Spotify voice control is coming to UE’s Alexa-powered speakers

The Alexa-powered Blast and Megablast speakers Ultimate Ears launched late last year will soon give you a way to listen to your favorite tunes on Spotify without lifting a single finger. Ultimate Ears will roll out Spotify voice control through Amazon’s voice assistant in the near future, so you can simply say “Alexa, play my Discover Weekly” or any of your music on the service. The speakers will also be the first Ultimate Ears products to support Spotify Connect, which allows you to stream music to audio devices via WiFi without having to pair through Bluetooth. It offers a much more reliable connection than Bluetooth, one that’s less susceptible to dropouts and interruptions.

Other than those two Spotify-centric features, the brand has also rolled out the ability to control the devices’ volume from within its smartphone app. Starting in May, you’ll be able to personalize sound settings for every artist or music genre with the custom equalizer, as well. Finally, you’ll have the ability to group up to eight Blast and Megablast speakers later this year. Ultimate Ears designed this line specifically for Alexa’s apps and features, so we can probably expect more Alexa-supported offerings in the future.

Apple Retail Store Logos Gain Green Leaves in Celebration of Earth Day

In celebration of Earth Day, which takes place on Sunday, April 22, Apple has started tweaking the logos of some of its retail stores with green leaf accents, in a departure from the usual uniformly white design.

Apple Orchard Road Store, Singapore (Images courtesy of Stanford Chong)
For example, Singapore’s Apple Orchard Road store has already been updated with the green logo, as Apple gears up for its annual Earth Day celebrations at multiple retail locations around the world.

In typical fashion, Apple store staff are also encouraged to wear green shirts instead of their usual blue ones to promote the event. Apple may also be planning to hold a special Earth Day celebratory event at its Cupertino headquarters, as it has done in the past.

Apple often uses Earth Day as a way to highlight its environmental efforts and reaffirm its commitment to recycling, renewable energy, and other initiatives. This year it is explicitly tying the event to its new GiveBack trade-in program, which offers customers credit and/or free recycling on old Apple devices, as well as a donation to Conservation International.

On Thursday, Apple published its environmental report outlining all of the improvements and changes that were implemented throughout 2017 and early 2018 to lessen the company’s overall environmental impact.

In addition, Apple shared details on initiatives that support its goal of making its products using only recycled or renewable materials, and introduced a new iPhone disassembly robot named Daisy – an improved version of Liam, its first disassembly robot launched in 2016.

Also on Thursday, Apple Watch owners received a notification about an Earth Day activity challenge. If previous years are anything to go by, customers can expect more Earth Day-related goings-on from Apple over the coming days.

(Thanks, Stanford!)

Tags: Apple retail, Earth Day
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Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 8 Sirocco go up for pre-order in India

HMD’s latest phones are now available for pre-order in India, with sales kicking off from April 30.

The Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 8 Sirocco were announced for the Indian market earlier this month, and both phones are now up for pre-order. Both devices will be available at retail stores, and you’ll be able to pick up the Nokia 7 Plus from Amazon India for ₹25,999 ($400) and the Nokia 8 Sirocco from Flipkart for ₹49,999 ($765).

The Nokia 7 Plus is one of the best devices in this segment today, and is the first from HMD to offer a 6.0-inch 18:9 display. The phone is also the first in the country to sport the Snapdragon 660, the first chipset in Qualcomm’s 6xx series to feature semi-custom cores. There’s also 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a hybrid SIM card slot, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi ac, an FM radio tuner, and a massive 3800mAh battery.

The dual camera at the back is one of the main highlights on the Nokia 7 Plus, with the phone setting a new standard for this segment. The design isn’t all that bad either, with both the black and white versions offering copper accents.

Nokia 7 Plus review: Come for the value, stay for the excitement

As for the Nokia 8 Sirocco, you get a 5.5-inch 16:9 QHD panel, Snapdragon 835, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, dual 12MP cameras, and a 3260mAh battery. And with HMD committing to Android One, botht the Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 8 Sirocco come with pure Android with zero bloatware and the promise of quick updates.

