DuckDuckGo’s new app, browser extension grade websites on their privacy

The big internet browsers are great, but they can be a little relaxed when it comes to privacy. Because of that, a few internet browsers, like Tor and DuckDuckGo, have popped up with a heavy focus on privacy. And the latter of the two just launched a few new features in its mobile app, along with a new browser extension that should help make your browsing a little less open.

In a blog post, DuckDuckGo highlighted the Privacy Browser app and browser extension as a way to achieve a much more private browsing experience, at least compared to simply opening up incognito mode in the internet browser you already use.

“It’s hard to use the Internet without it feeling a bit creepy – like there’s a nosey neighbor watching everything you do from across the street,” said DuckDuckGo in its blog post. “Except, instead of a nosey neighbor, it’s a vast array of highly sophisticated tracker networks, run by big companies like Google and Facebook, recording everything you do online, often without your knowledge, and selling their findings to the highest bidder via targeted ads.”

There are a few ways that the app and browser extension help in keeping your browsing private. For starters, if you visit a website with ad network tracking — which is most of them — the app and extension will block that tracking. If a website has an encrypted version that you’re not being automatically redirected to, the extension and app will help make sure that’s where you end up.

The app and extension don’t just block ad tracking, they’ll also report back on it. When you visit a website, DuckDuckGo will show you which trackers are being used, and give the website a so-called “privacy grade,” with A being the best and F the worst — all based on the trackers and encryption being used.

While these features are certainly helpful, not everyone will be willing to ditch their current browser. That’s why the browser extension is so helpful — it’s available for Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari — so you won’t need to stop using your preferred browser in order to still get the features.

You can download the app for yourself straight from the Google Play Store, or install it as a browser extension in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Protect your privacy with the six best VPN for the iPhone or iPad
• Apple claims it can gather data without violating the privacy of its users
• Looking for online privacy and security? Here are the best VPNs for Android
• Lawsuit aims to win British iPhone users $1.35 billion from Google
• Wikipedia can now be found on the dark web

The latest Firefox revs up browsing by stitching more threads into your CPU

The latest version of Mozilla’s Firefox web browser is now available for PC (v58) and Android (v58) devices. The list of new features is small on the PC version, as the company mostly focused on improving the software’s overall performance. According to the company, Firefox now uses a method called off-main-thread painting that relies on a new, dedicated CPU thread to provide fast, smoother page loads. 

Prior to Firefox 58, the Quantum-branded desktop browser presented web pages using four steps: Making the display list, assigning items to layers, rasterizing each item on their assigned layer, and compiling everything into the page you view within the browser. To render the page at 60 frames per second, the entire list — such as processing input events and JavaScript code — must be accomplished in 16 milliseconds. 

Firefox Quantum performs these four stages in two processes or threads. The first “main” thread consists of the display list, layer assignments, and rasterization. This thread pushes its results to a second thread for composition and then restarts its three-stage process. But with Mozilla’s new method, the browser relies on a third “paint” thread to rasterize every element of the web page. 

Thus, the flow consists of the display list and layer assignment in the first main thread, rasterization in the second, and composition in the third. The overall page rendering is now faster because once Firefox sends data to the paint/rasterization thread, the main thread can process the new JavaScript and input events. Of course, that is just a simple explanation, as the details get a bit more technical when Firefox needs to render complex pages. 

“In Firefox 58, rasterization will consume less of the frame budget on average,” Mozilla says. “Similarly, in Firefox 57, rasterization is a significant slice — 50 percent of the paint cycle or more — 21 percent of the time. In Firefox 58, that scenario occurs only four percent of the time!” 

According to a chart, Firefox Quantum 58 can render pages with heavy JavaScript at 40 frames per second versus Firefox 57 running the same page at 31 frames per second. Mozilla expects the rendering speed to become even faster once the company integrates its next-generation web page renderer, aptly called WebRender, into Firefox. Mozilla will provide additional information in the coming months. 

