T-Mobile offering new BOGO deal for Galaxy S8 and LG G6 for Father’s Day

Father’s Day is Sunday. Do you have a gift for yours yet?

Father’s Day is coming soon! If you don’t yet have a gift, T-Mobile wants you to buy your dad a new phone and get an extra one for free… via rebate. Yep, it’s another BOGO deal from T-Mobile, and it extends to the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ and the LG G6 and LG V20. This deal extends to new and existing customers and it works a little something like this.

When you buy both phones on T-Mobile on its no-interest installment plan and add one voice line with unlimited data (or activate both phones on T-Mobile ONE if you’re a new subscriber) and mail in your rebate, you’ll get back a prepaid Mastercard for the value of the cheaper device.

Don’t get us wrong, a BOGO on the Samsung Galaxy S8 is great, especially if you were planning to change carriers anyway — just remember that you need to jump through some hoops for this deal.

See at T-Mobile

How to put prescription lenses in your VR headset

How do I use prescription lenses with my VR headset?

The major VR headsets, including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR, have been designed in a way that lets most prescription glasses frames fit. However, wearing glasses inside a head-mounted display can still be problematic. You might scratch the headset’s lenses with your frames, you might experience a bit of fog, and your lenses touching your face when mashed into the headset can cause smudges that are hard to see through.

A company called VR Lens Lab has taken it upon themselves to create lenses that work with the three major VR headsets. Their first lenses caused some distortion for some users, but they’ve redesigned them, calling them RABS premium lenses, and the distortion is significantly reduced.

Read more at VR Heads!

Samsung is offering the U.S. a sneak peak of Bixby’s voice capabilities

Bixby voice is finally here!… If you live in the U.S. and are granted access to the early access program, that is.

Interested in trying out Samsung’s Bixby voice-controlled assistant? Samsung is offering Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners in the U.S. an opportunity to gain early access to its AI assistant as part of an early access program for beta testing the new service.

Samsung introduced Bixby as its voice assistant competitor against the other established brands (Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant) and went as far as building the feature right into the hardware of it’s latest flagships — but the voice capabilities just weren’t ready at launch. Instead, Bixby in its current state has offered users an experience similar to Google Now, with the notorious Bixby button on the left side of the phone offering quick access to an incomplete visual assistant, along with Bixby Vision functionality built into the phone’s camera software which also feels somewhat limited in its current state.

Samsung claims Bixby will be able to handle complex voice instruction and allow you to control connected devices around your home.

Once fully implemented, though, Samsung has big plans for Bixby. It’s designed to assist you across multiple different apps using a combination of voice and touch controls, backed by machine learning capabilities that will learn and remember your routine and help you complete tasks more efficiently. Samsung claims Bixby will be able to understand and handle complex voice instructions and allow you to connect and control the growing number of connected devices found around the home.

Samsung plans to continuously update Bixby and intends to add support for additional languages, new features, more third-party apps and devices other than the Galaxy S8 and S8+. No word on when Bixby will be ready for a full release, so we’ll have to wait and see how this early access testing goes before we determine whether Bixby can leapfrog Alexa and Google Assistant as the superior voice assistant on Android.

Sign up for the Bixby Early Access Program

How do you take and edit pictures with your phone? [Roundtable]

There’s more to taking a great pic that mashing the shutter button. Here’s how we do it.

Having a great camera on your phone is a must in 2017. Even so-called budget models phones have a decent camera, and the high-end devices from every company in the game can all take some awesome pictures.

But there’s usually more involved in taking a great pic than just tapping the shutter button. This week, we’re going around the table to talk about how we take pictures and what we do with them from start to finish.

More: Best Android camera

Russell Holly

When taking photos with my phone, I almost always use the stock app. Especially nowadays, the default apps made by the manufacturers are typically quite good. I will occasionally try a specific kind of shot in a standalone app, like “supersampled” photos in Camera Super Pixel, but that’s about it.

The camera apps from the companies making these phones are usually pretty good.

Editing depends on what I’m doing. Most of the time I’m happy with the Auto button in Google Photos, but I will occasionally play around in Snapseed if I’m bored. I also edit work photos on my phone through Lightroom, usually by connecting the USB-C SD card reader to my phone and pulling the RAW photos I shot with my Olympus. I have to be in a pretty big hurry to go that far though, so it doesn’t happen often.

