Save net neutrality and keep our mobile future awesome

Do your part to keep the internet open and weird.

I love to tell people what I think of a particular thing, be it a product or brand or service provider. I’ll freely tell someone to go with T-Mobile as a carrier, for example, because it offers the best compromise between speed, value, and coverage. Rarely, though, does it occur to me to judge a provider based on its stance towards net neutrality, a topic that has a direct impact on the American people.

Maybe I should.

Today, July 12, is the Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality, where thousands of companies are taking a stand to support the current state of the internet. We at Mobile Nations stand with larger entities like Google, Amazon, Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, and thousands of others in urging the FCC to uphold Title II regulations, which designate as telecommunication services, legally preventing them from changing the way internet traffic is sent, shaped, and received.

Net neutrality is a complicated topic — we have a small explainer if you want to learn a bit more about it — but the move to deregulate parts of the internet comes from a self-proclaimed libertarian FCC chair, Ajit Pai, whose desire is to see less government regulation around telecommunications services at all costs, regardless of whether they negatively impact consumers.

The onus shouldn’t be on us, the consumer, to police bad actors. The FCC wants that to be the case.

In an interview he gave with NPR earlier this year, he said that instead of the arrangement we have now, which pre-emptively abrogates the preferential treatment of certain types of internet traffic over others, he wants to move to regulating on a case-by-case basis.

First and foremost, we want to make sure that all content that is lawful on the Internet can be accessed by consumers — that’s a bedrock protection of the open Internet that I think everybody would agree with. … But secondly, we want to make sure that we have the ability to allow all kinds of streaming companies, others who create content on the Internet, to be able to reach their endpoints, which is the consumers.

And so we can envision some pro-competitive arrangements that allow for video in particular to be delivered in an efficient way. And one could conceive anti-competitive arrangements. And the simple point I’ve made is that we can’t predict in advance every single potential type of outcome — some might be good, some might be bad — and on a case-by-case basis let’s figure out what types of conduct are anti-competitive or otherwise would harm consumers or innovators, and take action if we see something like that arise.

Pai’s argument arises out of a firm belief that over-regulation leads to a decrease in investment and cites examples of how certain internet companies have limited wired broadband and fixed mobile expansion into rural areas over the last few years. He also believes in what he calls a “free and open internet” that is not shackled by the 1930’s-era Title II classification that oversaw Ma Bell, a true telecom monopoly.

“If you act before the fact, then you’re preemptively saying that we think the marketplace is forever going to be the same and we can take account of every particular kind of conduct,” he said. “You could be prohibiting a number of pro-competitive business arrangements.”

While Pai may be correct in an environment where meaningful competition didn’t already exist, if we look at what’s happened to the U.S. wireless market since Title II was implemented in 2015, we see a clear trend towards an internet that is more accessible, mobile, and competitive. We see companies like T-Mobile — a proponent itself of the end of net neutrality, mind you — undercutting Verizon and AT&T, pushing the former carrier duopoly to not only lower prices but to become much more transparent in how they treat their customers. An open, free internet also leads to savvier, more educated users, and the expansion of net neutrality laws brought the layperson into the conversation.

Perhaps the most vexing and frustrating thing about Pai’s insistence that pre-emptive regulation needs to be removed in favor of a lighter regulatory touch is his placement of the onus on the consumers — you, me, us — to identify violators. “Especially in the Internet age,” he said, “consumers are able to complain to the Federal Trade Commission authorities, the Justice Department, the FCC, other state agencies.”

Right now, the FCC is forced to police the internet service providers on our behalf, to enforce regulations that prevent companies like AT&T and Verizon from silently and sneakily limiting their unlimited plans, as they once did, and not following through with broadband expansion contracts because they weren’t guaranteed a big enough return.

Zero-rating may seem like a good thing, but it opens the door for a lot that’s terrible.

The rollback of net neutrality isn’t about making legal so-called consumer-friendly tactics such as zero-rating, which has become so pervasive in the U.S. that it’s not clear whether people actually associate them with the movement anymore. But that pervasiveness denotes an insidiousness to how network providers approach regulation, always trying to find a legal maneuver around the problem. When T-Mobile stopped counting streaming music and video services against a user’s monthly data cap, it did so knowing that the FCC would eventually hold it to account for its actions. It took a new administration and a libertarian, light-touch-regulation chair to drop all inquiries into whether zero-rating violated net neutrality.

While it may sound like programs like T-Mobile’s Binge On and others like it benefit consumers — who doesn’t want more data for free? — they have the potential to shut out smaller companies that lack the requisite size or influence to make a deal with a massive carrier. Recently, carriers in the UK began mimicking their U.S. counterparts. In Canada, such zero-rating programs were recently banned not just for their own sake, but to show the telecom regulator’s commitment to reinforcing the rules of net neutrality.

