GameStop confirms extensive credit card data breach

If you’re a GameStop customer, check your mail. The company just sent out letters to online patrons confirming a suspected payment security breach.

In April, GameStop said they were looking into a possible data breach that might have put customers’ credit card information at risk. Confirming those suspicions, Kotaku reported today that a number of GameStop customers have received letters notifying them that their credit cards may have been stolen.

The company hasn’t released any numbers yet, but anyone who placed an online order with them between August 10, 2016 and February 9, 2017 is at risk. That’s quite a long time and it’s safe to say many people were exposed. Names, addresses and credit card information were compromised and the reports from April speculated that the three-digit security numbers were taken as well.

The company said in a statement to Kotaku, “GameStop identified and addressed a potential security incident that was related to transactions made on GameStop’s website during a specific period of time. GameStop mailed notification letters to customers who made purchases during that time frame advising them of the incident and providing information on steps they can take.”

It hasn’t been a great time for GameStop. Earlier this year, it announced that it would be closing around 150 stores after increases in digital downloads led to sustained drops in the company’s sales. The company formed its own publishing wing last year in order to stay relevant in the increasingly digital gaming world.

This data breach is yet another setback for GameStop and this time, it’s a setback for its customers as well.

Source: Kotaku

Walmart Pay will hook new users with instant access to its credit card

When Walmart debuted its own in-house mobile payments service last year, the company was not afraid to roll it out quickly. Walmart Pay arrived in 4,600 stores nationwide in under two months, proving the retail giant could still be nimble — especially if the result meant moving customers through the checkout line faster. And it paid off: according to a third party study, just eight months after launch the QR code-based system was the third most used mobile wallet after Samsung Pay and Apple Pay. Now the company is giving customers even faster ways to part with their cash.

With the latest Walmart Pay update, customers can apply for a Walmart credit card and then use the app to make purchases, “from the moment they are approved.” In other words, the physical plastic card that comes later in the mail is just a formality. While Apple, Samsung and Android Pay are all competing at the platform level, Business Insider reports that in-house mobile wallets like Walmart Pay are catching on among larger retailers and instant access to store accounts or credit cards is one benefit that can attract new and loyal users. As for the other retail giant out there: Walmart has also been trying to use its physical stores to one-up Amazon by offering discounts for in-store pickups and testing automated grocery kiosks in Oklahoma City.

Via: Business Insider

Source: Walmart

Microsoft shutters Docs.com, pushes users to SlideShare and OneDrive

Why it matters to you

If you’re one of the relatively few users of Microsoft’s Docs.com document-sharing service, then you need to start looking for an alternative.

Every now and then, a company will make a product or service that arrives on the market, is ignored by most people, and then is shut down without warning — and very few people actually care. Such seems to be the case with Microsoft’s Docs.com document sharing service, which is being shut down after a little more than two years.

Docs.com was intended to serve as a place to show off your Office documents, but it never really caught on among users. Microsoft posted a bulletin that displays at the top of the site’s home page indicating that the service will officially shut down on December 15, 2017.

Microsoft’s message is simple and straightforward:

“Microsoft is retiring the Docs.com service on Friday, December 15, 2017 and we are hereby advising all users to move their existing Docs.com content to other file storage and sharing platforms as soon as possible, as Docs.com will no longer be available after this date.”

Microsoft’s stated reason for closing down Docs.com is that there are better options available. When Microsoft purchased LinkedIn last year, it inherited the popular SlideShare service that also hosts Word, PowerPoint, and PDF documents to share publicly with other users. According to Microsoft, SlideShare has an audience of 70 million professionals, making it a vastly more meaningful platform than Docs.com.

In addition, Microsoft has its OneDrive cloud storage service, which allows for a host of sharing options. The company is promising to improve its sharing offerings to make up for whatever has been lost with the shuttering of Docs.com. Microsoft also has its Sway service that can be used for publishing multimedia presentations, and it is directing users there as well.