Both the Nokia 7 Plus and the Nokia 8 Sirocco will be available from large format retail stores across the country, with HMD mentioning that it would significantly expand its offline presence this year. As is the case with most phones, you’ll be able to get zero-cost EMIs from the likes of Bajaj FinServ and Home Credit.

As for online availability, the Nokia 7 Plus is up for pre-order on Amazon India for ₹25,999 ($400), and customers with ICICI credit and debit cards will be able to get a 10% cashback (it’ll be credited in August). Airtel customers also stand the chance to receive a ₹2,000 credit, and those picking up the phone will be able to get a 25% discount on domestic hotel bookings at MakeMyTrip.

See at Amazon India

The Nokia 8 Sirocco, meanwhile, is exclusive to Flipkart, and the same offers are available for the device as well: 10% cashback via ICICI cards, 25% discount on domestic hotels, and Airtel customers can get additional data up to 120GB. At ₹49,999 ($765), the Nokia 8 Sirocco isn’t nearly as good in terms of value for your money, considering the Galaxy S8+ is available for ₹53,900 ($825).

See at Flipkart

Are you picking up the Nokia 7 Plus or the Nokia 8 Sirocco in India? Let me know in the comments. And if you’re looking for more on the Nokia 7 Plus, check out our review from the link below:

Nokia 7 Plus review: Come for the value, stay for the excitement

FTC-mandated audit cleared Facebook’s privacy policies in 2017

When Facebook struck a deal with the Federal Trade Commission in 2011 following an investigation into its privacy practices, it was required to undergo an external audit every two years. That’s why it was a mystery how the fact that Cambridge Analytica harvested millions of users’ information remained hidden until recently. Turns out it was because the latest audit conducted in 2017 failed to detect that something was going on behind the scenes. The Electronic Privacy Information Center found a (heavily redacted) copy of the audit after submitting a Freedom of Information Act request. It reads:

“In our opinion, Facebook’s privacy controls were operating with sufficient effectiveness to provide reasonable assurance to protect the privacy of covered information and that the controls have so operated throughout the Reporting Period, in all material respects for the two years ended February 11, 2017, based upon the Facebook Privacy Program set forth in Management’s Assertion.

As described above, Facebook has identified reasonably foreseeable, material risks, both internal and external, that could result in Facebook’s unauthorized collection, use, or disclosure of covered information, and assessed the sufficiency of any safeguards in place to control these risks as required by Part IV of the [consent decree]. PwC performed test procedures to assess the effectiveness of the Facebook privacy controls implemented to meet or exceed the protections required by Part IV of the [consent decree].”

The audit covered the period from February 12th, 2015 to February 11th, 2017. Facebook first discovered that the “thisisyourdigitallife” app’s developer sold the millions of users’ info it harvested — a violation of the website’s terms — to Cambridge Analytica in late 2015. The app collected users’ info in 2014 when Facebook still allowed the practice, but the social network changed its rules to prohibit third-party applications from harvesting data within the same year.

EPIC chief Marc Rotenberg told Wired: “After Cambridge Analytica, PricewaterhouseCoopers, on behalf of Facebook, reported to the FTC that privacy compliances at Facebook were fine and there were no problems… That’s extraordinary! That’s, ‘How could that have happened?’ stuff.”

As Wired noted, this raises a lot of questions about the thoroughness of the audits and whether Facebook’s agreement with the FTC in 2011 is even effective. Since the external auditor didn’t catch wind of the issue, it might not have asked the right questions to coax it out of Facebook, which obviously didn’t volunteer the info. Senator Richard Blumenthal now wants the FTC to consider evidence that Facebook violated their 2011 consent decree and is pushing for stronger oversight.

When asked why Facebook didn’t disclose the Cambridge Analytica issue to the external company that did the audit, the company pointed us to an exchange between US Representative Bob Latte and Mark Zuckerberg during the House hearing, wherein the Facebook chief responded:

“[O]ur view is that this — what a developer did — that they represented to us that they were going to use the data in a certain way, and then, in their own systems, went out and sold it — we do not believe is a violation of the consent decree.”

