Two sides to every controversy: OnePlus is getting a bad rap

How a company sends a message can be as important as the message itself, but we first have to be ready to listen.

It’s easy (and fun) to manufacture a controversy, especially when it’s about a company with a past that thrived on controversy to begin with. I’m talking about OnePlus of course, and before you decide you’ve heard enough about OnePlus this week I’ll urge you to stop, take a few minutes and read just one more thing.

I recently wrote an article that parrots the thoughts of a lot of folks by saying not to buy a phone from OnePlus right now because of all the privacy and user data-handling concerns that seem to have surrounded the company lately. A credit card breach, some user data moving out of the phone and into the internet, and a clipboard that was being monitored by another app was just too much to swallow in such a short time and from just one company. We deserve better.

Drama and smartphones go hand-in-hand on the internet.

No company likes seeing those kinds of words written about it, especially when its side of the story isn’t nearly as worrying and isn’t getting out past all the noise the internet is so good at making. And I include myself and Android Central here — we make our fair share of noise whenever we think some noise needs to be made. In any case, OnePlus reached out to me and after a friendly and informative chat, I’ve realized a few things: not everything can be taken at face value; transparency is important; and blowing things out of proportion is awfully easy to do when an army of people are willing to do it.

Pointing a finger is easy, too. I can point one at myself and say I should have heard out OnePlus before I took to the keyboard, I can point one at all of us and say we make up our minds and tune out anything that doesn’t match up with our narrative, and I can point one at OnePlus to say that all this could be avoided if it were more transparent and got in front of it all with a candid statement from the top.

It’s not my place to make you feel at ease regarding privacy concerns with OnePlus. It is my place to explain my issues and why I feel differently today. After reading through a mountain of forum posts, tweets, obscure articles and subsequent retractions, it looks like OnePlus fell victim to what the internet is good at — getting outraged, then moving on when the next thing caught our attention. A big part of it is human nature. Juicy gossip is more interesting to read and share than the boring follow-up that clears the air. To that end, articles and forum threads about OnePlus stealing data or credit card numbers (both are absolutely false) get passed around a lot more than the explanation or retractions to those articles.

I can say that the two biggest issues I had were about the way the clipboard was monitoring what users were typing, and how long it took for OnePlus to respond once it realized their payment system had been breached. Turns out that the clipboard thing is part misunderstanding, part fabrication and part signal-to-noise ratio. It’s done to be helpful, and users in China are faced with one company’s app blocking URLs to another company’s content — just like OnePlus claimed it was and nobody listened because it did not get the message out. And I’ve been assured that the investigation into the credit card data breach is still in full force, was a priority since it was exposed, and even if the message didn’t make it through, OnePlus did what was necessary to make sure no more financial data was getting mishandled as soon as the breach came to light.

Consider this my retraction. I hope it gets as much attention as the original.

This puts me back where I used to be when it comes to buying one of the company’s products. Do I trust in OnePlus? Heavens no, but I don’t have implicit trust in any for-profit corporation to do anything except keep being for-profit. I just won’t write the company off as not caring or being capable of managing user data when it comes to its phones. It’s obvious that someone there cares, and all of this is really hard to do. It’s equally obvious that even news we want to hear can be buried so deeply that we never get to hear it, and that problem is bigger than just OnePlus.

That leaves me with a new issue. It’s fine to make me feel at ease by reaching out for a one-to-one chat, but that doesn’t help you unless a company plans to reach out to everyone that way. OnePlus is no stranger to controversy, which makes it a lot easier to build a case against it. The company needs to find a way to get the message out when there is something important to say. While recording our latest podcast, Managing Editor, Daniel Bader, said this needed Carl Pei (OnePlus co-founder and face of the company in much of its early marketing) to come forward with the company’s statement. That’s a grand idea, and when you are marketing a phone to a group of people who are enthusiasts and apt to tear it all apart to find things like this, it might work. It would definitely work better than responding in a forum post that gets buried under all the accusations.

OnePlus wants you to buy a phone from them, not steal your SMS history.

We can do our part, too. Yes, OnePlus has had its fair share of bad press, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore one side of any future fiasco in the making. For example, OnePlus forum users are concerned about an app called MKey that’s part of the Oreo update for the OnePlus 5T in India. It asks for permission to use the phone, send SMS, read contacts and media. It should, because it’s a keyboard designed to make it easier for multi-language users employing India-specific fonts — and it can send SMS messages. It’s like an emoji keyboard but not written for fun as much as utility. OnePlus explained what the app in question was and what it can do directly to the forum-goers who had those questions. The explanation was (and still is) ignored and claims of shipping data for Indian customers to China are still being thrown around. If you see an article that makes these claims, ask the author to talk to OnePlus.

