US lawmakers question FBI’s decision to sue Apple in 2016

After the 2015 San Bernardino shooting, the FBI sued Apple to forcibly unlock the suspect’s iPhone, asserting that the agency had exhausted all options before taking legal action. In the event, the bureau ended up reportedly paying an external vendor to break into the device. But last month, the Department of Justice poked holes in that justification with a report stating the FBI didn’t do everything it could before bringing Apple to court. Today a bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a fact-finding letter to the agency’s director Christopher Wray questioning whether the FBI could indeed have taken other action before the lawsuit.

Ten members of the House of Representatives, split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, sent the letter. To them, the DOJ’s report undermines the FBI’s statements that only Apple could have opened up the phone — and that they didn’t investigate all technical options “”precisely because they wanted the suit against Apple to go forward,” according to Reuters.

Apple famously resisted the FBI’s attempts at coercing them into breaking into the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, and since then, we’ve learned that the agency has tried and failed to break into around 7,800 devices due to encryption, which Wray has called a ‘major public safety issue.’ But rising awareness of supposed phone-unlocking third-party tools from firms like Cellebrite and GrayShift have undermined the FBI’s story. Lawmakers want to know if the bureau has consulted with these vendors, and if not, why their solutions aren’t suitable.

Finally, the legislators want to know if the bureau is erroneously trying to break into devices when they could just get it from a cloud-based Internet service. After all, this is how the agency got information from the 2017 Texas shooter’s iPhone after serving Apple with a warrant for data on his iCloud account.

Via: Apple Insider

Source: Reuters

Amazon Fire Tablet 7 vs. Fire Tablet Kids Edition: Which should you buy?

You want to get your youngsters an Amazon Fire Tablet, but which version is right for you?

The Amazon Fire Tablet 7 is a great buy at $50 (Prime members can save $15 right now, however), especially for the kids. It’s capable enough to keep them entertained while not costing enough to pull your hair out if it gets accidentally destroyed. You can also get all the (non-Google) major content services on there as well as a dedicated kids mode to keep those little fingers from buying a new laptop on your Amazon account.

But when you go to buy, there’s both a “regular” 7-inch and a Kids Edition, which now also has an 8-inch version. Underneath, they’re both regular Amazon Fire tablets. So what’s the difference, and which one should you buy?

Let’s break it down.

What’s the difference?

When you spend $50 on the standard Fire Tablet what you get is the 8GB model with special offers, meaning ads on the lock screen. And that’s it. No case or added extras, just the basic tablet and a charger in a choice of your preferred color.

When you buy the Kids Edition, it costs more at $100 (though Prime members can currently save $25 on that), but with that, you get the 16GB tablet, also with a roughy-toughy kid-proof case to keep it nice and safe during those inevitable falls. Amazon also throws in a “no questions asked” two-year warranty, so if the worst does happen, you just send it back and get a new one. The Kids Edition also comes with unlimited, free access to 10,000 kid-friendly books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, and games with one year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited included.

For an additional $30, you can get the Fire 8 Kids Edition which comes with 32GB of internal storage and a better-looking display.

Value added

The biggest thing to consider when thinking about getting the Kids Edition is the value-added inclusions Amazon gives you. The case itself retails for around $25 if you buy it separately, the 16GB 7-inch tablet costs $70 and then there’s the FreeTime Unlimited subscription on top.

If you buy the basic $50 Fire Tablet you’ll have to pay extra for each of these, and you won’t get a two-year warranty, either. Likewise if you get the basic Fire 8, which starts at $80. You get the same value-add for less than the cost of buying everything separately.

Different cases

You don’t just have to get Amazon’s case to protect a Fire Tablet from the kids. The FreeTime is no doubt a tremendous case that’s friendly to small hands while still allowing easy access to all the ports and buttons.

There are a number of cases available at various prices though that will do just as good a job. So you can protect a Fire Tablet and give it to your little ones if it’s not just for them.

It’s not inconceivable you might want to use it yourself from time to time!

The best kid-proof cases for the Amazon Fire Tablet

So which should I buy?

If you’re purely buying a tablet for your kids, spend the extra and get the Kids Edition. It’s worth the investment, not least for that worry-free two-year warranty. But it’s a single purchase that comes 100% child-equipped, with that tough-as-hell case and the included one-year subscription to kids content. And if you can stretch to the extra for the Fire 8, that’s the one to get. It’s well worth the extra $30.

You can provide the same experience by buying a regular Fire Tablet at $50. But you should probably only get one of those if you’re going to be buying for an older child/teenager or it’s going to be used by yourself a decent amount of the time. If that sounds more like your scenario, then this option is for you. Buy a more grown-up case and slap in a microSD card and use it as a grown-up would!

See at Amazon

Updated April 13, 2018: This post has been refreshed to ensure you still have the latest details on both versions of the Amazon Fire Tablet.

Russia is banning access to Telegram

Users can still access the app by using a VPN.

