Stealth Action Game HITMAN Coming to Mac on June 20
Feral Interactive has announced that popular stealth action game HITMAN is coming to macOS on June 20. Developed by Io Interative and published by Square Enix on PC and consoles in 2016, the critically acclaimed title is the first truly episodic triple-A game to make the transition over to Mac, according to Feral.
Within the HITMAN universe, multi-layered levels offer players vast scope for exploration, while the opportunity to employ devious distractions and disguises allows gamers to exploit their surroundings in a typical stealth manner. The PC title has been widely praised by reviewers for its high replay value and chapter variation.
As master assassin Agent 47, players will carry out contract hits on powerful, high-profile targets in exotic locations around the world. Each mission is set in a huge, intricate and heavily-populated sandbox level that offers players complete freedom of approach, challenging them to complete it in the most creative way possible.
From a glamorous Paris fashion show to Marrakesh’s bustling markets and on to a luxurious Bangkok resort, each of HITMAN’s locations is brimming with opportunities and secrets. Players will don disguises and create distractions to infiltrate restricted areas, then use weapons, found objects and environmental hazards to take out their targets and withdraw unseen.
HITMAN will be available from the Feral Store and Steam as HITMAN – THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON, which includes all locations and three bonus missions, and will be priced at $59.99/£39.99/€49.99.
HITMAN for macOS will launch with support for AMD graphics cards only. Feral hopes to announce more details regarding support for Nvidia and Intel graphics cards shortly. The complete system requirements will be confirmed on release day.
Tag: Feral
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Netflix has a hidden limit on how many times you can download content
Why it matters to you
If you’re big on downloading Netflix content for offline viewing, you might be interested to know that the feature imposes limits.
Toward the end of last year Netflix finally got around to letting users download movies and shows onto their mobile devices so they could watch stuff on the go and in places without wi-fi.
Turns out there are limits on how much fun you can have with the feature, though Netflix appears to prefer to let you find out for yourself.
Put simply, some of the content only allows a finite number of downloads, or “renews” as Netflix calls it.
As things stand, if you fail to watch a downloaded movie before its expiration date, which for some content could be as short as 48 hours after you first hit play, you’ll probably want to download it again. It’s these downloads that are limited, a reality that some Netflix users are finding rather annoying, according to Android Police.
While you might have good intentions to watch a movie within the allotted time when you first send it to your mobile device, there’ll be occasions when you just don’t get around to firing it up during your daily commute or travels further afield.
If you find yourself downloading the same content several times — whether to finish watching it or to enjoy the whole thing again — you’re likely to see a warning message saying you can only do one more download until a particular date, apparently a year after the first time you downloaded it.
If you’re half way through the show or movie, the limitation means you’ll just have to find time to watch it at home or switch to streaming if conditions permit.
As Android Police points out, the rules are set by those that hold the rights to the content, so Netflix is simply keeping within the terms of its contract. However, it’s fair to say it’s kept pretty quiet about it, choosing to inform users only when they have one download left.
Netflix has added a note to its Help section, but it’s rather vague, saying that studio limits mean that “some titles” can only be renewed “a certain number of times.”
The company held back from offering offline viewing from a long time but finally relented in November 2016, partly in response to growing competition from the likes of Amazon, which a year earlier became the first major subscription streaming service to offer movie and TV show downloads for offline viewing.
Roaming charges end in the EU, but Brexit confusion may dampen celebrations
Why it matters to you
For European citizens, it’s now the same price to use your phone in another EU country as it is at home.
Update: Added news the EU roaming regulation is now in force
Mobile roaming charges for Europeans traveling to other European countries are no more. From June 15, 2017, travelers making a call, sending a text message, or using data will pay exactly the same as the do at home. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said in a statement: “Roaming charges will now be a thing of the past. As of June 15, you will be able to remain connected while traveling in the EU, for the same price as at home.”
The agreement was finalized in February, and had been a long time coming. Preliminary agreements were made in June 2015, but negotiations had been happening for a decade. What does it mean to you? If you’re an EU citizen, and travel to another EU country, you won’t pay extra for using your phone. The commission calls this a “roam-like-at-home” plan. The deal doesn’t mean everything will be free. Instead it means the services you use while roaming will be charged at the same rate you pay when on your home network.
