Hacker in massive Yahoo breach expected to plead guilty

While it’s doubtful that the US will catch the Russians accused of participating in the massive 2014 Yahoo breach, a third culprit appears ready to cooperate. Reuters has discovered that Canadian citizen Karim Baratov is slated to appear for a “change of plea” hearing on November 28th, indicating that he’s likely to plead guilty to helping Russian officers (Dmitry Dokuchaev and Igor Sushchin) swipe 500 million Yahoo accounts. His attorney has declined to comment, but he has already waived his right to avoid extradition from to the US.

Baratov was part of a larger scheme where Dokuchaev and Sushchin paid hackers to access email accounts, including those outside of Yahoo. At least 50 of the 80 accounts Baratov infiltrated were hosted by Google, and the batch included a mix of Russian officials and business executives. He’d previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, which included multiple fraud charges and identity theft.

Provided Baratov does plead guilty, it’s not certain what will have changed his mind. It may be the only conviction in the case, at any rate. When the other suspects live in Russia and may have the blessing of that country’s government, the most the US can do is impose travel sanctions.

Source: Reuters

Steam hits 17 million concurrent users, with nearly 7 million playing in-game

Valve’s digital distribution service Steam keeps surging in popularity, setting new records for users nearly every month. After hitting 16 million online gamers in October, the lure of Black Friday deals (with an assist from a little game called PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds that you may have heard of) resulted in a new high, with 17,683,804 users signed in simultaneously.

According to the tracking data over at SteamDB, the number of online players reached a high of 6,813,617. Those were people actively playing games, rather than just idly browsing through the deals on the site. Of those, nearly half (2,940,359) were enjoying some frenzied multiplayer action in PUBG.

The total number of actual Steam users is harder to track, as many have multiple accounts and others have been dormant for years. In 2014, Steam announced that it had reached 75 million users, and then boasted more than 125 million “active” accounts at an event in 2015. Still, it’s hard to deny that Valve’s downloadable games service has become a near-universal platform for PC gaming.

According to Steam’s figures from earlier this year, more than 25 million Steam users have gaming rigs that are ready for virtual reality. That figure has nearly doubled since 2016, indicating that widespread adoption of VR as a gaming platform may be right around the corner.

As far as the actual games on the service go, the 800-pound gorilla in the room is PUBG at nearly 3 million, Dota 2 comes in second with a peak of 1.2 million, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a distant third with 850k. It’s worth noting that PUBG reached its peak in 2017, while the other two topped out in 2016. As PCGamesN notes, the number of PUBG players is likely to explode well past 3 million once the game releases the new desert map and then expands into Asian markets after the recent deal with Chinese publisher Tangent.

Valve has recently made its service more open to indie developers with the Steam Direct project. Gamers can also opt for projects that are still in development with Early Access, providing feedback to the developers and participating in discussions as the game reaches its final iteration.

Steam looks to be a juggernaut in PC gaming, at least for the foreseeable future, as it shows no signs of slowing down.

Essential Phone vs OnePlus 5T: Budget Android flagships go head-to-head

The OnePlus 5T is finally here, boasting top-of-the-line specs at a reasonable price. This time around, OnePlus has made a few big tweaks to the phone’s design — bringing a nice, edge-to-edge display to the device.

Of course, there are other phones in the price range with an even more edge-to-edge display — like the Essential Phone, which made a splash in the Android world earlier this year, and just recently got a pretty big price cut to $500. That puts it in direct competition with the OnePlus 5T. But which phone is better? We put the two head to head to find out.

Specs

Essential Phone

OnePlus 5T

Size
141.5 x 71.1 x 7.8 mm (5.57 x 2.80 x 0.31 in)
156.1 x 75 x 7.3 mm (6.15 x 2.95 x 0.29 in)
Weight
6.5 ounces (185 grams)
5.7 ounces (162 grams)
Screen
5.71-inch LCD
6.01-inch AMOLED
Resolution
2,560 x 1,312 pixels (504 ppi)
2,160 x 1,080 pixels (401 ppi)
OS
Android 7.1 Nougat
Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Storage
128GB
64GB or 128GB
SD Card Slot
No
No
NFC support
Yes
Yes
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
RAM
4GB
6GB or 8GB
Connectivity
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE
GSM / CDMA / LTE
Camera
Front 8MP, Rear Dual 13MP
Front 16MP, Rear Dual 16MP and 20MP
Video
4K at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps, 720p at 120fps
4K at 30 fps, 1080p at 60fps, 1080p at 30fps, 720p at 30fps, slow motion 720p at 120fps
Bluetooth
Yes, version 5.0
Yes, version 5.0
Fingerprint sensor
Yes
Yes
Other sensors
Gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, proximity, barometer
Gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, proximity,
Water Resistant
No
No
Battery
3,040mAh
3,300mAh
Charger
USB Type-C
USB Type-C
Quick Charging
Yes
Yes
Wireless Charging
No
No
Marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store
Color offerings
Black Moon, Pure White
Midnight Black
Availability
Essential, Sprint
OnePlus
DT Review
3.5 stars
4.5 stars

Both the Essential Phone and the OnePlus 5T feature Qualcomm’s latest and greatest chip, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, but that’s about where the similarities in specs end. The OnePlus 5T features either 6GB or 8GB of RAM, and either 64GB or 128GB of storage, depending on the model you choose. The Essential Phone, on the other hand, only offers 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Neither of the two devices offer a MicroSD card slot, so you’ll want to get as much storage as you need up front.

