Nokia 6 registrations are now open on Amazon India

Only registered users will be able to buy the Nokia 6 during its first flash sale on July 23.

The Nokia 6 will be launching in India next week, with the phone exclusively sold on Amazon India. The retailer has kicked off registrations for the first sale on July 23, and if you’re interested in what Nokia has to offer, you should register your interest right away.

To recount, the Nokia 6 sits at the top of Nokia’s current portfolio, featuring a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 430 SoC, 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage, microSD slot, 16MP camera, 8MP front shooter, 4G with VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, and a 3000mAh battery. The phone runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box, with a user interface that’s close to stock Android.

Amazon is incentivizing the launch of the nokia 6 with a ₹1,000 cashback if you make the purchase using Amazon Pay. You can also get up to 80% off on Kindle ebooks (up to ₹300), a ₹2,500 voucher from MakeMyTrip, and be eligible to receive up to 45GB of 4G data for five months by paying ₹249 a month on Vodafone.

There’s a lot of interest in Nokia’s devices, with imported units of the Nokia 6 selling for as much as ₹21,999. It’ll be interesting to see how the brand fares in this segment, where it’ll go up against the likes of the Redmi Note 4 and the Moto G5 Plus. Both phones offer better hardware, but Nokia’s brand name still has a lot of pull in the Indian market.

Will you be picking up a Nokia 6 once it goes up for sale next week?

Register at Amazon

Xiaomi Redmi 5 leak reveals Snapdragon 630, 4GB RAM, and 16MP camera

It looks like the Redmi 5 will be quite the upgrade.

A series of photos leaked on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo purport to show off Xiaomi’s upcoming phone in the Redmi series. Dubbed the Redmi 5, the phone is expected to be offered in two versions: a model powered by the 2.0GHz Snapdragon 625 and a variant running the 2.2GHz Snapdragon 630.

The Snapdragon 625 variant is said to offer 3GB of RAM along with storage configurations of 16GB and 32GB, while the Snapdragon 630 version will be available in three configurations: a base variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage, a model with 4GB of RAM and 32GB storage, and finally a version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage.

Other specs include a 5.0-inch Full HD display, microSD slot, 16MP camera, 5MP front camera, Category 12 LTE modem, and a 3680mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0. On the software side of things, the phone is said to offer MIUI 9 based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box.

The leak also details the pricing, with the base variant powered by the Snapdragon 625 set to retail for as low as $125 (¥859). The model with 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, and the Snapdragon 630 is set to retail for the equivalent of $190 (¥1,299).

No word on availability, but with Xiaomi set to unveil MIUI 9 next month in China, we could see the Redmi 5 make its debut at that event. The Redmi series forms the entry-level tier for Xiaomi, and with the upcoming model moving to the Snapdragon 625, it’s likely the Redmi Note 5 will be powered by the Snapdragon 660 platform.

Who’s looking forward to the Redmi 5?

Amazon Alexa: Everything you need to know

Getting to know your Alexa.

Amazon’s Echo brings you an assistant in the form Alexa. She can help you with traffic, play you music, read books, and even help you get the shopping done. With so many features, it can get overwhelming, which is why we’ve collected everything you need to know in place. Welcome to your Amazon Alexa ultimate guide.

How to enable and disable Alexa skills

Alexa is the beating heart of the Amazon Echo and the platform upon which all of its abilities are based. Think of it like an operating system with apps that developers can build for it.

In this case, the apps are known as skills, and they’re what makes your Echo do all kinds of things like turn on your lights, control your Wi-Fi and tell you what’s happening in the world today. You can turn skills on and off as you want access to them, and there are plenty to choose from!

How to enable and disable Alexa skills

How to use Alexa for sports updates

If you’re a sports fan, then it can be difficult at times to keep track of your favorite teams. With Alexa, you can program in your favorite teams and get updates by simply asking her for sports updates. You can add multiple teams, too, so you’ll never miss a score again.

How to use Alexa for sports updates

How to add a user to an Alexa household

Household profiles are an option that you can use on Alexa to share certain Amazon content and purchases with another user. This means that you and your sweetie can share your audiobooks, music, shopping lists, and plenty more.

