Tinder rallies support for interracial couple emoji

The official emoji catalog accounts for all kinds of relationships, including same-sex couples and families, but it doesn’t reflect interracial couples — isn’t that an odd omission in 2018? Tinder thinks so. The dating site has launched a campaign to officially add interracial couple emoji to the Unicode Consorium’s character set. Online dating and interracial couples “go hand in hand,” it argued, and that makes the company a prime advocate for greater diversity in chat icons.

The proposal would include just one basic emoji concept (the couple with a heart between them), but the accommodation of gender and skin variations would lead to 21 combinations. If you’re in a relationship, there’s a good chance it would be reflected here. Tinder acknowledged that it could be “technically challenging” to include that many takes on the basic theme, but it noted that Apple, Google, Microsoft and others responsible for implementing emoji have “some of the top technical talent in the world.” If anyone can do it, they can.

The proposal includes a petition and is backed by key influencers, including Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and Jennifer 8. Lee (both of whom successfully proposed the hijab emoji). It’s not clear how receptive the Unicode Consortium will be to Tinder’s campaign, although it has typically been accommodating in the past, having added same-sex couples and skin tone modifiers in 2015.

It’s easy to see this through cynical eyes. Tinder is no doubt hoping to garner extra attention and a reputation as a progressive outfit. At the same time, its initiative underscores a recurring problem in tech: the tendency for the industry to design for its own demographic and virtually no one else. Face recognition systems often have problems detecting dark skin, for instance, while Uber’s notoriously male-centric culture didn’t address the risks for women passengers until it was too late. Interracial couple emoji aren’t about to institute broad cultural change, but they are a reminder that technology is ideally designed for everyone.

Via: Vice

Source: Tinder (1), (2)

GitHub survives massive DDoS attack relatively unscathed

GitHub, a web-based code distribution and version control service, survived a massive denial of service attack on Wednesday. According to a report at Wired, a staggering 1.35 terabits per second (Tbps) of traffic hit the site at once. Within 10 minutes the company called for help from a DDoS mitigation service similar to Google’s Project Shield, Akamai’s Prolexic, which took over to filter and weed out malicious traffic packets. The attack, says Wired, ended after eight minutes. This may have been the largest DDoS attack ever; Wired notes the attack on domain name server Dyn in late 2016 reached 1.2 Tbps of traffic.

The attack was apparently conducted via a non-bot technique called an amplification attack. These use memcached database systems, says Wired, that can be queried by anyone. Attackers spoof the IP of their target and send small requests to the memcached databases, which then send a massive amount of traffic to the target system, like GitHub in this case. The answer to shutting down attacks like these is twofold, says Wired. Mitigation services like Prolexic can add filters to automatically block this sort of traffic, and owners of memcached databases can remove them from public access.

Source: Wired

‘Detroit: Become Human’ will arrive on PS4 May 25th

Come May 25th you’ll be able to explore David Cage’s vision of the Motor City in Detroit: Become Human. When the game debuted in 2015, there wasn’t even a release window, but with each successive trade show, the game’s path toward your home became a little clearer. Last fall, Sony said the game would be out sometime this spring. Well, May is definitely in that window. What isn’t? Spider-Man, which now seems likely to be one of Sony’s AAA tentpoles for this autumn. If a choose-your-own-adventure tale replete with permadeath and a story about humanity’s decline is a bit heady for you this time of year, there’s always God of War which will be released on April 20th.

Source: PS Blog

NASA’s Hubble successor may miss its launch window

The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s successor to Hubble, has undergone its share of delays. Now, things are getting even tighter. A report from the US Government Accountability Office finds that because of ongoing technical issues with the telescope, “additional launch delays are likely.” What’s more, the project is “at risk of breaching its $8 billion cost cap for formulation and development set by Congress in 2011.”

It’s safe to say this isn’t good news. Nothing is certain yet, but in September, NASA pushed the launch date of the telescope back to between March and June of 2019. Now, it looks unclear whether that goal can be met. The 31-page long report details myriad technical issues that have put the project behind schedule. The contractor, Northrop Grumman, is trying to catch up but “the contractor has increased its daily work shifts from two to three and is now working 24 hours per day on spacecraft integration, which further limits schedule flexibility.”