There’s a bit of a trade-off here. The base model of the Essential Phone offers a lot more storage than the base model of the OnePlus 5T, but the OnePlus offers more RAM in both situations. Now, for day to day use that probably isn’t going to mean much to you — but it does mean that the OnePlus will get a slight performance boost over the Essential Phone for mulititasking.

Because of the extra RAM and the fact that you can get just as much storage on the OnePlus 5T, it’s the winner here.

Winner: OnePlus 5T

Design, display, and durability

Essential Phone

OnePlus has made a few design tweaks for the OnePlus 5T, overall giving it a much more modern look. The design now includes a so-called “edge-to-edge” display, which has also resulted in the fingerprint sensor being moved to the back. It’s a pretty good look, despite the fact that there’s still a forehead and chin on the phone that some may not like. That’s unlike the Essential Phone, which features a true edge-to-edge display. It’s so edge-to-edge, that there’s a small cutout at the top for the phone’s front-facing camera. Like the OnePlus 5T, the Essential Phone does have a fingerprint sensor on the back, along with a dual-sensor camera.

One major point of difference to keep in mind is the fact that the OnePlus 5T has a headphone jack — while the Essential Phone does not.

When it comes to the display, the two phones are very different. The Essential Phone features a 5.7-inch LCD display, while the OnePlus 5T’s display comes in at 6-inches and is an AMOLED display. The trade-off, however, is resolution — while the OnePlus 5T’s resolution comes in at 2,160 x 1,080 pixels, the Essential Phone steps things up to 2,560 x 1,312 pixels — and the slightly smaller size makes it a much sharper, pixel-dense display.

Neither of the two phones offer water-resistance of any kind, and you’ll want to be careful to not drop them, as the large screens are likely prone to shattering.

Because of the more edge-to-edge display and higher resolution, the Essential Phone is the winner here.

Winner: Essential Phone

Battery life and charging

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

With a higher resolution comes a tax on battery life, and the fact that the Essential Phone has a smaller battery to begin with could well amplify that. The device offers a 3,040mAh battery, while the OnePlus 5T’s battery comes in at 3,300mAh. The OnePlus 5T also has OnePlus’ Dash Charge, which has consistently been rated among the best fast charging technologies available. The Essential Phone doesn’t offer Qualcomm’s QuickCharge tech, but it can get fast charging through USB-C PowerDelivery, providing you have the right chargers.

Because of the larger battery and better fast charging tech, the OnePlus 5T is the winner here.

Winner: OnePlus 5T

Camera

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The OnePlus 5T offers a dual 16MP and 20MP camera, with an aperture of f/1.7, phase detection autofocus, and a dual-LED flash. Those are pretty decent specs — but as any photographer would know, specs alone don’t make for great performance. The Essential Phone’s camera, on the other hand, comes in with a dual 13MP sensor with an aperture of f/1.9. It also has both phase and laser detection autofocus, and an LED flash.

So which camera is better? Well, we’ve extensively reviewed both of these phones, and the OnePlus 5T offers both better photos and an easier camera experience. In our review of the OnePlus 5T, we found that while the camera isn’t on par with the likes of the Google Pixel 2, it’s still very good. We found that the Essential Phone’s camera did take decent shots, but still not as good as the OnePlus 5T, and the app was a little frustrating to use too.

Winner: OnePlus 5T

Software

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Both of these phones offer a pretty stock Android experience, which we see as a good thing. That doesn’t mean it’s totally stock. The OnePlus 5T offers OnePlus’ OxygenOS, which is currently based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat — though an upgrade to Android 8.0 Oreo is on the way. Small tweaks include things like more features in the camera app, and Face Unlock — a feature similar to the iPhone’s Face ID.

The Essential Phone, on the other hand, offers pretty much stock Android, with only a few tweaks to optimize the display for the notch at the top of the phone. That means that the phone gets pretty quick updates, and in fact recently started its beta for Android 8.0 Oreo. The OnePlus 5T beta for Oreo will be coming a little later this year.

Because of the faster updates, the Essential Phone is the winner.

Winner: Essential Phone

Price and availability

The phones are in the same price bracket — and they both offer excellent value for money. The Essential Phone has been available for some time now, and can be bought for $500 from Essential or from Sprint.

The OnePlus 5T is also now available — and the base model costs $500, while the 8GB RAM version comes in at $560. It’s available from OnePlus.

The phones come in at the same price for the base model, so this one’s a tie.

Winner Tie

Overall winner: OnePlus 5T

The design and edge-to-edge display on the Essential Phone are nice, but they’re not enough to beat the OnePlus 5T’s better performance, camera, and battery. Those are all major features of a phone, and most people will find them important.

That doesn’t mean the Essential Phone is a bad choice. In fact, it’s still an excellent option. The difference between these phones is seriously minimal, and if you prefer the design of the Essential Phone and want a higher-resolution display, then it may be the better option for you. For an all-around great phone, however, you’ll want to get the OnePlus 5T.

