See what happens when you leave the room with Haven, Snowden’s security app

Feeling antsy lately? Is there a delivery van idling in your neighborhood every day? Have you noticed men in black suits watching you everywhere you go? Paranoid you’re the target of government surveillance? Depending on your line of work — journalist, activist, government worker — that may actually be true.

There are probably few people on Earth who understand those concerns better than Edward Snowden, the former government contractor who leaked information about the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs. Whatever your opinion is of Snowden, he has become an icon for activists who oppose government surveillance. Most recently, Snowden has worked with an organization called The Guardian Project to create Haven, an app that turns your phone into a personal security device.

Smartphones are chock-full of sensors — including cameras, microphones, gyroscopes, and accelerometers — and Haven uses those sensors to detect disturbances near the phone, alerting you via text. The idea is that you install Haven on a “burner” phone you have lying around, one running Android 4.1 or higher. Once installed, you can set Haven up to detect sound or motion, configuring the levels of detection, and you can use either of the phone’s cameras to record video.

To receive alerts, enter your phone number in the app. If you’re concerned about providing your number, you can always use Signal, which is a security-focused messaging app.

Once that’s finished, leave the phone somewhere you want to watch (maybe looking at a door), then set a countdown so you can leave the room. Once the countdown finishes, the app goes into surveillance mode. If it detects appropriate levels of motion or sound, it will start recording, and send an alert to you. That’s all there is to it!

Keep in mind that the Haven app is currently in beta, so it may not work perfectly, and it’s currently only available on Android devices. If you prefer a more traditional security camera, check out some of our favorites. If you’re concerned about your online privacy, we recommend using a VPN when browsing the internet.

David Cogen — a regular contributor here at Digital Trends — runs TheUnlockr.com, a popular tech blog that focuses on tech news, tips and tricks, and the latest tech. You can also find him over at Twitter discussing the latest tech trends.

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Smartwatches are awesome. So why aren’t they more popular?

The future looked way cooler than it really is.

Officially, Google isn’t finished with Android Wear, and neither are the companies that build watches powered by it. But I’m pretty sure that Android Wear’s time has come and gone.

Barring some major breakthrough that will fundamentally change the way we use the platform, there’s not much more to be done with it. On the technical side, there is a lot of cool stuff that can happen; things like integration with other IoT gear, point-to-point networking, and things that people smarter than me will think up. But to a consumer who has a fistful of money and an itch to buy something really cool, there is not a lot more that can be put on a wrist that’s not already there.

This makes me wonder — why isn’t Android Wear — heck, wearables in general from all companies — more popular than it is?

Don’t get me wrong, I know a lot of people love their smartwatch. Android fans, Samsung fans, Apple fans, that last Pebble fan. There are millions of people who are very happy that they bought a smartwatch, and may even buy another one. Maybe. Millions of anything is not a failure, and I’m not calling Android Wear a failure. But billions of people have a phone. Billions have a traditional computer or laptop. Billions have a TV. When we first heard companies talking about putting a tiny computer on our wrists, the group mind said that billions would buy one. Billions > millions.

New smartwatches do all the things we wanted them to do and don’t suck.

It’s not because they don’t work, either. If you haven’t checked out the latest Android Wear watch, or Samsung Gear or Apple Watch, you should. They do exactly what we all wanted them to do and do it fairly well. At least with no more bugs and technical limitation nonsense than any other tiny computing product.

I have an LG Watch Sport and it can almost replace my phone and makes a great companion product to my phone. Other brands from other companies do the same and while we always want more it’s tough to say that a smartwatch doesn’t do the stuff we expect a smartwatch to do. They even tell time.

The only reason I can come up with is (drum roll) … money. Few people want to spend more than they need to, and I get the feeling that smartwatches are just too darned expensive for a whole lot of people to justify the purchase. Cheaper smartwatches exist, but they will never get much of a following because they just don’t do a lot outside of notifications, and for a thing that only tells you when you have a message they are probably too expensive for a lot of people, too.

