20-qubit IBM Q quantum computer could double its predecessor’s processing power

IBM has long been one of the organizations at the forefront of research into quantum computing, especially when it comes to offering commercial access to its hardware. Now the company has announced significant new developments pertaining to its IBM Q program.

When IBM first gave the public access to its quantum computer via the internet in May 2016, its quantum processor comprised only 5 qubits. The company has announced that by the end of 2017, clients will be able to access a 20-qubit processor via its online portal.

Thanks to across-the-board improvements to elements like its connectivity and packaging, this means that the computer will be able to perform quantum computations as much as twice as fast as the 5- and 16-qubit systems that are currently available via the IBM Q platform.

IBM says that these improvements come as the result of three generations of development that have taken place since the IBM Q project got underway. Further enhancements are set to come in 2018, which should allow users to further explore the practical applications for this technology.

The company has already built and measured a prototype 50-qubit processor that is apparently already operational. It’s reportedly capable of similar performance to the systems that have already been rolled out, and will be made available as part of the next generation of IBM Q hardware.

These hardware improvements are accompanied by an expansion of QISKit, IBM’s open source software developer kit that’s intended to facilitate the use of quantum computers. Users can now use the package to create their own programs that can then be run on the company’s quantum hardware, or simulators.

Over the past 18 months, IBM Q has allowed 60,000 uses to run a total of 1.7 million quantum experiments for educational and experimental purposes. While various different entities are pushing the field of quantum computing forward, IBM stands alone in terms of its efforts to make the technology widely accessible to anyone who is interested in using it. Going forward, the possibilities are only going to grow in scope thanks to the improvements being made to the company’s hardware.

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MalwareBytes throws down the gauntlet to AV firms that are “failing” their users

In the wake of the Equifax hack and growing mistrust of major anti-virus companies, it’s becoming harder and harder to know where to turn for your digital security. MalwareBytes believes it should your solution in these troubled times, and has thrown down the gauntlet for other anti-virus firms with a new tool and report that highlights how they are failing their customers.

MalwareBytes is an anti-malware application that offers manual scanning in its free version, and real-time protection with its premium option. Traditionally, it’s been used as remediation tool by consumers, as a redundancy after their main anti-viral solution fails to prevent infection. But as 2017 ends, MalwareBytes is looking to step out of the toolsets of IT professionals, and into the hearts and minds of consumers the world over — by taking a swipe at its competitors.

To highlight their failings, it’s released a heat map of MalwareBytes users the world over, who have discovered malware infections using its scanning tool. The kicker is that all of those found to be infected are already running some form of security software, be it anti-virus tools like Avast, AVG or Symantec, or built-in defense systems like Windows Defender.

Regardless of the security system in place, every dot on that map is someone actively fixing their system with MalwareBytes. That’s why the company wants you to make MalwareBytes your first line of defense, not the last.

Stepping out of the shadows

First released in 2007 after co-founder and CEO Marcin Kleczynski had his own brush with troublesome malware, MalwareByres has been used as a popular “remediation,” tool ever since. That’s because many users have found it to be a more effective tool for discovering infections and attacks than existing antivirus protection. We asked  Kleczynski what makes MalwareBytes a more effective way to discover, and ultimately stop, malware attacks in their tracks.

“A lot of traditional antivirus firms do a lot of work with signatures,” he said. “You’ve seen it before, they ship a large database of signatures [of malware]. They’re hundreds of megabytes. They update it every day or every hour. The issue with that approach is they must react. They actually have to see the malware.”

That’s no good, he says, because it’s impossible to discover every piece of malicious software out there. “You’re never going to see all of the malware, you’re not even going to see five percent of the malware. You have to look at trends and patterns,” he said.

Malwarebytes does exactly that, relying on analysis of how software is running instead of looking for specific signatures associated with known malware. “When we started in 2004, the majority of antivirus ideas were already 20 years old, so we were really able to come up with AV 2.0, and take our own approach to it. […] Even back in 2004, we were already looking at characteristics.”

Today, MalwareBytes employs numerous approaches to cover as many bases as possible. That includes using the signatures of existing and detected malware to track down known infections, and leveraging machine learning to plan. It also looks at behaviors and expected use patterns, so if certain software starts doing something it shouldn’t, it can put a block on it before it starts.

“You’re never going to see all of the malware, you’re not even going to see five percent.”