Facebook Deputy Chief Privacy Officer Rob Sherman also said in a statement: “We remain strongly committed to protecting people’s information. We appreciate the opportunity to answer questions the FTC may have.”

Source: Wired, FTC

The best portable vaporizer

By Mark Smirniotis

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here.

Over the last three years, we’ve considered 46 vaporizers and tested 19, interviewed expert reviewers, and dug through enthusiast forums, and we recommend the AirVape X as best portable vaporizer for most people. It’s easier to use than any of the competition, whether loading it, adjusting temperatures, or cleaning it. Its smooth vapor provided tasty flavors that had us reaching for it again and again.

Who this is for

You don’t need to be chasing clouds to find a vaporizer that’s effective. You’ll know it when you feel it. Video: Kyle Fitzgerald

If you’re completely new to cannabis or have been a casual user in the past, a vaporizer is a great way to avoid the byproducts of combustion—and the drug-culture associations carried by joints, psychedelic pipes, and dorm room bongs. Compared with smoking, a vaporizer will give you a cleaner taste, less lingering odor, and more efficient use of your material. It also allows you to reproduce dosages with precise temperature controls in a way other consumption methods can’t.

To be clear, we’re not saying that a vaporizer eliminates all the harmful effects of cannabis use, but research points to harm reduction compared with smoking it. We have more details in the health and legal section of our full guide.

How we picked and tested

Every model we tried got a full charge before testing, which can get a little disorganized. Photo: Mark Smirniotis

We set out to find a reliable, satisfying vaporizer that was easy to use and didn’t cost more than a casual user could rationalize. The best vaporizers make the experience a treat from start to finish. They’re easy to use, have pleasing vapor, are easy to clean, and have attractive and functional designs that lend themselves to portability.

In previous years, we asked two different panels of testers try out 13 models to get an idea of how people with different comfort levels and cannabis experience think about vaporizers and the experience that goes along with them. When we decided to test six new models this year, we took their feedback into account and kept track of which vaporizers met the criteria we lay out in our full guide. For consistency, each vaporizer was fully charged, cleaned, and packed with flavorful flowers, all evenly ground with one of our favorite grinders, the Kannastör GR8TR V2.

Our pick: AirVape X

Photo: Mark Smirniotis

We like the AirVape X because it’s easy to use, from the first time you load it to the first time you clean it, while still offering rich vapor with notes of whatever delicious flavor your flowers have in store. Small, thoughtful touches—like the magnetic lid, standby timer, and funnel-like chamber that’s easier to load without spilling than others—stood out in our testing and had us reaching for the X even after our tests were done.

The X’s vapor was smooth and full and better than anything else in the price range. Neither the vapor nor the mouthpiece ever got uncomfortably hot, though the top portion around the heating chamber came pretty close. The X has a flat, stylish body with a display showing the temperature, battery gauge, and standby timer. When it’s time to charge the device, the X has a Micro-USB input and will go from empty to full in a little over an hour.

Runner-up: Grenco Science G Pen Elite

Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald

If our top pick is out of stock, and you just can’t wait, the Grenco Science G Pen Elite is our runner-up (this was previously our top pick). We still think the Elite is a nice vaporizer overall, with simple controls, vapor that our testers enjoyed, and a sleek design that’s portable and functional. But our top pick has improved on all those points, from being easier to load and easier to clean, to offering a fuller-flavor vapor than the Elite’s. For a slightly lower price, the Elite still has similar battery life, convenient Micro-USB charging, and satisfying vapor that makes it a good value, but it’s less impressive than the AirVape X.

Budget pick: Xmax Starry

Photo: Mark Smirniotis

If you’re on a budget or not ready to commit to our to picks, the Xmax Starry (Planet of the Vapes edition) is a great option, and in several years of updating this guide, it’s the lowest-priced vaporizer we’ve ever recommended. It has a lot of the features we like in our other picks, including intuitive digital controls, an easy-to-load chamber behind a magnetic mouthpiece, and convenient charging with any Micro-USB cable and charger. But as a budget pick, it loses out on vapor quality compared with our other picks’—it lacks flavor and adds a harsher feel—but it is far better than that of other options in its price range, which tend to taste like burned popcorn, and are usually not much more appealing than smoking. One other drawback relative to the other picks is the plastic straw on the mouthpiece, which is an extra thing to clean.

