How to change your Gmail password in five easy steps

Want to know how to change your Gmail password? You’ve come to the right place. We know how important it is to keep yourself secure online and regularly updating your passwords is a good way to do that, but with every site and service having their own method, it’s not always easy.

The first password that most people will want to change is for their email and for many, that means Gmail. Even if the client is one of the most popular in the world, with more than a billion users as of 2016, that doesn’t mean everyone knows their way around every nook and cranny.

To fix that, we’ve put together a quick and easy guide on how to change your Gmail password in a few easy steps.

Note: The Gmail mobile app doesn’t allow users to change their password without logging in to the full browser version of the website. 

How to change your Gmail password

Step 1. Log into your Gmail account, and click the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner.

Step 2. Click “Settings.”

Step 3. Click “Accounts and Import” at the top.

Step 4: In the “Change Account Settings” section, click “Change password.”

Step 5: You’ll be prompted to re-enter your current password to confirm your identity. Next, as seen in the screen pictured below, you’ll need to enter a new password — twice (note that you can’t reuse an old password once you change it).

Your new password must consist of at least eight characters, but we would recommend using a mixture of letters (upper and lower case), numbers and special characters for maximum security. Once you satisfy these requirements, just click the blue “Change Password” button, and you’ll be good to go.

If you have trouble inputting the same password twice, clicking the little eye symbols will let you forego the stealthy asterisks and see the passwords in clear text.

If creating a super strong password makes it hard to remember, don’t forget you can always use a password manager. Here are some of our favorites.

Updated 08/29/2017 with new images.

How to remove Android malware

Is your Android device suddenly slow, using too much data, or showing corrupted data? You could have downloaded an infected app that came along with malware — or the much more obvious ransomware. Suspect apps (often promising free work software, cheat codes, new games, porn, or money) are an increasingly common method of getting viruses onto your mobile devices, where they wreak havoc and steal data.

If you can still access your Android device, your first step should be to get rid of the infected app ASAP, before it tries to infect other devices or does more damage. Here’s how to locate and remove Android malware, along with a few options for security downloads to help protect you in the future. We’re going to speak generally about consumer Android platforms here, but we also have a guide on deleting apps in stock Android which you may find useful.

Step 1: Shut down until you find out the specifics

Once you’re sure your phone is under attack by malware, hold the power button down and turn the phone fully off. It may not stop the malware from causing damage, but it can stop the problem from getting worse, and may halt ongoing malware attempts to access nearby networks.

Shutting down also gives you time to think and research. Do you know the specific infected app that brought malware onto your device? Do you know what other types of software it may have downloaded without your consent? If not, then move to another computer and look up your symptoms (as well as any new apps you tried out) to narrow down the issue. If you can’t find the app at the root of the problem, you can’t remove it!

If your research turns up nothing, you may want to turn your phone back on and skip down briefly down to step 5. Anti-malware apps can help identify what is causing your problems and will even be able to remove the infected software for you. However, it will also give your phone access to the internet again, which involves some risk.

Step 2: Switch to safe/emergency mode while you work

Flickr | Kārlis Dambrāns

When you turn your device back on and plunge back in to isolate the problematic app, switch over to safe mode first. This will help limit the damage the infected app can do.

For most Android devices, you can switch to safe mode by holding down the power button for a couple seconds once your device is on. This should bring up a few power options, including the option to switch to “safe mode,” “emergency mode” or similar wording. Choose this mode and wait for your phone to reboot before you continue.

Note: If you can’t find out what’s causing your malware problem, even after downloading a security app, this is not the time to tinker. Ask a professional for help and if you should wipe your phone. This is a good strategy if increasingly common ransomware takes over your phone and blocks your actions.

Step 3: Head to Settings and find the app

Visit Settings on your Android device. Settings typically has a gear-shaped icon, but that depends on your themes and arrangement: Search for it if you have trouble locating the right spot.

