Escape reality with the best augmented reality apps for Android and iOS

Augmented reality (AR) has long sounded like a wild futuristic concept, but the technology has actually been around for years. AR is all about superimposing computer-generated images on top of your view of reality, thus creating a composite view that augments the real world. AR apps run the gamut, from interactive map overlays and virtual showrooms to massive multiplayer skirmishes. More and more ARKit apps are rolling out on Apple’s iOS, and, while Google has killed off Project Tango, it’s still looking at ARCore as the future.

The available selection of augmented reality apps is diverse. Here are our top picks for the best augmented reality apps available, whether you’re searching for iOS or Android apps.

The best AR apps

‘Pokémon Go’ (Free)

It wouldn’t be a list of the best AR apps without mentioning Niantic’s Pokémon Go, a game that has quickly captured everyone’s attention and given them a reason to go out into the world, walk around, and catch Pokémon. The game uses GPS to mark your location, and move your in-game avatar, while your smartphone camera is used to show Pokémon in the real world. For the most part, it works, provided the game hasn’t crashed or frozen. There aren’t a lot of instructions when you first start, or information regarding game mechanics like the colored rings around wild Pokémon, but thanks to the nature of the internet, figuring out what to do isn’t that tough.

Players of Ingress, another Niantic creation, will see many similarities between the developer’s two games, right down to the locations marked as Pokéstops and Gyms. So far the game has received multiple updates, and hundreds of new Pokémon have been added, and Niantic is set to continue updating the game to improve its performance and add new features like trading, so we imagine Pokémon Go will stick around for a good, long while.

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Android iOS

Ink Hunter (Free)

Ink Hunter is the app you should use when deciding on a tattoo and where to put it. The app lets you try out pre-made tattoos, as well as your own designs, and they can be oriented in whatever position you like and placed on any part of the body. Tattoos placed on the body using the camera look as close to real life as you’re going to get — without actually going under the needle that is — and that’s all thanks to the in-app editor and the way Ink Hunter renders tattoos. The app previously only supported black-and-white tattoos, but its latest update added support for color tattoos as well, meaning you can get a better understanding of what the design will look like before you make it permanent.

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Android iOS

Holo (Free)

Remember the AR stickers on the Google Pixel? This app is pretty much where it all began. Holo allows you to take characters from both fictional worlds and the real world, and drag and drop them into your immediate surroundings; a process Holo refers to as “Holo-mixing”. Each of the characters, which range from YouTube celebrities to fictional characters, performs a range of set animations and sounds when placed in the world, and can be shrunk and expanded to match your ideal placement.

The actual execution can be a little glitchy, and the AR functionality isn’t without its bugs — you might find that the characters you’ve placed like to move with you, rather than letting you move around them — but as an app that’s available across both Android and iOS, it’s certainly an impressive endeavor nonetheless.

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Android iOS

WallaMe (Free)

WallaMe lets you leave hidden messages in various locations around the world that can only be read by other people using the WallaMe app. When using the app, you can take a picture of a nearby wall, street, or sign, then use the in-app drawing and painting tools to create your own special messages. You can also attach pictures to the areas you’ve chosen, if only to prove you were actually there. The augmented reality really comes into play when you’re in a location that has a hidden message, but it can only be found by using WallaMe and your device’s camera. Messages can be made private, too, so that only friends using the app can see them, or they can be made public for everyone to discover.

WallaMe’s biggest strength also works against it, in a way. Those that aren’t aware of the app’s existence, or those that don’t regularly use it, may never see the clever messages created by others. That being said, fans of the app may want to keep it that way, in order to maintain the feel of exclusivity.

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Android iOS

Google Translate (Free)

Google Translate isn’t strictly an AR app, but it does have one AR feature that’s incredibly useful for translating text. That particular feature is part of the app’s camera mode. Simply snap a photo of the text you don’t understand, and the app will translate the text in your photo in real time. When connected to Wi-Fi, the app supports a vast number of languages, but users can also download a number of language packs if they want to continue using the instant translation feature while offline or without a cellular connection. Next time you take a trip to a country with a language you aren’t fluent in, Google Translate could be your best friend and the only thing that will keep you from getting lost in a strange land.