If you happen to be one of the relatively few people using Docs.com, then as of today you’ll be able to access your existing documents that are stored there but you won’t be able to upload new documents. If you’re not using Docs.com, then you won’t be able to create a new Docs.com account — not that you’d want to. Existing users can sign into Docs.com and have their content automatically backed up to OneDrive.

You can find more details at Microsoft’s Office support site, including instructions on how to copy your documents out of Docs.com. There’s a host of information on the decision’s impact, and so Microsoft isn’t leaving its Docs.com users completely high and dry, even if it’s providing very little time to plan for an alternative.

Microsoft Cortana wants to help you save money as you shop online

Why it matters to you

Saving money while you are shopping online is sort of the point and Microsoft can help you do this even more with its new tool.

Comparison shopping is smart shopping, but it is also really time-consuming. Sometimes, you just do not have the time to save that kind of money. Luckily, technology is here to help you out. Specifically, Microsoft Cortana is here to help you out. On Friday, the company announced a new pilot feature that claims to help you find “the best pricing for the product you are viewing,” as long as you’re using the Microsoft Edge web browser. Cortana will let you know if “relevant details are available at the time of your visit” to an online shopping site, which is to say, that if there are cheaper prices to be found at that particular moment, you will be notified.

As it stands, the new tool supports 14 retailers including Amazon, Walmart, and eBay, within the U.S. Microsoft says that it will be upping this number in the coming months, and we will update you as changes roll out.

So how will you take advantage of the offering? Much like existing Cortana features, you see a display notification in the address bar, should there be important information regarding the site you are currently visiting. If you are on the site of a supported retailer, Cortana will let you know that there are similar products at lower prices, getting you a deal. If you click the Cortana icon, you can see this comparison information in the right panel within the same window.

Of course, given the newness of the feature, Microsoft is still figuring out a few things. As such, the company is asking for as much feedback as it can get. “Let us know what you think about the feature,” the company noted in a blog post. “Your feedback is important as we continue to make improvements and add support for other sites.”

Microsoft Cortana wants to help you save money as you shop online

Why it matters to you

Saving money while you are shopping online is sort of the point and Microsoft can help you do this even more with its new tool.

Comparison shopping is smart shopping, but it is also really time-consuming. Sometimes, you just do not have the time to save that kind of money. Luckily, technology is here to help you out. Specifically, Microsoft Cortana is here to help you out. On Friday, the company announced a new pilot feature that claims to help you find “the best pricing for the product you are viewing,” as long as you’re using the Microsoft Edge web browser. Cortana will let you know if “relevant details are available at the time of your visit” to an online shopping site, which is to say, that if there are cheaper prices to be found at that particular moment, you will be notified.

As it stands, the new tool supports 14 retailers including Amazon, Walmart, and eBay, within the U.S. Microsoft says that it will be upping this number in the coming months, and we will update you as changes roll out.

So how will you take advantage of the offering? Much like existing Cortana features, you see a display notification in the address bar, should there be important information regarding the site you are currently visiting. If you are on the site of a supported retailer, Cortana will let you know that there are similar products at lower prices, getting you a deal. If you click the Cortana icon, you can see this comparison information in the right panel within the same window.

Of course, given the newness of the feature, Microsoft is still figuring out a few things. As such, the company is asking for as much feedback as it can get. “Let us know what you think about the feature,” the company noted in a blog post. “Your feedback is important as we continue to make improvements and add support for other sites.”

Huawei Matebook X WT-W09 review

Research Center:
Huawei Matebook X WT-W09

Huawei is a name that you’ve probably heard of, though if you’re not deep into smartphones, you may not know from where. The Chinese giant has earned a small following in the west, built on the back of its affordable yet feature-rich smartphones. The Huawei Honor 8 Pro, which recently received a Recommended award from us, is the perfect example. It packs the latest hardware and a dual-lens camera, yet sells for hundreds less than an iPhone 7 or Galaxy S8.

The company doesn’t want to be limited to smartphones, however. It’s eyeing the PC, and launched its first efforts in North America last year. It put the brand off to a rough start. The original Matebook tried to serve as a budget alternative to Microsoft’s Surface Pro, but terrible hard drive performance and a small battery left it unable to compete.