And OnePlus, I’m asking you to talk to your customers. Don’t just respond in kind with a forum post or a PR message on your blog, because that’s not working. If we, as Android fans and enthusiasts, do our part, you’ll need to do yours.

I’m still not ready to call the OnePlus 5T the best phone you can buy, but it is a phone you’ll probably love if you do buy one. And OnePlus is trying hard to protect your data even if it has a difficult time convincing the internet at large.

SpaceX confirms it will try to land all of Falcon Heavy’s boosters

SpaceX hasn’t been shy about wanting to land Falcon Heavy’s three booster rockets (it formally proposed its plans a year ago), but will it try now that the launch has finally been nailed down? Yes. Elon Musk’s outfit has confirmed that it will attempt to land all three boosters on Falcon Heavy’s launch, which is now slated for a 2.5-hour window starting at 1:30PM Eastern on February 6th. As expected, the two side boosters will come back to the on-ground landing zones at Cape Canaveral, while the center booster should land on a drone ship off the coast.

The company is no stranger to successful rocket landings — they’re considered routine at this point. With Falcon Heavy, however, there are challenges SpaceX just didn’t have to face before. It has to separate and land the boosters in an elegant, coordinated fashion that avoids collisions and other erratic behavior. And of course, having three rockets increases the odds of failure. SpaceX has learned many lessons since it first unveiled plans for its heavy-duty rocket back in 2011, but this is a new chapter in its story. It has yet to know how well Falcon Heavy will fly in practice, and it isn’t immune to problems even with years of experience under its belt.

Source: BusinessWire

Banks ban credit purchase of cryptocurrency due to risks

If you use your Bank of America-, JP Morgan Chase- or Citigroup-issued credit card to buy cryptocurrency, then you’ll have to find an alternative ASAP. According to Bloomberg, the banks have banned crypto purchase using their cards due to the virtual coins’ volatile nature. BofA has already started declining credit transactions with known exchanges, though its debit cards aren’t be affected by the ban. Citigroup also announced on Friday that it’ll no longer process crypto purchases, while JP Morgan Chase’s new rule will take effect today.

JPMorgan spokesperson Mary Jane Rogers said the bank has decided to impose a restriction on crypto purchases, because it doesn’t want to deal with the risks associated with it. In addition to the difficulties of keeping an eye on purchases — something they’re required to do — associated with crypto-coins, there’s also always the risk of somebody buying more than they can afford to pay. In addition, identity thieves could use stolen credit cards to buy cryptocurrency, and banks have little chance (if any) to get that money back.

These banks aren’t the only financial institutions backing away from anything associated with crypto. Capital One Financial and Discover also don’t allow cryptocurrency purchases with their credit cards. Discover chief David Nelms even described people using virtual coins as “crooks… trying to get money out of China or wherever.” A Coinbase staff member has also revealed in a Reddit post that major credit card networks and providers recently changed the terms of digital currency purchases. The new terms allow them to treat those purchases as a cash advance, which carries additional charges and have higher interest rates.

Source: Bloomberg

Get a drone’s-eye view with these images from Skypixel’s photo contest

Cameras capture stories, but give a camera wings and you get something like the list of winners from the Skypixel 2017 Photo Story Contest. The 44,000-plus submissions make the contest the largest of its kind in the world, representing aerial photographers from 141 countries. Earlier this week, Skypixel announced French photographer Florian Ledoux took top prize for his overhead shot of a polar bear crossing between ice floes.

Ledoux took the shot in Nunavut, Canada. Calling the image “Above the Polar Bear,” the photographer used a Phantom 4 Pro to capture the bright turquoise waters contrasting with the white of the bear and the ice floes. Ledoux took the image while reporting on wildlife in the area, a project which also included travel to Greenland.

“I have witnessed incredible moments and scenes of the wild but I can guarantee you that this, by far, is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” Ledoux said, “I hope that future generations will still be able to witness the beauty and grandeur of the Arctic wildlife the same way we do today.”

For taking that top title, Ledoux takes home a DJI Inspire 2 along with other prizes from the contest’s sponsors with a value over $15,000. Winners were determined by a group of judges including photographers as well as filmmakers and creative directors.

“There are images that might impress you with their technical mastery, and then there are images that make you feel something,” Jarrad Seng, a SkyPixel judge, said. “This photograph floored me. It’s especially poignant given the climate crisis our world is facing right now.”

