Later brings its drag-and-drop Instagram visual planner to iOS and Android

Why it matters to you

This big update to Later’s apps brings its web-based visual Instagram planner to mobile, making it easier to manage your feed on the go.

Planning out your Instagram feed may not be something that everyone is doing but for those who carefully curate their feed, Later’s visual drag-and-drop planner has been a welcome addition to the social media management landscape. We mentioned Later and its best-time-to-post functionality earlier but Later’s real highlighted feature has been the visual planner, which until now has only been available on its website — users of their mobile app could not take advantage of it.

As of Wednesday, Later pushed updates to both its iOS and Android apps which bring the visual planner from the browser into the apps. This will be a godsend to those who have been using the tool to manage their feeds online but need to make changes with the app out on the go. It works exactly the same as it does on Later’s website, and just to recap – it’s stupid simple.

The drag-and-drop visual planner feature allows users to upload and schedule a batch of images for posting on their Instagram feed. Once the images are uploaded to the app, you can add a caption and any hashtags you like, then unlike in other social schedulers where you would just set a day and time to post, you are given the option to use the visual planner. When you opt to use the visual planner, you are shown a representation of your Instagram feed with the images you are planning to upload. From there, you can click on the images and drag them around the grid until you find an arrangement that you like.

This feature always seemed to be meant for mobile, dragging and dropping is much more user intuitive with your finger on a screen than with a mouse and keyboard. In addition to the visual planner update, the two apps also received some updates to their “ready to post” section and profile switcher (for those managing multiple accounts). This visual planner, when paired with the company’s best-time-to-post feature makes for one of the most powerful Instagram management solutions we know of.

Later’s basic (albeit limited) account is free, so you can sign up and give it a try. If you already happen to be a Later user, you should have received the app update already, but you should be able to find the latest updates live on both the iOS and Android app stores.

AR search is one of the new features in the updated Bing Search app

Why it matters to you

It’s been a couple years since Bing rolled out a major update to its Search app, and now, that wait has paid off.

If you’re a Bing Search user, hold onto your hats. Microsoft has debuted a major update for the Android version of its Bing Search app, promising a “whole new look” to the tool.

First and foremost, the app certainly appears much more aesthetically pleasing than it has in the past. With a simplified interface, using Search could be a lot easier — plus, Microsoft has done away with that loud teal-colored design that was first rolled out in the iOS version of the app back in 2015. While Android users have only been using that particular design since February 2016, it seems that Microsoft has decided it’s been long enough.

There are also improved location-aware features, which is meant to make the process of finding local companies and services a bit more straightforward. Bing Search also promises newly enhanced shopping search features. “Find when new movies are showing and get tickets, and know what films are available and trending on your favorite streaming services,” Bing notes on its new app description. “Explore restaurants and book a table, and discover offers, discounts, and coupons at shops near you.”

The app also now integrates augmented reality with its Near Me-Camera Search tab, which allows you to point your smartphone camera at the world, and find results about the world around you. You can also search by image, voice, photos, or barcodes. Also new is the ability to search for animated GIFs on Bing Search. You can also keep tabs on trending GIFs and save them, and you’ll also have quick access to other images, videos, and search results.

Bing has also improved its customizability, which means you can now set your individual preferences when it comes to font style, size, and background. Hopefully, that will lead to a better reading experience, regardless of what device you’re using. And of course, Bing says that it has fixed a number of bugs, and improved the speed and performance of the app overall.

“Bing is more than simple search. Get answers to your questions faster and easier,” Bing concludes. “Find what you love, from live sport updates, trending music, and recipes, to nearby deals, movie times, and gas prices.”

Weekly rewind: Vinyl records worth more than your car, Prime Day prep, AI rights

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top 10 tech stories, from how to make the most out of Prime Day to how we ought to feel about sex robots — it’s all here.

Microsoft’s Steven Bathiche redefined the PC, and he wants to do it again

Microsoft is on a good run. Over the past half-decade, it has released a popular new desktop operating system, built multiple award-winning PCs that’ve pushed the industry forward, and established itself as a leader in exciting new fields, including augmented reality and artificial intelligence.

It’s easy to imagine this turn-around as a victory for Windows 10, Surface, Azure, or CEO Satya Nadella, who took the reins in 2014 — and such congratulations would not be misplaced. Yet the story of Microsoft’s comeback isn’t just about stock prices and executive appointments. Equal credit can be given to the company’s tradition of innovative research — conducted by scientists like Steven Bathiche.