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Android iOS

Amikasa (Free)

Amikasa helps you style your room and figure out your desired layout before you ever buy a piece of furniture. Using your iPhone or iPad’s camera, you can easily walk around your bedroom, kitchen, work office, or any other room you decide to furnish, and place 3D models of various items to see how they look, or to discover their ideal placement. This includes the ability to tweak the color, because maybe that cherry red chair suits the room better than the peach. The app uses name brand items, which you can buy while using Amikasa, and if you’re ever unsure of your own style, your augmented rooms can be shared with friends and family through the app. The most recent update also added more kitchen faucets, cabinets, burners, and wallpapers, giving you even more options to design your perfect room.

Unfortunately, there’s no Android version available yet, but the IKEA Catalog app can offer similar functionality.

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iOS

Google’s parent company quietly purchases U.K. startup Redux

CES 2018 is in full swing, and Google is busy showing off Google Assistant in smart displays, on the JBL Link View, and in a myriad of other devices. With all that going on, you’d be forgiven for not noticing that Google’s parent company, Alphabet, just quietly bought a U.K.-based startup that’s focused on integrating speaker functionality in smart device screens.

Redux has been working on technology that allows for sound to be emitted from underneath a device’s display, via an array of “micro-speaker” actuators placed beneath the touchscreen. These actuators create “bending waves” — or sound and vibration to the likes of you and me — that would effectively turn the device’s screen into a speaker. This would make a separate speaker redundant, and the extra space within the device could be used to increase battery size, add other components, or more completely waterproof the device. It’s an interesting idea, and one that Alphabet is clearly very interested in.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen tech like this; Sony built similar tech into last year’s Bravia A1E TVs, and building this sort of capability into increasingly space-starved smartphone design would be a massive boon for Google, who has been competing with Samsung and Apple for dominance of the premium smartphone market.

But that’s not all that Redux’s systems can be used for. Since sound is simply a series of vibrations, the micro-speaker array can also be used to create localized haptic feedback that could be used to mimic real-life touch. Imagine feeling a switch click under your finger, or be able to feel a rolling ball beneath your thumb, and you’ve got an idea of what such a system could be capable of. Smartphone touchscreens have plateaued over the last few years (with the exception of screen-based fingerprint scanning tech), and this sort of haptic feedback could signal a new beginning for smart devices of all types.

At the time of writing, Google has refused to release any details on the purchase, including how much Redux was purchased for, but it’s probably fair to say that Redux’s higher-ups won’t need to work for the rest of their lives. With much of the Google buzz at CES being centered around Google’s smart assistant and its integration into multiple devices, it might be that the reason we haven’t seen a Google-built smart speaker with a screen (like the Amazon Echo Show or JBL View Link) is because Google is planning to integrate this technology into a possible Google Home View — though that’s pure speculation at this time.

Redux’s website is now defunct, and can only be accessed by means of the Internet Archive service.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The LG ThinQ is a new Google Assistant smart speaker taking aim at Alexa
• New Sonos One smart speaker supports Alexa and Google Assistant
• Your Sonos or Bose speaker (probably) isn’t haunted, but it could be hacked
• Nearly half of Americans plan to purchase a smart speaker this year
• The Moto Smart Speaker adds a little Alexa to your smartphone

Hackers may be able to access private WhatsApp conversations

Private conversations beware! Despite end-to-end encryption now being commonplace in WhatApp conversations, German cryptographers have discovered a minor flaw in WhatsApp’s security that could lead to private conversations being gatecrashed by uninvited hackers, bypassing the usual chat admin invitations.

