Facebook may be developing an app for teens that parents won’t freak out over

Why it matters to you

While Snapchat has taken over as the predominant social media app of choice for young users, Facebook may just have a plan to win them back.

While Facebook may have started out as the dominant social media platform for teens and young adults, over the last several years, the social media platform has seen its user base begin to age. Snapchat, Instagram, and other messaging apps have taken over as the platforms of choice for teens and younger users, but Mark Zuckerberg’s empire has a plan to win these all-important users back. It’s called “Talk,” and it’s rumored to be an as-of-yet unreleased messaging app geared specifically toward teenagers.

As first reported by The Information, “Code inside the main Facebook app points to an unreleased messaging app aimed at young teens called ‘Talk.’” Perhaps most intriguing about the alleged project is its nod towards parents. “The code reveals signs of new parental controls that would set the app apart from Facebook’s existing Messenger app,” The Information continues.

It seems as though Talk will require users to be at least 13 years old, but they won’t have to have a Facebook profile to use the app. And relatedly, teens who opt to use Talk to communicate won’t be publicly searchable, which could help assuage parents’ fears about their children’s otherwise easily accessible online presences.

Apparently, Talk will also allow users (or perhaps users’ parents) to “fully control the contacts,” ensuring that youngsters are only talking to people they ought to be talking to. And another recently discovered line of code suggests other features that are teen-specific. One comment in the code reads, “Kids love using the creative tools in “Talk” to play games and share fun masks with family and friends.”

So watch out, Snapchat. You may have the teen market cornered for now, but if Facebook has its way, the social media giant will soon be giving you a run for your money.

Google faces a potentially massive fine for breaking antitrust rules in the EU

Why it matters to you

Along with the financial penalty, this ruling against Google could force changes in the way the company presents search results to users.

For over a year, Google has been the subject of an investigation by the European Commission relating to accusations of anti-competitive practices. Now, there’s word that the company is about to be hit with a likely hefty fine as the Commission prepares to share its findings and administer sanctions.

Companies found to have breached antitrust rules in the European Union can be made to pay a penalty equal to 10 percent of its global turnover, according to a report from Reuters. As a result, Google could in theory be required to pay as much as $9 billion based on its financial performance in 2016.

The European Commission has been looking into this matter for seven years. The investigation was prompted by complaints from rival search engines in the U.S. and Europe, who claimed that Google distorts its search results to give an unfair advantage to its own shopping services.

As well as the fine, it’s likely that the Commission will force Google to modify its practices, although it’s not entirely clear how this action will play out. It’s possible that best practices could be laid out in broad strokes, but there’s also a chance that specific directions could be put in place for the company to adhere to.

Google has previously made three attempts to settle the matter, all of which were unsuccessful. At this point, it seems that the writing is on the wall, and a final ruling is set to be made public before the European Commission’s summer recess, which is scheduled to begin in August.

If Google is found to be guilty of wrongdoing, the decision could have an impact on two other accusations of anti-competitive practices. The company is also being investigated for pursuing an unfair monopoly in relation to both its Android operating system and its AdSense advertising program.

Have we decided what Android O stands for yet?

Google certainly hasn’t, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun speculating.

Oreos. Oatmeal cookies. Orangina. Oranges. Ozark pudding. We’ve been ruminating over what it is that Google will officially call Android O, but we still don’t know! Just like we didn’t know that we’d be downloading Marshmallow or Nougat until the mobile operating system was raring to go.

What dessert do you think Android O will be named after? There are plenty of you who are surely convinced that Oreo is it.

coppercabling
03-21-2017 02:24 AM

“

The more I think about it, the more I realize Oreo’s actually a pretty solid name, ignoring all other issues that arise.

Reply

We’re dubious ourselves about that, though, considering the rampant availability of Oreo packets that were placed around the premises at Google I/O. The search company is known for effectively trolling attendees — it did the same in 2016 with bite-sized packets of Nutella — so the mere mention of such a dessert isn’t a guarantee that it’s the name.