Judges also selected first, second and third prizes for each category, including landscape, portrait, and story. Categories were also split into professional and enthusiast groups, along with popular prizes and honorary nominations for the most-liked images.

The contest broke the record set in the previous year for the number of entries. “The SkyPixel Photo Contest of 2017 is now the world’s largest aerial photography contest, breaking the record it created in 2016,” Danny Zheng, vice president of Marketing at DJI, said in a press release. “SkyPixel was initially established to provide a platform for aerial photographers to share their creativity and unique perspectives of the world. Today, it has evolved to a global platform where we are able to document remarkable moments from once inaccessible areas of the world for future generations to witness and appreciate.”

Skypixel is a photo-sharing platform run in conjunction with drone company DJI. After launching in 2014, the platform now has more than 7 million users and hosts several annual photo and video competitions.

The complete gallery of contest winners can be viewed from Skypixel’s website.

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• Baby got Beck: Grandmother’s Instagram inspires rock icon’s new music video
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Tesla will showcase its solar tech with expansion into Home Depot stores

Tesla plans to market its solar energy products to a more mainstream audience with a major expansion into the largest home-improvement chain in the country. According to Bloomberg, Tesla-branded kiosks showcasing solar panels and Powerwall solar batteries have begun rolling out to 800 locations around the country.

The displays, which are 12 feet tall and 7 feet wide, will be staffed by Tesla employees and will offer demonstrations of the solar products. Although it’s not part of the initial rollout, Home Depot may also begin offering Tesla’s highly anticipated solar roof, according to industry sources.

The stylish Tesla solar roofs are more expensive than traditional solar panels, as they look like regular roof shingles and cover the entire house. Some shingles contain solar collection technology and some don’t, but they’re meant to assuage homeowner’s concerns about installing blocky solar reflective tiles on their houses.

Lowe’s, the second-largest home improvement chain, is also interested in featuring Tesla’s solar power products in its stores.

The Powerwall batteries, mounted on the side of the house, are designed to store energy either collected from the solar panels or purchased during off-peak hours from the electrical grid. The stored electricity could be used during power outages, or even to recharge Tesla vehicles.

USA Today reports that some retail outlets in California already have the in-store displays, and they’re planned for Las Vegas and Orlando next week. With the customer’s address, the Tesla employees at the kiosks will be able to use satellite imagery to evaluate the sunlight and potential power generation at the location.

A Tesla solar power panel system will run anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000, with an extra $7,000 for the Powerwall battery. The solar roof, which may be a better option for homeowners who have to replace their entire roof, will cost about $52,000 for the average house.

Home Depot previously featured solar power products from SolarCity Corp., but that didn’t include the in-store displays that Tesla has introduced. Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity in 2016 for $2 billion has made it a major player in the industry, and expanding into the home-improvement retail space could be a significant step towards adoption of clean energy at the household level.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Want to reduce your electric bill? Here’s how to go solar-powered in your home
• Kirio creates smart homes from scratch, and they learn as you live
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• Elon Musk’s massive Australian battery just chalked up another record
• Think inside the box with these tricked-out shipping container homes

Amazon is celebrating the Super Bowl with some discounts on its Alexa-enabled hardware

These deals don’t last for long.

First up is a $5 discount on the Fire TV Stick, which drops it down to $34.99. The 4K Fire TV is also on sale for $54.99, which is a $15 discount.

If you’re looking for an Echo device, Amazon has you covered as well. If you missed out on previous Echo Dot you can currently save $10 on one, dropping it to $39.99. The 2nd-gen Echo is $15 off, making it just $84.99, and the Echo Spot is down to $114.99 from $129.99. The largest Echo device, the Echo Show is $80 off, dropping it to just $149.99.

These deals are only scheduled to run through tomorrow night, so don’t wait too long before placing your order.

Japan launches smallest rocket ever to carry satellite into orbit

Japan has set a new spaceflight record — and unlike most of these feats, it’s defined by what wasn’t involved. The country’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully launched the smallest-ever rocket to carry a satellite into orbit, a modest SS-520 sounding rocket modified with a third stage inside its nose cone to get its payload into orbit. As you might guess, the key to the record was the tiny cargo — the rocket was carrying TRICOM-1R, a three-unit cubesat measuring just 13.6 inches long. You don’t need a giant vehicle when the mission hardware would fit in the backseat of your car.

