Best Heavy Duty Cases for Galaxy Note 8

Keep your Note 8 well protected with a rugged case!

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is here, and as expected it sports a gorgeous (and ginormous) all-glass design.

It’s big, it’s expensive, and no matter what phone makers say about the ruggedness of Gorilla Glass 5 it may shatter on you if it takes a nasty fall.

If you lead an active life (or just know you’re prone to dropping your phone) you may need something a bit more heavy duty than your average case.

• Samsung Rugged Military Grade Protective Cover
• Supcase Unicorn Beetle Shield Series Case
• UAG Plasma Rugged Case
• Spigen Tough Armor Case
• Zizo Static Series Case
• OtterBox Commuter Series Case

Samsung Rugged Military Grade Protective Cover

Samsung offers a compelling design for a rugged case with a built-in kickstand. Branded with the Samsung logo on the back, this case adds texture to help add grip to your phone. There are precise cutouts on the bottom for access to the headphone jack, charging port, and S Pen and again you really got to appreciate how Samsung incorporated the kickstand into the design — always there when you need it without being clunky and adding bulk.

You can grab this case in black for $28 or deep blue for $35.

See at Amazon

Supcase Unicorn Beetle Shield Series Case

Are you the type that can’t be trusted with nice things? Needs to keep your phone fully encased in plastic to protect it from yourself? No judgments here — the first step is admitting you have a problem.

The next step is finding the right solution, which just might be the mighty rugged Supcase Unicorn Beetle Shield Series case. Combining a polycarbonate outer shell with a flexible and shock-absorbing TPU sleeve, this case goes an extra step further by including a built-in screen protector around front to prevent scratches from ruining your Note 8’s display.

It’s otherwise a pretty standard design for a rugged case — beefy in the corners where it needs to be yet slim and sporty enough as to not turn your phone into a thick brick of plastic. You can get yours from Amazon for just $20.

See at Amazon

UAG Plasma Rugged Case

The go-to rugged case for many smartphone users, the UAG Plasma is a rugged and lightweight case that’s arguably the coolest looking case on this list — although that’s always a matter of personal opinion.

It’s a remarkably slim case with a great amount of texture and ridges along the side edges and back to assist with in-hand grip. With reinforced corners to take the brunt of any falls that also provides relief from your screen when you put your phone face down, this is a case style that’s been perfected over the years to offer maximum protection for premium devices such as the Note 8. It’s also thin enough to remain compatible for NFC and Qi wireless charging functionality.

But you will pay a somewhat steep price for all that premium design and build quality — as low as $22 for some color options and up to $55.99 for the all-black Monarch model. Completely justifiable for smartphone peace of mind.

See at Amazon

Spigen Tough Armor Case

Spigen always offers a wide array of case options, but if you’re looking for something rugged look no further than the Tough Armor case.

It offers the rugged dual-layer protection you want while keeping the outer shell clean with a matte finish and a kickstand that’s there if you need it, but otherwise kept flush with the back of the case and out of the way. It’s all shock absorbing TPU around the top and corners — the main areas to take the brunt of a fall — with a polycarbonate shell around the back. If you’re worried about adding a bunch of bulk to your phone, you can rest easy with the Spigen Tough Armor — it adds only 2.5mm of girth to the back of the Note 8. The buttons along the side are covered as you’d expect and kept flush with the design of the case, with the power button given some extra texture so you can always find it.

The Tough Armor is available in five different color options, with the base model (in black) starting at $16.99.

See at Amazon

Zizo Static Series Case

Some case makers add a whole bunch of “stylish” accents to the back of their case — Zizo is one such company.

These cases sure stand out from the rest of the pack with sharp angles around the corners and all the ridges and textures on the backside. Whether you like the look of these cases or not is a matter of personal taste, but there’s no denying that all those ridges will help with your grip and if it still manages to slip out of your hands it should survive most drops. There’s also a pop-out kickstand which is always a handy feature.

The Zizo Static Series is available in seven different color combinations, all for the low price of $11.

See at Amazon

OtterBox Commuter Series Case

OtterBox is one of the most trusted brands for offering rugged cases that are always backed by great customer service.

The OtterBox Commuter Series balances its dual-layer design while maintaining a fairly compact form for a rugged case. It’s compatible with screen protectors (of course OtterBox recommends their own brand) and features a generous lip around the screen to protect the display from scuffs and scratches.

If you’ve held off on buying a case like the OtterBox Commuter Series you’re in luck! Usually sold for $50, you can get this case in black for just $19. Backed by OtterBox’s limited lifetime warranty, you can buy with confidence.

