions of the company’s Snapdragon 625, at its Beijing event. They reportedly pack eight processor cores — two sets of four Cortex-A53 with a clock speed of between 2.0GHz and 2.2GHz — and an Adreno 506 graphics chip or better. They’re expected to support LPDDR3 memory and LTE Cat. 7.

Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon 845 could debut on the Samsung Galaxy S9

Why it matters to you

Samsung could get the first crack at Qualcomm’s next high-end processor, which is reportedly a good step up from what’s out there now.

Qualcomm’s next high-end smartphone chip could be the Snapdragon 845. That’s according to the San Diego, California-based company’s website, which briefly revealed the chip ahead of a press event in Beijing.

Qualcomm’s website didn’t give much away, but rumors suggest the Snapdragon 845 is a leap ahead of the current generation. It’s reportedly expected to be fabricated on a 7nm process, meaning it’ll have a smaller physical footprint and perform between 25 percent and 35 percent better than its predecessor.

Samsung is likely to get first dibs. The company’s chip division teamed up with Qualcomm to develop the Snapdragon 835, which offered a 40 percent increase in power efficiency and 27 percent better performance than the previous iteration. Unsurprisingly, the next-gen Snapdragon 845 is expected to debut on Samsung’s Galaxy S9, due out early next year.

The inadvertent reveal comes after rumblings in April, which suggested Samsung and Qualcomm had begun developing the successor to the Snapdragon 835 — the chip inside Samsung’s Galaxy S8.

The 7nm process is a growing trend. In January, chip fabricator TSMC, whose clientele includes Apple, MediaTek, and AMD, among others, began finalizing a prototype design for a 7nm chip, which it expects to enter mass production as soon as early as the second half of this year.

Qualcomm is expected to a midrange chips, the Snapdragon 660, in early May. It’s the successor to the Snapdragon 652, and may come with processor cores total — four Cortex A53 cores clocked at 1.9GHz, and four A53 cores clocked at 1.9GHz. It’ll reportedly ship with high-speed UFS 2.1 storage, two LPDDR4 RAM modules clocked at 1866MHz, support for cameras up to 24-megapixels, LTE Cat. 10, and Qualcomm’s Adreno 512 graphics chip.

The Snapdragon 660 may ship first on Nokia’s eponymous Nokia 7 and Nokia 8, Xiaomi’s Mi 6 Lite, and Samsung’s upcoming C10 smartphone.

Qualcomm is also expected to launch the Snapdragon 630 and Snapdragon 635, enhanced versions of the company’s Snapdragon 625, at its Beijing event. They reportedly pack eight processor cores — two sets of four Cortex-A53 with a clock speed of between 2.0GHz and 2.2GHz — and an Adreno 506 graphics chip or better. They’re expected to support LPDDR3 memory and LTE Cat. 7.

Microsoft’s Devices page makes it easier to keep tabs on all of your hardware

Why it matters to you

If you have several Windows-powered devices, Microsoft Account Devices pages now offer you a lot more information about them all.

For the big Microsoft fans out there, the Microsoft Account Devices page now makes it much easier to see all of the different Windows 10 devices you own. Following an overhaul, you can now see the update status of all of your various pieces of hardware, as well as settings for anti-virus protection, firewall status, and browser control.

Microsoft has made it relatively easy to see all of your devices in one location for some time now, but this latest update makes managing different aspects of them that bit easier. You can make sure that everything is up to date with Windows Defender, how much storage space you have left, and whether data protection is in place.

You no longer need local or physical access to a machine to confirm various aspects of different devices’ specifications either. This new update adds information about your key hardware like the processor, graphics card, and RAM. It even breaks down software versions like your current OS build and which version of Windows you’re running, per DeskModder (via OnMsft).

Although the number of Windows phone users is certainly less than some of the other big smartphone OS alternatives, Microsoft also extended some added support for them, too. The Devices page can now display information for Windows Phones.

It does not go into quite as much detail as it does with desktops and laptops though, as there is not much in the way of hardware details about the handsets. However, users can enjoy access to data protection options, as well as a breakdown of which version of the OS the device is running and how up to date it is. There is also a visual and numbered breakdown of how much free storage space it still has.

If you cannot remember your password to check out the new Microsoft Account features, there is always the option of using smartphone one-factor authentication.

Fuchsia, Google’s mysterious new OS, has a nearly complete user interface

Google’s best-known software ventures may be Android and Chrome OS, but the company is actually working on a third operating system. It’s called Fuchsia, and when it was first discovered last year, it only popped up as a single command line. Now, the OS has a nearly complete user interface.

Fuchsia is a little different from Android and Chrome OS in that it’s not based on Linux. Instead, it’s based on a new Google-developed kernel called Magenta. According to Google, Magenta is aimed at “modern phones and modern personal computers,” so it wouldn’t be surprising to one day see Fuchsia appear on our smartphones.

