Amazon Music Unlimited and Echo devices coming to 28 additional countries

Here’s which countries get to share in on the Amazon fun.

On December 8, 2017, Amazon announced that it’s officially expanding both its Music Unlimited streaming service and Echo smart speakers to 28 new countries.

Amazon Music Unlimited costs $7.99/month in the United States for Prime members ($9.99 for non-Prime customers), and for that price you get access to a library of 40 million songs, offline listening, and support for a variety of different devices, including Android, iOS, PC, Mac, Amazon Fire TV, and (of course) Echo speakers.

Echo speakers in these new markets currently only support controls in English, but we could see more languages added later on down the road.

As for the countries that are part of this expansion, they include:

• Belgium
• Bolivia
• Bulgaria
• Chile
• Columbia
• Costa Rica
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Estonia
• Finland
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Panama
• Peru
• Poland
• Portugal
• Slovakia
• Sweden
• Uruguay

If it seems like Amazon’s been expanding a lot of its products to other countries recently, that’s because it has. This latest news comes just a day after the Fire 7 and Fire HD 8 tablets launched in Canada, and back in November, Canadians were also finally treated with the release of Echo speakers.

See at Amazon

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This $13 Anker portable charger would fit neatly inside a holiday stocking

It’s a portable charger that fits in your hand.

This Anker black Astro E1 ultra compact portable charger is down to $13.19 on Amazon. It normally sells around $17 and the other colors are selling for $20 right now.

This charger is the size of a candy bar but has 6700mAh, which means it’s got enough power to fully charge a Galaxy S8.

Features include:

• Exclusive PowerIQ Technology: Detects your device to deliver its fastest possible charge speed up to 2 amps. Does not support Qualcomm Quick Charge.
• Add over two full charges to an iPhone 7 or 6s or at least one full charge to a 7 Plus, Galaxy S8, Nexus 5 or other smartphone
• Fits perfectly in your pocket. Recharges in 5.5 hours with a 1A adapter (not included) and the included Micro USB cable.

It has an 18-month warranty from Anker. Users give it 4.5 stars based on 539 reviews.

You can use the included micro USB cable or upgrade to a 3-foot cable from Anker for $5.

See on Amazon

Android’s ‘Check for update’ button is broken, fix coming in 2018

The culprit? Google Play Services.

Back in September, Googler Elliot Hughes announced on Google+ that Android’s “Check for update” button was being reworked so that it actually checked and pulled any new updates for your device rather than just doing a check to see if an update was planned for your area that day. In other words, you’d theoretically be able to get your hands on OTA updates much faster than before.

This came as exciting news for a lot of the Android community, but with the recent release of 8.1 Oreo, people have been noticing that the button still doesn’t do diddly squat. Spotted by Android Police, Hughes recently took to Google+ once more, but this time to announce that the latest update for Google Play Services has stopped the feature from working as intended.

Per Hughes post:

[UPDATE: a Google Play Services update after I posted this broke the feature again. (An API incompatibility between the System Update code and the Checkin code, if you’re interested in the details: bugs involving two separate moving parts are often the sneakiest.) This was fixed again internally, but late enough that it will be next year before this works again for non-Googlers.

It’s unclear when in 2018 this solution will be made available to the public, but we’re crossing our fingers that it’ll be sooner rather than later.

Have you gotten your hands on 8.1 Oreo yet?

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• How to get Android Oreo on your Pixel or Nexus
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Jerry’s Favorite Things of 2017

Jerry’s Favorite Things of 2017

2017 is just about finished, and that means it’s time to do the last-minute holiday shopping that you promised yourself you wouldn’t wait for the last minute to do again. While we can’t brave the cold and wait in lines with you, we can help sort through the endless amount of cool stuff you’ll find online for any special people in your life. Here are a handful of things I loved from 2017 to help.

BlackBerry KEYone

Call it BlackBerry’s comeback or a return to basics or any of the other buzzwords used to describe the KEYone from BlackBerry, but it still will be the best phone you can buy with a keyboard. And it’s a great keyboard, featuring BlackBerry’s familiar caps and function key mapping as well as a touch sensor that supports gestures.

Besides the keyboard, it’s an all-around great phone, too. It might not be as sexy as a Pixel or Galaxy phone, but it’s dependable, secure, and will last all day on a single charge. Oh — it has access to all the apps in Google’s Play Store, too.