Telegram, one of the world’s most popular messaging apps, has been banned in Russia. Telegram was ordered to hand over its encryption keys to the Russian government late last month, and this ban is the country’s answer to Telegram declining to do so.

The order was filed by Roskomnadzor (AKA The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media) and was approved by Russia’s court on April 13. Speaking to TASS News, Judge Yulia Smolina said –

The court decided to meet the requirements of Roskomnadzor, impose restrictions on access to Telegram messenger and stop providing technical conditions for the exchange of messages.

Pavel Durov, Telegram’s Founder and CEO, says that its users in Russia will still be able to use the app thanks to “built-in systems”, but the use of a VPN will likely be required for full access. There’s no exact date as to when the ban will go into effect, but Roskomnadzor has already added the app to its official list of banned websites.

Speaking on behalf of the company, Telegram’s lawyer, Pavel Chikov, stated –

They [the Russian governemnt] have demonstrated again and again that the court system is devoted to serving the interests of the authorities. They no longer even care about external appearances.

Telegram’s battle with the Russian government initially began in 2017 when it first decided to not provide access to its encryption keys for users’ messages, but the Federal Security Service has been on the messaging service ever since.

Download: Telegram (free)

Some Android OEMs discovered to be lying about security patches [Update]

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

Update, April 13: Google has given the following statement to the Verge:

We would like to thank Karsten Nohl and Jakob Kell for their continued efforts to reinforce the security of the Android ecosystem. We’re working with them to improve their detection mechanisms to account for situations where a device uses an alternate security update instead of the Google suggested security update. Security updates are one of many layers used to protect Android devices and users. Built-in platform protections, such as application sandboxing, and security services, such as Google Play Protect, are just as important. These layers of security—combined with the tremendous diversity of the Android ecosystem—contribute to the researchers’ conclusions that remote exploitation of Android devices remains challenging.

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.

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.

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

Best Cases for Samsung Galaxy S9+

Pump, pump, pump it up!

The Galaxy S9+ is a stunning slab of metal and glass. But that stunning slab quickly turns to a sorry slab the moment you drop it onto the ground. As hard as it may be to hide that nice design, a case is almost a requirement with these phones.

If you’re looking for a case for your Samsung Galaxy S9+, look no further! If you’re looking for a case for the smaller Galaxy S9, check out our list of those.

• Samsung Alcantara Cover
• HOVED Slim Fit
• Besiva Ultra Slim
• Maxboost Wallet Case
• Spigen Neo Hybrid Herringbone
• SUPCASE Full-Body Rugged Holster case
• Trianium Clarium Clear Hybrid

Samsung Alcantara Cover

If you want to stick to first-party options, Samsung has you — and your phone — covered. Samsung’s Alcantara cover is on the spendy side, but with good reason: it’s cut precisely for your phone, and the Alcantara will feel luxurious in your hands. You get easy ample cutouts for the cameras, flash, fingerprint sensor and other ports. There are also covers for the power, volume and Bixby buttons so you don’t have to dig your finger in to activate your favorite voice assistant.

At $50, Samsung’s Alcantara case is by far the most expensive choice on our list. Having said that, you’ll get a case that protects your phone and is super comfortable to hold. The Samsung Alcantara Cover is available in black, blue, and red.

See at Amazon

HOVED Slim Fit

Sometimes, you just need a bit of extra grip for your phone. One case that does just that is HOVED’s slim fit case. You get the bare minimum amount of protection, but it’ll still be better than leaving your phone naked. Also, the extra bit of grip may be the difference between having a firm hold on your phone and it slipping out of your hands. HOVED’s slim fit case still offers easy access to all the phone’s ports, as well as precise cutouts for the cameras, flash and fingerprint sensor. Again, the buttons are covered so you don’t need to dig your finger down into the case itself.

All in all, HOVED’s slim fit case is perfect for those that don’t want much bulk but still want a bit of protection. At $12, it’s a worthwhile investment for your phone. The HOVED Slim Fit case is only available in black at the time of writing.

See at Amazon

Besiva Ultra Slim Cover Case

I’m not sure this case actually qualifies as “ultra slim,” but it’s a solid choice nonetheless. You get a super rugged case that can handle plenty of drops and tumbles, but you also get an integrated Spigen-esque metal ring on the back. But wait, we’re not done yet! Inside that metal ring is a magnet, making this the perfect companion for a magnetic car mount. One downside is the lack of a front lip, meaning you’ll also want to invest in a screen protector. Also, it’s likely the metal ring will interfere with wireless charging.

The Besiva Ultra Slim Cover Case is available in black for $10.

See at Amazon

Maxboost Wallet Case

Wallet cases are a great way to consolidate all the things in your pockets, and Maxboost has a wallet case just for the S9+. You get three slots for cards and IDs — there’s no ID card window, unfortunately — and you can prop the case on itself to create a phone stand. There’s also a small pouch for paper currency, and a magnetic flap to keep it all together. Because the S9+ has its volume buttons on the left side, you’ll need to open the case to crank your music up. That’s unfortunate, but it’ll be true of any wallet case for the S9 series.

