How to download and install MIUI 9 on the Redmi Note 4

It’s a straightforward process to update to MIUI 9 on the Redmi Note 4.

Xiaomi has started rolling out the stable build of MIUI 9 to its devices in India, with the Redmi Note 4, the Mi Mix 2, and the Mi Max 2 included in the first wave. The company kicked off the OTA update to the Redmi Note 4 at the start of the week, and if you haven’t received the notification yet on your device, here’s what you can do.

How to download MIUI 9 on the Redmi Note 4

The fastest way to download the MIUI 9 update is through the Updater app. With the stable build now rolling out widely, all you have to do is see if the OTA is available for your device. Here’s how you can do that:

Locate the Tools folder on the home screen.
Open the Updater app from the list.

You should already see the update information filled in. Tap Update to initiate the download.

If you don’t see the update listed, select the action overflow button (the three vertical dots on the top right corner).
Select Download update.

The update should automatically start downloading.

It should be as easy as that. However, I’ve been trying to update to MIUI 9 for the last three days using this method, and have been running into problems while installing the OTA update. The download goes through just fine, but I see an “Update failed, download full ROM” message when trying to install the update.

If you’re seeing a similar error, then you’ll have to download the full ROM from Xiaomi, and use fastboot to flash the ROM onto your Redmi Note 4.

How to flash MIUI 9 on the Redmi Note 4

The fastboot image for the MIUI 9 stable build is now available for the Snapdragon 625 variant of the Redmi Note 4, making it relatively easy to make the switch to the latest version of Xiaomi’s custom ROM. Here’s what you need to download before we get started:

• Redmi Note 4 (SD625 version) fastboot image (1.8GB)
• Mi Flash v7.4.2.5 (46.5MB)

Once the downloads are finished, extract the fastboot image (the file will be in .tgz format), and install Mi Flash on your computer. You’ll then need to put your Redmi Note 4 in fastboot mode. Power off your device, and then press and hold the power and volume down keys simultaneously. you should see the Mi Bunny and the fastboot logo after about five seconds.

After getting to the fastboot screen, connect your phone to the PC and launch Mi Flash. Use the Select button to browse to the folder path of the extracted ROM, and hit Ok to load the fastboot image into Mi Flash. Then select the Clean all button at the bottom right corner, and then hit the Refresh button. Mi Flash should be able to detect your device, and it should look something like this:

Now hit the Flash button. Wait until the bar turns green, and you’ll see a success message:

Once the ROM is flashed onto your device, it should automatically reboot and upgrade to MIUI 9. The latest version of MIUI comes with several new features, including a new image editor, a brand-new notification pane with bundled notifications, native split screen mode, and so much more.

Your turn

Did you install MIUI 9 on your Redmi Note 4 yet? How are you liking the new additions? Let us know in the comments below!

Facebook explains bizarre revenge porn prevention program

When Facebook revealed its experimental porn prevention program in Australia, it raised a lot of eyebrows. After all, you’ll first need to upload your sensitive images if you don’t want them to get posted by anybody else. Now, Global Head of Safety Antigone Davis has defended the test feature in a post that also explains how it will work in detail. She clarified that it’s “completely voluntary” and that Facebook will still remove any intimate images you report, hash them and prevent them from being uploaded again. This method is merely an “emergency option” for people who want to proactively prevent their photos from being shared.

To participate in the trial, you’ll first have to complete an online form on Australia’s eSafety Commissioner’s official website. You will then be asked to send the images you want to block to yourself on Messenger. The commissioner’s office will notify Facebook that you sent in a form — it won’t have access to your images — so a “specially trained representative” from the social network can review and hash your images.

Whenever someone uploads pictures on Facebook, it checks them against a database of hashes, which are like digital fingerprints and are unique for each photo. Facebook and other internet titans already use the technique to fight the dissemination of child porn online: they keep a database of hashes from known child porn images in an effort to block them.

