1 + You = Data Collection

Your privacy and personal data are a major topic this week as Daniel Bader, Andrew Martonik , and Jerry Hildenbrand talk about Google’s quick decision to disable touch-activated listening on the Home Mini before it becomes available to consumers. OnePlus is taking some heat once again; this time for data collection concerns regarding OxygenOS.

On a more positive note, Google is adding Duo video calling to the dialer and SMS app on Pixel, Nexus, and Android One phones. Also, Disney has partnered with other major studios, excluding Paramount (at least for now), to offer Movies Anywhere—a service that lets you more freely access movies you’ve purchased from multiple platforms.

The crew also discuss using Pixel 2 on Project Fi, and whether or not it’s a good decision to buy an original Pixel in 2017.

Show Notes and Links:

• Google Home Mini review units had a bug that recorded everything
• Google to disable touch-activated listening on Home Minis
• Google’s commitment to hardware is no longer in doubt
• OnePlus responds to OxygenOS data collection concerns
• Google is adding Duo video calling to the dialer and SMS app of Pixels
• Movies Anywhere
• Should you use your Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL on Project Fi?
• Should you buy an original Pixel or Pixel XL in 2017?

Podcast MP3 URL: http://traffic.libsyn.com/androidcentral/androidcentral356.mp3

5 high-capacity power banks that are great for the traveling techie

These aren’t your pocket-friendly power banks, but they can be your lifeline when battery life runs short across multiple devices.

Given today’s power-hungry phones and tablets, any power pack under 20,000mAh shouldn’t be considered high-capacity. While the majority of these beefier backup batteries aren’t suited for storing in your pocket, they’re still compact enough to toss in a backpack, suitcase, or laptop bag for a quick charge when you need it. Check out these five power banks that provide enough battery to keep up with the most demanding tech-lover.

• Anker PowerCore+ 26800 Quick Charge PowerCore+ 26800 PD
• EasyAcc Monster 26,000mAh Power Bank
• USB-C RAVPower 26800
• ZeroLemon ToughJuice V3.0

Anker PowerCore+ 26800 Quick Charge / PowerCore+ 26800 PD

Anker brings two versions of the PowerCore+ 26800 to the market, one with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 and one with USB PD (Power Delivery). Both offer a whopping 26,800mAh capacity and are only 7.1 x 3.1 x .9 inches in size. This is a power bank that you probably can fit into your pocket!

The Quick Charge model also features PowerIQ so that non-Quick Charge devices can still charge at up to 3 amps and can be fully recharged in about 6.5 hours. It’s priced around $70.

See at Amazon (Quick Charge)

The USB PD model features a 30-watt USB-C port capable of charging laptops like a MacBook or Chromebook as well as your phone. It can be fully charged in about four hours and costs right around $100.

See at Amazon (USB PD)

EasyAcc Monster 26,000mAh Power Bank

If you’re after more than just a pair outputs to keep your phones and tablets charged up, the EasyAcc Monster packs a 26,000mAh capacity and provides four USB ports as well as two Micro-USB inputs on the side that can work in tandem decrease recharge time up to 50%. With a total output of 4.8 amps, the more devices connected means a slower charge, but the overall convenience, functionality, and capacity outweigh reduced charging times.

Next to the USB outputs is a built-in LED flashlight that’s handy for seeing in the dark, and on top are four tiny lights that indicate how much battery life remains in the power bank. EasyAcc has added plenty of safety features to prevent any damage to your connected devices, too. You’ll pay about $50 for the EasyACC Monster.

See at Amazon

USB-C RAVPower 26800

The new USB-C RAVPower 26800 can output 30 watts through its USB-C port and has two “regular” USB ports that feature its iSmart technology to charge at up to 2.4 amps each. RAVPower says that its iSmart 2.0 system will automatically sense the correct charging current so that your devices that don’t use a fast-charging standard will still charge as fast as they are able. The USB-C port charges a MacBook at the same rate as the included charger, and can charge a Nintendo Switch while you’re playing.

Using both charging inputs, you can fully charge the RAVPower 26800 in 4.5 hours. The USB-C RAVPower 26800 costs about $60.

See at Amazon

ZeroLemon ToughJuice V3.0

This beastly backup battery rocks an impressive 30,000mAh capacity that’s able to provide power to phones, tablets, and even laptops. It has a total of five USB ports three standard 1-amp outputs, one Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 output and one USB-C output so it’s compatible with almost everything.

On top of its brushed aluminum chassis is an LCD display that provides readings of its power level and charging status. With over 13 notebook connectors and AC adapters for the U.S., UK, and EU, the Intocircuit Power Monster is the ideal power bank for serious traveling techies.

It also features a rubber outer shell that makes the ZeroLemon ToughJuice V3.0 the most rugged power bank you’re likely to see. You’ll pay about $100 for it.

Remember, this power bank is too big to carry on a plane in the U.S. without talking to your airline first.

See at Amazon

A note on air travel: What you need to know

While traveling in the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration allows you to carry a device (like a power bank) with up to a 100 Wh capacity. You are also able to carry a limit of two spare batteries between 101 Wh and 160 Wh with prior approval from your airline. All lithium batteries must be in your carry-on bag and can’t be stowed with checked luggage.