In their paper, More is Less: On the End-to-End Security of Group Chats in Signal, WhatsApp, and Threema, presented to other enthusiasts at the Real World Crypto Symposium in Zurich, Switzerland, the team warned that WhatsApp has no security measures to stop invitations being spoofed from their own servers, leaving a hole that could leave millions of conversations at risk of being snooped on.

But it’s not all bad news. Essentially, the hacker would need to be in control of WhatsApp’s main chat servers — a fairly tall order — and only then would they be able to bypass the group’s administrator and insert users into any conversation. However, anyone who did manage to achieve this would then have near limitless power within the chat, being able to selectively block message visibility from accounts, and even block users from participating in the chat.

However, Facebook-owned WhatsApp doesn’t seem to be too worried about the potential hole in its security. A WhatsApp spokesperson (speaking to Wired) admitted that the flaw was real, but pointed out that there was no way that the added user could be hidden and receive messages from the group. WhatsApp has built-in security measures that stop hidden users from being able to participate in group chats, and anyone who wanted to snoop on a particular chat would find their cover quickly blown when the client announced their arrival to everyone in the chat, making it an inefficient way to spy on users. What’s more, disabling the flaw would likely break the “Group Invite Link” feature that many group chats enjoy — implying that the security issue likely stems from this particular feature.

However, Matthew Green of Johns Hopkins University called WhatsApp’s response “dumb,, likening it to leaving a bank’s vault open and relying on a single security camera to deter criminals. If any really sensitive information was stored in that group chat, then the hacker would have access to it, making WhatsApp’s lauded encryption useless.

WhatsApp has been in the news multiple times for reasons of security. After making all messages sent on its platform fully encrypted in 2016, the chat company has faced criticism from U.K. lawmakers, while action taken by Brazil was of a more serious nature.

Editors’ Recommendations

• WhatsApp rolls out real-time location-sharing feature for iOS and Android
• Instagram users could soon cross-post Stories to WhatsApp
• Unsend, unsend! New WhatsApp feature lets you take back sent messages
• The 10 best messaging apps for Android and iOS
• Did you download this fake ad-infected WhatsApp from the Google Play Store?

What do you think about Zagg’s new screen protector for curved displays?

There’s a lot of hope for the InvisibleShield Glass Curve Elite.

During CES 2018, Zagg announced its latest attempt at making a screen protector for curved displays with the InvisibleShield Glass Curve Elite. Unlike past attempts from Zagg and other companies, the Glass Curve Elite has a strong adhesive along the entire surface to prevent poor touch responsiveness and ugly halo effects.

The screen protector isn’t cheap at $50 a pop, but even so, most of our forum users seem quite interested in giving it a shot. Here’s what some of them had to say.

Relletti
01-09-2018 08:12 PM

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Nice. If it does really stick to they note 8 and doesn’t collect dust around the edges, I’ll get it.

Reply

tekjunkie28
01-09-2018 09:32 PM

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$50 isn’t bad when it has lifetime warranty and they actually work. I have used these for 9months+ and they have excellent customer service. I’d like to see $35-40 but 50 isn’t horrible but I also wouldn’t pay a dime more.

Reply

LuvULongTime
01-09-2018 11:06 PM

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Looks promising. Hopefully it works as advertised.

Reply

Joshua_Muldoon
01-10-2018 02:27 PM

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Ok, you all talked me into it, I’ll be buying one soon (today or tomorrow)

Reply

Now, we’d like to pass the question on to you – What are your first impressions of the Zagg InvisibleShield Glass Curve Elite?

Join the conversation in the forums!

Ultrawings VR Review: Become the Pilot You’ve Always Wanted to

A flight simulator comfortable for the whole family

Gaming in VR is all about immersion, and one of the best ways to take advantage of that sensation is to climb into vehicles you otherwise wouldn’t. One of the best examples of this for PlayStation VR is UltraWings.

Here you can put on your aviator helmet and hop into one of three aircraft of your choosing. The controls aren’t as intricate as they are in games like Aerofly FS 2, but in my opinion that’s preferred as it will feel less like a job to play. The bright, smooth and cartoon-like graphics make this ideal for lighthearted flying time with the friends and family.

