SmartHalo will turn any bike into a smart bike with navigation, fitness tracking

Why it matters to you

If your regular, old bike isn’t doing enough for you, the SmartHalo brings onboard navigation, fitness tracking, anti-theft features, and more.

We have seen a number of smart bikes hit the market in recent months, bringing some impressive capabilities such as GPS tracking, navigation, and fitness monitoring, along with them. But, for those of us who are quite happy with our existing rides, trading in our bikes for a new model isn’t always an option. Thankfully, a new device called the SmartHalo promises to deliver many of those same features to just about any bike on the road.

The SmartHalo connects to most handlebars using a modular system that allows the device to be snapped into place whenever you’re ready to ride, yet it is easily removed when you reach your destination. When locked into the bike mount, the actual brains of the SmartHalo can only be extracted using a special HaloKey that is custom-made for each individual. If a would-be thief attempts to take the gadget — or steal the bike it is attached to — it will set off a high-pitched alarm, alerting everyone in the vicinity.

The device pairs with a smartphone using an app for iOS and Android. That app provides turn-by-turn navigation by illuminating a series of LED lights embedded along the outside of the Halo itself. Those lights turn on and off to indicate when it is time to make a turn, and in which direction, allowing riders to know exactly where they are going at a glance. In a separate compass mode, the device only provides an indication of the general direction in which a destination can be found, encouraging riders to explore new routes to get to where they are going.

Other features include fitness tracking for distance, speed, calories burned, and other metrics. The SmartHalo also alerts riders to incoming phone calls and text messages so they won’t miss an important contact, and it even comes equipped with lights that automatically switch on when it gets dark and turn themselves off when the ride is over. Its rechargeable battery is good for about 20 hours before requiring a recharge.

Perhaps the best part of the SmartHalo is that it is available now for $149. Additional bases for use on more than one bike can be purchased for an additional $29 as well. To find out more, visit smarthalo.bike.

Best Samsung Gear VR games with controller support

What Gear VR games need a controller?

Samsung built the Gear VR so it didn’t have to rely on a separate controller, and most of the time that is awesome. The touch panel on the side of the headset lets you move around quickly and swipe to perform many different actions in apps and games, and it’s a lot of fun. Sometimes, either because you don’t want a single arm getting tired from playing for an extended period of time or because you want to be a little more discreet, a controller is what you need.

Here’s a quick look at the games we like best when played with a Gear VR controller in hand, so you can have more fun in VR for longer.

Read more at VR Heads

How to disable icon notification badges on the Galaxy Note 8

This could be your favorite feature … or it could annoy you every single day.

Notification badges are a small but divisive feature that has sparked many an argument among smartphone users. Many users, particularly anyone who’s used an iPhone, greatly appreciate seeing that little circle on their app icons indicating the number of unread notifications. Notification badges have had a spotty but improving past on Android, and listening to demand, Samsung includes this feature in the Galaxy Note 8 — but it isn’t perfect, as not every app supports the pre-Oreo notification badge system Samsung uses.

No matter which side of the issue you fall on, we can all agree that having a setting in the phone to turn off these icon badges would be a beneficial thing. Unfortunately, Samsung doesn’t give us such a setting, so we have to go our own way.

To get this done, we have to start by installing an app from the Play Store. The app we’ve used with success is called BK Package Disabler (Samsung) — it’s $2.49 and worth every penny even if you just use it for this one task. There are many other package disablers out there, and some may even work for this purpose, but the one linked above is the one we’ve used and can speak to. It will prompt you to download this plugin the first time you run the app, so you might as well install that before you get started.

So with that app installed, here’s the process you need to follow.

IMPORTANT: Before going through this process, you must clear all icon badges from your apps and make sure they stay clear until you disable the icon badge package. If you have unread icon badges at the time of doing this process, the badges will be stuck there until you start all over — it’s not permanent, but it’s annoying and wastes your time.

With icon badges cleared, open BK Package Disabler (Samsung) from your app drawer.
Tap System.
Check the box next to Badge Provider.

WARNING: Do not check any additional boxes without first knowing what you’re doing. Some of these packages are critical to the function of your phone.