Outside the new off-main-thread painting process, Firefox Quantum 58 has a new way the browser caches and retrieves JavaScript called JavaScript Startup Bytecode Cache. Firefox also now enables you to copy and paste screenshots directly to the clipboard, and grab screenshots when surfing the internet in Private Browsing mode. Tracking Protection is also now available to Nepali-speaking Firefox customers. 

As for the latest Firefox browser for Android, Mozilla revised the bookmarking feature with a full screen to better view and organize your favorites and folders. The Android version also now provides better support for Progressive Web Apps, which are essentially websites that work like an app within any browser on any device, whether they’re used on a desktop PC or Android-based phone. You can now access these “apps” directly from your home screen outside Firefox. 

Editors’ Recommendations

• Lenovo’s Mirage Solo, two compact 180-degree video capture cameras coming soon
• The best browsers for surfing the web
• Faster and even more minimalist, Firefox Quantum makes Chrome look old
• Escape reality with the best augmented reality apps for Android and iOS
• How to clear cookies in your browser

The latest Firefox revs up browsing by stitching more threads into your CPU

The latest version of Mozilla’s Firefox web browser is now available for PC (v58) and Android (v58) devices. The list of new features is small on the PC version, as the company mostly focused on improving the software’s overall performance. According to the company, Firefox now uses a method called off-main-thread painting that relies on a new, dedicated CPU thread to provide fast, smoother page loads. 

Prior to Firefox 58, the Quantum-branded desktop browser presented web pages using four steps: Making the display list, assigning items to layers, rasterizing each item on their assigned layer, and compiling everything into the page you view within the browser. To render the page at 60 frames per second, the entire list — such as processing input events and JavaScript code — must be accomplished in 16 milliseconds. 

Firefox Quantum performs these four stages in two processes or threads. The first “main” thread consists of the display list, layer assignments, and rasterization. This thread pushes its results to a second thread for composition and then restarts its three-stage process. But with Mozilla’s new method, the browser relies on a third “paint” thread to rasterize every element of the web page. 

Thus, the flow consists of the display list and layer assignment in the first main thread, rasterization in the second, and composition in the third. The overall page rendering is now faster because once Firefox sends data to the paint/rasterization thread, the main thread can process the new JavaScript and input events. Of course, that is just a simple explanation, as the details get a bit more technical when Firefox needs to render complex pages. 

“In Firefox 58, rasterization will consume less of the frame budget on average,” Mozilla says. “Similarly, in Firefox 57, rasterization is a significant slice — 50 percent of the paint cycle or more — 21 percent of the time. In Firefox 58, that scenario occurs only four percent of the time!” 

According to a chart, Firefox Quantum 58 can render pages with heavy JavaScript at 40 frames per second versus Firefox 57 running the same page at 31 frames per second. Mozilla expects the rendering speed to become even faster once the company integrates its next-generation web page renderer, aptly called WebRender, into Firefox. Mozilla will provide additional information in the coming months. 

Outside the new off-main-thread painting process, Firefox Quantum 58 has a new way the browser caches and retrieves JavaScript called JavaScript Startup Bytecode Cache. Firefox also now enables you to copy and paste screenshots directly to the clipboard, and grab screenshots when surfing the internet in Private Browsing mode. Tracking Protection is also now available to Nepali-speaking Firefox customers. 

As for the latest Firefox browser for Android, Mozilla revised the bookmarking feature with a full screen to better view and organize your favorites and folders. The Android version also now provides better support for Progressive Web Apps, which are essentially websites that work like an app within any browser on any device, whether they’re used on a desktop PC or Android-based phone. You can now access these “apps” directly from your home screen outside Firefox. 