See at Amazon

What’s your top pick for heavy duty cases?

How are you planning to keep the Note 8 safe? Or maybe you’re one of those rebels who forgoes a case — even with a phone that costs nearly $1000. Plead your case in the comments below!

Update March 2018: Added the Samsung case to the list and updated pricing options.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

• Galaxy Note 8 review
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• Complete Galaxy Note 8 specs
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Music.ly stumbled in moderating self-harm content

One issue that many tech start-ups must face is how to deal with harmful content, especially when services start amassing a loyal following. Lip-syncing app Music.ly is facing just this challenge. Writer Anastasia Basil was screening the app to see if it would be appropriate for her 10-year-old daughter. She found that the platform is rife with keywords referencing self-harm, such as #cutting and #selfhate.

BuzzFeed News took note of Basil’s Medium post on the topic and contacted Music.ly. At that point, the service took steps to ban searches for keywords mentioned in the article. Music.ly told BuzzFeed that “its process for banning terms from search is always evolving.”

But the question is whether that’s enough. Clearly, it took a news organization reaching out before Music.ly took steps to address the issue. As a service primarily aimed at and used by teens, the company should have already considered its approach towards moderating sensitive issues like self-harm.

Back in 2016, Instagram rolled out suicide prevention tools that allowed users to report posts from people who might need help, as well as offer support options for specific hashtag searches. The company worked with the National Eating Disorders Association and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to craft language. Now, when a person searches for self-harm and eating disorder-focused hashtags on the service, a there’s a pop-up that allows users to get support with one click. The examples are there for Music.ly to follow; let’s hope the company addresses these issues as proactively as is possible.

Source: Medium, Buzzfeed

PGA Tour AR app puts a golf course on your coffee table

Sports and augmented reality (AR) apps are nothing new. The technology has been used by the NFL, NBA and even German soccer teams to promote their respective leagues, with results varying from the gimmicky to the interesting. Now the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) has its own AR app on iOS that lets you watch real-time shot trails appear on select holes during live competition. You can also compare up to four different players’ shots, if that’s your thing.

PGA Tour AR uses your iPhone camera and iOS 11’s ARkit to place a virtual map of six different golf holes onto any flat surface. The app currencly has hole seven from the Pebble Bead Golf Links, hole six at Bay Hill Club and Lodge, TPC Sawgrass’ hole 16, 17 and 18 and the 18th hole from the East Lake Golf Club on offer. The data is taken from previous competitors, for now, but you’ll be able to watch the real-time competition as it happens starting with the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 15th. The PGA plans to add more holes as time goes on, and hopes to feature one hole from every tournament on this year’s PGA tour.

So far, all you can do is place a golf course on your coffee table, which seems kind of limited in appeal. However, an update to the app later this year is set to enable on-course AR, where you can hold up your device in front of any hole to see shot data for selected golfers live or from an archive. Other additions may include AR maps to help you find venues, merchandise stands and concessions, or even for finding specific players on a given course. Of course, there’s also potential for displaying branded data for each hole, highlight video clips and 360-degree views of various products.

Source: App Store

Apple nabs ‘Bob’s Burgers’ creator for new animated comedy

Apple has been moving pretty aggressively into the entertainment business lately. With a reported $1 billion budget for original programming, the tech company can afford to acquire high-value projects like the Kevin Durant childhood drama, a Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon-led dramatic project and Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories reboot. According to a report over at Variety, Apple has just ordered a new musical animated comedy, Central Park, from the creator of Bob’s Burgers, Loren Bouchard.

The show is apparently being written by Bouchard, Josh Gad and Nora Smith. Variey reports that Central Park has been described as a story about a family of caretakers who live and work in the titular park in New York, and how they save the park as well as the world. According to Variety, the 26-episode, two-season show will star Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Titus Burgess, Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci, Daveed Diggs and Kathryn Hahn, with Bouchard and Gad executive producing.

Source: Variety

I built a vibrator at SXSW

Crave is trying to open up the conversation about female sexual pleasure. The company sells beautifully designed vibrators in a range of styles, from the $60, stainless steel Bullet to the $150 Duet, a discreet and powerful vibe packed with a variety of pulsing combinations. There’s even the Vesper, a slim, stainless steel vibrator that dangles from a delicate chain and doubles as a necklace — “designed for beautiful experiences in public and private,” as Crave describes it.