And that’s it! So long as you keep the BK Package Disabler installed and the checkbox checked, icons will not have notification badges on them. If you ever want to revert the process, you can simply open the app, revert your changes, and uninstall the app — no damage done.

If you don’t want to bother with Package Disablers, there is one more solution: use a different launcher.

How to clear the notification badge

Of course, you can always clear the badges by holding down on the icon and tapping Clear badge. It’ll start counting up again once the notifications come back in, but it’s better than nothing!

Questions?

Let us know in the comments below.

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BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition coming to Canada beginning as soon as next week

A new KEYone color is coming to Canada soon.

If you live in Canada and have been holding on waiting for the BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition to be available, your wait is almost over. Amazon.ca, Walmart.ca, Staples.ca and more will begin offering the Black Edition beginning as soon as next week.

“This has been an exciting year as we’ve introduced our reimagined BlackBerry smartphone to fans and customers here in North America, with overall market demand exceeding our expectations for the year,” said, Steve Cistulli, President and General Manager for TCL Communication, North America. “With introduction of BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition, we’re able to directly respond to our fans in Canada who have asked for additional styling and performance options within the BlackBerry KEYone lineup.”

“The demand and excitement for the BlackBerry KEYone across the globe has been fantastic,” said, Alex Thurber, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Mobility Solutions, BlackBerry. “We congratulate TCL Communications for bringing to market their second device so quickly, and know it will provide the performance and trusted security people expect from the BlackBerry brand.”

Exact dates will vary across retailers but pricing remains at the suggested $799 CAD and comes carrier unlocked. As retailers come online with their listings, we’ll be sure to let you all know so you can snag one as soon as possible.

BlackBerry® KEYone Black Edition Coming to Canada Later this Month

TORONTO, Sept. 21, 2017 /CNW/ – The BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition will be coming soon to customers in Canada. This latest BlackBerry smartphone from TCL Communication will be available carrier unlocked via Ingram Micro dealer partners such as Amazon.ca, Walmart.ca, Staples.ca and others for an SRP of $799 CAD. Exact date of availability will vary by channel, but customers in Canada should expect to be able to purchase this all-new style and performance enhanced BlackBerry KEYone beginning as soon as next week.

“This has been an exciting year as we’ve introduced our reimagined BlackBerry smartphone to fans and customers here in North America, with overall market demand exceeding our expectations for the year,” said, Steve Cistulli, President and General Manager for TCL Communication, North America. “With introduction of BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition, we’re able to directly respond to our fans in Canada who have asked for additional styling and performance options within the BlackBerry KEYone lineup.”

“The demand and excitement for the BlackBerry KEYone across the globe has been fantastic,” said, Alex Thurber, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Mobility Solutions, BlackBerry. “We congratulate TCL Communications for bringing to market their second device so quickly, and know it will provide the performance and trusted security people expect from the BlackBerry brand.”

BLACKBERRY KEYONE BLACK EDITION

Carrying the same distinct hardware design as the original BlackBerry KEYone, the all-new Black Edition comes with a matte black finish added to the device’s aluminum frame offering a new style variant that fans around the world have been asking for since the original launch back in May. This new BlackBerry KEYone variant also features 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, while still supporting microSD expandable storage up to an additional 2TB.

BLACKBERRY KEYONE PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS

• Includes a 4.5-inch touch display featuring impact and scratch resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 offering the best in resilience and durability.
• Reimagined communication experience thanks to an innovative Smart Keyboard that allows you to set up to 52 customizable shortcuts and transforms each letter key for quick access to your favorite apps and most important contacts. Includes the world’s first keyboard-embedded fingerprint sensor conveniently located in the spacebar and provides added device security and convenience.
• Distinct BlackBerry smartphone powered by Android, with the familiarity and functionality of Android™ 7.1 Nougat giving users access to the entire Google Play™ store and over one million apps.
• Unmatched battery life offering up to 26+ hours of mixed use, and Qualcomm® Quick Charge™ 3.0 technology enables up to 50 percent charge in roughly 36 minutes.
• Pre-loaded with DTEK™ by BlackBerry, offering constant security monitoring and protection of your operating system and apps by letting you know when your privacy could be at risk and how you can take action to improve it. The BlackBerry KEYone will also receive regular monthly Android security updates, ensuring you have the safest and securest Android smartphone experience.
• Features a 12MP rear camera with an industry leading camera sensor (Sony IMX378) that captures sharp, crisp photos in any light. The wide aperture lens with large 1.55μm pixels and dual-tone flash ensures your photos will have superior color and clarity.