How to add a user to Alexa

How to use Alexa for traffic updates

Traffic is the bane of existence for anyone who’s ever been late to a meeting because of gridlock. While you can use your phone, the radio, or the internet to check on traffic before heading out of the house, you can also ask Alexa. She’ll let you know what your commute looks like; all you need to do is let her know where you’re going.

How to use Alexa for traffic updates

How to add new smart home hardware to your Alexa groups

Alexa works hard to make itself a hub for all of your questions and technology. This, of course, includes smart home hardware, like Hue bulbs. Before you can go about making your house listen to your spoken commands, though, you’ll need to add that new hardware to Alexa.

How to add new hardware to Alexa

How to sync your calendar with Alexa

Our lives have gotten progressively busier. Whether you’re bouncing between doctors appointments, play dates, meetings, or family occasions, keeping track of everything you have going on is easier said than done. Thankfully, Alexa is here to help you out by keeping track of your calendar for you. All you need to do is sync your account, and you’ll be good to go!

How to sync your calendar

How to listen to audiobooks using Alexa

Talking to Alexa can make keeping organized easier, but it’s definitely useful for more than just an interactive to-do list and search engine. You can also use Alexa to listen to your audiobooks when you’re ready to relax.

How to listen to audiobooks

How to connect your favorite music to Alexa

Most of us spend some time every day listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks. For some folks, it’s how they workout at home, while others like to lounge on the couch and listen to a good story after a hard day at work. You can connect Spotify, Pandora, and more when you’re ready to relax with some sweet tunes!

How to connect your favorite music to Alexa

How to shop on Amazon with Alexa

Everything Amazon ever does has some form of hook into buying things from its onine store. On its tablets, that extends to adverts on your lock screen, but on the Amazon Echo, it’s pretty much the opposite.

You can use it to buy things from Amazon, but only if you want to. There are no ads, no upsell. But instead of reaching for your phone or going on the computer, just ask Alexa to order things for you.

How to shop on Amazon with Alexa

How to customize your Alexa flash briefing

Alexa, what’s in the news? That’s a question you can ask your Amazon Echo every single day and receive a custom report based on what you want to hear about. Cut out the fluff, keep the good stuff.

Thanks to the Alexa skills catalog, there are a number of different news sources you can call upon to tailor your flash briefing to your particular tastes. It’s really easy to set up, too.

How to customize your Alexa flash briefing

How to use Alexa’s to-do list

The beauty of using something like Alexa to manage your to-do list at all is the voice interaction. You suddenly think of something that you need to take care of later, but where’s your phone, or even a pad and pen?

Alexa can take down that note for you, and all you need to do is ask.

How to use Alexa’s to-do list

How to improve Alexa’s voice recognition

Out of the box, the impressive microphone array in most Amazon Echo and Echo-like products ensure your voice is clearly heard from across the room. Being heard isn’t the same thing as being understood, and whether it’s due to an accent Alexa doesn’t quite process or some interference in the room, if Alexa doesn’t get what you’re saying, there’s a relatively simple fix. Contained within your Alexa app is a tool to improve its ability to understand you, and as long as you have a couple minutes to spare and a quiet room that tool can make a significant difference in making the Echo, and Alexa, your best assistant friend.

How to improve Alexa’s voice recognition

How to send a voice message using Alexa

You can now send messages through Alexa using just your voice, but there are some caveats.

Messaging with Alexa is one of those features you either don’t know how you managed without or you’re completely uninterested in. For those falling into the former category, there are a few quick tricks for getting the most out of this new Alexa-based messaging system.

How to send a voice message using Alexa

How to track what’s being said to Alexa

Alexa learns about you as you interact with her, and part of the reason she’s able to do this is that she records all of your conversations. The history is where all of these conversations are stored and where you can delete conversations you don’t want Alexa to learn from.

Get Alexa’s voice history

How to stop Alexa from buying things

Alexa can make your life easier in dozens of different ways, including ordering items off of Amazon for you. However, just because you’re asking about something doesn’t mean you actually want to purchase it. Since voice ordering is turned on by default when you set up your Amazon Echo, you may want to know how to add security when making purchases, or turn off voice purchasing entirely.