With the delays that have cropped up, if nothing else goes wrong, there will only be one and a half months left in the launch window by the time the telescope is ready. And because this is a very delicate, very technically complex device, there is certainly more that will go wrong. The GAO estimates that because of this narrow time frame, “we believe that the rescheduled launch window is likely unachievable.”

The time issues are made even more complicated by the fact that the James Webb Space Telescope is running into its budget cap, which was mandated by Congress back in 2011. It’s not clear what will happen from here; the next step is for the managing board of the James Webb Space Telescope to meet and determine whether the project can, indeed, be completed on time.

Source: GAO

Leaked Huawei P20 Lite may bring the notch to mid-range phones

Well-known leaker Evan Blass has given us a look at Huawei’s upcoming P20 and P20 Lite smartphones, but now we appear to have access to some of the latter’s specs thanks to Vodafone, which accidentally published them in its March catalog. Spotted by our pals over at Engadget Spain, the catalog says the phone will run on Android 8.0 and will have a 5.84-inch screen, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage and a 3,000 mAh battery. It will also have a dual rear camera with 16- and 2-megapixel sensors as well as a 16-megapixel front-facing camera, according to Vodafone.

The image included with Vodafone’s P20 Lite listing doesn’t appear to actually be the P20 Lite. But according to images snagged by Evan Blass, it will have a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and a notch in the front to hold the camera system. Vodafone lists black and blue color options and has it priced at €369 (approximately $450).

Huawei is holding a P20 launch event on March 27th, so we’ll be able to get a full look at the P20 line very soon.

Images: Vodafone via Engadget Spain

Via: Engadget Spain

Facebook found out no one wants a split News Feed

Did you like the idea of Facebook splitting your News Feed into two? No? You’re not the only one. Facebook has ended its Explore Feed test after user surveys indicated it wasn’t popular. Explore was supposed to help you see more of your friends and family by sending Pages (such as companies and celebrities) to a separate feed, but users weren’t happy with the results. They weren’t as satisfied with the posts they did see, Facebook said, and it didn’t actually help them connect with their social circle.

It won’t surprise you to learn what Facebook is doing instead: the company is counting on its recent refocusing of the News Feed to please those who want to see more from their friends. The company is also planning to refine the tests themselves, doing more to both choose test areas and tell you what’s happening with those experiments.

Facebook regularly conducts tests like this, and there’s never a guarantee that a feature will make the cut. However, it’s clear that this test was more important than most. The social network has been grappling with not just the split between public and private content, but also the rise of fake news. Any changes it made could potentially have far-reaching consequences, and tests like this let it gauge the effect without ruining its bottom line.

Source: Facebook Newsroom

The first Android Go phones blend low prices with lots of promise

The world’s first Android Go phones debuted here at Mobile World Congress, and they just might change the way Android works for the developing world. We took some time to get acquainted with some of these new devices, but in case you’re not entirely up to speed on Go itself, we’ve prepared this handy primer.

What is Android Oreo Go Edition?

Easy. In short, it’s a customized build of Android Oreo meant to run better on inexpensive phones. (It’s also more generically referred to as Android Go, and I’m going to stick with that name.) Google announced it at its I/O developer conference for devices with 1GB or less of RAM, but it’s appealing for more than just the way it manages performance.

Android Go doesn’t take as much as space as typical Android, for one, so you don’t have to worry as much about running out of memory. Data usage is more of a concern in some markets than others, so Google has also released a handful of Go-optimized apps (think YouTube, Google Maps, Gmail and more) that attempt to minimize data costs. Hell, even the version of the Play Store on Go phones has been tweaked — it highlights apps Google knows will run well on these more limited devices.

YNET

Why does this matter?

Let’s say you wanted to buy a brand new Android phone for $100 — there’s a strong chance you’d wind up with a phone running a slightly dated version of Android. Those phones (obviously) lack some of the features found in up-to-date models. Even though everyone (more or less) has access to the same apps, the experience of using Android can differ pretty wildly depending on the hardware you’re working with.

Android Go, then, is an attempt to level the playing field a little and ensure that the Android experience is more consistent across all kinds of devices. Android Go won’t make a $100 phone feel as fast as a flagship, but it’ll bring important Oreo features to a wider audience and help make sure inexpensive phones aren’t awful to use. That’s the idea, anyway.

What’s using an Android Go phone like?