Davis assures everyone who wants to use the feature that the the company only keeps those number-and-letter hashes and not the photos themselves. Also, Facebook promises that once it’s done hashing your images, you’ll get a notification telling you to delete them from Messenger, so Facebook can also jettison them from its servers. At the moment, only users in Australia have access to the feature, but the social network is reportedly planning (probably depending on user feedback) to roll it out in the US, UK and Canada in the near future.

Source: Facebook

Colorado voters really want city-run broadband service

Internet access and quality varies widely depending on where you live in the US. There’s a huge rural broadband gap that the FCC, companies like Microsoft and the Trump administration have said they’d like to close in the coming years and as Cleveland’s situation shows, service can be drastically different even within the same city. One solution that has been proposed as a fix for spotty or inadequate broadband service is city-run internet, and it’s one that Colorado communities are continuing to back.

Colorado state law requires municipalities to hold public referendums before they can provide services like broadband internet access. And as of Tuesday’s elections, Ars Technica reports, 31 of the state’s 64 counties have opted to allow their local governments to build broadband networks. Voters in Fort Collins, Colorado joined those supporting municipal broadband, approving a ballot measure giving its city council permission to establish a city-run network. The measure passed despite an anti-municipal broadband group that spent nearly half of a million dollars campaigning against it. The group was funded by the Colorado Cable Telecommunications Association and the city’s chamber of commerce, which Comcast and CenturyLink are members of. And though it doesn’t mean each of them will actually build their own broadband networks, over 100 cities, towns and counties in Colorado have now passed ballot measures allowing their towns to do so, Motherboard reports.

Other states have been even more aggressive in their attempts to restrict municipal broadband. Earlier this year, a Virginia politician proposed a bill that would make municipal internet nearly impossible to establish throughout the state, and Tennessee sued the FCC in 2015 after it decided that the state couldn’t prevent municipalities from building broadband networks.

The FCC began pushing to clear state restrictions on municipal broadband in 2014 and the following year, passed an order that preempted state laws banning city-run broadband services in North Carolina and Tennessee. However, in 2016, a federal appeals court overruled that order and the FCC opted not to appeal the decision. But that hasn’t slowed down Colorado. “We overcame the opponents’ massive, record-setting negative advertising campaign because we had a group of dedicated and passionate volunteers who believed in our cause,” Glen Akins, a leader of Fort Collins’ pro-municipal broadband group, told Ars Technica. “Big money can buy ad spots and air time but it can’t buy votes in Fort Collins. Affordable, symmetric gigabit broadband will make Fort Collins an even more incredible place to live.”

Via: Ars Technica

Tesla Powerpacks will supply Nantucket’s backup power

Tesla has been boosting power grids all over the world with its Powerpack battery systems and now its energy storage products are heading to Nantucket, Electrek reports. The island will host over 200 Powerpacks that will serve as backup power and grid stabilizers for Nantucket’s 11,000 permanent residents and nearly 40,000 seasonal visitors.

Nantucket’s power is supplied by two submarine cables that connect to Cape Cod, and two six-megawatt diesel generators supply backup power when the main electricity supply fails. Those generators need to be replaced in the near future and National Grid has been looking into battery systems as an alternative power support. It recently selected Tesla as its battery supplier and the company will build a 48 megawatt-hour energy storage system which will be supported by one generator. This set up not only provides necessary electricity backup, but will also stabilize the grid during times of high energy demand. An additional submarine cable will likely be needed in the future in order to support growing energy demands, but the battery system pushes that need off by another ten years at least, according to National Grid.

Tesla already has some experience when it comes to powering small islands. Its Powerpacks are already being used on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i, the American Samoa island of Ta’u, a resort island in Fiji and North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island. Other Powerpack users include Vermont, California, Australia and, recently, Puerto Rico as it recovers from massive hurricane damage.

Via: Reddit

Source: Electrek

HBO GO/NOW getting all eight Harry Potter movies in 2018

Don’t expect to be very productive this coming January.