Ara Wagoner

I try to take pictures with the Samsung Galaxy S8 or the Google Pixel — the Pixel if I can help it because of its stabilization features — and apart from dragging up and down the exposure adjustment, I shoot on automatic. I don’t go in for the full manual tweaking, I want good focus, relatively even light, everything inside the frame, and the rest I’ll fix in Photoshop.

I edit my pics in Photoshop and save a great web-friendly version.

Apart from rotating and cropping, I don’t edit photos on my phones; I have Photoshop for that. I have three shortcuts in Photoshop I use on just about every picture: Alt + L for Levels, where I just the brightness and shadows of the photos, C for cropping out what I don’t need in the shot, and Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S to Save For Web, where I output my photos in an article-friendly format and size.

Alex Dobie

When I’m shooting on the Samsung Galaxy S8 or HTC U11, I pretty much always use the stock camera app in Auto mode. There are a few exceptions, like long exposures or macro shots that sometimes necessitate a trip into Manual or Pro mode. But those are pretty rare.

The stock app in auto mode almost always gets the job done.

For photo backup, I use a combination of Dropbox and Google Photos: the former because it’s an extremely easy way to get all my photos onto both the computers I regularly use, the latter because it’s a superior photo service.

I don’t edit every single shot I take, but when I do it’s generally in Snapseed or Photoshop Fix. Adobe’s app is great at eliminating window smudges and other blemishes. Google is great at tuning up images and making them look better across the board. The other tool in my arsenal is Instagram, and if I post something to the photo sharing platform I’ll usually spend a lot of time tweaking levels to get an image looking just right.

Andrew Martonik

No matter which phone I’m currently using, I stick to the stock camera app for the fastest performance and best processing. On occasion when I’m using a phone without a time lapse mode, I’ll install and use the Microsoft Hyperlapse app, but that’s it.

The editing tools in Google Photos have impressed me.

I use Google Photos as my default gallery app on each phone to keep things consistent as I jump around devices. I pay for Google Drive storage to backup full-quality images, and because of that, I’ve turned off my Dropbox automatic camera backup.

I’ve actually been very impressed by the editing tools in Google Photos as well. The “auto” enhance feature does a great job for most photos, but sometimes I hop in and move around specific sliders to get the exact look I want. The best part of Google Photos is that these edits are synced back to all of my phones and the Photos website — I’m not really interested in making one-off edits that I then lose as soon as I move to a new phone.

Harish Jonnalagadda

I primarily relied on the Pixel XL or the Galaxy S8 to shoot images over the last six months. Both phones have capable camera apps, but the one annoyance I have with the Pixel is that it won’t retain the camera position — if I switch to the front camera and close the app, it will reset to the rear camera when I open it again.

The Galaxy S8 has more features, but the Pixel wins for simplicity.

That minor drawback aside, I love taking images with the Pixel XL. It is a breeze to shoot in Auto mode — which is what I use almost exclusively — and Google’s proficiency at software processing means that I get a great image nine times out of ten. The Galaxy S8 has more features baked in, but when it comes to simplicity, the Pixel wins out.

For editing, I exclusively use Aviary. The Adobe-owned tool has all the features I need from a mobile image editor — a ton of effects, the ability to tweak the brightness, contrast, and exposure among other things, and easy sharing options to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Florence Ion

Whether I’m shooting with the Pixel XL or Galaxy S8, one thing is for certain — VSCO is the only app I’ll use to filter my photos before they go to Instagram.

No matter what phone I use, the pics go through VSCO before they get shared.

The abundant filtering suite has been around for quite a while in the app world, so if you’ve been editing photos specifically for social media, then you’re probably familiar with its hipster-like, millennial aesthetic.

You know, as I’m writing this, I’m wondering if I should expand the selection of what I use to edit photos now that I’m older. At my age, that same laissez faire attitude doesn’t cut it. Life is about responsibilities and paying your debt to society. It’s about embracing your vulnerabilities, and admitting that you’ve been defeated. It’s about coming to terms with the reality at hand.

Perhaps I just shouldn’t use any filters at all.