Editors’ Recommendations

• Lenovo’s Mirage Solo, two compact 180-degree video capture cameras coming soon
• The best browsers for surfing the web
• Faster and even more minimalist, Firefox Quantum makes Chrome look old
• Escape reality with the best augmented reality apps for Android and iOS
• How to clear cookies in your browser

Best gaming mouse

Although your desktop or laptop is at the heart of your PC-based gaming, nothing is going to happen without proper input. Mechanical keyboards are the weapons of choice regarding player movement, weapon assignments, chatting, and whatnot. But you need a great mouse too — one that doesn’t trip over its own tail in performance. That’s where our picks for the best gaming mouse comes in.

Although you can purchase any mouse sold on the market, our batch of mice is built specifically for gaming. They typically have high-durance switches, optical sensors with high sensitivities, on-board memory for storing customized settings, and a larger assortment of buttons to handle your portfolio of commands and abilities.

All those features trickle down into the final price tag. But they’re worth the money if you do enough research and find the best investment to meet your needs for years to come.

Our pick

Steelseries Rival 700

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Why should you buy this: The Rival 700 provides a great blend of customization and performance.

Our Score

The best

SteelSeries Rival 700

The Rival 700 is a solid solution for right-handed gamers packing loads of customization and tactile feedback.

$74.99 from Amazon

$84.13 from Newegg

Who’s it for: PC gamers wanting to add flair to their desktop.

How much will it cost: $75

Why we picked the Steelseries Rival 700:

We love this mouse on many different levels. For starters, it includes a built-in OLED screen that displays any black and white design you create, whether it’s a static image or an animation that runs 10 frames per second. Granted your images are only at a 128 x 36 resolution, that’s large enough to claim the mouse as your own with logos, names, and so on. You can create unique designs through the free desktop software or download and install pre-generated content from the company’s website.

But that’s not all. Customization continues on with a rubbery nameplate on the back of the mouse that you can replaced with 3D-printed files provided by the company. The black backplate can be swapped out as well with blue, white, or red versions sold as a three-piece kit on the company’s site for $20. SteelSeries sells two extra USB cables for $10 too.

The second biggest feature with the Rival 700 is its tactile feedback. That means you can program the mouse to vibrate whenever a specific action or event appears on the screen. For instance, by using the desktop software, you can program the mouse to create a long vibration when the right mouse button remains pressed, providing the “feel” of a machine gun. This feedback is assigned to profiles you create which in turn are tied to whatever game you select. Thus, if you load DOOM on your PC, the profile will load too along with the assigned tactile feedbacks, commands, and illumination.

Finally, the mouse relies on in-house switches rated for 30 million clicks. There are seven buttons overall that are fully programmable through the desktop software. The Rival 700 simply feels extremely solid throughout its design: there’s nothing cheap or fragile sitting under your fingertips. Unfortunately, the Rival 700 is only designed for right-handed gamers, so if you’re a leftie, scroll down for a mouse designed just for you.

Read our Steelseries Rival 700 review

The best mouse for lefties

Razer DeathAdder Left-Handed Edition

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Why should you buy this: If you’re a leftie, here’s a mouse designed specifically for you.

The best left-handed mouse

Razer DeathAdder Left-Handed Edition

It’s a little outdated, but the Razer Deathadder Left-Hand Edition is still the best left-handed mouse on the market.

$58.86 from Amazon.com

Who’s it for: Left-handed PC gamers, of course!

How much will it cost: $60

Why we picked the Razer DeathAdder Left-Handed Edition: 

Mice designed for left-handed gamers are a rare breed. Although lefties work with the right side of their brains, manufacturers mostly cater to the right-handed crowd. That makes this version of the DeathAdder extremely special given the popularity of the right-handed model. 

For starters, DeathAdder is a $60 device, so you’re not going to see a lot of flair. Instead, that price tag translates into performance and an extremely solid build. It’s based on an optical sensor with a sensitivity up to 3,500 dots per inch, 15g of acceleration, and a tracking speed of up to 120 inches per second. This sensor is complemented by “Zero-Acoustic Ultraslick” mouse feet that enables the peripheral to blaze across the surface so movement doesn’t feel like dragging a dead rat.