Read the original article

How to get the most from Alexa in Canada

Amazon hasn’t officially brought its Echo speakers to Canada yet, but that hasn’t start eager early adopters from getting their hands on them. The good news is you can set it up to work in Canada, although it takes a bit of work to do so, including manually downloading the Alexa app and tweaking some settings in your Amazon account.

But once you’ve got things set up, you’ll be able to enjoy the full benefits of having Alexa at your beck and call.

How to get the most from Alexa in Canada

How to get Alexa in your home without buying an Echo

One of the coolest parts of Amazon’s Alexa service, especially when comparing the tech to other platforms, is the commitment to many different hardware partners. Any company can make something that works with Alexa, giving that new accessory complete control over all of the things an Amazon Echo has access to. That may mean a more capable speaker, or something a great deal more portable. There’s a lot of flexibility here, and that means there are many different options to choose from.

How to get Alexa in your home without buying an Echo

Amazon Echo

• Amazon Echo review
• Echo Dot review
• Top Echo Tips & Tricks
• Tap, Echo or Dot: The ultimate Alexa question
• Amazon Echo vs. Google Home
• Get the latest Alexa news

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Latest Google Pixel XL 2 leak hints at AOD, new display profiles, and much more

New Pixel XL 2 leak details software-based features.

We got a first look at the Google Pixel XL 2 earlier this week, and a post out of XDA Developers sheds more information on a few features. The Pixel XL 2 is expected to sport a 5.99-inch OLED display with slim bezels, with the panel sourced from LG.

According to XDA, the Pixel XL 2 will offer an Always On Display mode, giving you the ability to preview incoming notifications even when the screen is off. The phone will feature a squeezable frame à la HTC U11, with the publication noting that you’ll be able to squeeze the sides of the phone even when the display is off to launch Google Assistant. You can also silence incoming calls by pressing down on the sides of the frame.

The phone will also include new display profiles — sRGB mode will be moved from the Developer Options to the standard display settings, and Google is set to introduce a “Vivid Colors” option. Finally, XDA notes that the color palette of the interface will color palette will revert to the darker theme found in earlier Android O previews.

The phone itself will be manufactured by LG, with the initial render featuring a lot of design influences from the LG G6. There’s no further details regarding when we’ll see the device, but we’ll let you know once we hear more.

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

• Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
• Google Pixel XL review: A U.S. perspective
• Google Pixel FAQ: Should you upgrade?
• Pixel + Pixel XL specs
• Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
• Join the discussion in the forums!

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The Morning After: Friday, July 14th 2017

Hey, good morning!

Welcome to Friday morning! Netflix has claimed a load of Emmy nominations, Radiohead hid an ancient computer program in its album reissue and high-fashion’s answer to Amazon has arrived.

Trophies incoming.
Netflix snags 91 Emmy nominations

The nominations for the 2017 Emmy Awards have been announced, and streaming services are all over the lists. In total, Netflix has 91 nominations, while Hulu has 18 and Amazon snagged 16. Of Netflix’s nominations, 18 are in the key categories that will be broadcast September 17th, where newer shows like Master of None and Stranger Things join standbys like Orange is the New Black and House of Cards.

No phone, no computer.
Oculus has a $200 wireless VR headset in the works for 2018

We didn’t know how long it would take Oculus to deliver a truly cord-free VR experience. Turns out, it might not be too long: Oculus is apparently developing a $200 wireless VR headset for release next year. The device, codenamed Pacific, won’t just be an empty shell for your smartphone, like the Gear VR and DayDream View, it’ll pack in all the hardware it needs for VR experiences.

From hardware-centric to software-centric.
AT&T’s next-gen TV platform rollout will start on DirecTV Now

To unify its various video platforms, AT&T is launching a new next-gen platform across internet, satellite and IPTV. The first service to get the new look and feel will be DirecTV Now when a beta test kicks off later this year. That will also bring cloud DVR to the streaming service, while other features like 4K video and user profiles are also in the works.

Okay, computer.
Radiohead album hides an app that only runs on an ’80s computer

In the age of the hipster, dust-covered and irrelevant mediums like the vinyl and cassette tape have slowly been given a new lease of life. Now, thanks to Radiohead, it looks like popular British computer the ZX Spectrum might be the next ’80s relic to come back into fashion. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the band’s genre-bending opus, OK Computer, Radiohead has released a £100 (roughly $130) commemorative special edition of the album, entitled OKNOTOK.