Marc Lagace

I’ve always been fine with using the stock camera app. I’ve been bouncing between a Google Pixel and a Samsung Galaxy S8 lately, and both feature outstanding cameras that launch really quick.

The Google Pixel and a style ring is how I roll.

The edge goes to the Pixel because Google Photos is my preferred editing app on both phones. In terms of accessories, I have a style ring on all my phones, which gives me more confidence in my grip and me keep a steady hand when framing a shot — especially handy when I’m shooting video.

The only other photography quirk I have is I love to use Snapchat at concerts or music festivals because it’s fast as hell and full of quick filters and other effects. I save everything to my Snap Story and then download it to my camera roll later so I can extract and edit together a highlight reel in Google Photos.

Jen Karner

I’m pretty simple when it comes to taking and editing my photos. I tend to shoot in automatic with whatever phone I’m currently using — right now that means my Pixel XL — without really messing with any of the settings. I do have a tremble in my hands though, so anytime I can I use a device with stabilization. I don’t really use the advanced or manual features, even when they’re available because I prefer to just snap a photo in the heat of the moment without really thinking about composition, light, or anything else.

I keep it simple, both when taking a pic and when editing them.

I’m just as simple when it comes to editing photos. If I’m mostly happy with it, then I might tweak it using Instagram filters, or by running it through Prisma to make it really pop. If it needs some more adjustments I’ll use the editing tools available through Google Photos, which are generally more than competent at getting me to the result I want.

Jerry Hildenbrand

I’ve got a top-secret built-in weapon for taking pictures: My wheelchair. Yup. Being on or in something relatively solid and with places to rest your arms makes any camera a little better. Hey, I might as well benefit from it, right?

Get familiar with the settings no matter which phone or app you use.

When it comes to the phone I use, my choice would be the LG V10. Newer models from Samsung and Google and LG technically have better cameras, but I have messed with manual modes and settings on the V10 enough to be comfortable with it. That makes a difference. After you have the right light in the right place and your shot framed, getting the exposure perfect is the most important thing you can do no matter what equipment you’re using. And for those quick shots with zero set-up time, the V10 in auto was still a pretty good shooter.

Afterward, it’s Snapseed for any editing because it’s just so easy. Usually just a crop or a bit of color adjustment. For a photo that is so great it needs the full monty, I’ll pull it off and edit on my computer in Lightroom. Then “adjust” the EXIF data and copy it to my Pixel so I can upload a full-res version for backup without eating up my Google Photos space. 🙂

Daniel Bader

Galaxy S8. Google Photos. Auto mode. Occasionally VSCO or Snapseed before uploading to Instagram. Yeah, I’m boring.

But when I’m taking photos with a camera that doesn’t have a tiny sensor I’m typically using the Sony RX100 IV, an amazing little point and shoot that, through the PlayMemories app, can create a Wi-Fi Direct connection to my phone and transfer photos quickly and painlessly. The UI is pretty terrible, but it gets the job done, and makes it really easy to cheat at Instagram.

Best third-party camera app

I’m also going to take this moment to lament the lack of great third-party camera apps on Android. Unlike on iOS, there isn’t a vast selection of well-made, nicely-designed camera apps in the Play Store. Sure, there are fairly good ones like Open Camera, Manual Camera and Camera FV-5, but Google’s lack of a robust camera API puts the onus on phone manufacturers to develop their own drivers and apps. And while most, like Samsung, Huawei, LG and HTC, do a pretty great job, it would be nice to have some more choice.

Your turn

We know you all love to take pictures and we’ve seen some incredible shots from our community. Share your secrets with everyone in the comments!

Jeff Bezos crowdsources ideas for his philanthropy

It’s no secret that Jeff Bezos has made a massive amount of money from Amazon, so much so that he’s the second richest man in the world according to Bloomberg. And now, he’s ready to give his money away — and wants you to help tell him how.

Yesterday, The New York Times posed questions to the billionaire about his level of giving. Bezos then turned around and asked Twitter users for their opinions on how he should spend his money.