Huawei hasn’t backed down. It’s returned this year with several new products, one of which is the MateBook X. Don’t be fooled by the name. Instead of targeting the Surface Pro, the MateBook X is going after Apple’s 12-inch MacBook, and Asus’ Zenbook 3. To do so, it equips the usual set of hardware for a high-end, super-thin PC. That means an Intel Core i5-7200U processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB hard drive.

Frankly, internal components won’t make-or-break the MateBook X. Huawei’s notebook competes in a category that’s all about attractive design and long battery life. Does it have what it takes to make it out on the open road?

Similar, but not a clone

It’d be easy to dismiss the Matebook X as a MacBook clone. The two systems look very similar, right down to all-metal unibody design and Huawei’s suspiciously spacey take on the color gray. The two systems even place the speakers in the same location.

There are subtle differences, however. The MateBook X has thinner display bezels, which gives it a smaller overall footprint, and helps it retains an upscale feel. Despite that, Huawei found room to squeeze in an extra USB Type-C port (the MacBook only has one).

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Admittedly, it does lack the precision refinement found in the 12-inch MacBook. Apple’s industrial design is famous for a reason, and as a result, the MacBook feels more robust. This is present in subtle touches like the overall balance of the chassis, and the smooth action of the display hinge.

Even so, the MateBook X is well crafted. It seems solid no matter how it’s held and resists even purposeful attempts to flex the chassis. In fact, we prefer it to the Mac’s design – while not quite as refined, its thinner bezels and extra port add functional benefits. We do think it a step behind the Asus Zenbook 3, however, which is still the slickest laptop we’ve laid hands on.

Thin on ports, of course

Aside from the two USB Type-C ports previously mentioned, the MateBook X also has a headphone jack. And that’s it. There’s no card reader. Wireless connectivity includes 802.11ac Wi-FI and Bluetooth 4.1.

Huawei Matebook X WT-W09 Compared To

Lenovo Yoga 720 13-inch

Origin EON17-SLX

Acer Chromebook 15

Asus VivoBook V551LB-DB71T

Acer Aspire V7

Sony Vaio Pro 13

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (2013)

HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook

HP Spectre XT TouchSmart

ASUS Zenbook UX51Vz

Acer Aspire S3

Apple MacBook Air 13.3-inch…

Sony Vaio S Series

Apple MacBook Air (11.6-inch)

Sony VAIO C1MW PictureBook

Huawei says some markets will receive a small MateDock 2, which adds extra ports, and/or a USB-C to USB Type-A adapter. Our review unit didn’t ship with either accessory.

A surprisingly superb keyboard

Ultrathin laptops like the MateBook X look good, but they often have problems when it comes time to use them, with the keyboard at the heart of the issue. A thin profile means limited room for each key to move, and that can seriously annoy touch typists.

We prefer the Matebook X to the Mac overall.

Apparently, no one told Huawei about the problem. It simply isn’t here. The keys boast 1.2 millimeters of travel, which is slightly limited compared to devices like the Dell XPS 13, but superior to the MacBook’s 0.5 millimeters, and the Asus Zenbook 3’s 0.8 millimeters. In fact, the Huawei’s keyboard felt great. Blindfold us, and we’d never know it belongs to a laptop less than half an inch thick.

Keyboard backlighting is standard. The lighting looks even beneath each key, and there’s minimal light leak. However, only two brightness settings are available. While that is not uncommon, we prefer to see more choice in brightness selection.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

A large touchpad can be found under the keyboard. It supports all Windows Precision Touchpad features and proved responsive in day-to-day use, including multi-touch gestures. That’s good, because a touchscreen is not available, even as an option. Clicking the touchpad produces a slightly hollow sound, so Huawei could do more work to tune that action – but that is a minor complaint.

Above the keyboard is a fingerprint reader which serves as the power button. It’s Windows Hello compatible, and worked incredibly well – better than any Windows-compatible fingerprint reader we’ve tried in years. It’s a convenient extra that shaves a few seconds from the time between when you open the notebook and when you start using it.