Also great: Stainless Grasshopper

Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald

If you’re looking to add a second vaporizer to your routine and want the most portable and inconspicuous vaporizer around, the Stainless Grasshopper is the right choice. It offers a unique combination of a fun, practical design with convection-quality vapor in slim housing. Early models earned a reputation for reliability issues, but those bugs are ironed out, and the company backs each unit with a lifetime warranty, just in case. Our Grasshopper worked flawlessly for over more than a year of use, and consistently delivered vapor that was flavorful, had a satisfying feel, and was effectively potent.

The pen-shaped device is a departure from a lot of the vaporizers we looked at. Instead of using digital buttons, activation and temperature are both managed with honest-to-goodness tactile controls. And because the chamber is right underneath the front-end mouthpiece, the Grasshopper doesn’t have much to clean. However, its metal tip gets incredibly hot during use—you’ll need the included silicone mouthpiece. Plus, the Grasshopper lacks the onboard temperature displays of our picks, and its battery life isn’t quite as impressive.

This guide may have been updated by Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

Note from Wirecutter: When readers choose to buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn affiliate commissions that support our work.

Nokia 7 Plus review: Come for the value, stay for the excitement

Striking design. Great cameras. Android One. This is the Nokia 7 Plus.

Nokia’s comeback tale has been a success so far, with HMD Global’s move to focus on the budget segment paying off handsomely for the brand. The Finnish manufacturer launched a total of six Android phones last year, primarily targeted at markets like China and India, countries where the Nokia name still has a lot of brand cachet.

Four out of the six devices HMD launched last year were budget phones, with the Nokia 8 and Nokia 7 being the exceptions. Of the two, the Nokia 8 was the only device that was available in global markets, but HMD is making amends this year with the Nokia 7 Plus.

The phone is the first from HMD to feature an 18:9 form factor, and currently it is the only device in the Finnish manufacturer’s portfolio to do so. HMD made a few missteps last year — the Nokia 6 had lackluster specs, and the Nokia 8 didn’t see much momentum in the high-end segment. But this time around, HMD nailed the basics with the Nokia 7 Plus.

HMD is once again making a strategic play by launching the phone initially in key markets like India. The Nokia 7 Plus is now up for pre-order in the country, and will go on sale starting April 30 for ₹25,999 ($390). While India’s budget segment sees intense competition, the ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 segment is underserved.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro and Moto G5 series own the sub-₹20,000 category, and the OnePlus 5T dominates the premium segment, with the manufacturer picking up a market share in excess of 48%.

The Moto X4 is the only legitimate contender to the Nokia 7 Plus, but Motorola’s track record when it comes to software updates isn’t what it used to be, making the X4 a tough sell. So at a first glance, it looks like the Nokia 7 Plus is the perfect $400 mid-ranger for 2018. It’s time to find out if it lives up to the hype.

About this review

I (Harish Jonnalagadda) am writing this review after using the Nokia 7 Plus for over two weeks in Hyderabad, India. The phone was connected to Airtel’s 4G network, and received an OTA update bringing Android 8.1 Oreo, the April 1, 2018 security patch, a new camera interface, and numerous stability fixes. HMD India provided the review unit to Android Central.

Nokia 7 Plus Design and display

Think of the Nokia 7 Plus as HMD’s take on the Pixel 2 XL. The phone has a similar design up front with the curves around the edges, and the six-layer ceramic coating at the back is akin to what Google has done with its flagship. The white version of the Nokia 7 Plus in particular shares a lot of similarities to the panda Pixel.

That’s not to say that HMD hasn’t added its own unique touches to the design. The most distinctive design feature of the Nokia 7 Plus is the copper accents around the periphery of the screen, the camera module, power and volume buttons, and the midframe. The copper highlights certainly add flair to the device, and its sheen glints off under sunlight.

