Google tries a fix for Pixel’s random freezing issue

Why it matters to you

If your Pixel phone has been seizing up for no apparent reason, hopefully this update will set it right.

Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL phones launched to great fanfare last year, but it soon became apparent that some users were experiencing issues with their new handset where it would freeze for no apparent reason.

The Mountain View, California-based company has issued a fix as part of its regular monthly security update, though it seems there’s no guarantee it’ll solve the issue.

Google’s Pixel user community manager put the word out in a forum, telling frustrated Pixel owners about the fix in the June security update “that should address many of the freezing issues that have been reported. The update is starting to roll out via OTA today and will continue to roll out over the coming weeks.”

However, he added that “freezing and general device performance issues can be caused my many different things,” and therefore encouraged users to continue posting their experiences after they had installed the security update that includes what Google hopes is an effective fix.

It seems that for most of those experiencing the problem, there’s no obvious pattern to when it happens, making it mighty hard to identify the cause.  “I had it freeze during/after calls, while using the camera, on a different app,” one user wrote in the forum. Solving it — at least temporarily — usually means forcing a hard reset via the power button.

Judging by new forum posts, it seems the fix is working for some phones but not others.

One user who’d been experiencing the issue sporadically — anything from around two or three freezes a week to the same number on a daily basis — said that 24 hours after installing the update, his phone was working fine. It even sounded like the device was a little quicker than before: “The phone itself almost feels like it has a small bit of snap to it as well. Let’s see if this holds up.”

However, another commented that the “fix” had had the opposite effect. “This update made things worse,” he wrote. “I didn’t have any problems before, but since installing the June update I keep getting these weird microfreezes, that last a second or two, when scrolling and typing.”

It’s of course a serious annoyance for affected users, and one that Google really needs to get on top of. Indeed, if this latest update doesn’t successfully sort it out — and it seems it may not have for some users — then the company will have to come up with something soon to finally put the issue to bed.

MIT’s $10,000 robotic furniture is making its way to small homes

A few years ago, MIT designed a piece of furniture worth $10,000 — not because it’s made of luxury materials, but because it can transform at the press of a button. Now, that piece of robotic furniture called “Ori Systems” is available for pre-order, but only to large-scale development companies. Originally called CityHome, Ori is a single unit that looks like a large wooden cabinet meant for small homes, condos and apartments.

It was originally designed to respond to hand gestures until the team tested their prototypes out by renting them to Airbnb. The current Ori has a control interface with buttons you can push to eject the bed, to slide the bed inside the unit and to move the cabinet to make more space for the desk on the other side. Too lazy to stand up? You can also do all those things through Ori’s accompanying app or by using voice commands through Alexa.

Unfortunately, you can’t get this for yourself — Ori is only accepting pre-orders from large-scale development companies in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Chicago, DC, Vancouver, Miami and Columbus. Your best bet is to look for apartments with one in case you really like the idea of being able to customize your space.

Source: Ori Systems, Fast Co.Design

Lawyers claim Trump can’t block his critics on Twitter

While we withhold the right to moderate and maintain standards of discussion in our comments because they are a private space, does the President of the United States have a different standard to meet? The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University believes so and sent Donald Trump a letter on behalf of Twitter users that have been blocked by his @realDonaldTrump account. The Wall Street Journal posted the text of the letter (PDF), which argues that, as President, operates as a “designated public forum” similar to a city council or school board meeting. As such, their argument goes, blocking users who have mocked or criticized the president violates their First Amendment rights.

The letter did not directly state that further legal action could follow, but certainly implied it’s possible. Bloomberg reports that White House spokesman Sean Spicer confirmed in a press conference that Trump’s tweets should be considered official statements. So far there is no comment on the letter, and the users remain blocked.

One of the blocked users:

This is pretty much how the whole world sees you.#AMJoy#SundayMorning pic.twitter.com/CycqYnKg8b

— Holly O’Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) May 28, 2017

The Knight Foundation:

Blocking users from your Twitter account violates the First Amendment. When the government makes a space available to the public at large for the purpose of expressive activity, it creates a public forum from which it may not constitutionally exclude individuals on the basis of viewpoint.4 This is true even if the space in question is “metaphysical” rather than physical; even if the space is privately rather than publicly owned; and “even when the limited public forum is one of [the government’s] own creation.”5 The government may impose reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions in a designated public forum, but it may not exclude people simply because it disagrees with them.