Some of you have other ideas about what the name could be and it’s been a really educational process googling these desserts I’ve never heard of before.

liscon17
04-14-2017 10:27 AM

“

Opera cake (not the web browser)

256635

Reply

Mr Mendelli
05-20-2017 12:19 PM

“

Ontbijtkoek. Had it a while back, and it’s pretty good!

Reply

Anyway, what do you think? Do you have a preference for what Android O will be called? Do you think Google will even stick to its desserts motif? Or are we all sick of speculating and simply wishing Android O were a stable release that’s ready to rock?

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LG is releasing a mobile payment app, and you’ll never guess the name

Get ready for LG Pay, at least if you live in South Korea.

The mobile payment world just got a little more crowded, according to the Korea Herald. LG is deploying the entirely obviously named LG Pay in South Korea with the help of four credit card companies and big plans for expansion. LG Pay is expected to compete directly with the more well known Samsung Pay by offering a different approach to emulating regular cards in magnetic stripe terminals.

Instead of using the Samsung-owned Magnetic Secure Transmission tech, LG will be using Wireless Magnetic Communication for its feature. Users likely won’t notice a significant difference in how these two magnetic communication methods work, as both invite you to tap the back of your phone to the magnetic stripe reader on the terminal to wirelessly transmit credit card data. As we know, this has significant advantages for adoption beyond what NFC can offer because it works with “old” payment terminals.

LG isn’t currently talking about plans for expansion, but assuming this South Korean rollout goes as planned you can likely expect to see this feature offered later this year.

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Best Android Games of 2017

What are the best Android games to play in 2017?

Update June 2017: Added the futuristic Neon Chrome and the sadistic Penarium to our list of best Android games of 2017!

If you’re looking for the best new games available in the Google Play Store, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re new to Android and need some fresh, new games to start building out your Google Play library or simply looking for the latest trendy games that are worthy of your time and attention, we’ll break it all down for you with recommendations that are sure to ruin your productivity.

• Reigns
• The Battle of Polytopia
• Causality
• Island Delta
• After the End: Forsaken Destiny
• Fire Emblem: Heroes
• Heart Star
• Star Wars: Force Arena
• Pokémon Go
• Neon Chrome
• Penarium

Reigns

If you’ve always dreamt of being king for a day, you’ll definitely want to check out Reigns. It’s a stylish game with simple gameplay mechanics and razor-sharp wit, wherein you try to keep your kingdom running smoothly by interacting with advisors, citizens, witches, and other characters in your kingdom. It’s best described as one of those “choose your own adventure” books, except instead of flipping to some page, you simply swipe left or right.

Each decision you make has an effect on four resources you must manage: religion, citizens, the army, and your kingdom’s treasury. Balancing these resources is key, as if any meter maxes out or reaches zero, your reign is over. But the game doesn’t end — you instead become your successor and try to last longer in your reign than the king before you.

It’s the perfect pick-up-and-play game for killing some time, and you’ll definitely enjoy the dark humor throughout.

Despite being released and celebrated in 2016, Reigns gets top billing on this list for 2017 for being the winner of Google’s inaugural Indie Games Contest.

Download: Reigns ($2.99)

The Battle of Polytopia

Also highlighted as a finalist for the Google Play Indie Games contest in February, The Battle of Polytopia is a great game for anyone who’s a fan of turn-based strategy games, like the Civilization franchise. The game features multiple game modes, including the rarely seen pass-and-play option for playing against friends. With multiple tribes to choose from, this plays like a full-fledged strategy game packaged with cartoony graphics and scaled down perfectly for playing on a mobile device.

The turn-based gameplay against the AI is brisk and you can add more opponents or up the difficulty level if you’re in need of a bigger challenge. Best of all, it’s a free download from the Google Play Store!

This games feels perfect for your daily commute on public transit or really any time you got time to kill — if you start a Domination game (last tribe standing wins), you can save and resume your game at a later time as needed.

Download: The Battle of Polytopia (Free w/IAPs)

Causality

Causality is a mind-blowing puzzle game that’s all about manipulating time. This is just a brilliant game where you control time and make adjustments to the level and alter the sequence in such a way that you help your stranded astronauts reach their goals.