Are smartwatches too expensive, or do they just not do enough to make us want them?

This is a big nasty Catch-22 situation because if you make a product that can be a tiny phone, a fitness tracker, an authentication device, a music player, and everything else a good smartwatch can do you spend a lot of money doing it and need to charge a lot of money for it. Then when people see it on a shelf or online store they balk at the price. I don’t how you go about fixing that or even if you can. Hey, I’m good at tearing gadgets apart, programming stuff and playing Skyrim. I leave economics to the professionals.

Maybe I’m wrong and it’s not the price, or maybe I’m completely wrong and a gazillion people got a smartwatch as a gift last month. So I’m going to ask you — why do you think wearables didn’t take off and become the new thing nobody can live without? Take a minute and let me know what you think because this is one of those things I think about when I can’t sleep and would love to have a reasonable explanation for.

Until next time.

HP updates its Chromebook lineup with 11- and 14-inch models

HP is adding two Chromebooks to its lineup, which are essentially refreshed versions of its Chromebook 11 G5 that debuted in June 2016. While both new models feature the same processor, storage and memory options, they differ in size: The Chromebook 14 G5 has a 14-inch screen, while the Chromebook 11 G6 Education Edition caters to the school crowd with an optional HD touchscreen on a 180-degree hinge that lets users fold the screen flat. Both will be out in February 2018.

No, it’s not a 360-degree hinge that turns the computer into a pseudo-tablet, as last year’s Acer and Asus Google for Education Chromebooks were (or HP’s own convertible x360). But both the Chromebook 11 G6 Education Edition and Chromebook 14 G5 have modest improvements over older models, with the choice of an Intel Celeron N3350 or N3450 processor, 8GB of memory and 64GB of storage. They’re not the thinnest machines at just below 19mm thick, but that’s what keeps their costs low. Speaking of, HP didn’t release a price for either model, but the Chromebook 11 G5 cost $190 when it hit shelves back in October 2016.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

US border guards searched 60 percent more devices in 2017

In 2017, the US Customs and Border Protection searched 30,200 electronic devices. That’s over 60 percent the number of searches its personnel conducted the year before to the dismay of privacy advocates. Some also view the rise in searches as a product of the administration’s stance on immigration. “[I]t goes against the very thing the 4th Amendment was designed to protect against, which is arbitrary dragnet surveillance,” University of Washington in Seattle law professor Ryan Calo told Los Angeles Times. The agency has revealed those numbers in an announcement, along with changes to its directives that could be both good and bad news for travelers.

The good news is that customs agents will now need to have “reasonable suspicion” to perform a thorough search on your phones. Usually, an advanced search on electronic devices in airports means connecting them to an external gizmo that can analyze or copy their contents. Border guards can still manually search your gadget without a warrant, though, since the updated directives now state that you’re “obligated to present electronic devices and the information contained therein in a condition that allows inspection of the device and its contents.” One possible interpretation for that is you’re expected to unlock your phone if an agent asks. It’s not clear if you have the choice not to comply, since officers can apparently “detain” a device if they can’t complete an inspection.

While you can put your phone on airplane mode to prevent an agent from looking through emails, notes, documents and files saved in the cloud, that’s definitely not enough for the ACLU. The organization, which filed a lawsuit against Homeland Security over this exact issue last year, said in a statement:

“It is positive that CBP’s policy would at least require officers to have some level of suspicion before copying and using electronic methods to search a traveler’s electronic device. However, this policy still falls far short of what the Constitution requires — a search warrant based on probable cause.

The policy would still enable officers at the border to manually sift through a traveler’s photos, emails, documents, and other information stored on a device without individualized suspicion of any kind. Additionally, it fails to make clear that travelers should not be under any obligation to provide passcodes or other assistance to officers seeking to access their private information. Congress should continue to press CBP to improve its policy.”