Your @realDonaldTrump account constitutes a designated public forum. It is a forum for expression in which you share information and opinions relating to government policy with the public at large, and in which members of the public can engage you, engage one another, and sometimes elicit responses from you. Your Twitter account is a designated public forum for essentially the same reasons that city council meetings and open school board meetings are. 6

Source: Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, New York Times, Reuters

Liter of Light uses plastic bottles to make lights in developing communities

Why it matters to you

Old plastic bottles are often just thrown in the recycling bin (or worse yet, the trash), but Liter of Light wants to prove that they can be repurposed to light up a home.

Don’t just recycle that old plastic bottle — turn it into a lantern. At least, that’s what the folks over at Liter of Light are doing. The organization is helping developing communities the world over create their own light sources using nothing more than old plastic bottles, demonstrating just how far you can go when you reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Described as a global, grassroots movement whose aim is to provide affordable, sustainable solar light to those with limited or no access to electricity, Liter of Light depends upon a vast network of partnerships the world over to teach communities how to use their waste to light up their lives. The organization says that it’s been teaching “green skills to empower grassroots entrepreneurs” since its founding back in 2012, and its open-source technology has been lauded by the UN and applied in some UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) camps.

By filling plastic bottles with water and bleach, the organization is able to create day lights — the bottles are attached to roofs and refract sunlight during the day. And when nightfall arrives, a micro solar panel added to the plastic bottle enables a night light powered by the sun.

Best of all, all the parts Liter of Light uses are available to the local community, which means that residents are empowered to create light of their own.

The initiative began just five years ago in the Philippines, and already, has a presence in more than 15 countries. But the goal is far more ambitious — Liter of Light hopes to reach 1 million homes in 2018 (thus far, it has already reached 850,000 homes).

If you’re interested in taking part in Liter of Light, you can either donate directly to the cause, or learn how to create one of these lights yourself.

Mars astronauts at greater risk of cancer than previously thought

You might not want to book that trip to Mars just yet. Researchers have published a study estimating that the risk of cancer from cosmic rays is twice as high as previously thought. They’ve determined that conventional risk models are incomplete. While NASA and other groups believe that radiation-based cancer stems only from direct cell damage and mutations, the new model accounts for the possibility that heavily damaged cells will increase the cancer risk for “bystander” cells. There’s a knock-on effect that would be difficult to escape.

And unfortunately, it wouldn’t be a simple matter of wearing a thicker spacesuit. The team believes that existing radiation shielding technology would only “modestly decrease” the threat. Remember, astronauts will likely need to spend hundreds of days on a planet with little protection against cosmic rays, and over a year in deep space. They’ll need protection that can withstand serious cosmic ray exposure for extended periods, and current equipment is only really meant to endure mild levels.

The scientists see their findings as a call to action. The medical community will need to spend more time assessing cancer risks before sending astronauts on long trips, and that there are serious ethical concerns if humanity sends people to Mars without a good understanding of the dangers involved. Do you want astronauts to visit knowing there’s a significant possibility they’ll meet a premature end as a result? This doesn’t mean that us humans should put all manned visits on hold, but we might want to think twice about rushing our exploration plans.

Source: UNLV, Nature

Apple Music’s ‘Planet of the Apps’ reality show debuts tonight

One extra treat from Apple’s developer event is apparently the debut of its new original TV show. Launching tonight at midnight ET on Apple Music, Planet of the Apps will follow developers as they first present ideas to a celebrity panel of advisors, then develop the idea and prepare a pitch for investors from Lightspeed Venture Partners. The Shark Tank/The Voice-style celebrity panel will consist of Gary Vaynerchuck, Will.i.am, Jessica Alba and Gwyneth Paltrow. The series full 10 episode run will be exclusive to Apple Music, but Reuters reports that the first episode will be available for free via iTunes and the show’s website.

She’s got that drive and hustle. @JessicaAlba on #PlanetOfTheApps, only on @AppleMusic pic.twitter.com/irAuD6WObi

— Planet of the Apps (@planetoftheapps) June 7, 2017

Source: Reuters, Bloomberg, The Hollywood Reporter, Planet of the Apps

OnePlus 5 launch event: When is it and where can you watch it?

OnePlus has confirmed the OnePlus 5 will be unveiled on 20 June.

The OnePlus 5 follows the OnePlus 3T, one of the best budget smartphones of 2016. It debuted with top-notch specs and easily rivaled high-end devices like the Samsung Galaxy S7, HTC 10, and LG G5. But will OnePlus’ next flagship be able to do the same? Can it give the new Galaxy S8 and LG G6 a run for their money, while still maintaining OnePlus’ flagship-killing price strategy?

Pocket-lint has rounded up all the latest rumours on the OnePlus 5 here, but if you want to know more about the phone’s actual launch event, we’ve got you covered there as well. Here’s everything you need to know about when it is and how you can watch it online.

