Instagram will soon let you download your photos, videos, and messages

More details will be announced “very soon.”

Over the course of nearly 8 years and 800+ million subscribers, Instagram’s become the go-to social network for sharing photos and videos of whatever’s going on in your life. Later this year, the app will finally allow users to download offline copies of their data.

Similar to the “Download Your Information” feature that Facebook introduced in 2010, this would enable Instagram users to save offline copies of their photos, videos, and direct messages. Along with ensuring you’ve got access to your content even if something should ever happen to Instagram, this would also make it easier for folks to grab their virtual belongings and easily take them over to another competing platform.

As great as this news is, exact details are still a bit murky. It’s unclear if Instagram will also allow people to download things such as comments, likes, and stories, and there’s no word as to whether or not downloads of pictures and videos will be further compressed than they already are.

Speaking to TechCrunch, a representative from Instagram said –

We’ll share more details very soon when we actually launch the tool. But at a high level, it allows you to download and export what you have shared on Instagram.

This will mark the first time Instagram offers a first-party solution for easily saving offline copies of the content you share on the service, so it’ll be interesting to learn more about the approach it’s taking once further details emerge.

Download: Instagram (free)

SanDisk’s 400GB microSD card has never been more affordable than right now

Large card, small price.

SanDisk is a trusted brand when it comes to SD cards, and the company is pushing the limits. Its largest capacity card, the 400GB Ultra MicroSD, is now down to $179.99. This is $50 lower than it normally sells for.

It’s a Class 10 card with transfer speeds of up to 100MB/s, which would allow you to move up to 1,200 images in just 60 seconds. You can use this in your smartphone, tablet, action camera, and more. Not all devices will recognize the large capacity of this card, so you may want to consider grabbing the 128GB option for $40, or the 200GB one or $65.

You can’t go wrong with any capacity SanDisk card, so why not add 400GB to your new Samsung Galaxy S9 so you can carry your whole music collection, photo library, favorite movies and more around with you all the time!

See at Amazon

What’s your mobile payment service of choice?

Your options will differ depending on what phone you carry.

Mobile payments have been around for a long time now, but they still seem to be catching on slowly. It’s still a guessing game figuring out which stores accept mobile payments and, at least around my area, getting out your phone to pay still seems to confuse store clerks more often than not.

Even with all of that in mind, mobile payments are the epitome of convenience. If you forget your wallet at home or simply have too many credit cards and membership cards to physically carry around, no worries — as long as you’ve programmed them into your phone, all of your cards are still at your disposal. The only thing left to figure out is which mobile payment service to use.

Of course, it’s not as simple as just picking one from the long list on the Play Store; your options will vary greatly depending on what phone you carry — or more specifically, who makes it. There are universal options like Google Pay, which works on any Android phone that supports NFC, but if you’re on the Galaxy S9 or Galaxy Note 8, you also have the option of using Samsung Pay.

Samsung Pay’s biggest advantage over the competition is its ability to emulate physical card strips using additional hardware inside newer Galaxy phones. This means that Samsung Pay can work on payment terminals that don’t even accept mobile payments, with some exceptions like terminals that require you to insert your card, rather than swiping or using your chip (a good example being gas stations).

Some other Android manufacturers are getting into the mobile payment game, as well. LG launched LG Pay in South Korea last year, and will reportedly be expanding the service to the U.S. within the coming months. Like Samsung, LG is utilizing MST technology to make LG Pay compatible with older terminals.

Every mobile payment service works mostly the same, but MST is a huge differentiator for Samsung and LG.

If you have an iPhone, Apple Pay is your only option. Unfortunately, Apple rarely if ever offers promotions for gift cards like Samsung, but on the bright side, the Wallet app holds other important information like boarding passes in addition to your credit cards and gift cards.

Some stores have even created their own mobile payment systems, most notably Walmart with its Walmart Pay service that simply uses a QR code at checkout to charge your associated card.

I’ve been using Google Pay off and on since it was still called Google Wallet — I even still have my debit card! — but overall I’ve come to use Samsung Pay more often than any other mobile payment service. Maybe the stores here in Indianapolis are just slow to evolve and embrace newer technologies, but terminals that accept Apple or Google Pay are still few and far between, so it’s nice having a fallback with MST. I don’t always use Samsung phones though, so maybe I’ll take a look at LG Pay once it arrives stateside.