It joins up with a previous rule where networks will let you use your included minutes and data abroad, and new caps will come into play if you go over the permitted use. The cost caps are 3.2 euro cents per minute for calls, 1 euro cent for SMS, and 7.7 euros per gigabyte of data. The data cap will gradually reduce over the coming years, eventually reaching 2.5 euros per gigabyte at the beginning of 2022. It’s the end of a successful effort to reduce the cost of roaming in Europe, which in February had fallen by 90 percent since 2007.
Concerns dampen agreement celebrations
Excellent news, but with it comes some negativity from smaller operators, and confusion from anyone in the United Kingdom, which recently voted to leave the European Union. A response to the agreement from MVNO Europe, which looks after Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) in the region, believes the caps are too high, and smaller operators won’t be able to recover costs.
This may lead to some operators opting out of the agreement, which is possible if the company can prove it’ll reduce revenue by at least three percent. Networks in Estonia, Lithuania, and other Scandinavian countries have all applied for an exemption, according to Reuters. There are also concerns networks will raise costs for local subscribers to offset the roaming revenue hit, particularly in tourist-heavy regions.
For British travelers, Brexit uncertainty may dampen any rejoicing over the agreement. Scare stories spread at the end of 2016, warning networks in Europe may not have to honor any cost caps for U.K. visitors following Brexit, if a favorable trade deal isn’t reached. Worst case scenario is the return of massive phone bills for careless travelers, with a megabyte of data potentially costing up to 10 euros.
For now, European law still applies in the U.K. at least until it officially leaves the EU. However, the roaming agreement is an EU regulation, and won’t become part of U.K. law, so it will need to be adopted by the post-Brexit government to stay in place. Talks regarding the legal complexities of the split haven’t officially started yet, and because a transition deal is expected to take between two and five years to complete, the fate of “roam-like-at-home” for Britain will remain yet another unknown aspect of Brexit for quite some time.
EU roaming fees are no more
Roaming fees between operators in EU member states have been abolished — but future for UK customers + visitors remains unclear.
European roaming fees, finally, are no more. The cost of roaming within Europe — using one EU country’s SIM card in another — has been growing more affordable for the past three years. But now roaming charges have, for the most part, finally been abolished. “Roam Like at Home” applies to voice calls, texts and data for anyone subscribing to an EU operator and roaming in another member state.
The European Commission says:
Phone calls, SMS and going online with your mobile device from another EU country will be covered in the national bundle. The minutes of calls, SMS and megabytes of data that a person consumes abroad within the EU will be charged the same as at home.
As long as a person periodically travels and spends more time in his home country than abroad over any 4-month period, they will fully benefit from Roam Like at Home.
A few caveats apply. For unlimited plans, carriers may set a fair use limit, after which they can charge €7.7 + VAT per gigabyte. (That’ll fall to €2.50 by 2022.) Customers might also be asked to pay more if they stay in another country within the EU longer than the country to which the SIM belongs. And a small number of operators in some regions are exempt due to their “very low domestic prices.”
It’s also worth underscoring that this doesn’t apply to roaming within Europe on a SIM card from outside the EU, such as the U.S.
On the whole, it’s a win for consumers, particularly tourists, frequent business travelers, and those living in the EU’s many border areas — just a few years ago, subscribers faced exorbitant fees when roaming across European borders. The operators themselves have been quick to cash in on an easy PR win — although, of course, under EU law they now have no choice in the matter.
Nobody knows how Brexit will affect UK-EU roaming rates after 2019.
One major wildcard, though, is Brexit — the UK’s impending exit from the EU, which must be wrapped up by late March 2019. After Brexit is concluded, in theory, there would be nothing forcing UK operators to abide by EU laws on roaming. That could mean a return to the old days of roaming charges for Brits roaming in Europe, and visitors from EU countries using their SIMs in the UK.
But opinion is split on whether this would actually happen. It’d be unpopular, for sure, and Three UK has already said it won’t raise prices post-Brexit. Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao believes competitive forces will keep roaming fees in check even after the UK leaves. Others are less optimistic.
Nevertheless, cheaper roaming — even if it’s short-lived for some — is sure to be welcomed by Europeans traveling within Europe this summer holiday season. In today’s news release, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker described the elimination of roaming charges as “one of the greatest and most tangible successes of the EU.”