In Settings, scroll until you see the section called Apps, and enter. Look for a list of all your current apps — you may need to choose App Manager to locate the full list. Once there, scroll until you find the infected app at the center of your problems.

Select the app, and this should bring up options to Uninstall or Force close (you cannot uninstall core apps, only disable them, but these apps are unlikely to be the problem).

Step 4: Delete the infected app and anything else suspicious

Simon Hill/Digital Trends

Simply choose Uninstall, and your Android device should remove the app in question. It’s also a good idea to review your app list and uninstall other suspicious downloads — if you haven’t looked at this list before, you may be surprised at some of the odd things your device will automatically download.

Note: In some cases, you can’t uninstall the app, and the option itself will be disabled. Some of the most clever malware/ransomware will visit your administrator settings and give itself special protection to prevent this very thing. Fortunately, it’s often easy to fix. Go back to the original Settings menu and scroll down to Lock Screen and Security (or a similar corresponding section). In the Security menu, look for a section that says “Phone (Device) Administrators.” You may need to visit “Other security settings” first, depending on how your security menu is set up. In Phone Administrators, you should be able to enable the ability to remove Android malware.

Step 5: Download some malware protection

A vulnerable Android device deserves protection. There are a number of security apps you can download to help protect your phone, scan for viruses, and get rid of junk files and any potentially infected software. When you are finished manually deleting the troublesome app, download a security program to help take care of any future issues. There are many choices in this field: Try software like 360 Security, or Avast Security, or AVG Antivirus from the Google store. You can take a look at our other Android security recommendations here.

While it sounds obvious, it’s also a really good idea to keep your Android device constantly updated. Forgetting to update is one of the key risks leaving Android phones open to attack.

How to remove Android malware

Is your Android device suddenly slow, using too much data, or showing corrupted data? You could have downloaded an infected app that came along with malware — or the much more obvious ransomware. Suspect apps (often promising free work software, cheat codes, new games, porn, or money) are an increasingly common method of getting viruses onto your mobile devices, where they wreak havoc and steal data.

If you can still access your Android device, your first step should be to get rid of the infected app ASAP, before it tries to infect other devices or does more damage. Here’s how to locate and remove Android malware, along with a few options for security downloads to help protect you in the future. We’re going to speak generally about consumer Android platforms here, but we also have a guide on deleting apps in stock Android which you may find useful.

Step 1: Shut down until you find out the specifics

Once you’re sure your phone is under attack by malware, hold the power button down and turn the phone fully off. It may not stop the malware from causing damage, but it can stop the problem from getting worse, and may halt ongoing malware attempts to access nearby networks.

Shutting down also gives you time to think and research. Do you know the specific infected app that brought malware onto your device? Do you know what other types of software it may have downloaded without your consent? If not, then move to another computer and look up your symptoms (as well as any new apps you tried out) to narrow down the issue. If you can’t find the app at the root of the problem, you can’t remove it!

If your research turns up nothing, you may want to turn your phone back on and skip down briefly down to step 5. Anti-malware apps can help identify what is causing your problems and will even be able to remove the infected software for you. However, it will also give your phone access to the internet again, which involves some risk.

Step 2: Switch to safe/emergency mode while you work

Flickr | Kārlis Dambrāns

When you turn your device back on and plunge back in to isolate the problematic app, switch over to safe mode first. This will help limit the damage the infected app can do.

For most Android devices, you can switch to safe mode by holding down the power button for a couple seconds once your device is on. This should bring up a few power options, including the option to switch to “safe mode,” “emergency mode” or similar wording. Choose this mode and wait for your phone to reboot before you continue.

Note: If you can’t find out what’s causing your malware problem, even after downloading a security app, this is not the time to tinker. Ask a professional for help and if you should wipe your phone. This is a good strategy if increasingly common ransomware takes over your phone and blocks your actions.

Step 3: Head to Settings and find the app

Visit Settings on your Android device. Settings typically has a gear-shaped icon, but that depends on your themes and arrangement: Search for it if you have trouble locating the right spot.