Now we’re getting to the fun stuff. Brands like ZTE, General Mobile, Micromax and Lava have brought the first Go phones here to MWC, but I spent most of my time playing with two phones in particular. We saw Alcatel’s 1X early on in the show, and it’s fascinating because it squeezes a 5.3-inch 18:9 screen into such an inexpensive body. That display ran at what Alcatel calls “VGA+” so it’s not the crispest thing you’ll ever see, but for €99 (or about $120) that’s no great sin.

Driving the phone was a quad-core MediaTek chipset with 1GB of RAM, and it ran generally well… at least until I started firing up too many apps and jumped between them a lot. Alcatel later told me this was because the phone’s software was far from final, but it was a reminder that Android Go’s existence doesn’t obviate the need for good software engineering.

The 1X is also a great example of the kind of control Google doesn’t exercise over its Android Go partners. Alcatel’s Go phone uses a non-stock launcher and has a handful of preloaded apps, so nothing but good sense is preventing device makers from painting over (and potentially slowing down) stock Oreo Go.

I was more fond of the Nokia 1, a small, charming device with a surprisingly nice 4.7-inch screen. When I first walked into Nokia’s booth to take a look at the thing, I thought the company had put dummy phones up on display because the 1’s screen looked so crisp and nicely saturated. The joke’s on me, I guess. The Nokia 1 uses a quad-core MediaTek chipset and 1GB of RAM as well, but overall it felt much more stable and smooth-running than the Alcatel 1X. Launching apps sometimes took an extra moment, but it was never frustrating and I couldn’t trip it up by jumping between multiple apps the way I could with the Alcatel. The new version’s 5-megapixel camera is obviously not great and its polycarbonate design can feel lacking, but all told it’s a strong (and cute) package for just $85.

Chris Velazco/Engadget

And there are Google’s Go Edition apps. They’re low-impact versions of existing apps and in the case of Gmail and YouTube, they seem to work just as well as their standard counterparts. YouTube Go worked fine as well, though I didn’t get a chance to try its best feature: the ability to download videos and share them with other devices. I put one relatively new Go-optimized app through its paces, though: Google Assistant. Originally exclusive to Google’s Pixel phones, the company announced it would expand Assistant support to other Android phones at MWC last year. The catch? Among other things, Android phones needed at least 1.5GB of RAM to use the feature.

Not anymore, though. Since most of Assistant’s work happens in the cloud, it functioned just as well on this $85 phone as it does on my Pixel 2 XL. The only real difference is that you can’t invoke it with an “OK, Google” — it requires a tap on the app icon. Even so, it’s pretty great.

So, what happens next?

That’s a tough one — none of these devices have gone on sale yet, and the actions of the companies that make them depend on people’s response to them. Google, however, told the Indian Express it would make Android Go versions of all future Android builds since it’s core to the company’s commitment to entry-level devices. You might have only just heard of Android Go, but it’s not going anywhere.

You can also expect some super-cheap Go phones to appear, too — Google suggested we’d see some sell for as low as $50, but the least expensive we’ve seen so far is the $80 ZTE Tempo Go. (Turkey’s General Mobile India-based Lava and Micromax haven’t said how much their Go phones will cost.) We’re cautiously optimistic. This is early days for Android Go, and it may well change how people around the world get to experience Android. The lack of control over what OEMs can do to Go Phones may mean some problems low-end phones face are never resolved. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Catch up on the latest news from MWC 2018 right here.

Wirecutter’s best deals: Save $25 on a Tile Sport 4-pack

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here.

Tile Sport Bluetooth Tracker 4-pack

Street Price: $100; Deal Price: $75

If you’re interested in grabbing some Bluetooth trackers at a discount, today is a great day to do so. The Tile Sport (or the internally identical but outwardly white and gold-trimmed Style) is usually around $30 on its own and $100 in a pack of 4. Right now, however, you can get a 4-pack of Tile Sports for $75, a tremendous discount that effectively gets you a price of just under $19 per tracker. Alternatively, if you want a mixed pack of Tile Sports and Styles (2 of each), that’s also $75. Both are excellent deals, good this week or while stock lasts.

