How to turn off auto-update for PlayStation 4 games

If you’ve ever wondered how you can stop your games from auto updating and enjoy the task at hand without exiting, here’s how to turn off auto update all together.

If you’ve ever been watching Netflix or in an intense match during WWII, then you know that the auto updates are a bit of a pain in the rear. Most of the time, you would pause it and resume the update when you put your PlayStation 4 in rest mode anyways! Why not turn off the auto updates altogether if you won’t be using it?

Here is exactly how to turn that off and enjoy your gaming.

Go to Settings on the far side of your PlayStation 4 loading screen, right by the Power logo.
Under Settings you’ll want to go to System, it’s the second to last option under the settings screen.
Under system, you should see Automatic Downloads, it should be the second option underneath this screen.
Once you’re in the Automatic Downloads area, you’ll want to go all the way down to Application Update Files, it is the last option your should see. This is how you will be able to disable the automatic updates for your games.

Make sure you don’t uncheck the other boxes unless you want to manually search for system updates and featured content.

Now, you have successfully stopped your automatic updates for your games! Enjoy your games or videos without having those interruptions by automatic updates.

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
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Amazon

Google Flights now predicts delays and makes sense of cheaper tickets

Google’s two new tools should make flying suck just a little less.

Although I’ve yet to have a bad experience while flying, the same can’t be said for many of my friends and colleagues. Google Flights is one of the better tools around for booking and managing your flights, and it’s picking up a couple new tools that make it even more enjoyable to use.

First off, Google Flights will now predict whether or not an upcoming flight is going to be delayed. Google Flights has previously shown delays once an airline makes them official, but now it’ll be able to use machine learning and flight data to make these visible before an airline calls them in. These predictions won’t be shown unless the system is 80% certain the delay will occur, but even so, it’s still a good idea to show up to the airport on time no matter what.

Along with this, Google Flights is also making it easier to see what you are and aren’t getting when trying to save a few bucks and book a flight with a Basic Economy ticket. There’s nothing worse than getting a cheaper ticket to only find out at the airport that you can’t change your seat or bring a carry-on item, but Google is partnering with American Airlines, Delta, and United to make sure that all of this information is readily available.

With these new features in place, will you be using Google Flights to book your next trip?

YouTube TV will be the official broadcaster of LAFC soccer games

The 3 best Android phones for former Windows Phone users

Looking for a new smartphone? Here are the three best Android phones you should consider (and why) if you’re switching from Windows Phone.

You’ve likely heard that Windows Phone is no longer a thing. That makes picking an alternative handset an essential step for those who need a smartphone but can no longer rely on Microsoft.

As Executive Editor of Android Central sibling site Windows Central, I have always carried around multiple smartphones to make my product reviews more informed. That makes me no stranger to Android or Apple’s iPhone. If I had to choose one OS in 2018, it’d be Android due to the larger array of hardware and software options.

As to which phones I’d pick, it comes down to three choices:

• Google Pixel 2
• OnePlus 5 (or 5T)
• Razer Phone

Each has pros and cons, like any piece of technology. You’ll need to balance each with what you prioritize the most. Do you value the camera, display, or audio? Does it fit in your pocket?

I put together this video of why I think each of these phones is worth consideration. (I also mention why I don’t recommend LG or Samsung …)

Combined with Microsoft Launcher for Android, GroupMe, Microsoft Edge for Android, and a few other Microsoft apps the jump to Android is not nearly as bad as you may think.

Plus, you can always go and make the home screen look like Windows Phone if you want to reminisce!

If you have a favorite Android phone, let me know in comments which one and why!

See OnePlus 5T on Amazon
See Pixel 2 at Amazon
See Razer Phone at Amazon

Related reading

• OnePlus 5T is the (new) best Android for Windows phone converts
• 2 reasons why Google’s Pixel 2 is the best Android for Windows phone converts

Get your maximum refund with TurboTax’s $65 Home & Business tax software

Got your W-2 ready?