At $13, the Maxboost Wallet Case is a low-cost way to declutter your pockets and protect your phone. At the time of writing, it is only available in black leather.

See at Amazon

Spigen Neo Hybrid Herringbone

Spigen has been making phone cases since dinosaurs roamed the earth, and they have a good variety of styles to protect your phone. One of the more unique styles is their Neo Hybrid line with Herringone pattern. You can protect your phone, while also matching styles with your necktie. The case comes in two parts: a TPU layer that hugs your phone, and a hard plastic bumper frame for extra protection. Spigen highlights that the case still allows for Qi wireless charging, which is something thicker cases may interfere with.

The Spigen Neo Hybrid Herringbone case is available in a variety of colors for between $15 and $17. If the Herringbone style doesn’t strike your fancy, Spigen has plenty of other cases for the S9+.

See at Amazon

SUPCASE Full-Body Rugged Holster case

Another great option if you toss your phone around a lot is SUPCASE’s Rugged Holster case. You don’t have to use the included holster, but the option is there. There is a generous lip around the front of the phone, helping protect the screen from getting cracked. There are flaps over the charging and audio ports, helping protect your phone’s insides from dirt and dust. And while the case is thick, you’ll still be able to use wireless charging.

The SUPCASE Full-Body Rugged Holster case is available in black, blue, pink, and white for $23.

See at Amazon

Trianium Clarium Clear case

All of the other cases hide the design of the phone. If you bought one of the exotic colors the phone is available in, you’ll want to show off that design. A clear case is perfect to give you more grip on the phone, protect the phone when your grip fails, and still show off those crazy colors. Trianium makes an excellent clear case that does just that. There isn’t much front protection, but it is compatible with most screen protectors. You get easy access to the ports, fingerprint sensor, and buttons, and since it’s a thin case wireless charging will work without issue.

The Trianium Clarium Clear case is available for $9. There’s also a black tinted version available for $10.

See at Amazon

What say you?

Which case are you using on your Galaxy S9+? Let us know down below!

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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Today’s best deals you won’t want to miss

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

Today you can get big discounts on portable hard drives, the Apple MacBook, USB-C monitors, and more! Don’t pass these up.

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If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!

Is this Android P’s gesture-based navigation bar?

Home, Back, and Recents are replaced with a single pill.

Android P’s first developer preview has been out in the wild since early March, and it’s offered a nice glimpse into what the future of Google’s mobile OS has to offer. Thanks to a screenshot shared on the Android Developers Blog, we might now have our first look at Android P’s new navigation bar.

First spotted by 9to5Google, elements like the clock on the left and rounded corners for the pop-up box confirm that the screenshot was taken on a device running Android P. These are things we’ve seen before, but at the very bottom, we see an all-new navigation bar design.

Instead of the traditional Back, Home, and Recents buttons, there’s a pill-shaped icon where the circular Home button usually is and a Back button next to it with the old, un-filled Lollipop/Marshmallow design.

Although nothing’s been confirmed, the design of the nav bar suggests that Google may be trying to mimic Apple and introduce a gesture-based navigation system to Android. 9to5Google further reports that swiping up from the bottom brings up the multitasking page and the back button is only revealed when there’s something overlayed on the screen that can be dismissed.

Google quickly cropped the screenshot to hide the navigation bar, and to put even more fuel on this fire, the pill icon looks awfully similar to leaks of the Moto X5 and Moto Z3/Z3 Play from earlier this year.

Could this be our first look at Google’s new direction for Android’s navigation? Perhaps. But on that same note, this could also be nothing more than a mockup that someone added to the screenshot just for the heck of it. Google I/O will begin in just over two weeks, so I suppose we’ll learn more then if this turns out to be legit.

What are your thoughts on a gesture-based navigation system for Android?

Android P first impressions: Everything’s going to be okay

God of War for PlayStation 4: Everything you need to know!

Goodbye Blades of Chaos, hello whatever sharp thing is lying around.

In 2013, Sony Santa Monica decided to put Kratos, one of PlayStation’s most iconic characters, to bed so they could focus on crafting other games. With a trilogy and a handful of spin-offs starring the vengeful greek god completed and a shift in a focus on mature story driven games, Sony retired the God of War series for five years.

After assessing the series, Sony Santa Monica found a way to revive the series in a new and exciting way while sticking to Sony’s formula. Now, Kratos is set to return in a completely new way next month in a “reimagining” of the series which will be titled simply God of War.

Pre-order on Amazon

Reviews are in: One of the best games of this generation

God of War is being hailed by critics as an instant classic and one of the greatest games we’ve seen this generation. The PS4 exclusive has managed to bring in numerous perfect scores, plenty of 9/10s, and lots of very, very kind words regarding the game’s thoughtful plot, beautiful performances, and engaging gameplay. You can read some excerpts of reviews from key outlets below.