Sorry kid, access denied: Our favorite, free parental control software

Proper parenting isn’t easy in the digital age. There was once a time, prior to the internet, when a social network strictly referred to you and your band of cohorts, when “following” someone was considered illegal, and when the only pornographic images available lined the glossy interior of publications like Hustler and Penthouse.

Most kids these days are well versed in the tech-savvy art of computing. Many of us wouldn’t mind a little assistance when it comes to curtailing cyberbullying, blocking inappropriate websites, or simply limiting our childrens’ computer usage — for many, it now hovers around eight hours a day. Thankfully, there is plenty of free parental control software available to help.

If keeping your kids safe online seems like too much work right now, how about getting them to play with a real-world techy toy instead?

Built-in OS features

Although giving your kids technology designed for their age group is a good step to keeping them safe online, when they have access to more general computing devices, you can leverage parental control features built right into the operating system. The parental controls for both Windows and MacOS provide a convenient and acceptable means for restricting Web access and chat functionality, along with viewing detailed logs and monitoring email exchanges.

Windows Family Safety

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

For Windows 10, you need to sign up for a Family Safety account. You can then add a specific child account (or more) to your family account that your kids can use.

This approach may be a little complicated, but it comes with a variety of benefits. You get activity reports for all online activity from the child accounts, and can block any apps, games or sites that you want.

For an idea of what apps are actually beneficial for kids, take a look at some of our favorites.

You can also limit how much time they spend on the account, and strictly control their purchasing activity. There’s also some real-world safety features including the ability to track your kids’ location as long as you use Windows mobile devices.

MacOS

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

MacOS touts more than a few options when it comes to parental controls, each of which is accessible via the “Parental Controls” pane housed within the main System Preferences panel. The software includes options for blocking specified applications and websites. You can also block messaging with particular people you deem unworthy or inappropriate. Parental controls must be set individually for each person, but once done, users can also set time limits.

There are other options, such as the ability to hide profanity in most source content, and users can additionally prohibit the computer’s built-in camera and disc-burning utilities. If there’s more than one Mac on a single network, users can even remotely manage said parental controls from a different computer entirely. It’s a fairly comprehensive solution if you don’t mind spending some time in Mac settings making sure everything is set up correctly. The catch is that you can only manage parental controls by user, so you’ll need to set up separate accounts for each child.

Desktop/mobile programs

Window and Mac OS X offer a decent selection of parental controls, but they can’t do it all by default. In the same vein, parental control can be a challenge to set up on child-focused mobile devices. Here are downloadable programs that may be more suited to your particular goals.

K9 Web Protection (Windows/MacOS)

K9 Web Protection, the company’s first offering in the market of parental-control software, is as lightweight as it is speedy, offering phenomenal cloud-based filtering and a swath of features common among the best premium products. This includes blocking websites by picking from more than 70 different categories (drugs, porn, gambling, violence, and more), and activity reports. K9 promises real-time categorization of the latest adult/malicious sites so that new threats won’t be a problem, either.

You can also create custom lists that permanently block or allow specific websites based on your own decisions, or limit web access to only designated times. Most of your settings can be overridden by your parental password when necessary. Plus, it works on the latest Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android platforms. Really, it’s such a complete service that we’re surprised K9 hasn’t started charging yet. You may want to jump on this one quickly.

Get started at:

K9

Qustodio (Windows/MacOS/iOS/Android)

Qustodio has a very clean, easy-to-use interface that allows you to sign up for the free version of its software in moments. You manage everything from the dashboard, which includes social media monitoring, individual time limits for internet usem, games or apps, and the ability to track text messages and calls on the right devices. The real-time internet filter can detect pornography, and makes sure that everything is blocked, even in private browsing modes.

Compatibility options are impressive, since the software supports Kindle and Nook, as well as Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS. However, Qustodio is trying to make as much money as possible with this program, so many features (like game blocking, location tracking, etc.) are locked behind paywalls. You can also only use the free version on a single device, which limits its applicability. This is a great set of features, we just wish more of it was available for free.

Get started at:

Qustodio

Family Shield from OpenDNS (multiple platforms)

OpenDNS bought and fostered FamilyShield with the goal of creating a free, powerful parental control tool that was focused on the practical lives of kids. As a result, FamilyShield is both easy to download and provides a lot of unique features. That includes protection for Internet-connected game consoles, like Xbox One, automatic fraud blocking, and automatic blocking of proxy servers that might be used to get around parental controls.

The service also uses automatic updates to ban adult and violent websites as they appear. The catch here is that you have to set up your router to be compatible with OpenDNS, which involves a little technical work, and some testing to make sure everything is compatible.

Get started at:

Cisco

Kidlogger (multiple platforms)

Kidlogger is a great option if you’d prefer to be covert instead of proactive. Instead of blocking sites, Kidlogger automatically tracks keystrokes and web history, as well as program use (and it automatically saves any screenshots taken on the computer). When installed on a smartphone, the app also automatically logs any phone calls made, by number and by contact name.

The free version of Kidlogger is OK, but the premium versions add some oomph, though some of its features are downright invasive. If you want to monitor your child’s phone conversations and record WhatsApp messages, Kidlogger can do that. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t have native password protection, so if you’ve got a smart kid, you could end up getting caught (ironically). The app is available for Windows, MacOS, Android, BlackBerry, and iOS. Like Qustodio, a free account limits you to one device, while paid versions offer more protection.

