Add 2 USB ports to your existing outlets with these $15 replacement covers

The Thrifter team is back again, this time with an even easier way to add USB plugs to your existing outlets!

Not everyone out there wants to replace the electrical outlets in their home with ones that offer a USB connector, but luckily you don’t have to. Adding USB outlets can be as simple as grabbing a screw driver and replacing the outlet cover. You don’t need to turn off the power, you don’t have to hire an electrician, just swap them out and start plugging in your cables.

Using the coupon code THRFTRHOME5 you can grab one of these outlet covers just $14.99, or you can pick up two of them for $24.99. These are made by iPM, a smaller company that is beginning to appear in national retailers like Home Depot. Each cover has two 2.1A USB ports built-in, so you can plug in your phone, tablet, action camera, or any other gadget without any worries.

These outlets normally sell for as much as $22, which makes this deal pretty sweet. Daily Steals is offering free shipping on these orders as well, so be sure to get your orders in now.

See at Daily Steals

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For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

Developers: A must-read to get your apps ready for Android O’s new shortcuts and widgets

Tapping and swiping can do so much more in Android O.

Google has showcased the new app and widget shortcuts coming in Android O on its blog, and while it’s a great explainer of how it all works it’s especially important for developers.

With Android O, users (that’s us!) will be able to long press an icon or portion of a widget and have access to specific shortcuts for an app. Examples are opening a blank or incognito page with Chrome, or composing an email with the Gmail app.

While these cool changes are part of Android O, they also require an app to support them. That means developers will have to update their apps, and that’s never fun.

Fortunately, the required changes aren’t a huge burden on developers, and Google makes things even easier with a full page in the documentation about pinning shortcuts and widgets — complete with code examples.

Android Developers: Pinning shortcuts and widgets

I love it when Google uses its developer blog this way. We get a small explainer and some insight on the new features while developers also get pointed to everything they need to implement them. It makes me look forward to Android O even more!

Android O

• Everything new in Android O
• Should you put Android O on your phone?
• How to get the Android O Beta on your Pixel or Nexus
• Join the Discussion

Bandsintown concert-discovery app amps up the artist interaction

If you’re looking to find a music performance in your local area, you might think about using Google or Eventbrite. If you want a dedicated concert-discovery app with an artist-centric big new update, you might want to give Bandsintown a try. Artists who have registered with the service — including Wiz Kalifa, Lorde, and Green Day — can now send updates to their fans through the app.

While this may sound a bit like Apple’s ill-fated Ping, Bandsintown boasts 35 million music fans and 420,000 registered artists, so at least there’s a community in place. According to Billboard, those artists can now set status updates to inform fans of new music and tour dates within the app itself. “Our fans rely on Bandsintown not only to track the artists they love today, but also to discover their next favorite performers and live music experiences,” Bandsintown’s Fabrice Sergent told Billboard in a statement. “Our new features further empower artists to build upon the connection with their core fans.”

The app connects you with your online music interests via Spotify, LastFM, YouTube and any songs you have on your phone. Once you’ve shared your musical tastes, Bandsintown will show you a list of all the artists coming your way, with buttons to purchase tickets and tell your friends whether you’re going or not

The update not only includes the improved connection between fans and musicians. The app has also gotten “an extensive redesign” to improve navigation and discovery of upcoming concerts. This version of Bandsintown (6.1) is available on both iOS and Android now.

Source: Billboard

Visit a kiosk in the UK to diagnose your cold

We have app doctors that can help diagnose you from your phone and in the future, we very well might have AI physicians, but the UK is now offering another option — medical kiosks. A company called MedicSpot has set up tiny clinics in pharmacies across the UK that virtually connect you to a real physician and are stocked with all of the necessary equipment for an examination. The mini clinic has a blood pressure cuff, stethoscope, pulse oximeter, thermometer and a camera that can give the doctor a look into your throat and ears. The doctor can even write you a prescription if need be.

The service is geared towards minor illnesses and the company says around a third of the consultations conducted so far have been about coughs, colds and ear infections. MedicSpot also says that approximately 20 percent of appointments have been booked by travelers. Its site has a specific section for tourists letting them know that they can use MedicSpot’s services without any hassle if they’ve become sick on their trip or if they forgot or ran out of necessary medications.

Consultations cost £30, last around 10-15 minutes and patients can choose to send notes about the visit to their regular doctor. For simple, non-serious medical issues, a quick visit to a kiosk certainly seems better than waiting forever in a doctor’s office.