But nevermind me — what about you? What payment service do you use, assuming you use one at all? And if not, why aren’t you paying for things with your phone? Sound off in the comments below!

Samsung Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S6: Should you upgrade?

It’s time.

Most people, particularly in the U.S., have fallen quite comfortably into a two-year phone upgrade cycle. But if you’re buying your phones outright, or you’re just one of the sensible set who doesn’t want to splash money on a new phone until you really need to, perhaps you make your flagship last a full three years. If you bought a Galaxy S6 or S6 edge, that was probably a pretty tough ask — but nonetheless, we know many people who did it.

At three years old, your Galaxy S6 is probably feeling the weight of time, and we know they’re unsurprisingly no longer being considered for software updates. So, is the Galaxy S9 the right phone to upgrade to? Here’s what you need to know to make the jump.

What’s the same

Samsung has done a masterful job of keeping its flagships in a consistent design language.

Samsung has done a masterful job of keeping its flagship phones following the same basic identity from year to year, and even looking at a three-generation change it’s undeniable that the Galaxy S6 and S9 are both Samsung phones. The Galaxy S6 still feels like a solid, well-made and modern device even in 2018, and that identity carries over entirely to the Galaxy S9. The newer phone is a bit more sleek and curved, but this is still the familiar metal-and-glass sandwich formula from 2015.

Funny enough, Samsung is still using the same Quick Charge 2.0-level charging speeds on the Galaxy S9 as it did back with the Galaxy S6, so you actually aren’t missing out on anything in that respect. Dual-mode (Qi and PMA) wireless charging was introduced on the Galaxy S6 and remains today as well, though the Galaxy S9 has at least added support for a bit faster speeds.

What’s different

As you’d expect for a phone that’s three years newer, the Galaxy S9 is better than the Galaxy S6 in every way. Hardware-wise Samsung has made advancements across the board: you get water resistance, USB-C charging, dual speakers and a notably improved display (albeit at the same resolution) on the Galaxy S9. And we should remember that Galaxy S6 owners haven’t had an SD card slot, so even though that came back with the Galaxy S7 it’s still “new” if you’re upgrading to the GS9.

Design similarities aside, the Galaxy S9 is better than the S6 in every way.

So long as you aren’t pushing things hard, the Galaxy S6 actually still performs pretty well. And with the Oreo update it has a very similar experience to the newest phones — albeit at a slightly slower pace. But from this point forward it won’t be getting any fresh software updates, and that Exynos processor and 3GB of RAM are really starting to show their age — particularly if you set it alongside the new Galaxy S9 and see how much quicker everything is. Apps are far more demanding today than they were in 2015, and if you want to keep up with the latest software you’ll need to move on to a new phone as well.

Then there’s battery life. We know the Galaxy S9 isn’t a stellar performer in this category, particularly with the Exynos processor, but even with that being said it’s going to be far better than the Galaxy S6. Battery life was arguably the biggest drawback of the Galaxy S6, with its 2550mAh battery incapable of making it through a day for most people — and three years on, it’s nowhere near what a new GS9 can do with 3000mAh.

A massive mark of progress three years on is in photography. Even the single-camera Galaxy S9 is a big improvement from the GS6. The same core idea of a good sensor, OIS and a fast lens are at play here, but all of the components have improved — the sensor is an entirely new generation of chip, the aperture is now wider at f/1.5 and Samsung’s processing has greatly improved. The daylight photos may not show as big of an improvement as you’d initially think, since Samsung had that well-handled even in 2015, but the low-light shots are in a new league. Plus, you get that awesome 960 fps slow-motion video.

Should you upgrade?

If you’ve held onto your Galaxy S6 or S6 edge this long, you got your money’s worth out of it. And perhaps the more telling thing about using a GS6 for that long is that you have to be a fan of Samsung’s hardware and software — and that points you right at the Galaxy S9.

If you enjoyed 3 years with a Galaxy S6, you’ll love the Galaxy S9.