B&O Play BeoPlay E4 noise-cancelling in-ears promise uninterrupted Scandi sound
Bang & Olufsen’s lifestyle arm B&O Play has unveiled its latest pair of in-ear headphones, the BeoPlay E4. The E4 are the successor to the H3 in-ear headphones and so retain their active noise cancellation status, which this time round is vastly improved.
- Bang & Olufsen unveils BeoPlay H3 Golden Edition in-ears
B&O Play says the E4 headphones are capable of suppressing up to 15dB more of low frequency external noise compared to the H3s. This is mainly due to using trickle down technology from the company’s BeoPlay H9 flagship over-ears which can accurately decipher what sounds are coming from the headphones and what sounds are coming from outside. The E4 in-ears can then block the signals from the unwanted external sounds to leave you with just the music going into your ears.Even with the improved active noise cancellation tech, B&O Play has managed to squeeze it into a smaller form factor than before. With the H3 ANCs, the battery unit was a rather large hockey puck-shaped unit, but this time round is much smaller and easier to pop into your pocket.
The BeoPlay E4 earpieces are made from aluminium to keep overall weight to a minimum and B&O supply them with memory foam ear tips to not only provide comfort, but to to ensure you get the tightest possible seal in your ears. An intuitive gesture-controlled feature lets you turn off music and the noise cancellation, and then turn it on again when you’re ready to resume
The BeoPlay E4 earpieces are made from aluminium to keep overall weight to a minimum and B&O supply them with memory foam ear tips to not only provide comfort, but to to ensure you get the tightest possible seal in your ears. An intuitive gesture-controlled feature lets you turn off music and the noise cancellation, and then turn it on again when you’re ready to resume
- Which B&O Play speaker is right for you?
- B&O Play H9 headphones will deliver smooth, Scandinavian sound wirelessly, and with ANC
- Bose QuietControl 30 review
The B&O Play BeoPlay E4 are available now in black for £249 and come supplied with a charging cable, flight adapter, various sizes of silicone ear tips and a carry case.
Best roaming plans: Which is the cheapest network for EU and abroad?
Roaming data charges have been scrapped by the European Commission in its 28 member countries entirely from 15 June 2017.
You will now be able to use your bundled texts, minutes and mobile data anywhere in the European Union without it costing you any extra. That means uploading your holiday snaps to Facebook or Instagram as you go is much more justifiable than it has ever been in the past.
Unfortunately, there are no caps on roaming fees outside of Europe, or the countries not included in the EU, so if you are lucky enough to travel a lot, here is a round up of what the different networks offer in terms of roaming and which give jetsetters the best deals.
Vodafone
Vodafone offers Vodafone Global Roaming as standard for Pay Monthly plans, as well as SIM-only plans that started on or after 12 April 2017. This incentive includes 50 “Roam-free” destinations, some of which extend further than just those covered by the EU roaming regulations.
Users visiting any of the Roam-free destinations will be able to use their allowance as they would in the UK without spending any extra. Charges will apply if you go out of your bundle but the regulations state that they cannot be more than they would be in the UK.
The Roam-free destinations are: Albania, Austria, Azores, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (inc Corsica), French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Madeira, Martinique, Mayotte, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (inc Balearic Islands), Sweden, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, San Marino, Saint Martin, Switzerland, Turkey, Vatican City.
For those travelling further than the 50 countries on the Roam-free list, there are 60 “Roam-further” destinations available under the Vodafone Global Roaming incentive for Pay Monthly customers and SIM-only customers.
A daily flat rate of £5 allows you to use your phone in any of the participating Roam-further countries as you would in the UK, including calling, texting and data usage and you will only be charged on the days you use your phone. The day is calculated according to the capital city of the country you are in and it runs from midnight to midnight.
The Roam-further destinations are: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Democratic Republic of Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Mexico, Mozambique, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Russia, Saba, Serbia, Singapore, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, South Africa, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, Suriname, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, United States of America.
For more information, visit the Vodafone website.
Three
Three offers its Feel At Home incentive to Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go customers, offering free roaming in 60 countries, some of which are not in the EU.
It doesn’t matter what device you are using and like Vodafone, you can use your phone as you would in the UK but Three doesn’t charge you anything for the privilege when you go further afield, such as the US or Australia. What’s more, it works on PAYG plans too.