Polygon, 10/10

“God of War is, in a single word, holistic. Every aspect is excellent on its own, but more importantly, it all serves and accentuates the larger vision.

A decade ago, director Cory Barlog helped establish the God of War franchise as an iconic gory and debaucherous video game romp. While its antihero, Kratos, had pathos (he killed his wife and daughter in a fit of rage, his skin forever grayed by their ashes), it served little dramatic purpose, rather existing as a grimdark excuse for his god-slaying and orgy-having ways. Barlog — now older, a father — has returned to the series with a bundle of talented designers, many of whom served on the earlier games, to make good on that rich but neglected potential at its core. There’s still plenty of gore, but the now the guts have meatiness.

Some die-hard fans may fear this isn’t really God of War. I suppose they’re right. It’s even better.”

IGN, 10/10

“I expected great action from God of War, and it delivers that handily. But I didn’t expect it to be a thrilling journey in which every aspect of it complements the others to form what is nothing short of a masterpiece. It’s a game in which Kratos, a previously one-note character, becomes a complex father, warrior, and monster, embattled both on the field and within his own heart about how to treat his son; one in which the world opens up and shifts, offering rewards in both gameplay and knowledge of its lore that I treasured with each accomplishment. The obvious care that went into crafting its world, characters, and gameplay delivers by far the most stirring and memorable game in the series.”

Destructoid, 10/10

“God of War is a different game for a new era of the medium. While I’m a sucker for more frantic arcadey action there are plenty of studios left carrying on that legacy. Unless something catastrophic happens to Sony Santa Monica, there’s more story to tell, and I hope the exact same team is able to tell it.”

The Guardian, 5/5

“God of War is a story about what it means to be a god – traversing realms, killing mythical monsters, exerting power, exploring the boundaries of possibility – but also about what it means to be a man. Power and masculinity are intertwined, and Kratos’s desire to protect his son from the realities of both is unexpectedly touching. Atreus is far from the irritating sidekick he might have been, complementing Kratos’s gruff and humourless dialogue with quips and endearing observations, turning his father’s intense seriousness and inability to find humour in anything into a running joke. Their dynamic changes shape more than once over the course of the story, and their relationship involves a lot more demon blood and magical artifacts than the typical parent-child relationship, but Kratos is still a distant, emotionally remote father trying clumsily to reach out to a son who feels unwanted.

It is rare to play a game so accomplished in everything it sets out to do. God of War is a standard-setter both technologically and narratively. It is a game that, until recently, would have been impossible.”

USGamer, 5/5

“This is how you do a reboot. After Kratos lost his way, Sony Santa Monica has set the God of War on a new path. A more measured, nuanced character, a great supporting cast, an excellent combat system, and some of the best graphics in a PlayStation 4 game to-date, add up to a winner.”

GamesRadar, 5/5

“Realistically, however, I don’t think it’s possible to overstate just how good God of War is; how well realised its world, how nuanced and layered its characters and storytelling. The depth and craft of its combat, puzzles and almost every system it has sparkles and shines with an indulgence and luxury that regularly stopped me in my tracks to drink it all in. Whether breathless and bloody in the aftermath of an axe-hacked victory, or watching Kratos and his son Atreus share a genuinely human moment, this is a level of game making that doesn’t happen often. The final question really isn’t about where it sits in any game of the year discussions, but rather its place in eventual game of the generation talks”

Game Informer, 9.75/10

“Years ago, Kratos killed the deities of Mount Olympus in a gory rampage. Now, in the Norse realm, he has remade himself into a different kind of god. He is quieter and more deliberate, affected by his history but not constrained by it. Kratos’ reinvention serves as a narrative hook, but it also parallels the series’ evolution as a whole; where God of War once relied on bombast and bloodlust, now it leaves space for strategy and nuance. It still has superb action and plenty of jaw-dropping moments, but it supports them with a new level of depth and maturity. God of War learns from its past while clearing an exciting path for the future, and emerges as one of the best games of this generation.”

GameSpot, 9/10

“In many ways God of War is what the series has always been. It’s a spectacular action game with epic set pieces, big-budget production values, and hard-hitting combat that grows more feverish and impressive as you progress. What may surprise you is how mature its storytelling has become. Like Kratos, God of War recalls the past while acknowledging the need to improve. Everything new it does is for the better, and everything it holds onto benefits as a result. Kratos is no longer a predictable brute. God of War is no longer an old-fashioned action series. With this reboot, it confidently walks a new path that will hopefully lead to more exciting adventures to come.”

VentureBeat, 9/10

“This new God of War takes a lot of risks. It trades blind rage and revenge for a story about a troubled father/son relationship. It ditches fast, combo-based violence for something more methodical. It’s a departure from everything that once was God of War.

But almost all of these risks pay off. God of War is an exhilarating, beautiful action game that turns one of PlayStation’s biggest icons into a character you can care about.”

