Google brings its parental control Family Link service to Canada

The service is also available in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S.

After debuting almost a year ago for families in the U.S., Google is bringing its Family Link service to Canada. Given that nearly half of grade four students in Canada have access to a smartphone during the day, Family Link’s debut is coming at a good time.

The idea is pretty simple: kids want to use the internet in some form, be it on a smartphone or tablet, and parents want a way to control what their children do on those devices. Family Link is a service for Android and iOS (but it’s better on Android) that allows a parent to create a Google account for their child and control almost every aspect of their experience, from the apps they launch to how much time they get to spend in front of it.

After downloading the associated app and setting up an account for your little one, Family Link allows parents to control the following:

• Downloads and purchases.
• What they see in search results through SafeSearch
• App permissions that are being used.
• Search and content filtering in YouTube Kids.
• Account password management.
• Screen time limits.
• Activity settings for the account.
• Giving account access to another family member.

That’s a lot of customization, and the tools are especially well received given that, in the year since its launch, the conversation around kids and screen time has only intensified. (It’s done the same for some adults, too.)

How to set up a kid-friendly Android device

Even without something like Family Link, Android has a fairly robust set of parental controls, and many manufacturers like Samsung take things one step further and bolster the built-in features with their own additional tweaks. But Family Link takes it one step further, by taking for granted the fact that many kids will be using, and want to use, Google services. This service puts the power in the hands of parents — and now Canadians can get in on it.

Download Family Link (free)

Magic Leap’s AR headsets will start at around $1,000

Magic Leap is spilling more and more of its secrets as it gets nearer to releasing its first mixed reality headset this year. At Recode’s annual Code Media conference, Magic Leap chief Rony Abovitz has revealed the company’s plans to release not one, but multiple versions of the headset. He also announced its deal with the NBA to show basketball games in mixed reality.

Magic Leap headsets will apparently come in different sizes and different price points to be able to cater to as many people as possible. Abovitz said the cheapest version will cost you as much as a high-end smartphone — he didn’t clarify which, but didn’t object when the iPhone X (priced at $1,000) was brought up. The most expensive variant will set you back as much as a high-end PC, but don’t worry: that’s not the one that’s coming out in 2018. Apparently, the Creator Edition launching this year will be somewhere around the middle of the price range.

Once the first Magic Leap becomes available, you’ll be able to watch classic NBA games or highlights from the ongoing series on the headset. Live games won’t be available at first, but it’s not because the parties involved don’t want to give you access. It sounds like they’re looking forward to making that happen: NBA SVP Jeff Marsilio said that the hope is to enable “[live] streaming on your coffee table as though you were a giant looking into the arena from above.”

Even if you won’t be able to watch a live game like you’re Gulliver on Lilliput yet, you’ll be able to pin the screens where you’re watching classic games and highlights to a virtual wall. That will simulate a giant movie projector you can watch in mixed reality. You can also pin other screens, such as one showing social media updates and another showing live stats, to that wall. The idea is to replace your TV, computer and your phone with one device where you can watch and do everything. In fact, that’s what the company is hoping to happen and why Abovitz says its headsets’ pretty hefty price tags are worth it.

Check out Abovitz’s interview below, with a guest appearance by Shaquille O’neal wearing a pair of and talking about Magic Leap:

Source: Recode (1), (2), Magic Leap

HTC smartphone president Chialin Chang has resigned

Not long after letting go of its Pixel team in exchange for some much needed cash from Google, HTC is now also losing its smartphone lead. Chialin Chang, who joined the company as CFO back in April 2012, has immediately resigned as the President of Smartphone and Connected Devices Business due to “personal career plan,” according to HTC. There’s no word on who will take over this role, which basically means more work for Chairwoman and CEO Cher Wang until she finds a replacement, if any.

HTC provided the following statement to Engadget: “We can confirm Chialin Chang has resigned from his position as President of the Smartphone and Connected Devices Business at HTC. We thank him for his dedication to the Company for the last six years and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Chang’s departure shouldn’t come as a surprise, despite the awkward timing right before the Chinese New Year holidays. Just last year, HTC saw its lowest-ever December revenue in the past 13 years, and its stock price has remained disappointing. Perhaps this is the shakeup that HTC’s smartphone’s business needs, but until the company can confirm who will replace Chang’s role, the future remains uncertain.

Via: Tim Culpan (Twitter)

Source: HTC

Want to save your favorite film? Here’s how to fix a scratched DVD or CD

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So you let your buddy borrow your DVD of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and now it’s scratched — guess they didn’t show Chris Pratt’s epic film the respect it deserves. Sure, you could go out and buy another copy, but that will cost you precious Amazon dollars or a lengthy excursion to Best Buy. Luckily, there are a few methods to fix a scratched DVD or CD that you should give a shot before you disown the irresponsible guy you once called a friend.