If you’ve still been enjoying many aspects of the Galaxy S6 as a whole, and want to upgrade because you need something more modern so you can keep up with the times, Samsung’s latest flagship will be a fantastic upgrade for you. In typical Samsung fashion, the company has managed to add a whole lot to the experience without taking anything away — and the scale is simply higher when you look at a three-year upgrade.

And here’s the great thing: you can still sell a good-condition Galaxy S6 for about $100-150 on the second-hand market. That makes the $720 retail price on the GS9 far easier to handle. It’s time to upgrade.

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

• Galaxy S9 review: A great phone for the masses
• Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
• Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
• Galaxy S9 vs. Google Pixel 2: Which should you buy?
• Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Should you upgrade?
• Join our Galaxy S9 forums

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Treat yourself to a refurbished unlocked 64GB Pixel 2 for just $505 today

Save huge compared to a new phone.

Woot has refurbished Google Pixel 2 64GB smartphones on sale for $505 in three different colors. That’s a price of $499.99 plus a flat-rate shipping fee of $5, but that can be avoided if you are an Amazon Prime member. You can upgrade to 128GB on the Just Black version for $555. The 64GB phones sell for $649 new from Google.

The phones are unlocked for Verizon and GSM networks, which includes AT&T and T-Mobile. It specifically doesn’t say Sprint so you might not want to risk that. They come with a 90-day warranty from Google. The Pixel 2 has a 1080p 441ppi AMOLED display, unlimited Cloud storage, a 12.2MP f/1.8 rear camera, 8MP front camera, and the ability to record 1080p video at 120fps. This is an Android phone through-and-through and can even bring up Google Assistant just by squeezing it.

Read our review of the Pixel 2 if you want to know more about it.

See at Woot

Numerous Android OEMs discovered to be lying about security patches

Samsung, LG, and Motorola are among those at fault.

Once a month, Google updates the Android Security Bulletin and releases new monthly patches to fix vulnerabilities and bugs as soon as they pop up. It’s no secret that many OEMs are slow to update their hardware with said patches, but it’s now been discovered that some of them claim to have updated their phones when, in fact, nothing’s changed at all.

This revelation was made by Karsten Nohl and Jakob Lell from Security Research Labs, and their findings were recently presented at this year’s Hack in the Box security conference in Amsterdam. Nohl and Lell examined the software of 1200 Android phones from Google, Samsung, OnePlus, ZTE, and others, and upon doing so, found that some of these companies change the security patch appearance when updating their phones without actually installing them.

Samsung’s Galaxy J3 from 2016 claimed to have 12 patches that simply weren’t installed on the phone.

Some of the missed patches are expected to be made on accident, but Nohl and Lell came across certain phones where things just didn’t add up. For example, while Samsung’s Galaxy J5 from 2016 accurately listed the patches it had, the J3 from the same year appeared to have every single patch since 2017 despite missing 12 of them.

The research also revealed that the type of processor used in a phone can have an impact on whether or not it gets updated with a security patch. Devices with Samsung’s Exynos chips were found to have very few skipped patches, whereas those with MediaTek ones averaged out with 9.7 missing patches.

After running through all of the phones in their testing, Nohl and Lell created a chart outlining how many patches OEMs missed but still claimed to have installed. Companies like Sony and Samsung only missed between 0 and 1, but TCL and ZTE were found to be skipping 4 or more.

• 0-1 missed patches (Google, Sony, Samsung, Wiko)
• 1-3 missed patches (Xiaomi, OnePlus, Nokia)
• 3-4 missed patches (HTC, Huawei, LG, Motorola)
• 4+ missed patches (TCL, ZTE)

Shortly after these findings were announced, Google said that it’d be launching investigations into each of the guilty OEMs to find out what exactly’s going on and why users are being lied to about which patches they do and don’t have.

Missed patches certainly make your phone more vulnerable compared to those that are up-to-date, but even so, that doesn’t mean you’re entirely unprotected. Monthly patches definitely help, but there are general measures in place to ensure that all Android phones have some level of enhanced security.

Even with that said, what’s your take on this? Are you surprised by the news, and will this have an impact on the phones you buy going forward? Sound off in the comments below.

Why I’m still using a BlackBerry KEYone in Spring 2018

What’s Home Assistant and why should home automation enthusiasts consider it?