The Feel at Home destinations are: Åland Islands, Australia, Austria, Azores, Balearic Islands, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Channel Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Madeira, Martinique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Republic of Ireland, Réunion, Romania, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, United States of America.
The US Virgin Islands and Vatican City are both on the list for “coming soon”.
There is one snag, if you have All-You-Can-Eat data, texts and minutes then only up to 12GB, 5000 texts and 3000 minutes are included in the incentive for no extra charge but that’s still quite a lot. You also have to be on one of Three’s Advanced plans if you’re a Pay Monthly customer, and if you’re PAYG you’ll need to convert your credit into an Add-on to use Feel at Home.
It’s also worth noting that to benefit from Feel At Home, you need to have been a Three customer for more than 30 days and if you are a Pay As You Go customer, you need to convert your credit into an Add-on.
For more information, visit the Three website.
O2
O2 offers free roaming to countries within its Europe Zone. Just like Vodafone and Three, Pay Monthly customers travelling to any of the countries within the O2’s Europe Zone can use their minutes, data and text allowances as they would at home.
The Europe Zone destinations are: Austria, Azores, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion, Romania, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City.
The Europe Zone applies to PAYG customers too but Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Monaco and Switzerland are not included as they are for Pay Monthly customers. PAYG customers visiting these five countries can opt into the O2 Travel Bolt on, where you will also be charged £1.99 for data with a limit of 100MB a day, while calls will cost 4p per minute to make and free to receive. Texts cost 1p per message when sent to the UK or elsewhere in Europe.
O2 also offer the O2 Travel Bolt on for Pay Monthly customers visiting some destinations outside of the Europe Zone. Customers will be charged £3.99 a day for Turkey, or £4.99 a day when in any of these destinations: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UAE, Uruguay, United States of America, Venezuela.
O2 Travel has a daily allowance of 120 minutes for both making and receiving calls, 120 texts and unlimited data for Pay Monthly customers. PAYG customers have the same limit as mentioned above. You’ll only be charged on the days you choose to use it.
You can find out more information on the O2 website.
EE
EE offers all customers on all contracts, Pay Monthly and PAYG, free roaming in 48 destinations across Europe. Those on 4GEE Max contracts will also get roaming in a few more places further afield.
As with the other networks, you’ll be able to “roam like home”, using your data, minute and text allowances. A maximum of 15GB of data can be used while roaming, after which you’ll need to buy a data add-on if you want to keep using data whilst roaming.
EE’s European Roaming Zone destinations are: Austria, Azores, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Canary Islands, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guyana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion Islands, Romania, San Marino, Saint Martin (French), Saint Barthelemy, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Vatican City (Italy).
Customers on the 4GEE Max plans also have roaming included in: Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and USA.
For those not on 4GEE Max plans and travelling to one of the five countries included on the Max plans, you can add a World Select Talk and Text add-on. This will give you unlimited calls and texts for £5 a day, with the day running from midnight to midnight in the country you are in. No data is included with this add on though.
There is also a data add on however, called Travel Data Pass. This will offer 500MB of data per day and prices differ depending on the country. For example, it will cost you £3 a day for Turkey, £4 a day for United States of America and Canada or £5 a day for Australia, New Zealand, UAE, India, Thailand, Mexico, South Africa and China.
EE’s offers are a little more complicated than Vodafone and Three so it’s worth going on the EE website to work out your best option and find out exactly how much your specific destination might cost.
T-Mobile & Orange
Both T-Mobile and Orange customers are able to use their UK allowances in 47 European destinations.
It is not clear which country is excluded for T-Mobile and Orange customers compared to EE customers and information on add ons for the two networks when in countries outside of the 47 countries is also scarce.
Previous information for worldwide travel suggested Orange Pay Monthly customers can add a Talk & Text bundle that will give you 30 per cent off all your calls and texts for £5.10, allowing you to make a call for 84p a minute and send a text for 35p when you’re in the USA for example. It also said you could add 20MB of data for £3 a day or 100MB for £10 a day. Whether this remains the case is yet to be confirmed.
If you’re with T-Mobile and travelling to America then there are no add ons for calls and texts but you can opt for the Zone A Internet Travel Booster 200MB or 500MB to use for seven days, which will cost you £20 or £40 respectively. Again, if this is still the case, is not currently known.
