BlackBerry wants you to do its advertising by joining its fan league

You may not have owned a BlackBerry since you were a teenager, but don’t be fooled — there are still die-hard fans of this seemingly vintage handset to be found around the world. Now, in order to bring this seemingly dwindling group together, BlackBerry launched a new BlackBerry Smartphone Fan League. Because what better way to show your support for your mobile phone than by joining its fan club?

Calling its loyal supporters some of the “most loyal and passionate in the world,” BlackBerry Mobile from TCL Communication (which purchased the rights to BlackBerry back in December 2016), hopes that its new Fan League might find “new and creative ways to engage with BlackBerry smartphone fans.” After all, when there aren’t many of your kind, there’s plenty of camaraderie to be found simply in identifying your compatriots.

The goal will be to improve awareness of new Android-powered BlackBerry smartphones like the BlackBerry Keyone, and also help fans “feel more connected” to the smartphone brand. Should you choose to join the Fan League, you have the opportunity to win both weekly and monthly prizes, including the ultimate prize — a new BlackBerry device. Moreover, they will also be called upon to participate in special user surveys and various beta testing programs, which should give them more sway over what comes next from the BlackBerry Mobile team.

“Launching the BlackBerry Smartphone Fan League is our way of better engaging with our customers, rewarding their loyalty and passion for BlackBerry smartphones, but also giving them a voice that will shape the future of BlackBerry smartphones from TCL Communication,” said Alain Lejeune, Global General Manager for TCL Communication’s BlackBerry Mobile Division.

So how exactly will the Fan League work? The points-based so-called social engagement platform will encourage participants to re-share BlackBerry Mobile social media content, create their own content about their BlackBerry smartphone, and recruit new Fan League members. Really, it’s as though the Fan League will be an extension of BlackBerry’s advertising business. Each of these activities will garner participants points, and these points will help them earn entries in order to win various prizes. To begin, the Fan League will be made available only to BlackBerry Mobile customers in Canada, the U.S., and U.K.

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LinkedIn gives videos a makeover with filters, referral button for job seekers

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is jumping on the video-editing bandwagon by allowing users to add new filters to footage shared on the professional-focused network. Inside the LinkedIn mobile app, users can now add filters or text, the company announced on Tuesday, March 20. The app update comes just a day after the platform also added a new tool for asking for referrals.

The update allows users to dress up their videos with filters designed with a professional focus. The current options include adding an “On the Air” graphic along with a “side hustle” and “work high five” filter. LinkedIn says the filter options will expand in the future.

LinkedIn will also continue adding filters that are tied to events, with an option for International Women’s Day included in the samples shared by the company. The update was inspired by a filter that the company launched for a Grace Hooper Celebration event last fall.

The app update also allows users to add text to their videos. LinkedIn says this change is to help clue viewers in even when watching without the sound on.

Unlike the video filters on social networks like Snapchat and Facebook, adding the filters and text is done after the video is recorded, not in real time. Originally popularized by Snapchat, video and photo filters are now widely used across multiple social networks, including Instagram and Facebook.

LinkedIn says that additional tools for video are coming in the future.

LinkedIn first launched video back in 2016, but only to a small group of influencers. Unlike the more casual social network, LinkedIn said at the time that the feature was designed to discuss business topics, putting thoughts from other business leaders inside the LinkedIn feed.

The updated video options join a list of other recent announcements, including the option to ask for a referral, which just launched yesterday. The tool allows job seekers to see jobs that are connected to a company from someone already in your network, adds a pop-up button to ask for a referral, and even suggests what to say in the request message. The tool is available when browsing jobs with the “in your network” filter.

Now owned by Microsoft, LinkedIn now has more than 500 million users.

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Sony springs into summer with new line of party-friendly portable speakers

As a menacing snowstorm descends upon the Northeast region of the U.S. on the first day of spring, Sony hopes to turn our attention to fairer days filled with fun in the sun.  On Tuesday, March 20, the company previewed its new line of athlete-friendly wireless earphones as well as a heated up version of its popular portable Bluetooth speaker lineup.