There are certain movies that deserve to be watched over and over again, and the entire Harry Potter series falls into this category beautifully. The tale of the Boy Who Lived is one that never gets old, and starting at the beginning of next year, you’ll be able to binge watch all eight titles on HBO GO and HBO NOW.

Business Insider’s Kim Renfro broke the news on Twitter, and the titles will all be available to stream starting on January 1, 2018. On that same day, HBO will also be airing the entire series starting at 9:00 AM ET/PT with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and ending with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

In addition to this, HBO Family will also air each movie in consecutive order starting January 2 and play one title each day at 8:00 PM.

This is the first time the Harry Potter movies have been available to watch on a streaming service, and although most wizards and witches likely already own hard copies of the titles, the fact that we’ll soon be able to take them with us wherever we go is a thing of true beauty.

Google Assistant makes its way to HBO NOW, CBS All Access, and The CW

New T-Mobile app checks if your phone supports Extended Range and VoLTE

The app is called “BYOD Check App”, and it’s available on the Play Store right now.

T-Mobile’s been one of the most disruptive carriers in the wireless space for some time now, and while some of the company’s decisions have created for a fair bit of controversy here and there, there’s no denying the Un-Carrier’s constant push to offer the best wirelss service possible for its subscribers.

Shortly after announcing that its LTE Advanced network is now available in more than 920 markets, T-Mobile just released a new app on the Play Store called “BYOD Check App.” It’s a pretty simple application, but it serves an important purpose.

Once you open up the app and either type in the first eight digits of your phone’s IMEI number or use your camera to scan it, the app will let you know whether or not your device is compatible with T-Mobile’s Extended Range Network and VoLTE.

Phones with either band 12 (700MHz) or band 71 (600MHz) are supported here, and while you can just as easily find this info by doing a quick Google search, having an app right from the horse’s mouth is nice to get that extra bit of confirmation that some folks might want before making the switch.

If you want to download the app for yourself, check the link above.

T-Mobile’s LTE Advanced network now live in over 920 markets

Ford tests exoskeleton to ease strain on factory workers

Companies are starting to propose functioning exoskeletons for real applications, from soldier support to helping paraplegic patients walk. But they could also be customized to help everyday workers with their harder tasks, as Lowe’s lift-easing prototype demonstrated. Ford is taking a different tack by investing in the EksoVest, a new exoskeleton that supports factory employees’ upper bodies to ease strain when lifting and performing overhead tasks.

Certain Ford employees do these tasks up to 4,600 times per day and up to a million times per year, the automaker noted in a press release. The non-powered EksoVest, designed by Ekso Bionics in partnership with Ford, helps lift five to fifteen pounds, easing the strain on users’ upper bodies and preventing some fatigue. That assistance could help prevent workplace accidents resulting from tired muscles and minds. The EksoVest fits employees from 5-feet to 6-feet 4-inches tall and is designed for anyone in load-bearing work, from factories to construction sites to distribution centers.

“Collaboratively working with Ford enabled us to test and refine early prototypes of the EksoVest based on insights directly from their production line workers,” said Russ Angold, co-founder and chief technology officer of Ekso Bionics, in Ford’s press release. “The end result is a wearable tool that reduces the strain on a worker’s body, reducing the likelihood of injury, and helping them feel better at the end of the day – increasing both productivity and morale.”

Ford is currently testing the EksoVest in two US factories with plans to expand the pilot program to European and South American sites. The United Automobile Workers lent their support to the concept.

Via: CNET

Source: Ford

The Game Awards will stream live on December 7th

The Game Awards, created in 2014 and produced by Geoff Keighley, is like the gaming equivalent of the Emmys or Oscars. The show airs live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 7th, and you can stream it on more than 16 different gaming and digital platforms. Better yet, you’ll be able to vote for your favorite games in “select categories” using Facebook Messenger, Google Search and Twitter DM starting November 14th. Engadget is one of the voting publications this year, and we’ll have the livestream posted for you, too.