Get started at:

Kidlogger

Zoodles kid friendly web-browser (Windows, MacOS, Android)

HTC/Zoodles

Zoodles takes the dramatic step of replacing the entire web-browser with one built around children. Specifically good for really young kids just getting to grips with accessing content online, Zoodles combines a filtered online-experience with a walled garden of promoted, child-friendly content.

Available on a variety of devices and operating systems, Zoodles offers games, books, videos, and access to other age-appropriate content, all customizable by parents. There are activity reports to see what your child spends time doing, as well as an adjustable “recommender engine” which helps parents promote certain learning tools to their children through the application.

No matter if you use the free version with basic features, or the more advanced “premium” edition, Zoodles is a great tool for younger children. It’s easily circumvented once they know what they’re doing, however, so don’t try and force this one on your teens. For baby’s first internet-experience though, Zoodles does a great job.

Browsers, add-ons, and extensions

Since the Web is where most children spend the majority of their computer time — don’t we all? —  it’s not a bad idea to incorporate an add-on, extension, or even a dedicated browser featuring a basic filtering system and monitoring mechanics. They’re lightweight, install in seconds, and provide enough protection for young children — though like the Zoodles browser, older kids and teens may be able to find their way around extensions.

FoxFilter (Google Chrome/Mozilla Firefox Add-on)

FoxFilter is designed to provide users with a score of blocking filters based solely on individual keywords and sites (i.e. Playboy, lingerie, nude), while offering solutions for adding trusted sites to a curated list of exempt content. Moreover, the add-on’s sensitivity settings can be tweaked to scan body content as well as the title and URL, and users can set notification and alert preferences detailing the type of content underlying each blocked site.

This preference managing is great for blocking a range of websites according to your own goals, but it may also be tricky for inexperienced users. Use the wrong keywords, or too many keywords, and you may find nearly every website blocked. FoxFilter does offer free email support, so if you encounter any issues don’t hesitate to contact them.

Get started at:

FoxFilter Chrome FoxFilter Firefox

Nanny for Google Chrome, LeechBlock for Firefox (Browser Extensions)

As children get older, certain content concerns may go away. However, time management becomes a greater source of worry, especially for teenagers whose lives begin to increasingly revolve around social interaction — and, in turn — social networking sites. Nanny and LeechBlock are browser extensions that offer a simpler and more specific version of control: productivity control.

The extensions block particular sites at specific times of the day to prevent distraction and promote productivity, thus allowing you to block Facebook from noon until 6 p.m., for instance. The two add-ons also let you designate how much time your kids can spend daily on certain websites, which means you can allocate an hour or two of time on a specific site instead of blocking the domain entirely. The extensions might even help you with your productivity, especially considering how easy it is to fall prey to productivity-hindering distractions now and again.

Get started at:

Nanny LeechBlock

What’s next?

Now that you’ve made sure your kids are safe online, what about making sure your web activities are well protected too? Make sure you’re running a strong antivirus solution and keep your passwords shored up with our favorite password managers.

Updated 11/22/17 by Jon Martindale – Updated links and text.

These ‘Substitute Phones’ are fabricated for fidgety phone fingers

Smartphones are more ubiquitous than ever,. Doubtless, a lot of that usage is related to work or entertainment.

However, there are other reasons we’re constantly swiping and tapping our phone screens. The simple act of doing so can be enjoyable for some people, and can give you something to do with your hands even if you don’t really want to be connected all the time. If you’ve ever wanted to play with your phone while not actually using your phone, then Klemens Schillinger’s Substitute Phones may be just what you need.

The Substitute Phone made of high-quality, heavy-duty plastic designed to mimic the look and feel of a traditional smartphone. The devices feature stone beads which are designed to simulate the various gestures one would make on their smartphone. In a way, you can think of them as phone-shaped fidget spinners. They fulfill the same tactile urge to touch and swipe that your actual smartphone does, but will give you a break from the constant text messages and notifications.

“The object, which some of us describe as a prosthesis, is reduced to nothing but the motions,” the product description reads. “This calming limitation offers help for smartphone addicts to cope with withdrawal symptoms.”

While speaking with Dezeen, Schillinger said that the device had two inspirations. The first was the large amount of time he spent looking at his smartphone even when he didn’t necessarily want to use it. The second was writer Umberto Eco who, when attempting to quit smoking, substituted his pipe for a stick in order to simulate the sensation of holding a pipe without the nicotine.

“It was the same thing, but without the nicotine, just the physical stimulation,” he told Dezeen. “I remembered this and thought to make phones that would provide the physical stimulation but not the connectivity.”

The Substitute Phone is the second creation that Schillinger has created in an attempt to help explain our relationship with technology. The first was the Offline Lamp, which would only turn on when a smartphone-sized device was placed in its drawer.

These ‘Substitute Phones’ are fabricated for fidgety phone fingers

Smartphones are more ubiquitous than ever,. Doubtless, a lot of that usage is related to work or entertainment.

However, there are other reasons we’re constantly swiping and tapping our phone screens. The simple act of doing so can be enjoyable for some people, and can give you something to do with your hands even if you don’t really want to be connected all the time. If you’ve ever wanted to play with your phone while not actually using your phone, then Klemens Schillinger’s Substitute Phones may be just what you need.