“Our anti-ransomware system which ships with MalwareBytes, it’s exclusively behavior based,” Kleczynski said. “We look for encryption events and we score them and if we see too much, we actually roll back the process and arrest it. That’s an example of a custom-built technology that we had to put together, because ransomware was such a big issue.”

Ultimately, Kleczynski said, MalwareBytes doesn’t use a “Silver Bullet” technique, claiming that no one solution works for all malware attacks. Instead, it uses a combination of systems and expertise to come at the modern world of breaches and infections with a multi-faceted approach.

Carrots and sticks

While Kleczynski talks a big game, its the company’s recent report on its competitors that is the starkest part of its recent promotional efforts. It’s not just claiming that MalwareBytes is the best. It’s showing how its competitors are failing customers.

“[We]’ve seen a lot of the AV labs putting out reports where many of them score 100 percent,” Kleczynski said. “It’s become increasingly popular with AV vendors to slap stickers on their website. Malware in a lab performs very different from malware in the wild. The only real way, I think, to compare AV vendors is to analyze the real-world data.”

That’s exactly what it did with its “Mapping AV Detection Failures,” report. In it, it looked at around 10 million infected systems that cleaned themselves up using the MalwareByte scanning tool between January, and June, of 2017. Of that number, some 44 percent had two or more antivirus solutions installed — yet were infected anyway.

“Taking out all data that looks at MalwareBytes actively blocking threats, we only looked at data of the major AV companies,” Kleczynski said. “They had to be registered in the Windows security center, so had to be actually activated with Windows. If we cleaned up the mess after AV, we sent that information back to our servers. [We recorded] if we have cleaned up malware on a computer and [what antivirus] it has installed. That’s the only data we collected, no personally identifiable information. We tossed away all the IP addresses.”

Other notable stats in the report include that 52 percent of ransomware infections caused by the notorious ransomware known as Hidden Tear were discovered on systems running multiple antivirus solutions. If you eliminate Microsoft’s bundled Windows Defender from the results, some 40 percent of all malware tracked were discovered on a system with an add-on antivirus solution.

Live tracking success and failure

MalwareBytes is aware of the potential for perceived bias in such a report. After all, its own report claiming it’s better than the competition is hardly surprising. That’s where the live heatmap comes in. Available now for anyone to view, it tracks live MalwareBytes scans across the world, highlighting that often these systems have third party antivirus installed — which failed.

While MalwareBytes goes out of its way to avoid naming and shaming anyone in its aggregated report, the live data does not. Microsoft tops the list, suggesting the Windows Defender tool that comes installed by default with Windows 10 is the most popular antiviral solution around. Still, big names like Avast, AVG, McAffee, Symantec, Kaspersky, and many others make the list. They all fail to pick up malware that MalwareBytes ultimately cleans up.

“They might have Windows Defender installed, and then add in Avast, but they’re still getting infected.”

If nothing else, the heatmap shows that a lot of people are using MalwareBytes, and they’ve having success with it. Within just a few minutes of viewing the map, hundreds of success “blips” appear across it. Scrolling through the list, just about every mainstream consumer and business antivirus has been thwarted by an infection that MalwareBytes ultimately cleans up.

“This map shows when remediation cleans up the malware on the devices as its happening,” Kleczynski said. “[We’re] not claiming we’re the best, but […] we’re looking at a lot of consumers who use multiple solutions. They might have Windows Defender installed, and then add in Avast, but they’re still getting infected.”

Building trust in a world full of breaches

Along with its more varied approach to malware detection and prevention, MalwareBytes also employs several practices to keep its own code secure. Competitors like of Ccleaner and Symantec have faced security concerns at the very core of their service, so MalwareBytes thinks this could help build trust among consumers who find it increasingly hard to know where to turn for protection. It’s especially important now that security researchers have highlighted how some antivirus software can introduce more security vulnerabilities than they protect against.

“We have internal security teams – I just hired a new information security officer myself a year ago – and we do a lot of code audits, third party audits,” Kleczynski said. “We have a bug bounty where we pay up to $5,000 for a bug discovered and are thinking about raising that to raise interest. We’re partnered with HackerOne, too.”

This is something all companies should be doing though, he thinks. Highlighting how some of the recent debacles with security at major firms have impacted the public’s opinion of them and data collection services in general, Kleczynski highlighted that ultimately, it’s the way that companies respond to issues that defines them most.

“People will try to find vulnerabilities in your software and it’s how you respond. No programmer is perfect, and I don’t think AV [introduces] more vulnerabilities if done right.”