Read: Microsoft’s Steven Bathiche redefined the PC, and he wants to do it again

To understand America’s Jeep obsession, you’ve gotta get muddy

Nissan is about to give the all-electric Leaf a full makeover. It’s about time, too; the current, first-generation Nissan Leaf has been on the market since the end of 2010, and it’s getting a little bit long in the tooth. Its replacement won’t break cover for another few months, but the Japanese company is giving us an early look at some of its headline-grabbing tech features. Over the weekend, Nissan USA tweeted a teaser image of its new Leaf, then added a background image showing the car’s entire front end (which has since been removed). The image is our best look yet at the redesigned EV.

The next Leaf will finally usher in Nissan’s suite of semi-autonomous driving features, a sign that the once-expensive technology is trickling down to more affordable models. Named ProPilot Assist, the software relies on sensors and cameras to help control acceleration, braking, and steering. It only works on the highway, particularly in dense traffic, and its job is merely to keep the car in its lane. Don’t expect it to change lanes on its own like the systems built by Mercedes-Benz and Tesla.

Read: To understand America’s Jeep obsession, you’ve gotta get muddy

New report explores the good, the bad, and the ugly about sex robots

“There are absolutely some benefits to the technology but, like everything else, there is a balance,” Aimee van Wynsberghe, assistant professor in ethics and technology at the Technical University of Delft and FRR co-director, said in a statement. “You have to strike a balance between lack of regulation — so we have all different uses and personifications of children and women as sexual objects — or you have overregulation and you stifle the technology. You have to find the way to balance so you really can harness the good.”

Read: New report explores the good, the bad, and the ugly about sex robots

Kirio smart homes don’t just alert you to problems, they can fix them

A couple years ago, Franck Rougier’s kids started waking up with headaches. His family had recently moved from New York to Seattle, into one of the U.S.’s only passive homes. “It was a complicated home,” Rougier told Digital Trends. “It had a lot of tech in there.” Despite his background in mechanical engineering, Rougier hadn’t fully figured out how to properly ventilate the energy-efficient, air-tight house, and CO2 was getting trapped in the bedrooms. Instead of manually working the ventilation system, he looked for an automated solution. He struck out. “Even the builder had never lived in a passive house,” he said.

Instead, Rougier built his own, which would eventually become Kirio, a built-in home automation system that controls everything from lights to heating and cooling to the water tank. And it’s not just for passive homes.

There are countless smart-home hubs homeowners can buy, but Kirio gets installed before you buy your home, while it’s being built. It can control both what builder would put in — air conditioning, lighting, water, and so on, and the homeowner’s favorite gadgets — Nest thermostats, Alexa speakers, and smart locks, for example. “As long as something has a serial or diagnostic port, we can control it,” said Kirio’s CEO, Rob Green. The benefit is that instead of having your third-party sensor alert you there’s a leak, Kirio gets the message and sends another one out to shut off the water.

Read: Kirio smart homes don’t just alert you to problems, they can fix them

Top 5 cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb suffers major data breach

It’s easy to get a bit discouraged lately when it comes to securing our personal data. There are so many different methods being used by cyber criminals to get access to our data that it is tempting to just give up on the notion of keeping our information to ourselves. Cybercriminals use a variety of electronic means to break into systems, whether it is our own PCs or those maintained by the hundreds of companies with which we do business. Sometimes, it is the combination that does the trick — a breach in an individual’s PC serves as a gateway to organizational data and results in our information making its way into the wild. Such seems to be the case in an attack on the Bithumb cryptocurrency exchange.

The news comes via Hot for Security, based on information from some local reports in Seoul, Korea where the attack occurred. Apparently, a Bithumb employee’s PC was compromised and customer information including mobile phone and email addresses were stolen. The breach occurred on June 29 and around 30,000 customers were affected.

Read: Top 5 cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb suffers major data breach

Up your ‘gram game: how to get more Instagram followers

In the digital age, the thirst for followers (and elusive likes) is very real. However, outside of our social circles, it can be difficult to add followers in order to promote our brand or simply stroke our egos. That said, there are plenty of easy ways to gain more Instagram followers. You may not garner as many likes as Selena Gomez anytime soon, but these helpful tips should bring your page to a broader audience. And don’t worry about all of these new people perusing the posts you’d like to keep private: The new Favorites feature allows you to share certain posts with only a selective group of friends. Read on to find out how to get more followers on Instagram.

Read: Up your ‘gram game: how to get more Instagram followers

I, Alexa: Should we give artificial intelligence human rights?