Razer’s DeathAdder provides five buttons you can program through the desktop software: two are ultra-large non-slip click buttons, two reside under the thumb, and the fifth is actually the mouse wheel. Other notable features include a one-millisecond report rate to the parent PC, on-the-fly sensitivity adjustment, two LED-lit zones (mouse wheel and Razer logo), and a gold-plated USB connector for cleaner data transfers. Again, this mouse isn’t loaded with frills: DeathAdder is a high-quality, high-performance mouse designed for left-handed gamers that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg… and a right hand.

Read our Razer DeathAdder Left-Handed Edition review

The best budget mouse

Logitech Prodigy G203

Why should you buy this: You get lots of love for the money, including programmable RGB lighting.

Finding a good, $30 gaming mouse is harder than sniping a re…

Logitech Prodigy G203

$28.30 from Amazon.com

Who’s it for: PC gamers not wanting to pay more for a mouse than the actual games.

How much will it cost: $30

Why we picked the Logitech Prodigy G203:

For $30, there’s lots to love with Logitech’s Prodigy G203. For starters, it addresses gamers looking for bling, providing programmable RGB illumination in the Logitech G logo and in a strip running along the back of the mouse. This illumination supports 16.8 million colors that you set using Logitech’s free desktop software along with different lighting effects, and related triggers that react to the action on your screen. These illumination settings are saved to profiles you can create for each installed game.

On a hardware level, the Prodigy G203 consists of six programmable buttons: The left and right click buttons, the mouse wheel, two located on the left side of the mouse, and the button typically assigned for on-the-fly DPI (dots per inch) shifting. This mouse supports sensitivities between 200 and 8,000 DPI, and you can use Logitech’s software to define four sensitivity levels. Thus, by hitting the DPI button, you can quickly move through these four sensitivity levels when you need to quickly take a sniper shot — or go full-blown trigger happy.

As for other hardware goodies, this mouse supports a maximum acceleration of 25g, and a maximum speed of 200 inches per second. It’s powered by a 32-bit ARM-based processor — and includes local storage so your favorite profile follows you no matter what PC plays host to the mouse. It connects to a desktop or laptop using a standard USB port at the end of a 6.6-foot non-braided cable. The report rate is up to 1ms, meaning the mouse updates the parent PC with its coordinates once every millisecond.

Logitech says this model stems from the G100S Gaming Mouse used by eSports professionals, but relies on a re-engineered and optimized base design. Both focus on performance and comfort although the G203 ditches the Delta Zero optical sensor for a newer, unnamed model. Other highlights include “Advanced” button tensioning for precise clicks, left- and right-click switch lifespans of 10 million clicks, and a choice of two main colors: Black or White.

The best wireless mouse

Logitech G903 Lightspeed

Why should you buy this: There’s more to this mouse than meets the fingers.

The best wireless mouse

Logitech G903 Lightspeed

Logitech’s G903 packs plenty of performance and features but also supports Logitech’s new wireless charging station.

$94.99 from Amazon.com

Who’s it for: PC gamers wanting to cut the cord without sacrificing performance.

How much will it cost: $150

Why we picked the Logitech G903 Lightspeed:

Okay, so it’s a little expensive. We get that. But oh boy is it an awesome mouse on several different levels, from its ambidextrous design to its wireless connection. Even more, it supports Logitech’s PowerPlay charging station, so not only does the mouse roam free without its tail, it doesn’t have to worry about battery changes or overnight recharge times.

First, the G903 includes 11 buttons that are programmable through the company’s free desktop software. Technically, you can only use nine unless you’ve trained your ring finger to access hard-to reach buttons on the other side of the mouse. By default, the package includes an extra pair of side buttons lefties can add to the right side and a cover for the left side when/if they remove the right-handed thumb buttons.

The mouse relies on an optimized PMW3366 optical sensor with a sensitivity of up to 12,000 dots per inch, a maximum acceleration of 40g, and a tested maximum travel speed of up to 400 inches per second. You can set five sensitivity levels — and toggle through all five using the DPI Up and Down buttons seated behind the mouse wheel.

