Netgear routers now feature Disney’s parental controls

Circle with Disney’s advanced parental controls are helpful if you want to curb what your kids can do online and when, but it has normally required a separate device you plug in to your WiFi router. Why can’t it just be built into the router itself? It is now: Netgear has announced that its Nighthawk and Orbi routers now include Circle with Disney software. If you want to set a time limit on a given app or block racy material, you don’t need anything beyond the networking device you already own.

The feature is available now on “select” Nighthawk routers, and should reach Orbi through a firmware update in the near future. Just be aware that getting Circle’s full services will still carry a premium. You can filter access, block ads and pause internet access for free, but features like app-specific time limits, bedtimes and Alexa voice controls will cost you $5 per month. Circle clearly is hoping to make up for the lack of extra hardware by enticing you to pay recurring fees. It could be worthwhile, though — many routers only have limited parental controls at best, so this gives you an easy way to upgrade without having to buy a separate box.

Source: Netgear (1), (2)

AT&T’s Network Down for Some Users, iPhone Owners Unable to Make Calls

AT&T appears to be experiencing some kind of outage, and many AT&T customers across the United States are unable to make and answer phone calls.

There are numerous reports of issues on Twitter, and MacRumors has also been unable to place calls on an iPhone associated with AT&T. The problem appears to have begun at least 30 minutes ago.

Customers affected by the problem who attempt to make a phone call are seeing the calls they place immediately disconnected. Incoming phone calls go directly to voicemail, and customers are not able to answer them.

@ATT None of my family with AT&T can make or receive calls. We live on the west coast and have different bills but all have iPhones. Is there an outage?

— Dizzy (@DizzyGirlSusie) November 15, 2017

Many users have been able to fix the phone call problem by restarting their iPhones, so affected customers should try that right away to attempt to resolve it.

If a restart doesn’t work, customers who need to place calls to friends and family members can still use FaceTime or FaceTime Audio. iMessages and text messages are also working at the current time.

Tag: AT&T
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Lifx Adds HomeKit Support to Lifx Z Light Strips

Lifx today introduced a new HomeKit-enabled Lifx Z Starter Kit that includes two 3.3-foot light strips and a power pack for $89.99.

The new Lifx Z setup is similar to the previous version, but it adds HomeKit support. The light strips offer 1400 lumens per two meters and can be set to 16 million colors. Multiple shades of white are also available, as is dimming functionality.

Lifx light strips offer eight zones that can be separately controlled per strip, which is different from Hue light strips that offer a single color at a time. Lifx products are also able to connect directly to Wi-Fi and do not require a hub.

Lifx Z light strips can be controlled through the Lifx app, through the Home app on iOS devices, or using Siri, and they can be incorporated into HomeKit scenes with other HomeKit products.

While the new Lifx Z setup is HomeKit compatible right out of the box, Lifx is also introducing a new controller that allows existing Lifx Z light strips to work with HomeKit.

The New Lifx Z is available from the Lifx website for $89.99, while the separate controller for existing setups can be purchased for $39.99.

Tag: HomeKit
Discuss this article in our forums

Yup, Google Docs went down, but it’s coming back

If you’ve had trouble loading Google Docs this afternoon, you’re not alone. The company said that an outage has been “affecting a significant subset of users” who were unable to access it since about 3:48 PM ET. As of 4:55 PM ET the status had been updated to say “Google Docs service has already been restored for some users, and we expect a resolution for all users in the near future,” and at 5:10, that ”
The problem with Google Docs should be resolved.” So, yeah, get up and stretch before getting back to work, study or your obsessive spreadsheet of fantasy sports stats, but don’t go too far — things should be back to normal in about the time it takes for your browser to refresh.

We’re actively investigating an issue with Docs not loading. Thanks for your patience as we look into it.

— Google Docs (@googledocs) November 15, 2017

Docs is back up for most users, and we expect a full resolution for all users shortly. Sorry for this disruption and thanks again for your patience with us.

— Google Docs (@googledocs) November 15, 2017

Source: Google Docs – Service Details

Here are some of the easiest ways to earn credits in ‘Star Wars Battlefront II’

Star Wars Battlefront II has a weird multiplayer progression system. Unlike the system in Dice and Electronic Arts‘ last Battlefront, where you earned experience points to unlock new weapons and abilities over time, Battlefront II uses a multi-pronged approach that requires you to complete challenges, earn currencies, and gamble on loot crates to move forward.