Douglas Adams’ second Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy book, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, tells the story of a futuristic smart elevator called the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Happy Vertical People Transporter. This artificially intelligent elevator works by predicting the future, so it can appear on the right floor to pick you up even before you know you want to get on — thereby “eliminating all the tedious chatting, relaxing, and making friends that people were previously forced to do whilst waiting for elevators.”

The ethics question, Adams explains, comes when the intelligent elevator becomes bored of going up and down all day, and instead decides to experiment with moving from side to side as a “sort of existential protest.”

Read: I, Alexa: Should we give artificial intelligence human rights?

These drool-worthy albums are among the most expensive vinyl records on Earth

As more and more listeners embrace the vinyl resurgence, vinyl fans around the world are increasingly on the hunt for the coolest wax to spin on their newly acquired analog hi-fis. We’d all love to find that hidden first pressing of Sgt. Peppers at the local record shop. But the rarest, most expensive vinyl records in the world aren’t for playing — unless you’re just that baller. Worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases, the world’s most sought after records aren’t just antiques or even works of art, they’re tangible time stamps of rock ‘n roll history, each with its own story to tell.

To tell those stories we’ve compiled a list of some of the most expensive and drool-worthy vinyl records on the planet. And while none of us will likely get our paws on any of these gems, a vinyl fan can dream. So follow us below for the rarest, strangest, and just plain coolest cuts ever pressed. While you’re at it, be sure to check out our vinyl tips on everything from how to buy and store your first vinyl collection, to which are the best record players and phono preamps to nab so you can build a killer turntable setup of your own.

Read: These drool-worthy albums are among the most expensive vinyl records on Earth

Prime Day starts today if you’re an Amazon Prime member and an Alexa user

Prime Day is fast approaching, and this time, Amazon really, really wants you to get in on the action. And it’s attempting to entice you with, what else, Alexa. The handy virtual assistant is not only good at helping you pay your bills, but can help you spend money, too. On Wednesday, July 5, the Seattle-based retail giant announced that Alexa has more than 100 exclusive deals available to Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Amazon Tap, Fire TV, or compatible Fire tablet owners.

And those choosing to take advantage of Prime Day (which, by the way, isn’t until July 10) will have access to certain deals two hours before everyone else. So if you’re looking for a reason to buy an Amazon Alexa-enabled device, the promise of spending even more money in the near future may be the motivation you need.

Read: Prime Day starts today if you’re an Amazon Prime member and an Alexa user

Weekly rewind: Vinyl records worth more than your car, Prime Day prep, AI rights

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top 10 tech stories, from how to make the most out of Prime Day to how we ought to feel about sex robots — it’s all here.

Microsoft’s Steven Bathiche redefined the PC, and he wants to do it again

Microsoft is on a good run. Over the past half-decade, it has released a popular new desktop operating system, built multiple award-winning PCs that’ve pushed the industry forward, and established itself as a leader in exciting new fields, including augmented reality and artificial intelligence.

It’s easy to imagine this turn-around as a victory for Windows 10, Surface, Azure, or CEO Satya Nadella, who took the reins in 2014 — and such congratulations would not be misplaced. Yet the story of Microsoft’s comeback isn’t just about stock prices and executive appointments. Equal credit can be given to the company’s tradition of innovative research — conducted by scientists like Steven Bathiche.

Read: Microsoft’s Steven Bathiche redefined the PC, and he wants to do it again

To understand America’s Jeep obsession, you’ve gotta get muddy

Nissan is about to give the all-electric Leaf a full makeover. It’s about time, too; the current, first-generation Nissan Leaf has been on the market since the end of 2010, and it’s getting a little bit long in the tooth. Its replacement won’t break cover for another few months, but the Japanese company is giving us an early look at some of its headline-grabbing tech features. Over the weekend, Nissan USA tweeted a teaser image of its new Leaf, then added a background image showing the car’s entire front end (which has since been removed). The image is our best look yet at the redesigned EV.

The next Leaf will finally usher in Nissan’s suite of semi-autonomous driving features, a sign that the once-expensive technology is trickling down to more affordable models. Named ProPilot Assist, the software relies on sensors and cameras to help control acceleration, braking, and steering. It only works on the highway, particularly in dense traffic, and its job is merely to keep the car in its lane. Don’t expect it to change lanes on its own like the systems built by Mercedes-Benz and Tesla.