But as previously stated, the G903 is one of the first mice to support Logitech PowerPlay system. Simply remove the weight located on the bottom of the mouse, and insert an energy converter module into the same slot. The PowerPlay system is basically a large wireless charging pad with a special mouse mat residing on the surface. Thus, this station is plugged into your parent PC via USB and supplies both a wireless charge and wireless connectivity to the G903 mouse. It’s an added $100 cost, and the G903 can still function as a wireless mouse without it.

The best ambidextrous mouse

Razer Lancehead

Why should you buy this: Razer’s Lancehead packs a big punch for its price.

The best ambidextrous mouse

Razer Lancehead

The Lancehead fits into any hand packing solid performance and loads of features.

$100.00 from Amazon.com

Who’s it for: For any PC gamer who can’t find a mouse designed specifically for their hand.

How much will it cost: Around $100

Why we picked the Razer Lancehead:

If you’re looking for a gaming mouse that fits into any hand, Razer’s Lancehead is a great solution. It works both as a wired and wireless device, so technically it could even fall under our “best wireless” category. But its ambidextrous design wins the show, with each side sporting rubberized grips so you won’t lose control of your desktop rodent. This design is complemented with an overall shape that fits firmly into your palm without feeling too bulky or too slim.

Under the hood, the painful-sounding Lancehead is based on an optical sensor that uses an infrared laser to track your desktop surface. This sensor has a sensitivity of up to 16,000 dots per inch, a maximum acceleration of 50g, and a tracking speed of up to 210 inches per second. It’s backed by a one-millisecond communication to the parent PC, so each sensitive mouse movement never leaves the watchful eye of your PC’s CPU.

The Lancehead includes nine programmable buttons, two of which rely on Razer’s in-house mechanical switches. Of course, you can only use seven unless your ring finger can easily make use of the two non-thumb buttons on the other side. Complementing these buttons is an illuminated RGB strip running along both sides of the peripheral, an illuminated mouse wheel, and Razer’s LED-lit logo on the palm area. The Lancehead’s illumination supports up to 16.8 million colors.

Finally, Lancehead owners can program all buttons and illumination through Razer’s Synapse software. You can use Synapse to customize the button commands, set your sensitivity levels, assign lighting effects, and other options to profiles that can be stored directly onto the mouse. That said, you can create a customized profile and assign it to a specific game, as well as assign macros to any button on the Lancehead.

Read our Razer Lancehead review

How we test

It’s tough to convey how a mouse, particularly a gaming mouse, performs in day-to-day use, which is why the most important test gaming mice endure in our labs is a simple one: we use them. The tech specs can only tell you so much, DPI, weight, response time, number of buttons, but actual use forms the basis of our mouse review process.

We put them through the paces in a variety of games, making sure the mice that come through our office are up to the task of high-performance gaming, and low-performance office work. After all, a gaming mouse still must be a good mouse.

Cut-rate gaming mice

Let’s be honest about gaming mice. At the end of the day they’re still just mice, and you’ll be able to get by with that old wired mouse you’ve had for years – your games aren’t going to know the difference.

Sure, you might be missing out on buttons and a super-sensitive sensor, and maybe your response time will even be a little low, but you don’t need a $150 mouse to enjoy games. Sometimes, a $10 budget gaming mouse from Amazon can make sense.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best mice of CES 2018
• The best gaming keyboards you can buy
• Steelseries’ TrueMove3+ optical sensor debuts on Rival 600 gaming mouse
• Razer unveils Hyperflux wireless mouse and Nommo speaker line for gamers
• The best gaming laptops you can buy

Where to buy a DJI Mavic Air

Eager to get you hands on DJI’s newest and most advanced drone? Look no further!

Famed drone manufacturer DJI has officially announced the newest model in its drone lineup, the Mavic Air. Offering the best parts of the company’s Mavic Pro and Spark drones rolled into one compact package, the Mavic Air is perfect for adventurers who want to record their travels beautifully and with ease.