There are ways to get ahead in Battlefront II, though, if you know where to focus your energy. It requires careful spending and playing with the long game in mind. If you want to get the best abilities and perks in multiplayer quickly, you have to play smart. These tips will help you earn credits fast so you can get the upgrades you want.

How to make progress in BStar Wars Battlefront II

Battlefront II actually uses three different leveling systems. First, you will level up your character as you play the game by gaining experience points for winning matches. That system is akin to most other first-person shooters, requiring you to play matches to increase your overall experience. But it seems your overall multiplayer level is really just a gate — you need to raise your level to access later parts of the progression system, but that’s it.

The second part of the system is leveling up each of your individual trooper classes and equipping them with upgraded abilities and perks through the Star Card system. Star Cards let you customize your class loadout with different special weapons or passive perks, like recovering from damage more quickly. You can also upgrade your Star Cards to make them stronger — but you have to level up your classes by acquiring more Star Cards for each one first.

The third is Milestones. These challenges require you to perform certain tasks in multiplayer and in other Battlefront II modes to get the most out of your classes. They’re also the best way to get what you need to progress through the game’s multiplayer.

Your goal: Leveling up your classes with Star Cards

Each of your individual classes, heroes, and ships has its own set of Star Cards, and each class levels up independently, regardless of your overall player level. Leveling up your classes allows you to use up to three Star Cards for that class, allowing for more customization and additional perks. You can also upgrade your individual cards to make them more effective.

You can level up each class as well. Each of your classes’ level up is based on how many cards you have for it, and the quality of those cards. Star cards come in one of four ratings: Common cards, the ones with white markings at the top, are worth one point; uncommon cards are green and worth two; rare, blue cards are worth three; and epic purple cards are worth four. The number of Star Card points you have for each class determines its level.

Since each class’ progress is tied to your card selection, finding ways to earn more should be one of your main priorities as you progress through Battlefront II multiplayer. There are two ways of doing that: Spending Battlefront II‘s in-game currency, “credits,” to buy loot crates, and buying cards individually with a second currency called “crafting parts.” You can use crafting parts to upgrade your cards, so you want to try to save them as much as you can to make your base-level cards more useful. This is more of a long-term consideration, though as you can’t upgrade your cards until your account-wide multiplayer rank hits level 10.

Earn more credits in each match by sticking to objectives

Every time you play a multiplayer match, you get credits. How many credits you receive at the end of a given match is tied to your “battle points,” a stat you earn by racking up kills, but also for defending positions, planting or defusing bombs, attacking walkers, and generally helping your team win.

Even if you aren’t the greatest killer in the Empire or the Rebel Alliance, you can still rack up a solid amount of battle points by completing objectives in most multiplayer modes. If you’re a good fighter, it still pays to stick to the objectives in game modes to try to earn as many points as possible. The idea is to try to earn as many credits as you can per match, so you can buy more loot crates, earn more cards, and get yourself better gear as quickly as possible.

Loot crates are the best way to get cards in bulk

To get better Star Cards, you want to spend most of your credits buying loot crates. Crates offer the fastest way to get cards, but their contents are random, so you have no idea what you might be buying. Loot crates can dish out cards for all the different classes, though, as well as more credits and crafting parts. You need all of them, eventually. Crates are divided into three types: Trooper crates, Starfighter crates, and Hero crates: Each crate type guarantees you get some Star Cards related to those particular groups. Trooper crates are the most useful, and thus the most expensive, at 4,000 credits each.

You can also spend credits to unlock new hero characters for multiplayer. You’ll start with a set of seven or eight heroes, whose availability vary based on what map you’re playing, but you can spend your credits to unlock more characters like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. While new heroes don’t count toward your progress, you might want to make sure you have the credits you need to unlock them before you start dishing out your cash on a ton of random loot crates. It’s best to prioritize your Hero purchases one of two ways: Either buy ones you can’t live without or the ones you have the most cards for. We suggest you do this fairly early or if you have a larger than average surplus of credits. Most of the time, though, you want to spend your credits on loot crates. You’ll get more mileage out of ramping up your base classes than you will out of your heroes, since you will use your regular trooper loadouts much more often.