The Tile Sport & Style Bluetooth Trackers are our top pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth tracker. Nick Guy wrote, “The best Bluetooth trackers for most people are the Tile Sport and Tile Style, functionally identical models with different exterior designs. Tile has established itself as the name brand when it comes to trackers—with good reason—and these latest models (dubbed the Tile Pro Series) are by far the best we’ve seen from the company. They have a longer range and louder rings than any other tracker we’ve tested, and Tile’s popularity means there are more people out there to anonymously help you find your stuff. These newest models are also waterproof.”

Netgear R6700 and Netgear CM500 Bundle

Street Price: $140; Deal Price: $89

While we’ve seen this networking bundle on sale previously, it has fallen an additional $10 since our last deal, making this a really solid discount if you’re in need of a new modem and Wi-Fi router. This combo beats the normal combined street price by $50. While both the router and modem in this pairing are aging a bit at this point, the CM500 is still our top modem pick and the Nighthawk R6700 is still our budget router pick – both are well worth a look with a combined price under $90.

The Netgear Nighthawk AC1750 R6700 is our budget pick in our guide to the best Wi-Fi router. Jim Salter wrote, “Not everyone needs a $200 router. If you live in a small apartment or single-story home, or you just can’t spend the extra money, the Netgear R6700 will give you great throughput throughout your space for half the price of our main pick.”

The Netgear CM500 is our top pick in our guide to the best cable modem. Thorin Klosowski, Patrick Austin, and David Murphy wrote, “After researching nearly 100 cable modems over the past four years, we recommend the Netgear CM500 for most people. The CM500 offers reliable operation, supports the Internet speeds available to most Americans, and has positive reviews from owners. Just as important, it’s compatible with the most major cable Internet service providers in the US—including Comcast, Spectrum (formerly Time Warner, Charter, and Bright House), Cox, Suddenlink, Cable One, and WOW—which gives you the flexibility to switch providers if you move (or if you’re lucky enough to have multiple ISPs to choose from).”

Logitech Performance Mouse MX

Street Price: $55; Deal Price: $40

At $40, this deal is back, matching the low we’ve seen for the Logitech Performance Mouse MX. It’s hit this $40 price multiple times as the street price has continued to fall, but we’ve still never seen it lower. It typically goes for around $55 now, so this remains a nice savings.

The Logitech Performance Mouse MX is our larger hands pick in our guide to the best wireless mouse. Justin Krajeski and Kimber Streams wrote, “For people with big hands, we recommend the Logitech Performance Mouse MX, which costs about $50. This was the most comfortable mouse for our largest-handed testers, who preferred the size and shape of the Performance Mouse MX over those of the MX Master 2S. The Performance Mouse MX tracked well on all our test surfaces, including glass and mirror. Although it connects only via USB dongle, and its software is outdated (though not necessary for normal use), it has nine programmable buttons, plus a scroll wheel toggle. Logitech claims its rechargeable battery will last roughly a month on a single charge, but our model, which is three-plus years old, makes it through about only nine full workdays.”

Cygolite Hotshot Pro 150

Street Price: $37; Deal Price: $31

If you’re ready to get biking again now that weather is warming, the Cygolite Hotshot Pro 150 is a great way to stay visible to drivers and safe while biking in low light conditions. At $31, it’s around $6 off the typical price of $37. Previous deals haven’t lasted long, so grab this now if you’re interested.

The Cygolite Hotshot Pro 150 is our top bike taillight pick in our guide to the best commuter bike lights. Hannah Weinberger wrote, “A very bright and affordable light, the Cygolite Hotshot Pro 150 takes what made our previous taillight pick, the Cygolite Hotshot 50, a winner, and improves on it in every way. The Hotshot Pro 150 provides more lumens per dollar than any rear light available, and directs them in a wide beam pattern. More important, it’s easy to use. The on/off button is simple to operate, as are the two buttons that allow you to switch between the steady/pulse/flash modes and adjust the intensity or flash interval of each. If the Hotshot Pro 150’s extended battery life is more than you need on your commute, you might consider the slightly less powerful version, the Hotshot 100, which is available for $10 less.”

Because great deals don’t just happen on Thursday, sign up for our daily deals email and we’ll send you the best deals we find every weekday. Also, deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go here.

NBC will cut back on ads during primetime to lure more viewers

If you’ve been irritated by the increase of commercials into primetime programming, you’re not alone. Now, NBCUniversal is doing something about it across its networks. The company is cutting back on primetime advertising during original programming. The number of ads in a commercial break will be reduced by 20 percent, while the amount of ad time in a given show will decrease by 10 percent, according to Variety.