Get all of your digital smart things talking to each other and doing more meaningful things!

Did you ever wish that Alexa or Google Assistant was able to let you have a smart home instead of just a bunch of smart things? It would be awesome to wake up to fresh coffee, have the news playing on a TV or radio, the toaster pre-heated and the temperature adjusted correctly and all the other things we can use smart gadgets to do, but have it do them automatically based on the time you set your alarm clock. How about dimming the room lights, turning on any back lighting on a monitor or display, and making everything cozy when you start playing a movie?

These are relatively simple tasks that should be able to be strung together and just work instead of us having to open 10 different apps and make 10 different adjustments individually. Isn’t that what we all imagined when we decided to start having an automated home?

You can, and you can even do a lot more with a good automation hub. And a good automation hub doesn’t have to be expensive because you can use the Home Assistant platform on something as cheap as a Raspberry Pi and bring your home setup into the 21st century for about $50.

Download Home Assistant

See Raspberry Pi at Amazon

What is an Automation Hub?

It’s a smart appliance that can hook into other smart devices and issue commands that you’ve setup under the circumstances you’ve setup.

We have a basic example of an inexpensive hub with Samsung’s SmartThings. With the SmartThings software you can set up schedules or commands driven by an event (event as in it’s cold outside, not event as in a concert or movie premiere) and individual smart devices can work together and be smart like they are supposed to be.

An Automation Hub is probably what you expected from your Echo or Google Home and didn’t really get.

The Home Assistant platform works the same way. You let it find all the smart things on your local Wi-Fi network, connect with the ones it can control, and gives you a simple interface to make them act as a group based on when and how you want the single command to trigger. What makes Home Assistant great is that it isn’t trying to focus on a single brand of smart products. Most of the gadgets you already have will work, and connecting to network services like IFTTT is straightforward and simple.

It installs on any always-connected operating system that can support Python 3 apps and it’s very small and lightweight. This makes it great if you want to use a Rasberry Pi as a small and inexpensive Automation hub.

Why do I want this?

Maybe you don’t. It’s important to remember that Home Assistant can’t control anything itself. It only acts as a master device that can tell other services like Philips Hue or Nest to do something. If you don’t have any existing smart devices you won’t see Home Assistant do anything. But if you have already invested in one or more smart devices, it’s a really great way to extend the features and functionality that won’t cost a lot of money.

Home Assistant is easy to use and setting it up is inexpensive.

It’s also a local service, which means it’s not going to send any data to the cloud, even if it has to retrieve data from the internet. The routines and commands you set up are for your eyes only. It’s also pretty easy to “program” routines using a web interface hosted locally from the Home Assistant program. That’s important because a service like this can get extremely complicated if you want to program extensive routines, so having the interface nice and simple makes doing it a lot easier.

I think anyone with more that a couple smart gadgets and even a slight interest in taking the next step really needs to check Home Assistant out.

Google Hardware

• Google Wifi review
• Google Home review
• Chromecast Ultra: all you need to know
• Which Chromecast should you buy?

Google Wifi: Google
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Google Home: Google
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Chromecast Ultra: Google
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Uber unveils much-needed passenger safety features

Uber has taken a lot of flack over passenger safety, but it has just rolled out some long-overdue changes to its app and taken other steps to ensure passengers are secure. First up, a new update will let you automatically provide alerts for up to five “trusted contacts.” When you request a ride, the system will prompt you to share the trip and will notify them when you arrive at your destination. It also offers an option to share only nighttime trips.

The app will soon get a new “911 assistance” button that connects passengers to emergency services with one tap. To help you share the information, it will show your real-time location on the app, both on the map and as an address.

To further enhance that system, it partnered with RapidSOS to integrate it with emergency authorities, so that location and trip details are sent automatically to 911 dispatchers. Uber is piloting the system in Denver, but hopes to roll it out more widely after evaluating the tests. It’s also working with the National Emergency Number Association to create a database so that mobile users connect to the most geographically appropriate 911 centers.

The ride-sharing firm is also beefing up driver vetting. Uber said that while it obviously conducts background checks in jurisdictions where required, “going forward, we’ll proactively rerun criminal and motor vehicle checks each year, regardless of whether there is a legal obligation to do so.”