A man running from his past in new and unfamiliar territory

God of War’s story is mostly being kept a secret but what we do know so far sounds like a new, compelling take on Kratos’ life. Set an unknown amount of years after God of War 3, Kratos has fled Greece to Norway in a time before Vikings, a time where the gods that Vikings worship walk the Earth.

Players will control a more mature Kratos, one that has both changed physically and mentally. Kratos has remained in peak physical shape but has grown a bushy beard and the ashes of his fallen family that have been basically tattooed to him are starting to fade. While he is known for his almost uncontrollable rage, Kratos has chosen to settle down with a family and hide from his past.

Kratos will make a strong effort to contain his rage to help teach his son how to survive in the harsh world.

After his wife passes away, he and his son, Atreus, recognize her last wish of having her ashes spread across the land and they set out on a dangerous adventure where they grow closer as father and son. Over the course of the game, Kratos will make a strong effort to contain his rage to help teach his son how to survive in the harsh world that awaits them and Atreus will learn more about his father’s complicated past.

With the Norse mythology setting, Kratos and Atreus will encounter Norse gods who have taken precautions to protect themselves from Kratos as they’re aware of his involvement in the destruction of Olympus. Sony Santa Monica has stayed tight lipped on which specific Norse gods will make appearances but many have been speculating the likes of Loki and Thor. Other characters and elements of Norse mythology have been spotted in trailers and marketing material such as the beheaded Mímir.

Additionally, players will battle monsters like trolls, what appear to be ogres, and potentially even dragons which can be seen lurking in the background of the reveal trailer.

Slower but still brutal gameplay

God of War is well-known for its violent, fast-paced gameplay which sees Kratos thrashing around blades and chains to slice large groups of baddies to shreds. With the new God of War, players will notice a much more grounded approach to the combat in the game. Gone are the days of 100+ hit combos, Kratos’ attacks aren’t as fast anymore but he’s still as brutal and relentless as before. God of War director Cory Barlog noted that they wanted players to think about how they fight, almost like a Dark Souls approach to combat but in a way that is accessible to everyone. It’s a bit slower and more methodical when compared to the trilogy that came before.

While the game is completely single-player, you can issue commands to Atreus who will shoot arrows and act as a distraction for some enemies.

At the end of God of War 3, Kratos lost his iconic weapons and has now had to settle for a magical axe. Players can infuse the axe with different abilities to enhance the axe in a variety of different ways. The axe can also be thrown to pin enemies against surfaces, damage them normally, hit environmental objects like explosive containers, and even stun larger enemies by hitting key weak points on their body. Instead of having to pick up the axe by walking over to it, Kratos can call it back to him like Thor’s hammer.

Kratos also has a meter that builds over time that allows him to unleash all of his rage and become extra deadly with more powerful attacks. While the game is completely single-player and Kratos is the only playable character, you can issue commands to Atreus who will shoot arrows and act as a distraction for some enemies.

As with almost every other game today, God of War has adapted a crafting system for new armor, weapon upgrades, and more. Players will also be given XP to level themselves up for new skills, this also applies to Atreus who has his own unique abilities and upgrades.

A world filled with secrets and hidden dangers

With a new story, setting, and approach to gameplay, Sony Santa Monica decided to change up the level design this time around. While the series has been fairly linear in the past, God of War is opening up its new world. Sony Santa Monica has been clear that the game is NOT open world but you go off the beaten path to find secrets like chests and even optional boss encounters.

It’s not entirely clear how many optional bosses there are or how rewarding they are but if you’re one of those gamers who loves to peak around every corner and squeeze through every crevice, God of War is right up your alley.

All the ways to buy God of War

If all of this sounds great and you’re really excited to play God of War, you can snag a copy wherever games are sold for $59.99 on April 20th, 2018. Remember the game is exclusively available on PlayStation 4 so if you don’t have a PS4, you can get the limited edition God of War PS4 Pro which includes a custom console and controller, a 1TB hard drive, and of course, a physical copy of God of War with some extra digital content. You can pick this up from retailers like GameStop, Walmart, and Amazon for $399.99.

Pre-order on Amazon

If you’re looking to go the extra mile and drop a few extra bucks to have some additional goodies, there are plenty of options. Starting at the cheapest option (excluding the standard edition), those who like to get their games digitally can pick up the Digital Deluxe Edition which includes a handful of digital items including the following:
– God of War Digital Full Game
– God of War Digital Mini Artbook by Dark Horse Comics
– God of War PS4™ Dynamic Theme
– “Exile’s Guardian” Shield Skin
– God of War Digital Comic – Issue 0 by Dark Horse Comics
– “Death’s Vow” Armor for Kratos
– “Death’s Vow” Armor for Atreus

The Digital Deluxe edition will set you back $69.99 and is available directly from the PlayStation 4 Store. For those who like big statues and other physical items, you have two options: The Collector’s Edition and the Stone Mason;s Edition.