At the core of this new BlackBerry smartphone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 mobile platform with the Qualcomm® Adreno™ 506 GPU. This means BlackBerry KEYone users will enjoy a powerful combination of optimized battery efficiency and usage, plus fast LTE speeds for super-fast file sharing.

For more information about the BlackBerry KEYone Black Edition, please visit http://www.BlackBerryMobile.com.

About TCL Communication

TCL Communication Technology Holdings Limited (TCL Communication) designs, manufactures and markets an expanding portfolio of mobile and internet products and services worldwide under three key brands – TCL, Alcatel and BlackBerry. With a portfolio of products currently sold in over 160 countries throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, TCL Communication ranks as a top-10 global smartphone manufacturer by IDC. Incorporated in Hong Kong, TCL Communication operates nine R&D centers worldwide, employing thousands across the globe. For more information, please visit http://www.tclcom.com.

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This could be the first glimpse of the BlackBerry ‘Krypton’

Krypton is coming.

By now, it’s no secret TCL has more BlackBerry smartphones in the works. The device known as ‘Krypton’ has passed through the Bluetooth SIG, Wi-Fi Alliance and FCC already and according to François Mahieu, head of global sales for TCL, the full-touch device is expected to arrive at some point in October. Still, despite all of that information, the ‘Krypton’ has eluded being caught on camera, mostly. A recently posted image offers up what could be the first glimpse of the next BlackBerry.

As posted on BBM Channels, the image purports to show off the back side of the BlackBerry ‘Krypton’, though, given the source itself seemed uncertain if it really was the ‘Krypton’ there’s certainly a bit of room here for speculation and debate. Given it’s only a small look at the backside, there’s not a whole lot that can be derived from the photo, but have at it in the comments. Does even this small look pique your interest?

The universe’s most energetic particles have traveled a long way

The origin of cosmic rays has been a mystery to scientists since their detection over fifty years ago. One of the prevailing theories is that they come from the center of our galaxy. But now, a group of more than 400 scientists from eighteen different countries has confirmed that this high-energy radiation has its origins outside our galaxy. The results will be published tomorrow in the journal Science.

Over a period of twelve years, scientists used the Pierre Auger Observatory, which consists of telescopes and particle detectors deployed over an area in western Argentina larger than the state of Rhode Island, to collect readings on cosmic rays’ origins. They discovered that most of the particles came from an direction that didn’t correspond with the center of the Milky Way in relation to Earth. It was about 120 degrees off. “There have been other pieces of evidence, but I would say this paper really confirms that most of the highest energy cosmic ray particles are not coming from the Milky Way galaxy,” said Gregory Snow, the outreach director for the Pierre Auger Observatory. Instead, the particles are likely extragalactic in nature.

This discovery is important for multiple reasons. First, cosmic rays are thought to be leftover energy from The Big Bang. Understanding more about them helps us to understand the universe and our place in it. “By understanding the origins of these particles, we hope to understand more about the origin of the Universe, the Big Bang, how galaxies and black holes formed and things like that,” said Snow.

But there’s also a more immediate concern. Cosmic rays have another name, galactic cosmic radiation, and it’s a threat to any human that travels outside the barrier of Earth’s magnetic field. If we want to travel to Mars and beyond, we need to figure out how to protect our astronauts from this deadly radiation. Discovering where it comes from gets us a small step closer to that goal.

Source: EurekAlert

Instagram’s face filters are now available during your livestreams

The face filters that Instagram swiped from Snapchat are now available on Instagram Live. Starting today, you can add filters before your Live feed airs or during with options that include various crowns and animal ears as well as pilot getup and and nerd glasses. Also, for the next week, a sunglasses filter will be available only through live video and it allows users to tap on the glasses to change what scenery is reflected off of them.

It was only a matter of time before Instagram worked filters into its live video feature. Facebook Live has had them for some time and Instagram introduced filters for photos and videos earlier this year.