Request for ideas… pic.twitter.com/j6D68mhseL

— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) June 15, 2017

Apparently, while Bezos sees projects like Blue Origin and The Washington Post as contributing to long-term societal good, he’d like to focus more of his money on projects that have immediate, short-term impact. But these projects should still contribute towards longer term philanthropic objectives (so it’s likely that he won’t be handing out fistfuls of cash).

Twitter users have suggested everything from helping homeless LGBT youth to relieving student debt to assisting veterans in repurposing their skills, among many other ideas. The tweet has been retweeted over 6,000 times, with 21,000 replies, so the volume of responses is definitely going to be a challenge to sift through. Ultimately, Bezos will do whatever he wants to with his dollars, but hopefully he’ll find some inspiration within his Twitter mentions.

Via: Bloomberg

Source: Twitter

Engadget at E3: Making virtual reality accessible for everyone

Virtual reality is changing gaming. If it works for you, that is. The technology adds a wearable component to gaming input, and this brings new (occasionally insurmountable) challenges to gamers with disabilities. Amy Kneepkens, head video creator at AbleGamers, joined us onstage at E3 2017 to give us a view into accessibility issues affecting virtual reality.

While gaming has the wonderful power of escapism, VR unfortunately adds physical barriers: How do we remove those? If it’s not the gesture controllers, it might be how camera controllers are typically transplanted to the headset itself. If you can’t move your head and neck easily, how are you supposed to look around your virtual world? We explore what game makers need to do make VR work for everyone.

Follow all the latest news from E3 2017 here!

Facebook showed terrorists the profiles of people moderating them

Have you ever wondered who takes on the grueling, unforgiving task of combing Facebook’s groups and personal profiles for terrorist activity? Meet Community Operations workers, who are often paid low wages for highly specialized and difficult work. And now, the job has become even less appealing: It turns out that a bug inadvertently exposed the personal Facebook profiles of those moderating these violent graphic images to terrorists.

The moderators were alerted that something was going on when they started receiving friend requests on their personal accounts from the very people and organizations they were investigating. Facebook’s security team later learned that a bug had revealed the moderators’ Facebook profiles within the activity logs of the groups they were looking into and shutting down.

Facebook’s reaction was to put together a “task force of data scientists, community operations and security investigators,” according to internal emails obtained by The Guardian. However, the bug remained in place for two weeks after it was discovered, even as Facebook’s head of global investigations, Craig d’Souza, was reassuring moderators that it was unlikely the terrorists would connect these personal profiles to moderation activities.

One moderator, though, wasn’t willing to take a chance. He fled Ireland, where he’d moved as a child as an asylum seeker from Iraq, unsatisfied with Facebook’s offer of a home alarm system and transportation to and from work. “The punishment from Isis for working in counter-terrorism is beheading,” the unnamed worker told The Guardian. “All they’d need to do is tell someone who is radical here.” He’s since returned to Ireland, but is now suing Facebook for psychological damage.

News of this breach comes on the heels of Facebook’s renewed commitment to counterterrorism. They recently reported on their efforts to thwart terrorism on the social network and their increasing use of AI to identify threats. The report also mentioned that they are hiring 3,000 more Community Operations workers — workers like this unnamed Irish moderator, paid the equivalent of $15/hour to become an expert on analyzing and identifying suspected terrorist activities. It’s not an easy task, to moderate social activity on a network with over 2 billion users, but protecting the privacy of those who do this unforgiving work should be at the top of Facebook’s priority list.

Source: The Guardian

The best kids headphones

By Lauren Dragan & Brent Butterworth

This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here.

If you have a kid in your life who needs a pair of headphones, the Puro BT2200 is the best option to protect growing ears. After putting in around 80 hours of research and testing the top 30 contenders for 59 hours across several days, we’re confident that the Puro BT2200 is the best choice. The Puro headphones not only met our volume-limiting test standards but also were the only pair liked by the toddlers and also the big kids who helped us test.

How we picked and tested

Our big-kid panel gets down to business. Photo: Lauren Dragan

This may come as a shock to you, but kids have very strong opinions. So the first part of our testing was to call some kid panelists together and get their input.

We ran two panels: one consisting of 2- and 3-year-olds (little kids), and another of 4- to 11-year-olds (big kids). For the little kids, I (Lauren) had them try on each set of headphones and asked them what they thought, which they liked most, and why.