A bit slow to progress

I’d like to get into the cons first, because surprisingly enough aren’t many. The game play and tests you must complete while flying your aircraft are difficult, but also fun. The problem, however, resided in the fact that all the tests were all pretty much the same and the progression of the game was remarkably slow.

So, while I don’t see this being a game you’ll play on a day-to-day basis, I imagine it being quite a fun time to bust out on game nights. Besides, a flight simulator should be on every VR consumer’s game library to experience in a first-person 3D setting.

See at PlayStation Store
See at Oculus Store
See on Steam

Experience

The main menu resides in the office of an airport and, throughout the game, you can unlock more islands and airports to explore!
There are two different types of “Flight Controls” that change your gameplay type. I personally prefer “Simulator”, but if you are prone to motion sickness when playing VR you should definitely sick to “Arcade” version or have a light blowing fan on you to help.

Besides Flight Controls, you have the option to adjust your Comfort Mode as well. These options will change the way your cockpit looks. Comfortable is the default mode that makes it seem as if you are in a real cockpit. The Clear option lets you keep the frame of your cockpit, but opens the view to make it easier to see the scenery around you! And, finally, the last option is to have “None” which eliminates the view of the frame almost entirely.

If I’m being perfectly honest when it comes to adjusting your Comfort Mode it makes no difference regarding motion sickness. Seeing more of a drop-down in view might be a little more visually terrifying but it’s rather simple to get used to. Since the art is not hyper-realistic it’s actually pretty easy for your brain to remember it’s just a game.

Dealing with nausea in virtual reality

Controls

Ultrawings has a more laid-back touch to it than other flight simulator games like Aerofly FS 2. Now, there are still a few dashboard controls to help make your gameplay more intricate compared to others, but most are only used when starting your plane. The only switch relevant during flight is the one that controls the angles of your aircrafts wings.

While I appreciate not having to memorize a thousand different buttons and switches in the cockpit I found the overall controls were kind of difficult. After 3 hours of playing I was still not able to lift off my plane in even a semi-straight line. Once you’re in the air the controls get easier, but it surely takes some getting used to.

As for consoles, I recommend using the Oculus above all. This game was truly meant for the Touch controllers. It’s not terrible to play on the other consoles, so don’t worry if the Oculus is not an option for you!

Graphic

As mentioned above, the artwork of this game doesn’t even try to be hyper realistic, and that’s not a bad thing. The smooth cartoon graphics are like the type of graphics that Job Simulator uses and it works pretty good. Now, the islands could use more animals or something to add to the visuals. Even if they were little cubes with animal faces, let’s face it that would be hilarious, anything would have been better than just trees and rocks.

Speaking of visuals, each plane comes complete with a small VR tablet. The tablet, located somewhere obvious on each aircraft, is capable of being removed and used to take pictures. Of, you know, you can just take the easy way out and use your PlayStation VR to take a screenshot and upload it to your friends from there. Which is absolutely recommended considering how much glitchy complications you’ll deal with while using that tablet.

Fear of crashing?

One of your fears while playing a flight simulator in virtual reality is probably how terrifying crashing might be, right? Well, in my opinion I believe that Ultawings has handles this graphic well. Don’t get me wrong falling to the ground is still pretty terrifying, but the animation they use makes it quite bearable.

There is about a .5 second delay before the crash scene where the screen goes entirely black that really makes a difference. Then, instead of a crash simulator of broken glass and other terrifying things, you are shown cartoon knockout stars as the hue of what you are seeing changes color.

It’s safe to say while your stomach might drop, your heart won’t skip a beat and that’s amazing.

Hopes for the future

Chris Stockman, game developer for Bit Planet Games, has expressed an interest in adding a multiplayer option to a future sequel of the game. Without getting anyone’s hopes up I want to mention his quote states “if” they do one, so there is a possibility for either outcome. One thing that has been confirmed they are adding a new aircraft and new island, so at least we have that to look forward to!