On top of that, Uber is investing in technology that will help flag new offenses for drivers. “Using data sources that cover most new criminal offenses, we will receive notifications when a driver is involved and leverage this information to help continuously enforce our screening standards.” The aim is to sniff out any new and pending disqualifying criminal charges like DUIs.

Uber first formed a safety board a couple of years ago, but it has finally appointed a chairman, former homeland security secretary Jeh Johnson. He will lead the six-person board made up of experts in areas of road safety, criminal justice, sexual assault and domestic violence prevention.

The new changes are nice, but they should have happened a long time ago. Uber started charging a “Safe Rides Fee” of between $1 and $2.50 back in 2014. However, it still failed to fingerprint drivers and check them against the sex offender registry, despite the fact that some were jailed for sexual offenses. Those omissions resulted in a $28.5 million settlement for riders.

It’s hard to say how much the new steps will increase safety, but Uber is clearly hoping that passengers will at least feel safer when they’re prompted to, say, notify trusted contacts before a ride. Given Uber’s shaky record, however, it might take a lot more to win back your confidence.

Via: Conde Nast Traveler

Source: Uber

Square Enix gives ‘Chrono Trigger’ the PC graphics update it needs

Square Enix came under fire back in February when it released the mobile version of Chrono Trigger onto Steam, and not the anticipated SNES version. Players weren’t happy, but now the publisher has made good its promise to fix things by releasing a patch that better aligns the game with its original look.

Character sprites and background graphics have been tweaked, fonts have been revised and updated, text boxes have been edited and the order of the demo video and opening sequence has been adjusted — all in a bid to mimic the original Chrono Trigger.

The company has also announced that it’s making changes to the user interface, and aims to roll out optimized PC play (via a controller or keyboard) as soon as possible, as well as an option to toggle between optimised UI for controller/keyboard and mouse/tablet.

Source: Steam

How to actually get work done on an iPad

Apple is touting its updated iPad as an education-focused device, once again pushing the idea that the iPad can replace a laptop (or Chromebook, in the case of classrooms). That’s unlikely, but with the right tools, it can be a workable substitute in a pinch.

It takes more than a few classroom apps and Apple Pencil support to make this iPad a real work tool, though. Mobile apps are still often lacking in efficiency, Apple’s Smart Keyboard is mediocre and reaching up to touch the screen is far less comfortable and efficient than using a mouse. However, with a few tips and accessories, you can get around these annoyances, at least for short bursts of on-the-go productivity. It may not be a true laptop replacement, but I’ve found that the iPad works great as a “just in case” device. Just make sure you keep a few things in mind.

Get a good keyboard case

Let’s start with the obvious: You’ll need a good keyboard. Any Bluetooth keyboard should work with an iPad, and if you’re sitting at a desk, all you’ll need is a tablet stand to keep the screen tilted up. This setup is fine, but it’s a bit cumbersome to travel with, and you can’t easily balance a stand on your lap.

For a more laptop-like experience, I recommend a good keyboard case. Apple’s Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro is okay, but its keys are small and mushy, with annoyingly short key travel. If you’re willing to put up with a little more bulk, you can get something that feels more solid. I like Belkin’s Qode line, which offers more protection from drops, along with multiple viewing angles and a superior typing experience. Its island-style keys offer deeper travel, giving you more tactile feedback as you type. It also eschews some less-used symbols, allowing for bigger, easier-to-hit buttons. It’s still a tad cramped compared with most laptops, but that’s true of any iPad keyboard, as they have to match the tablet’s narrower width.

The Qode is available at a few different price points between $50 and $100, with higher-end models offering features like keyboard backlighting. If you don’t like the Qode, our friends at The Wirecutter have a comprehensive roundup of other iPad keyboard cases. Find one that works for you, and keep it in your backpack just in case.