And his idea of what antivirus (or anti-malware) “done right,” — is MalwareBytes of course.

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Take better photos with the RevolCam lens accessory!

We’re reaching a point with smartphones where it’s expected that all new releases come with a great camera. With nearly identical specs and comparable results, its easier than ever to take good photos with your phone — but if you want to take truly great photos you’ll need some accessories

There are a lot of photography accessories out there to choose from and it can be a bit overwhelming. Some of them are kind of clunky to use or they’re crazy expensive.

If you want to step up your photography game without breaking the bank, you need the RevolCam multi-lens smartphone photography accessory. It’s an all-in-one accessory that includes three lenses on a rotating rig along with an adjustable and detachable LED light for shooting in low-light conditions.

The RevolCam can easily clip onto practically any smartphone and lets you choose between wide-angle, macro, and fisheye lenses with a simple flick. There’s also a built-in mirror behind the LED light, which allows you to take selfies using the better-quality back camera on your phone.

Buying all of these accessories individually would likely set you back a few hundred dollars, but you can get the RevolCam from Android Central Digital Offers for just $34.99!

Better still, use coupon code GIFTSHOP15 at checkout to save an additional 15% — that brings down the final price to just $29.75! So what are you waiting for? Take your photography to new heights with the RevolCam.

See at Android Central Digital Offers

BlackBerry Motion now available at Bell, TELUS, Koodo, and SaskTel

It’s not available in the U.S., but Canadians can now purchase a BB Motion.

Although SaskTel was the first to go live with orders for the BlackBerry Motion in Canada, Bell, TELUS, and Koodo have now also got the all-new BlackBerry Motion added to their lineups. Pricing is pretty standard across all retailers offering the Motion but here’s the breakdown.

Bell

• $0.00 – 2-year term – Requires a minimum of 1 GB ($25/mo.) of data per account plus a minimum of $70/mo. per user.
• $99.99 – 2-year term – Requires a minimum of 1 GB ($25/mo.) of data per account plus a minimum of $60/mo. per user.
• $599.99 – No term

TELUS

• $0 – Starting at $95 per month a 2-year plan
• $100 – Starting at $85 per month a 2-year plan
• $605 – No term pricing

Koodo

• $100 + $21 Tab charge for 24 months
• $245 + $15 Tab charge for 24 months
• $365 + $10 Tab charge for 24 months
• $605 No term pricing

The BlackBerry Motion is live on all the sites right now for consumer accounts, while Bell and TELUS also have business customer options available. If you’re looking to pick your BlackBerry Motion up in store, remember select Bell, TELUS, and SaskTel stores will have it available while Koodo is only offering the Motion online. With the sites now live, let us know if you placed your order yet in the comments!

See at Bell
See at SaskTel
See at TELUS
See at Koodo

BlackBerry Motion Specs and Features

More BlackBerry Motion First Look Videos

Sphero Mini is the best $50 you can spend on your kids this year

I’m loving this little ball of fun, and at $50, it’s one of the best toys you can add to your (or your kid’s) collection.

This past week, my life has been consumed by a particular game that has nothing to do with an erstwhile plumber with a magical hat.

No, the game is a ball, a literal ball, that moves with the help of some innovative tech and a very cool Android app. It’s Sphero Mini, a pint-sized version of the popular Sphero robot that has been delighting people for years. At $50, it’s less than half the price of the regular version, and while it doesn’t have the same overall capabilities and battery life, I’ve found it to be just as enjoyable.

See at Amazon

What is it?

Sphero Mini is a small motorized sphere and uses magnets, sensors and a bunch of programmatic magic to respond to movement from a smartphone app. The Mini is considerably smaller than the mainline version, and as a result can zip through corners and under couches (and more easily annoy pets) than its larger counterpart ever could.

Who’s it for?

Sphero Mini is aimed at kids, and that’s reinforced by its cutesy packaging, neon color options (blue, orange, green, pink, and one) and straightforward charging options. That guidance also extends to the app, which in addition to controlling the little sphere with a virtual joystick also encourages kids (and kids at heart) to use facial expressions to move the ball up, down, left, and right.

What can you do with it?

Drive it! When I was young, I loved remote-control cars, and Sphero Mini is the next step in that gaming evolution. Instead of winding up a Matchbox Car and letting ‘er rip, this little thing lets you ride around for around an hour on a full charge, doing tricks and smashing into things (or knocking down the small bowling pins that come in the box), which on their own is a lot of fun.