To use the feature, tap the face icon on the bottom right of the screen. Then scroll through the selection and tap whichever filter you want to try on. Face filters for live video start rolling out now and should reach all users over the next few weeks.

Source: Instagram

US allies accuse NSA of manipulating encryption standards

The US National Security Agency (NSA) is in the global bad books again after allegations surfaced suggesting it was trying to manipulate international encryption standards. Reuters reports that it has seen interviews and emails from experts in countries including Germany, Japan and Israel expressing concern that the NSA has been pushing two particular encryption techniques not because they are secure, but because the agency knows how to break them.

The NSA has been gunning for two techniques, known as Simon and Speck, to be included in the International Organization of Standards (ISO). Following the accusations the agency, which says it “firmly believes” the techniques are secure, has agreed to drop all but the most powerful (and therefore less vulnerable) versions of Simon and Speck, but the issue has fostered significant mistrust and suspicion among countries which are supposed to be allies. Speaking to Reuters, Israeli ISO delegate Orr Dunkelman, a computer science professor at the University of Haifa, said, “I don’t trust the designers. There are quite a lot of people in NSA who think their job is to subvert standards. My job is to secure standards.”

Fears that the NSA were pursuing a “back door” into coded transmissions stem largely from NSA documents disclosed by Edward Snowden, showing that that agency had previously promoted technology it could penetrate. According to the reports, budget documents sought funding to “insert vulnerabilities into commercial encryption systems”. The NSA, of course doesn’t confirm the authenticity of these documents.

Via: Reuters

Experian makes it easy for someone to undo your credit freeze

Turns out Equifax isn’t the only credit reporting agency with garbage security, which probably shouldn’t come as a surprise at this point. As Brian Krebs reports on his security news website, Experian has a few issues too, namely some incredibly lax barriers to obtaining a PIN used to unlock a credit freeze.

The first step to getting a PIN through Experian requires a name, address, date of birth and Social Security number, all of which have been exposed in a number of past security breaches, including Equifax’s. Chances are anyone can find that information quite easily. After that, the website asks for an email address — and it can be any email address, not just the one associated with the account. Finally, Experian has you answer four questions such as where you previously lived and who lived there with you. And again, that information is readily accessible with just a little bit of effort. With those steps completed successfully, Experian will send the PIN to the email address entered in the form. It’s that simple.

Experian has had some problems in the past as well. In 2015, it exposed personal information from 15 million people who applied for T-Mobile accounts. The data snagged during the breach included names, addresses and birth dates as well as encrypted data containing Social Security and drivers license numbers.

So, the takeaway lesson here is that even if you’ve frozen your credit files, you should pay attention to your credit reports because Experian has made it remarkably easy for someone to snag your PIN and unfreeze them.

Via: The Verge

Source: Krebs on Security

D&D Reader app brings paper reference books to your tablet

Dungeon Masters can rest a bit easier now that the library of Dungeons and Dragons core rulebooks will soon be available in an easy-to-lug digital edition. Instead of a stack of heavy paper-bound volumes, you’ll be able to take your iPad or Android tablet to your next gaming session loaded up with the upcoming D&D Reader app, which should be available this fall.

So far, D&D Reader offers three D&D core rulebooks in it, with free content like the Complete Basic Rules and a few sections of the Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual and Dungeon Master’s Guide. Other sections, as well as two adventures, will cost you, with prices ranging from $3 for a chapter in one of the volumes to $25 for full adventure modules. You can also just purchase entire books outright for $30 each, which is about the going rate for the paper copies.

The app lets you search your library of D&D books, too, plus it has a Favorites menu that you can use to keep track of those pages you access often. It should work on all iOS devices and Android gadgets with 4.4 and up, though the publisher says it will still work on Android 4.0, though it’s not officially supported.

D&D‘s publisher, Wizards of the Coast, has been pushing into the digital realm of late, with new tools like D&D Beyond to help novices and veterans alike rid themselves of reams of paper needed to keep track of all the moving parts. The company has also been pushing into the Twitch scene, too, with channels like Dice, Camera, Action, Maze Arcana, Geek & Sundry’s Critical Role, and the DM-focused Dragon+ helping to demystify the game for new players.