Bye bye Bixby: Samsung will let you disable AI button on the Galaxy S8

Why it matters to you

Frustrated by the Bixby Key on your Galaxy S8? Samsung has added the option to disable it in a new software update.

Owners of the Galaxy S8 will no longer be frustrated by pressing the button on the side of the phone and accidentally waking up Samsung’s artificially intelligent assistant, Bixby. A software update being sent out to devices with the Bixby button, adding an option under the settings menu to disable it. Once activated, Bixby can’t be summoned using the button, which is awkwardly placed below the volume keys on the Galaxy S8, and is easily pressed instead.

While this will be welcomed by those who haven’t found a use for Bixby yet, it does leave a pointless button sitting idle on the side of the phone, and the update doesn’t introduce the chance to re-assign it to a different feature. Samsung has been opposed to such customization, and has actively blocked third-party workarounds in the past. There is a chance the ability to turn off the button will lead to adding such a feature officially in the future; but this is speculation on our part at the moment.

How do you wave goodbye to Bixby? It’s important Bixby and the Bixby Home apps are up to date, so check if any updates are available in the Galaxy App Store before looking for the option. To find the toggle for the Bixby button, open Bixby and select the Settings icon. From there, you should immediately see the toggle to stop Bixby from activating when pressing the button. Samsung has also added the option to the Bixby Key menu under Android Settings.

The change was highlighted on Reddit, and has been spotted by Galaxy S8 owners across the world, including in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Because both Bixby apps must be updated, it may take a while for the new software to arrive globally, so be patient if it’s not available on your phone yet. The Galaxy Note 8 also has a Bixby Key, and should also have the option to disable it.

If, after stopping the Bixby Key from working, you miss the virtual assistant; it’s easy to bring Bixby back either by swiping to the Bixby Home screen, or with your voice. Provided Voice is available where you live, it should have been set up the first time you used Bixby after the feature was added, and saying “Hey Bixby” should see the assistant pop up.

What’s your favorite phone camera right now?

The old adage of “the best camera is the one you have with you” is still true.

Phone cameras come in all shapes and sizes, and everyone has a preference. Increasingly, dual cameras have spiced up the features of our favorite phones, adding telephoto, wide-angle and monochrome options for just the right moment.

When it comes to the Android Central team, we all have our favorites. Here are our favorite phone cameras right now, and why.

Andrew Martonik

This is a tough one because there are so many great smartphone cameras out there right now and each one has specific strengths for specific situations. But if I had to pick just one, based on the camera experience alone, it’d be the LG G6 right now.

The main camera can absolutely hang with the best of ’em in terms of photo quality and speed, but the real thing that puts it over the top is that secondary wide-angle camera. It takes such a unique shot and gives you a new perspective to show off that you don’t see anywhere else. Every time I use another phone I wish it had a wide-angle camera, and I think that shows just how much I like what the G6 offers.

Russell Holly

While the Galaxy S8 is my daily driver right now for a couple of different reasons, the camera on the Pixel stands out as my favorite still. That camera has surprised me more times than any other phone camera I have ever used, especially when I go to view the photos later on a larger screen. The depth captured by HDR+ is exceptional, especially in low light.

I’m still happy I have that S8 camera close by when I want to take something fast, but there have been multiple occasions where I’ve taken a photo on this phone and wished I had brought the Pixel with me instead on that particular outing.

Harish Jonnalagadda

I love the camera on the Galaxy S8. It’s the camera’s reliability that won me over more than anything else: no matter the situation, you’re guaranteed to get a decent shot the first time around. That makes all the difference in the world when you’re trying to take a photo of a fleeting moment. Samsung also put in a lot of effort into its camera app, and the slow-motion mode is particularly interesting.

The one issue I have with the S8 camera is that the quick launch feature — which lets you open the camera by double pressing the power button — is disabled on the Indian variant. Samsung instead added a panic button that calls emergency services once you press the power button three times in quick succession.

Ara Wagoner

Seeeeeeeeeeedssssssss

I have significantly less experience with most Android cameras than my colleagues, but I am in possession of a Google Pixel and a Samsung Galaxy S8, which are two of the best cameras on the Android market right now. The Google Pixel is my daily driver, and I am in love with that special kind of stabilization magic it works, but if I need the absolute best photo I can get, I’m reaching for the S8.