But there’s also three games included in the app, allowing you to use the Sphero as a controller to accomplish tasks. It’s fun and rewarding, and teaches kids that there can be a physical element to virtual play. The company promises more games in the near future, too, which is exciting.

I heard you can program with it, too

Yep! Sphero is interesting because it uses its robots to teach kids how to code using a simple-to-understand language and a familiar app-based interface.

Available through the Sphero Edu app, the idea is to help kids understand the basics of coding using macros and templates that make the Sphero perform tricks or recall an obstacle course.

It’s the best $50 you can spend on your kids this year

I’m not going to lie — I’ve used the Sphero Mini a lot in recent weeks, but one of my favorite moments was giving it to my five-year-old niece and watching her go wild with it. From the ridiculous Face Drive feature (which isn’t accurate but it’s terribly fun) to the built-in games (with more to come) the Sphero Mini is great value.

See at Amazon

2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Deal: Jaybird Freedom wireless headphones are just $49

The headphones usually cost $149

Black Friday will be here before you know it, and while some sales will be reserved specifically for that day, there are a lot of deals that have already begun so you can start doing some early Christmas shopping right now.

Best Buy is one retailer that’s running early Black Friday sales, and one of the best ones we’ve seen so far is a $100 discount on the Jaybird Freedom wireless headphones.

The Freedoms usually cost $149, and while they aren’t the newest wireless headphones around, it’s hard to find anything to complain about with them for as little as $49. Jaybird promises 8-hours of battery life between the headphones themselves and the included battery pack, a sweat-resistant design is perfect for jamming out to your tunes while at the gym, and you have full control of your listening experience through Jaybird’s MySound app.

Add all of this together with a sleek design, numerous wing and ear-tips to help you get the perfect fit, and a free carrying pouch, and the Jaybird Freedoms are a steal at this price.

It’s unclear just how long this deal will last, so we recommend jumping on it as soon as you can to make sure you don’t miss out.

See at Best Buy

Google Pixel Buds shipping now to early buyers

Estimated delivery is set for sometime next week.

Although the Pixel 2 was the star of Google’s October 4 hardware event, there were plenty of other gadgets and gizmos that the company had to show off – one of which was the Pixel Buds. The Pixel Buds are Google’s first shot at wireless headphones, and they’re finally shipping out to those with early preorders.

Android Police first caught wind of this, and it looks like orders that were made on October 4 should arrive between November 16 and 17 (if not sooner depending on your location and the type of shipping that you chose).

The Just Black and Clearly White Pixel Buds are currently back in stock on the Google Store as well, each with a price of $159 and estimated to ship out in five or six weeks. As for the great-looking Kinda Blue option, this is unfortunately still sold out.

Between the unique design and real-time translation through Google Translate, the Pixel Buds are shaping up to be one of the more interesting wireless headphone options of the year. It remains to be seen if the Buds will truly be worth their high price, but with orders finally shipping out, that question will be answered soon.

See at Google Store

Nova Launcher: Everything you need to know!

Once you go looking for Android launchers, it’s hard to miss the legacy of Nova Launcher.

Nova Launcher has been around for over half a decade, and while scores of launchers have risen and fallen in that time, Nova Launcher is still at the front of the pack and getting more awesome every month. Nova Launcher is one of the best launchers on the market, it is the best launcher for theming.

There are a lot of reasons to love it, but here are some of our favorites.

It’s the best launcher out there, free or paid

Nova Launcher inhabits a place that still hasn’t quite been copied, mimicked, or overtaken by any other product, and it does this with three tentpoles that keep Nova Launcher’s circus dazzling users. It’s free to use but spending money for the premium version is worth every penny. Let us explain.

Nova Launcher review: Still king of the mountain

There’s just so much to do in Nova Launcher

Opening up Nova Launcher is like opening up a giant tool chest. There are so many things to play with that it can be hard to know where to start. Don’t worry! We’ve got you covered with what you need to do first.

First 5 things to do after switching to Nova Launcher

Gestures make the launcher

Gestures are the hidden gem of the Android home screen experience, and whether you want to swipe to open your app drawer, double-tap to turn off your screen, or hide extra app shortcuts inside swipe actions, Nova Launcher does gesture shortcuts better than anyone.