For $129.99, you can grab the Collector’s Edition which includes slightly less stuff than the Stone Mason’s Edition but if all you care about is the statue then this is the cheapest option. The Collector’s Edition includes the following:
– Full Game
– 9″ Kratos & Atreus Statue by Gentle Giant
– Limited Steelbook Case
– 2″ Huldra Brothers Carvings
– Exclusive Lithograph
– Cloth Map
– Digital Contents Include:
– Defender of the Chosen Shield
– Death’s Vow Armor Set
– Exile’s Guardian Shield
– God of War Digital Comic #0 by Dark Horse
– God of War Digital Mini Artbook by Dark Horse
– Dynamic Theme

Pre-order on Amazon

For $149.99, you can get the Stone Mason’s Edition which includes everything in the Collector’s Edition and the three physical items seen below:
– Stone Mason’s Ring
– Mimir’s Head Talking Keychain
– 2″ Horse and Troll Carvings

Pre-order at Amazon

God of War releases for PlayStation 4 on April 20th, 2018.

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• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

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Is Apple’s HomePod failing?

A report from Bloomberg earlier this week claimed that Apple’s HomePod isn’t doing so well, and that the company cut orders for new hardware from suppliers. This might not shock some of you: Apple missed the all-important holiday buying season and is competing with less expensive hardware from Google, Sonos and Amazon. But is the first smart speaker with Siri already a failure, or does the HomePod simply need time to find its place?

Daniel Cooper
Senior Editor

(Has a Google Home Mini, Sony HT-CT80 home theater system and a Soundfreaq Sound Platform 2 speaker.)

I’m not in any way surprised that the HomePod has fizzled, simply because it’s a weird product with a very weird proposition. I seriously considered buying it in the run-up to its launch, but ultimately couldn’t find a strong enough reason to plunk down $350.

Mat Smith
Bureau Chief, UK

(Has an Apple HomePod and Google Home; uses his TV’s built-in speakers.)

Apple’s sales pitch was pretty brief: This is a fantastic-sounding speaker and it works with your iPhone and with Siri, a little. That’s it. I have been using the HomePod since it launched — and have never extensively listened to a speaker that sounds this good. (I’m already looking forward to readers’ thoughts on this, but suffice to say I’m not alone in praising the HomePod in this regard.)

Dan: Yeah, but if I’m spending that much on a product, I don’t want to use it with one hand tied behind my back, so to speak. Especially in a world where Google and Amazon are regularly pushing the limits of what’s possible with smart speakers. Which is a shame, as you say, Mat, because many audiophiles say the HomePod outclasses hardware twice the price. But, unfortunately, quality alone doesn’t make something a must-purchase, no matter how much it’ll shame your friends with thousand-dollar Sonos setups.

Mat: I have a Google Home speaker, and it can do so much more, voice assistant-wise, than the HomePod. I’ve talked before about how much I prefer Google Assistant over Amazon’s Alexa, and while this hasn’t changed, both of these rivals are selling cheaper smart speakers that are more capable, even if they don’t sound nearly as good as Apple’s new speaker. All the problems Chris mentioned in his review are major ones that need addressing.

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Dan: For me, it’s Apple’s refusal to compromise on the practical things that kills any reason for me to buy the HomePod, despite being a fully paid-up Apple fanboy. I’d love, for instance, to use the HomePod with Spotify like I do with the Google Home Mini. Or, even better, use an optical-in connection to connect it to my TV and use it as my home’s primary speaker. The same product with one tiny concession to the real world would be a much more popular product, for sure. And don’t get me started on the lack of Bluetooth. You can argue that even with AptX it’s lower quality audio, but its omission is a raised middle finger to everyone.

Mat: Yeah, why no Bluetooth? I consider that the wireless version of dismissing the 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone. It has Bluetooth 5.0 in there somewhere, and it’s not as if space is at a huge premium when it comes to a plug-speaker that sits on your shelf. (Don’t forget the coaster.) It’s makes other speaker systems and soundbars a smarter purchase, and if the HomePod worked with my TV, PS4 and PC, I would buy a second one for that long-promised stereo functionality. I’m optimistic that Apple will deliver enough in terms of software, both in regard to Siri and compatibility. It needs it soon, though.

Dan: Let’s talk about the fact that you’re now locked into that ecosystem, so if something happens to Apple’s music business in the future, you’re screwed. The trick to not getting burned is to never, ever, fully commit to anything if you don’t have an escape plan.

Mat: Who hurt you, Dan? Yes, I have to use Apple Music on the HomePod, but there’s always AirPlay. Worst case scenario: I can play Spotify on the HomePod — I just need to do it through an iPhone or MacBook. Apple loaned me a speaker at a time when I was weighing up Spotify and Apple Music. I was halfway through my free trial with the latter, and was already being charmed away from almost five years of Spotify use.

Dan: Hah, who hurt me? I mean, how many times has Taylor Swift pulled her catalog of music from a streaming service? (Okay, once, but the point still stands: If TayTay quit Apple Music tomorrow, you’d be left with a very expensive speaker that just lost half its utility for your favorite singer.) As someone who similarly dithered, I’m curious as to why you decided to go with Apple.