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Need to combine some PDF files? Here’s how to do it for free

PDFs are often commonly as official documents online, so knowing how to convert to and from the file format is an important professional skill. Another important thing to know is how to arrange multiple PDF files into a single document. We’ll teach you how to accomplish the task below — and it won’t cost you a penny.

Whether you’re running a computer with Windows or MacOS, we’ll show you the multiple methods for how to combine PDF files for free. There are a few online alternatives we’ll discuss too, as it doesn’t matter what platform you’re on, they’ll do all the hard work for you.

Windows method: Merge PDF files in Adobe Acrobat DC

As one of the best PDF readers, editors and managers in the world, it’s a good idea to know how to use Adobe Acrobat for merging PDFs together. The only downside to Acrobat DC is that it’s premium software so you need to pay for the privilege. Fortunately, there is a free trial you can use, so if you only need to merge a couple of PDF files this one time or plan to do all your merging in the near future, this is a good method to be aware of.

Step 1: Download and install the Adobe Acrobat DC free trial.

Step 2: Once installed, open the software and click the “Tools” tab in the top left-hand corner.

Step 3: Click the “Combine Files” button.

Step 4: Click the blue “Add Files” button and select the PDF documents you want to combine.

Note: this method works for all sorts of files, not just PDFs.

Step 5: With your PDFs selected, click the blue “Combine” button in the top right-hand corner.

Step 6: Your PDFs have now been merged into one. All you need do is save it to a new location, which you can do by clicking “File” followed by “Save As” and then selecting a name and location for your new file.

If you don’t like the idea of using Adobe’s software or your free trial has already run its course, there are plenty of third-party options designed especially for Windows. A cheap and effective option is Perfect PDF Combine, which may be very useful if you end up combining a lot of PDFs and want an app dedicated to helping out.

Alternatively, have a look at some of the online options further down this guide. All of them are free and equally effective at combining PDF files together.

MacOS method: Merge PDFs with Preview

Previous versions and the latest High Sierra build of MacOS let you use Preview to combine PDFs — so as long as you know what you’re doing. It’s a fairly organic process that you should be able to pick up quickly, especially if you follow our step-by-step method below.

If you want to speed up the process, learning these MacOS keyboard shortcuts really helps.

Step 1:  Open “Finder” and select all the PDF files that you wish to combine.

Step 2: Open the files (yes, all of them). That will bring them up in a simple Preview mode.  If you have a larger screen, it’s very handy to space out these Preview windows so you can see all of them at once. You’ll at least want to be able to see two Preview windows at the same time.

Step 3: For each window, head to the “View” menu and select “Thumbnails”. This will open a sidebar that showcases a thumbnail for each of the pages in that particular PDF.

Step 4: Using drag and drop, build the exact PDF you want by either dragging the page thumbnails into a specific order, or dragging the whole PDF into another to combine them.

There are visual cues on where pages will appear as you click, drag, and drop them (they may be familiar if you use PowerPoint). These include a divider line that shows if a page is being dragged above or below the current page. Use these signs to avoid making mistakes while forming your master document. You can also rearrange and rotate pages as needed.

Step 5: Once finished, make sure to rename the newly merged file so that you know what it is.

Web method: How to merge PDFs online

There are scores of free, web-based tools that will allow you to merge PDF files — and that’s good news for you. If you need to merge files quickly, this may be the best option, since these programs don’t really care where your PDF files come from or where they’re going — and don’t require installing any additional programs. They do tend to have strict size limits though.

Below are several of the most popular tools for merging PDF files, but keep in mind that they all basically do the same thing. If you run into formatting issues with one tool, then try another.

• PDFMerge!: Open up PDFMerge, and you’ll see a simple window with bars for dragging and dropping several PDF files. You can choose up to four files at once, and add more files as needed. The software provides a simple Merge! option to combine them. However, note that the service is only free if you’re dealing with 15MB or under, which is comparably low. After that, it’ll ask you to pay — so large booklets are probably out of the question.

• PDF Joiner: PDF Joiner is ideal for all sorts of file format shifts and changes. Yes, you can combine PDFs, but you can also change your combined document to a text or JPG file (or vice versa). If you’re trying to condense many different formats into one, this tool functions as a great alternative to pulling your hair out. However, the software only allows you to work with 20 files at once.