Make the most of Nova Launcher’s gestures

Something something subgrid positioning — just trust us

Nova Launcher has a laundry list of features, but there is one that sets them apart from everyone else. Subgrid positioning is a diamond hidden in plain sight, and it opens Nova’s users up to whole new worlds of home screen arrangement and widget sizing.

Subgrid positioning, Nova’s ace in the hole

Notification badges are reason enough to use Nova

Android Oreo tried to replace buggy and inaccurate unread counts with notification badges, but before Oreo came along Nova Launcher had a brighter, bolder, and more functional system it debuted: Dynamic Badges.

Dynamic Badges beat notification dots

The Devil’s in the Nova details

Nova Settings is its own little Cave of Wonders, with treasures beyond belief and a lot of settings you’ll probably never touch and likely don’t need to. These are the Nova Settings features you should absolutely know about.

Devil in the details: Nova Settings you need to know

What’s in a folder? A lot, actually

Nova Launcher does folders better than anyone on Android, and that includes Action Launcher’s Covers, which Nova can not only do better but with more flexibility. Here’s how to get the most out of home screen folders on Android.

Nova’s got the best damn folders in Android, here’s how to use them

Don’t lose your Nova settings!

Like many launchers, Nova Launcher allows you to backup your layout and settings, including directly backing it up to the cloud. With these backups, you can easily set up Nova Launcher on a new phone, factory-reset phone, or switch between your favorite themes!

How to back up Nova Launcher and restore it on a new phone

You may leave, but you’ll be back

There’s a lot of launchers out there, and while I find myself drawn to other launchers every now and again, Nova Launcher’s siren song will find me and draw me back to its unique embrace. Here’s how Nova Launcher keeps reeling me back in, time and time again.

5 reasons I keep coming back to Nova Launcher

What do you love about Nova Launcher?

Let us know in the comments!

Google Assistant not working when prompted through Bluetooth headphones on Pixel 2

The hits keep on coming.

Poor Pixel 2. Whether it be display controversy with the XL model, clicking/hissing noises with its smaller brother, or defective microphones across both handsets, to say that Google’s latest and greatest has been faced with a bit of trouble would be an understatement.

In addition to everything else that’s already going on with the phone, it’s now being reported that both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are having trouble getting the Google Assistant to work when its prompted through a pair of Bluetooth headphones that can summon it.

On affected devices, connecting Bluetooth headphones to a Pixel 2/2 XL and then pressing the button on your headphones to bring up the Assistant plays the regular tone or sound to let you know that it’s listening, but for some unknown reason, voice detection straight up doesn’t work.

Even worse, the issue appears to be all across the board – affecting headphones from Beats, LG, Anker, and more. A community manager for the Pixel User Community forum has responded to the many complaints regarding this, but we’re still waiting on an official statement from Google.

I personally don’t have any problems with the Bose QC 35 II on my Pixel 2, but be sure to let us know in the comments below if your device is affected.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

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Best Buy

Amazon is opening pop-up stores in Whole Foods for the holidays

This holiday season, you could step into a Whole Foods for some organic bananas and step out with a couple of Echo speakers instead. Amazon is already selling “farm fresh” Kindles, Echos, Fire TVs and tablets in 100 Whole Foods locations, but it’s taking things a step further for holidays this year. It’s opening pop-up shops in five Whole Foods stores across the US, which will do more than just peddle the e-retail giant’s devices.

The pop-up shops will be manned by Amazon employees, who can tell you more about Prime and Prime video exclusives. You’ll also be able to test Amazon’s devices before shelling out money for any of them. These pop-ups will be available in a limited number of locations, though, and while that might have been Amazon’s plan, the company might not be able to open them in all Whole Foods locations anyway.

The supermarket chain has been facing pushback from fellow mall tenants ever since Amazon acquired it. Amazon’s rival retailers apparently blocked the placement of Lockers inside the supermarkets and, in at least one case, forced Whole Foods to limit its Echo display to 250 square feet of space.

If you want to visit an Amazon pop-up, check out the Whole Foods in Chicago, Illinois or Rochester Hills, Michigan by November 13th. The ones in Davie, Florida and Pasadena, California will go up on November 14th, while the one in Denver, Colorado’s new Union Station store will open on November 15th. In case you do end up buying an Amazon device, make sure to try Alexa’s new commands for the holidays. You can ask the assistant for Thanksgiving recipes, to add new entries to your gift list or even to tell a holiday joke in case you run out of them in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner.

Source: Amazon