The world of high fashion finally has its answer to Amazon.
The company behind Louis Vuitton wants to make 24 Sèvres the online home of luxury shopping

LVMH which owns brands like Dior, Fendi, Givenchy and Prada, in addition to LV, is the epitome of luxury. And now, with 24 Sèvres, the company has what it hopes can become the main online destination for high-fashion shoppers. CEO Eric Goguey says the site is designed as the web version of Le Bon Marché, an iconic retail space often described as the most selective department store in Paris.

Nintendo Japan has ended production.
It’s the end of days for the New 3DS in Japan

Late last month, we reported that while the Nintendo 3DS wasn’t dead, it didn’t really make sense to buy one anymore. After all, the Switch serves the purpose of both console and handheld gaming. Now, it appears as if Nintendo might agree with us: Their Japanese site indicates that production has ended on the Nintendo New 3DS.

But wait, there’s more…

• FanDuel and DraftKing’s merger is just a fantasy after all
• Google Play Music’s New Release Radio is available for all users
• iFixit takes a peek at the Galaxy Note Fan Edition’s new, smaller battery
• Nine Inch Nails’ latest video taps into gaming legend
• Audi knows millennials will have to deal with self-driving boredom
• NASA doesn’t have the money to land humans on Mars

Kano’s Pixel Kit is a charming introduction to coding

We all know the importance of code. It’s the backbone of computing, the internet and so much else we come into contact with on a daily basis. But learning to code is still a tricky and poorly defined pursuit. I’ve booted up Codecademy a few times, only to try a couple of courses and realise I have no idea what I’m doing. For people like me — of which I suspect there are many — what’s the next step? How do you go about grappling with this seemingly foreign and impenetrable language? Maybe, just maybe, the answer is a colorful Kano Pixel Kit.

Crack open the box and you’ll find an assortment of colorful, approachable parts inside. The centerpiece is a custom board developed by Kano which houses a processor, a removable battery and microSD card, with three USB ports and one micro-USB slot for power/recharging. On one side is a grid of tiny lights that shine through a click-together transparent case. A Lego-esque booklet takes you through the construction process, which is fairly straightforward due to the limited number of parts. Attach a tiny joystick, a couple of buttons, a mode dial and voila! You’re ready to code simple applications that come to life through the light board’s LEDs.

A history lesson

The Pixel is something of a successor to the build-it-yourself computer kit Kano funded through Kickstarter in 2014. That first product was built around the Raspberry Pi, offering a child-friendly introduction to the fundamentals of programming. Each box came with a board, a case, a wireless keyboard for typing commands, a speaker for sound, an SD card for storing projects and all of the cables you might need for power and connectivity.

Once assembled, the user could boot up Kano OS, a version of Debian Linux that included a bright, cheery interface and educational apps. These taught you to make and “remix” classic video games such as Snake and Pong. With the former, you would learn how to change the size of the board and the number of lives at your disposal. In the latter, you would tweak the color of the paddles and the speed of the ball following a collision. The computer also shipped with a lightweight version of Minecraft that, long before Microsoft showed an interest in the game as an educational tool, came with some basic but nevertheless engrossing challenges centered around code.

Learning to manipulate light

The Pixel kit is a slightly different concept. It’s a physical device that you build, like the Kano, but then manipulate using a separate computer. All of your code is “written” and managed in the free Kano app for Macs and PCs. The software is a huge improvement over Kano OS, with cleaner, simpler iconography and menus. It’s also faster, in no small part due to the hardware it’s running on (in my case, a relatively new MacBook Pro.) The Kano-developed challenges still revolve around a series of puzzle-like pieces, which you pull from a list and slot together in different ways. Every shape represents a function and the app does a decent job of explaining their role within each project.

You’re never writing actual code, however. For some, who dream of getting lost in a Matrix-like stream of letters and numbers, this will be a disappointment. But there are good reasons behind the approach. Visual representations are more approachable for beginners and help to illustrate the larger, more fundamental principles that underpin modern programming. All “event” pieces, for instance, are light blue and usually signal the start of a chain reaction. So if you want something to happen as soon as the app launches, or when you press down on the joypad, you need to start with one of these pieces. It’s a bold, intuitive piece of signposting that slips into your subconscious with greater ease than garbled words, slashes and dashes.

