Illustrator will soon give designers up to 1,000 art boards to play with

Why it matters to you

Graphic designers will soon be able to create more designs within a single file — without affecting performance.

Adobe says that Illustrator artboards serve as an infinite canvas for designing graphics with varying shapes and sizes — and that feature is about to get even more infinite. This week, Adobe shared a sneak peek at the next version of Illustrator, which allows users to create ten times more artboards than the previous program.

In the current version of Illustrator, designers are limited to 100 artboards within a single file. With the update, that limit will be expanding to 1,000. Artboards are a sort of document within a document, a design on a separate area, but one that is not constrained by the dimensions of the previous artboard. Artboards can be printed and exported individually, or arranged within that single Illustrator file.

With the number of potential artboards now reaching all the way into four figures, the update will also include a number of new tools to manage all those boards. The company says that designers will soon be able to select multiple artboards at once to rearrange or even resize. Multiple artboards can also be organized instantly using automatic grids and columns, Adobe says.

“For designers already using numerous artboards — and those excited by the possibilities — these changes will greatly enhance your workflow,” Adobe’s Wayne Hoang shared in a blog post.

While the presence of more elements within a single document correlates with a larger file size, Adobe says that the expanded limitations won’t affect performance, crediting the change to the engineering team.

The sneak peak of Illustrator is part of a longer string of teasers from Adobe. The company has already shared that multi-colored font compatibility will also be coming to the next version of Illustrator. And last week, the software company shared a new Curvature Pen Tool that’s coming to the next version of Photoshop.

Adobe celebrated Illustrator’s 30th anniversary earlier this year, announcing at the time that 180 million graphics are now built inside the program every month. When the software first launched, it was the first program to allow graphic designers to work without extensive computer programming skills.

Adobe hasn’t shared a date yet for the Illustrator update. Illustrator CC 2017 received updates on November 2016 and April 2017, while Photoshop CC 2017 rolled out in November 2016 as well.

Newly developed artificial muscles can lift 1,000 times their own weight

Why it matters to you

Columbia University’s 3D-printed muscles may help give future robots their strength.

Call it one step closer to Terminator becoming a reality if you want, but researchers at Columbia Engineering have developed self-contained soft robotic muscles that are three times stronger than those made of natural tissue. The 3D-printed synthetic soft muscles boast a strain density (expansion per gram) that’s 15 times that of natural muscles, can lift a whopping 1,000 times their own weight, and — best of all for the cost-conscious — cost just three cents per gram to create.

The muscle-like material consists of a silicone rubber matrix and ethanol, which is distributed throughout the structure in micro-scale pockets. It doesn’t require any external pumps, pressure-regulating equipment, or high voltage converters in order to work. Instead, it requires only a low voltage to heat it enough that the ethanol in the micro-pockets boils — thereby prompting the material to expand due to the compliant nature of the silicone matrix.

“Electrically driven actuation at low voltage, along with low cost and user friendliness, may potentially revolutionize the way that soft and soft-hard robots are designed and engineered today,” Aslan Miriyev, a postdoctoral researcher in Columbia’s Creative Machines lab, told Digital Trends. “This may lead to development of low cost, nature-like soft and soft-hard robots, capable of assisting in the fields of healthcare, disasters management, elderly care, and almost any imaginable kind of assistance that people may need in their routine life, at home, on their way [to work], or at work, when robots are working side by side with humans.”

This isn’t the only example we’ve covered of soft robotic muscles. Recently, researchers in Switzerland developed a vacuum-powered robotic soft artificial muscle, capable of executing a wide range of tasks.

Next up, Aslan Miriyev said the plan for the Columbia project is to add sensing capabilities to the artificial muscle, as well as to work with computer scientists to create AI that’s able to learn how to control the soft muscles. After that? Presumably it’s just a matter of synthesizing a convincing Austrian accent, finding a leather jacket that fits, and then working out the whole time-travel thing to complete the Terminator project in style.

A paper describing the 3D-printed robot muscles was published in the journal Nature Communications.

This Canon projector is smaller than a tablet but creates an 84-inch screen

Why it matters to you

With Canon’s portable projector, having a large screen doesn’t mean you can’t pack light.

Sharing photos instantly is easy thanks to social media but short of cameras with built-in inkless printers, sharing photos with the person standing right next to you has not seen the same level of innovation. Canon, however, could be changing that with the Canon M-i1, a cord-free portable projector that can project on any blank surface and connects wirelessly to smartphones or yes, Canon cameras.