The TurboTax Home & Business tax software 2017 is down to $64.86 on Amazon. It normally sells for $80. Not only is this software $15 better than its average street price, it’s also $5 lower than any previous deals we’ve seen. We’ve shared a couple deals on TurboTax software in the past, but this is the first time it has dropped this low.

You can also get the TurboTax Premier software on sale for $54.86. That’s a drop from its street price of $70 and a match for its lowest ever.

Both pieces of software are available in a Windows-only digital download, which means you can use it as soon as you buy it. I’m sure you’ve been eagerly awaiting this day. If you don’t use Windows, you can get Home & Business or Premier as physical discs compatible with Windows and Mac for the same price.

Because these are Amazon exclusives, they also come with a year subscription to Quicken Starter Edition 2018. Quicken is a famous piece of consumer-level accounting software. You could end up with an even bigger refund on your taxes next year if you use Quicken to track your money habits now.

The Home & Business software is ideal for the self-employed and business owners out there. There’s extra guidance on self-employment deductions, access to experts to answer your questions, and it will double check your return.

See on Amazon

NVIDIA Shield TV 6.3 update adds Nest Cam streaming, new apps, and more

The best Android TV box keeps getting better.

The NVIDIA Shield Android TV is still the best gadget around for experiencing everything that Android TV has to offer, and its latest 6.3 software update adds a few extra goodies to it that make the user experience even better.

For starters, NVIDIA has added support for watching live streams of any Nest Cams that you own. To do this, just hold down the microphone button on your remote to prompt Google Assistant and say something along the lines of “Show me my front door camera on Shield.” In addition to Nest products, this also works with the Logitech Circle.

You can also now use Google Assistant on the Shield TV to broadcast messages to any Google Home speakers you have in your home, there’s a security patch for the recent Spectre vulnerability, and there are improvements for the responsiveness of the 2017 remote.

As if that wasn’t enough, NVIDIA also says that the 6.3 update adds commercial-free recording with Plex DVR, support for picture-in-picture and 360-degree videos with VLC, new Cartoon Network, VH1, SiriusXM apps, and more.

The 6.3 upgrade should already be available to download, but if you haven’t received it yet, keep an eye out for an OTA update over the next couple days.

NVIDIA Shield Android TV

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• The latest Shield Android TV news
• Shield vs. Shield Pro: Which should I buy?
• Join the forum discussion
• Complete Shield Android TV specs

Amazon

The Shield TV hasn’t gotten Oreo yet because no one cares about Android TV

Oreo should arrive at some point this year, but this still isn’t a good sign.

As I’ve said before, the NVIDIA Shield TV is the best way to experience Android TV. It’s fast performance, unique design, and excellent software make it a great buy, and while NVIDIA’s typically been fast with software updates, Oreo has been noticeably absent from the streaming box. However, it looks like we finally have a reason for its delay.

Our friends at 9to5Google recently did some digging, and during CES earlier this month, NVIDIA’s Director of Shield Management, Chris Daniel, said in an interview that Oreo hasn’t come to the Shield TV yet due to developers not supporting the new software.

The Oreo update brings a major facelift to Android TV, and one of the highlights is channel recommendations. Installed channels are now displayed in a vertical list, and next to these are recommendations for new shows to watch based on your viewing habits and what the apps think you’d like to watch. It’s a great idea, but developers need to update their apps to support the new layout, and this hasn’t been happening.

Daniel is on record saying “if you release a whole new interface, and the apps aren’t supporting it, then we don’t feel like it’s a good launch for us, so we’re working hard on that.” Daniel also said that NVIDIA is “making a lot of change with Google” in an effort to get Oreo rolled out as soon as possible.

Android TV’s Oreo update and the troublesome channel recommendations.

Oreo is said to finally be coming to the Shield TV at some point in 2018, but there’s no exact time frame in place at the moment.

Although it’s encouraging to hear that Oreo is on its way, Daniel’s comments about lacking developer support for Oreo on Android TV is anything but. It’s no secret that most companies spend more time fleshing out apps for Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV before bothering with Android TV, but if this is now resulting in delayed software updates, that’s a problem Google needs to address ASAP.