Should Title II classification be stripped away from the service providers to whom we give thousands of dollars every year, such legal challenges will be more difficult to win, and carriers — even AT&T, which is reportedly joining the fight to uphold net neutrality — will be free to do more in the name of profit, at the expense of the internet we love.

If you want to do just that, you have until July 17 to submit your comments to the FCC about why a truly free and open internet deserves to be something Americans take for granted.

Join the fight to uphold Net Neutrality

Feeling depressed? These apps can help, or get you help

Life is long and arduous, and some of us have to face it with a health condition in tow. But sometimes, an app can help.

Mental health is not the easiest topic of discussion considering the social stigma surrounding it, but that hasn’t stopped the breadth of mobile therapy and mood diary apps available in the Google Play Store. Treatment can be cost-prohibitive if you’re not insured or don’t have access to the proper resources, however, and while we’d never suggest that a app is adequate treatment for a condition, their mere existence has inspired the idea that you can use a smartphone to help manage your day to day.

I’ve even found my own routine with some apps. I’ve used Daylio, for example, to keep a micro-diary so that I could track my moods and day-to-day neurosis to present to my doctor. I’ve used the Muse brain sensing headband to learn to meditate, which has helped me make better use of apps like Pacifica that offer relaxation and mindfulness tools. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America has also developed a rating system for these particular apps, while Scientific American has come out warning users against phony apps:

According to the FDA, those psychiatric apps that provide coping techniques for people with diagnosed mental health conditions pose low risks to consumers. These apps will be regulated at the fda’s discretion, and many will therefore escape the agency’s safety and effectiveness assessments. Some experts, however, say that these apps can still be hazardous if they give out shoddy advice or otherwise mislead vulnerable consumers. ‘Some of [these apps] are really good, and some of them are awful,’ says Michael Van Ameringen, a psychiatry professor at McMaster University in Ontario. ‘Clinicians and consumers need help sorting through them.’

So, while we can easily conclude that not all therapy apps are right for you, there are certainly plenty available that can at least help guide you on a path towards treatment that works. If you’re suffering from depression, anxiety, or general dread for what tomorrow may bring, a talk therapy app or a micro-diary service could help at least organize those thoughts. Here are five apps we suggest you start with if you’re considering it.

Headspace

Meditation is a thing that works for many people — and 8 percent of adults practice it regularly in the United States. It’s about training your mind to focus attention, which — and I speak from experience – is much harder than merely thinking it.

Headspace is a great app for starting a practice of daily meditation. I’ve friends who use the service religiously. The service offers a basic meditation program, or you can upgrade to an annual subscription to unlock other programs and facets of the app. (There just so happens to be a 40 percent sale on annual subscriptions until July 24.)

Download Headspace (free)

BetterHelp

Need to talk to someone, but don’t even know where to start? You can hire a counselor through the BetterHelp app, which offers access to 2000 counselors, accredited psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and clinical social workers from around the country.

After you sign up, you’ll have to fill out a questionnaire so that the service can match you to an available counselor who might fit your criteria. Like other virtual talk therapy apps, BetterHealth offers a “virtual room” of sorts where you can walk in, take a seat, and wait for your session — just like you would in real life. You’re not limited to the number of sessions you can have with your assigned counselor either, as long as both of you are available at the same time. Plans start at $65 a week for counseling.

Download BetterHelp (free)

TalkLife

Remember Secret? TalkLife app is sort of like that, but not at all as malicious, or dangerous to your mental health. If anything, Talk Life is a great place to go if you want to talk about what’s going on, but you’d rather do so in a casual, candid manner. All you have to do is log on, tap out your thoughts, and share.

There are no therapists on this app, though. Anything you post can be seen by whoever is hanging around at the time, and they can like and comment on your posts at will. The most recent update even added stickers.

In my experience, most of the people lurking about are kind and generous with their positive affirmations; I didn’t see one critical comment pop up in the three days I was using the app. However, I do have to offer a trigger warning, as there is ample talk of suicide and abuse in the main feed. When you start feeling alright, you can then log on to help others as they need, too. The point of Talk Life is that you’re not alone.

Download TalkLife (free)

What’s Up?

What’s Up? is a relatively straightforward app with straightforward functionality, but I like it because getting into the habit of launching it when you start to spiral can help you get out of those unproductive patterns.