Source: MedicSpot

Microsoft’s minimal Modern mouse and keyboard are now available

Microsoft revealed its Modern Keyboard and Mouse last month. Both are styled like the company’s Surface devices and the keyboard has Apple-style “chiclet” keys and a sturdy aluminum frame. It also has a fingerprint sensor tucked in between the Alt and Ctrl keys for Windows Hello biometric security. The keyboard and mouse peripherals are now available for $130 and $50, respectively.

As part of Windows 10, Hello can unlock your PC with your fingerprint or face, though you’d need a compatible camera for the latter. It works with the new keyboard, so you’ll be able to swipe your finger to access to your machine. It hooks up to your PC with either Bluetooth or a cable, giving you some flexibility of connection. The Modern Mouse matches the keyboard in styling and connects via Low Energy Bluetooth, too. Microsoft claims the keyboard has up to four months of use on a full charge; the mouse should last up to 12 months per charge, as well.

Source: Microsoft

Is your VPN lying to you?

It’s no secret that there are oodles of shady VPN services that promise to protect your privacy as you surf the internet, but may, in fact, actually be worthless. After all, internet privacy is one part moving target and two parts shell game with your money and trust, so no one’s surprised that the post-Snowden privacy panic turned into a gold rush for the unscrupulous.

One method VPN providers use to bilk trusting customers is to do shady things with customer records. We’ve also seen them misconfigure critical security settings, de-anonymize customers, and only take action when caught.

Now there’s a new problem: VPNs that say you’re connecting to a server in one country while actually routing your traffic through another. RestorePrivacy recently took a close look at what some VPNs are saying when they give you a server in another country, versus what they’re actually doing when they connect users. And the two aren’t matching up.

Many popular VPN services let users pick which country (or city) their traffic routes through, showing the destination that you’re coming from as, say, London when you’re actually in Paris. This can be practical when you’re a Brit traveling abroad and just want to watch your BBC shows, or want to keep your IP address consistent so social media sites like Facebook don’t freak out when you log in while on the go.

In addition to these issues, RestorePrivacy pointed out that VPN performance suffers when the actual server is significantly farther away than you expect it to be. In its post they pointed out an additional issue — that customers “aren’t getting the true server locations they paid for” and that “using fake server locations raises questions about the VPN’s honesty.”

It can be disastrous for people’s safety if a server that’s supposed to be in Saudi Arabia is actually in Los Angeles, California — which is a real example of bait-and-switch claims RestorePrivacy found in their VPN server claim research.

RestorePrivacy looked at VPN services ExpressVPN, Hidemyass, and PureVPN.

These are popular services used by tens of millions of people. ExpressVPN was listed by TechRadar as one of the best VPN services of 2017, and is endorsed by Geek.com. Hidemyass got a big, positive profile in The Guardian, serves tens of millions of users, and was recommended in 2016 by PCWorld as a “tested” service that protects your privacy. PureVPN was listed in Extreme Tech’s recent “5 best VPNs” list, and the service is endorsed by BoingBoing who hails it as “the world’s fastest VPN.”

Each of the services were found to be saying one thing to customers about server locations, while in practice actually doing something totally different.

With ExpressVPN they found 11 fake server locations; they identified 5 fake server locations with PureVPN but said “there are many more.” Regarding the Hidemyass claim of “physical servers in 190+ countries,” RestorePrivacy’s post countered saying if users believe that, “I have a bridge to sell you.”

In addition, “Upon closer examination of Hidemyass’s network, you find some very strange locations, such as North Korea, Zimbabwe, and even Somalia.” They wrote:

Hidemyass refers to these fictitious server locations as “virtual locations” on their website. Unfortunately, they do not have a server page available to the public, so I could not test any of the locations. The Hidemyass chat representative I spoke with confirmed they use fake “virtual” locations, but could not tell me which locations were fake and which were real.

A week after RestorePrivacy’s post called them on it, ExpressVPN “admitted to numerous fake locations on its website (mirror) – 29 fictitious locations in total,” they wrote. “Just like PureVPN and Hidemyass, ExpressVPN refers to these as “virtual” server locations.” ExpressVPN was telling customers they could use servers in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Indonesia and more, when RestorePrivacy found that customers were actually being routed through one server located in Singapore.