The new Extra Bass Bluetooth speakers come in four colorful sizes/models, all sporting some level of flashing light show to pair with equally attention-getting sound, and are all IP67 rated, meaning they can take a dunk in water up to 1 meter for up to 30-minutes.

The SRS-XB41 is the largest of the group, followed by the SRS-XB31, SRS-XB21, and the tiny, tote-able XB10. As you move through the line, the prices go down with the size of the speaker, but each is surprisingly feature-rich and ready to rock with an impressive 24-hour battery life.

At $250, the XB41 is the largest, loudest, and flashiest speaker in Sony’s 2018 lineup. Armed with NFC for easy pairing to compatible devices, the XB41 features two active drivers with a passive radiator in the center to help support its Extra Bass feature, which is designed to offer party-ready sound, whether in the backyard, by the pool, or at the beach.

If one speaker won’t do it, the XB41 can be paired with up to 100 more speakers through Sony’s proprietary Wireless Party Chain feature. Pair two for stereo, or more for several rooms full of the same music. Sony has also introduced a new Live Sound Mode, which aims to deliver the ambiance of a live concert by reducing the directionality of the sound. The result is a speaker that sounds much bigger than it really is, taking on an omnipresent feel, no matter where you place it.

To charge the speakers, you can plug them into the wall as you would any other portable speaker, but this year Sony adds the ability to charge using a micro-USB cable so you don’t need to carry a wall-wart power plug around. This means the speaker can be charged in the car, or with any other portable power source such as a portable charging battery. The Sony XB41, along with the XB31, will also charge your devices via USB, while the smallest XB21 leaves out this feature to maintain its 24-hour playtime.

For what Sony hopes will be an engaging visual experience, the XB speaker lineup touts a multi-colored LED light array, with the Sony XB41 sporting not only a wrap-around light bar but illuminated drivers and two strobe lights. The visual impact is much more impressive in person that we were expecting. Color can be controlled using Sony’s free app, which also adds EQ and other speaker controls.

Among those other controls is Sony’s new Party Booster option, which allows users to add various sound effect to music as it is playing, be it a cowbell, reggae horn, or various percussion instruments. This fits in well with Sony’s efforts to fold a DJ experience into the XB speaker series. Sound a little gimmicky? Perhaps so, but kids are going to love it, and with these flashy options, Sony has a speaker series that really stands out in a saturated market.

For those who value sound above all else, all of these speakers are LDAC compatible — Sony’s  proprietary sound processing which is likes to refer to as “near high-res.” Android Oreo will soon support LDAC by default, with Android P support expected when the new OS is released later in 2018.

The SRS-XB41 comes in at $250, the XB31 at $150, and the XB21 at $100. A much smaller XB10 is $60 with a shorter 12-hour battery life but is still IP67. The entire XB speaker lineup will be available for purchase on April 1.

Huawei P20: Rumors, specs, availability, and more!

Whatever name it carries, the successor to the Huawei P10 should be a fascinating device.

Huawei, like many other big names in mobile, has a predictable cadence to its flagship smartphone launches. The new technology gets showcased first in the Mate series in the fall, usually paired with an updated version of EMUI, running the very latest Android build. That technological base is then further refined for the P series the following spring.

That gives us a rough idea of what to expect from the Huawei P20, which we’re expecting to see in the spring of 2018. And, of course, the usual flurry of leaks that accompany any big phone launch have helped to fill in some of the gaps.

Here’s what we know so far:

The name: Huawei P20

Huawei trademarked the “P20” monicker earlier in 2017, and later confirmed the name in a teaser just before mWC 2018. P20 is a rounder number than 11, with fewer syllables (in English, anyway). And the jump from 10 to 20 would also underscore the significant tech upgrades coming in this new phone, such as the rumored triple-camera setup and bezelless display.

It’s also reasonable to expect Huawei, for the third year running, to offer the P-series flagship in two sizes, so expect a P20 and P20 Plus.

The hardware: Same core platform as the Mate 10

Expect Huawei’s Kirin 970 chip to return, complete with Neural Processing Unit, and possibly an upgrade to Android 8.1 on the software side. (Given Huawei’s newfound alignment with Android’s version numbers, this might mean we jump to EMUI 8.1.)