Set in simplistic-yet-beautiful alien landscapes, this stylish game will have you wracking your brain as you try to figure out how to guide each astronaut to their color-coded exit within the allotted time. Of course, you have full control over the timeline and can jump to any point in time and change an aspect of the level. There are 60 mind-bending puzzles to unlock and complete in this outstandingly polished and challenging game.

Download: Causality ($1.99)

Island Delta

Island Delta is a very stylish top-down action-adventure-puzzler developed by Mantisbite out of Finland. Explore the mysterious retro-futuristic island lair of Doctor Gunderson as our heroes, Zoe and Baxter.

Using your anti-gravity gun, you must work your way past mechanical minions, traps, and guards as you solve puzzles to make it through to the end of each level. At its best moments, Island Delta feels like a stripped down, third-person version Portal, which is something I wasn’t aware I needed in my life. The cartoony graphics and outstanding level design will immediately draw you in.

You can read our full review here before deciding to buy it. It’s available for $2.99 from the Google Play Store.

Download: Island Delta ($2.99)

After the End: Forsaken Destiny

After the End: Forsaken Destiny is a really beautiful puzzle game set in a mysterious desert world. The story follows a father-son duo who are on parallel paths at different times and must work together across time to help each other progress past obstacles and puzzles.

The wonderful art style will draw you in. The controls are fairly simple to pick up: you use the left half of the screen to control your character, tap the button that appears on the right side of the screen to interact with switches and objects, and you will also need to frequently rotate the camera by swiping across the screen.

The puzzles here are varied and increase in difficulty as you progress further through the game. There’s many secret areas to explore and relics to collect throughout the game. It’s a paid game, so there are no ads or in-app purchases to distract you from the beautiful graphics and challenging puzzles.

Will the father and son ever be reunited? There’s only one way to find out.

Download: After the End: Forsaken Destiny ($3.99)

Fire Emblem: Heroes

Fire Emblem: Heroes represents Nintendo’s first foray into developing games for Android (ignoring last year’s Miimoto app) and is the eighth title in the popular strategy-RPG franchise to be released on North American shores.

Heroes brings all of your favorite Fire Emblem characters together for a brand new story that pits the noble Askran Kingdom against the power-hungry Emblian Empire, which wishes to rule all worlds. You play the role of a mighty summoner who has the power to bring Fire Emblem’s best heroes together to help defend the kingdom. Battle takes place in arenas where you must strategically move your Heroes around to attack and defend against your opponents.

Play through the Story Mode to unlock new game modes, including Special Maps, Arena Duels, and the Training Tower. Arena Duel is the multiplayer aspect of the game that will keep you busy beyond the single player campaign.

You can read our full review here.

Download: Fire Emblem: Heroes (Free w/IAPs)

Heart Star

Heart Star is a cute puzzle platformer with a simple concept: you swap controls between two characters who can only walk on certain surfaces. You must use teamwork to make it through the 50 mind-bending levels included here.

Featuring wonderful retro graphics and an 8-bit soundtrack, this is just a really complete game that offers a decent challenge as you progress through the later levels. You will have to contend with the occasional ad that pops up when you fail or complete a level, but it’s worth the minor distraction to play this fun little game for free.

Download: Heart Star (Free)

Star Wars: Force Arena

Star Wars: Force Arena is arguably the best Star Wars game you can play on Android. Combining the card-casting mechanic from Clash Royale with MOBA-style gameplay, it’s an extremely exciting game that couples fast-paced action with deep strategic elements as you step in as general for the Empire or the Rebellion.

Choose from your favorite Star Wars heroes and villains from the original trilogy and Rogue One and lead your army into battle against online opponents. There’s a freemium model in play here, meaning you’ll be tempted to spend real money to help unlock and upgrade new characters and troops more quickly — but you can move up the rankings just fine by being strategic in battle and patient opening card packs. You can battle one-on-one or team up with another hero for epic 2 vs 2 skirmishes.