NVIDIA Shield TV 6.3 update adds Nest Cam streaming, new apps, and more

NVIDIA Shield Android TV

• Read our Shield Android TV review
• The latest Shield Android TV news
• Shield vs. Shield Pro: Which should I buy?
• Join the forum discussion
• Complete Shield Android TV specs

Amazon

Researchers treat ear defect by growing implants from cells

While scientists have been working on growing organs and body parts like ears for some time, researchers in China have taken it one important step further. They’ve grown new ears for five children with microtia — an ear defect that results in small, underdeveloped ears and often affects hearing — grafted them onto the children and continued to observe the development for over two years. The work is important because it’s the first study of its kind and shows that these sorts of methods stand to be a viable option going forward.

First, the scientists built scaffolds based on the children’s healthy ears using CT scanning and 3D printing. Those scaffolds were then seeded with cells from the children’s underdeveloped, microtia ears and cultured for three months. The team then implanted the ears in the five patients, who have been continuously monitored ever since. Now, the researchers have over two years of follow-up data and the results are promising. None of the children rejected the new ears, four of the five ears developed cartilage after the implantation and though two showed slight distortion after the surgery, three were healthily shaped.

There are some things to note. First, this concept isn’t new. “For many years, we have tried to harvest cells from people and expand those cells on polymer to grow kind of a new structure,” Tessa Hadlock, chief of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, told CNN, “and we’ve done it in animals for a long time.” Hadlock, who wasn’t involved with the work, said that what is new here is the extensive follow up and the multiple patients. But there are still a few unknowns. The scaffold used in the study is made of a material meant to degrade over time. So far, it appears to be degrading as expected and the grown ears are still holding their shape. But longer term effects of the material still need to be studied. Additionally, such a treatment will likely be expensive and because it’s complicated, hard to scale up.

However, this is still a big step. The researchers plan to follow the five cases for a couple of more years and their study lays out a few directions this type of work could go in the future. “This work clearly shows tissue engineering approaches for reconstruction of the ear and other cartilaginous tissues will become a clinical reality very soon,” Cornell University biomedical engineering Professor Lawrence Bonassar told CNN. “The aesthetics of the tissue produced are on par with what can be expected of the best clinical procedures at the present time.”

You can check out the study, published this month in EBioMedicine, here. But fair warning, some of the images and videos may be a little graphic for some.

Image: Guangdong et al. EBioMedicine

Via: The Verge

Source: EBioMedicine

Amazon patent details hand-tracking wristbands for warehouse workers

Companies are all about making sure you’re working, and they’re using increasingly high-tech solutions to do so. One firm in London uses AI to analyze your daily behavior, while the FreshTeam messaging app can track employee locations. Now, Amazon was just awarded a patent for a wristband that tracks warehouse workers’ hand movements.

The patents, originally filed in 2016, may likely never see the light of day. As Gizomodo points out, the wristband system has three parts, with an ultrasonic unit for the wrist, various ultrasonic devices placed around the work area and a module to manage all that data. The patent also points to a haptic feedback module, which could buzz employees for various reasons, including notifying them of breaks or to help them find items in the warehouse, Apple Watch navigation-style.

While legal, of course, a system like this should likely raise privacy concerns, though as Geekwire notes, the patent itself positions such a wristband as a labor-saving device, helping employees perform their tasks more efficiently and connecting to the inventory system.

Via: Gizmodo

Source: US Patent Office

Democrats demand more from Facebook and Twitter on #ReleaseTheMemo

Last week, Representative Adam Schiff and Senator Dianne Feinstein asked Facebook and Twitter to investigate whether Russia-linked accounts were involved in spreading the #ReleaseTheMemo campaign. The hashtag refers to a memo written by Republican Representative Devin Nunes that claims the FBI has abused its power. Democrats, however, have maintained that the memo is misleading and largely meant to undermine Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into inappropriate interactions between Russian officials and the Trump administration. Both Facebook and Twitter responded to that letter, but neither Congressperson is satisfied with their answers and they’ve sent another letter reiterating their requests.