Most power banks list their capacity in mAh (milliamp-hours) and not Wh (watt-hours). Let’s do some conversion using a 3.7-volt average. You can calculate from Wh to mAh using this formula:

(mAh)/1000 x (V) = (Wh)

After some rounding off, that means you can bring a 26,800 mAh power bank on your flight. With approval, you can bring up to two 43,240 mAh (again, some rounding is used) along as well. Just be sure not to put them in your checked luggage!

Other countries may have different regulations, so you should check before you travel outside the U.S.

Update October 2017: Added the latest high-capacity power banks and some information about the FAA and airline restrictions.

Twitter’s opaque thinking fails everyone

It seems like Twitter can’t go long before finding itself embroiled in a new controversy about how it applies its conduct policies. And yet it’s hard not to feel a sliver of sympathy in the face of the latest backlash against the ailing company. In suspending Rose McGowan’s account for 12 hours, it might have done the right thing, but in completely the wrong way.

The recent aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein revelations saw a number of actors speak out about their experiences with the powerful producer. Rose McGowan has accused the producer of an attack, and is a vocal critic of the wider culture of sexual harassment and abuse in Hollywood. Using Twitter as a platform, she has spoken to, and about, others in Hollywood who enable such abuse.

On October 12th, Twitter suspended McGowan’s account, forcing her to post the news of her suspension on Instagram. The automated message she received explained little — just that her account violated Twitter’s conduct policy, but nothing specific that explained the 12-hour suspension. During that period, the only access she had to the platform was to delete the offending tweet.

Twitter has a policy of not explaining the rationale for its suspensions, presumably out of fear that it will create an unintended precedent. But, half a day after the suspension, the company revealed that it suspended the account because McGowan had publicly posted a private phone number. That is a direct violation of the site’s privacy policy (described as “The Twitter Rules”), which includes a blanket ban on publicly sharing personal information.

It’s not clear if Twitter gained McGowan’s consent before going public, but it was clearly forced to say something. The company had rebuffed all attempts to clarify its position, despite Engadget and other publications asking for comment on the reasoning behind the move. This lack of transparency led to the company being attacked on all sides for its opaque processes, with many users saying that double standards are at work. After all, the president can threaten nuclear war without censure, but Rose McGowan tweets something and it’s blocked with unnatural swiftness.

Blocking the tweet was the right thing to do, but everything that came after that was a mistake that began to compound upon itself. Surely there are smarter ways to tackle the issue than just handing down a 12-hour suspension as a punishment. The topic here is clearly divisive, and Twitter needed to handle it carefully rather than following a procedure. Could it not, for instance, have suppressed that one message and then privately communicated its reasoning?

when will nuclear war violate your terms of service? https://t.co/72FiiyoZ59

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 12, 2017

Early Thursday, Twitter told Engadget that it does not “comment on individual accounts for privacy and security reasons.” Fair enough, but that meant that it remained silent for 12 hours while its motivations were left open for speculation by, well, everyone in the world. This highlights the impossible situation that Twitter now finds itself in: How can it be fine with hate speech, racism and the American Nazi Party, but be so quick to clamp down on a single woman speaking out against sexual abuse?

When you see R McGowan getting suspended while sadistic goons Tweet with impunity it tells you who’s running this service. And for whom.

— Matt Zoller Seitz (@mattzollerseitz) October 12, 2017

In addition to this troubling double standard, there’s the concern that moving to block McGowan’s account was an anomaly. Writer Natalie Shure pointed out that her phone number was shared by a ring-wing extremist last year, and Twitter didn’t consider it a violation of its conduct policy. We’ve spoken before about how inconsistently its conduct policies are treated. Clearly, something has to give.

Some alt-right dickbag tweeted my phone number last winter, and when I reported it Twitter denied it was a violation of terms of service https://t.co/Imb5XmJpnC

— Natalie Shure (@nataliesurely) October 12, 2017

If this were an isolated incident, Twitter could shrug it off. But it’s not — the site has become an unwelcome place for many. Today, a group of the site’s female users are boycotting the site in the hope of forcing its hand in doing better. It probably won’t work, because Twitter already has the tools to clean up its membership in a heartbeat. In Germany, where the laws on extremism on social media are much tougher, the site blocks all neo-Nazi accounts as a matter of course. In the US? Not so much.

We do need to do a better job at showing that we are not selectively applying rules.

— jack (@jack) October 12, 2017

Chat app Discord opens official game channels

Gaming-focused chat app Discord is partnering with developers on official chat channels. Verified Servers are places where a game’s community can hang out, talk and get news straight from the teams that made the games. Think of them like official forums, but with real-time communication versus asynchronous. Just look for the checkmark badge next to a server profile and you should be good to go. Developers can even add Discord badges to their website’s social links and directly to their game’s main menu. As Polygon notes, so far Minecraft, Offworld, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Supercell have set up shop.

The tricky thing is that if a team isn’t careful, this could provide another platform for abuse. It’s up to a developer or publisher to keep the channel moderated and cut this sort of thing off before it has a chance to root. Given that most official forums are fairly monitored this hopefully won’t be a huge problem.

Via: Polygon

Source: Discord