At its best, Star Wars: Force Arena lets you recreate your own epic battle scenes on your phone. Rally your troops and take down the enemy turrets on your way to victory!

Read our full review here.

Download: Star Wars: Force Arena (Free w/IAPs)

Pokémon Go

I know, I know. You’re asking what is Pokémon Go doing on this list in 2017.

Well, love it or hate it, Pokémon Go is still widely popular, and Niantic still has big plans to support it throughout the year. They’ve added the second generation of Pokemon with another five generations of Pokémon still in the bank, and as our pals over at iMore have reported, there are a bunch of global and region-based events in the works and the potential for a bunch of new and revamped features.

Also, winter is nearly over so we may see a resurgence of Pokémon Go during the warmer months. Will it ever reach the heights that it did during the summer of 2016? Probably not. But it still represents one of the best and most popular games available for Android.

Download: Pokémon Go (Free w/IAPs)

Neon Chrome

Neon Chrome is a must-own game in 2017. It’s a top-down twin-stick shooter with super stylized visuals and procedurally generated levels. Initially released in 2016 on Steam and then later for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, it arrived on Android earlier this year and is available for $9.99 from the Google Play Store.

This is a really polished game that’s designed with replayability in mind. Each playthrough is going to present unique challenges and weapons, as you work your way through the compound on your quest to bring down the Overseer. Nearly everything you see is destroyable and there’s a ton of loot to collect, which you can use to upgrade your character

If you’re a fan of games with neon-futuristic cyberpunk aesthetics, like Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, you are in for a treat with Neon Chrome. The game is super deep with upgrades and is just a blast to play, though be prepared for a real challenge here. If you need more convincing, check out Windows Central’s review of the game for the Xbox One.

Download: Neon Chrome ($9.99)

Penarium

For those who love a great platforming challenge, you need to check out Penarium. Developed by Self Made Miracle and Team17 — the folks behind the celebrated Worms franchise — Penarium tells the tale of a simple farm boy, Willy, who is trapped in an evil circus forever.

This game looks and plays beautifully, with all the action contained within a single screen — all you have to do is follow the circus master’s instruction and survive for as long as you can. Penarium features a story mode with 30 increasingly difficult levels to play through, along with an “endless mode”, which tests your skills as you challenge yourself to see how long you can last while collecting coins, which can be spent on character upgrades to help you collect more coins in future playthroughs.

The touch controls are very simple and kept near the bottom of the screen so as to not distract from the action on screen. You’ll need to develop lightning-fast reflexes to dodge everything this game throws at you. It’s a paid app, so you never have to deal with ads or in-app purchases. It’s a really polished game that’s perfect for those who are gluttons for punishing platformers.

Download: Penarium ($1.99)

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Nokia’s Android phones are coming to India on June 13

Nokia’s long-awaited Android devices will land in India on June 13.

HMD Global has sent out invites to the Indian media for a launch event on June 13, where the manufacturer is likely to roll out the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6 in the country. HMD Global’s VP for the Indian market Ajey Mehta revealed earlier this year that the phones will be launching in the month of June, with Foxconn locally assembling the devices.

We’ll know more about pricing and availability at the launch event, but HMD Global has reiterated that the devices will be sold both offline and online, and that they will be affordable. All three phones will also offer dual-SIM and VoLTE support.

Best Tempered Glass Screen Protectors for Amazon Fire 7″ Tablet

Protect your new Amazon Fire 7 tablet with a tempered glass screen protector.

Amazon has refreshed its line of Fire tablets, delivering a lighter and thinner tablet than its predecessor with Alexa built right into the OS. It’s a compelling option at $50, and that means you should have some money left over to spend on accessories to keep your new device protected.

Here’re your best bets for tempered glass screen protectors for the 7-inch Amazon Fire tablet.

• Mr Shield 2-pack
• AILUN Case-friendly Screen Protector
• Spigen GLAS.TR Slim
• OMOTON Premium Tempered Glass

Mr Shield 2-pack

When you’re buying accessories, it never hurts to get a spare. Mr Shield offers a two-pack of screen protectors for the 7-inch Fire Tablet, giving you more bang for your buck.