For the bigger kids, I laid out all the headphones and let them try each on at their own pace. Then we discussed every model individually, and asked the kids to choose their favorite. We talked about whether they agreed with each other’s pick and why or why not.

I then spent a while subjecting the kids’ favorites to some endurance testing. I stepped on them wearing boots, I tugged cables, I twisted them, I let my toddler chew on them. Luckily, our panel had a good eye: None of their top choices crumpled under the stress.

Now that we knew which headphones were kid-approved, we had to figure out whether the volume levels at which they played were actually safe. I enlisted the help of my Wirecutter colleague Brent Butterworth, who has extensive experience in measuring headphones and speakers for AV magazines. We worked with audio experts and hearing-loss experts to develop what we think might be the world’s first attempt at a formal, published method for testing the maximum volume from headphones. Please see our full guide for an in-depth explanation of our tests, and why protecting your child’s hearing is so very important.

The audiologists we consulted suggested using pink noise, a common test signal with an equal amount of energy per octave that more or less mimics the content of music. We also wanted to add a more real-world evaluation of how loud these headphones could get. To do that, we played two tunes, “Cold Water” by Major Lazer and “Chartreuse” by ZZ Top, through all the headphones and measured the A-weighted Leq. This measurement gauges sound exposure over time within human hearing range; to oversimplify a bit, it’s sort of like the average volume. For all of these measurements, we attached the headphones to a G.R.A.S. 43AG ear-and-cheek simulator.

Our goal was to find the headphones that limited the volume to a specified “safer” range. The general consensus among experts is that a noise level of 85 dBA is considered reasonably safe for an hour of listening, in that it likely won’t cause permanent hearing damage. However, as no music or movie is all loud all the time for an hour straight, we wouldn’t say that moderately exceeding 85 dBA constituted a failure. To accommodate for inconsistencies in measurement and fit, we felt that a cutoff of 88 dBA on pink noise and 90 dBA on music Leq tests gave us enough of a margin for error while still providing a “safer” listening experience.

Our pick

Photo: Michael Hession

Of the 30 headphones we tested, the Puro BT2200 was the only model that all of our kid testers, little and big, agreed on. Our big kids loved the “comfy fit, great sound, soft earpads, and color.” They also really enjoyed having Bluetooth as a feature, agreeing that “it’s nice not having a cord.”

Our little kids liked that the headband and the earpad size fit comfortably on their noggins. Though the younger panelists needed assistance getting started with the Bluetooth connection, once the music was playing, they acclimated quickly.

Speaking of Bluetooth, in our tests the Puro surpassed its superlong claimed battery life of 18 active hours by more than four hours. And if you forget to charge it, the Puro come with a volume-reducing cable, as well. One caveat, however: Depending on the power of your audio source, the BT2200 can potentially play louder via the included cable than over Bluetooth. Plus, the supplied cord must be plugged in the correct direction, or else the volume reduction will not work.

Music fans will be happy to know that this Puro model sounds great. Of all the headphones we tested for this guide, the Puro BT2200 was the best sounding and most friendly to discerning adult ears.

As for the volume limits, in our tests the Puro BT2200 measured within safer levels. According to our findings the BT2200 measured at 85.0 dBA when used wirelessly, and at 85.2 dBA pink noise/90.3 dBA music Leq when used with the supplied cord inserted in the correct direction.

A runner-up for little kids

Photo: Michael Hession

If you’re looking to spend a bit less money or want a corded pair of headphones for your 2- to 4-year-old, the foldable Onanoff BuddyPhones Explore is a fantastic option. Our little ones gravitated immediately to the fun colors and small size, and found these headphones very comfy. According to our testing the BuddyPhones Explore fell within safer volume limits (82.1 dBA pink noise/88.6 dBA music Leq).

Although the BuddyPhones Explore is less expensive than our top pick, it didn’t end up as our winner for a few reasons. First, the sound quality was not as good as that of the Puro; you can really hear where the extra dollars went into the Puro’s sound design.

Second, the Onanoff set is way too small for kids older than 5. Our big kids immediately rejected this pair as too tight for their heads. The BuddyPhone Explore isn’t a design that will grow with your child.