The Substitute Phone made of high-quality, heavy-duty plastic designed to mimic the look and feel of a traditional smartphone. The devices feature stone beads which are designed to simulate the various gestures one would make on their smartphone. In a way, you can think of them as phone-shaped fidget spinners. They fulfill the same tactile urge to touch and swipe that your actual smartphone does, but will give you a break from the constant text messages and notifications.

“The object, which some of us describe as a prosthesis, is reduced to nothing but the motions,” the product description reads. “This calming limitation offers help for smartphone addicts to cope with withdrawal symptoms.”

While speaking with Dezeen, Schillinger said that the device had two inspirations. The first was the large amount of time he spent looking at his smartphone even when he didn’t necessarily want to use it. The second was writer Umberto Eco who, when attempting to quit smoking, substituted his pipe for a stick in order to simulate the sensation of holding a pipe without the nicotine.

“It was the same thing, but without the nicotine, just the physical stimulation,” he told Dezeen. “I remembered this and thought to make phones that would provide the physical stimulation but not the connectivity.”

The Substitute Phone is the second creation that Schillinger has created in an attempt to help explain our relationship with technology. The first was the Offline Lamp, which would only turn on when a smartphone-sized device was placed in its drawer.

HP Spectre 13 (2017) review

Research Center:
HP Spectre 13 (2017)

The Windows PC market moves fast, and sometimes companies make claims that are quickly superseded. Such was the case with the original HP Spectre 13, which was first advertised as the “world’s thinnest laptop.” Soon after, Acer released its even thinner Swift 7, which beat it out. Now, in our latest HP Spectre 13 review, we look at the update to the Spectre, which has been significantly redesigned and is now touted as “the world’s thinnest touchscreen notebook.”

Our review unit was equipped with an eighth-generation Intel Core i7-8550U, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD), and a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 or 165 PPI) resolution display, at a retail price of $1,400. HP will be offering higher-end configurations and a 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160 or 331 PPI) display, but pricing has not yet been announced.

A lovely little jewel of a notebook

HP’s redesigned Spectre 13 is as thin as ever at just 0.41 inches thick, in spite of its new touch display, and it’s incredibly light at 2.43 pounds. But as you probably know, HP isn’t exactly the only company trying to slim down its products. There are plenty of notebooks around that are sold for their tiny size, including the 12-inch Apple MacBook at just over half an inch thick and the Huawei MateBook X at 0.49 inches. The Spectre 13 out-thins both of those — and throws in touch display electronics as the icing on top. It’s still not quite as thin as the Swift 7, but it’s impressive nonetheless.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

The refreshed Spectre 13 also sports a new Ceramic White and Pale Gold color scheme that is the yin to the previous model’s yang. You can still choose the Ash Silver and Chrome Luxe version, but our review model convinced us that if you’re going to choose such a thin and beautiful notebook, you might as well select the one that stands out. It’s a unique color scheme that sets it apart from the sea of MacBook and Surface clones.

It’s a gorgeous design that looks like a fine piece of jewelry, with a fit and finish to match.

To make sure that lovely white surface stays pristine, HP utilizes a special scratch-resistant Advanced Electro Deposition (AED) process on the aluminum lid and keyboard deck and carbon fiber bottom. The Spectre 13 has also been trimmed of any excess width and depth, with the display’s bezels reduced to 5.3mm (from 15.03mm) and the top bezel to 9.7mm (down from 16.04mm). That’s similar to the Dell XPS 13, with its side and top bezels of 5.2 mm. The angles have been chiseled for a cleaner look, and the diamond cut around the lid makes it easy to open.

All in all, it’s a gorgeous design that looks like a fine piece of jewelry, with a fit and finish to match.

Our only complaint with the design and build is directly related to the Spectre 13’s thinness. While the chassis feels solid enough when the lid is closed, there’s some give when pressing on the bottom and the keyboard and the screen significantly bends under relatively light pressure.

As long as you’re just opening the lid and not twisting it, though, you’ll appreciate the hinge’s smooth action — which can be used with single-handedly — and how well it holds the display in place. However, the odd design, in which the display isn’t as deep as the chassis and folds down to lie flush with a metal strip along the back of the machine, means that the display doesn’t open as wide as you’ll find on most notebooks.

Overall, the Spectre 13 is a lovely-designed machine that’s as much a work of art as it is a notebook. It’s thin and exceptionally light, albeit at the cost of sheer rigidity.

Future-proof but limited connectivity

With the Spectre 13, you can have any kind of port you want, as long as it’s USB-C. As with the previous model, the new Spectre 13 offers up three USB-C ports to go with the 3.5mm audio jack, and that’s it. Two of them support Thunderbolt 3, however, and that’s a real plus.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Nevertheless, you’ll be relying on dongles to connect legacy peripherals (although the Best Buy version does come with a USB-C to USB-A adapter). The MacBook has fewer ports with its single USB-C Thunderbolt 3 connection, and the MateBook X increases the count to two USB-C ports. The Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe, on the other hand, duplicates the Spectre 13’s triplet of USB-C ports, two with Thunderbolt 3. The more ports the better, but the Spectre 13 is in line with the competition in this department.