It definitely makes the Nokia 7 Plus stand out in a sea of unibody aluminum designs. The Nokia logo is displayed prominently at the back, and to the right of the front camera module. The ceramic coating makes the Nokia 7 Plus very grippy, and the device is built like a tank.

There’s a reassuring heft whenever you pick up the phone, and nothing about the device feels cheaply made. Overall, the fit and finish of the Nokia 7 Plus is top-notch, just as you’d expect from a Nokia-branded device.

With HMD committing to Android One on all of its smartphones, the Nokia 7 Plus comes with Android One branding at the bottom, along with a “Designed by HMD Global Oy” tag. The latter, however, is beginning to wear off after just two weeks of use.

HMD doesn’t do dull phones, and the Nokia 7 Plus is one of its best designs yet.

The camera module protrudes from the body, but it is a minor bum and doesn’t really affect usability. The fingerprint sensor is a little higher up on the body and slightly above where your index finger usually rests at the back, but the indentation makes it easy to locate.

Rounding out the design, there’s a USB-C charging port at the bottom, and a mono speaker is located to its right. The power and volume buttons are on the right-hand side, and the positioning, as well as the tactile feedback, is spot on. You also get a 3.5mm jack at the top.

The 6.0-inch IPS LCD panel has a resolution of 2160×1080, and it is protected by a layer of Gorilla Glass 3. Colors are vibrant, viewing angles are great, and I didn’t have any issues reading the content on the screen under harsh sunlight.

There’s also an ambient display mode that allows you to preview notifications without switching on the screen. You can also adjust the display scaling options as well as the font size, and you get a blue light filter that can be configured to kick in at a specified time (or from sunset to sunrise). There’s a double tap to wake the screen option as well.

Nokia 7 Plus Hardware

The Nokia 7 Plus is one of the first phones launching globally to feature the Snapdragon 660 — it is the first in India to offer the chipset. Qualcomm released the chipset last year, but the first wave of devices powered by it didn’t make it outside of China.

The Snapdragon 660 is notable as it is the first chipset in the 6xx series to feature Qualcomm’s custom cores. For instance, the Snapdragon 630 in the Moto X4 has the standard A53 cores that go up to 2.2GHz, whereas the Snapdragon 660 comes with semi-custom Kryo 260 cores that are based on the A73 and the A53.

Similar to other octa-core designs, the Snapdragon 660 has four performance cores based on the Cortex A73 that are clocked at 2.2GHz, and four energy-efficient cores based on the A53 that go up to 1.4GHz.

The result is that you get performance that’s on par with flagships from just a few years ago. For CPU-intensive tasks, the Snapdragon 660 is equivalent to that of the Snapdragon 821, but the Adreno 512 GPU isn’t quite on the same level as the Adreno 530 in the Snapdragon 821.

The Nokia 7 Plus is just as fluid as the Pixel 2.

The Nokia 7 Plus also offers 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, and yes, there is a hybrid SIM card slot. You can use the secondary slot for either a SIM card or a microSD card, but not both. There’s also Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi ac, an LTE Category 12 modem, VoLTE, NFC, and an FM radio tuner.

When it comes to day-to-day usage, I didn’t notice any slowdowns whatsoever, and the Nokia 7 Plus was just as fluid as the Pixel 2. The simplicity of Android One combined with the hardware on tap makes the phone one of the fastest in this category.

I don’t normally care about the haptics on a phone, but the vibration motor on the Nokia 7 Plus is one of the strongest out there. Call quality is also decent, but there are times (particularly when you’re outside) when you feel that the earpiece doesn’t get loud enough. The same goes for the built-in speaker — it doesn’t get sufficiently loud for calls.

The mono speaker is decent for viewing multimedia content, but the phone would have benefitted from a stereo setup, particularly given that there’s enough room on the bottom bar for a second speaker. That said, I’m glad there’s a 3.5mm jack on the phone, and HMD even provides a pair of earbuds in the box.

Network connectivity is great as well, and I witnessed similar speeds as that of the Galaxy S9+, both on cellular and on my home Wi-Fi network.