The challenges slowly increase in difficulty, introducing new ideas only when the previous one has been firmly established and repeated. A text box in the upper left-hand corner explains the logic behind each step, while a yellow dot points to the puzzle piece you need to grab next. If you’re impatient, it’s possible to ignore the explanations completely and just grab the blocks you need to proceed. At this point, though, Kano’s teachings devolve into a game of paint-by-numbers, with little educational value but nonetheless impressive results.

Taking the time to read and digest each step is advantageous. Only by understanding a block’s function, and its relationship with everything else it’s connected to, can you later manipulate it for yourself. Even if you don’t, there’s an immense satisfaction that comes from building something and truly understanding its inner workings. It’s like an old grandfather clock — simple and mundane at first glance, perhaps, but magical if you’ve been inside and figured out how all of the cogs fit together.

All of your handiwork, of course, takes physical form through the light board. One challenge teaches you how to create a stop motion animation, which might sound simple but is actually highly expressive given you can draw almost anything on each of the frames. There’s a real sense of ownership that makes you want to hold the light board up and show it to a friend, just like you did as a child with crayon drawings. Another challenge ends with a music visualiser that ebbs and flows as you clap, talk or play music nearby. The utility is basic, but takes on new meaning when you’ve crafted it from scratch and set your favorite Spotify playlist humming in the background.

There’s a real sense of ownership that makes you want to hold the light board up and show it to a friend.

Kano’s team has managed to strike a tricky balance between complexity and accomplishment. Most of the projects can be completed within half an hour and contain less than a dozen steps. Higher-level projects will leave you with a rainbow-colored grid that sparkles when you clap or snap your fingers; or a tiny video game character that dashes across the screen as you push the Pixel Kit’s joystick left and right. It’s an addictive breadcrumb trail fueled by a basic leveling system that grants you experience points after each activity, encouraging you to save a project and immediately start the next.

Teaching by example

I question Kano’s spoon-fed approach to teaching. It minimizes friction and stops people from giving up, but I wonder if the software would benefit from an extra degree of difficulty. Services like Codecademy often follow their online courses with a test: A digital roadblock that forces you to prove you’ve understood the class. Kano doesn’t do that. It assumes you’ll pay attention and pick up the most important programming concepts along the way. The thought, I assume, is that regardless of the ability, users are still working with technology in an interesting way, and that in itself should be considered a victory.

After each activity, I would dive into my block-filled workspace and experiment by changing some of the pieces and their values. I was effectively self-testing and would set myself small goals to gut-check my understanding. At one point, for instance, the app showed me how to make a visualiser that moved from left to right. I wanted one that flowed vertically, however, so I switched out a few blocks and changed a couple of values until it was behaving to my tastes. I wonder how many people will do the same, and whether that sort of experience could’ve been formalised in the software.

Getting creative

Once you’ve completed Kano’s challenges, you’re cut loose to build anything you like. All of the application’s tools are available to you, including some rarely touched upon in the set activities. These include external “data” sources, such as weather forecasters, news publishers and even the International Space Station. You can use these however you like, though the obvious application is a breaking news ticker.

Still, the possibilities in this mode are seemingly endless. If you’ve embraced Kano’s courses, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to dive in and make something, no matter how rudimentary, that works. If you struggled with any of the prior instructions, though, or generally prefer a more guided experience, you might struggle. I think some suggestions or general ideas like ‘Make something that will spruce up a party!’ would have been a good way to encourage creativity.

Alternatively, you can head to the “All Creations” tab and see what other people have made with their Pixel Kits. Kano gives you two different options: Send to Kit and Remix. The former is perfect for struggling coders like me because it puts the project straight on your light board. There’s no need to replicate the creator’s work or even try to understand how it was put together. You can simply transfer the project to one of three save slots and see what it looks like immediately. Put simply, you get all of the utility and none of the hassle.

If you want to learn from other people, however, or try to improve their work, you’ll want to hit that “Remix” button. Doing so will give you full access to their code, which you can then examine, change and save as a custom creation. It’s a valuable feature that should help to extend the Pixel Kit’s appeal long after purchase. The community should provide that longevity by pushing Kano’s hardware and software in ways the company didn’t imagine. Regardless of your skill level, you can then learn from these and improve your own work.