Wireless connectivity includes the increasingly typical 2×2 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi adapter and Bluetooth 4.2 combo. HP has built in its Connection Optimizer technology that aims to keep Wi-Fi connections fast by picking the least congested connection available.

Surprisingly good keyboard for such a thin machine

Somehow, HP managed to squeeze an excellent keyboard into the Spectre 13’s frame, with an impressive 1.3mm of key travel — significantly more than on a laptop like the ZenBook 3 Deluxe or MacBook Pro — that provides for a surprisingly good typing experience. There’s plenty of snap, giving a precise feel, and we found ourselves quickly ramping up to our usual typing speed. The keyboard is uniformly backlit, but oddly enough there’s only one rather bright setting that is a bit much in darker environments.

The Spectre 13 sports one of the best keyboards you’ll find on such a thin-and-light notebook.

In addition, HP moved the speakers from the sides to reside underneath the display. This let the company expand the keyboard to provide excellent spacing as well as to add the same row of home keys along the right-hand side that you’ll find on some other recent HP notebooks. All the keys are the right sizes and in the right places.

All in all, this is one of the best keyboards you’ll find on laptops of the thin-and-light variety. It’s vastly superior to the “typing on a block of wood” experience of the recent MacBook keyboards, and it’s even better than the aforementioned ZenBook 3 Deluxe’s keyboard, which we considered very good for the form factor.

The touchpad is a little less pleasant. To begin with, it’s not a Microsoft Precision Touchpad, but rather utilizes Synaptics drivers. Therefore, its gesture support was a little less precise than we like. The glass surface is smooth, though, and it’s been increased 15 percent in size from the previous generation, with a shape that mimics the display’s widescreen aspect ratio. You’ll be happier with the larger touchpad on the MacBook, as well as the more common Microsoft Precision touchpads you’ll find on other modern Windows notebooks like the Dell XPS 13.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

The display on the new Spectre 13 also supports multitouch, and it’s a nice addition. Even without pen support or the ability to rotate into tablet format, having a touchscreen makes it easier to push buttons and scroll the display, and we’re glad to see HP add the feature.

A slightly below-average display that’s just good enough

Our review unit came equipped with a 13.3-inch Full HD display, which is the baseline for today’s premium notebooks. HP will also offer a 4K UHD option that will make for a very sharp display indeed.

According to our colorimeter, the Spectre 13’s display is a little worse than average compared to similar premium notebooks. Contrast was a bit low at 740:1 at full brightness, which was just 266 nits, and thus had a hard time overcoming bright lights. The Dell XPS 13 and Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe both exceeded 900:1 in contrast, and 300 nits in brightness.

Colors were also slightly less dynamic, with only 71 percent coverage of the AdobeRGB gamut and 94 percent coverage of sRGB. Most displays in this class hit at least 72 and 95 percent, respectively, and the XPS 13 was a standout at 77 and 98 percent. The Spectre 13’s color accuracy was also a little worse than average at 2.54, where anything less than 1.0 is considered excellent.

Subjectively, the Spectre 13’s display was pleasant enough to use, although we did notice that video was darker than we’d like. That makes sense given the gamma results of 2.4 (2.2 is perfect). We wish it was brighter, though, and offered up more contrast to make black text on a white background pop more.

Punchy audio, just don’t turn it all the way up

HP moved the speakers from the sides to just below the display on the newest Spectre 13, adding more space for the Bang & Olufsen-tuned speakers to work. The result is audio that’s impressive for such a tiny machine.

HP Spectre 13 (2017) Compared To

Asus Zenbook 3 Deluxe…

Asus ZenBook Flip S

Huawei Matebook X WT-W09

Toshiba Portege Z30-C1310

Razer Blade Stealth

Toshiba Portege Z20t

LG Ultra PC 14Z950

HP Spectre 13t

Samsung ATIV Book 7

Acer Aspire M5 Touch

Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M5

Acer Aspire S5

Lenovo IdeaPad U310

HP Folio 13

Asus Zenbook UX31

Volume can get very loud, enough to share a movie or TV show with friends, and music was surprisingly enjoyable. Even bass was a bit better than we expected, and the midrange and lows were pleasant — at least, up to around 80 percent volume. Beyond that, though, everything starts to run together. The good thing is you shouldn’t have to pass that threshold to properly fill a medium-sized room.

Impressively fast for such a thin and light machine

Our review unit was equipped with the eighth-generation Intel Core i7-8550U, a 15-watt quad-core processor that promises improved performance yet increased efficiency. The new CPU has provided significant performance improvements in all the machines we’ve reviewed so far.

The Spectre 13 keeps up the pace. In the Geekbench 4 synthetic benchmark, the machine scored 4,916 in the single-core test and 14,301 in the multi-core tests. Those are excellent results that compete well with the other Core i7-8550U machines in our comparison group and blow away seventh-generation notebooks.

On the more challenging Handbrake test that encodes a 420MB video file to H.265, the Spectre 13 was able to complete the process in 672 seconds. Given that this test really stresses the CPU and generates some heat, this is an impressive showing. It’s much faster than other thin notebooks using the same processor, including the latest Dell XPS 13 and the ZenBook 3 Deluxe, and even competes with our speed champ so far, the thicker and heavier Lenovo Yoga 920.