Battery life

The two key areas that Indian customers prioritize when considering a phone purchase is battery life and camera quality. Unlike Western markets, a phone is the primary gateway to the internet for hundreds of millions of Indians, and as such their usage habits differ from customers in other countries.

The single biggest contributor to the change in usage habits is the arrival of Jio. The carrier launched last year, and essentially gave away 4G data to hundreds of millions of subscribers for the first six months. Its launch catalyzed the video streaming market, and boosted viewing times on platforms like YouTube and Hotstar.

The end result is that Indian users are viewing significantly more multimedia content on their devices than just a few years ago, and they’re doing so primarily on cellular. That means a phone either needs to have a massive battery or be optimized to make that battery last an entire day.

Motorola took the optimization route with the Moto Z2 Force, somehow making the 2700mAh battery on the device last a full day. With the Nokia 7 Plus, HMD is going the Xiaomi way and including a huge 3800mAh battery.

You’ll easily get two days’ worth of usage from the Nokia 7 Plus.

It’s clear that HMD also optimized the phone to be as frugal as possible when it comes to battery usage, because the Nokia 7 Plus manages to deliver two days’ worth of usage consistently.

There wasn’t a single scenario over the last two weeks where the Nokia 7 Plus ran out of charge before the end of the day. Even on days when I had to travel, the Nokia 7 Plus managed to last well over 20 hours with over 20% charge left.

I usually take two phones whenever I’m traveling for event duty — one with a great camera and the other with a massive battery life that’s used primarily as a hotspot. The first phone usually ends up being a Pixel 2 or a Galaxy S9+, with the latter inevitably being a Xiaomi phone.

The Nokia 7 Plus has a camera that works great in low-light conditions (as you’ll see below), and the battery life is spectacular. And when you do need to top up the device, fast charging (9V/2A) is available.

Nokia 7 Plus Camera

The primary camera on the Nokia 7 Plus is of particular interest as it uses the same imaging sensor as the Pixel 2. There’s a 12MP primary camera with an f/1.75 lens and 1.4-micron pixels that’s joined by a secondary 12MP telephoto shooter with f/2.6 lens and 1.0-micron pixels.

The phone has Carl Zeiss optics, and HMD is bringing its Bothie feature — which shoots images from both the front and rear cameras simultaneously — to the device. There’s a pro mode as well, and the phone offers three microphones through which you’ll be able to record 360-degree audio.

The camera is fantastic — both in daylight and low-light scenarios.

The camera interface itself is clean, and you have toggles for HDR, flash, timer, Bothie mode, beautify filter, and optical zoom. You can switch between photo and video modes, and the slide-out menu on the left lists the shooting modes available — Photo, Panorama, Pro, Live Bokeh — and access to the settings.

The pro mode is similar to what Nokia included in Lumias of old, and lets you tweak the white balance, ISO, shutter speed, and enables manual focus.

Images taken in daylight are full of detail, with a wide dynamic range and accurate colors. The Nokia 7 Plus didn’t have any issues focusing on a subject, and there wasn’t any delay in saving the photos to the gallery. The camera shined in low-light shooting scenarios as well, and while some of the images are grainy, the camera is a far sight better than most devices in this category.

The only issue I have with the camera is with the portrait mode — the Live Bokeh shots were too grainy in artificial lighting. Aside from that, the Nokia 7 Plus did a magnificent job both in daylight and low-light shooting conditions.

Nokia 7 Plus Software

The Nokia 7 Plus comes with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, but you should see an update to Android 8.1 Oreo during initial configuration. HMD is currently leading the pack when it comes to updates, and the Android 8.1 Oreo OTA also includes the April security patch.

Overall, the software experience on the Nokia 7 Plus is similar to what you’d find on the Pixels — fluid, functional, and fast. The phone handled everything I threw at it with ease, and not once did I get the feeling that it was sluggish. You also get a few gestures, like the ability to swipe down on the fingerprint sensor to pull down the notification shade, lift to wake the display, double press the power button to launch the camera, and so on.