Read: To understand America’s Jeep obsession, you’ve gotta get muddy

New report explores the good, the bad, and the ugly about sex robots

“There are absolutely some benefits to the technology but, like everything else, there is a balance,” Aimee van Wynsberghe, assistant professor in ethics and technology at the Technical University of Delft and FRR co-director, said in a statement. “You have to strike a balance between lack of regulation — so we have all different uses and personifications of children and women as sexual objects — or you have overregulation and you stifle the technology. You have to find the way to balance so you really can harness the good.”

Read: New report explores the good, the bad, and the ugly about sex robots

Kirio smart homes don’t just alert you to problems, they can fix them

A couple years ago, Franck Rougier’s kids started waking up with headaches. His family had recently moved from New York to Seattle, into one of the U.S.’s only passive homes. “It was a complicated home,” Rougier told Digital Trends. “It had a lot of tech in there.” Despite his background in mechanical engineering, Rougier hadn’t fully figured out how to properly ventilate the energy-efficient, air-tight house, and CO2 was getting trapped in the bedrooms. Instead of manually working the ventilation system, he looked for an automated solution. He struck out. “Even the builder had never lived in a passive house,” he said.

Instead, Rougier built his own, which would eventually become Kirio, a built-in home automation system that controls everything from lights to heating and cooling to the water tank. And it’s not just for passive homes.

There are countless smart-home hubs homeowners can buy, but Kirio gets installed before you buy your home, while it’s being built. It can control both what builder would put in — air conditioning, lighting, water, and so on, and the homeowner’s favorite gadgets — Nest thermostats, Alexa speakers, and smart locks, for example. “As long as something has a serial or diagnostic port, we can control it,” said Kirio’s CEO, Rob Green. The benefit is that instead of having your third-party sensor alert you there’s a leak, Kirio gets the message and sends another one out to shut off the water.

Read: Kirio smart homes don’t just alert you to problems, they can fix them

Top 5 cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb suffers major data breach

It’s easy to get a bit discouraged lately when it comes to securing our personal data. There are so many different methods being used by cyber criminals to get access to our data that it is tempting to just give up on the notion of keeping our information to ourselves. Cybercriminals use a variety of electronic means to break into systems, whether it is our own PCs or those maintained by the hundreds of companies with which we do business. Sometimes, it is the combination that does the trick — a breach in an individual’s PC serves as a gateway to organizational data and results in our information making its way into the wild. Such seems to be the case in an attack on the Bithumb cryptocurrency exchange.

The news comes via Hot for Security, based on information from some local reports in Seoul, Korea where the attack occurred. Apparently, a Bithumb employee’s PC was compromised and customer information including mobile phone and email addresses were stolen. The breach occurred on June 29 and around 30,000 customers were affected.

Read: Top 5 cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb suffers major data breach

Up your ‘gram game: how to get more Instagram followers

In the digital age, the thirst for followers (and elusive likes) is very real. However, outside of our social circles, it can be difficult to add followers in order to promote our brand or simply stroke our egos. That said, there are plenty of easy ways to gain more Instagram followers. You may not garner as many likes as Selena Gomez anytime soon, but these helpful tips should bring your page to a broader audience. And don’t worry about all of these new people perusing the posts you’d like to keep private: The new Favorites feature allows you to share certain posts with only a selective group of friends. Read on to find out how to get more followers on Instagram.

Read: Up your ‘gram game: how to get more Instagram followers

I, Alexa: Should we give artificial intelligence human rights?

Douglas Adams’ second Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy book, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, tells the story of a futuristic smart elevator called the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Happy Vertical People Transporter. This artificially intelligent elevator works by predicting the future, so it can appear on the right floor to pick you up even before you know you want to get on — thereby “eliminating all the tedious chatting, relaxing, and making friends that people were previously forced to do whilst waiting for elevators.”

The ethics question, Adams explains, comes when the intelligent elevator becomes bored of going up and down all day, and instead decides to experiment with moving from side to side as a “sort of existential protest.”

Read: I, Alexa: Should we give artificial intelligence human rights?

These drool-worthy albums are among the most expensive vinyl records on Earth

As more and more listeners embrace the vinyl resurgence, vinyl fans around the world are increasingly on the hunt for the coolest wax to spin on their newly acquired analog hi-fis. We’d all love to find that hidden first pressing of Sgt. Peppers at the local record shop. But the rarest, most expensive vinyl records in the world aren’t for playing — unless you’re just that baller. Worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases, the world’s most sought after records aren’t just antiques or even works of art, they’re tangible time stamps of rock ‘n roll history, each with its own story to tell.