Android 8.1 is important for Huawei because it’ll allow third-party apps to unlock the power of the NPU through Android’s own neural networking APIs — APIs which aren’t present in the older version 8.0.

Besides that, expect the same core feature set we saw in the Mate 10’s software, only in a more compact handset. With one major exception.

Three cameras!

Huawei’s Leica-engineered cameras have finally started to hit their stride, with the latest iteration in the Mate 10 going toe-to-toe with the Google Pixel 2. The Huawei P20 series could take things even further.

It’s long been expected that the Huawei P20 Pro (the highest-end entry in the P20 series) will come equipped with three rear cameras. This is something that’s even been teased by Huawei itself, but now we have more information about just how this system will work.

According to WinFuture, the P20 Pro will have an 8MP telephoto lens, a 20MP black-and-white one, and to top things off, an astounding 40MP RGB lens. Assuming this information is true, we could be faced with one of the most powerful camera systems ever found on a smartphone. The P20 and P20 Lite should still offer commendable experiences with dual camera setups, but photography geeks will definitely want to go for the Pro.

An iPhone-style notch?

It had to happen sooner or later. Eventually, one of the big names in Android would emulate the iPhone X’s infamous sensor cutout. This report comes from XDA, which did some digging in pre-release firmware and discovered references to a display with rounded corners and a central iPhone-style notch, likely used to house sensors and the front-facing camera.

An overlay image included in the software gives us a clue as to what the P20’s front face might look like. As you can see, it’s somewhere between the Essential Phone and the iPhone X. While it’s unlikely that every version of the P20 will have this style of front, let’s assume that the most expensive version will have it.

Details pulled from the same ROM suggest one device, possibly the P20 Plus, will use a 6.01-inch Samsung LCD with a Full HD+ screen resolution. That model carries the codename “Emily,” it’s reported, with model numbers carrying the prefix “EML.”

As a final note on the display, we’d caution against saying the LCD (as opposed to AMOLED) part choice is set in stone. AC understands that the Mate 10 Pro at one point was being tested with 6-inch LCDs before Huawei was able to secure supplies of AMOLED panels.

A launch date

Expect a launch after MWC 2018.

Huawei sent out invitations to a press event that will be held on March 27, and while the company didn’t outright mention the name of the phone, it did mention the event would be focused on its next flagship handset family.

You can also see Huawei teasing three cameras, with a tagline, “See mooore with AI,” hinting to the cameras tying into the Kirin 970’s Neural Processing Unit.

Updated March 2018: Article updated with new leaks and information.

Plan group trips in Skype with help from TripAdvisor and StubHub

Bringing TripAdvisor into a group chat is pretty easy — just tap the Add to Chat button and select TripAdvisor from the list of available plug-ins. You can choose a destination, then search for restaurants, hotels and activities in the area. Sharing interesting things from your search is as easy as tapping the Send button, and your TripAdvisor post will show up in the group chat.

StubHub works similarly; you open the add-in and search for an event, location or date and then select the tickets you want. Once that’s done, you can send the StubHub link to the entire group, and then everyone can click through to see the listings on the service, purchasing the seats they want.

Via: 9to5Mac

Source: Skype

HTC slips out an upgraded VR object tracker

HTC’s Vive Tracker is barely half a year old for everyday users, but it’s already being replaced with a new model. The VR hardware maker has confirmed to Tom’s Hardware that it’s now selling an updated “Vive Tracker (2018)” for the same $99. The product listing doesn’t say much about what’s new. However, they’re understood to support SteamVR Tracking 2.0, enabling object tracking in much larger (33ft by 33ft) spaces. That could make this new model virtually mandatory for some VR enthusiasts — the old model isn’t expected to work with 2.0 base stations.

The device is otherwise much the same as before, with the ability to track props (or even your own body) and 4.5 hours of battery life when you’re untethered. You have no reason to upgrade if you’re happy with your existing Vive setup, then. This is really for newcomers, arcades and diehard enthusiasts who were always going to buy the latest gear — it’s just good to know that HTC is making this gear available relatively quickly.