The M-i1 projects photos onto a surface for the equivalent to about a 14-inch screen at the minimum or an 84-inch screen at the maximum distance of about 9.8 feet. But the kicker here is that the projector is only about a 4-inch square that is less than an inch thick, which means something smaller than a tablet is able to create a TV-sized screen.

The M-i1 is designed for portability — so the projector can run without any wires. The internal battery lasts up to two hours and can also charge your smartphone in a pinch. As far as those images and video (or yes, even documents and slideshows), those can be stored on 4GB of internal memory. The portable projector also has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which makes it possible to share content from a smartphone or laptop without any cords.

Despite the small size, the mini projector boasts a 1,080p resolution. The projector’s brightness is rated at 701 lumens. For viewing video, a built-in monoaural speaker allows for audio too. According to the Japan-based tech publication Nikkei, the projector uses an Android operating system and can support some apps, which also allows the projector to browse the web.

The Canon M-i1 offers a lot of portability but it’s not universally available, at least not yet. The Canon M-i1 went on sale earlier in September at Canon’s online store in Japan, retailing for the equivalent of $270.

Canon has not clarified if the mini projector will see a more global rollout in the future. The portability of the device could open up potential markets in a variety of industries, from viewing photos at an on-site photo shoot to viewing images and documents at a construction site.

U.S. carriers offer free calls, texts and data after Hurricane Maria and Mexico City earthquake

Carriers are offering free calls, texts and data following Hurricane Maria and the latest Mexican earthquake.

As Hurricane Maria continues to make its way along the East Coast of the United States (after already destroying numerous Carribean islands), AT&T and T-Mobile have announced they will be waiving fees for calls and text messages sent to affected areas, as well as offering unlimited calls, texts and data to customers inside the affected regions. We have not heard if Verizon or Sprint will offer similar service, but we will update this post if and when we receive that news.

At the same time, T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon have released statements saying that customers could make free calls and/or send free text messages to Mexico following yet another deadly earthquake. AT&T also stated that Mexican customers would be able to access free calling, texting and data. Again, we will update this post if Sprint makes a similar offer.

Regardless of service fees, those with friends and family in the affected regions need to contact them and make sure they’re okay. Keep in mind that as the cellular towers are highly congested as with any natural disaster, a text is going to have an easier time getting through than a call.

Best Android browser for porn [NSFW]

When privacy and malware-blocking matter more than ever.

A lot of people want to use their phone to look at online porn. According to Pornhub’s statistics, 72% of their total traffic (SFW Pornhub stats and press blog link) comes from mobile devices. And since Pornhub is listed as the 44th most popular site on the internet, that’s a lot.

We don’t judge here. What we want is for you to get the most out of your phone, whether that be fantasy football or porn. With that in mind, let’s talk about the best Android browser for porn.

Firefox Focus

Firefox Focus is the best Android browser to use to watch pornography on your phone. But best is very subjective here, as it is in all things.

The reasoning behind this pick is that if we’re going to pick one app as best, it has to do two things better than the rest: block potentially malicious ads and leave no trace of what it was used for. By default, most online ad networks and tracking services are blocked when using Focus. The same blocking features are available in the regular version of Firefox, as well as extensions and plug-ins for a wide range of other browsers. But by doing this automatically, users won’t have to worry about any configuration or setup to make sure they are blocking bad ads and cookies.

Erasing all trace of a browsing session is also dead simple. There is a button in the bottom right corner of the app, and with a single tap, you can erase your browsing history, cookies, web logins, and any text you entered any time during a browsing session.

Firefox Focus is pre-configured to block malicious content.

In addition, Firefox Focus also has no sync abilities and won’t save bookmarks, which is a plus at a pure privacy level. Many other browsers claim to have a private mode, even Chrome. But a dedicated app with no way to talk to other apps means there is no way you can mistakenly add a bookmark or save a web search that can be seen in another browsing session.

There’s also a level of trust to be considered. I believe Google or Samsung or LG or any other company when they make a clear distinction of the things they do not monitor, but Mozilla, the company behind Firefox, has a track record of not only honoring our privacy but also advocating for it.

These things were all factored into our choice, and Firefox Focus is the best browser to use when watching porn on your Android.

Download Firefox Focus from Google Play (free)

The ‘Must-Have’ features

Firefox Focus isn’t going to be a choice for everyone. It’s a very bare-bones affair, with no tabbed browsing, no bookmarks, no way to save web logins, and none of the other extras many love to see in a web browser. You can set Focus as your default web browser, but you probably won’t. Being lean and blocking all the extra web traffic that ads can bring makes it fast and efficient, but with none of the convenience options we’re used to having it would be a chore to use full-time. The lack of these features also means it won’t be a part-time choice for a lot of people as well. Even when watching porn.