To tell those stories we’ve compiled a list of some of the most expensive and drool-worthy vinyl records on the planet. And while none of us will likely get our paws on any of these gems, a vinyl fan can dream. So follow us below for the rarest, strangest, and just plain coolest cuts ever pressed. While you’re at it, be sure to check out our vinyl tips on everything from how to buy and store your first vinyl collection, to which are the best record players and phono preamps to nab so you can build a killer turntable setup of your own.

Read: These drool-worthy albums are among the most expensive vinyl records on Earth

Prime Day starts today if you’re an Amazon Prime member and an Alexa user

Prime Day is fast approaching, and this time, Amazon really, really wants you to get in on the action. And it’s attempting to entice you with, what else, Alexa. The handy virtual assistant is not only good at helping you pay your bills, but can help you spend money, too. On Wednesday, July 5, the Seattle-based retail giant announced that Alexa has more than 100 exclusive deals available to Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Amazon Tap, Fire TV, or compatible Fire tablet owners.

And those choosing to take advantage of Prime Day (which, by the way, isn’t until July 10) will have access to certain deals two hours before everyone else. So if you’re looking for a reason to buy an Amazon Alexa-enabled device, the promise of spending even more money in the near future may be the motivation you need.

Read: Prime Day starts today if you’re an Amazon Prime member and an Alexa user

Weekly rewind: Vinyl records worth more than your car, Prime Day prep, AI rights

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top 10 tech stories, from how to make the most out of Prime Day to how we ought to feel about sex robots — it’s all here.

Microsoft’s Steven Bathiche redefined the PC, and he wants to do it again

Microsoft is on a good run. Over the past half-decade, it has released a popular new desktop operating system, built multiple award-winning PCs that’ve pushed the industry forward, and established itself as a leader in exciting new fields, including augmented reality and artificial intelligence.

It’s easy to imagine this turn-around as a victory for Windows 10, Surface, Azure, or CEO Satya Nadella, who took the reins in 2014 — and such congratulations would not be misplaced. Yet the story of Microsoft’s comeback isn’t just about stock prices and executive appointments. Equal credit can be given to the company’s tradition of innovative research — conducted by scientists like Steven Bathiche.

Read: Microsoft’s Steven Bathiche redefined the PC, and he wants to do it again

To understand America’s Jeep obsession, you’ve gotta get muddy

Nissan is about to give the all-electric Leaf a full makeover. It’s about time, too; the current, first-generation Nissan Leaf has been on the market since the end of 2010, and it’s getting a little bit long in the tooth. Its replacement won’t break cover for another few months, but the Japanese company is giving us an early look at some of its headline-grabbing tech features. Over the weekend, Nissan USA tweeted a teaser image of its new Leaf, then added a background image showing the car’s entire front end (which has since been removed). The image is our best look yet at the redesigned EV.

The next Leaf will finally usher in Nissan’s suite of semi-autonomous driving features, a sign that the once-expensive technology is trickling down to more affordable models. Named ProPilot Assist, the software relies on sensors and cameras to help control acceleration, braking, and steering. It only works on the highway, particularly in dense traffic, and its job is merely to keep the car in its lane. Don’t expect it to change lanes on its own like the systems built by Mercedes-Benz and Tesla.

Read: To understand America’s Jeep obsession, you’ve gotta get muddy

New report explores the good, the bad, and the ugly about sex robots

“There are absolutely some benefits to the technology but, like everything else, there is a balance,” Aimee van Wynsberghe, assistant professor in ethics and technology at the Technical University of Delft and FRR co-director, said in a statement. “You have to strike a balance between lack of regulation — so we have all different uses and personifications of children and women as sexual objects — or you have overregulation and you stifle the technology. You have to find the way to balance so you really can harness the good.”

Read: New report explores the good, the bad, and the ugly about sex robots

Kirio smart homes don’t just alert you to problems, they can fix them

A couple years ago, Franck Rougier’s kids started waking up with headaches. His family had recently moved from New York to Seattle, into one of the U.S.’s only passive homes. “It was a complicated home,” Rougier told Digital Trends. “It had a lot of tech in there.” Despite his background in mechanical engineering, Rougier hadn’t fully figured out how to properly ventilate the energy-efficient, air-tight house, and CO2 was getting trapped in the bedrooms. Instead of manually working the ventilation system, he looked for an automated solution. He struck out. “Even the builder had never lived in a passive house,” he said.

Instead, Rougier built his own, which would eventually become Kirio, a built-in home automation system that controls everything from lights to heating and cooling to the water tank. And it’s not just for passive homes.