Facebook’s response to the first letter, just two paragraphs long, basically says it’s continuously monitoring its platform for any foreign interference and it will update Congress if anything seems noteable. “We are committed to protecting our platform from bad actors who try to undermine our democracy,” Facebook Associate General Counsel Molly Cutler wrote in the company’s response. Twitter’s response was a bit longer and said that a preliminary analysis didn’t turn up much. “Our initial inquiry, based on available data, has not identified any significant activity connected to Russia with respect to Tweets posting original content to this hashtag,” says the reply. Twitter also pointed out that verified US accounts had a hand in spreading the hashtag.

But Schiff and Feinstein found those responses to be inadequate. “Although we are encouraged by your companies’ continued willingness to work with Congress to raise awareness about potential abuse of your platforms by agents of foreign influence, your replies have raised more questions they have answered,” they wrote. The two basically say that neither company did a bang up job looking into any Russian meddling and listed a series of questions they would like answered. “By failing to address whether Russian-tied online accounts on Twitter or Facebook were — or still are — amplifying the #ReleaseTheMemo campaign and related messaging, we are no closer to understanding Russia’s continuing interference in our democratic affairs,” said Schiff and Feinstein.

#ReleaseTheMemo: Do you know someone who has access to the FISA abuse memo? Send them here: https://t.co/cLRcuIiQXz

WikiLeaks will match reward funds up to $1m sent to this unique Bitcoin address: 3Q2KXS8WYT6dvr91bM2RjvBHqMyx9CbPMN

or marked ‘memo2018’: https://t.co/lmsmphuH2N pic.twitter.com/j1YEkXqi2S

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 19, 2018

They reiterated their requests for information regarding which Russian-linked accounts were involved in spreading the hashtag, how often they posted and how many legitimate accounts were exposed to their posts. The letter also demands information on whether either company looked at accounts other than those known to be affiliated with the Russian Internet Research Agency, how they used geographic data in their analyses, whether they only focused on those distributing original content or if they also included accounts that were sharing or retweeting others and whether they looked into accounts interacting with WikiLeaks’ post offering $1 million for the memo. Additionally, Schiff and Feinstein pointed to a CNN article that reported hundreds of new Twitter accounts were opened last week and tweeted the hashtag nearly 5,000 times as well as the New York Times article detailing how easy it is to raise an online profile by purchasing followers.

The new letter requests additional responses by February 7th.

Via: Recode

Source: House Intelligence Committee (1), (2), (3)

Can Amazon Go help the unbanked go digital?

If Amazon’s newly opened Go supermarket is any indicator, shopping with physical currency won’t be an option for much longer. Instead of human cashiers (or even self-checkout stands), the store relies on a range of technology to know who’s shopping and what they’re buying. Amazon then automatically deducts the cost of your items from your bank account. From a turnstile entrance that identifies shoppers by scanning their smartphones to tracking cameras that know what is pulled from each shelf, Amazon Go bills itself as the shopping experience of the future.

But where do the working poor fit into such a future? Or otherwise underserved and rural communities that may not have access to internet connections, smartphones or even checking accounts? You know, all the things that Amazon’s new store demands of shoppers just to get in the door.

As our economy embraces digital transactions while shunning cash, it’s the poor that will be most harmed. “There are many people who are unbanked and cannot receive lines of credit for a whole range of reasons,” Rainey Reitman, activism director at the Electronic Frontiers Foundation, told Fast Company, “and a ban on cash would particularly impact the unbanked community.”

This community is not a small one. According to a 2014 Gallup poll, 29 percent of Americans don’t have a credit card. What’s more, according to the 2013 U.S. Survey of Consumer Finance, 7.5 percent of American households don’t have bank accounts at all — that’s nearly 24 million people. Worldwide, 38 percent of the global population does not have access to a conventional bank account, roughly 2 billion adults. That figure has been shrinking steadily since 2011, per the World Bank, yet more than half of adults in the poorest 40 percent of households in developing countries lack access to a bank account as of 2014. For them, cash is the only way they can participate in the economy.