Via: Tom’s Hardware, VentureBeat

Source: HTC

‘Apocalypse Cow’ is a platform game inspired by ‘Wreck-It Ralph’

One of the best things about attending GDC is that, more often than not, you come across some of the best-looking independent titles. Today, that honor goes to Apocalypse Cow, a cinematic adventure game that draws inspiration from animated films like Wreck-It Ralph and genre-classics such as Super Mario. This 2D platformer, developed by an indie studio called Monsters, features the story of a character named Penny who tries to figure out what caused a glitch in a digital universe made up of video game worlds — hence the homage to Wreck-It Ralph.

Throughout Penny’s journey, you’ll see levels with visuals, items and enemies that are reminiscent of those in a Super Mario game, like the iconic green pipes and deadly gray blocks that are looking to stomp you. The latter are basically Thwomps on steroids, with spinning blue blades that will slice you into tiny pieces. That’s what’s great about Apocalypse Cow, it isn’t just a quirky, colorful platform game — it can also get pretty gory as you make your way past levels.

Altogether there are three different worlds that Penny can travel between, each made up of different missions that lead you to your ultimate goal: discovering the root cause of the glitch that’s ravaging everything around you. And if you’re wondering where the name for Apocalypse Cow came from, well, it actually has very little do with cows. The game’s developer told Engadget that the team couldn’t find a title until someone said, “Why don’t we just call it Apocalypse Cow?” After that, the next step was to actually bring some cow elements to the game, so Monsters decided to make the big boss an angry robotic bovine.

We won’t spoil the entire game for you, but at least now you know you should expect to come across a robotic heifer at some point. As for the controls, we were playing on an Xbox One dev kit and things are fairly simple here: left stick to move, right trigger to use your weapons and the A button to jump. The dev said it was important to ensure that gamers didn’t feel like they had to think when playing; the fewer buttons they could use, the better.

Monsters said Apocalypse Cow has been in the works for five years, noting that if the story wasn’t so deep it probably would’ve been done three years ago. In fact, Monster has rewritten the story completely three times. What we played at GDC 2018 is almost the final version, which you’ll see launch on Steam and the Xbox later this year. There’s no set MSRP for the game yet, but we’re told the goal is to make it available for around $15.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from GDC 2018!

WhatsApp co-founder tweets ‘#deleteFacebook’

While calls for users to eliminate their presence on Facebook have increased due to reports of how Cambridge Analytica allegedly used the platform, most of them haven’t come from anyone walking around with a few billion dollars of Facebook’s money. WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton left the company last year, and today simply tweeted “It is time. #deletefacebook.”

It is time. #deletefacebook

— Brian Acton (@brianacton) March 20, 2018

Facebook acquired WhatsApp in 2014 for about $22 billion, and now Acton’s focus is on data protection and privacy, as he wrote last month after donating $50 million to launch the Signal foundation. At the time, he said: “We believe there is an opportunity to act in the public interest and make a meaningful contribution to society by building sustainable technology that respects users and does not rely on the commoditization of personal data.”

As of 8:30 PM ET, Acton’s public Facebook profile is still active.

Source: Brian Acton (Twitter)

Sleep++ App for Apple Watch Now Offers Automatic Sleep Tracking

If you’re someone who wears your Apple Watch while sleeping, you may be familiar with the Sleep++ app for the Apple Watch, which offers sleep tracking and analyzing functionality.

Sleep++ was today updated to version 3 and it’s gained a new feature that makes it easier than ever to keep track of sleep quality, length, and other metrics while sleeping — automatic tracking.

The Sleep++ automatic sleep tracking feature kicks in when Apple Watch wearers go to bed at night and stops tracking in the morning, so Sleep++ users no longer need to start and stop sleep tracking every night. For more precise tracking, though, manual options continue to be available.

Today’s Sleep++ update also includes other features like bedtime reminders, notifications with a summary of the previous night’s sleep quality, and the ability to set a nightly sleep goal to reach.

Apple Watch does not have any built-in sleep tracking capabilities because Apple has designed it to be charged at night and worn during the day, but third-party apps are able to provide this missing functionality for users who prefer to wear their watches to bed.

Apple does offer a sleep tracking solution in the form of the Beddit, an accessory that it acquired last year. The Beddit sleep tracker, which also offers automatic sleep tracking, slips under your sheet and monitors sleep quality, heart rate, and other metrics. It does cost $150, though, so it’s far less affordable than a third-party Apple Watch app.