The Galaxy S8’s photos have truer colors, is quicker to focus and more importantly, better keeps focus while I’m fumbling around trying to get pictures for my articles. I’m not sure if it’s just that I love the immersive camera app that Samsung uses, or that I seem to get faster, richer photos when I reach for the S8, but even though I can’t carry the S8 everywhere, I still reach for it as a camera when I can.

Marc Lagace

I’ve spent a decent amount of time messing around with arguably the best Android smartphone cameras: the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Google Pixel. Throughout the summer I swapped between the two as I checked out music festivals, took pictures of my food for Instagram, and took a ton of cat photos (yes, I’m quite comfortable being a cliche millennial.)

Both cameras are amazing and were quick and easy to use in nearly every situation, yet I always find myself coming back to the Pixel in the end. I think it just comes down to Google offering a slightly cleaner interface with less bells and whistles — pretty sure I’ve only ever accidentally used Samsung’s Snapchat copycat filters. Oh, and also Google lets you backup all your photos at full-resolution to Google Drive for no charge. Nearly forgot that bit.

Daniel Bader

There’s just something about shooting with the Galaxy S8 that I love. It doesn’t always capture the very best photo in a given lighting situation, but it captures the near-best photo most of the time, and to my eyes, that’s preferable to a camera that captures, say, amazing low-light photos but isn’t always reliable all other times.

I also love that Samsung has put so much work into its camera app: it opens quickly, snaps instantly, and most importantly, generally makes the right decision for shutter speed and exposure, which isn’t something I can take for granted on other devices. It’s also got a pretty fantastic manual mode should I want it, and the stabilized video, while not quite at Pixel levels, does a great job.

Jerry Hildenbrand

This is a tough call. I think the HTC U11 takes some incredible photos and the phone itself is easier for me to hold without fingers or hair or anything else ending up in front of the lens. But I think the Pixel takes incredible photos and as a bonus, I can automatically upload them all at full resolution and quality to Google Photos without it cutting into my storage space.

The newest phones from Samsung, LG, HTC, and Google all take really nice pictures. Nice enough for just about anyone. But the extras count, too. Taking a picture is supposed to be fun and easy and If I’m picking just one I’ll go with the U11. It just gets the job done the way I like it done. I can get a great picture just by tapping the button, or I can dig into the settings if I like. Both give excellent results.

The Morning After: Monday, September 18th 2017

Monday is back, with a vengeance. Over the weekend, people have unearthed NES games inside the Switch, and MIT researchers are cramming a bunch of vaccines into a single jab. So, this morning it’s a little bit of the past and a wee bit of the future, all tied up in a bow.

Tinkerers even managed to play the game using the console’s Joy-Con motion controls.
Nintendo’s Switch is secretly hiding a copy of NES ‘Golf’

Nintendo has promised to revive the NES Classic Edition in 2018, but that Switch console of yours might offer some gaming moments of yesteryear to pass the time until then: Nintendo’s latest console may carry a NES emulator. Hackers have found the system wrapped around an existing game hidden inside the Switch. The title in question is dubbed FLOG, and it looks just like Golf (the 1984 sports sim for the NES).

It struggled to compete with the ‘Overwatch’ juggernaut.
‘Battleborn’ is winding down months after going free-to-play

Battleborn’s move to a free-to-play model wasn’t enough to keep things going. Gearbox has revealed that it’s winding down work on the hero-based team shooter as the studio shifts its focus to a “highly anticipated” (but unnamed) project. No more content, including skins and balance patches, is planned after the upcoming fall update, creative director Randy Varnell says. The servers will stick around “for the foreseeable future,” so you can still play — it’ll just remain relatively static. Mostly likely, you can blame Overwatch.

The streaming music company apparently values its independence.
A Chinese tech giant tried to buy Spotify

Spotify allegedly rejected a buyout bid from Tencent, the Chinese internet giant behind WeChat, earlier in 2017. Reportedly, Tencent saw Spotify as an opportunity to expand its streaming music influence beyond China, where it thrives through its own streaming services.

It can release doses in a child’s body months or even years later.

It can release doses in a child’s body months or even years later.

Dream of a single childhood jab and all the vaccine benefits? A team of MIT engineers is working on it. They’ve created a method that allows a single injection to carry enough doses for the first one to two years of a child’s life, with each dose released at a specified time. The secret is microscopic ‘coffee cups’ made of PLGA, a biocompatible polymer used in prosthetics.