The phone is guaranteed to receive updates for three years, and the shift to Android One means the Nokia 7 Plus will be one of the first devices to get new security patches and platform updates. If you care about fast updates, there isn’t another phone in this category that comes close to the Nokia 7 Plus.

The software experience is fluid, but there are a few bugs.

However, as good as the software is to use on a day-to-day basis, it isn’t without its issues (and there were several of them). The sound profile would automatically switch to vibrate mode for no reason, and I had to restart the device to go back to my preferred settings.

There was also a glitch with YouTube where the videos wouldn’t play — the screen would go blank, with just the audio playing. Once again, a restart fixed the issue. The device intermittently disconnected from my home Wi-Fi network and reconnect.

I’m willing to give HMD the benefit of the doubt here as the phone is still running a non-final software build. I’ll update the review in ten days’ time and see if the lingering issues have been ironed out ahead of its formal release. If you’ve pre-ordered the phone, get ready to install a few day-one patches.

Nokia 7 Plus Bottom line

I’ve often heard from manufacturers that if a product takes off in India, it will automatically be a success in global markets. The Nokia 7 Plus certainly has a lot going for it, and the camera quality combined with the two-day battery life make it the phone to beat in this segment. HMD says it received a lot of feedback from customers in India last year, and it’s clear that the manufacturer implemented a lot of those suggestions to make the Nokia 7 Plus stand out in this category.

The phone has an interesting design, the display offers vivid colors and is readable under sunlight, and the camera is one of the best you’ll find on a $400 phone today. Then there’s the two-day battery life, the promise of quick updates, and the uncluttered user interface.

HMD hasn’t put a foot wrong with the Nokia 7 Plus, and it’s safe to say that this is one of the best phones of the year.

Should you buy it? Yes!

The Nokia 7 Plus is now up for pre-order in India and the UK. The phone will go on sale in the subcontinent starting April 30 for ₹25,999 ($390), and will be available in the UK from May 2. As stated earlier, there really aren’t a whole lot of devices in this category, and while the Moto X4 is available for ₹22,999 ($350), you’re getting much better hardware as well as a vastly superior camera with the Nokia 7 Plus.

See at Amazon India

The Nokia 7 Plus will be available for purchase in the UK for £349 ($490), and while the price isn’t as competitive as India, you’re still getting a great phone. Should HMD decide to bring one more device to the U.S. this year, it has to be the Nokia 7 Plus.

See at Amazon UK

The Good

• Exceptional battery life
• Evocative design
• Uncluttered software
• Great cameras
• Quick updates

The Bad

• Availability
• Software glitchy at times

Google will plug ‘Chat’ into Android to compete with iMessage

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Google is planning to make another mobile messaging push. A report by The Verge shows off its next effort, simply called Chat. What Chat isn’t is yet another app; instead, it’s a brand name for Universal Profile features in RCS, a standard meant to replace old-school SMS texting with iMessage-like features (minus end-to-end encryption, unfortunately) for everyone. Earlier this year Google said it had 43 carriers and device makes signed on to support RCS, while an updated list shows 55 carriers, 11 OEMS and two operating system distributors: Google and Microsoft (but not Apple, yet).

As a result, Chat’s new features will live in the Android Messages app (and require some synchronization, perhaps with QR codes for access on non-phone devices) and use data instead of SMS on your phone plan. Similar to iMessage, users will simply use the Messages app to send a text, and if the person on the other end has support for RCS, they’ll get the richer version of the message automatically, and if not, they’ll get an SMS. You can get an idea of how it works and the features to expect from the MWC Americas demo shown above.

As for Allo, Google exec Anil Subharwal said the company is “pausing” work on that. This seems to cut out any future for that messaging app as its team moves over to Messages, although the Duo video chat service is continuing on and Hangouts will keep its focus on adding Slack-like enterprise features.

Google has been building support for RCS over the last few years and now plans to push Chat in the next 12 – 18 months. Still, it will require carrier support, which is slowly coming. According to The Verge, Sprint is ready for compatible Android phones, T-Mobile should join them soon, however, AT&T and Verizon don’t have a timetable for support yet.