Sleep++ can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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8 Ball Pool review: Head to the pool hall with a casual game of billiards

8 Ball Pool

Well, we’re here. In the tail end of winter, where you’re probably dying to simply get out and have some social fun. If you live in a similar climate as I do, it means most of the things you normally enjoy doing are buried under snow, wind, cold, rain, or some God-forsaken combination thereof. Outside my living room it’s literally snowing an inch per hour as I type this.

So, in addition to having a beverage and watching YouTube, it might be kind of fun to go out and play some games. On nights like this, a little fun playing a game or two would liven things up. Something like a game of pool against a random person, or even a friend.

The problem I face is that chances are good that a decent pool table is not really close by. Not only that, it likely sits in an ‘establishment’ with ‘patrons’ that you probably wouldn’t be very excited about approaching for a game.

But, for such problematic situations the Play Store has you covered. I’ve played with Miniclip’s 8 Ball Pool, a free, family-friendly option to give you a simulated pool hall experience. Let’s take a quick spin on this fun billiards simulator.

Setup

Setup is is pretty standard as Android apps go: simply download from the Play Store. Upon opening the app, you can log in several different ways; nothing unusual. You can log in as a guest, via your Google account, or via your Facebook account (more on the FB option later).

Game selection.

Find an opponent.

Once into the game, you have several options to try out (though they’re not terribly well-presented).

You can play:

• 1 on 1 (random pairing with a human player)
• Special Game (tournaments but you’ll have to be at a minimum player level to access this mode)
• 9 Ball
• Minigames (pretty basic games-of-chance with the object of gaining more coins for in-game upgrades)
• Playing with Friends (signing in with Facebook allows you to create a ‘friends’ list to quickly request games with people you know. Excellent alternative to playing worldwide strangers.)
• Practice Offline (just what it says)

Play Some Pool!

Now we’re ready to hit some balls! If you’re anything like me, you’ll dive right into the 1-on-1 mode, pairing up a random stranger to test your mettle. I am not going to delve into the rules of pool here; if you’re still reading this I’m assuming you know you’re way around a table.

Before you play you’ll be prompted to bet a certain amount of your money, so you have some skin in the game as you go against your opponent.

The controls to 8 Ball Pool are pretty intuitive. When it’s your turn, you control your cue by swiping your finger to align the cue with the cue ball. There’s an alignment guide that helps you dial in your angle to impact your target ball to your intended pocket.

You can also touch a cue icon that brings up a larger face of your cue ball, allowing you touch placement of your intended “English” on the ball when you strike it. Lastly, there is a power meter to the left. Simply pull back and release at the point where you think the prime power level is.

If you miss, your opponent has their turn. And so on.

In 8-ball pool, you are either “solids” or “stripes”, where you have seven balls to put away. Once done, you can then try to pocket the 8-ball. First player to pocket all seven balls plus the neutral 8-ball wins.

In 9-ball pool, you try to pocket balls in numerical order (1, 2, 3, etc.) Only the balls numbered 1 thru 9 are used. Neither player ‘owns’ any balls on the table as you’re both trying to pocket the same balls. If you’re on, say, the 7-ball and miss; then it’s your opponents turn to pocket it. Whoever pockets the 9-ball is the winner.

Should you win, you gain coins; to spend on cue upgrades and such to progress through the game. The usual in-game swag ensues here.

Likes and Dislikes

8 Ball Pool is certainly a low-threshold entry into a quick game of pool this is a great thing. If you are looking to play pool, chances are you already know about the game, and just want to play. 8 Ball Pool lets you just get in and play and for as long as you want.

There isn’t a whole lot to complain about here. Game play on a phone-sized device can be tricky as shooting from the edge of the table gets tedious. Trying to position the cue stick from the edge isn’t always easy.

The app does have its share of ads and popups and includes popups which appear in your notification bar, too. But, to me, these are admittedly small problems, compared to the price you pay to play.

Overall I can only recommend 8 Ball Pool for your quick pool/billiards fix and not much more. Give it a try and tell us what you think!

Download 8 Ball Pool from the Play Store here.