Mat: Broader music choice was the main decider. I have a Japanese music itch that needs scratching occasionally, and Apple Music does a better job than Spotify. Also, the recommendations and curation on Apple is superior, at least to me. Spotify is great when you know what you’re looking for — and it stocks it. Apple is introducing me to (gasp) new music. Or really old hits from 1952, and I have no complaints about that. Now we’re debating Apple Music, rather than the HomePod.

Dan: It’s natural, really, to talk about Apple Music as being hand-in-glove with HomePod because one doesn’t really work without the other. It relegates a $350 speaker into being little more than a gussied-up accessory for a music streaming service. I’ve got my own personal beef with Siri anyway, which is that she barely understands a word I say when I use it on the iPhone. And, I’m sure you will attest to this, I have a clear, fairly region-less British accent that should make me the ideal Siri user. But this constant failure is a key reason that I’d steer clear of the HomePod: There’s no point owning a Siri speaker if the voice assistant itself is crap. I do, however, remain hopeful that the recruitment of John Giannandrea from Google will fix this.

Mat: Like I’ve lauded Apple Music for, Siri is pretty on-point with playlists to match my vague requests of chill, or high energy playlists. Also worth noting, Dan, that due to the six embedded mics, the HomePod is much better at picking up your Siri demands than the iPhone, and works two walls away from my kitchen to my lounge. And yes, you do have a very clear accent.

(Dan: Thank you.)

Mat: Now, having relatively praised it, Siri needs much more work if Apple wants it compared with Google and Amazon’s voice assistants — especially when early adopters are heavily scrutinizing the smart speaker options out there. This lukewarm start shouldn’t be taken as a sign of utter failure, though. We saw similar reports in the nascent days of the Apple Watch: It wasn’t selling at the grand scale of iPhones, it was a flop, etc. But the Apple Watch is still here, shaping itself into something pretty different to what first appeared in late 2014.

Dan: I completely agree with you that nobody at Apple is going to be losing sleep over the HomePod’s current sales. Much like the Watch and, to a lesser extent, the TV, will tick along selling a million or so units a quarter until many own one, almost without realizing it. And as Apple Music grows its audience, so will the number of people who want the HomePod.

Mat: So it’s the long game. And that’s fine for people who will buy the HomePod in 2019, but I can see how the sluggishness will put off current owners and prospective buyers. The launch was delayed; Siri is still weak and I’m still waiting for (at least the temptation of) stereo HomePods. Having said that, my obscure Final Fantasy acoustic soundtracks and early-2000s pop have never sound better.

Dan: I’m not gonna comment on the Final Fantasy point, but it’s clear that the HomePod has crawled out of the gate rather than sprinted. If you’re spending $350 on a piece of home audio gear, you’re expecting a certain level of quality, especially from Apple. And yet in many respects it’s still a half-finished product that lacks the basic functionality found in rival devices. And that means that the sales pitch goes from “a fantastic sounding speaker that works with your iPhone” to “Well, it sounds great, but…”.

‘Floor Kids’ is Kid Koala’s video game tribute to breakdancing

Kid Koala is not a game developer. Born Eric San, the Canadian DJ and turntablist has been spinning records and making beats since he was 12. Over the past three decades, he’s DJ’d breakdancing battles and worked with legends of the electronic music scene like Amon Tobin. He’s also scored films, written graphic novels and even collaborated with Mike Patton of Faith No More and Dan the Automator on an album of “love” songs. But he is not a game developer. Like many, he grew up playing Super Mario Bros., and back then if you’d told him one day he’d work with Nintendo, he’d never have believed you.

His latest project is Floor Kids, a rhythm game that’s a celebration of breakdancing culture. It’s something he worked on, one way or another, for over ten years. The game was released last December for Nintendo Switch as part of the company’s “Nindies” program. When San and creative partner Jonathan “JonJon” Ng were first approached by Nintendo, neither had any idea what a Switch was, but agreed anyway. “Nintendo was like some company from outer space that created this awesome game,” he said. “It was a no-brainer for me.” Now, the game is coming to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One very soon.

Floor Kids started life over a decade ago when San and Ng were working at Canada’s National Film Board. San had just released Your Mom’s Favourite DJ, and Ng was animating a short film about a kid with Asthma. Ng had been a breakdancer off and on for awhile, but it took until 2004 for him to form a regular crew and start practicing weekly. He’d spend his days animating, then go home and dance and to wind down from that; he’d sketch breakdance animations. He doesn’t consider himself a professional dancer, but said that he’ll “definitely get down and help get the party started.” During crunch, the stressful final stage of game development, Ng would breakdance in the studio to relieve muscle pains from drawing.