Because Fuchsia is written using the Flutter SDK, which runs on Android, chunks of Fuchsia can be run on an Android device. This version of Fuchsia appears to be called Armadillo, and it completely reimagines the home screen. The screen, according to testing by Ars Technica, is basically presented as a big scrolling list, with a profile picture, the date, your city, and a battery icon all placed at the center. Above that, you’ll find “Story” cards, or a list of recent apps. Below, you’ll see a list of suggestions for you, which acts kind of like Google Now.

You can also drag recent apps around and drop them where you choose to organize and personalize the home screen. If you drop one app on top of another, you’ll enter a split-screen mode with up to three apps.

According to Hacker News, Travis Geiselbrech, who worked on NewOS, BeOS, Danger, Palm’s webOS, and iOS, and Brian Swetland, who also worked on BeOS and Android, are involved in this project.

There’s a lot of discussion going around about what exactly all of this could mean for the new operating system, and whether or not this is indeed meant for an Android and Chrome OS merger –or for something new. Google tells Digital Trends it has nothing to comment about at this time.

Chances are we won’t find out anything new for a while, since Fuchsia OS is early in development. We’ll update this post as we learn more about it.

Updated on 05-08-2017 by Christian de Looper: Added news that Fuchsia has gotten a user interface.

Fuchsia, Google’s mysterious new OS, has a nearly complete user interface

Google’s best-known software ventures may be Android and Chrome OS, but the company is actually working on a third operating system. It’s called Fuchsia, and when it was first discovered last year, it only popped up as a single command line. Now, the OS has a nearly complete user interface.

Fuchsia is a little different from Android and Chrome OS in that it’s not based on Linux. Instead, it’s based on a new Google-developed kernel called Magenta. According to Google, Magenta is aimed at “modern phones and modern personal computers,” so it wouldn’t be surprising to one day see Fuchsia appear on our smartphones.

Because Fuchsia is written using the Flutter SDK, which runs on Android, chunks of Fuchsia can be run on an Android device. This version of Fuchsia appears to be called Armadillo, and it completely reimagines the home screen. The screen, according to testing by Ars Technica, is basically presented as a big scrolling list, with a profile picture, the date, your city, and a battery icon all placed at the center. Above that, you’ll find “Story” cards, or a list of recent apps. Below, you’ll see a list of suggestions for you, which acts kind of like Google Now.

You can also drag recent apps around and drop them where you choose to organize and personalize the home screen. If you drop one app on top of another, you’ll enter a split-screen mode with up to three apps.

According to Hacker News, Travis Geiselbrech, who worked on NewOS, BeOS, Danger, Palm’s webOS, and iOS, and Brian Swetland, who also worked on BeOS and Android, are involved in this project.

There’s a lot of discussion going around about what exactly all of this could mean for the new operating system, and whether or not this is indeed meant for an Android and Chrome OS merger –or for something new. Google tells Digital Trends it has nothing to comment about at this time.

Chances are we won’t find out anything new for a while, since Fuchsia OS is early in development. We’ll update this post as we learn more about it.

Updated on 05-08-2017 by Christian de Looper: Added news that Fuchsia has gotten a user interface.

Asus Zenfone 4 Smartphones: Rumors and News

Why it matters to you

Asus is rumored to replace its sprawling Zenfone 3 range with new, higher specification models in the next months.

Asus certainly made the most of the Zenfone 3 range in 2016 and even early 2017, having launched a wide variety of spin-off devices, including the Zenfone 3 Deluxe, Zenfone 3 Laser, and most recently, the Zenfone 3 Zoom. Where does it go from here? Rumors are beginning to spread about the arrival of the Zenfone 4, Asus’ replacement to the Zenfone 3. Details are slim at the moment, but here’s what we think we know about the Zenfone 4 so far.

Zenfone 4 Max

A GFXBench leak, discovered by GizmoChina, alongside a brief listing on Asus’ support website that has since been taken down, have given us what could be our first look at the upcoming Zenfone 4 Max. The GFXBench report deals with an Asus device code-named X00ID, and the device that was mentioned on Asus’ site is known as ZC554KL. As GSMDome notes, the latter follows in Asus’ device-naming strategy, indicating a successor to last year’s Zenfone 3 Max, which was dubbed ZC553KL.

The handset named X00ID is rumored to feature a 5.5-inch 1280 x 720 display powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm quad-core processor. The GPU on board is an Adreno 505, and the device has 3GB of RAM to work with, alongside 32GB of storage — 9GB of which are taken up by the operating system.

More interestingly, the spec sheet mentions two rear-facing cameras — a 12-megapixel shooter capable of recording 4K video, and another 5-megapixel shooter. The camera at the front is said to be 7 megapixels.

GSMDome states that the name ZC554KL indicates a number of characteristics about the device — a primary one being the 5.5-inch display, as designated by the “55” in the name. If this is indeed the case, both reports may point to the same device — however, they disagree as to the nature of the processor. GSMDome believes a midrange Snapdragon 625 or 660 system-on-a-chip could be in the cards for the Zenfone 4 Max, while GizmoChina speculates it will see a Snapdragon 430.