If you are looking for a new phone for someone special (including your special self!) it’s totally worth looking at the KEYone. Especially if there is any work to be done on the phone in between all the Facebooking and playing games.

From $422 Buy Now

Google Pixelbook

The Pixelbook isn’t just another Chromebook. And with a $1,000 price, it shouldn’t be. It’s Google’s vision of where mobile is heading when you’re using a big screen and imagine it as a cross between a laptop and a tablet. And it’s great in both roles, featuring all the security and ease-of-use of a Chromebook with Android app support in a package that’s as easy to use in “tablet” mode as an iPad is.

Complete with outstanding current-generation hardware, it’s also one of the best-built laptops you’re likely to find. Pair it with the Google Pixelbook Pen, and prepare yourself for something you’ve never experienced before.

$From 999 Buy Now

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Make America Nazi-free Again. #NoMoreNazis

$40 Buy Now

Lego Jerry Garcia

I’m usually not the type that helps a company cash in on a dead celebrity, but pairing the one and only Jerry Garcia and Lego calls for some rule-bending here. There’s not much to say except it’s Lego and Jerry Garcia, which makes it the perfect toy for almost anyone. Keep on Truckin’, Jerry.

$15 Buy Now

Fender Mustang GT 40 Modeling Guitar Amp

You don’t have to spend over $1,000 on a modeling amp for your favorite guitarist. The Mustang GT 40 from Fender isn’t going to bring enough oompf to create that wall of noise for a concert, but it’s perfect for practicing or just playing with friends. Over 100 presets and Wi-Fi capability to download more mean that almost any type of sound will come from the speaker, and I was able to replace a rack of pedals while jamming at home with the GT 40. Highly recommend for anyone who wants to try modeling through their amp and doesn’t want to break the bank.

$250 Buy Now

HTC Vive

VR is the future of gaming, and that’s coming from someone who was the biggest skeptic out there until I tried it. And I think the HTC Vive is the best way to get started. It’s comfortable and easy to set up, and has a long list of great games on Steam or through Viveport. It’s also a great way for anyone who happens to have mobility issues to see the world that isn’t exactly accessible to them!

$600 Buy Now

Marvel comics arrive in Hoopla’s public library app

Comic books are a brilliant medium, but keeping up with the latest releases can be expensive. If you live in the US, it’s worth checking out Hoopla; the service is supported by more than 1,500 public libraries, and offers free digital access to DC, Image and IDW titles. And starting today, another major publisher is joining the platform: Marvel. More than 250 collections and graphic novels will be available, including Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet book one — by author, journalist and comic book writer Ta-Nehisi Paul Coates — Civil War and X-Men: The Dark Pheonix Saga.

There’s a handy map here that shows all of the Hoopla-supported libraries in the US. As Variety explains, the libraries set their own lending limits, so you might be able to check out five or 10 at a time through the app. You won’t, of course, get every new Marvel release, but it’s a good place to start if you’re unsure which characters or series to follow. Hoopla says there should be plenty of familiar faces from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Spider-Man, Daredevil, The Runaways, The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. As Luke Cage would say: Sweet Christmas…

Via: Variety

Source: Hoopla (Press Release)

MIT is redesigning power converters to make the grid more efficient

Electrical efficiency affects a massive number of devices, from the relatively tiny phones in our pockets all the way up to electric cars and the power grids keeping our houses running. Power converters are a particularly important part of the equation, as they’re the devices that bring the high voltages coming through power lines down to more manageable levels for household outlets. MIT, along with semiconductor company IQE, Columbia University, IBM and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology have announced some breakthroughs on making that part of the equation more efficient.

Specifically, the report outlines how power converters made of gallium nitride semiconductors are both more efficient and smaller — but thus far they’ve only been able handle power in the range of 600 volts. That’s enough for household products, but not for larger or more complex devices. But MIT’s research has led to a breakthrough in which gallium nitride converters have been able to handle twice the voltage — up to 1,200 volts. That’s enough to use in an electric car, but this is only a beginning point for the technology.

Ultimately, MIT and its partners believe that improvements will let these converters handle 3,300 and 5,000 volts, enough to build them into the power grid itself. The challenge has been building “vertical” converters out of gallium nitride, a design that’s more efficient than the “lateral” alternative, but also harder to produce. But a new design has helped make these voltage increases more plausible: “Instead of doing the complicated zigzag path for the current in conventional vertical transistors, let’s change the geometry of the transistor completely,” said MIT professor Tomás Palacios. There’s no word on when these types of designs might make it into electric cars or power grids, but the potential of reducing energy waste makes this project one worth keeping an eye on.