In Settings, scroll until you see the section called Apps, and enter. Look for a list of all your current apps — you may need to choose App Manager to locate the full list. Once there, scroll until you find the infected app at the center of your problems.

Select the app, and this should bring up options to Uninstall or Force close (you cannot uninstall core apps, only disable them, but these apps are unlikely to be the problem).

Step 4: Delete the infected app and anything else suspicious

Simon Hill/Digital Trends

Simply choose Uninstall, and your Android device should remove the app in question. It’s also a good idea to review your app list and uninstall other suspicious downloads — if you haven’t looked at this list before, you may be surprised at some of the odd things your device will automatically download.

Note: In some cases, you can’t uninstall the app, and the option itself will be disabled. Some of the most clever malware/ransomware will visit your administrator settings and give itself special protection to prevent this very thing. Fortunately, it’s often easy to fix. Go back to the original Settings menu and scroll down to Lock Screen and Security (or a similar corresponding section). In the Security menu, look for a section that says “Phone (Device) Administrators.” You may need to visit “Other security settings” first, depending on how your security menu is set up. In Phone Administrators, you should be able to enable the ability to remove Android malware.

Step 5: Download some malware protection

A vulnerable Android device deserves protection. There are a number of security apps you can download to help protect your phone, scan for viruses, and get rid of junk files and any potentially infected software. When you are finished manually deleting the troublesome app, download a security program to help take care of any future issues. There are many choices in this field: Try software like 360 Security, or Avast Security, or AVG Antivirus from the Google store. You can take a look at our other Android security recommendations here.

While it sounds obvious, it’s also a really good idea to keep your Android device constantly updated. Forgetting to update is one of the key risks leaving Android phones open to attack.

Will ‘Generation Z’ spell the end of traditional terrestrial AM/FM radio?

Why it matters to you

Traditional radio may not survive the digital revolution unless the entire industry changes dramatically.

A new study from New York University paints a grim picture for the future of radio. Larry Miller, head of the Steinhart Music Business Program, says that traditional radio, by failing to adapt to the rise of digital formats, has not engaged with Generation Z — people born after 1995. He also warns that radio will continue to decline in popularity and relevance unless substantial changes are made.

The problem for the industry, in a nutshell, is that young people don’t listen to the radio. Young millennials only spend 12 percent of their listening time on radios, according to a 2016 Music Business Association study. On-demand streaming, such as Spotify or Apple, account for more than half of Generation Z’s daily listening.

People have been predicting the demise of radio forever,  but there’s no denying that the quality and selection digital music is far superior to analog FM.

There is one place where radio is still king, however – in our automobiles. According to a 2015 Nielsen report, at least once a week 245 million people tuned in to the radio. The average car was more than 11 years old in 2016, however, according to the Department of Transportation. Newer cars have more digital options, from smartphone integration to services like Sirius.

Other highlights of the report include:

• Young people aren’t discovering new music on radio: “Younger music fans are increasingly turning to sites like YouTube to find new artists and songs, leaving radio in the lurch.”
• New revenue models: “Broadcast stations pay no royalties to record labels for the use of master recordings.”
• Gaming the ratings: “Nielsen’s current system, reliant on Portable People Meters (PPMs) in top markets, fails to take into account the passion a listener feels toward specific stations [and] under-samples younger and ethnic demographic groups.”

The National Association of Broadcasters, unsurprisingly, takes issue with some of the conclusions in Miller’s report: “Millions of Americans rely on radio for information and entertainment every week. Nielsen data affirms radio’s continued vitality. In the face of a constantly shifting media landscape, radio continues to have the broadest weekly reach among all media.”

You can read the full pdf report here: Paradigm Shift: Why Radio Must Adapt to the Rise of Digital.

Don’t have a Pixel or Nexus? How to get the Oreo Launcher on any Android device

Recently, Google announced the latest version of Android called Oreo and promised to push it out to Pixel and Nexus devices. Unfortunately, for owners of other Android devices there is no telling when Oreo will be available on any other phones.