See at PlayStation Store
See at Oculus Store
See on Steam

Thoughts?

Have you tried out Ultrawings? Do you have any awesome screen captures or videos to share with us? Tell us in the comments below!

HDHomeRun Connect DUO+ adds a hard-drive for an all-in-one cord-cutting solution

SiliconDust, makers of the HDHomeRun, unveiled a new product at CES that’ll make cord-cutting even easier.

The HDHomeRun Connect is a great product for folks wanting some freedom from cable subscriptions while keeping their entire household entertained with TV. At CES 2018 the latest product in the lineup has been announced, the Connect DUO+. And the big story here is that it comes with a built-in DVR.

The continued growth of cord cutting and shaving has created a need for TV delivery solutions that give the viewer maximum flexibility and cost savings. That is exactly what SiliconDust has produced in the HDHomeRun CONNECT DUO+. This new generation product builds on a successful previous generation and has a sleek new form factor as well as the ease of in-built storage.

At the heart, the Connect DUO+ is the same as the regular Connect DUO, with two tuners allowing two streams on your network at once. That means you can watch two different channels on two different devices or you can watch one channel while recording another. The DUO+ adds 256GB of storage to the mix which is good for up to 60 hours of HD recordings.

To use HDHomeRun DVR you’ll still require a subscription (everyone needs a subscription to use the service), but the DUO+ is pre-loaded with the HDHomeRun engine already so all you need to do is hook up your account and you’re good to go. And because it’s an HDHomeRun, you can use the DUO+ in conjunction with any other HDHomeRun product to get access to more tuners, and more channels at the same time.

One of the things we like the most about the HDHomeRun is its versatility, with support for just about every platform you could want. Android, iOS, Windows 10, Xbox, Kodi, Plex are all great ways to use this hardware, and other services like Plex DVR can be used with the DUO+ storage, too.

The Connect DUO+ is scheduled to go on sale in mid-2018, pricing has yet to be confirmed.

Essential starts selling a few new accessories

Replacement fast charger, new USB-C headphones, a carrying case for the Essential 360 Camera, and more.

The Essential Phone was a difficult device to recommend when it first launched at $699, but following the price cut down to $499, it’s now a fairly decent purchase as long as you know what you’re getting into. If you recently picked up an Essential Phone and are looking to outfit it with a few new accessories, Essential now has you covered.

The company announced on Twitter that it was finally selling official accessories on its website, and while there’s nothing particularly groundbreaking here, it’s still worth checking out. You can pick up another 27W fast charger in either black or white for $39, and $15 will get a backup USB-C to 3.5mm dongle in those same colors if you happen to lose the one that comes included with the Essential Phone.

Earphones HD (left) and Earphones Mini (right).

If dongles aren’t your thing, you can also buy two new USB-C headphones. The cheapest of the two is the Earphones Mini at $49, and they come with USB Audio Class 2 support, small, medium, and large earbud tips, and an included carrying case. Stepping up to the Earphones HD will cost you $99, and the main difference with these is that they have 9.2mm drivers with Hi-Res Audio support.

Lastly, the accessories page also shows a new carrying case for the Essential 360 Camera that comes in both black and red. There’s no word on price or availability, with the website merely saying that it’s “coming soon.” Essential’s Phone Dock charger is here as well, but it’s also still not available to buy despite being announced back in May of 2017.

See at Essential

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Zolo Liberty+ earbuds mini review

This could have been a shining review of a more-than-capable set of truly wireless earbuds that retail for a mere $150. Instead, it’s a cautionary tale.

I was genuinely excited for the Zolo Liberty+ earbuds. Zolo’s an audio-centric offshoot of Anker, the company that makes pretty much everything, makes it relatively inexpensive, and makes it reasonably well. So a Kickstarter campaign for $99? I was in, saving about $50 off the retail price in the process. A few months later (plus a little extra time because white earbuds are hard, apparently), and I was exercising with a new set of Bluetooth buds, and without a connecting wire snagging my neck.