Whether you’re a photographer looking to add a quality drone to your equipment arsenal or an experienced drone hobbyist who needs the newest model for your collection, there are a growing number of purchasing options available to you. Here’s where to grab the Mavic Air!

Available now

DJI

Perhaps the easiest place to find the Mavic Air is, of course, on DJI’s website. All the color options are currently available here, and if you don’t have all the money up front you can apply for financing and get it for as low as $71 per month.

What’s more, if you have a DJI Select membership, you can get prioritized delivery. However, because the item is currently only available for preorder, it won’t ship until January 28.

See at DJI

Amazon

Ah, the king of all online retailers. Amazon has long been a carrier of DJI products, and the Mavic Air is no exception. If you already have an Amazon account — especially Amazon Prime — this may be the easiest route for obtaining your drone since you’re familiar with the site and can keep track of all your purchases pretty effortlessly.

Like on DJI’s site, the Mavic Air is only available for preorder through Amazon right now and won’t ship until January 28.

See at Amazon

B&H Photo Video

If you’re a pro that’s more comfy ordering your drones from the same place you get all of your other photography gear, B&H Photo Video is thankfully also offering preorders of the Mavic Air in both its standard and combo packages.

If you don’t want to order right away and would rather get your hands on one once they’re actually in stock, you can request a stock alert so you’ll get an email as soon as they’re available.

See at B&H Photo Video

Newegg

If you’re an avid Newegg user, you can purchase the Mavic Air and get 8x the EggPoints once it ships. That basically means if you preorder the Mavic Air now you’ll end up getting approximately $60 off your next Newegg purchase — nothing to sneeze at, if you ask me.

See at Newegg

Best Buy

Often a one-stop shop for all things tech, Best Buy is also offering preorders of the Mavic Air. If you’re a Best Buy card member you can apply for financing as well, so you don’t have to drop all $800 in one day.

If you’re looking to buy from here, though, do note that you may get your order a bit later than you would from other retailers — after I input my location, the website said that orders weren’t expected to ship to my area until January 31.

See at Best Buy

Keep your eyes peeled…

Though there aren’t listings for the Mavic Air on any of these sites yet, these companies are authorized retailers or resellers of DJI drones and accessories so it’s likely the new model will be popping up in at least a few of them soon. Instead of linking to a specific product page, I’ve linked to the DJI or drone section of each site to make the Mavic Air easier to find once it is actually listed.

• Crutchfield
• Dick’s Sporting Goods
• Fry’s
• Kohl’s
• Sam’s Club
• Target
• Walmart

Facebook shakes up its AI research team

Yann LeCun has been the face of Facebook’s AI research efforts since 2013, but you’ll have to get used to some new people in the mix. An interview with LeCun at Quartz has revealed that he’s stepping down from his position as part of a shakeup meant to place AI on an even higher pedestal at the company. LeCun will still be around as the chief AI scientist, but he’s being replaced with IBM and BenevolentTech alumni Jérôme Pesenti, who’ll take over both the research spot and the Applied Learning Group that rolls AI into products like the News Feed. The newcomer will “oversee all the AI at Facebook,” LeCun said, and not just the experimental work.

The company didn’t have much choice. LeCun noted that both the research and Applied Machine Learning leaders were reporting to Facebook’s technology chief, who was unsurprisingly overwhelmed given how important AI has become. Now, only Pesenti will report to the CTO — and LeCun will get to focus more on actual research and less on daily business.

This should also create a more harmonious relationship between Facebook’s AI divisions. While some of the Applied Machine Learning team is joining the regular Facebook infrastructure group, those staying put will work with researchers to bring more of their projects into honest-to-goodness shipping products. To put it another way, clever ideas should be stuck in the lab.