Source: MIT

Google and ProPublica help journalists cover local elections

ProPublica and Google’s News Lab are teaming up to help journalists, especially at the local level, report on all things related to elections. The Election Databot, which launched during the 2016 general election, will now offer up data on every race from the Alabama senate race through to the 2018 midterms. The portal for each event will broadcast a firehose of relevant news stories, search trends for the candidates and even broadcast FEC spending data.

The idea is that by providing local journalists with key, verified data at their fingertips, they will be able to better cover each election. For instance, the portal will have access to deleted tweets — archived by Politwoops — and material from each candidate’s social media profile more widely. In an era where trust in the media is falling, and the media is becoming more partisan with each passing day, such solid data may be a small, but useful, step in restoring everyone’s faith in the system.

Source: Election Databot, ProPublica, Google

SiriusXM now streams radio stations to your Apple TV

SiriusXM is now available on 4th generation Apple TVs and Apple TV 4K. Subscribers with streaming access can use the SiriusXM app to access its over 200 channels, which can be customized with MySXM. Users will also be able to access archived programming on demand and the app’s user interface has been optimized for Apple TV.

The SiriusXM app has already been available on LG, Roku, Samsung and Sony smart TVs as well as Amazon Fire TV and Playstation. Apple TV owners also recently just got access to the Amazon Prime Video app.

To start listening to SiriusXM on your Apple TV, just go to App Store and search for SiriusXM. Then click “Get” to install, sign in with your SiriusXM username and password and you’re good to go.

Source: SiriusXM

Skype, Tidal, VLC, Feedly and Other Apps Optimized for iPhone X

A handful of popular apps have been optimized for the iPhone X over the past few days. We’ve rounded up some of the notable ones below.

Each of these apps now support the iPhone X’s new screen size, rather than having a letterboxed design with black bars at the top and bottom.

• Skype
• VLC
• Tidal
• Feedly
• LINE
• Viber
• PlayStation Vue
• Bank of America

If you have an iPhone X and use any of these apps, check the App Store’s Updates tab to ensure you have the latest version installed.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTags: Skype, Bank of America, VLC, Tidal, Viber, FeedlyBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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Australia will soon have a blockchain-based stock exchange

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) will soon be the first mainstream financial market to adopt blockchain technology.

Blockchain is the underlying system that allows Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies to be traded in a decentralized manner. It revolves around a ledger, or database, that is continuously updated and accessible to the public. Many users, or nodes, have a copy of the ledger and verify the transactions by completing difficult mathematical problems. In the Bitcoin world, these validators are called “miners.” They authenticate and group transactions into cryptographically protected “blocks” which are then added to the public “chain” for all to see. Miners are slowly rewarded with Bitcoin for carrying out this work, which requires a substantial PC rig.

ASX will be using a similar distributed ledger to replace its decades-old settlement and clearing system, called the Clearing House Electronic Subregister System (CHESS). In 2016, ASX announced it would be working with Digital Asset Holdings, a US-based blockchain startup, on the system. Two years and plenty of testing later, the pair believe their platform is ready for the fast-paced world of stocks and shares.

The removal of a “middle man” should make transactions quicker, cheaper and easier. ASX will manage the system on a “secure private network” where all users are known and verified. Traders will, however, still have access to “non-affiliated market operators and clearing and settlement facilities.” It’s not yet clear how that functionality will work though, or whether these services will need to inter-operate with the blockchain.

ASX will continue to consult with stakeholders ahead of a planned launch in March 2018. Blythe Masters, CEO of Digital Asset, said it would be “the first meaningful proof that the technology can live up to its potential.” By that, he means beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum, presumably. Bitcoin surged past $16,000 yesterday, fueling debate about its stability and the likelihood of a crash. Sir Howard Davies, the chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland, compared it to Dante’s Inferno on Bloomberg TV. “‘Abandon hope all ye who enter here.’ I think that’s probably what’s needed,” he said.

The financial community is split on Bitcoin, but mostly supportive of its underlying blockchain technology. It’s now being used to track shipments, keep unsafe food off store shelves, and power secure browsers. The attraction is a simple one: the decentralized system makes it almost impossible for anyone to tamper with the ledger. That, in turn, leads to public trust — something banks are sorely lacking at the moment.

Source: ASX