Great to look at…

Huawei ships the Matebook X with a 13-inch, 2,160 x 1,440 display with a 3:2 aspect ratio, which means it’s taller relative to its width than the more typical 16:9 notebook screen. Its pixel density works out to about 200 pixels per inch. That’s a bit behind the 12-inch MacBook, which boasts 2,304 x 1,400 resolution, and quite a bit better than the Asus Zenbook 3, which is stuck at 1080p.

Though it’s at a slight pixel disadvantage against the MacBook, it’s hard to tell the difference in normal use. The display looks extremely sharp in all situations. Better still, it also looks vivid and bright. High-resolution photos appear crystal-clear and look just as they should in real life. While the Macbook looks every bit as vibrant, the Zenbook 3 is at a disadvantage, as red and blues look dull on its screen.

Our tests confirmed what our eyes told us. We found it offered excellent color accuracy, hitting an average color error value of just 1.25. Lower is better in this test, and anything below one is difficult to notice with the human eye, so that’s a great result. We also saw a solid brightness of 377 nits and a color gamut that covers 100 percent of sRGB. Both figures are right in line with top-tier competitors like the Zenbook 3, or even Dell’s XPS 13.

There’s just one weakness – contrast. Our test showed a contrast ratio of 660:1, while most competitors exceed 900:1. It didn’t make a noticeable difference in most situations, but the background of a dark movie can often look rather gray, instead of inky black. The category standout in this area is Samsung’s Galaxy Book, which has an OLED display, and boasts deeper black levels than any other laptop or 2-in-1 we’ve tested.

…and great to listen to

Audio is another place Huawei doesn’t follow the ultrathin notebook script. The MateBook X features Dolby Atmos branded speakers that put out surprising oomph. While it obviously can’t compete with a decent pair of desktop speakers, the notebook’s tiny sound system serves up serious volume and even a hint of bass. Push the volume up far enough, and the limits of the system break down into distortion and an ever-present hiss. But the audio becomes more than loud enough before it reaches that point.

The Core i5 performed as expected

Our review unit arrived with a Core i5-7200U processor and eight gigabytes of RAM. That is, at this point, a completely normal loadout, even for a laptop this thin. Yet thermal design can impact performance, as shown below.

All the systems in the graphs have some form of Core i5 processor. The benchmark scores are tight in Geekbench 4 single-core testing. Huawei’s Matebook X comes in at the bottom with a score of 3,703, but that’s only 8 percent below the fastest system, Dell’s XPS 13 with Core i5-7200U.

Geekbench 4 multi-core, scores are similarly closed, but the Huawei gained some ground here with a mid-pack performance. Again, though – the differences are minor.

Blindfold us, and we’d never know the keyboard belongs to a laptop less than half an inch thick.

Handbrake, our most strenuous test, put the Matebook X in front of the Asus Zenbook 3, but behind larger peers like the Dell XPS 13. This test, which involves transcoding 4K video from h.264 to h.265, took over 20 minutes to complete. That’s enough time to start seeing the thermal limitations in each notebook, and the scores spread as a result.

With that said, though, the Matebook X is not ideal if video transcoding or encoding is task you’d often perform. The Core i5-7200U will do in a pinch, but a quad-core processor would be preferable, and that’s not available in any half-inch thick laptop.

What about the MacBook? We did not test it in Geekbench 4 at the time we reviewed it, and it’s been updated since then. However, it’s fair to say all 12-inch Macbook models would prove slower if we tested them today. They use variants of Intel Core processors that draw less power than most, and run at lower clock speeds.

A fast hard drive

Huawei has smartly decided on a solid state hard drive that connects over PCI Express, and that results in strong performance.

In fact, the Matebook X performed very well next to similar systems. It beat them slightly in read speeds, and significantly in write speeds. This is not a difference that’s noticeable in day-to-day use, but it would matter when moving large files. It also helps the Matebook X boot in less than ten seconds.

Again, the Macbook is not part of our graphs as it’s been revised since our last review. Hard drive performance is a strong point for Apple, though, so we’d expect it to beat the Matebook X. It might even do so by a wide margin.