There is no need to fear, though. Some developers have figured out how to get the Android Oreo Launcher to devices it normally wouldn’t be available on. They ported the new Pixel 2.0 or Oreo Launcher to an APK file that can be installed on any Android phone. In case you are worrying, a Root is not required.

Reddit user Amir Z and another Android developer called DeleteScape were able to get this package to work on a number of Android phones that can’t normally get the update from the Play Store. Thankfully, this is not too hard to do on your own. To install the Oreo Launcher on your Android device takes a couple of easy steps, as you will see in this video.

Installation

First, you want to allow the installation of apps from unknown sources on your phone. To do this, go to Settings and tap Security. Once there, find Unknown Sources and slide the bar to the right to turn it on.

Next, go to the GitHub page at this link. Once there tap the Rootless Pixel Launcher 2.1 update and select the Launcher3-aosp-debug.apk download link. After the link downloads, tap it and then tap install.

Once the launcher is installed, tap the home button and select Always, so that Launcher3 will run every time you hit the home button. This basically sets Launcher3 as your default launcher. Then turn on notifications for Launcher3 when you are prompted.

Undo installation

Go to Settings, then open Apps. Once there find the Launcher3 app and select it. Tap Open by default and tap the Clear defaults button. When you hit the back button you will be allowed to uninstall Launcher3.

The Oreo Launcher is not that much different from the Nougat Launcher. There are small, subtle changes that make the new Oreo Launcher slightly better. Since the self-install is so easy to do, and undo, you might as well give it a try.

David Cogen, a regular contributor here at Digital Trends, runs TheUnlockr.com, a popular tech blog that focuses on tech news, tips and tricks, and the latest tech. You can also find him over at Twitter discussing the latest tech trends.

From The Editor’s Desk: Taking ‘stock’

We need to re-evaluate what we mean by “stock Android” in light of this year’s crop of Samsung phones.

On most Android sites, when you read or hear someone referring to “stock” Android, it’s usually with Google’s idea of Android in mind: clean home screen, light color scheme, and the bare minimum of accoutrements. Stock Android is also considered by many in the know to be the Platonic ideal of what Android should be, and it’s the standard bearer for all comparisons to Android skins from third-party manufacturers.

In recent years, whether through an overt campaign by Google itself or just a flattening and maturing of Material Design guidelines, most manufacturers have come to terms with differentiation as a selling point; from Samsung to Huawei, distinctiveness is looking considerably more familiar these days.

That being said, when I and many of my colleagues review a device, such as the upcoming Galaxy Note 8, we often talk about how, while the default launcher is tolerable, it’s easy to change. And if you don’t like the keyboard, here’s an alternative. The default messaging app? It sucks, here’s another one. These tend to be throwaway comments from people who don’t tend to consider the other side of the coin — again, myself included — that the vast majority of Android phone buyers (the vast majority of whom are Samsung phone buyers) don’t change any of these settings.

Given that it’s the waning days of summer, I’ve been attending baseball games, fairs, and plenty of other gatherings where it’s easy to glance at a person’s phone and the way he or she uses it. When I see an Android user, I try to make time to ask what goes into that setup process; Android is, after all, a supremely customizable operating system. Almost all of them say a variation of the same thing: “I don’t touch it.”

That’s the real “stock” Android; if you’re looking at it from the perspective of the most common shared experience, we should be referring to stock Android as that of the default Samsung experience which, while it changes from year to year and generation to generation, is generally quite different from what you’d find on the Google Pixel or devices whose skins try to mimic it.

Samsung and many other companies have tried really hard to get on the right side of Android design.

When I received my demo Note 8, I decided to follow this idea to its logical conclusion. I resisted changing the launcher to my go-to alternative, Nova Launcher, and did not download Gboard as my keyboard or Android Messages as my SMS client. In other words, I kept Google’s influence over my Samsung experience as far away as possible while trying to respect and appreciate Samsung’s decisions as much as possible. I don’t purport to think this is any sort of drastic action, but it has helped, over the last few days, understand some of the ongoing criticisms and compliments Samsung has received on its way to the most successful and influential smartphone brand in the Android space.