The Spectre 13 offers impressive performance for such a thin and light machine. It’s faster than we expected it to be, and its performance is due in part to some work that HP put into it the cooling system. There’s an infrared sensor that measures when the surface of the chassis gets too hot to the touch and modulates the fans, and HP engineered a hybrid cooling solution that manages to let the CPU run at full speed for longer periods.

You’ll be more than happy with the Spectre 13’s performance for all of your general productivity needs. In real-world use, it’s plenty quick and can handle anything you’re likely to throw at it — even the occasional high-end task like video encoding, which usually makes thin-and-light notebooks stutter.

More than fast enough storage speeds

HP equipped our Spectre 13 with a 256GB Samsung PM961 SSD. That’s a great choice, given its generally excellent performance in both reading and writing data.

The Spectre 13 couldn’t quite squeeze all the performance out of the Samsung SSD in our benchmark testing. It scored 906 megabytes per second (MB/s) on the CrystalDiskMark read test and 964 MB/s on the write test. That’s slower than some other machines using the same drive, such as the Lenovo Yoga 720 that scored a remarkable 2,060 MB/s read and 1,209 MB/s write and the Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe that scored 1,349 MB/s read and 1,285 MB/s write.

Even so, the Spectre 13 is plenty fast in reading and writing information, and you’re unlikely to notice the discrepancy. Throughout our testing and in writing this review, the notebook never slowed down. It might be small, but the Spectre 13 is a speedy little machine for pretty much any productivity task.

Don’t even think about gaming

The Spectre 13 is equipped with integrated Intel UHD 620 graphics, which are unchanged from the seventh-generation version. That implies enough graphical prowess for the usual productivity tasks but doesn’t indicate a very powerful gaming system.

As expected, the Spectre 13 scored in line with other machines using the same integrated graphics. Its 3DMark Fire Strike score of 1,005 is average, and indicates a machine that’s not going to be a great choice for gamers.

We ran Civilization VI at Full HD, just for kicks. The Spectre 13 achieved 11 frames per second (FPS) at medium graphics and 6 FPS at ultra graphics. Unsurprisingly, that’s within the FPS range of every other machine we’ve tested using the Intel UHD 620 GPU.

Incredibly easy to carry around, but take your charger if you’re working hard

HP increased the battery capacity on the new Spectre 13 from 38 to 43 watt-hours using a new step-cell design. The eighth-generation Intel CPUs also promise better efficiency, at least when the CPU is running at its lower base clock speed than the previous generation. That led us to believe we’d see solid battery life.

The combination was generally fruitful. In our most demanding battery test, the Basemark web benchmark that taxes the CPU and GPU with a series of demanding web processes, the Spectre 13 managed just over two and a half hours — an okay result. Dell’s XPS 13 was the leader among eighth-generation machines on this test at three and a half hours, and the ZenBook 3 Deluxe lasted a few minutes longer than the Spectre 13.

On our test that shuffles through a series of popular web pages, the Spectre 13 managed five hours and 21 minutes. That’s a little weaker than we expected but still a decent showing. The XPS 13 lasted only a minute longer, while the ZenBook 3 Deluxe passed the six-hour mark. Lenovo’s Yoga 920 was the standout at over eight hours.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Finally, we see how long machines can loop through an Avengers trailer from local storage until the battery runs out. Here, the Spectre 13 lasted for a more competitive nine hours and 51 minutes. That’s 50 minutes longer than the XPS 13 and within five minutes of the Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe. The Yoga 920 blew every other machine away at almost 14 hours of runtime.

These are mixed results, but they follow the trend we’ve seen with machines using eighth-generation CPUs. If you’re doing general productivity work, then the Spectre 13 will likely last close to a full day’s work. If you’re doing work that stresses the processor, then you’ll want to make sure you have your charger on hand. The Spectre is light enough, however, that you probably won’t mind carrying along a little extra weight.

Software

The HP Spectre 13 is equipped with the usual HP utilities to keep the machine updated and to provide access to technical support resources. In addition, the Dropbox app comes pre-installed to provide access to the included 30GB of free storage space for a year. Those are the useful apps. The McAfee and other trials are examples of bloatware that we’d rather not see – and are far less common — on a premium machine.

Warranty

HP offers a typical one-year parts and labor warranty for the Spectre 13. As usual, that’s disappointing for a machine that costs over $1,000.

Our Take

The HP Spectre 13 has been significantly redesigned, adding in a touch display in the same ultrathin chassis, and updating to eighth-generation Intel Core processors. It remains a solidly built machine, albeit with the slightest bit of flex due to the ultrathin materials, and performance is very good.

Is there a better alternative?

There aren’t that many Windows notebooks that are quite as thin and light as the Spectre 13. One of the more direct comparisons is the Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe, which offers a slightly larger 14-inch display but still manages to fit into the same class of machine. It’s also equipped with the Intel Core i7-8550U CPU, and offers similar performance and battery life. It’s a little more solidly built — and a bit thicker and heavier — while also costing $1,700 with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

If you’re willing to accept a little more thickness and weight, then the excellent Dell XPS 13 is a good alternative. It’s just received its own eighth-generation update, and it also provides strong performance and battery life. At $1,300 for a Core i7-8550U, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD, it’s priced a bit less than the Spectre 13.