At SXSW, Crave hosted a workshop where participants had a chance to build their own vibrators, specifically the Duet. The experience was entirely unique, engaging, informative and personal, even when surrounded by a table of strangers. The mix of genders at our table — that was myself and Engadget Reviews Editor Cherlynn Low — was split evenly between women and men, though that hasn’t always been the case with Crave workshops over the years.

Crave’s Jack Morocco said they saw more men than ever before at this year’s Build-A-Vibe sessions, and it’s been a welcome evolution of the brand. Part of the workshop involves a quick history of female sex toys, covering the restrictions and societal pressures women have faced for centuries when it comes to personal pleasure. Just like the workshop itself, it’s a message designed for both women and men — anyone interested in learning more about the modern history of sex.

Actually building the Duet requires just the right amount of elbow grease and hardware skills, making the process satisfying rather than frustrating. Two screws, silicone grease, a USB-tipped battery, vibrating prongs, a silicone sleeve (in three colors!) and a few waterproofing pieces are just about all it takes to put the Duet together. Morocco led our group with a series of large printed images demonstrating each step — and a bit of light-hearted innuendo to make the entire experience relaxed and informative.

That tone is important as Crave’s business expands. At SXSW, the company announced the Build-A-Vibe tour that will take the show on the road, travelling across the US in a refurbished 1961 Airstream trailer. Crave wants to bring vibrator-building and open conversation to people wherever they are, whether at weddings, college campuses, trade shows or local events. It’s $99 per person to build a vibrator in the Airstream factory, which is a pretty sweet deal considering the Duet itself retails for $150.

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

Apple buys Texture, the ‘Netflix of magazine plans’

Apple’s bids to promote digital magazines haven’t always been fruitful (remember The Daily?), but it’s about to give them another boost. The company has acquired Texture, the Netflix-style magazine subscription service that gives you access to a host of publications for a flat monthly fee. Apple wasn’t specific about its intentions for the Texture team, but the deal reflects its commitment to “quality journalism from trusted sources.” It also noted that the buyout gave it an “impressive catalog” of magazines — the connection to major publishers (Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith and News Corp) may be as important as the service itself.

The terms of the deal haven’t been made public, although Recode understood that investors who pumped $50 million into Texture owner Next Issue Media will “get their money back.” The publishers are reportedly happy, too.

We’ve asked Apple what will happen to Texture’s existing apps and service. The software is currently available across a variety of platforms, including Android and Windows 10. Apple doesn’t always discontinue apps right away (it kept HopStop running for two years), but it has been known to scale back and eventually discontinue services as it integrates their features.

Apple’s Eddy Cue is expected to discuss the Texture purchase at SXSW, and we’ll let you know if he has more to add. It’s not certain if this will augment the company’s existing services (such as the News app or iBooks) or will lead to something entirely different, but this could significantly change the nature of online magazine distribution. Heavyweight publishers launched Next Issue and Texture in 2012 precisely to take control of digital magazines rather than handing the reins to companies like Apple or Google. The deal brings that plan to an end — Apple will now play a major role in the fate of those magazines.

Via: Recode

Source: Apple

AliveCor wearables may detect unsafe potassium levels in the future

AliveCor is working on a new application for the technology behind its KardiaBand for Apple Watch. Last year, the FDA approved KardiaBand as a medical device, and it can record your heart rhythm and report on any rhythmic abnormalities that could be linked to dangerous health issues. Now, The Verge reports, AliveCor is developing a way for its technology to be used to detect high levels of potassium in the blood.

High blood potassium levels constitute a condition known as hyperkalemia. It can be related to a number of causes, including kidney disease, dehydration, injury and diabetes and hyperkalemia can affect heartbeat rhythm. Yesterday, during the American College of Cardiology conference, AliveCor presented work done with the Mayo Clinic showing that its technology can detect hyperkalemia through EKGs.

The researchers used electrocardiogram data collected from 709,000 patients over the course of 23 years, which included 2.1 million EKGs and 4 million blood potassium measurements. Two-thirds of that data were used to train a neural network to detect hyperkalemia through EKG readings. That network was then tested on the other third of the data. It was able to correctly detect cases of hyperkalemia 85 percent of the time and accurately label those that weren’t hyperkalemic 72 percent of the time. The team also tested it on 10 patients using an experimental AliveCor smartphone EKG device and from almost 50 hours of data — 5.4 of which recorded a hyperkalemic state — the neural network was able to correctly spot hyperkalemia 94 percent of the time and non-hyperkalemia 74 percent of the time.