Don’t buy this for games – of course

If anyone says the Matebook X is a gaming laptop, call a doctor – they’re suffering from a serious fever. Still, we run every notebook through 3DMark’s Fire Strike test to see how they compare. The results aren’t inspiring, but they are reliable.

These systems run Intel HD 620 graphics, so they all perform almost the same – except the Asus Zenbook 3, which falls behind. The Matebook X can load and play many 3D games, but it won’t be able to play at high detail, even at 1080p resolution.

To provide an example, we loaded and ran the benchmark in Civilization VI at 1080p resolution and minimum detail. The game turned in an average of 16 frames per second, which is technically playable, but certainly not enjoyable.

As for the Macbook – while the test systems in our graph aren’t good, the 12-inch Macbook is truly hopeless. It runs an even less powerful version of Intel HD graphics (Intel HD 615). Even games that are several years old will prove a major challenge.

Small laptop, small battery

The Matebook X is, alongside the Asus Zenbook 3, one of the lightest and most portable 13-inch notebooks we’ve ever seen. Its weight, at 2.31 pounds, is slightly heavier than the Macbook and Zenbook 3, both of which weigh about two pounds. Still, it’s not a PC that’ll burden you when it’s thrown in a bag.

Huawei has squeezed a 41.4 watt-hour battery into the notebook’s thin frame. That’s on par with its competitors, but smaller than notebooks like the Dell XPS 13, which has a 60-watt hour battery. Reducing capacity is necessary to keep the Matebook X thin. So, what does that mean for a battery life?

As shown in the graphs above, it means compromise, though the compromise is not too severe. The Matebook X lasted almost five hours in the Peacekeeper web benchmark loop, and just over nine hours in a 1080p video loop. These results are likely enough for many users, but they do come in slightly behind most competitors. The Asus Zenbook 3 lasted just a few minutes less in Peacekeeper, and about a half-hour longer in the 1080p video loop.

What about the MacBook? Again, our test results are no longer representative of the current model, so we can’t say for sure. However, Apple also claims to use a 41.1-watt hour battery, and boasts up to 12 hours of movie playback. We have found in past reviews that MacBooks last longer than Windows laptops with the same battery capacity, so the newest MacBook is likely to beat the MateBook X.

Barely there software

There’s no reason to worry about bloatware here. Our review unit came only with the MateBook Manager, a utility to adjust various settings and also update the laptop’s firmware, including the BIOS. It also supports an “instant online” feature for tethering to a smartphone’s Internet, but this requires a Huawei ID, and we did not have chance to use it.

Warranty information

Huawei ships the Matebook X with a one-year warranty, as is typical for the category.

Our Take

Huawei’s Matebook X is a wonderful second try at making a beautiful, high-end PC. Sleek, light, and fast, it’s simply a great day-to-day system. Battery life is only ok, as is true of its peers, and comes behind thicker laptops that can hold more juice.

However, there is one potential problem. The price. Huawei did not quote us a final U.S. price in time for this review, forcing us to fall back on the European price of 1,400 Euros. That currently works out to about $1,560 dollars, which is way too much. Even $1,400 would be pushing it.

We hope that Huawei will drastically slash the U.S. price, and asked for clarification during this review. Huawei was not able to provide the U.S. price, but we will update this review that information becomes available.

Is there a better alternative?

The Razer Blade Stealth is an alternative for gamers, but will require the purchase of an external graphics dock. Asus’ Zenbook 3 is a bit more attractive, but it’s keyboard and display aren’t quite as good. The MacBook is smaller and lighter, but not as powerful.

We prefer using the Matebook X to these systems, but at its current target price, it’s hard to recommend it over any aside from the 12-inch MacBook. The Asus Zenbook 3, for instance, can be purchased with almost identical hardware for only $1,000.

How long will it last?

We thought the Matebook X felt sturdy in our tests, and its hardware is up to date. It should last three years without issue, and may even still be useful after a half-decade.

Should you buy it?

Not at its current expected price. We must assume it will be expensive until told otherwise, and the fact it currently seems more expensive than competitors is a major issue. It’s a great laptop, but it’s hard to imagine paying $500 more for the Matebook X over an Asus Zenbook 3, when the two systems offer similar performance and battery life.