However, dealing in cash is costly to banks. Storing, processing and transferring stacks of cash is far more expensive for financial institutions than simply wiring digital funds, and those costs are often passed along to the customer.

Prepaid cards are one alternative to dealing in cash and a popular one for the unbanked community. In 2013, the FDIC found that among people without bank accounts, 22 percent had used a general purpose reloadable (GPR) prepaid card within the previous 12 months, compared to just five percent of people with accounts. These cards can be loaded either through direct deposit or cash and utilized like bank-issued debit cards for both online and offline purchases. And because consumers can’t spend more money than the card is loaded with, it can serve as a helpful means of budgeting and controlling one’s spending without the danger of overdraft fees.

However, GPR cards are not without their drawbacks. They are often saddled with numerous and steep fees for everything from using them to withdraw cash from ATMs to making online purchases — even putting money on the card can come with a fee. What’s more, these fees vary widely between providers, yet according to a 2015 Pew Charitable Trust study, only around a third of consumers actually compare the fees and features of various cards before purchasing them.

Mobile money accounts are another emerging alternative to traditional bank accounts. Mobile money is essentially an electronic wallet that allows users to send and receive funds using their phone. The technology has taken hold in both Sub-Saharan Africa and China, where Alibaba reported in 2014 that more than half of its transactions were made on mobile devices using its Alipay digital wallet. The number of adults in that region with any type of financial account rose from 24 to 34 percent between 2011 and 2014, a 10 percent increase in a region where two-thirds of adults still have no form of financial account at all.

But even as prepaid cards and mobile money accounts move into the mainstream of financial services, they are not a permanent solution to the problems facing the unbanked community. Eventually, government action may prove necessary.

“Clearly you’re going to need a way to get everybody into the system if you’re going to get rid of cash,” Susan Athey, the Economics of Technology Professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, told Engadget in October. “One of the things the government will have to do is ensure banking access to everyone.”

Just as the FDIC offers insurance on both conventional bank accounts and prepaid cards, the government would not be remiss to require financial institutions to offer low-cost services like zero-interest checking accounts to their customers. Doing so would provide a direct means of entry into the world of digital finances for poorer people.

Doing so would also offer a slew of benefits to both consumers and their financial institutions. Previously unbanked customers would not only be able to more fully participate in the economy but also would then have access to safer and speedier financial transactions with less threat of corruption or theft. Meanwhile banks would be able to more accurately track a new set of customers’ financial histories, thereby enabling them to create and market a new ecosystem of products such as microloans to these customers, according to the Gates Foundation Financial Services for the Poor program.

Amazon has already taken a number of steps to be as inclusive as it can when it comes to extracting money from its customers. This is the company that pioneered the Dash button (of which there are more than 250 varieties, both physical and digital), after all. For example, Amazon rolled out a new feature dubbed Amazon Pay Places last July, which enables users to pay for items at real-world stores, like TGI Fridays, and pay for them through their existing Amazon account with the mobile app.

What’s more, the company already has a mechanism for paying for its wares with cash: It’s this wild new thing the kids are calling gift cards, which can be purchased for physical currency at a variety of locations including Western Union, MoneyGram and Coinstar.

Additionally, the company has a separate program called Amazon Cash that enables users to pay their account balances at any of 16 different chains — like 7-Eleven and GameStop — by having the cashier swipe a bar code generated by their mobile app and handing over the appropriate amount of money. However, neither of these methods are quite as seamless or as streamlined as what Go shoppers with bank accounts experience, with each demanding a separate trip to a third-party vendor to make the currency exchange. And for the foreseeable future, that will simply be the cost of doing business for those living outside the formal banking system.

Images: REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson (Turnstyle closeup) REUTERS/Jeffrey Dastin (Customers entering store)