Future promise

Like the original Kano computer, the Pixel Kit was funded on Kickstarter. It was pitched in September last year alongside two additional kits, a camera and a speaker, which offer similar build-and-code experiences. The idea is that all three will work together, using complementary sensors that connect over USB. The Pixel Kit has a tilt sensor, while the Camera Kit comes with a tripwire sensor and the Speaker Kit, a gesture detector. Buy all three and you’ll have a colorful collection of add-ons that can be used for downright weird and wonderful projects.

The Pixel Kit was supposed to come out in December, followed by the Camera Kit in May and the Speaker Kit in July. Kano co-founder Alex Klein says the remaining two are still coming, but wouldn’t commit to a release date for either. As such, it’s hard to recommend the Pixel Kit on the promise of a larger ecosystem. Thankfully, it’s still plenty interesting on its own, and I have faith the Kano community will grow and push the limits of the Pixel Kit until its siblings are released.

The bottom line

Kano’s Pixel Kit won’t teach you how to code — not in the traditional sense, at least. It will, however, do a stellar job of communicating some of the programming theory that underpins your favorite devices, apps and services. It’s a taste, or a glimpse, of what you’ll be learning if you decide to dive deeper. The Kit, then, isn’t a replacement for premium education platforms like Codecademy, but a bright, modern take on the classic construction kit; one that provides an authentic experience, from the physical assembly to your first line of code. It will delight and entertain, nurturing creativity in a way that outclasses most educational apps and physical computing sets.

The Kit courses are educational, but you won’t be a fully trained developer at the end of them.

For some, the Pixel Kit will be a catalyst for further research and learning. If you’re not one of these people, however, that’s perfectly okay, because the projects are still fun to complete. As such, the light board is a worthwhile purchase at $80/£75, even if you have no aspirations to become a professional programmer. If you want to found the next DeepMind, though, just temper your expectations a little. The Kit courses are educational, but you won’t be a fully trained developer at the end of them.

Samsung made a giant 34-foot LED TV for movie theaters

So you just spent $120,000 on a 120-inch 4K HDR screen and think you’ve got the biggest, baddest TV around? Nope! Samsung has unveiled the Cinema LED Screen that’s an epic 10.3 meters (33.8 feet, or 406 inches). It runs at full 4K (4,096 x 2,160) resolution, features an (unnamed) HDR and peaks out at 146 fL of brighntess, “ten times greater than that offered by standard projector technologies,” Samsung said in a news release.

The set offers a “distortion-free” presentation with deep blacks, accurate whites and bright colors “at a nearly infinite contrast ratio,” Samsung says. While it didn’t say so, the extra brightness might improve 3D films, which normally look dim with projection systems due to the polarized glasses.

To complement the image quality, Samsung worked with JBL by Harman on the sound tech. That system features speakers around the screen, proprietary audio processing tech, and “Sculpted Surround Sound” from JBL to provide dramatic and faithful audio.

Samsung Electronics unveiled the model at the Lotte Cinema in Korea, saying it’s the “first ever commercial Cinema LED Screen” it has installed. The average cinema screen size is around 50 feet, but the 33.8-foot Cinema Screen would be a good fit in smallish multiplex rooms.

Samsung says it adapts to a wider range of dark and ambient lighting situations, making it work well for corporate events, sports viewing and gaming competitions. For films, it would certainly offer a very different experience than a projector, but might feel too much like you’re watching TV in public for some cinephiles.

Samsung is obviously one of the few companies out there, perhaps along with LG, that could even create such a giant LED screen. The model was certified by the Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI), meaning it can showcase films in theaters with unaltered color spectrum accuracy. As for the price, unless you’ve got an 80-foot yacht parked in the harbor, it’s probably best not to ask.

Source: Samsung

Australia Proposes Law That Would Compel Tech Companies to Decrypt Messages

Australia on Friday proposed new laws that would require companies like Apple to provide law enforcement authorities with access to encrypted communications (via Reuters).

Australia’s proposed legislation will compel companies to help security agencies intercept and read messages sent by suspects. It appears to take cues from the U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Bill, which includes provisions that require technology companies to bypass encryption where technically feasible.