A runner-up for big kids

Photo: Michael Hession

If you’re looking to spend less money or want a corded pair of headphones for your 5- to 11-year-old, we recommend the JLab JBuddies Studio. Too big for our little panelists due to a looser and more flexible headband, the JBuddies Studio was the favorite of our 11-year-old twins, Kyra and Ally. According to our testing, volume levels were within safer limits (80.9 dBA pink noise, 87.5 dBA music Leq).

However, the JLab’s sound quality wasn’t up to par compared with our main pick’s. Coarse and a little blaring, the JBuddies Studio’s sonic profile isn’t something that budding audiophiles will adore. Given a choice between the two, all of our panelists said they would rather have The Puro.

This guide may have been updated by The Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

Note from The Wirecutter: When readers choose to buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn affiliate commissions that support our work.

Atari is indeed working on a new console, says CEO

When Atari first revealed its Ataribox project at E3 this year, the announcement was met with skepticism as to whether the teaser was even real. The company hadn’t made a home game console in more than 30 years and yet it was choosing 2017 to get back in the game? Welp, apparently so, because Atari CEO Fred Chesnais confirmed to GamesBeat on Friday that the company is doing just that.

Chesais also revealed that the new product, which has been “years in the making”, will include the woodgrain panelling seen in the teaser video though the final design has yet to be determined. He also noted that the hardware will be PC-based. The Atari CEO remained mum on most other details of the project.

Atari has started to regain regain some of its early-80’s mojo since Chesnais bought the company out of bankruptcy in 2013. It’s already making a profit developing mobile games. What’s more, the wild success of the NES Classic edition last winter shows that that the market for nostalgia is a big one. If it can combine the ole timey feels that the 2600 evokes with new titles built on the foundation of its mobile games business, Atari might just give the likes of the RetroN77 a run for their money.

Source: VentureBeat

Ex-Bungie developers crafted the most promising VR adventure yet

It’s hard not to love Quill, the swashbuckling mouse heroine of Moss, an upcoming PlayStation VR game from Polyarc Games. She’s adorable, with huge ears, a fetching adventurer’s bandana and an ever-so-tiny backpack. And she kicks butt — thanks to a grass sword, a badass gauntlet and plenty acrobatic skills. It’s difficult to create new characters that players can instantly love, but Polyarc managed to do just that.

Even without playing the game, you can tell this isn’t their first rodeo. The developers abandoned the hallowed halls of Bungie and Rockstar to make an independent VR game of their own. And after spending a few minutes with Moss at E3, it’s clear they weren’t just wasting time. The game simply looks and feels incredible, and it’s quickly become my most anticipated VR title this year.

Moss harkens back to classic adventure games, like The Legend of Zelda and The Secret of Mana, except instead of staring at a flat screen, you’re looking at the world in a third-person view in VR. Quill controls like a dream with the Dual Shock 4, with fluid animation and a great overall feel during combat and platforming. She also has a personality: She’ll point you in the direction you need to go, give you hints during a puzzle, or simply act mouse-like while idle.

You exist as a character in the game that Quill interacts with, while also controlling her from afar. At one point early on, you look down in a pool of water and see your reflection: you’re an ominous figure wearing a face mask, like something out of a Miyazaki film. You can reach out and grab objects in the world, using the DualShock 4 controller, which is essential for puzzle solving. And, if you want, you can also just reach out and pet Quill from tummy to ear. Did I mention she’s adorable?

Much of the game feels like it belongs right alongside one of Studio Ghibli’s iconic films. It takes place entirely at “mouse level,” so you’re always overshadowed by the gorgeously rendered environment. When you look up while outdoors, you can see the forest canopy towering high above you. Scale plays a big role in Moss; you always feel like a tiny creature in a large and dangerous world. That was particularly true toward the end of my demo, when Quill runs into a giant snake, one of the game’s main villains. Even in VR, I felt like I had to protect my pet mouse from a sudden predator attack.

Even though Moss feels like a flashback to older adventure games, that’s ultimately a good thing. I enjoyed moving Quill around the environments, and the combat is fast and fluid. It reminds me of games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which took up countless hours of my life simply because they felt good to play.

Moss is coming to the PlayStation VR this holiday season.

Follow all the latest news from E3 2017 here!