RestorePrivacy said they believe the reasons for improper server location identification are financial. “First, it saves lots of money.” They explained, “Using one server to fake numerous server locations will significantly reduce costs. (Dedicated premium servers are quite expensive.)” A service can also sell more VPN subscriptions if it looks like there’s a huge variety of countries to choose from.

ExpressVPN told Engadget in a statement:

With the vast majority of ExpressVPN locations, the physical server and the registered IP address are located in the same country. This describes 97% of ExpressVPN’s servers, as we have invested in a significant physical footprint covering every continent save Antarctica.

For less than 3% of ExpressVPN’s servers, the registered IP address matches the country you’ve chosen to connect to, while the server is physically located in another country, usually nearby. These are called virtual server locations, and they help ensure your connection is fast, secure, and reliable.

The post goes into deep details about each service’s claims, what RestorePrivacy found, and how they did their research. For every VPN server examined, three different network-testing tools were used “to verify the true location beyond any reasonable doubt.” Those included the CA App Synthetic Monitor ping test (tests from 90 different worldwide locations), the CA App Synthetic Monitor traceroute, and Ping.pe, a test from 24 locations around the world. All of their test results are published in an appendix to the blog post.

The research recommended users toward “smaller VPN services that have fewer locations, but prioritize the quality of their server network, such as Perfect Privacy and VPN.ac.” As you may remember, Perfect Privacy was the service that found and reported the massive privacy hole in several popular VPN services that de-anonymized users, called “Port Fail.”

With the tools and info in RestorePrivacy’s article and a little technical know-how, you can exhaustively test your VPN service to see if they’re telling the truth about server location (or not). Sometimes you can just tell something’s wrong when your Google results are in the wrong language — showing that Google is seeing you come from a location you didn’t expect.

Maybe you don’t care where your VPN’s server really is, just as long as it’s a secure service and your privacy is maintained. But for some people, honesty and accuracy about location is critical to the functions of their VPN service in the first place.

In the wider context, RestorePrivacy’s post and this article resets the growing distrust in people’s minds about security, privacy, and VPNs. It’s unfortunate, because we really need most people to start using VPNs if we’re going to elevate everyone’s security and privacy (and it doesn’t help with behavior-influencing, large companies like Netflix blocking VPNs across the board).

I just hope that calling out fake server locations — whether the labeling is just incorrect or opportunistic — changes the conversation among VPN providers to on that focuses more on accountability than profits.

Requests for comment to Hidemyass, ExpressVPN, and PureVPN did not receive a response at publication time. We will update this article in the event of a response.

Image: Prykhodov via Getty Images (VPN)

Heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio will tour the world as a hologram

The latest instance of the musical death and resurrection show is none other than Ronnie James Dio, who died in 2010. Thanks to a hologram (actually a high-tech version of an old parlor trick), the former Black Sabbath frontman will start touring Europe the November 30th before hitting the States next spring. “His” set will change nightly, according to Rolling Stone, and audio recordings were pulled from his entire career. “He” will play each night with a backing band and some dates will have singers Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest) and Oni Logan (Racer X) on stage as well.

The stage will hearken back to the Sacred Heart and Dream Evil tours, and apparently the band may book between 80 and 100 shows. So, if you missed the man responsible for creating the devil horns hand sign in the flesh, you could see him in 1s and 0s soon enough.

Via: Rolling Stone

Source: PR Newswire

The FDA has a significant change of heart about e-cigarettes

The FDA has just announced a sweeping change in its policy regarding e-cigarettes and vaping products. In a press release issued this morning, the administration outlined its plan to focus on reducing usage of combustible cigarettes and tobacco, in turn loosening restrictive rules laid out just last year, that could have wiped out most vaping products (“eliquid”).

The health impact of vaping has been a hot topic in recent years, but an increasing amount of studies are showing that e-cigarettes are not only an effective way out of smoking but a considerably less harmful one. The UK’s Royal College of Physicians (the same agency that confirmed the cancer risk of tobacco in the 60’s) recently advised the UK Government to promote the use of e-cigarettes (along with conventional nicotine replacement methods) “as widely as possible as a substitute for smoking.”

In May 2016 the FDA outlined regulations that extended its authority to electronic cigarettes and eliquids. The rules stated that any e-cigarette or vaping product released after Feb 15, 2007, would require the same expensive, lengthy FDA approval as regular smokes. That was significant as that would include pretty much every vape liquid on the market today, most of which are made by small independent businesses (and not “Big Tobacco”). Today’s announcement extends the deadline of that process from sometime next year to 2022, and hints at a willingness to make that process simpler.