What’s remarkable about Samsung in 2017 is the effort it has undertaken to simplify the user experience for even the most novice of users. From the first boot to the clear and concise explanations of how its launcher and various native apps work, Samsung has done a better job than perhaps any other company, even Google, in creating a consistent experience in its apps. Everything is swipeable, from contacts within the Phone and Messages apps to tabs within the Gallery and Internet apps.

The camera app, even on the Note 8 with its second lens and its varied abilities, has stayed relatively simple, with swipe-friendly gestures between front and back cameras and the various modes. Even the Note 8’s settings menu, while deep, is fairly easy to navigate.

This achievement took Samsung a long time; just think back to the horror show of superfluous and duplicative apps, camera modes and terrible design decisions that pervaded TouchWIZ in 2013 around the release of the Galaxy S4. (There was also the awful Broadway-themed announcement itself that today still stands as one of the most tone-deaf, sexist and generally unenjoyable launch events of all time. In contrast, the Note 8’s, while slightly too long, was tasteful and respectful.)

Talking specifics for a moment, I am thoroughly impressed with the improvements to Samsung’s keyboard which, after playing with a few settings, is just about as usable as any I’ve found. Some decisions, like disabling punctuation assist by default, are vexing, but after a few days I feel no need to crawl back to Gboard, and that’s not something I would have said even a year ago. Similarly, Samsung’s browser (which has gained well-deserved recognition in recent months) has some features that I wish Google Chrome would imitate, while its Gallery app reinforces why I believe Google should separate Google Photos the service from Google Photos the local phone gallery.

It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot closer to great than ever before.

Sure, are aspects of the “stock” experience that I dislike. I find Samsung’s launcher navigation — swipe vertically to enter the app drawer and horizontally to browse them — to be unintuitive at best, and its flagrant disregard for Google’s app shortcuts feature on Android 7.1 (which the Note 8 launches with) is a wasted opportunity. I also dislike how some preloaded apps, such as Facebook, are still updated through the Galaxy Apps store even when a newer version is likely available in Google Play.

But these are minor quibbles when in years past I wouldn’t even give Samsung the benefit of the doubt. I’m glad I did, because I can review this phone the way millions of Note 8 owners are going to use it, and wean myself off the notion that “stock” — that stock, not this new version — is always best.

In other news this week:

• IFA came and went, and there were plenty of interesting announcements. I am especially fond of the LG V30, which surprised me with its thoughtful design, excellent sound features, and forward-thinking camera settings. Since my initial hands-on, I have taken hundreds of low-light photos and am concerned, as are many others, that LG’s decision to use a comparatively small sensor to minimize the reviled “bump” will come back to haunt the company. It’s not bad in low light, but even its super-wide f/1.6 aperture can’t truly compensate for pixels on the sensor roughly 12% smaller than the one on the V20 (and 40% smaller than those of the Galaxy Note 8 and HTC U11).
• I am pretty pumped about the Huawei Mate 10. The Mate 9 still gets regular rotation in my phone lineup nearly a year after its release, and given how well the Kirin 960 has aged even next to newer solutions like the Snapdragon 835, I’m very curious to see what adding a dedicated AI chip to its newly-announced Kirin 970 will do for camera quality and battery performance, not to mention gaming.
• Given my affinity for Motorola’s software experiences, I am cautiously optimistic about the Moto X4. I have no doubt the phone will perform well, and it certainly looks good, but Motorola’s history with camera quality on the X line is spotted with misses, and I worry that by doubling down on dual cameras before shipping a phone with a great single-camera experience, the fundamentals will be sacrificed. All I want is a Motorola phone with a really reliable camera.
• Disney is run by a bunch of genius marketers. This Star Wars AR collab with Lenovo is going to sell in the trillions.
• I can’t say too much yet, but I’m using an upcoming Android Wear watch that I really like. Yeah, I’m just as surprised as you.
• The iPhone 8 event is set for September 12, which means that phone(s) will likely be out on the 22nd, a week after the Note 8 hits stores in the U.S. Suffice it to say, Samsung has its marketing work cut out for it this year.
• Fantastic IFA podcast with three of the OG hosts, Andrew, Alex and Phil. Great listen.