There are countless smart-home hubs homeowners can buy, but Kirio gets installed before you buy your home, while it’s being built. It can control both what builder would put in — air conditioning, lighting, water, and so on, and the homeowner’s favorite gadgets — Nest thermostats, Alexa speakers, and smart locks, for example. “As long as something has a serial or diagnostic port, we can control it,” said Kirio’s CEO, Rob Green. The benefit is that instead of having your third-party sensor alert you there’s a leak, Kirio gets the message and sends another one out to shut off the water.

Read: Kirio smart homes don’t just alert you to problems, they can fix them

Top 5 cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb suffers major data breach

It’s easy to get a bit discouraged lately when it comes to securing our personal data. There are so many different methods being used by cyber criminals to get access to our data that it is tempting to just give up on the notion of keeping our information to ourselves. Cybercriminals use a variety of electronic means to break into systems, whether it is our own PCs or those maintained by the hundreds of companies with which we do business. Sometimes, it is the combination that does the trick — a breach in an individual’s PC serves as a gateway to organizational data and results in our information making its way into the wild. Such seems to be the case in an attack on the Bithumb cryptocurrency exchange.

The news comes via Hot for Security, based on information from some local reports in Seoul, Korea where the attack occurred. Apparently, a Bithumb employee’s PC was compromised and customer information including mobile phone and email addresses were stolen. The breach occurred on June 29 and around 30,000 customers were affected.

Read: Top 5 cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb suffers major data breach

Up your ‘gram game: how to get more Instagram followers

In the digital age, the thirst for followers (and elusive likes) is very real. However, outside of our social circles, it can be difficult to add followers in order to promote our brand or simply stroke our egos. That said, there are plenty of easy ways to gain more Instagram followers. You may not garner as many likes as Selena Gomez anytime soon, but these helpful tips should bring your page to a broader audience. And don’t worry about all of these new people perusing the posts you’d like to keep private: The new Favorites feature allows you to share certain posts with only a selective group of friends. Read on to find out how to get more followers on Instagram.

Read: Up your ‘gram game: how to get more Instagram followers

I, Alexa: Should we give artificial intelligence human rights?

Douglas Adams’ second Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy book, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, tells the story of a futuristic smart elevator called the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Happy Vertical People Transporter. This artificially intelligent elevator works by predicting the future, so it can appear on the right floor to pick you up even before you know you want to get on — thereby “eliminating all the tedious chatting, relaxing, and making friends that people were previously forced to do whilst waiting for elevators.”

The ethics question, Adams explains, comes when the intelligent elevator becomes bored of going up and down all day, and instead decides to experiment with moving from side to side as a “sort of existential protest.”

Read: I, Alexa: Should we give artificial intelligence human rights?

These drool-worthy albums are among the most expensive vinyl records on Earth

As more and more listeners embrace the vinyl resurgence, vinyl fans around the world are increasingly on the hunt for the coolest wax to spin on their newly acquired analog hi-fis. We’d all love to find that hidden first pressing of Sgt. Peppers at the local record shop. But the rarest, most expensive vinyl records in the world aren’t for playing — unless you’re just that baller. Worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases, the world’s most sought after records aren’t just antiques or even works of art, they’re tangible time stamps of rock ‘n roll history, each with its own story to tell.

To tell those stories we’ve compiled a list of some of the most expensive and drool-worthy vinyl records on the planet. And while none of us will likely get our paws on any of these gems, a vinyl fan can dream. So follow us below for the rarest, strangest, and just plain coolest cuts ever pressed. While you’re at it, be sure to check out our vinyl tips on everything from how to buy and store your first vinyl collection, to which are the best record players and phono preamps to nab so you can build a killer turntable setup of your own.

Read: These drool-worthy albums are among the most expensive vinyl records on Earth

Prime Day starts today if you’re an Amazon Prime member and an Alexa user

Prime Day is fast approaching, and this time, Amazon really, really wants you to get in on the action. And it’s attempting to entice you with, what else, Alexa. The handy virtual assistant is not only good at helping you pay your bills, but can help you spend money, too. On Wednesday, July 5, the Seattle-based retail giant announced that Alexa has more than 100 exclusive deals available to Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Amazon Tap, Fire TV, or compatible Fire tablet owners.

And those choosing to take advantage of Prime Day (which, by the way, isn’t until July 10) will have access to certain deals two hours before everyone else. So if you’re looking for a reason to buy an Amazon Alexa-enabled device, the promise of spending even more money in the near future may be the motivation you need.

Read: Prime Day starts today if you’re an Amazon Prime member and an Alexa user

Kick off your weekend with $1 movie rentals and $5 purchases at Amazon

Team Thrifter is back again, this time with some great deals on Amazon movie rentals and purchases ahead of Prime Day!