Another thin and light Windows 10 option is served up by the Huawei MateBook X. That machine is still mired with seventh generation Intel Core processors, but it provides a very good, higher resolution 13-inch 2,160 x 1,440 (200 PPI) display with a 3:2 aspect ratio that’s great for productivity. Our review unit came in at $1,100 for a Core i5-7200U, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD, making it less expensive than the Spectre 13 albeit considerably slower.

Finally, you could make the switch to MacOS and pick up the latest MacBook. You’ll gain Apple’s always-excellent design and build quality, along with a colorful and high-contrast 12-inch display at 2,304 x 1,440 resolution (226 PPI). You’ll also pay for it, at $1,600 for a Core i5-7200U, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. And make sure you’re okay with the MacBook’s keyboard before you pull out your credit card.

How long will it last?

The Spectre 13 is well-built, but it’s also very thin. You’ll want to make sure you treat it gently, at least if a slightly flexible chassis gives you pause. It’s equipped with eight-generation processors and plenty of RAM and storage space, and it uses futureproof USB-C ports. If you take care of it, you should get quite a few years of use.

Should you buy it?

Yes, particularly if you really want such a thin and light machine. You’ll get great performance and decent battery life along with a lovely appearance and a seriously svelte frame.

Android 8.0 Oreo for unlocked HTC U11 will be available November 27

The perks of buying unlocked.

The HTC U11 isn’t the most exciting phone of 2017, but for those in the market for a device with a stunning design, fast performance, and an excellent camera, it’s still a really good choice. The U11 shipped with a close to stock build of Android 7.1.1 Nougat, and thanks to HTC’s restraint of going too crazy with modifications of the OS, the phone is already scheduled to receive an update to 8.0 Oreo.

HTC’s Vice President of Product Management, Mo Versi, took to Twitter on November 26 to announce that Android 8.0 Oreo would soon be available for the U11 and that it’ll be rolling out on November 27.

This update will be available specifically for the unlocked model of the U11, but Versi says that HTC is working with Sprint (and presumably other carriers) to get Oreo out to other variants of the phone as quickly as possible.

Additionally, if you’re the owner of an HTC 10, U Ultra, or U11 Life, Versi confirmed that an Oreo update for all of these phones is still in the works.

HTC U11

• HTC U11 review
• HTC U11 specs
• Manufacturing the U11: Behind the scenes
• Join our U11 forums
• HTC U11 vs Galaxy S8
• HTC U11 vs LG G6

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Sprint
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Microsoft Office is now available for all Chromebooks

Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are all finally here for everyone.

Thanks to relentless software updates and exciting hardware options, Chrome OS is now a realistic alternative for a desktop operating system that can be used over the likes of Windows and macOS. One of the biggest additions to Chrome OS that makes this possible is the ability to download and run Android apps, but one selection of apps that’s been noticeably missing from certain Chromebooks is Microsoft Office.

Microsoft Office has been available for some Chromebooks like Google’s new Pixelbook, but on others, it either didn’t work properly or show up in the Play Store at all. This unsurprisingly caused a lot of irritation for Office fans that wanted to give Chrome OS a shot, but it looks like these headaches are finally coming to an end.

The folks at Chrome Unboxed recently discovered that Microsoft’s Office apps are all of a sudden showing up in the Play Store on all of their Chromebooks, including the Samsung Chromebook Pro, Acer C771, two models of the Chromebook 15, and the Pixelbook.

If you own a Chromebook, this means you can now head to the Play Store and download Microsoft Word, Excell, and PowerPoint. You’ll need a subscription to Office 365 in order to actually edit files on these apps if you have a Chromebook with a display larger than 10.1-inches, but even so, the fact that everyone now actually has the option to use these apps is great.

Are Microsoft’s Office apps showing up in the Play Store on your Chromebook? Let us know in the comments below!

Chromebooks

• The best Chromebooks
• Should you buy a Chromebook?
• Google Play is coming to Chromebooks
• Acer Chromebook 14 review
• Join our Chromebook forums

SEC knew about weak security years before hack

The hack that compromised the US Securities and Exchange Commission was a shock and more than a little damaging, but could it have been prevented? Unfortunately the answer is very likely yes. The Hill has combed through the SEC’s internal evaluations, and it’s now clear that the Commission had been warned about digital security issues for years. An inspector general audit warned about “weaknesses” in the SEC’s security measures back in 2013, and multiple warnings appear to have sometimes fallen on deaf ears. A June 2016 inspector general report said the SEC hadn’t “fully addressed” some problems from previous audits, and was at “increased risk” of intruders taking sensitive data.

That security was weak isn’t completely shocking when a number of American government agencies have fallen prey to hacks. Also, many government agencies have to make do with aging computers and infrastructure that can’t receive software updates outside of exceptional circumstances. The inspector general’s office itself has struggled with both poor funding and a lack of clear goals.

Still, the SEC had plenty of time to update its platforms and implement policies that weren’t necessarily dependent on newer technology, such as thorough data encryption. The hack also illustrates a serious problem with government cybersecurity in the US. If an agency as crucial as the SEC struggled to improve its security practices over the years, that suggests other important institutions also have a lot to learn about safeguarding critical data.

Source: The Hill