What’s Up? is a free app that offers a few cognitive behavior tools (CBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) methods to help you get through daily stressors. It offers advice on how to deal with the most common negative thinking patterns, as well as metaphors to help you snap out of your funk. There’s also a positive and negative habit tracker, which you can password protect if you feel the need, as well as a catastrophe scale, which helps you determine the true weightiness of the situation at hand. There are even forums if you need a reality check from someone anonymous.

Download What’s Up? (free)

Talkspace

Perhaps you’ve seen the commercials on television? Like BetterHelp, TalkSpace offers on-demand therapy and counseling from licensed professionals. The service gives you access to your therapist as you need, including the ability to message for help the minute you’re feeling overwhelmed. The service starts at $32 a week.

Download Talkspace (free)

Your choices

Got any suggestions for apps to help with improving mental health? We’re all ears!

Save 50% on IPVanish VPN while you help save net neutrality

Learn about net neutrality. Do your part. Save on a great VPN.

Today is the Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality (if you don’t know what’s going on, read this editorial by Daniel Bader). In order to spread awareness about net neutrality, IPVanish is offering 50% off its VPN plans for today only.

VPNs are, of course, about protecting your data, thus they’re about protecting your privacy. That isn’t just limited to your personal information. You internet provider can view what sort of traffic you produce, and without net neutrality, your speeds could be throttled based on your online activity. Entire sites could be blocked to you simply because of your provider’s business interests.

You shouldn’t be told what you can and cannot see online, and IPVanish wants to help in more ways than one. First, you can join the ranks and tell the FCC just what you think about its plans. You can also email your representatives, letting them know what you think about net neutrality. And, if you’re concerned about your data and your privacy going forward, you can save 50% on IPVanish VPN plans. The offer ends at 12:01 a.m. July 13, so do your part to help save net neutrality and protect your data, your privacy, and your online freedom going forward.

See at IPVanish

Here are June’s winners of the Honor/Huawei incentive program!

These are the lucky winners of some cool Huawei/Honor swag.

There’s nothing like being a cool person on the internet and winning great gadgets while doing so. But with our Huawei/Honor Community Incentive Program, you can do just that! The basis is pretty simple: be an active, engaged and friendly member of the Huawei or Honor communities in our forums to win great stuff.

Here are the winners from June:

• dpham00 — Congrats, you’ve won a Huawei MediaPad M3!
• Dconn1975 — Congrats, you’ve won an Honor Band Z!
• krazyatom — Congrats, you’ve won an Honor Band Z!

We’ve already halfway into July, but there’s still plenty of time to get to the top of the charts and win some amazing stuff! All you need to do is be active our Huawei/Honor communities!

Learn more about the Huawei/Honor Incentive Program!

10 Desk Accessories To Keep Your Office Cool During The Sizzling Summer

Are you tired of roasting in your office every summer? Here are some great gadgets that’ll keep you cool and refreshed through the sweltering heat!

Keeping cool can be tough, but keeping cool at the office can be nearly impossible.

You’re always running around to meetings and appointments; you have to dress in more restricted, stuffy clothes; you’re in tight, humid spaces with other coworkers; and that damn air conditioning just shuts off whenever the hell it pleases #imnotbitter.

If you’re looking to cool down at your desk, here are a number of accessories that you can use to do just that!

1. Clip on this tiny fan on your desk and stay cool all day!

Seriously, you can even buy, like, 8 and clip them on your computer and all around your desk for maximum fannage.

2. Keep your drinks cold with this funky insulated water bottle!

It comes in 6 different fun colors, too.

3. Get icy with this Ice Body paper from Japan

Part all-over-body deodorant, part cool summer breeze in a package!

4. Look stylish and keep cool with this cooling bandana!

Yeah, that totally goes with your suit!

5. Warm wrists? We got ya covered!

This aluminum mouse pad is sure to cool down your overheated wrists.

6. Spritz, spritz, then spritz again

Seriously, this Mario Badescu facial spray will have you feeling refreshed and cooled down in an instant!

7. Cool down your laptop ASAP!

This aluminum cooling stand should do the trick…

8. Get some relief from the summer heat with a cooling mat!

You can put the mat on the ground by your feet to cool them off or on your char to chill out your bum!

9. Be not-sweaty with a S’well!

Seriously, these things can keep your ice cold and unmelted for up to 24 hours!

10. Mini USB fan + cooling humidifier feature = everything you’ve ever needed

Seriously, how can you be hot in the office with this little guy at your disposal?!