“We need to ensure the internet is not used as a dark place for bad people to hide their criminal activities from the law,” Australian Prim Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters in Sydney.

“The reality is, however, that these encrypted messaging applications and voice applications are being used obviously by all of us, but they’re also being used by people who seek to do us harm.”

The proposal will be introduced when parliament resumes in August and could be adopted within months, according to lawmakers. Other nations have said they will introduce similar laws.

Apple, along with Facebook, Google, and other major tech companies, have historically opposed such law changes, which they say threaten online security protocols.

For example, Apple claimed the U.K.’s recent bill would “weaken security” for millions of law-abiding customers. “The creation of backdoors and intercept capabilities would weaken the protections built into Apple products and endanger all our customers,” Apple stated in December 2015. “A key left under the doormat would not just be there for the good guys. The bad guys would find it too.”

Facebook rejected the need to introduce the new Australian law, insisting it already had a system in place to work alongside security agencies, while the new legislation could not be implemented on an individual basis.

“Weakening encrypted systems for them would mean weakening it for everyone,” a spokeswoman for Facebook told Reuters.

Notably, Australia has not explained how the proposed law would prevent nefarious actors from using open-source encryption tools to encrypt messages that can be transferred through conventional means such as email.

Last month it was reported that Australia attended a meeting of officials from the “Five Eyes” intelligence sharing network, where it pushed for greater international powers to thwart the use of encrypted messaging services by terrorists and criminals.

Tags: security, Australia, Encryption
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Water bears may be the last species alive when the sun dies

We often talk about whether human beings can survive a cataclysmic space event, such as a large asteroid hitting the Earth. But even if we’re wiped out, other life will go on. Scientists have discovered that the tardigrade, also called the water bear, is the world’s most indestructible living species.

We’ve known for a while that tardigrades, tiny creatures that look a little like piglets, are pretty robust. They were frozen for thirty years, thawed out and were still alive. In fact, they were able to produce healthy offspring. Russia also claimed that tardigrades were found clinging to the International Space Station, alive while being exposed to the vacuum of space. We even mapped their genome to discover whether we can apply tardigrades’ natural protection to humans.

Researchers at the University of Oxford tested three potential catastrophic space-based events that could affect the Earth to see whether tardigrades would survive: asteroids, supernovae and gamma ray bursts. “To our surprise we found that although nearby supernovae or large asteroid impacts would be catastrophic for people, tardigrades could be unaffected,” says Dr. David Sloan, the paper’s coauthor. “Therefore it seems that life, once it gets going, is hard to wipe out entirely.” The study will be published in Nature.

While this is certainly a weird observation for Earth-based life (it’s good that life finds a way?), it’s much more relevant for our hunt for extraterrestrial life. This study makes it clear that once life exists on a world, it’s hard to wipe it out completely, even in the face of catastrophic events. It’s possible that some of the worlds where we currently think life is unlikely, such as TRAPPIST-1, could have a greater chance of harboring it than we know.

Source: Eurekalert

Ride-hailing services in NYC must now offer a tipping option

All ride-hailing services operating in NYC must make sure they offer in-app tipping, now that the city has made it a requirement. Authorities have passed a rule proposed by the Independent Driver’s Guild (and backed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission) a year ago that requires a tipping option for all for-hire drivers. According to the pamphlet (PDF) distributed by IDG, it conjured up and submitted the proposal because the drivers that decided to take the ride-hailing route have lost out on hundreds of millions in tipping income.

“[O]nce these app-based companies dominated the market they slashed driver pay in a race to the bottom,” the pamphlet reads. “To make matters worse, the biggest ride-hail company, Uber, told passengers tips were not expected…” By making the option available in-app, passengers will be more likely to give their drivers something extra

While NYC has only just approved the new rule, the proposal has definitely affected ride-hailing services’ decisions these past few months. Lyft has offered in-app tipping for years, but it also recently introduced more tipping options in an effort to entire more passengers to be generous. Uber was resistant to the idea, but it finally caved and added a tipping option in June. It was initially available only in a handful of locations, but TechCrunch says the feature began rolling out in NYC last week.

Source: The Independent Drivers Guild (PDF)