We would recommend visiting the EE website where you can select Orange or T-Mobile and the destination you plan to go to for more information on costs for individual countries.
iD from Carphone Warehouse
The Carphone Warehouse network, iD, offers “Roam Like at Home” for its Pay Monthly, SIM Only and PAYG customers in 50 countries. As with the other networks, customers will be able to use their UK minutes, texts and data for no extra charge.
The Roam Like at Home countries are: Austria, Azerbaijan, Azores, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madeira, Malta, Martinique, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Réunion, Romania, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Vatican City.
Customers on the iD’s TakeAway plans will also see the United States of America and Australia included within the Roam Like at Home destination list. Unlike Vodafone and Three, there doesn’t appear to be a daily rate for other worldwide destinations though.
For customers on GoTo and ShockProof plans, as well as TakeAway customers travelling to destinations other than the US and Australia, the iD network offers a comprehensive list of roaming costs on its site here.
Tesco Mobile
Tesco Mobile offers its Home From Home incentive in 48 European destinations for all its customers. Customers can call, text and use data in the Home from Home countries without any extra cost on top of their existing price plans.
Minutes, texts and data limits will still apply as at home. That covers both PAYG and pay monthly customers.
Home from Home destinations are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain including Canary Islands Sweden, Switzerland.
As with Three, a maximum of 12GB of monthly data can be used when abroad. Following this, you will need to pay an additional charge per MB.
Tesco Mobile caps data usage to 5MB so you cannot exceed £40 of spend while abroad elsewhere. That’s because it charges £8 per MB if you are outside the Home from Home countries so be wary of using data anywhere other than in Europe or at a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Call charges from outside the EU can also be very pricey. Calls when you are in the US, for example, cost from 89p a minute to make or receive. Sending texts costs 40p a text. For more information on costs from specific countries, you can visit the Tesco Mobile website.
Microsoft’s Surface Laptop and Pro are now available worldwide
If you’re looking to buy the Surface Laptop or the Surface Pro, there’s a chance that you’ll be able to get it right now, even if you’re not in the US. Both PCs are now available in over a dozen markets across the globe. The Surface Laptop is now out in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It’s the flagship device for Windows 10 S, Microsoft’s ChromeOS-like platform for the education market meant to run web apps and software from its official store. A Surface Laptop will set you back at least $999 in the US and £979 (up to £2,149) in the UK.
The bad news is that only the base Core i5 version is available today — the Core i7 variant won’t be coming out until this summer. Also, only the US gets all four colors on launch date, while everyone else will have to make do with the platinum version for now. Microsoft will release Burgundy, Cobalt Blue and Graphite Gold in Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, HK, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the UK over the coming months, though.
The tech titan has also released the new Surface Pro in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the UK and the US. The device has a 12.3-inch touchscreen display and comes equipped with Intel’s Kaby Lake processors. One will cost you at least $799 for the base version, not including the $99 Pen. In the UK, prices start at £799 and top out at £2,699.
If you’d rather splurge for Redmond’s pricey Surface Studio, though, you’ll now be able to get it in more locations around the world. It’s now available for purchase in Austria, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. One will cost you at least $3,000 in the US and £2,999 (up to £4,249) in the UK.
Source: Microsoft
New ‘Backup and Sync’ Tool to Replace Google Drive Mac App
Google is readying a new Google Drive replacement backup tool that’s intended to help users back up files located anywhere on their computer.
Called Backup and Sync, the new app will replace both the Google Drive client and the Google Photos Backup app, combining their sync features in a more unified client interface.
Backup and Sync will be able to monitor and backup files and photos inside of any folder specified by the user. Currently, files have to be moved into the Google Drive folder for them to be synced to the cloud, but the new app will be able to back up files and photos on the desktop, in the Documents folder, in Pictures, or from anywhere else the user chooses.
Backup and Sync will be released on June 28. When Drive users come to upgrade, Google says the new tool will respect any existing folder settings on Mac and PC to make the change seamless.
The new Files app coming in iOS 11 supports third party cloud services including Google Drive, so the new Backup and Sync tool should offer users another option for easily accessing files on their Mac from their iPhone or iPad.
Google says the new app is intended for consumer users and recommends that G Suite customers continue to use Google Drive until its new enterprise-focused solution, Drive File Stream, becomes available later this year.