“The overwhelming amount of death and disease attributable to tobacco is caused by addiction to cigarettes – the only legal consumer product that, when used as intended, will kill half of all long-term users,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in the FDA report.

“Envisioning a world where cigarettes would no longer create or sustain addiction, and where adults who still need or want nicotine could get it from alternative and less harmful sources, needs to be the cornerstone of our efforts.”

The vaping industry is young and loosely organized. The FDA’s change in approach allows the industry some time to professionalize and ensure it can align with the FDA’s new plans, which center on reducing addiction to cigarettes and deterring young people from picking up the habit.

Part of that strategy includes forcing cigarette manufacturers to lower the amount of nicotine in their products to “non-addictive levels.” The other part appears to be the nearest thing we’ve seen as an endorsement for vaping from the FDA, with the administration stating:

“…the FDA is striking an appropriate balance between regulation and encouraging development of innovative tobacco products that may be less dangerous than cigarettes.”

Needless to say, the e-cigarette industry is pleased with the news. Oliver Kershaw, founder of the popular E-Cigarette Forum, and Vaping.com told Engadget “It’s a real bombshell.”

“On a pragmatic level, it just makes sense, it appears to be a joined up strategy for moving people away from cigarettes to healthier alternatives.”

Kershaw points out that the FDA’s policy change comes just days after the BMJ published a study that suggests links between the decline in smoking, and the boom in vaping around 2014. “On a pragmatic level, it just makes sense.”

The FDA is still keeping a critical eye on the vape industry. Existing products will still need approval by 2022. Also, it will develop product standards to avoid known concerns such as battery issues, and exposure of eliquid to children.

For now, though, those looking to make the switch to e-cigarettes to kick the habit can do so without the fear that their chosen alternative might be regulated out of existence.

Source: FDA

Samsung topples Intel as world’s largest chipmaker

Samsung registered a record profit of $12.6 billion in its second quarter earnings report, but hidden in those numbers lies another milestone. Of its $54 billion in revenue, $15 billion came solely from Samsung Semiconductors — pushing it above the $14.8 billion that all of Intel brought in. In short: Samsung just ended Intel’s 24-year-reign and became the largest chipmaker in the world.

But Samsung didn’t get there by outselling processors — it’s been diversifying its chip offerings for years. While Intel has focused on CPUs for computers and servers after burying its wearables division last November, Samsung has broadened into making chips for mobile devices, as well as connected chips for IoT and smart vehicles. But the company also got ahead of Intel on the strength of its flash memory with more popular SSD products. Intel isn’t giving up on the rivalry, and claimed its next generation of long-delayed Cannon Lake 10nm chips will feature twice as many transistors as Samsung’s or TMSC’s, putting them “light years” ahead.

Via: Sam Mobile

Source: Samsung Second Quarter 201 Earnings, Intel Second Quarter Earnings (PDF)

‘Forces of Destiny’ YouTube series explores untold ‘Star Wars’ tales

Can’t get enough Star Wars content while you wait for the next couple of movie installments? You might want to check out this series of animated shorts, Forces of Destiny, written by the prolific Jennifer Muro for Disney. Each two- to three-minute episode tells canonical stories of the women of Star Wars and their “everyday heroism.” Eight of a planned 16 short films are available on YouTube now, and will eventually show up on Disney Channel. While Muro notes that the stories are meant for kids, she knows that all ages will dig these in-between stories from Star Wars.

The animation is basic but serviceable: think Kim Possible rather than The Clone Wars. Each episode is prefaced by Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata, saying, “The choices we make, the actions we take — moments, both big and small — shape us into Forces of Destiny.” According to Ars Technica, the final eight episodes will appear in October. The current shorts jump around in time, with stories about The Force Awakens‘ Rey and BB-8 and The Clone Wars‘ Ahsoka Tano alongside episodes about Leia Organa and Jyn Erso. All the characters are performed by their live-action counterparts, except for Leia, who’s voiced by Shelby Young.

While the kid-friendly Forces of Destiny doesn’t get too intense (Jyn Erso saves an alien cat from Stormtroopers, Leia distracts the snow monster from Hoth so Chewbacca can fix a door), the series is certainly a fun way to spend some more time immersed in the Star Wars universe.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: Disney/YouTube