The timing of the role changes couldn’t be more appropriate. Facebook just announced a fundamental shift in the prioritization of the News Feed, and it’s planning to rank trusted sources as part of its ongoing bid to fight fake news. The company has frequently been accused of relying too heavily on AI to solve all its problems, but the new structure might help it make better use of AI or apply it to areas where it wasn’t previously practical.

Source: Quartz

Apple isn’t really killing the iPhone X

When KGI Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo pens a research note, it’s not just his clients who tear into the results — the tech community does too, because of his almost uncanny track record with Apple predictions. A recent note of his begat a series of unfortunate headlines, though. Depending on who you read, the iPhone X could be scrapped or killed or cancelled suddenly, as though Apple — utterly disheartened by theoretically lackluster sales — simply decided to call it quits.

These headlines feel needlessly sensational, but they speak to a market reality rooted in rationality. Aside from a handful of analyst estimates, we don’t know how many iPhone Xs Apple has sold. The company doesn’t break out sales by iPhone model, though we’ll learn more about iPhone sales overall in its earnings report next week. The general consensus is that the X sales, while not terrible, fell short of expectations. Let’s put these sales forecasts aside — what’s done is done. If Apple does discontinue the existing iPhone X (which seems more than possible), it’ll have more to do with future sales than past ones.

Kuo — who is often hailed as the Best Apple Analyst, Period — has been saying for months now that Apple will overhaul its iPhone line-up in 2018 with a trio of iPhone X-like devices, complete with expansive screens and those telltale notches for Face ID. At the high end, Kuo predicts Apple will release a sort of iPhone X Plus, with a 6.5-inch OLED screen and a stainless steel body. The low-end should be well-tended by a new X-like iPhone with a cheaper 6.1-inch LCD screen, a single camera and (in a bizarre twist) no pressure-sensing 3D Touch display. Meanwhile, right in the middle of the pack sits an 5.8-inch, stainless steel-clad iPhone X sequel.

But here’s the thing: according to a more recent research note Kuo dropped, that hypothetical low-end iPhone is expected to sell for between $750 and $800 without a contract. Considering that Apple’s usually keeps selling existing iPhones at reduced prices after new models have launched, it’s not hard to see how a discounted iPhone X could eat into sales of Apple’s new LCD model. That simply can’t happen.

Based on what little we know about the the 6.1-inch iPhone, it’s a little less ambitious in every way (save for perhaps its size). That logically means it’s cheaper to make, and it’s no stretch to imagine that Apple would see bigger margins off those things. Given the choice between making some money off each original iPhone X sold and potentially making more money off a cheap, big X sequel, treating the current model like a sacrificial lamb doesn’t seem like a huge stretch. And having a big, relatively inexpensive iPhone with an edge-to-edge screen could be a huge help for Apple in China, where the company is facing intense pressure from homegrown rivals that have proven themselves capable of building high-powered smartphones with budget price tags.

Oh, and let’s not forget that Apple just does this sometimes. When it was time to build a sequel for the iPhone 5, the company built the 5s and replaced the existing iPhone 5 with the plastic-fantastic iPhone 5c. People were going to buy a low-cost iPhone that year anyway, and the while no one really loved the 5c, the idea still has merit assuming the hardware is done well.

So yes, the iPhone X will be dead in that you (probably) won’t be able to buy last year’s model once the sequels arrive. That’s the whole point — regardless of whether it sold as fast or as well as Apple hoped it would, the iPhone X did its job. It showed people what the iPhone could be. Whether Apple’s strategy ultimately succeeds remains to be seen, but if it does, putting the first iPhone X to rest is a small price to pay.

Stripe will stop accepting bitcoin in April

Stripe announced today that it will stop supporting bitcoin payments in April. The company started accepting bitcoin payments in 2014, but in a blog post, it said today that the cryptocurrency has become way less useful as a method of payment, and as bitcoin revenues have declined, so has its customers’ interest in it. “Bitcoin has evolved to become better-suited to being an asset than being a means of exchange,” said Stripe, mirroring a belief others have expressed as well.