Learn your keyboard shortcuts

If you try to navigate your iPad with touch alone, you’re going to end up frustrated. Sadly, you can’t use a mouse with an iPad, but you can speed up a lot of tasks by using keyboard shortcuts. A lot of the basic shortcuts you’re used to on a computer work identically on an iPad (Command+C to copy, Command+V to paste, Command+A to select all, etc.), but there are also some iPad-specific shortcuts you’ll want to master:

• Command+H: This takes you back to the home screen, so you don’t have to reach up for the home button.
• Command+Space: This brings up Spotlight search, so you don’t need to go hunting for an app. If you want to switch to a different app (or search for an email), press Command+Space and start typing.
• Control+[ performs the same function as Escape if your keyboard doesn’t have an Escape key.
• Control+Space: Keyboards designed for iPad use will have a Globe key for bringing up alternative keyboards (like emoji), but if you’re using a regular Bluetooth keyboard, you can do the same thing by pressing Control+Space.
• Press and Hold Command: This will show you a list of all the keyboard shortcuts for the specific app you’re in. For example, hold Command in Safari or Chrome and it’ll remind you that Command+T opens a new tab, Command+W closes it, and Command+F lets you search for text on that page.

Keyboard shortcuts are convenient on conventional computers, and a godsend on the iPad. They won’t make up for the lack of a touchpad or mouse, but they’ll help minimize the number of times you reach up to touch the screen.

zhengzaishuru via Getty Images

Multitask like a pro

Multitasking on the iPad has improved immensely thanks to iOS 10 and 11, and it’s crucial for doing real work. There are two main multitasking layouts in iOS: Slide Out and Split View. To use either, open your first app, put the iPad in landscape mode, then drag up from the bottom of the iPad’s screen to show the dock. Tap and hold the dock icon for the second app you want to open — if it isn’t in your dock, you’ll need to open it first so it appears in the Recent Apps section on the right — and drag it upward. Dragging the icon to the middle of the screen will invoke Slide Out, which displays the second app on the right side of the screen on top of your first app.

Dragging the icon to the right or left of the screen, however, invokes Split View, which in our opinion is far more useful: It opens both apps side by side, letting you split the screen 50/50 or 25/75 between your two apps. To exit Split View, drag the slider to the edge of the screen until one of the apps disappears.

This alone makes it much easier to do work on an iPad. You can read in one app while writing in the other, or have a calculator open to the left of your spreadsheet. In many apps, you can even drag and drop items between them by tapping, holding, and dragging. For example, you can drag photos from the Photos app to a new message in Mail, drag a link from Safari into your Notes app, or drag a contact from the Contacts app into a message. Some third-party apps support this and others don’t, so you’ll just have to try it out to see where it works.

Use web apps in your browser (instead of mediocre mobile apps)

The iPad has a lot of polished apps, and some of them work perfectly with the device propped up on a desk. But many aren’t designed for laptop-like usage; they’re designed for touch. Microsoft’s Word app for iPad is good, for example, but the web version has easier text selection and many more formatting options in the toolbar, so you don’t have to tap through menus as much. (Google Docs has similar advantages on the web, though as of this writing, the Google Docs web app was broken on iOS. We have some questions about its reliability.)

Most of us inherently gravitate toward apps over websites, especially on mobile devices. But native apps aren’t always better: Sometimes the web version of a given tool will be more robust and easier to use.

Just make sure to request the desktop version of the site and not the mobile version, which is usually just as hampered as the mobile app. In some cases, visiting a site on an iPad won’t even give you the web app; it’ll just direct you to the App Store. Make sure you use your browser’s “Request Desktop Version” feature to get the most laptop-like experience on any web app you use.

If all else fails, use your iPad as a second monitor

Let’s be honest: The iPad can’t do everything (as much as Apple might want you to think so). For some tasks, you’ll have to suck it up and use a real computer for maximum efficiency. But that doesn’t mean your iPad becomes useless. In fact, with a simple app and a Lightning cable, you can turn your iPad into a second monitor for your laptop or desktop.

Duet Display costs $10 and is well worth the price if you want to add some screen real estate to your laptop. Just buy it on your iPad, download the companion program to your Windows PC or Mac, and start both up. Plug your iPad into your laptop using a Lightning cable, and it should automatically detect your PC and extend the display for you. You may need to adjust Duet Display’s settings on your computer for the best-looking results.

Images: zhengzaishuru via Getty Images (Tentacles); Richard Lai / Engadget (iPad as display)