Hyperloop One claims its first successful test run

The potential of Hyperloop is an easy sell, but until now we haven’t seen Hyperloop One’s proposed mag-lev transit system in action. The company has announced that on May 12th it completed its first full-scale test. The sled hit 70 MPH, in a vacuum, at the company’s Nevada testing facility, according to The Verge. No, it’s nowhere near the ultimate 750 MPH goal, but like the SpaceX project and its myriad test launches, this represents an important milestone along the path toward rapid travel. Next up? Getting the newly designed aluminum-and-carbon-fiber pods to 250 MPH. Baby steps.

Source: The Verge

US government removes Kaspersky from approved vendors list

Kaspersky Lab’s ongoing fears that it would lose US government contracts due to its alleged links with the Russian government have been realised. The Trump administration has removed the Moscow-based cyber security company from two lists of approved vendors covering IT services and digital photographic equipment.

According to a spokeswoman for the US General Services Administration, the decision was made “after review and careful consideration”. However, the move represents the most concrete action taken against Kaspersky since US government officials became suspicious of its involvement with Russian authorities.

Kaspersky Lab has repeatedly stated that it “has never helped, nor will help, any government in the world with its cyberespionage efforts,” with founder Eugene Kaspersky claiming he is willing to provide source code to demonstrate his company’s innocence. The American government, however, has proven unreceptive to Kaspersky’s assertions, with reports suggesting the Trump administration is considering implementing a broader ban that would block all agencies from using Kaspersky software.

In a statement, Kaspersky Lab said it had not yet received updates from any US government agency abut its vendor status, but added that it believed it has been “caught in the middle of a geopolitical fight where each side is attempting to use the company as a pawn in their political game.”

Via: Reuters

See how Tesla’s Model 3 has changed since its debut

EV fans and some 400,000 buyers are excited about Tesla Model 3 production and upcoming first deliveries, largely because it’s one of the first affordable, long-range electric cars. There’s also the Tesla mystique — with the comely Model S and X EVs, Musk & Co. showed they have serious design chops. However, some folks were underwhelmed with the Model 3 design, particularly the stubby front end.

The design has clearly evolved since then, but how? Some enthusiastic designers at PartCatalog.com have created a GIF (above) that shows the difference between the first model unveiled in May, 2016 and the final production model that Elon Musk flaunted a few days ago. (Bear in mind that differences in camera angles, color and other reasons may exaggerate or minimize the differences.)

The front end in particular has been tweaked, something that’s a bit easier to see on this Reddit post from April showing a spy photo of a nearly identical vehicle. The Model 3 is now a bit longer and lower, has redesigned headlights, and features a more deeply sculpted bumper cover. The front wheel has been pushed forward a bit, and the back end is a bit bigger and higher.

That changes the aesthetic (for the better, in my opinion) and may give folks a bit more trunk space, both in the rear and forward “frunk.” Tesla may have also made the changes for safety, performance, production or other reasons (we’ve reached out to Tesla and Musk for more info).

Overall, the tweaks aren’t a huge deal, but it’s interesting to see how Tesla thought about this. After having production problems with the Model X in particular, Elon Musk vowed to keep things simple with the Model 3. As such, the design changes might have been prompted more by production and quality-control concerns than aesthetics. The company is estimating mid-2018 deliveries for new pre-orders, so it has to build around 400,000 Model 3s in just 15 months.

Via: TechCrunch

‘Arms’ update adds a fresh fighter, mode and a new stage

While we’re big fans of Nintendo’s springy-armed fighter at Engadget, the one criticism we had of the Switch exclusive brawler was that it was a bit lacking in content. Now, with today’s game’s first major free DLC – it looks like Nintendo is trying to change that. Arms 2.0 is now live, bringing with it a slew of free content including a brand new character, an additional mode, extra arms and even another stage to brawl in. Players may recognize the latest addition to the roster, as the new fighter is one of the hard-hitting bosses from the game’s Grand Prix mode — Max Brass. In addition to being able to fight as him, players will also be able to battle it out on Brass’ stage too, Skyloft Arena.

Not wanting to leave out Arms’ other main boss — Hedlok — Nintendo has opted to put the metallic head front and center, giving him the starring role in new versus mode, Hedlok Scramble. Here, players duke it out for a chance to grab a moving capsule containing a Hedlok mask, temporarily transforming them into the big bad boss himself.

Aside from these major new additions, the update also introduces three new arms for you to experiment with: the Nade, Roaster and Kablammer. Competitive players will also be relieved to hear that the controversial Snake Park stage (an arena which sees fighters brawling on giant spinning tops) has now been completely removed from Ranked mode.

In another nice touch, your stats are now tracked on the home screen, revealing how accurate you are with certain arms and even allowing you to see who your favorite fighters are. The 2.0 update also comes with a cool new title screen for you to drool over, too, as well as giving you the option to sign up for official online Arms events.