• Smallpdf: Smallpdf’s claim to fame is that it’s easy to download files straight from Dropbox or Google Drive, meaning you don’t have to waste any time uploading the files if you’ve done so previously. That’s great for collaborative projects, and overall, the Smallpdf merge tool works hard to be a more professional choice. The software clearly describes its security, for instance, and allows you to preview your new PDF document as you create it. This is definitely a great option for work-related combining. Convert and split options are also available, as is a Chrome extension and desktop app!

• Foxyutil’s Merge PDF: Foxyutil offers a cute incentive. If you merge PDF files, you’ll help in sponsoring a tree planting project. That’s great for eco-friendly companies — too bad the maximum file size is limited to 50MB.

• Docupub: Docupub’s PDF tool is simple, but it provides a set of handy resources, including code samples for creating your own PDF merger application. Sadly, file sizes are limited to only 10MB.

Updated 11/14/2017 by Jon Martindale – updated methods and tweaked text.

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Don’t hold your breath: Tiny PocketLab sensor tells you when air quality is poor

Whether it’s citizen journalists using tools like Twitter or large-scale medical studies courtesy of Apple’s ResearchKit technology, we live in an age where it’s possible to gather useful information from massive populations of people at once. That’s something that science-oriented wireless sensor company PocketLab is tapping into with its latest project. The goal? To give everyone the tools necessary to accumulate ultra-localized information about the effects of climate change and pollution.

With that not-exactly-modest ambition in mind, it has launched a new device called the PocketLab Air on Kickstarter. PocketLab Air is a state-of-the-art multi-sensor that connects to your mobile device or computer to give you an accurate reading on a whole range of metrics for whichever area you’re in. These include carbon dioxide and ozone levels, particulate matter, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, altitude, dew point, heat index, and light intensity — all of which you can measure with your personal pocket-sized device, and then (if you wish) share to create a crowdsourced information map.

“The exciting thing about PocketLab Air is not just the sensor itself, but the ability to collaborate on global climate and air quality experiments,” Robert Douthitt, PocketLab’s director of education research and community engagement, told Digital Trends. “We are calling these PocketLab Missions. Users can activate PocketLab Mission Mode from the PocketLab app, and either accept Mission Objectives from other PocketLab Air users or create their own Mission Objectives to request data from others. Users can then upload their collected data, tagged with their geo-location, to participate in the PocketLab Mission and collaborate with others on climate and air quality experiments.”

Douthitt imagines scenarios such as high school environmental science classes using the sensors to carry out collaborative research on the air quality during pickup and drop-off times — perhaps opening up questions about whether schools should consider creating a “no-idling zone” to protect the health of their students.

“Previous PocketLab sensors are used by teachers and students in thousands of classrooms all across the world,” said Douthitt. “But they are also used by professional engineers, citizen scientists, geeky parents who want to inspire their kids, and anyone with a curious mind.”

If you consider yourself among the curious, you can currently pre-order a PocketLab Air kit on Kickstarter, where prices start at $198. Shipping is set to take place in October 2018.

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Remote desktop patents are the focus of latest Apple infringement investigation

Apple has been embroiled in another patent dispute, this time with the software company Aqua Connect, which claims that it was the original inventor of remote desktop functionality for Macs. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has announced that it is investigating the matter, Reuters reports.

The past decade has seen Apple fighting off patent infringement claims from all quarters, most notably Samsung. While that legal action has only just come to completion though, Aqua Connect’s infringement case may just be the beginning of another. The ITC is investigating claims that Apple infringed on two patents related to remote streaming of services on MacOS and Aqua Connect’s lawsuit seeks damages for the alleged infringement.

As MacRumors notes, the patents in question are U.S. Patent RE 46,386, which is related to”Updating a User Session in a Mach-derived Computer System Environment” and U.S. Patent 8,924,502, “System, Method and Computer Program Product for Updating a User Session in a Mach-derived System Environment.”

As far as Aqua Connect is concerned, that means it was the original patent holder for all screen sharing and remote desktop functionality on Apple systems. That feature is now natively supported by both iOS and MacOS operating systems in a variety of products (even Apple TV 4K), which is where the infringement comes in, according to AquaConnect.

“Initially, our product had Apple’s full support,” Aqua Connect CEO Ronnie Exley said a statement. “But years later, Apple built our technology into its macOS and iOS operating systems without our permission. These lawsuits seek to stop Apple from continuing to use our technology.”