Before you know it, we will be in the midst of the Prime Day madness, but before that, we should all take some time this weekend to sit back, relax, and watch a movie. Amazon’s latest offer brings $0.99 rentals and $4.99 purchases to Prime members. The deal, as you’d expect, doesn’t cover the company’s entire library of titles, but there is quite a mix available on both the rental and purchase end of it.

Some of the titles include:

Rental

• Hangover
• Get Hard
• Blended
• Sherlock
• Full Metal Jacket

Purchases

• Apollo 13
• King Kong
• Office Christmas Party
• A Turtle’s Tale

There are a lot more titles available for both rent and purchase, so you’ll want to check out the full lists to see if anything else may be of interest for you. If you’ve yet to stream anything from Prime Video on your television before, Amazon is also offering a $10 credit when you do for the first time.

See at Amazon

Prime Day 2017 is coming! Follow along with Thrifter’s live blog to discover the best deals first!

PlayStation VR: The Ultimate Guide!

Let this be your extended user manual to all things PlayStation VR!

It wasn’t all that long ago VR was considered either something simple you added to a phone for a quick distraction or something amazingly complex for those who could afford the lengthy requirements of ownership. Sony created a compelling middle ground by doing what they do best — making something you actually want to have in your living room. PlayStation VR is a companion for your PlayStaion 4 that elevates your current games and helps you explore and entirely new way to feel like you are the character you’re playing.

Being able to fully enjoy this experience requires more than just taking one out of the box. Here’s our complete user manual for all things PSVR!

Read more at VR Heads!

Win a Samsung Galaxy S8 from Android Central Digital Offers

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is the best phone of 2017. With its stunning infinity display and gorgeous all-glass design, it’s a marvel to behold — and it can be yours thanks to Android Central Digital Offers!

Enter to win a Samsung Galaxy S8! Learn more

Right now we’re giving a way a Samsung Galaxy S8 to a lucky reader — and it could be you! It’s free to enter, so don’t delay! Valued at $724, this is quite the giveaway.

This contest is open to all legal residents of the United States who are eighteen (18) years of age or older as of the date of entry. There can only be one winner… will it be you?

Enter to win a Samsung Galaxy S8! Learn more

Nougat share rises to double digits but so many Android devices still run KitKat and below

More Android devices are being upgraded to Nougat, but the going is slow.

I love KitKats but I’m getting older now so I try not to eat them so often. I also used to love the software equivalent of the crunchy chocolate wafer treat, released in 2013, which further refined the Holo aesthetic unveiled with Ice Cream Sandwich two years earlier while paving the way for the complete visual overhaul that came with Lollipop a year later.

Now, in mid-2017, we’re approaching the release of a new Android version, 8.0 Ontbijtkoek, but the current standard, Nougat, has just reached a new milestone: a tenth of all Google Play-supported Android phones.

Android 7.x Nougat is now on 11.5% of Android devices, up 2% from the previous month. The only other version to rise in July was Marshmallow, version 6.0, which gained 0.6% to 31.8%.

Back to KitKat, though: it still runs on 17.1% of Android devices, down a percent from June but still commanding a significant portion of the world’s usage, especially when you consider Nougat slow ascent to double digits. Everything below KitKat — Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich and the Jelly Bean Trio — comprise 9.5% of Android devices combined, so it’s really KitKat we’re looking to see drop significantly over the next year.

Of course, the stats to this site skew slightly newer, since many people enthusiastically replace their phones every year, or eagerly anticipate updates and go out of their way to buy devices, like Nexuses and Pixels, that receive them first. One day we’ll do a nice chart of what the AC traffic looks like.

Until then, you can check out Google’s Android version history dashboard and mourn or cheer the state of the platform’s fragmentation, depending on your perspective.

Android Nougat

• Android 7.0 Nougat: Everything you need to know
• Will my phone get Android Nougat?
• Google Pixel + Pixel XL review
• All Android Nougat news
• How to manually update your Nexus or Pixel
• Join the Discussion

Google Assistant could learn a thing or two from Bixby Voice

Bixby’s conversational, apologetic nature helps make it one of the more humanized digital assistants out there.

Bixby Voice still isn’t live yet, even as Samsung as made plans to launch more products with it in the future. The service has officially missed its originally projected launch window, and it looks like it won’t be ready until after the Galaxy Note 8. At present, all we have to pull from is a limited preview, which I’ve been using for the past few weeks in an attempt to experience what it is Samsung’s endeavoring to do here.