Like with Splatoon before it, Nintendo promises that this update is just the first part of Arms’ free content rollout. With the game living and dying on its multiplayer component, let’s hope that future DLC drops will be just as meaty.

Source: Neogaf

Walking ‘Silent Streets’ makes for a sinister, but short adventure

My friends, who knew of my uncharacteristic love for Pokémon Go, suggested that I try Silent Streets. It’s a brand new mobile game that combines the same mechanics of augmented reality and walking that I seem to enjoy so much. There’s no magical critter catching going in Silent Streets: a Victorian gothic detective story that sees you roaming your local area to solve a murder — one that had me walking around trying to find The Boy With The Flower Skin.

Once downloaded, there’s no signup or login screen, you just tell the game your name and you’re then instantly thrust into the action. Your otherwise nameless character receives a plea for help from Thomas Horgan, a disgraced former great detective currently in exile. After a period of stalling, you answer his call and set off to the grim, far-flung town of Snowport, only to discover him brutally murdered.

As you’re under suspicion for Horgan’s murder, you must prove your innocence by solving his last case. That means battling the rogues gallery of Snowport’s locals, plus the machinations of both the Royal Society and a dangerous cult that lurks in the shadows. It’s the sort of delicious gothic horror that I have something of a soft spot for, and one that ensured I kept playing.

As for the game’s mechanics, Snowport itself is a map with key locations — your lodgings, the police station, tavern etc — all highlighted. Getting between them requires the burning of actual shoe leather, as your steps, as monitored by the phone, are counted. You need to walk between 300 and 500 steps to reach most of the locations, where you then interview suspects or search for clues.

The interviews are of the traditional, branching style you find in many RPGs: say the right thing at the right time and you’ll be rewarded. Say the wrong thing, and the suspects and witnesses soon turn hostile and ask you to leave. At specific points, you’ll be able to switch into AR mode to hunt for clues around your local location. Then it’s off to the next building, a few hundred steps away.

Most of the game can be played at a leisurely pace, but there are certain moments where you’re given a deadline. These challenges are either related to important side-quests that help you complete the entire chapter, while others are used to build tension towards the climax. The deadlines aren’t particularly taxing: five minutes to walk 100 steps, or 20 to walk 500, but they mean you can’t put the game down even, for instance, if your lunch break has ended.

If you wanted to play the game without the walking, either due to indolence or bad weather, you can skip it by calling for a cab. You’re given one for free at the start of the game, with additional rides setting you back £1.99 ($2.56) for 12 or £2.99 ($3.80) for 30. Subsequent chapters, of which there are four, will set you back a further £2.65 ($3.40) a time. As the first part of the game is free, the overall price you’ll pay is around £8 / $10.

Silent Streets has plenty of things going for it, including a well-written and intriguing story, beautiful hand-drawn artwork and good voice acting. But its game mechanics feel less like a way to make the story more immersive and more a way of stretching out what little content there is. Without the walking mechanic — which I do enjoy, especially as motivation to get me out of the house — the chapter would last half an hour, tops.

There are a couple of other glitches that the studio will need to work out, including app crashes if you pick the “wrong” option at a key moment in the game. But that’s a small issue — and it did help me avoid ruining the ending by picking the wrong culprit.

Funbakers

Similarly, the AR features are barely used, and when they are, it’s simple enough to just scroll around until you’ve spotted all the incongruous objects. One issue with AR games in their current form is that it’s impossible to miss the crudely-rendered item floating in mid-air. Like point-and-click detective games before it, where if you were stuck, you could simply scan your mouse pointer left to right to find when the cursor changed icon.

The biggest joy of Silent Streets is the reward on the investment that you put into it, and I was hooked while I played it. Towards the climax, the aforementioned timed challenges were ever present, with a race against the clock to prevent a tragedy. I’ll confess, knowing that I was saving someone, I actually broke out into a run to reach the conclusion faster. Which was a mistake, because my phone registered fewer steps as a result, slowing me down.

The satisfaction of completing the chapter, finishing the five side quests and getting all that delicious exercise was enormous. If there’s a drawback, it’s the niggling factor that having to buy each chapter individually, as well as walking powerups, feels a little like being nickel-and-dimed. But it’s the unfortunate reality of the economics of the app store that if the game was priced at its actual worth, it would be seen as a rip off.

Overall, however, I really enjoyed my sojourn through the darker corners of Victorian Britain and will probably go back there soon. Silent Streets really did capture the dark, Holmesian vibe that made those stories so engaging. If the following chapters are as engaging as the first, I’m sure the game will do well, and I’ll continue to get more of that much-needed fresh air and exercise.

Source: Silent Streets