See at Zolo Audio

The format is simple at this point. You’ve got two independent — as in truly wireless — earbuds, and a case for charging and carrying them around. You charge the case, the case charges the buds. (And you can, of course, charge the case and the buds at the same time.) Zolo says to expect 3 hours or so of playback time before the buds need to be charged again, but that was fairly moot for me, since I’d just pop ’em back in the case when I was done with my workout, and they’d charge right back up for next time. The charging case itself is supposed to get you more than 48 hours of use. But, again, I’d just plug it in once I got home, and we’d be back to 100%. Because when it comes to hitting the gym with no music, you don’t mess around.

• Price: $149 (retail)
• Tech: Bluetooth 5.0, AAC, SBC
• Drivers: 2x 6mm graphene dynamic
• Battery life: 3.5 hours before recharge, 48+ with charging case (microUSB)
• Water resistance: Sweat-proof IPX5
• Apps: Android, iOS

The buds and case are nicely constructed. The only real complaint here is that the case uses Micro-USB for charging — a step backward for anyone expecting “the future” of USB-C to actually take hold at some point. (Wireless charging would have been great, I guess, but it’s not too surprising not see that as an option.) Hell, even the in-box experience is nice. I’ll gripe about Micro-USB, but also enjoy the fact that Zolo included a braided yellow (because branding!) cable for charging.

Fitting the buds was simple enough. Just stick it in your ear hole, and twist a little to fit. I didn’t have any issues with it falling out while on an elliptical or with light jogging. But if you do need to fiddle with the fit a bit, you’ve got options in the box. Nice touch.

Sound quality was just fine, too. I wasn’t expecting the best for $150, but wasn’t disappointed at all either. There’s decent passive sound isolation as well. There’s an option in the included Zolo app for “transparency,” with which the microphone is used to feed in sound from the outside world. It was worthless in the gym, though — just too much noise from the overhead music and weights clanging, so I just left it off. There are a few built-in EQ presets, but none of them really suited me, so I just stuck with the default.

The buds themselves have the basic one-button operation going on. I don’t do much beyond play/pause and picking up the occasional phone call, so that’s simple enough, but it also ties into Google Assistant on Android, or Siri on iOS, which is just fine.

All in all — perfectly usable, truly wireless earbuds at a decent price. Of course, post-purchase is where companies really start to stand out, right?

Don’t lose the charger. Or an earbud. Because you’ll be SOL.

Admittedly, I screwed up. I grabbed the Liberty+ case as I was getting out of my car, forgetting to extract the buds and leave the charger behind. I realized that, and didn’t bother walking 50 feet back to the care to lock the case inside. Instead, I left it in an open-face cubby, along with my sweatshirt and keys. I’m pretty sure the case was at least partially visible. And when I finished my workout an hour or so later, it was gone.

The joke’s on whomever ganked the case, I guess, because the earbuds were safely in use in my ears. But I was left without a way to charge them.

Time for a little detective work. Not to have my YMCA check security footage — ain’t nobody got time for that, and Karma’s a bitch. No, I wanted to see how the upstart Zolo Audio handles this sort of thing.

That you can’t actually buy the Liberty+ yet — it’s still listed as “coming in 2018,” though Zolo says to expect it at the end of January — wasn’t a good sign. And there’s no “buy a spare charger” listing on the site, either. That’s no good.

I emailed customer service, which promised to get back within 48 hours. Three days later (Saturday evening, no less), I got the bad news. There’s no way to buy a spare case. You’ll have to buy a whole new set. (Same goes for earbud tips, I presume, which also aren’t listed on the site anywhere.)

How does this compare to other players in the space?

Apple will replace a single AirPod for $69 and the charging case for $69. That’s reasonable.

JayBird — whose X3 wired Bluetooth buds I had (and in the interim have been) enjoyed — sells a new charging case for $69, a spare earbud for $59, and new tips for $9. Also completely reasonable. (I’ve since ordered the $179 Run buds — more on those at another time.)