We will update this review when Huawei releases U.S. pricing.

Eco-friendly microbeads decompose before they can pollute our waterways

Why it matters to you

Plastic microbeads contribute to the millions of tons of plastic dumped in our oceans each year. This biodegradable alternative could help.

Tiny plastic microbeads are used in a wide variety of products, from body washes, toothpastes, and face scrubs to paints and fillers. Unfortunately, they’re not great for our environment, and help contribute to the 8 million tons of plastic that ends up in our oceans (and in the stomach of seabirds, whales, turtles, and other marine life) every year. According to estimates, a single shower can result in 100,000 plastic microbeads being flushed down the drain.

That’s where a new project coming out of the United Kingdom’s University of Bath enters the frame. Scientists and engineers at the university have successfully engineered biodegradable cellulose microbeads, manufactured from a sustainable source. These could be used to replace the harmful plastic ones that have been banned in numerous places.

“We’ve developed a continuous process for the production of cellulose microbeads,” Dr. Janet Scott, reader in the department of chemistry, told Digital Trends. “As cellulose comes from plants, nature produces enzymes to break it down, thus the beads are stable in the absence of the enzymes — in personal care products, for example — but will biodegrade in the environment. Depending on size, these might even be broken down by the time they pass through the wastewater sewage plant process. This is the big difference between our microbeads and those made of plastic.”

Nic Delves-Broughton, University of Bath

A big question, of course, is whether the project is scalable. After all, it’s one thing to create sustainable microbeads in a lab; another to do it price-competitively in large quantities.

“Can we scale? Yes.” Scott said, emphatically. “We intentionally developed both the product and process to manufacture the product together, so that there would not need to be any major changes in the process for manufacturing. The process used can easily be scaled up as it is based on continuous flow ‘membrane emulsification.’ We force solutions of cellulose through porous tubular membranes to produce tiny droplets that are swept away by a flowing oil phase. Then we use ‘phase inversion’ to set the beads, recover the beads and recycle the oil and phase inversion solvent.”

Well, that settles it then! The project has been awarded a $1.3 million grant by the U.K.’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to develop it in for use in cosmetics and personal care products, along with agricultural products like slow-release fertilizers.

How to turn your smartphone into a spy camera or baby monitor

Update: Added Alfred, WardenCam, and AtHome Camera as viable solutions.

If you’re itching to keep an eye on someone (or someplace), but have a limited budget to work with, fear not. We’re in the second decade of the 21st century. You don’t need to buy a bunch of expensive equipment to spy or monitor an area anymore — though, some of the best home security cameras are more affordable than you might think. These days, all you need is a smartphone you’re currently not using. With a few bucks, an iPhone or Android device, a charger, and some tape or a tripod for mounting purposes, you can monitor whatever you want. Here’s how to do it.

Note: Before beginning, make sure you’re using a wireless network that is secure and password-protected. Setting this up on an unprotected network is not advised, as someone may be able to access your network without your permission.

How to turn your Android phone into a spy camera

If you own an Android device, there are a ton of apps you can use to accomplish your camera needs. Getting and installing the software on your smartphone is easy, however, using your camera is a different story.

To keep things simple, we recommend you install an app like Alfred, WardenCam, or IP Webcam. All of these are simple, easy-to-use Android apps that work for the majority of devices out there, and they’re perfect for what we’re trying to do here. All three are free for download from Google Play, but you may have to contend with some advertising. If you don’t want any ads, you can get IP Webcam Pro for $4. Moreover, both Alfred and WardenCam have in-app purchases that allow you to upgrade to ad-free versions.

The trio of apps all offer the same thing in terms of features, whether you’re in need of motion detection, night vision, or the ability to review events that took place while you were away. They also allow you to adjust the resolution of your video feed, and configure your phone so it doesn’t go to sleep while the camera is running. It all comes down to personal preference. That said, IP Webcam does require a network connection, while Alfred and WardenCam support 3G/4G/LTE. The two latter apps even let you speak to others near the camera.