That’s enough from me this week. If you have it off, have a wonderful and safe Labor Day, and I’ll talk to you soon!

-Daniel

Nokia 8’s dual-camera is good, but rival phones offer more

The Nokia 8 broke cover in the run-up to IFA 2017, so while it wasn’t officially launched at the show in Germany, it’s one of several phones vying for your cash ahead of a certain company’s next phone. It’s the most accomplished Android phone that Nokia has made, but with a tradition of pushing mobile imaging forward, how does it fare against the mighty cameraphone competition in 2017? We took an early device around Berlin to see how it fared.

So has Nokia kept up? It’s certainly tried to. Pairing two camera sensors together is the 2017 thing to do with flagship phones, and with the Nokia 9 it’s a combination of two 13-megapixel sensors. One deals in monochrome, the other in color. That monochrome sensor helps the phone to deal with low-light and other difficult shooting environments, while also offering the opportunity for true black and white photography — right from the source.

My monochrome shots turned to be some of my favorite images — it was a feature that several editors at Engadget also loved on Huawei’s P10. However, it doesn’t quite pack the punch of that phone, which used a mightier 20-megapixel sensor — that’s seven megapixels beyond the Nokia handset, and so images are a little flatter, a little less textured.

Mat Smith, Engadget

So how about ‘twin’ mode, which combines the input from the two sensors all at once? They’re good, but not stellar. Damning with faint praise perhaps, but while some pictures came out wonderfully, I was often disappointed by either the dynamic range (blue skies would wash out anything else in frame), or underperforming focus. Many of the test shots you see here are my “best” ones: 13 megapixels should be more than enough for crisp shots, but the Nokia 8, despite those Zeiss lenses, delivered merely good images — not great. Color accuracy was generally good, but I felt many of my images were a little muted compared to reality, even with HDR mode turned on. A sunny day in Berlin is the chance for a smartphone to shine, but my photos don’t seem to show that. This was further compounded when comparing the results against LG’s V30 in similar conditions.

Mat Smith, Engadget

Also, after being spoiled with the camera app control options of Nokia’s Lumia phones years ago, the lack of true manual controls and tweaks was also disappointing. There are three focus modes: include center-weighted, evaluative — which generally involves face detection — and old-fashioned auto, while there’s similarly limited options for focal range photography. Macro, infinite distance and auto are your three only options. And that software-driven bokeh mode that we’re seeing on most smartphones with two lenses? The Nokia 8’s interpretation of it is just not that good. It typically smeared objects outside of the main area of focus, and usually neglected to take into account the details of, say, the stag statue antlers.

That’s not to say there’s nothing to play with inside the camera app. The simple control UI includes the ability to combine the front facing camera with the rear-facing duo for simultaneous photos and video. This is what a “bothie” is made out of.

The good parts: The cameras on both the front and back use the same resolution, so your images don’t look particularly uneven. There were, however, times when the front-facing camera struggled with changes in lighting. The biggest problem was the physical challenge of lining up what you’re trying to capture. I took some “bothie” video as we drove around the Berlin Victory Column during the photography testing, and it was hard to balance capturing both the building and myself in the back of the car. You could say that’s fine for rough-and-ready live broadcasts, but it’s difficult to make anything look particularly good. A wider-angle lens on the front facing camera would have alleviated things.