The good news is that there is something to look forward to. There is relative ease in using Bixby, and once you get into the habit, the button on the side of the Galaxy S8/S8+ also starts to make sense. It’s clear what Samsung’s gunning for here is a more personalized experience to Google Assistant. It’s not as predictive or as useful in its current implementation, but the sheer fact that it’s easier to talk to may be what gives it a prominent place on the shelf of Android’s available digital assistants.

It’s as complicated as talking to a person

Interacting with Bixby is effectively like talking to a human. Whereas Google Assistant can sometimes feel robotic and overly programmed, Bixby seems like an entity with the sole purpose of learning what its user likes. In fact, every time you bark a command, it asks for feedback to ensure it’s doing precisely what you asked for.

Bixby asks for feedback to ensure it’s doing precisely what you asked for

Granted, no human is that obsessed with pleasing another, but with Bixby having trouble understanding U.S. English (hence its delay) it’s nice to be able to provide that instant feedback rather than grunting, pressing the button, and trying again. That’s how you’d solve a problem with a friend, after all; you’d forego the attitude and attempt to make amends. That’s what Bixby’s trying here, too.

With Google’s offerings, I have to think of the one command that encompasses every action I want to happen. For instance, if I wanted to play a podcast, I’d ask for it by title, and then remember to include the podcast moniker. Otherwise, the assistant won’t know which app to find to pull that media.

In theory, Bixby is supposed to be easier to control because you can talk to it in regular human syntax, without having to remember a particular order of commands. It works like this in some instances — cropping a photo, for example, or turning off the always-on display from the settings — but in some cases, it has no idea where to even begin. With Google Play Music, for example, Bixby had difficult understanding I wanted it to play a podcast. I typically use Pocket Casts for this routine, but seeing as how it’s not yet compatible with the Bixby Voice preview, I had to choose the road less traveled. That route got me nowhere, though, and I ended up tapping around to start playback myself.

The Bixby button

The Galaxy S8/S8+’s new Bixby button has been a hot topic lately, partially because there are many people out there who’d rather re-map it to do something else. I can understand why Samsung would want to discourage that, however, because that button is a significant part of the Bixby experience.

I can’t tell you how many times Google Assistant has failed to launch when I’ve uttered the command, even as I was holding it a mere few inches from my face. Because of this, I deactivated the ability to call up Assistant from either my smartphones and left that bidding to the two Google Home units in my house. At present, I only use Assistant to control my home, not to interact with my devices.

Even in its beta state, Bixby is easier to use to call on than Google Assistant.

In its beta state, Bixby is easier to use to call on than Google Assistant, even when I’m muttering. As I’m whispering to myself as I’m typing this up, it’s hearing its name and asking what it can do to help. Google would do the same, sure, but when it doesn’t hear you, there’s no alternative besides unlocking the phone and tapping around. That’s exactly where the Bixby button comes in handy.

Remember the Nextel days of yore, when you could push to talk to a friend on the same cellular network? The side button on the Galaxy S8 is effectively Bixby’s push-to-talk. You can use it with the screen off, or press it while you’re inside a compatible app to control it with just your voice. You don’t have to say “Hey, Bixby!” every time you use the phone, and you don’t have to specify the app for your command.

There’s something weirdly organic about pressing a button to talk to your phone, too — like sitting in Knight Rider’s seat, maybe? Honestly, I was too young to watch the series, but I’d imagine that feeling of being physically connected to an electronic device does something to our brains. Whatever it is, it’s what makes pressing the button second nature. Samsung should probably allow remapping until it’s officially launched, though, because without the aid of Bixby Voice it’s just a useless button.

There’s plenty of work left to do

The fact that Bixby Voice has been significantly delayed has already done plenty to sour its arrival to the world, and that’s a major shame. I see what Samsung is attempting to do here, beyond what it described in its original press release; it’s hoping to market its personable, contextual digital assistant as a compliment to Google Assistant’s robust search capabilities, rather than a replacement. Ironically, it doesn’t yet do that because it’s struggling with syntax — how can something understand the context if it can’t even verify the order of words?

Bixby Voice is not at its best in its beta state, but I still enjoyed interacting with it more than I typically do with Google Assistant precisely because it’s conversational. Hopefully, this preview period will help it get its grip on the English language. Bixby Voice is the sort of digital assistant that Android needs, and if it doesn’t take off, it can at least set an example. I imagine the pressure is on to get this product out before Google figures it all out.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ review!
• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
• Get to know Samsung Bixby
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

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