We’ve got a feeling that despite the new directive that calls for “reasonable suspicion,” these updated rules won’t be bringing the number of searches down in the future.

Via: Motherboard, The Hill

Source: Customs and Border Protection, ACLU

Acer’s new laptops include a liquid-cooled 2-in-1, $250 fanless Chromebook

Acer has a unique lineup of hardware offerings at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), with the new Acer Swift 7 offering powerful internal hardware alongside 4G LTE connectivity and a Swift 7 Black Edition with a 2-in-1 design and Nvidia MX150 graphics processor. They’re joined by upgrades to the Nitro 5, Spin 3, and Chromebook 11 ranges, giving you more options and more powerful hardware for your money.

The different hardware lines are distinctly different from one another, marketed at different segments of consumers with very different purposes, but they’re all making their debut at CES 2018 and will go on sale over the next few months.

Acer Swift 7

Key Specs

Thickness: 9mm

CPU: Seventh-generation Intel Core i7

Connectivity: 4G LTE, 2×2 801.11ac Wi-Fi

Display: 14-inch 1080p touchscreen

Memory: 8GB LPDDR3

Storage: 256GB PCIe solid-state drive

Price: $1,700

As Acer’s flagship, ultrathin and lightweight notebook PC, the Acer Swift 7 is a profoundly portable laptop. At just 9mm thin, it packs a seventh-generation Intel Core i7 CPU under the hood, helping to power its 14-inch touchscreen display with a 1080p resolution and fronted by protective Gorilla Glass. To make it even nicer to use, that touchscreen has a “soft-touch feel,” which is said to make it feel like silk as you glide your fingers across it.

To further enhance its portability, the Swift 7 comes with integrated 4G LTE connectivity and a powerful internal antenna built into the solid aluminum shell, so you can access a high-speed internet connection wherever you go. Backed up by 10 hours of battery life, the Swift 7 will keep you working and consuming for longer, no matter where you go.

Set to go on sale in March, the new Acer Swift 7 starts at $1,700.

Limit your screen time with these six apps for iPhone and Android

It’s easy to do just about anything with your smartphone. From paying your bills to ordering groceries, once-arduous tasks can be completed in minutes. If you’re like many people, however, you may be concerned about the amount of time you’re spending on your phone. Luckily there are a number of excellent apps that can help you gain a little balance. Here are our six favorite apps to help you reduce screen time.

Freedom

Once limited to Mac, Freedom is now available for your iPhone and iPad. Freedom allows you to create blocklists and schedule time away from the apps that may be most distracting. Since there is a Freedom app for both iOS and Mac, it’s easy to create custom blocklists for all of your devices. While Freedom offers a free trial period, a monthly subscription, at $7 per month or $29 for the year, is required to access all of its features.

Download Now:

iOS

In Moment

Although In Moment has a minimal aesthetic, it’s one of our favorite apps to help curb social media use. In Moment tracks and provides historical data on your social media habit. In addition to telling you how much time you’re spending on Instagram or Twitter, In Moment allows you to set limits on your daily social media usage. Monthly subscriptions for In Moment start at $10 and are billed automatically through the App Store.

Download Now:

iOS

Space

Space is a little different than many of the other screen time apps. Space helps you set goals to be more mindful of your screen usage. When you install Space, you’ll complete a short questionnaire about your smartphone habits and then select a user type that is the best match. The app then sets screen unlock and time use goals. The app will send notifications as screen time increases and reward you with different achievement badges when you meet your daily goals.

Download Now:

iOS  Android

App Detox

App Detox allows you to easily create rules to limit access to certain apps. The usual schedule and time-based limitations are available, as well as an option that requires to you walk in order to earn screen time. App Detox is one of the few apps that provides a “Forever” option for apps that cannot be deleted from your phone.