But wait, there’s more…

• Nikon is making a full-frame mirrorless camera
• Meet Rembrandt in this Samsung Gear VR experience
• Recommended Reading: Why Cassini had to be destroyed

Galaxy S8 owners can finally disable the Bixby button

I really dig my Galaxy S8 smartphone, but for one thing: the incredibly annoying Bixby assistant. Now, Samsung will let you disable the dedicated Bixby key, making it much harder to summon the helper by accident, as Sammobile noticed. As for what purpose that key can serve after you disable Bixby, the answer, for now, seems to be… nothing. Last we checked, Samsung had “no plans” to allow you to remap it, but maybe now it’s changed its mind.

I’m not alone in my dislike of Bixby, which is impossible to completely deactivate and tries to impose itself on your life at inopportune moments, like when you’re trying to, say, take a picture. My colleague Devindra, in testing the app for our “Life with AI” series, said that even after extensive training “it would still have the occasional brain fart that made me want to throw my phone out a window.”

Bixby is all the more galling considering that my phone already has Google Assistant, which, along with Alexa, is about the best AI helper out there. I get that Samsung is trying to be more than just a hardware supplier, but so far, none of its apps have really caught on, and Bixby doesn’t appear to be an exception to that rule.

Now that the button is free (yes, I immediately disabled it), I’d love to use it for my camera or another purpose, so hopefully Samsung will allows us to do that soon. Sammobile notes that Bixby key de-activation hasn’t arrived for everyone. But as the image above shows, I’ve received it in France, which is usually the last place to get updates. If you don’t see it yet, be patient and it should arrive soon.

Kevin Hart made a family-friendly mobile game

Kevin Hart cultivates a brand of relentless positivity.

The comedian and actor makes motivational Snapchats from the gym at 5:30AM, trumpets his Laugh Out Loud streaming network as a place for upcoming, multicultural performers and repeats the mantra “live, love, laugh” without any irony. Like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, he’s created a tirelessly optimistic public image that cuts across race, class and mediums, and it’s taken Hart straight to the Forbes list of highest paid comedians.

His new mobile game, Gold Ambush with Kevin Hart, looks like another piece of that upbeat empire. Featuring Hart, his wife Eniko, as well as children Heaven and Hendrix as playable characters, the game is a Temple-Run-meets-Clash-of-Clans combination in a medieval setting. It’s light on violence and big on Hart’s wide, cartoony grins. It should play right into his brand. But just days after issuing an emotional apology on Instagram to his wife and kids following rumors of infidelity — as reported by TMZ — the timing is poor.

“I’m making the game fun but I’m also making it family-friendly without forcing that down people’s faces,” he told Engadget in an interview conducted before his public confession. “It’s a game for everybody.”

The game was made by StandUp Digital, a self-described “celebrity mobile entertainment company” that Hart is a partner in, spun off from app developers Pinxter Digital.

As a game, Gold Ambush is not groundbreaking. Its mechanics mirror the endless runner, world building and tower defense games which overcrowd app stores. Pinxter says there will be inside jokes from Hart’s stand-up performances thrown in. But the key value-add is the mere presence of Hart, a man with 54.5 million Instagram fans, whose star is still rising.

Asked what’s different about this game, Hart responds: “What’s unique about this one is that you’ll be able to play with me and my family. You can pick me. That’s how you win. Cheat code: Kevin Hart.”

Hart says he’s been a gamer from the days of Super Mario Bros. on the NES as is a fan of the Madden NFL and NBA 2K series. His kids, meanwhile, are “big Minecrafters.” Recently, he’s been playing Mortal Kombat with his son.

“He’s big on the fighting games so he destroys me, but as a dad, you’ve got to sit there and just take it,” Hart says. “Talks trash to me the whole time, doesn’t teach me moves or nothing. But it’s good, it’s a good time.”

Has his knowledge of gaming helped with becoming a partner in a mobile entertainment company?

“Not at all,” Hart says. “This is a completely different world that I’m now getting educated on.”

Mobile gaming lines up with another aspect of Hart’s brand. Aside from being a fountain of energy and optimism, Hart portrays himself is as a business mogul who started stand-up comedy at 18 and is now building an entertainment empire. He’s far from the first celebrity to slap their name on a smartphone game, and even dabbled in a Doodle Jump-style app in 2011. But it wasn’t until last year that mobile gaming overtook PC and console gaming for the first time with revenues set to reach $46.1 billion — 42% of the gaming market — in 2017, according to Newzoo.