The company specifically pointed to large increases in transaction confirmation times, transaction failure rates and fees as some of the main reasons bitcoin has become less functional for payments. “Empirically, there are fewer and fewer use cases for which accepting or paying with bitcoin makes sense,” said Stripe.

Stripe certainly isn’t the first to thaw on bitcoin. Valve stopped accepting bitcoin last month, also citing transaction costs and high volatility as reasons for abandoning the cryptocurrency. And a number of governments around the world are considering cryptocurrency regulations or bans. Bitcoin reached a high of over $19,000 last month but fell below $10,000 last week. It’s currently valued at just under $11,000, according to Coinbase.

Stripe says it’s not ruling out cryptocurrencies altogether and that bitcoin could become a viable method of payment again in the future. The company specifically noted Lightning, OmiseGO, Ethereum and Stellar as projects it’s keeping an eye on. “We will continue to pay close attention to the ecosystem and to look for opportunities to help our customers by adding support for cryptocurrencies and new distributed protocols in the future,” it said.

Stripe will stop processing bitcoin transactions on April 23rd.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Stripe

‘Overwatch’ adds Disneyland-style map ‘Blizzard World’

Back at Blizzcon 2017, Blizzard’s big announcement for its hero shooter Overwatch was a new character Moira — at long last, another healer for the lineup. But equally exciting was the reveal of a new upcoming map: Blizzard World, a Disneyland-esque theme park jam-packed with references to the studio’s stable of games. Today, that map goes live — along with a slew of new skins and other extras.

New adventures are waiting for you!

Play BLIZZARD WORLD now on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. pic.twitter.com/XLXVLRcaRr

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) January 23, 2018

The map is a hybrid type that starts as point capture and switches to escort, much like Numbani. Otherwise, Blizzard World is a visual delight, creating rides and zones patterned after particular locations and events (like boss battles or raids) from Blizzard’s roster of games. Plus a few great puns (like Snaxxramus and The Lost and Found Vikings).

But it’s also a not-so-subtle homage to Disney’s parks: Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, the centerpiece of Disneyland and Disneyworld, is replaced by WarCraft’s Stormwind Keep, while the lake with Darkmoon Ferris Wheel clearly resembles the waterfront section of Disney’s California Adventure. Heck, all the attraction posters around the map imitate the modern 50s-era look of those that still line Disney’s parks.

There’s more than just a map in this update. Players get 100 new cosmetic items to find in loot boxes. 17 of those are new skins: Some are homages themselves to characters in other Blizzard games, like Barbarian Zarya or Nova Widowmaker, while others are from Overwatch short animations, like Crusader Reinhardt or Ecopoint: Antarctica Mei. The other 83 are standard loot box fare, from emotes to highlight intros to sprays. Note that these are additions to the core cosmetics pool, meaning they aren’t event-bound and can be earned year-round.

Source: Overwatch (Twitter)

Facebook’s ‘trusted’ news source survey is two simple questions

When Facebook said it would rank the trustworthiness of sources in your News Feed based on community feedback, it raised questions as to what that survey would look like. Well, we know now… and it’s not terribly complicated. BuzzFeed has obtained the survey, and it’s limited to the two questions Mark Zuckerberg alluded to when announcing the move: whether you recognize certain sites, and how much you trust them (from “not at all” to entirely”). No really, that’s the extent of it. If you were expecting a nuanced examination of editorial integrity that helps you explain exactly what you trust, you’re going to be disappointed.

The simplicity makes sense, since it’s likely that Facebook would get fewer responses with an extensive questionnaire. It also means that publishers might thrive or fail based on those two questions, however, and only some people will carefully consider their choices before answering. While Facebook isn’t depending solely on the surveys to decide what you see, they won’t add a huge amount of subtlety to the rankings.

The full Facebook news trustworthiness survey.

It its entirety. https://t.co/bd0qkkXGgN pic.twitter.com/oUvTZLNiyB

— Alex Kantrowitz (@Kantrowitz) January 23, 2018

Source: BuzzFeed News