Download Now:

Android

Off the Grid

For those who truly have a problem staying off that phone, Off the Grid may be for you. Off the Grid completely blocks your phone for a length of time you determine. Should you get the urge to use your phone after you’ve activated Off the Grid, it’s going to cost you. The app will charge your credit card $1 for each time you end your session early.

Download Now:

Android

AntiSocial

AntiSocial is one of the best-known screen-reduction apps available on Android. While it provides many of the standard features like screen time limits and app blocking, it has an interesting trick up its sleeve. AntiSocial compares your screen usage data to other people in your age and gender cohort, so you’ll have an idea if you’re using your device more than your peers.

Download Now:

Android

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Are your pockets deep? Acer Predator Orion 9000 can push limits of gaming power

Acer has a lot of exciting new hardware on display at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, but if you’re a fan of raw power, there’s nothing in the lineup that compares to the Predator Orion 9000. With options for everything up to a Core i9 CPU and dual GTX 1080 Ti graphics cards, it stands above everything else if you’re looking for the ultimate in prebuilt gaming power and have deep pockets.

We’re big fans of the Acer Predator range of systems here at Digital Trends, so it’s always exciting to learn of a new player in the game. But when that player is as monstrously powerful as the Predator Orion 9000, it’s almost a little intimidating. Although entry-level versions will be significantly weaker than the most expensive offering, if you do opt for the best hardware available, you’ll end up with a staggering 18 cores and 32 threads on the processor alone. The dual top-tier graphics cards put this monster into orbit.

You don’t need to opt for quite that much if you don’t need it (or can’t afford it) but the option is there. You can effectively spend as much as you want, to get as much power as you want for your perfect gaming PC.

Whatever you choose, it’s all encased within the “spacecraft-like” interior of the black-and-silver chassis, with a clear side window with customizable RGB lighting on the front bezel. The case itself serves a functional purpose, with built-in shielding against electromagnetic interference. It also has handles and wheels, making it one of the easier high-end desktops to move around — it’s perfect for transporting to a friend’s house or LAN (local area network) party.

To make sure all of the powerful internal hardware stays nice and cool, you can utilize Acer’s IceTunnel 2.0, which helps pull plenty of cold air in through the front, while ushering all the warmer air out of specific thermal vents. Combined with a liquid-cooled CPU, the system should stay quiet, even if you pack it full of high-end hardware.

Set to go on sale in February, the Acer Predator Orion 9000 will start at $2,000 from the Acer store.

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Did the Curiosity Rover just discover evidence of alien fossils on Mars?

More than five years after it landed on the red planet, NASA’s Curiosity Rover is still cruising around and discovering curious things that have scientists here on Earth scratching their heads. While perusing the latest batch of photos taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), something unusual caught the eye of researcher Barry DiGregorio, author of Mars: The Living Planet and The Microbes of Mars.

It could be a ground-breaking discovery, he told the website Inside Outer Space. “They look remarkably similar to Ordovician trace fossils I have studied and photographed here on Earth,” he said. “If not trace fossils, what other geological explanations will NASA come up with?”

The rover has given us some stunning images of the red planet’s landscape, but tiny formations in a Martian rock may be the biggest find yet.

The stick-like features were first spotted in black-and-white photos takes by the rover. They’re quite unusual, so Curiosity is heading back there to take a closer look. “This site was so interesting that we backtracked to get to where the rover was parked for this plan,” wrote Curiosity team member Christopher Edwards in the January 3 Curiosity mission update.

NASA/JPL

The most likely explanation for the strange images is a natural formation, said Pascal Lee of the Mars Institute. “The Curiosity images really pique our curiosity,” he said. “It’s hard to tell what the wiggly sticks are, and a strictly mineral origin is, of course, the most plausible.”

The tiny tubes could be evidence of bioturbation, which is what occurs when organisms living in sediments leave an imprint on their structure. “A common example of bioturbation is the formation of worm burrows,” Lee explained. “The burrows, once refilled with sediments, fossilized, and then exposed by erosion, can end up looking like wiggly sticks.”