The 625 was featured in the Zenfone 3 line, and the 660 is an updated version coincidentally set to be revealed this week. The 660 is rumored to debut in the upcoming Nokia 8, as well as Xiaomi’s Mi Max 2. The lower-powered 430 powers the Nokia 6, and GizmoChina expects to see it in the Zenfone 4 Max based on the Adreno 505 GPU listed on the GFXBench spec sheet.

It’s still early days in terms of news about the Zenfone 4 Max; as always, take these rumors with a grain of salt.

A range of devices

A January 2017 report published by DigiTimes, which has a hit-and-miss reputation with rumors, said Asus plans to launch the Zenfone 4 range in May 2017. The information was apparently sourced from the supply chain in Taiwan. It’s interesting to note we’re told Asus will launch “smartphones,” plural, which points to another set of Zenfone devices, rather than a single model. The Zenfone 4 phone launch may coincide with the Zenfone AR being put on sale.

The Zenfone AR may also give us a hint at what’s to come from the Zenfone 4 series. The rumor says the new phones will have higher specifications than Zenfone 3 models, but will end up costing more to buy. Announced during CES 2017, the Zenfone AR is an impressive device, with a Snapdragon 821 processor, a giant 8GB of RAM, and a big 5.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution. If just one Zenfone 4 model takes after the Zenfone AR, we’ll be excited.

We may have to wait for such a phone. At the end of 2016, and then again after the New Year, an Asus phone with the model number X00GD was spotted after it was registered on China’s TENAA regulatory board website. Believed to be a mid-range member of the Zenfone 4 family, its standout feature is a large 4,850mAh battery, which considering it’s only powering a 5.2-inch, 1280 x 720 pixel screen and a 1.5GHz octa-core processor, should provide plenty of standby time. Other specifications include a 13-megapixel rear camera, and either 2GB or 4GB of RAM.

If Asus follows the Zenfone 3 range, we should see a standard Zenfone 4 and a Zenfone 4 Max, along with an even larger Zenfone 4 Deluxe. Although the Zenfone 4 name is being used at the moment, Asus has used it before, back in 2014 when the number four was used to denote the screen size of the phone. It’s not certain the company will want to reuse it this time.

We’ll keep you updated with Zenfone 4 news and rumors here, so check back often.

Article originally published on 01-20-2017 by Andy Boxall. Article updated on 05-08-2017 by Adam Ismail: Added GizmoChina and GSMDome reports.

Graphene speaker produces sound with good (non)-vibrations

Why it matters to you

Bye-bye standalone speakers! A graphene speaker could lead to touchscreen displays that produce their own sound, as well as images.

Sound is the result of a pressure wave in the air. A regular speaker creates this wave by physically moving back and forth, regardless of whether it’s a magnetic coil-driven speaker or a membrane-based one. Thermo-acoustic sound generation is different. It causes the necessary pressure wave not by physically moving a component, but by periodically varying the temperature of the air next to it.

To achieve this, a material is required that’s able to heat up and cool down very rapidly, at a rate comparable to the frequency of the generated sound. That rules out a lot of metals because, although they conduct heat quickly, they turn out to be too good at storing heat over a long period of time.

The answer? According to a new piece of research coming out of the U.K.’s University of Exeter, it could be to use all-around wonder material graphene to create a non-moving solid-state audio device that may one day replace your existing bulk sound system.

“Graphene is great at conducting heat but, as it is just a single sheet of atoms, it has really poor capacity to store heat,” Dr. David Horsell, a professor of physics who worked on the project, told Digital Trends. “As a result, it can heat and cool at a very high rate indeed – enough to generate sound at audible frequencies and at much higher, ultrasonic frequencies.”

There are several possible applications for the work of Horsell and his colleagues, which go beyond merely acting as a replacement for regular hi-fi systems. One is to incorporate the tech into ultra-thin touchscreen technologies, which would no longer need separate speakers as a result, since the screen could be made to produce sound on its own — courtesy of a thin, invisible layer of graphene.

Another possible use-case concerns ultrasonic imaging or treatments in healthcare, since being small and potentially able to be produced on flexible substrates could allow a host of new medical techniques to be realized down to very small scales.

“There are two key aspects of the work we want to explore next,” Horsell continued. “The first is an issue with efficiency: Can we increase it enough to make graphene-based speakers compete with current, established loudspeaker technologies? For this, we need to look at exactly how the power we put into the graphene is dissipated. The other aspect we had not expected is that if you ‘listen’ closely to the graphene, it can start to reveal secrets of its inner workings. We have already seen that small nonlinearities in the conduction in graphene [are] translated into a specific frequency of sound output. We want to explore this further to see what other details we can discover just by listening to graphene when we question it with different electrical signals.”

An article describing how the researchers were able to combine speaker, amplifier, and graphic equalizer into a chip the size of a human thumbnail was published in the journal Scientific Reports.