Tags: Google, Google Drive
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Mobile Roaming Charges Abolished in the EU
A new European Union law came into effect on Thursday that abolishes roaming charges for people using mobile phones abroad. The new rules mean that European citizens traveling within the EU that call, text, and browse the internet on their mobile devices will be charged the same price they pay in their home country.
Previously, roaming charges were added to the cost of calls, SMS messages, and web browsing whenever mobile users in the EU traveled to another country and connected to another cellular network. The practice of charging consumers extra while they were abroad gained widespread notoriety because users often ended up having to pay extortionate fees for relatively moderate data usage.
“Each time a European citizen crossed an EU border, be it for holidays, work, studies or just for a day, they had to worry about using their mobile phones and a high phone bill from the roaming charges when they came home,” said the European Commission in a statement. “The European Union is about bringing people together and making their lives easier. The end of roaming charges is a true European success story. Eliminating roaming charges is one of the greatest and most tangible successes of the EU,” the statement added.
The EU has been negotiating with mobile networks for nearly 10 years to come to an agreement regarding the legislation, following repeated warnings from networks that the law could mean higher tariffs at home. That outcome appears to have been avoided, however.
“The EU has managed to find the right balance between the end of roaming charges and the need to keep domestic mobile packages competitive and attractive,” continued the statement. “Operators have had 2 years to prepare for the end of roaming charges, and we are confident that they will seize the opportunities the new rules bring to the benefit of their customers.”
Despite the new law, consumer watchdog Which? told the BBC that mobile users need to be aware that if they exceed contract data allowances while traveling within the EU they will still be charged, just as they would be in their own country. Also, the law only applies to travelers, so calling another EU country from home will still incur additional charges.
Tags: European Union, European Commission
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Grab an umbrella! Animated GIFs are raining down on Facebook
Why it matters to you
Despite being 30 years old, the GIF image format is more popular than ever, particularly on social networks like Facebook.
The image format, Graphics Interchange Format, or GIF – commonly associated with those animated, looping photographs – is turning 30 on June 15, and Facebook is celebrating by adding the option to find and use GIFs within comments. Facebook is also asking readers that quizzical question, how do you pronounce GIF anyway?
GIF support isn’t new to Facebook, of course, but the company says GIFs have become increasingly popular since support was introduced to Facebook Messenger in 2015, allowing users to chat with GIFs without opening up a web browser to find the appropriate animation. To date, users have shared almost 13 billion GIFs – from cute animations to funny video-like memes – inside the Messenger app in the last year alone, which amounts to about 25,000 per minute. That number is triple the amount of GIFs sent from the previous year, Facebook says.
For GIF’s 30th milestone, Facebook is rolling out the ability to send a GIF in the comments without leaving the platform. The feature, which had been available to select users but is being opened to all global users, just requires tapping the GIF button when commenting, then typing in a few words to find the appropriate GIF – similar to how a GIF is sent in Messenger. Previously, GIFs could only be uploaded to comments by adding a link from Giphy, the GIF library.
Several new GIFs were created for the occasion, in partnership with Giphy. Facebook designed 20 unique GIFs designed starring internet celebrities, including DNCE, Logan Paul, DREEZY, Amanda Cerny, Wuz Good, Brandi Marie, Landon Moss, Patric Starr, and Violet Benson. Besides comments, these 20 animations are accessible inside the Facebook and Messenger apps, as well as Giphy (simply search for #GIFparty or head to giphy.com/facebook).
Logan Paul is one of the internet celebrities featured in 20 new Facebook GIFs that celebrate the file format’s 30th milestone.
But is GIF pronounced with a hard or soft “g” sound? That’s what Facebook will be asking users in a poll. Despite the file format being around for thirty years, there isn’t a general consensus on whether to pronounce the abbreviation like “gift” (without the T) or with a soft “g” like Jif, the peanut butter brand – how GIF’s inventor, Steve Wilhite, says it’s suppose to be pronounced. The poll will pop up in users’ newsfeed, and maybe settle the debate once and for all (we doubt it).
The GIF has been around since 1987 – which makes it older than the World Wide Web – created by a group of programmers led by Wilhite. At the time, the format became popular for still images because the compression algorithm allowed for colored images to take up less digital space. In fact, the first photo on the web was a GIF. While JPEG has superseded GIF as a default format for photos, GIF has regained popularity for looping animations and videos and its universal support by browsers. Happy birthday, GIF!
AIVAnet 