Each screen protector is made of HD clear ballistic glass, which has been precisely cut with lasers with polished, rounded edges to exactly fit the dimensions of the Fire 7 screen. Not only do you get two screen protectors here, but Mr Shield backs up its products with a lifetime, no-hassle replacement warranty.

If you’re planning to buy a Fire tablet for you and your loved one, this is a great deal to keep both devices safe from damage.

See at Amazon

AILUN Case-friendly Screen Protector

If you only need one screen protector for your device and don’t want to spend more than $10 to get it, you’ll want to check out this option from AILUN.

It includes all the features you’d want from a tempered glass screen protector — it’s scratch- and shatter-resistant, features an oleophobic (oil-resistant) coating to prevent smudges and fingerprints, and is also compatible for use with a case. The package comes with guide stickers, wet and dry wipes, and dust removal stickers to ensure a clean, bubble-free installation.

AILUN offers a 12-month warranty for its Fire 7 tempered glass screen protector.

See at Amazon

Spigen GLAS.TR Slim

Spigen offers a two-pack of tempered glass screen protectors for the Amazon Fire 7 tablet. Regularly priced at over $45 (that’s nearly the cost of the tablet!), you can get the pair for under $15.

Each screen protector is made of rugged tempered glass with rounded edges to help avoid any chips, and there’s an oleophobic coating to help prevent your fingerprints from smudging up the screen.

Spigen offers really great customer support if you run into any issues during installation, and it consistently makes great accessories, so you can buy with confidence.

See at Amazon

Worth the price?

Are you upgrading to the new Amazon Fire 7 tablet? If so, will you be picking up a screen protector to keep that screen protected? Let us know in the comments!

Eve V preview: What makes the crowd-funded Surface Pro rival so special?

A crowd-funded tablet/laptop hybrid might not usually catch the eye, but clearly Microsoft feels there’s something special about the Eve V. It highlighted the relatively unknown product during its Computex keynote.

This is especially significant considering it is broadly in the same market as Microsoft’s own Surface Pro.

We caught up with the developer to learn a little more about the unusual design process and a little about its ethos. And perhaps the most unusual aspect is the small company’s determination to remain independent of any investors.

The Eve project started off as an experiment in 2015 to see if an unknown PC/tablet brand could be successful, launching and selling its products online.

Pocket-lint

It originally made an 8-inch Windows tablet, the Eve T1. And after that sold reasonably well, a WhatsApp group formed with users giving feedback directly to its developers. This grew into a forum and the development team used consumer responses to find out what their fans wanted to see in a follow-up device.

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Eve claims that the now 4,800-strong forum is a friendly and positive place for the most part, even though responding to all the issues can be time consuming. It still maintains some of the original WhatsApp groups too, growing the user-base so much the company has recently added a Community Manager to the team. This approach has led to a very interesting device.

The community wanted USB-A, USB-C and Thunderbolt capability. The Eve therefore has two USB 3.0, one Thunderbolt-capable USB-C and a 3.5mm audio jack with dedicated audio amplifier.

Straight off the bat it starts to become apparent how much attention Eve has spent on design. The ports are all geometrically aligned and to achieve this with the audio jack they had to put it in at a slant. That was expensive, but the overall effect is lovely.

Pocket-lint

The Bluetooth keyboard is another strong point. The whole thing is wrapped in soft, lightly-textured Contra Italian fabric. It looks stunning. The company also discovered that users wanted a keyboard they could use on the lap – to be used during presentations and so on.

The pogo pin handles charging (for up to 16 hours of typing using Bluetooth 4.2). It’s also an RGB backlit affair which looks great with the fabric cover. The community was very specific about the key travel they wanted: 1.2mm. There are some nice quirks too, such as the “Oops!” key and the V key being the Eve Logo (an inverted triangle).