He was familiar with Kid Koala thanks to breakdancing, and one day showed up at San’s house with a stack of animation paper. On it were a couple of kids having a breakdancing battle, bouncing around from page to page. San recalled nodding his head to the silent beat the kids were dancing to as Ng flipped through the paper. Ng said that his drawing rhythm could’ve influenced what he’d shown San, or it could’ve been the way he was fluttering the pages.

As you can see in the short above, the characters’ moves have subtle differences and styles. Ng’s animations are driven by an acute knowledge of the physics of the dance moves and how they link from step to step. His understanding of the nuance and different styles enabled him to break each windmill or head-spin down into individual frames of animation. “He literally knows the rotations, the gravitational torque on all the spins just because he’s done the moves himself,” San said. “I realized I was dealing with a bit of a savant,” he added, laughing.

After that, the pair began collaborating, with San providing foley work and music for Ng’s short films, even taking the animations on tour to serve as visuals during his concerts. The pair knew that their project had potential, but weren’t sure what to do with it. Five years ago, San took to Twitter to in his words, “cold call” some local game developers and see if they’d want to talk.

Mike Wozniewski is the founder of Hololabs, a development studio in British Columbia, Canada. Ng and San met with him in 2013, and he was the first developer who didn’t mention changing Floor Kids’ expressive art style. “[Hololabs] stepped up to the plate and really wanted to do it exactly how it was in the old videos,” Ng said. Other programmers wanted a “super digital” aesthetic that’d be easier to code. That wasn’t something Ng wanted because it’d take away the spirit of how he works.

“In my animation career, a lot of times that roughness, that sketchiness, gets cut at a certain part of the process,” he said. He continued the clean versions don’t look as good as they did prior, “but this is what you’re told is going to sell the product better.”

Ng has set up shop at break competitions before, using a marker to draw the winner, Floor Kids style. Then he’d give it to them on the spot. “Because I understand the dance as a language, I know their best moves, and I’ll make sure it’s one of the most memorable moments from the battle.”

Floor Kids: The Video Game’s animation and art aren’t perfect because they were never supposed to be. Everything has a bit of a rough, penciled look like it was ripped out of a sketchbook — not a Disney animation cel. Even when you’re glancing at screenshots, everything feels like it’s in motion. Ng attributes that to his manner of pencil and brush strokes. He said that the speed with which you put a line on a page is the speed the eye traces the drawing. “If you’re really hesitant and feathery, and take a really long time, your eye might take a really long time,” he said. “If you do stuff really loose and fast and sketchy, your eyes tend to move that way too.”

You can’t talk about Floor Kids without mentioning the tunes. San wrote a double album’s worth of music for the game and handled all the sound production. The main menu music is what it is because Wozniewski and Hololabs told San they needed something that loaded quickly and looped well. By having the menu select sounds in the key of the backing track, simply bouncing from one option to the next sounds like you’re making music.

From there, you can swap over to the Break Deck to check out the available moves and combos. Each character has a set of cards, and each time you move between cards, a scratch sound is triggered, and the main menu music never stops playing. During the recording process, San would make a song and press it to vinyl on the record cutter in his studio. He did this with the menu beat too, and recorded a scratch session with the freshly pressed record and exported the scratches into Pro Tools. He split the solo into some 300 different pieces. “You can just go in there and pretend you’re Kid Koala,” Ng said.

The initial intent was to make sure sounds didn’t get stale as you moved through the different combo lists, but what happened was the team ended up creating a sort of virtual instrument. “When [Hololabs] showed me it in action, it was really funny because I said, ‘Wow, I could take my Switch and plug it into a PA system, throw a beat on and probably learn how to do a set.’” In my time with Floor Kids, I’ve probably spent as much time scratching around the Break Deck as I have actually playing the game.

As for the music itself, the soundtrack is an exploration of early B-boy anthems through the electro era and ’90s. The unifying aspect is that, like the visual style, the music is scratchy and imperfect. “It didn’t make sense for me to say, ‘OK, I’m gonna gridlock all the sequencing and everything’s gonna be perfectly quantized and this and that,’” San said.

He recently got the test pressings of the soundtrack’s vinyl edition and set them on his decks at home. “I was having a ball just live looping and stuff like you would if you were DJing a break battle,” he said. “I feel like, from that, it’s like, ‘OK, at least I got that part right.’”

He’s so proud of the music that he’s taking it on tour, treating it like a traditional record. Kid Koala’s Vinyl Vaudeville will hit 18 cities across Canada and the US and will feature demo kiosks for the game so attendees can battle each other. San has fans who’d never buy a game console, and they more or less demanded he put it on wax, so taking the music on the road was the logical conclusion point. To that extent, so is porting the game to every modern platform.

Floor Kids isn’t just a video game; it’s a platform for music, animation, books and who knows what else. San and Ng embrace that they aren’t game developers, and as such are comfortable letting Floor Kids go in whatever direction feels natural. The team already has ideas for add-ons for the game, though, and perhaps even a sequel. “We could keep going,” San said. “Who knows, maybe someday there will be a Floor Kids: The Diner.”

Images: Jonathan Ng (all illustrations)