Although all instances of patent infringement must be stringently examined lest they turn out to be the result of patent trolling, which is rampant in the technology industry, the ITC appears to be taking this instance quite seriously. It’s launched an investigation into it, though there has been no given timeline for when a ruling will be made.

As far as Aqua Connect is concerned, it wants to see the ITC issue a cease-and-desist order to Apple and for the courts to file in its favor, awarding damages for what it considers to be the willful infringement of its patents.

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Remote desktop patents are the focus of latest Apple infringement investigation

Apple has been embroiled in another patent dispute, this time with the software company Aqua Connect, which claims that it was the original inventor of remote desktop functionality for Macs. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has announced that it is investigating the matter, Reuters reports.

The past decade has seen Apple fighting off patent infringement claims from all quarters, most notably Samsung. While that legal action has only just come to completion though, Aqua Connect’s infringement case may just be the beginning of another. The ITC is investigating claims that Apple infringed on two patents related to remote streaming of services on MacOS and Aqua Connect’s lawsuit seeks damages for the alleged infringement.

As MacRumors notes, the patents in question are U.S. Patent RE 46,386, which is related to”Updating a User Session in a Mach-derived Computer System Environment” and U.S. Patent 8,924,502, “System, Method and Computer Program Product for Updating a User Session in a Mach-derived System Environment.”

As far as Aqua Connect is concerned, that means it was the original patent holder for all screen sharing and remote desktop functionality on Apple systems. That feature is now natively supported by both iOS and MacOS operating systems in a variety of products (even Apple TV 4K), which is where the infringement comes in, according to AquaConnect.

“Initially, our product had Apple’s full support,” Aqua Connect CEO Ronnie Exley said a statement. “But years later, Apple built our technology into its macOS and iOS operating systems without our permission. These lawsuits seek to stop Apple from continuing to use our technology.”

Although all instances of patent infringement must be stringently examined lest they turn out to be the result of patent trolling, which is rampant in the technology industry, the ITC appears to be taking this instance quite seriously. It’s launched an investigation into it, though there has been no given timeline for when a ruling will be made.

As far as Aqua Connect is concerned, it wants to see the ITC issue a cease-and-desist order to Apple and for the courts to file in its favor, awarding damages for what it considers to be the willful infringement of its patents.

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VRmark’s new Cyan Room test will put your computer through the wringer

Software benchmarking company Futuremark announced a new addition to its collection of colorful scenes in a virtual reality-centric test, VRmark, known as the Cyan Room. With lighting that inspired its name, the new test is DirectX12 compatible and features complex scenery with a number of eye-catching — and demanding — effects that will test if your system is ready for top-tier VR.

Making sure your system can handle virtual reality is as simple or as complicated as you like. You can look at the basic requirements of each headset, or you could run several benchmarks to test them. Although Valve offered one of the earliest VR benchmarks, several others have since stepped up to fill that niche and Futuremark, as always, is one of the front-runners. Its VRMark benchmark is set to get that bit better on Wednesday, November 22.

A key component of the Cyan Room is that it supports the latest version of DirectX, which much like the Vulkan API, is much smarter with how it handles draw cells and multiple CPU cores. This VRMark extension will help show developers the benefits of supporting these kinds of APIs in virtual reality.

As part of the settings menu for VRMark, there will be options for adjusting resolution and detail levels, letting users find that sweet spot between beauty and performance. You will be able to analyze your system’s performance frame by frame using the software’s reporting system too.

For those looking to see what it is actually like to experience the Cyan Room in VR, you can put your headset on and use the “Experience mode,” function. That will not only give you an up-close-and-personal look at the new benchmark, it will also engage any necessary frame-rate-saving technologies like Oculus’ asynchronous spacewalk.

Non-VR users can have a go with it too, which might be a good idea before putting money down on a new headset.

Although the requirements for PC-based virtual reality are lessening all the time as companies like Oculus and HTC optimize their hardware and software, it’s good to see companies developing tests for much more demanding experiences. The current generation of headsets is soon to be supplanted by much higher-resolution alternatives like Pimax’s 8K headsets, so it won’t be long before the requirements for top-tier VR are much, much more strenuous.

Whatever headset you’re running, or even if you’re not, the VRMark Cyan Room benchmark scene will be available to all on Wednesday, November 22. VRMark Basic Edition is available now for free, while those who want the Advanced Edition will need to shell out $20.

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