The things that make Firefox Focus private and secure also make in a chore for everyday use.

If you’re going to use a different browser, make sure you can do a few things. First and foremost, make sure you can use it without leaving any trace of where you visited, when you visited, what you typed, and where you went next. This means no local history and no tracking cookies or services are left behind, even if they are used while you’re browsing. Small files that tell a website operator information about your web usage can paint a profile which also lasts between sessions if those tracking cookies aren’t erased properly.

Second, you need a way to block ads and scripts. Not because ads suck (and yes, we know even “good” ads can be horrible sometimes) but because porn sites have been known to use ad networks that distribute malware.

Even regular ads can be a bother, but malicious porn ads can actually be harmful.

Nobody is surprised when they hear about a legitimate ad company having a piece of malware make it through the screening process. No watchdog system is perfect. But we’re talking about ads that aren’t checked for content here. Websites make a lot more money by using this type of ad network, and malware authors know the system and where to buy advertising space. While you’re not going to find a bad ad that can install an app or root your phone. You will find ads that corrupt your home page, hijack your web searches, and place bookmarks all over your home screen. You’ll also see popups trying to trick you by claiming you are already infected with malware. Unfortunately, the only way to be safe is to block as many ads and scripts as possible.

Don’t use Chrome to watch porn unless you have to.

The last thing to consider is who makes the browser you want to use. You can block everything, clean all your data when you’re finished, and be extra careful not to bookmark a page or save a login. But you can’t prevent the company who made the browser from collecting information while you’re using it. As mentioned above, I trust Google, Samsung, and other well-known names when they specifically spell out what data they do and do not collect. But not enough to use Chrome’s Incognito mode or Samsung’s private browsing or a product from any company who makes collecting your data into a business. I also suggest you don’t, either. Not when there are alternatives from other companies who don’t turn your data into a profit.

One more thing

After you’ve considered all this, the final step to go the extra mile is to use a VPN service. Your web browser can keep a website or a tracking cookie from gathering most information, but it can’t keep the site you visit and the company who supplies your internet connection from seeing your IP address. Anonymized connection logs from a single IP address aren’t necessarily damning, but they have been used by the entertainment industry to contact, and in some cases prosecute, people who illegally download music and movies.

Using any type of proxy means the website sees a connection from the proxy’s IP address, and your ISP sees a connection to a proxy server IP address. This also kills the hopes of any company who wanted to track your online habits, which makes spending a few dollars a month on a reputable VPN company well worth it.

Like we said at the top of the article, we just want to help make sure you’re safe and private when you think you’re safe and private. Being informed makes you the type of person malware authors and online spammers hate. And that’s a good thing.

We can’t use every single web browser ever written for Android. If you have a favorite you use when you need some privacy or are worried about malware, tell everyone! Taking a minute in the comments to share your configuration makes the whole discussion better.

Epic hopes ‘PUBG’-style ‘Fortnite: Battle Royale’ will tempt gamers

Epic Games’ Fortnite has been out for a while in paid Early Access, but hasn’t quite taken off in the same way that, say, Player Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG) has. The hot new indie “battle royale” title has a massive, rabid user base and an impressive sales record. It even knocked perennial chart-topper Dota 2 off the Steam charts – an impressive feat, indeed and one that developers like Epic and Rockstar are keen to reproduce.

Now, Epic Games has revealed its strategy to compete with PUBG via a standalone title set in Fortnite‘s cartoonish, building-focused, zombie-infested universe. The new game, Fortnite Battle Royale, will arrive on Xbox One, PS4 and PC on September 26th, too, beating out PUBG’s late-2017’s console release date. Better yet, Battle Royale will be free to play.

Battle Royale will dump up to 100 players into a large Fortnite map, complete with the game’s recognizable building and weapon crafting systems. The last person standing after a (hopefully) endless stream of mayhem will be declared the winner. You don’t need a copy of the original game to play, either, which could encourage a ton of players to opt into the Fortnite universe.

Epic Games promises that it won’t sell items to give anyone a competitive advantage in Battle Royale, either. “At some point in the future,” writes the company, “we will sell other things including cosmetics or compendium-like content.” The team also notes that Battle Royale will include squads, available on launch day, and that it’s working on improving the feel of “combat, controls, weapons, movement and inventory.” In addition, Fortnite itself will get some new updates like “Block Party” mode and some “spooky October content.”