The Game Awards reached over 8.5 million viewers last year, honoring both triple-A and independent games alike, including Battlefield 1, Doom, Overwatch, Titanfall 2, Uncharted 4, Hyper Light Drifter and Firewatch. “The Game Awards unites the global gaming community, no matter who you are, where you live, or what type of video games you enjoy,” said Geoff Keighley in a statement. “This year we are excited to add even more partners to our distribution matrix, give fans new ways to interact with the show, and introduce several exciting new elements including The Game Awards Orchestra.” The latter is an all-star group of orchestral and rock musicians that will debut a performance of video game music.

The Game Awards is of global interest, with live streaming partners to include South Korea’s AfreecaTV, Facebook, GameSpot, KakaoTV in South Korea, IGN, NicoNico in Japan, Mixer, PlayStation Store, Steam, China’s Tencent, Twitch, Twitter, UOL Jogos in Brazil, Xbox Live and YouTube. You can also catch the highlights via a Snapchat Live Story. If you want to start paying attention early, Facebook will have a 5-week behind the scenes documentary series, “The Road to the Game Awards,” that will premier November 13th.

Source: The Game Awards

Apple Launches New ‘This Weekend Only’ App Store Deals Feature

As part of its newly updated App Store in iOS 11, Apple is introducing a new “This Weekend Only” feature for the “Today” section, which will see the company offering “new ways to save” with apps.

Apple will introduce an app with a special deal each Thursday, with discounts available through Sunday. To celebrate the launch of the feature, Apple this week is offering exclusive discounts within five apps.

You can find the discounts by opening the App Store on an iOS device and navigating to the “Today” view. It’s listed under “Introducing: This Weekend Only.” This weeks deals are listed below.

– HotelTonight: With the HotelTonight discount, customers booking a last minute hotel room can receive up to 40 percent off of the original room price.

– Glasses by Warby Parker: With Warby Parker’s new app, customers who place an order for glasses or sunglasses this weekend will receive a free geometric case, valued at $15.

– Under Armour: Purchases over $100 made within athletic apparel app Under Armour will be discounted by $20.

– Chipotle: When purchasing an entree at Chipotle, customers can get a free order of chips and queso.

– Shoptiques: Apparel and accessory app Shoptiques is providing 15 percent off all orders over $100.

Apple’s new “This Weekend Only” App Store section is just one of the ways the company is using the new design of the App Store to highlight apps. Each day, there’s an array of new content available in the Today section of the App Store, which is designed to surface a range of new apps and games.

Tag: App Store
Discuss this article in our forums

This star refuses to die, even after it explodes

Supernovae are some of the brightest and most energetic events in our galaxy. These occur when stars that have much greater mass than that of our sun explode; they become incredibly bright, and then slowly fade over the course of a few months as they lose energy. Under the terms of how we traditionally understand the life cycle of a star, a supernova inevitably means stellar death. Or does it? Astronomers working at Hawaii’s Keck Observatory have found a star that refuses to die.

The supernova, named iPTF14hls, has exploded multiple times over the last fifty years. Rather than giving into death in the cold wastes of space, this singular star is seemingly in a cycle of continually absorbing matter, collapsing and exploding. The team first took note of the star in 2014 because it had gone supernova and was starting to fade. But then, a few months later, the team noticed that the star was becoming brighter again.

When the astronomers looked at records, they noticed that a supernova had occurred at that same location in 1954. The star had not only somehow survived, but had gone on to explode again in 2014. “This supernova breaks everything we thought we knew about how they work. It’s the biggest puzzle I’ve encountered in almost a decade of studying stellar explosions,” Iair Arcavi, the lead author of the study (which was published in Nature) said in a press release.

It’s not clear why this star refuses to die, but it could have something to do with its size. It’s at least 50 times more massive than our own star. Our conventional rules about how stars work might not apply to something of that size. The star could also have antimatter at its core that fuels its cycle of explosions, a hypothesized result of its extreme mass and temperature. Regardless of the reason, we appreciate this star’s resilience

Source: Keck Observatory, Nature