It’s important to note that these findings are preliminary and AliveCor’s technology hasn’t been approved by the FDA to detect hyperkalemia. The company is continuing with its trials, The Verge reports, and will likely seek FDA clearance in the future.

Via: The Verge

Source: ACC

Drones add eerie halos to landscape photos in ‘Lux Noctis’

Drones usually act as flying cameras, often to great effect, but landscape photographer Reuben Wu has discovered an equally compelling use for them. In the series Lux Noctis (light the night), his UAVs both lit up and created halos around landforms in the Bisti Badlands of New Mexico, California’s Alabama Hills and elsewhere. The results, he told National Geographic, are “a bit like a chiaroscuro painting, where one starts with a blank canvas and then adds light to the picture.”

Wu has used the drones in two ways for his dramatic, surreal photos. In the first technique, he attached LED lamps to 3D Robotics drones and set them off on GPS-controlled flights. He took the photos with a medium format Phase One camera while the drone was stationary, experimenting with the height, angle and distance from the subject. Once back home, he layered the photos together until the image matched his vision.

For later photos, he created time-lapse exposures while the drones ran in set circles around the rock pinnacles, tracing out “halos” in the sky. “The circles are actual light paths of the modified drone I used to light the landscapes,” Wu told PetaPixel.

A post shared by Reuben Wu (@itsreuben) on Feb 12, 2018 at 9:10am PST

Shooting time-lapse images at night often requires weeks of tedious planning, so adding drones and artificial lighting calculations to the equation increases the degree of difficulty. Making it tougher still, Wu never shoots when other people are around. “I keep my entire kit portable so I can hike to very remote spots. I never fly when there are other visitors present, it’s important to me that the location is very remote and I am alone to create these pictures.”

Lighting up landscapes with drones is a clever way to give them Hollywood grandeur without actually disturbing the environment. His technique is also meant to make you see our planet with fresh eyes. (To see other incredible photos in the series, click here.)

“Lux Noctis is a series of photographs (and motion pieces) depicting landscapes within the framework of traditional landscape photography but influenced by ideas of planetary exploration, 19th century sublime romantic painting, and science fiction,” he wrote on Behance. “We are overwhelmed everyday by beautiful images of the familiar. I imagine these scenes transformed into undiscovered landscapes which renew our perceptions of our world.”

Via: Co. Design

Source: Reuben Wu

China’s law enforcement expands use of facial recognition glasses

Police in China are expanding their use of facial recognition glasses. Last month, law enforcement in the country used LLVision Technology’s facial recognition glasses to spot criminals evading the law or train and plane passengers using fake IDs among the millions traveling for the lunar new year. Now, Reuters reports, police are using them to check travelers and car registration plates outside of Beijing ahead of Parliament’s annual meeting in the city.

The glasses are being used to check people and registration plates against a centralized “blacklist” that the government compiles. Along with the facial recognition glasses, the government is also using facial scanners to monitor those entering the venue for the meeting.

Many are concerned with the growing use of ever-more sophisticated surveillance technology throughout China and many worry that the blacklist will contain not only criminals, but political dissidents, journalists and human rights activists as well. “(China’s) leadership once felt a degree of trepidation over the advancement of the internet and communication technologies,” David Bandurski, co-director of the University of Hong Kong’s China Media Project, told Reuters. “It now sees them as absolutely indispensable tools of social and political control.”

Via: Reuters

Spotify needs your help tagging and sorting tunes

Music streaming services can be frustrating if you’re an avid listener, since your definitions may not line up with theirs. They may lump trance, techno and drum-and-bass into a generic “dance” category, for instance. Spotify, at least, knows it needs to do better… and it’s asking you for help. It quietly launched a Line-In feature that lets you suggest edits to the metadata for artists, albums and songs. You can recommend genres, tags, moods and even nicknames. You could clarify that an “electronica” album is really tech house, or remind Spotify that many people refer to Metallica’s self-titled record as “the Black Album.”

Spotify told Variety that the chances of acceptance will depend on accuracy checks. Line-In both supplies a number of musical aptitude surveys and verifies whether or not other listeners are making similar suggestions. If you can’t tell the difference between Run the Jewels and Run-DMC, you probably won’t make your changes stick unless many others are saying the same thing.

This is the first large streaming service to open the doors to user edits, but it might not be the last. Spotify and its rivals depend on discovery to reel you in — you’re more likely to stay subscribed if you can find an obscure album or listen to a playlist that caters to your exact tastes. Music is defined by fuzzy categories and other human imperfections, and crowdsourced edits help acknowledge that reality.

Source: Variety