This follows from an experiment NBC did with Saturday Night Live starting in 2016, when it cut the show’s ad load by 30 percent; while the company didn’t make clear exactly why it was cutting advertisements during the show, we speculated that it was to attract millennial viewers who have become accustomed to the Netflix model. It’s easy to fire up YouTube the day after SNL to watch the best sketches, after all.

What NBC found was that Saturday Night Live’s ratings went up, and as a result the company was able to charge more for fewer ads. Now the company is applying that strategy across its original primetime lineup. It’s not clear what form the change will take; NBC will also introduce new types of ads (including longer commercials) that it claims will provide more value than the traditional 30-second format. This may also lead to more product placement within shows as a result of fewer ad opportunities to sell.

Source: Variety

Deals: 10.5-inch iPad Pro at Walmart, Anker Gold Box Discounts, One-Day Sale at Twelve South, and More

Walmart today has the 2017 10.5-inch iPad Pro (512GB, Wi-Fi only) on sale for $765.83, down from $949.00. This deal is the best available online for the latest 10.5-inch iPad Pro, compared to retailers like B&H Photo and Adorama, which are both offering the same model for $924.00. At the time of writing, only the Gold and Rose Gold options have received the discount, while the Silver and Space Gray colors are priced at $940 and above.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

The tablets are shipped and sold by Walmart, and are available for free two-day shipping. Check out the sale prices below:

• Gold 10.5-inch iPad Pro, Wi-Fi, 512GB – $765.83, down from $949.00
• Rose Gold 10.5-inch iPad Pro, Wi-Fi, 512GB – $765.83, down from $949.00

There are also a few one-day-only sales going on today worth noting. First is Anker’s Gold Box Deal of the Day over at Amazon, which has savings of up to 35 percent off a pair of iPhone-compatible Qi charging mats, and a few USB Power Delivery hubs. As with all Amazon Gold Box sales, the discounts will expire around midnight tonight, so be sure to order anything you’re interested in before tonight.

• Anker PowerPort Wireless 5 Qi Wireless Charging Pad – $14.99, down from $23.99
• Anker PowerPort Wireless 10 Qi Wireless Charging Pad – $16.99, down from $69.99
• Anker USB Type-C with Power Delivery 30W USB Wall Charger – $17.99, down from $29.99
• Anker USB Type-C Premium 5-Port 60W USB Wall Charger PowerPort+ – $32.99, down from $73.99

Second, Twelve South is making amends of sorts today, following a snafu with the accessory maker’s checkout system yesterday that made it impossible for customers to purchase items for most of the day. As a thank you to customers for their patience during the technical difficulties, Twelve South is now offering 15 percent off your entire order for one day only with promo code “Oops2018” — ending tonight, March 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Twelve South has a store full of Apple-only products, and the discount can go towards anything from smaller items like the $29.99 PencilSnap for Apple Pencil (discounted to $25.49), bigger products like the $99.99 BookBook for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (discounted to $84.99), or any combination orders. All that you have to do is enter the promo code “Oops2018” and the discount will be applied to your order.

Lastly, Target has launched a new and unique offer for users interested in purchasing an App Store and iTunes Gift card. Through March 3, customers can get 10 percent more in iTunes credit when they buy an iTunes gift card (email delivery) at Target, and they’ll see the bonus value added to their Apple ID “instantly” upon redeeming the gift card.

We’ve broken down each of the qualifying iTunes card tiers and the bonus amount you’ll get in the list below. This deal isn’t as good as the straight $10 or $15 discounts we’ve previously seen for iTunes cards, but if you’re willing to spend on the $100 tier you can get an extra $10, making it the best offer here.

• $15 iTunes gift card + 10 percent bonus = $16.50
• $25 iTunes gift card + 10 percent bonus = $27.50
• $50 iTunes gift card + 10 percent bonus = $55.00
• $100 iTunes gift card + 10 percent bonus = $110.00

Head over to Target’s website to purchase an iTunes gift card before Saturday, March 3 if you’re interested. It’s also worth noting that if you do make a purchase, you have until the following Saturday, March 10 at 11:59 p.m. ET, to redeem the iTunes gift card within your Apple ID account to receive the 10 percent bonus.

For more of the latest sales, be sure to read our full Deals Roundup.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals
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