Before we continue, it should be noted that the best way to deal with a scratched disc is to simply replace it either through the store where you bought it or by getting in touch with the manufacturer. Many video game publishers will send you a new copy of their title in exchange for the damaged copy and a nominal fee, for example. You should also keep in mind that all of the methods below have the very distinct possibility of further damaging your discs, even when done carefully using our guidelines.

It’s important to note that these methods will not work with Blu-ray discs, given those discs use a harder coating that’s more difficult to scratch and damage. The downside to this is that once it does scratch, the disc typically becomes unusable and has to be replaced. Minor damage may be corrected with a micro-fiber cloth, but the data density and layers prevent any of the options  outlined below from working particularly well, or even being advisable. Error-correction features on the best Blu-ray players may help them to ignore scratches, of course.

It’s also a good idea to back up your DVDs, CDs, and Blu-rays by copying the data to a hard drive, also known as “ripping.” This will keep your music and movies safe and watchable for as long as you need — provided your hard drive doesn’t become damaged — and if you still want physical copies, you can simply burn them onto a re-writable disc. Here’s how to rip a DVD or Blu-ray.

There are all sorts of ways you can damage a disc, but it’s important to identify how deep a scratch is or what caused the disc to malfunction before proceeding. The first trick is to identify that the problem is actually the disc, usually done by trying to play it in another device with a disc drive or inserting another disc into the original drive that gave you issues.

What you should know before you begin

How do scratches affect discs?

A disc like a CD or DVD is composed of layers. At the top is a layer of plastic, with the label printed on the surface. Data is stored on the disc in the form of ones and zeroes. When a disc is printed, a laser burns tiny pits into the plastic, so that the surface consists of various pits and flat surfaces called “lands.” Beneath this is a layer of reflective aluminum, and it’s important: when a CD or DVD players reads the disc, it runs a laser along it. The laser detects whether it is running over a pit or a land before the aluminum reflects the laser back to the player.

Finally, the bottom layer of the disc is a layer of polycarbonate, which is meant to protect the data from damage. If this protective layer becomes scratched, the laser’s path can be altered, thus hindering its ability to accurately read the pits and lands. In order to fix the disc, one must either buff out the scratch or fill it with a transparent substance, so that the laser can travel through to the data.

Five tips before you start

Although we cover different methods for cleaning and resurfacing your discs, it’s important to remember a few key rules if you want to save yourself a headache while going through the process.

Step 1: Wash and dry your hands before handling your discs. It’s surprisingly easy to mess with the delicate data imprinted onto a disc’s polycarbonate layer, and both grease and oil are known to cause playback issues even if the disc shows no signs of physical damage. Better still, snatch a pair of latex gloves, if you happen to keep them around.

Step 2: The best way to clean your discs, with any material, is to start at the center of the disc and work your way outward in a straight line. This allows for a better grip while cleaning and lets you avoid damaging any of the data printed onto the polycarbonate layer below. The reason for this is that the data runs in a spiral around the disc, as on a vinyl record. Because the disc spins so fast, the reader has to be able to compensate for missing bits of the data as it goes, and when a scratch runs straight out from the center of the disc to the edge, it’s a lot easier for the algorithm to catch the error and fix it automatically.

Step 3: Tray-loading drives may be more likely to read a damaged or scratched disc than slot-loading drives. If possible, it’s a good idea to use one of these drives when trying to salvage a disc to lower the number of variables at play.

Step 4: Given the layer of data that’s encoded onto the polycarbonate surface is so close to the top layer of the disc, scratches and dents on the label can cause read errors in the same way a ding in the reflective surface can. Make sure to store all your discs in cases or on spools, and handle them by the inner ring to avoid damaging the data.

Step 5: The best way to repair discs is not to scratch them in the first place. It sounds silly, but using good cases and spools significantly reduces the chance of damaging a game or DVD, which will, in turn, save you the hassle of repairs in the first place.

Netflix signs up ‘Glee’ producer Ryan Murphy

Refusing to slow its pace of dealmaking, Netflix announced tonight that it has a new “multi-year” agreement with producer Ryan Murphy, starting in July. Murphy has produced a string of hit series over the years, including Glee, Nip/Tuck, American Horror Story and Scream Queens. His contract with Fox is about to expire, and according to reports from the New York Times and Deadline, this began a bidding war that put the price of his five-year agreement at as much as $300 million.

Source: Netflix

Faraday Future may have received a $1.5 billion lifeline

To say Faraday Future has had a rough time would be an understatement between its financial crisis, executive exodus and CEO troubles. However, things might be looking up for the electric car maker. A Business Insider source has claimed that an unnamed Hong Kong backer has promised a $1.5 billion investment, $550 million of which is “already in the bank.” That only goes so far with an automaker, but it’s reportedly enough to speed up development of the FF91 and get it on the market by the end of 2018.

Accordingly, the company’s Hanford, California factory should soon be on track. Work on it is believed to be starting in “30 to 60 days,” with production underway by December. The company’s second car, the FF81, is now expected to get an unveiling at a showcase in Beijing.