And about that livecasting: Nokia added the ability to livestream directly from the camera app to YouTube or Facebook — which is a smart idea. However, when trying it out, I barely seemed to notice that hyped-up Nokia OZO-branded audio recording. Despite promises of 360-degree directional audio, and three microphones embedded inside the phone, the quality was pretty rough. My voice blasted out on Facebook, while video compression wrecked the quality of the video. This isn’t completely the fault of the Nokia 8: phone signal quality and Facebook’s own compression tricks are all involved. But the point is that I don’t want to share something that sounds grating and looks muddy. What’s the point in that?

Another issue I had was the delay in switching between the two sensors on the back of the Nokia 8. This was an problem with several of the first wave of dual-lens camera phones last year, but most have figured out how to speed up this transition. We got to test this Nokia 8 ahead of its retail launch in Europe, so there is the chance that the company can tweak some of these issues through software updates. At this point, there’s certainly plenty for the engineers to work on.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

You can pay at a restaurant by smiling at a camera

As easy as it is to make purchases in the era of tap-to-pay services, it’s about to get easier still. Alipay (which handles purchases for Chinese shopping giant Alibaba) has launched what it says is the first payment system that uses facial recognition to complete the sale. If you visit one of KFC’s KPRO restaurants in Hangzhou, China, you can pay for your panini or salad by smiling at a camera-equipped kiosk — you need to verify the purchase on your phone, but you don’t have to punch in digits or bring your phone up to an NFC reader.

The system (Smile to Pay) is purportedly resistant to spoofing with photos and other tricks. It relies on both depth-sensing cameras and a “likeness detection algorithm” to make sure it’s really you. Reportedly, the technology is good enough that it can accurately identify people even when they’re disguising themselves through makeup or wigs. You shouldn’t have to worry about someone buying lunch on your dime just because they look vaguely similar, in other words.

It won’t be surprising if this payment system spreads in China, but don’t expect to see it gain much ground elsewhere. Countries like the US have stricter rules on biometric data, and there’s frequently greater stigmas around handing face data to someone else. Not everyone feels comfortable handing face data to a payment giant, even if they know the data should be kept secure. Still, this could represent the future of fast payment (or a commonplace option) in some parts of the world.

Source: SCMP

The LG V30 is better for video recording than photography

LG has made a name for its V series by stuffing the phones with top-notch multimedia recording features, and its latest addition takes this much further than before. The new V30, unveiled here at IFA 2017, is the first smartphone to offer a glass lens with a f/1.6 aperture, and offers nifty video-recording tools that should excite aspiring Spielbergs. To see if it really lives up to LG’s promises, I took the V30 around on a trigger-happy tour of Berlin’s Tier Garden, and found it a versatile, powerful camera (at least, in daylight). In fact, its filmmaking features made me feel like I could pass for a somewhat experienced director.

Thanks to its glass lens with f/1.6 aperture, the V30 captured impressively bright, vibrant and crisp pictures at Berlin’s Tiergarten one sunny morning. My close-up shots of flowers in the rose garden came out clear, and I was taken by the striation details in the petals even when I zoomed in on the picture afterwards to beyond 100 percent. That wide aperture also helps in low-light conditions, allowing the V30 shoot in the dark with relative ease. My pictures of Berlin streets at night were accurately colored and clear, although I still noticed noise in pictures that were taken in extremely dark places.

The wide angle lens came in particularly handy when I tried to shoot all of the Victory Column and the round island it sits on. By tapping a button at the top of the viewfinder, I switched over to the 13-megapixel wide-angle sensor and immediately gained extra room on either side of the scene. The problem with the wide-angle lens is that it’s less adept at managing dynamic range than the regular camera, so my pictures often had blown-out skies and dark shadows.

In fact, I’ve found that both of the V30’s rear cameras tended to slightly overexpose. This generally happened in pictures with large dynamic range (i.e. very dark areas as well as very bright spots in the same scene), which can usually be addressed by HDR software. Auto-HDR is conveniently enabled by default on the V30. However, it caused some strange discoloration on the pictures — clouds appeared purple, while the side of my colleague’s face had green streaks along his hairline.