• Dual lens cameras: The history running up to iPhone 7 Plus
• OnePlus 3 review: The flagship killer we’ve been waiting for

When is the OnePlus 5 launch event?

The launch event will take place at 12pm EST (9am PST/5pm BST). You will be able to watch the event online. In addition, the company will be holding pop-up launch events in many major cities, including London, New York, and Berlin, on 20 June and 21 June. The phone will be show off to a live audience at each of these events. Check out OnePlus’ website to RSVP your spot.

Can you watch the OnePlus 5 event online?

Yes. Here (the video won’t be live until the day of the event):

Want to know more?

Are you prepared for the OnePlus 5? Focus on what matters and join our keynote live on June 20. https://t.co/uuWc1m3pz1 pic.twitter.com/KfbVfMyh00

— OnePlus (@oneplus) June 6, 2017

You can also visit OnePlus’ website to watch the live stream.

Is this the OnePlus 5? Phone design revealed in super-clear image

We now know what the OnePlus 5 looks like – the top half, at least.

On the same day OnePlus announced it will soon unveil its next flagship, the OnePlus 5, which follows the OnePlus 3T from last year, Android Police has published a render of the phone, which gives us one of the first clear looks at the phone’s design. From it, we can see the phone might feature a dual-camera system, which matches previous leaks as well as OnePlus’ own launch event invitation.

In that invitation, which is available on OnePlus’ website and has the tagline “focuses on what matters”, you can move your mouse from left to right and see the website react to the pointer position. The view seems to move, as if it were captured with a dual camera. Forgetting the invitation, however, today’s leak also suggests the phone will be available in black at launch, unlike the 3T.

• Dual lens cameras: The history running up to iPhone 7 Plus
• OnePlus 3 review: The flagship killer we’ve been waiting for

The OnePlus 3T debuted with top-notch specs and easily rivaled high-end devices like the Samsung Galaxy S7, HTC 10, and LG G5. But will OnePlus’ next flagship be able to do the same? Can it give the new Galaxy S8 and LG G6 a run for their money, while still maintaining OnePlus’ flagship-killing price strategy? Pocket-lint has rounded up all the latest rumours, if you want to know more.

It is rumoured to feature a Quad HD display, at least 6GB of RAM, and either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. But none of that has been confirmed. We should know more in a couple weeks, however, as OnePlus is set to reveal the phone on 20 June.

‘Overwatch’ celebrates its anniversary with a double XP weekend

While you wait to hear about what’s new in gaming, maybe you can kick back and relax with one of last year’s highlights. As part of the anniversary celebration for Overwatch, Blizzard will kick off a double XP weekend that will run from Thursday night at 8PM ET ’til Tuesday morning 3AM ET — if you need something to do until then, maybe set up two-factor authentication on your Battle.net account.

In between, nearly everything in the game will award double XP, no matter what platform you’re playing on. That also coincides with your last chance to pick up Anniversary themed loot boxes and rewards, so play well, but remember we’ll have plenty of E3 2017 news this weekend, including Microsoft’s Xbox press conference Sunday afternoon at 5PM ET and Sony’s event Monday night at 8PM ET.

Earn DOUBLE XP this weekend on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One!

The time to act begins June 8: https://t.co/rIHXwTcEmE pic.twitter.com/IVbpIK65so

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) June 7, 2017

Source: Overwatch Blog

Steam’s streamlined indie marketplace goes live June 13th

Steam Greenlight launched in 2012 with the dream that players would naturally vote for the games they most wanted. But that idealism fell to the reality of voter approval and it became far more of a popularity contest. In February, Steam finally announced the experiment would end and Greenlight be replaced by the new Direct release format, which lets developers post any game for sale that passes simple criteria. Originally planned for spring, the platform finally has a date for the official transition: June 13th.

Per Steam’s blog, Greenlight submissions have been closed and voting has been disabled. The remaining 3,400-plus entries will be reviewed by staff, but even those that don’t get Greenlit can go through Direct’s approval process. On June 13th, Direct will go live and developers can begin submitting their games.

Steam launched Greenlight to figure out which games players would choose, but the process became pricey and prolonged, with an uncertain roadmap to release. Direct is intended to be a far more predictable path to bringing games to market. New developers only have to fill out digital paperwork including bank and tax information to verify their identity. If they haven’t worked with Steam before, the vetting process requires them to wait 30 days before submitting their first game. All titles require a $100 registration fee, which is refunded should the game surpass $1,000 in sales.

Via: VentureBeat

Source: Steam