We’ve asked Faraday Future for comment, although it’s no secret that it has been holding a global supplier summit to reassure partners. If there was any time to disclose funding and outline the company’s roadmap, it’s now. The question is whether or not Faraday can make good on these updated plans, provided they’re accurate. They suggest the company is on the mend, but it has a history of making promises it later has to reconsider — the only firm proof will come when finished cars leave the factory.

Source: Business Insider

Watch your Canary camera feeds on Echo Spot, Echo Show and Fire TV

Canary introduced a livestream-ready browser interface for its home cameras last August, but now you can command them with your voice, too. The platform now has its own Amazon Alexa skill, permitting users to give directions and watch live streams through the Alexa app on certain devices.

The skill currently works only on the Echo Show, Echo Spot and compatible Fire TVs. To start, users pop open the Alexa app on their device and search for Canary under the skills tab. Once they sign in with their Canary credentials, they can use the app to flip through the different views in their camera setup. Then users can give voice commands, like “Alexa, show the Front Door” — though cameras set to private won’t be able to stream through the Alexa app.

It’s supported on Canary’s All-in-One or View devices running firmware at v3.0.0 or higher, or Canary Flex running v2.3.0 or higher.

Source: Canary

Samsung’s Bixby leader leaves for Google

Samsung’s ambitions in services just took a bit of a blow. ZDNet has learned that Samsung’s software research CTO Injong Rhee has left the company to become an “Enterpreneur in Residence” at Google. The 7-year veteran was important to the development of Samsung Pay and the company’s Knox security platform. He also led the initial deployment of Samsung’s in-house AI assistant, Bixby. Whatever you think of those products, he made them stand out — no mean feat in a company better-known for its cutting-edge displays and processors than its software.

Rhee said he’ll be leading Internet of Things projects at Google, although it’s not certain exactly what that entails. He’ll be reporting to Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene, however, and will be aiming for a “concerted” strategy with separate home and business IoT lineups. In other words, you may see a clearer effort emerge than what you’ve seen so far.

This likely won’t put the brakes on Samsung’s efforts, at least not in the near term. Bixby 2.0 is on the way, Samsung Pay is well-established and Knox is expanding beyond mobile devices. However, the company might have to regroup if it hopes to create services with the same impact.

Source: ZDNet, LinkedIn

Salon asks readers to pick their poison: ads or crypto mining

If you use an ad-blocker, you’ll now be met with a pop-up when you visit Salon’s website, the Financial Times reports. It will offer you two choices — turn off your ad-blocker or let the website mine cryptocurrency with some of your computer’s extra processing power. Salon says on its site that it makes its money off of advertisements, but because more and more readers are now using ad-blockers, it has seen a large drop in revenue. Cryptocurrency mining is its way of recuperating those losses. “Like most media sites, ad-blockers cut deeply into our revenue and create a more one-sided relationship between reader and publisher,” Salon says. “For our beta program, we’ll start by applying your processing power to mine cryptocurrencies to recoup lost ad revenue when you use an ad blocker. We plan to further use any learnings from this to help support the evolution and growth of blockchain technology, digital currencies and other ways to better service the value exchange between content and user contribution.”

If you choose to opt in, Salon says it will use a small portion of your computer’s spare processing power to mine the cryptocurrency Monero and it notes that you won’t have to install anything on your computer in order to let this happen. The site also says that it won’t have access to anyone’s personal files or information if they choose to opt in.

Salon’s mining efforts are powered by Coinhive, which created these sorts of scripts for exactly this reason. The Pirate Bay tried using it to generate ad-free revenue last year. However, while Salon is giving users an option to give up their computers to crypto mining, Coinhive’s scripts have been previously slipped into other unsuspecting sites. Showtime, Politifact and a slew of government sites have all unknowingly hosted the cryptocurrency miner in the past.

That a popular publication would choose to generate revenue through cryptocurrency mining seems pretty wild, but this could be a sign of things to come. Media outlets have consistently said they’re losing money from ad-blockers, and if Salon’s test is successful, more might follow its lead. If you agree to let Salon mine Monero with your computer, that setting will be good for up to 24 hours. After that, it will again prompt you to choose between your ad-blocker and the miner.

Image: Salon

Via: Washington Post

Source: Salon

BBC and Google take you under the sea in VR

It’s easier to appreciate nature when you witness it first-hand, but that’s rather difficult with the ocean unless you have a submarine at your disposal. The BBC and Google have a more practical solution: they’ve launched a BBC Earth: Life in VR app that illustrates the underwater ecosystem on Daydream View headsets and compatible phones. You can explore environments ranging from kelp forests to deep sea trenches, and life as large as whales or as tiny as plankton.

Yes, you could sit down to watch Planet Earth II without donning headgear, but the two companies are betting that the advantages of VR will make all the difference. It’s not just that you’re engrossed in situations that would be difficult or impossible to record on camera — it’s that you’re an “active participant” rather than a mere bystander. If all goes well, you’ll have a better understanding of the aquatic ecosystem than you would by watching an ordinary documentary.

Source: Google Play