The developer asked the community what they preferred: thin and light with a smaller battery or thicker and heavier with a bigger battery? The community pumped for the latter and so it put in a very impressive 48Wh battery – the highest of any device in this form factor. There seemed to be some vagueness about how this translates to battery life but the dvelopers did mention they had watched the entire first season of Game of thrones on one charge.

In terms of the CPU, the community – which is not made up of gamers – went for the Y series of Intel’s Core i7 and Core i5. There are a couple of options for RAM – either 8GB or 16GB plus a 128, 256 or 512GB SSD.

Cooling is handled through a copper heat sync and Intel heat pipes which dissipate the heat through the curved cushion style aluminium chassis. The developer says that this is how the Eve V running on a Core i5 outperforms an Asus Transformer 3 running Core i7.

The choice of going for 8GB or 16GB RAM actually pushes up the licence costs from Microsoft but once again the developer fed that information back to the community and they made the call.

Pocket-lint

The community were also given an option of a better pen and an ‘okay’ screen or vive versa. They plumped for the latter so the Eve comes with 12.3=inch IGZO LCD (2763 x 1824, 450 nit) screen. It’s covered in Gorilla Glass 3 and, again by request, has anti-reflection coating.

Two-and-a-half thousand devices were snapped up on Indiegogo between November and mid-December 2016 with the first 500 devices being shipped to 84 different countries. Eve’s largest market is the US, with the UK coming in third. The Finnish company has received support from Microsoft, Intel and the Finnish government. Its commitment to the project is clear, as is its determination to stay investor free.

“We want to do cool stuff and have fun doing it, stay in control and never have to compromise on user experience,” we were told by the development team.

The Indiegogo version shipped from $699 (£621) to $1,399 for the community members that initially signed up.

There’s no word on the price for the higher spec’ed versions when they are on general release but the lower end should start at around $799.

India will be the first to power its ports with green energy

As the US comes to terms with President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement, India is celebrating government efforts to promote green energy. Earlier this week, officials announced that all 12 of its major shipping ports will switch to renewable sources, making India the first country to convert all of its dockyards to run on electricity generated from solar and wind installations.

According to an Economic Times report, the government will install 200 megawatt solar and wind plants at the ports by 2019. Around 75 percent of the total output will be generated via solar panels, with the remainder falling to on and off-shore wind farms. Should it be a success, officials believe capacity could be expanded to 500 megawatts in the following years.

“These renewable energy projects will help in the reduction of carbon emission and lead to improvement of environment around the ports,” a government official said. “All our ports are cash-rich […] The ports have started the process of setting up renewable energy projects from profits.”

The project won’t come cheap, with early estimates reaching 500 crore (or $77.6 million). However, it will build upon the Indian government’s Green Port initiative launched early last year. The project is designed to reduce carbon emissions and offset the cost of purchasing power from the national grid, boosting the government’s pledge to increase the share of renewable sources in its overall energy strategy.

Source: The Economic Times

‘Rime’ goes DRM-free after hackers crack the game in days

That didn’t take long. Rime developer Tequila Works promised earlier this week that it would remove Denuvo, the anti-tampering/DRM system on the Windows version of Rime, if someone cracked it. Just five days later, and that’s already happened and the makers have already released an update that’s DRM-free. Interestingly, the developer tweeted saying its publisher was the one promising to make the game DRM-free if cracked. The developer says it didn’t implement the protection in the place. The tweet has since been deleted.

Baldman, a member of the game-cracking site Skidrow Games Reloaded, published a workaround yesterday — less than a week since Rime’s release. The makers themselves assumed it would take a few weeks before someone found a workaround to the anti-tampering code. Steam users demanded that the game should have the DRM security (the resource-hogging Denuvo) removed. Many players have noted that Rime’s DRM is slowing save game load speeds as the software checks you’re running a legit copy of the game. Development studio Grey Box’s Cody Bradley noted that Denuvo could cause “a small performance hit”.

The studio maintains that any game cracks can create quality problems with the title, but has already made good on its promise. On both Steam forums and its own official site, it told gamers that the new update, out now, will replace “the current build of Rime with one that does not contain Denuvo.”

Via: Steam forums, Greybox (Rime)