Bose’s more expensive $249 SoundSport Free has a spare charger for $49, and tips for $9.

The first-gen Jabra Elite Sport (new ones were just announced at CES) has a spare charging case for $99, and a replacement but for $79.

Sony’s WF-1000X buds? Nothing.

The bottom line

Good earbuds are one thing. Good earbuds at a good price are another. But it’s worth remembering that the purchase is just one part of the product lifecycle, and really should be just a part of your decision to buy. I was happy spending money on the Zolo Audio Liberty+ — especially at the discounted Kickstarter price. (Remember, they’ll retail at $150.)

A good product can fall apart if post-sale support falls flat.

The earbuds worked great. I didn’t have any problems with the audio cutting out, they sounded great, and worked really well.

But accidents do happen. And if I do something dumb — like leaving the case out where someone might happen to walk off with it — then I should also have the opportunity to redeem myself, without having to pay full price for a full new product. That’s where companies can (and do) differentiate themselves.

And there’s where an upstart like Zolo Audio fell flat in this case.

See at Zolo Audio

Sacrifice one plug for three USB ports with this $19 Topgreener charger outlet

Plug it in, plug it in.

This Topgreener 3-port USB charger wall outlet is down to $19.17 with code U9UNVPWK on Amazon. This deal saves you about $6 off the average street price.

Essentially you’ll be able to replace one outlet with three ports for charging USB devices. That’s a good trade if you ask me, considering most of the things we plug in these days are power adapters for USB cables.

Features include:

• USB charger outlet with three USB ports (total output of 5.8A, 29W, 5VDC) and one 15A tamper-resistant receptacle. Replaces standard wall outlet for high-speed charging without adapters
• USB module part simplifies color changes and outlet replacement, so you can do it yourself, cutting out electrician and replacement costs. Instead of replacing an entire TU11558A3, replace just the USB module and it’s good as new!
• Smart Intellichip Technology, built into the USB ports, reads the power need of the connected smartphone, tablet, or device to safely and efficiently charge it without overcharging or overheating the device
• Tamper-resistant power outlet complies with 2011 NEC Article 406.14 and provides child safety from preventing the insertion of unwanted objects into the outlet; ideal for home, office, school, airport, hotel

While it comes with a plain white wall plate, you can add your own to match your home decor, like a black one for $4 or brushed nickel for $8.

See on Amazon

OnePlus 3T on OxygenOS beta was sending clipboard data to Alibaba servers

Thankfully, this ‘feature’ will be removed soon.

There’s no such thing as a perfect company, and that’s something OnePlus learned firsthand throughout 2017. During just the last few months of the year, it was discovered that certain OnePlus phones had a root backdoor and that the company was collecting an exorbitant amount of user data without giving customers a clear way to opt out of it.

In the latest entry of this saga, a user on the OnePlus forums has discovered that a system app by the name of “com.oneplus.clipboard” was collecting information from their OnePlus 3T’s clipboard and sending it back to servers owned by Chinese company Alibaba.

This app was found on a 3T running the latest OxygenOS Open Beta with the December 1, 2017 security patch, and after Android Police reached out to OnePlus to get more information about what the heck was going on, this was the response they received:

Our OnePlus beta program is designed to test new features with a selection of our community. This particular feature was intended for HydrogenOS, our operating system for the China market. We will be updating our global OxygenOS beta to remove this feature.

While we are glad to see that this app is being removed, we aren’t sure that this is something we’d refer to as a “feature.” There’s only been a report of this being found on the OnePlus 3T, but we wouldn’t be surprised if this made its way to the 3 as well.

OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3

• OnePlus 3T review: Rekindling a love story
• OnePlus 3T vs. OnePlus 3: What’s the difference?
• OnePlus 3T specs
• Latest OnePlus 3 news
• Discuss OnePlus 3T and 3 in the forums