If you’re worried about the apps working correctly, Alfred and WardenCam may be the better options since they feature ongoing support. IP Webcam was last updated in August.

Note: You will need to give IP Webcam complete control of your Android phone’s camera for this to work, meaning no other apps can use the camera while IP Webcam is running. Once the app is running, set up your smartphone wherever you want to monitor, plug it into an AC adapter, and move on to the instructions below.

How to turn your iPhone into a spy camera

As an iPhone owner, you have a few options for setting up remote viewing. Presence by People Power is a jack-of-all-trades automation app that offers free connectivity to another iOS device for viewing, but no video recording or other advanced technology. The free version of the app lets you view a live stream of your monitored area, and will push notifications when something happens nearby. In-app purchases for Presence Pro Video increase your cloud storage, improve video quality, and enable longer video recordings in the event your phone loses its internet connection.

If you want a higher-quality feed for something like monitoring your baby in their crib, you should consider Baby Monitor 3G, which costs $4. The app lets you use an old iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch as a wireless baby monitor, allowing you to keep an eye on your baby while they rest and adding a visual twist to the traditional walkie-talkie solution. The current iteration of the app supports WatchOS, and includes video zoom and a night mode. For an extra $5, the app can even connect to a Mac and will let you talk to your baby. These options are great for watching your child and talking to them from a room or two away.

If you’re looking for another alternative, check out AtHome Camera from Circlely Networks Incorporated and its companion app, AtHome Video Streamer. When used together, the pair let you monitor your area of choice from wherever you are, as long as you have a Wi-Fi or cellular connection. You can also schedule recordings in advance, watch multiple cameras on one device thanks to a split-screen feature, and remotely control your camera to get a better look at the room or surrounding area.

Presence, Baby Monitor 3G, and AtHome Camera are just a few of the options available for iOS, which is far more varied than it was a few years ago. There are ways to get an IP Camera working, but they can cost you a monthly subscription fee and may not be worth the investment despite how affordable they can initially seem. If you’re going to pay monthly, you should invest in real security technology.

How to connect your phone to your PC

To take full advantage of your remote camera, you need to view the camera’s feed, be able to record footage, and set up motion detection. Fortunately, there are ways of doing this directly within the aforementioned apps, but sometimes you’ll want to use your PC to remotely view your feed, record it, and detect motion or sound.

If you’re using any of the iOS apps we mentioned, and have a Mac, you’re already good to go. Both Baby Monitor 3G and AtHome Camera have Mac versions of their apps that can turn your Mac into a monitoring station. Windows users can download AtHome Camera here, but will have to wait for a Windows-compatible version of Baby Monitor 3G. Meanwhile, Presence has a browser version that you must register to use.

On the Android side, Alfred is probably the easiest to use since it already has its own browser version that supports both Google Chrome and FireFox — you just need to log in with the same account info used in the app. Unfortunately, WardenCam doesn’t currently offer a PC or Mac component.

If you’re using IP Webcam on an Android device, you have a few options. You can view your smartphone’s video feed using VLC, Windows Media Player, or any video player with streaming compatibility. If you’re using VLC, go to Media > Open Network Stream, and enter the URL to your remote camera. Once you’ve entered the URL, you can connect and see through your smartphone’s camera. Sadly, you can’t record footage very well with VLC; for that, you’ll want to opt for more powerful software.

For those looking for a more robust setup, we recommend WebcamXP or Netcam Studio. Both WebcamXP and Netcam Studio are made by the same company, but Netcam Studio is newer and includes a watermark when viewing footage. If you don’t want a watermark, you can either buy the software for $50 or use WebcamXP, its older but capable sibling without a watermark. Both limit you to just one camera at a time, however, so if you want some crazy setup with three different smartphones, you should invest in the paid edition of Netcam Studio.

Both WebcamXP and Netcam Studio offer the same straightforward functionality you’ll need to take full advantage of your Android device’s remote camera. Both pieces of software can view live feeds from the camera, record footage, activate when motion or sound is detected, and connect with IP Webcam. They are missing minor features, such as camera focusing and LED control, but you can still remotely control these via IP Webcam. Both WebcamXP and Netcam Studio are extremely versatile given their feature set, and if you decide to kick it up a notch, you can transform your Android device into a real security camera with them.