“To claim that we’re seeing bioturbation on Mars — which I did not say — would be an extraordinary claim,” he added.

The structures are very small, about a millimeter in width and five millimeters long. Their angular nature may indicate that they were formed by tiny crystals. Crystal molds, which are often found here on Earth, can form when crystals in rock dissolve. Even a roving laboratory like Curiosity would be hard pressed to make a definitive analysis, noted Ashwin Vasavada, project scientist for Curiousity.

“That’s pretty challenging on Earth to distinguish those two things without being able to put these things into a lab to look for the presence of organics,” he said. “We have a very limited capability overall to understand whether something is biological or not.”

Still, Curiosity does have some tools at its disposal, with Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer analysis planned for the site. The color camera on MAHLI will also be used to collect more detailed images for scientists to study.

“But I have to say, the imagery is really intriguing, and I hope Curiosity spends more time in the area to get to the bottom of this,” Lee said. “This is exciting!”

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Acer refreshes the Chromebook 11 with USB C ports and a $249 price tag

10 hours of battery life and Google Play support make this a great budget laptop.

Acer has refreshed one of their popular Chromebooks with the new CB311 line. It’s not going to turn any heads, but it looks to offer decent performance at a great price.

The 11.6 Chromebook models — the CB311-8H and CB311-8HT with a touchscreen — both are powered by a fanless Intel Celeron CPU and will come with 4GB of memory and 16 or 32GB of storage. Checking the scales at 2.4 pounds and only .71-inches thick, it should make for a great carrying-around laptop for students or anyone on the go, too.

Unfortunately, the 11.6-inch IPS display has the dreadful 1366×768 “standard” cheap laptop resolution we wish would just go away forever. To make up for it, there are ports galore with two USB 3.0 Type-A ports and two USB 3.1 Type-C ports so you can plug in all the things. It also has a microSD slot and comes standard with 802.11 ac 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi.

They’re showing them off in Vegas for CES, and we’re told they’ll be hitting the shelves in March starting at just $249.

The size and price tag make us think this will be quite popular once it hits online retailers like Amazon. And we kind of dig that blue!

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Google sold a Home speaker every second since the Mini launch

It’s been difficult to gauge how well smart speakers are selling outside of unofficial estimates, but Google just provided a clearer picture. The search firm revealed that it has sold “more than one” Home speaker per second since the Home Mini started shipping on October 19th. If you perform some back-of-the-napkin math, that suggests Google sold at least 6.4 million speakers between the Mini’s debut and the end of 2017. Google hasn’t split those sales by device, but it’s safe to say that many (if not most) were Minis.

The company added that Google Assistant is available on more than 400 million devices, including its own products as well as third-party Android phones, smart speakers, TVs and iOS devices. Also, Home usage increased a whopping nine times year-over-year during the holidays. Google didn’t explain what prompted the surge, but the uptick in sales and greater familiarity no doubt helped.

As for how this compares to Amazon’s Echo sales? Unfortunately, that’s difficult to check. Amazon is notorious for refusing to provide sales numbers, instead relying on vague references to sales chart positions and categories like “most gifted.” However, previous data suggests that Google is at least performing much better than in the past. Strategy Analytics estimated that Google shipped 1.9 million Home speakers in the third quarter (right before the Home shipped) versus Amazon’s 5 million. While Amazon’s Echo sales are likely to have soared during the holidays, due in no small part to an abundance of new models, Google clearly enjoyed a sales rush as well.

There’s no secret as to why Google saw a spike. As with the arrival of Amazon’s Echo Dot, the Home Mini made Google’s speakers considerably more affordable — $49 is much closer to an impulse purchase than $129. And that’s not factoring in a discount to $29 during the holidays. While it’s virtually certain that sales will drop now that gift-giving season is over, the Mini might have been the key to turning Google from a distant runner-up in the smart speaker race to a serious contender.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Google