Via: Polygon

Source: Epic Games

Sequel to ‘Final Fantasy’ creator’s free-to-play game launches today

Final Fantasy creator Hironubu Sakaguchi has had some good success with his action-RPG-puzzle mobile game, Terra Battle. The free-to-play sequel — Terra Battle 2 — is out on both iOS and Android, but if you want to play it, you’ll need to wait until 11:00 PM PT on September 20th, according to the in-game message you’ll get when launching the app.

Sakaguchi has had a part in several classic game franchises, including The Last Story, Chrono Trigger and Parasite Eve. The Battle 2 trailer below shows a dark world where evil has turned to stone, which unfortunately can be awakened by people with too much pureness and light. Whoops.

The cutscenes in Terra Battle 2 are pure Final Fantasy, even though this isn’t a Square Enix production, complete with an orchestral score (the first game featured a score by Final Fantasy’s Nobuo Uematsu), scantily-clad women (who can still kick all kinds of butt), and massive monsters to take on. The gameplay, however, is more abstract. It seems to be tile-based, with various character cards placed on a grid in turn-based gacha-style action. Of course, we won’t know for sure until tonight.

Via: Android Police

Source: iTunes, Google Play

Saudi Arabia lifts ban on messaging apps like Skype and Snapchat

Saudi Arabia will lift a ban on internet calls at 8PM ET today that had stood since 2013. Services that follow rules set by the country’s Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) will be allowed to operate, according to a spokesman’s statement and tweet (below).

تلبية لحاجة المستخدم :
هيئة الاتصالات تعلن عن بدء إتاحة تطبيقات الاتصالات عبر الانترنت ..#رفع_الحجب_عن_التطبيقات https://t.co/sFto1fuz0V

— عادل ابوحيمد (@CITC_SpokesMan) September 20, 2017

In the CITC spokesman’s words, the ban is being lifted to make way for more business over the internet:

This decision comes in line with the recent trends in the ICT sector; the reliance on data revenues (Internet delivery) and added services is the global trend that operators in the Kingdom should take. He added that the Authority is working with all stakeholders to provide all the telecom subscribers in the Kingdom of the finest services that meet their aspirations and satisfy their needs.

Saudi Arabia originally introduced the ban in 2013 out of wariness for services like WhatsApp and Skype, which have secure communications protocols that are difficult to externally monitor, according to Reuters. Lifting the ban will make it easier for people and businesses to operate, but it will also likely end up cutting into profits of the country’s three telecoms (Saudi Telecom Co, Mobily and Zain) which were the only providers of international phone and data calls while the ban was in place.

Via: The Verge

Source: CITC (statement)

FTC warns influencers about relying on Instagram’s ad marker

Up and coming social media stars posting sponsored content may want to take a careful look at today’s #Influencers101 Twitter chat from the FTC. The agency tried to clarify a number of issues cropping up around promotional material posted to social media, which The Fashion Law has compiled into a more easily-readable Q&A format. One answer that jumps out, however, is a note mentioning that Instagram and YouTube’s built-in notification tools may be too subtle for the FTC’s liking.

FTC staff doesn’t think that the built-in YouTube and FB tools suffice. #influencers101

— FTC (@FTC) September 20, 2017

Earlier this year a number of influencers and marketers received letters nudging them to consistently include clear markings, and it looks like that is still the rule. If you’re trying to get into the game yourself or just a viewer trying to suss out the shills from the rest, check out the FTC’s Endorsement Guides for more information.

Source: FTC (Twitter), The Fashion Law

Knightscope’s new security bot looks like a mini concept car

Robot maker Knightscope has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. Its K5 security robot took a look at the harsh world and chose to throw itself into a fountain. And a different K5 robot was attacked and knocked over by a drunk guy. But now they’ve unveiled their latest security robot, and it looks kind of like a car.

It’s called the K7, and they unveiled it at a press event this week. It’s an autonomous unit designed to handle “more difficult terrain” and to patrol larger areas like airfields — a security vehicle, as opposed to a security guard, like the K5. Its speed may only be 3 miles per hour, but it has an impressive turning radius, presumably so it can get itself out of tight spots. You can see it in action at around 9:45 in the video below (the quality of which leaves something to be desired, just as a warning). The K7’s beta prototype will start shipping in 2018.

Knightscope also showed off the K1, which is designed to replace conventional security scanners at places like airports and government buildings. Using millimeter wave tech, it works as a metal detector and can scan for concealed weapons.

These two models will bump Knightscope’s offerings to four different models. It’s clear the company thinks there is (or going to be) quite a bit of demand for these security robots, especially considering clients can rent their products at an hourly rate, rather than buying them outright.

Via: The Verge

Source: Knightscope