LG G6 Pro and LG G6 Plus could launch in South Korea as soon as June 27

Why it matters to you

Do you like the look of the LG G6 but want something a little more powerful or with a bigger display? LG could be prepping something for you.

The LG G6 is largely considered to be one of the best phones of the year so far, and for good reason — the device is well-built, features pretty decent specs, and has a nice design. Now, it looks like the company could be prepping two new phones to launch in the G6 series — called the LG G6 Pro and the LG G6 Plus.

The two phones are tipped to launch pretty soon, with a report from Korean outlet ETNews noting that they could launch in South Korea as soon as June 27. It’s expected that all three major carriers in South Korea, including KTF, LG Telecom, and SK Telecom, will offer the phones.

It’s also expected that the G6 Plus will be the most expensive of the phones, coming in at $890, while the LG G6 Pro will come in at $715. While these prices have yet to be confirmed, we should definitely expect them to be more expensive than the original LG G6. As we would expect, both phones are tipped to feature LG’s payment platform, LG Pay.

We don’t yet know what kind of specs to look forward to under the hood, but it is expected that the phones will be more powerful than the original LG G6. Perhaps at least one of them will feature the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, rather than the Snapdragon 821, which is the chip found in the original LG G6. It’s largely thought that LG was forced to go for the less powerful chip because Samsung has first pick on supply thanks to the fact that it co-developed the Snapdragon 835.

Reports also suggest that LG will distinguish the LG G6 Pro from the original G6 with a new “Astro Black” color, which will be the result of a special manufacturing method that combines different tones of black.

We’ll have to wait and see what the phones look like when they are official launched, but they could certainly be among the better phones of the year.

New ‘synthetic tongue’ can best whisky sommeliers at guessing your Scotch

Why it matters to you

Synthetic tongue could help spot fake whiskies among the good stuff.

Once robots steal all of our jobs, we’ll be able to sit around and become experts on things like fine whiskies, which no artificial being is ever going to be able to appreciate as we can. Right?

Well, don’t tell the folks at Germany’s Heidelberg University and the Netherlands’ University of Groningen. That’s because they’ve developed a “synthetic tongue” that uses 22 different fluorescent dyes to accurately distinguish between different whiskies. When the tongue comes into contact with a whisky, it’s able to determine its “flavor profile” based on the subtle changes in brightness exhibited by the dyes. In a test, the tongue was able to recognize the brand, origin, blending state, age, and taste of 33 whiskies. No word on whether it exhibited slurred speech.

“Whiskies are complex mixtures, and their chemical composition is quite similar,” Professor Dr. Andreas Herrmann of the University of Groningen told Digital Trends. “For consumers who are non-professional experts, for similar whiskeys it is very hard to taste the difference. We are super excited about our ‘tongue’ because it has an extremely sensitive tasting ability, probably even better than most of the sommeliers [out there].”

But why develop a whisky-tasting synthetic tongue, since it’s never going to appreciate whisky in the way that we can? Well, it turns out that it has less to do with appreciating whisky than with uncovering fake whiskies among the good stuff. That’s not going to mean much if you’re talking about a cheap $17 bottle of Jim Beam, but it means a whole lot more if you’re buying a crate of expensive bottles to sit in your air-conditioned underground alcohol bunker — or wherever rich people store bottles that cost more than our entire year’s rent.

“Fake whiskies are always annoying customers,” Herrmann continued. “But there is no convenient and accurate method in the market to detect counterfeiting rapidly and without expensive equipment. We are thus thinking about tailoring our artificial tongue to address this problem.”

Next up, the researchers plan to develop new “tongues” for tasting red wines and a range of drugs. “We envision strong potential for commercialization because the dyes and supercharged fluorescent proteins are easy to make, and the protocols are inexpensive,” Herrmann said.

So whisky and drug taster is another human job gone over to the robot side. Can’t engineers leave us with anything good?