When our conversation turns to the amounts of cash in the sector right now, with games like Mobile Strike with Arnold Schwarzenegger delivering massive revenues, Hart lights up.

“It’s a lot of money. This is why I’m over here in the gaming world” he says, chuckling. “Welcome Kevin Hart. This is why I’m here. I want some of that. I want to do what they did.”

Google Launches ‘Tez’ Mobile Payments Service in India for Android and iOS

Google today launched a new mobile payment app in India that allows users to connect their bank accounts directly to the service and employs ultrasound technology in lieu of an NFC chip to transfer money between devices.

Called Tez (Hindi for “fast”), Google’s new payment platform links customers’ bank accounts to Android and iOS via the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), a state-backed payments system. Google has partnered with State Bank of India, the country’s biggest lender, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and Axis Bank, with 55 banks in total said to be supporting the service across India.

Tez uses a technology called audio QR that allows mobile users to transfer cash between devices using an inaudible ultrasonic frequency to identify the payer and payee. The system works with any mobile device with a mic and speaker and the Tez app installed, and therefore doesn’t require an NFC chip.

India is home to 300 million smartphone users, but most handsets in the country don’t feature NFC, so Google’s audio QR solution is being marketed as a secure mainstream alternative. Apart from typical mobile transactions to pay for everyday items, Google says small businesses can also use the app to accept payments into their bank accounts, with payments from mobile merchants supported, too.

According to Bloomberg, digital transactions have surged after the Indian Government banned high-value cash notes in 2016. Tez is available on both Android and iOS, and Google plans to release the app in other emerging countries including Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. Apple has yet to launch Apple Pay in any of the aforementioned countries and is still negotiating with the Indian government about bringing its own mobile payment system to the country. Apple Pay Cash, Apple’s peer-to-peer mobile payment feature, is set to launch in the U.S. with the official release iOS 11 this month.

Tags: Google, India, Tez
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Huawei Ad Teases ‘The Real AI Phone’, Mocks Facial Recognition in Clear Dig at Apple

Chinese mobile maker Huawei has taken to trolling Apple in a new Facebook ad that pokes fun at the iPhone X’s neural engine and urges people to wait for “the real AI phone” – a reference to its upcoming flagship smartphone, the Mate 10, set to debut next month.

The short ad takes aim at Apple’s Face ID feature on the new iPhone X, and uses a jaunty clown emoji animation on a smartphone display to imply that unlocking the device using facial authentication is prone to failure.

The tagline accompanying the ad reads, “Let’s face it, facial recognition isn’t for everyone. Unlock the future with #TheRealAIPhone. 16.10.2017”. Apple famously had to defend itself against doubts about Face ID after a live onstage demo of the technology appeared to backfire.

As reported previously, Huawei’s Mate 10 is the first phone in the company’s line-up to feature the Kirin 970 AI mobile chipset, which has a built-in neural processing unit that utilizes machine learning, making it “20 times faster” than a traditional processor, according to the company.

The Kirin 970 is based on the same 10-nanometer technology as Apple’s latest A11 Bionic processor found in the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. Like the A11, the new Huawei chip is also said to be more energy efficient, especially when it comes to handling AI-related functions such as image and voice recognition.

Huawei surpassed Apple’s global smartphone sales for the first time in June and July, according to analysis by consulting firm Counterpoint Research, overtaking the U.S. tech giant as the world’s second biggest smartphone brand. This appears to have boosted the Chinese mobile maker’s confidence that its Mate 10 is the genuine frontrunner to rival Apple’s $999 smartphone, particularly in a Chinese market dominated by inexpensive, high-spec alternatives.

Related Roundup: iPhone X
Tags: China, Huawei
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Waze Update for iOS Lets You Easily Control Spotify From Within Navigation App

Waze and Spotify today announced that an update previously launched on Android smartphones is now making its way to iOS devices, bringing Spotify music playback controls right into Waze’s crowd-sourced navigation app. Conversely, you’ll also be able to start Waze’s GPS navigation from within the Spotify iOS app.