Dynamic range wasn’t the V30’s only weakness. LG’s software also appeared to be oversharpening pictures, causing pixelated edges in some situations. In particular, images shot in low light sometimes appear muddy. So far it’s hard to tell the conditions that are causing this artifact, and since the device I was using has pre-production software, it’s possible that this could be addressed before the phone ships to consumers.

These issues are minor compared to some of the benefits you get with the V30, though. The biggest advantage is LG’s new Cine Video mode, which lets you shoot moody, cinema-quality videos with the phone. I didn’t care very much for the filters when I first saw them at a briefing in New York, but after trying them at the majestic staircase in our hotel’s lobby, I have to admit I’m impressed. The footage of Engadget’s senior editor Dan Cooper walking down the steps looked suitably dramatic when I shot it with the “Summer blockbuster” filter applied, and took on a nostalgic tone reminiscent of an old-school mafia movie with the “Noir” option selected.

The highlight of Cine Video is the new “Point zoom” feature, that lets you pick any part of the frame to focus on. Then, when you drag the onscreen zoom slider to get close to your subject, the V30 will keep your selected area centralized. I really dug this feature for the flexibility and convenience it affords an aspiring filmmaker. Another V30 offering that’s a nice touch for videographers is the ability to save your files in Cine Log format, which gives you more room to tweak your color profiles after exporting them to your computer.

Selfie aficionados like myself may be underwhelmed by the V30’s relatively low-res front camera. Its 5-megapixel sensor is not as sharp as the competition, but it still delivered vivid selfies with adequate detail. I puckered up next to a statue of a moose in the park, and the V30’s front camera captured individual strands of my hair, as well as fur patterns on the moose.

The portraits were also exposed evenly: my selfie with the Victory Column behind me rendered a deep blue sky, puffy white clouds in the background, while my face and the golden statue were just as clear. I also appreciated the wide-angle mode on the front camera, too, which let me squeeze in two more colleagues in a group-fie from the back of a cab. In that picture, though, details like my hair and my colleagues’ stubbled faces were muddy, most likely due to motion blur.

My time with the V30 so far has left me inspired to record more video and landscapes. Its still photography is respectable, although Samsung and Apple’s flagships deliver similar, if not better, quality shots in general. Still, few devices come close to offering the suite of powerful video tools that LG does with the V30 — owning the niche it has carved out.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

Tim Cook Says 250 Apple Employees Are ‘Dreamers’ as Donald Trump’s Decision on DACA Nears

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Sunday tweeted that Apple employs 250 so-called “dreamers,” or individuals who were brought to the United States at a young age when their parents or guardians illegally immigrated to the country.

Image: Nicholas Kamm/Associated Free Press/Getty Images
“I stand with them,” said Cook. “They deserve our respect as equals and a solution rooted in American values.”

250 of my Apple coworkers are #Dreamers. I stand with them. They deserve our respect as equals and a solution rooted in American values.

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 3, 2017

Cook’s tweet comes shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce whether he will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program as he promised.

Last week, Cook and around 300 other business leaders signed an open letter urging Trump to preserve the program, and to pass the bipartisan DREAM Act or similar legislation as a permanent solution.

DACA allows many illegal immigrants, who entered the United States at age 16 or under, to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and eligibility for a work permit in the country.

The program was created by way of an executive order signed by former President Barack Obama in 2012.

Trump vowed to end DACA during his presidential campaign, but he later admitted it would be a tough decision. Trump said young individuals enrolled in the program will be treated with “great heart.”

If the program is ended, nearly 800,000 undocumented young individuals that fall under its protections would have the right to work legally until their two-year work permits expire, according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.

“Employment Authorization Documents (EADs), also known as work permits, are generally valid until they expire or the government demands they be returned,” it said in an advisory posted to its website last week.

It’s unclear if U.S. immigration authorities would then target those individuals for deportation, but it’s certainly the feared outcome among those protected. Trump’s decision is expected to be announced by Tuesday.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: Tim Cook, Donald Trump
Discuss this article in our forums