The success came just over a year after JAXA’s original experiment with an SS-520 rocket ended in failure. Crews decided against igniting the second stage when the vehicle lost all telemetry data a mere 20 seconds after takeoff. An investigation later determined that the likely cause was a poorly protected electrical connection, and the agency decided to try again this year with a fix in place.

There are no known plans to launch similar SS-520 missions in the near future, so this probably won’t become a regular occurrence for a while. It does take Japan one step closer to regular mini satellite launches, however. And Japan isn’t alone — companies like Rocket Lab are making progress on their own small rockets powerful enough for orbital delivery. Large rockets aren’t going away any time soon, but they might not be nearly as vital as they used to be.

Via: NASASpaceflight.com

Source: JAXA (translated)

Microsoft to drop Windows 10 S as a stand-alone product

Windows 10 S was supposed to be Microsoft’s firm answer to Chrome OS, offering comparable security (by limiting you to Microsoft Store apps) while running more powerful software. However, its implementation for home users has been ham-fisted: you have to unlock Windows 10 Pro if you want more freedom, which should (eventually) cost money and is clearly overkill for many people. That’s about to change. Both Thurrott and Neowin have discovered that Microsoft is dropping Windows 10 S as a stand-alone product for everyday users in favor of an S Mode, which is already available for the enterprise crowd.

The plan is reportedly to make S Mode available for most versions of Windows 10 (with new Core+ and Workstation variants being the exceptions). The cost of unlocking full access would depend on what you’re running: Windows 10 Home S users could unlock to the regular Home release for free, while those using Windows 10 Pro S would have to pay the previously mentioned $49. You wouldn’t be forced to cough up cash just because that 10 S PC you bought feels too restrictive.

There’s no firm timetable for when the switch would happen, but Thurrott understands that a shakeup of Windows 10 prices for partners, which includes S Mode, will take effect between April 2nd and May 1st. We’ve asked Microsoft for comment and will let you know if it can confirm any details.

This isn’t necessarily a rejection of Windows 10 S as a concept, although data in the documents suggests it has had a mixed reception. About 60 percent of users with third-party 10 S PCs stick to the software, but 60 percent of those who switch do so immediately. In other words, people who buy Windows 10 S machines usually know what they want. The problem, as you may have noticed, is that these are third-party computers — it’s likely that Microsoft’s own Surface Laptop would skew the numbers. A shift away from a release could be an acknowledgment that 10 S works better as a settings toggle than a separate product.

Via: The Verge

Source: Thurrott, Neowin

Save thousands on this eduCBA professional training bundle

In order to land a new, lucrative career these days, it’s often a good idea to cast a broad net and learn everything you can about multiple professional branches. Trying to enroll in all those courses separately can be a problem, especially when thoughtful training bundles exist.

Instead of wasting your time searching for the right courses, why not enroll in this Complete eduCBA Professional Training Lifetime subscription bundle? Right now at Android Central Digital Offers, you’ll pay only $80 for a unending access to the courses within. That’s 98 percent off the regular price of $7,970!

You’re getting here over 9,500 hours of training and 29,200 lessons in multiple branches of the professional world, including tech, finance, project management, and more. The 10 main bundles include:

• Tech Training Lifetime Bundle
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This bundle, which actually contains 10 smaller bundles, is an incredible value right now at just $80, down from nearly $8,000. If you’re thinking about expanding your horizons, this might just be the opportunity you’re looking for. Access remains open forever, so you can plan your education around your busy schedule. Don’t wait too long, as this deal doesn’t last forever.

Share your Super Bowl predictions in our weekend comments post!

The kick is up, and it’s good!

There are a few things that are 100% wholly American. One of them is using “American” when you really mean the United States, and another is the Super Bowl. It’s a weekend holiday in almost every way and even if you’re not into American Football you can’t help but see and hear about the teams, the drama, and the commercials.

Once you have all the snacks and beverages purchased, the recliners oiled and ready for action, and your television screen sparkly clean and streak-free, take a minute and say hey in the weekend comments!

I’m not the biggest football fan, and “my” team will be watching the Super Bowl from home just like most of us will be, but I’ll probably be tuned in. I don’t want to miss the spectacle and not have a clue when everyone is talking about what happened come Monday. I even have a friendly wager with my neighbor and will be looking forward to the next snowfall so he can shovel my driveway when the Patriots win by 7.

What’s your line on the game? Will the Patriots find a new way to bend the rules so they win again or will Philly feed on all the excitement and go Hulksmash to win big? And who will have the best commercial? Jump into the comments and talk about it!