As long as the two apps are installed and you agree to link both accounts together, you’ll gain access to a subset of Spotify controls in Waze. At the top of the navigation screen there will be a small Spotify icon, which you can tap to access playback controls, change playlists, and jump directly to Spotify.

Waze said that safety remains a priority with today’s update, encouraging drivers to keep their iPhone docked with the app open nearby to focus on the road. Both Waze and Spotify mentioned that the new integration should help further combat distracted driving, thanks to a few streamlined features that reduce the need to toggle between multiple apps. These include automatic music playback when Waze navigation begins, only letting you browse playlists when the car is stopped, and more.

Finlay Clark, UK head of Waze, says: “We are delighted to team up with Spotify to create a new function that allows iOS Wazers to enjoy their favourite music, while being re-routed around traffic in real- time.

“Safety is our priority at Waze. By discouraging drivers from tapping their device to switch between apps while on the move, we believe this partnership presents a valuable way for drivers in the UK to use their favourite technologies whilst concentrating fully on the road ahead.”

Although the announcement came out of Waze’s United Kingdom office, the company confirmed that its integration with Spotify is beginning to roll out globally today in markets that support both apps.

Both Waze and Spotify are available to download on the iOS App Store for free.

Tags: Spotify, Waze
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Nintendo’s Switch is secretly hiding a copy of NES ‘Golf’

Much to the joy of its acolytes, Nintendo recently promised to revive the NES Classic Edition in 2018. But, the nostalgia trip doesn’t end there. As it turns out, the company’s latest console may carry a NES emulator. Hackers have found the system wrapped around an existing game hidden inside the Switch. The title in question is dubbed “FLOG,” and it looks just like Golf (the 1984 sports sim for the NES).

This is our first glimpse of the fabled NES emulator, despite talk of its existence dating back months. And, judging by the screenshots, it comes with support for the Switch’s Joy-Con motion controls. Hacker “yellowS8” claims the feature has been lurking inside the system since version 1.0 of its firmware. As for how you can access the app, well that remains a mystery. Yellows8 claims it had to be run “unofficially” for the screenshots to be taken.

Nintendo insists that a Virtual Console is coming to the Switch. And, this so-called emulator could well be an indication of its existence. However, the company has yet to confirm if it will work with its Joy-Con controllers. Notably, no prior NES ROMs have boasted motion controls, even during the Wii U era.

Regarding controls: originally only tested with buttons, tested again just now and motion is supported too.

— yellows8 (@ylws8) September 17, 2017

For now, it’s probably best to take the news with a pinch of salt. Mainly because there’s no official word from Nintendo. We reached out to the company, but it looks like it’s keeping quiet about the matter. In the meantime, you can get your nostalgia fix from the SNES Classic Edition, or hold out for the return of the NES Classic Edition next year.

Source: SwitchBrew, Yellows8 (Twitter)

Al Jazeera’s Snapchat channel blocked in Saudi Arabia

Al Jazeera’s Snapchat presence is the latest casualty in the ongoing diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its neighbors in the Middle East. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Snap has blocked the news outlet’s channel in Saudi Arabia. Al Jazeera is describing the ban as “an attempt to silence freedom of expression.”

The removal is part of an altogether bigger threat facing the Qatari media company. As part of their charge against the country of supporting extremist groups, a cluster of nations are clamping down on Qatar’s business operations. This diplomatic blockade — issued by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen, the UAE, Bahrain, and the Maldives — extends to Al Jazeera. They want the broadcaster shut down. Thus far, however, Qatar has not ceded to their demands. Snap, on the other hand, claims it did not have a choice.

According to the company, it must “comply” with local laws in the countries it operates in. Like other tech giants before it, it is now facing a dilemma. On the one hand, it’s trying to beef up its global expansion in an effort to catch up with its bigger rivals (including Facebook-owned Instagram). But, it also has to balance its pursuit of new users with issues of censorship and free speech in local markets. This year alone, we’ve seen Apple cave to respective app takedown requests from Iran and China.

Snap also won’t want to alienate news outlets, which it relies on to keep its Discover media section stocked up. Along with its push into original video, news programming is the company’s other major pursuit. In recent months, it’s tapped the likes of CNN, NBC, and a bunch of college newspapers to provide content for its app. Snap claims that Al Jazeera will still be able to post messages on its service, and that its channel is available in 14 other Middle East countries.

Source: The Wall Street Journal