Source: The Verge

Amazon patent wants to unmask Bitcoin users, sell data to law enforcement, others

The Tick

Amazon has a brand-new patent to its name that takes a distinctly authoritative stance against the decentralized, pseudo-anonymous nature of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. It details methods with which the global retail giant could leverage its data stores to identify the participants in Bitcoin transactions in order to sell that information on to a subscriber base, a major component of which would be law enforcement.

For many people, the best feature of Bitcoin and its altcoins is that they allow for some measure of anonymity in their use. That’s why, alongside many legitimate trading purposes, Bitcoin has been used as the financial component in ransomware scams and dark web drug sales. But even so, it’s not entirely anonymous. The blockchain itself is open and viewable by anyone and Amazon believes it can leverage enough data to help identify those behind the transactions it is used for.

The patent, originally filed in 2014 and only just recently awarded, describes a comprehensive data approach that sees Amazon working together with other retailers and telecom companies to link Bitcoin transactions with shipping addresses and IP addresses, as per CNBC. That “data stream” could then be leveraged by government authorities for tax or law enforcement purposes, the patent suggests.

In one cited example, the patent states that law enforcement agencies may be interested in ‘subscribing’ to the “data stream” of information, allowing them to access lists of “global Bitcoin transactions, correlated by country, with ISP data to determine source IP addresses and shipping addresses.”

It’s not likely to be wrong either, as the NSA has reportedly been attempting to develop a method of identifying Bitcoin users since 2013, as per Motherboard.

Although this patent may raise concerns from those hoping to remain anonymous in their Bitcoin dealings, it is important to highlight that IP addresses have proven to be not enough to convict even internet pirates in the past. Using a VPN, or a Tor connection, while making Bitcoin transactions, would immediately make Amazon’s described system redundant.

With that in mind, it may be that the Amazon patent is less interested in identifying criminals and more targeted at highlighting potential tax implications of utilizing Bitcoin to make legitimate purchases on legitimate websites. The online retail giant has yet to make any kind of public statement on the matter, so it could also be that this patent was more to shore up a potential idea or stop others from doing something similar.

One intriguing element of the patent filing however, is that it cites a 2005 patent owned by Hewlett Packard, related to cryptographic tokens. That was filed a full four years before the public launch of Bitcoin.

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From monkey selfies to Intel allergies, here are the 7 weirdest tech lawsuits ever

With tech forming a massive part of our lives, and tech giants having some of the deepest pockets around, it’s no surprise that aspects of tech culture have found themselves the subject of lawsuits.

While some cases are stodgy serious antitrust cases or patent violations, however, others are just a little bit wacky. From monkey selfies to the evils of autocomplete, here are seven of the strangest.

Biggest lawsuit in the business, brotha!

A leaked sex tape belonging to an aging pro wrestler. A mystery backer in the form of a Trump-backing tech billionaire. A sleazy online tabloid, turned defender of free speech and investigative journalism.

No, it’s not the weirdest book John Grisham ever wrote, but the ingredients of a 2016 legal battle which followed website Gawker’s decision to publish a sex tape featuring pro wrassler Hulk Hogan, a.k.a. Terry Bollea.

Unbeknownst to Gawker, Hogan had backing from wealthy venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who had beef with Gawker for outing him as gay some years earlier. The result was Gawker being fined $140 million and promptly filing for bankruptcy. The whole saga is recounted in the Netflix documentary Nobody Speak.

Autocomplete vs. Germany

Autocomplete, the Google function which predicts what you’re going to search for before you’ve finished typing it, is super handy. Who could possibly hate it? Well, a few people in Germany, certainly.

Soon after autocomplete was launched in 2009, several individuals found that their names were being linked with unsavory searches, based on what users had searched for. A German businessman was linked with the search term “fraud,” while Bettina Wulff, wife of former German president Christian Wulff, had search queries linking her with escort services.

In the aftermath of the lawsuit, Google was told to clean up its autocomplete in Germany. Since then, similar complaints have been heard elsewhere in the world — from a French individual accused of being a Satanist to an Irish hotel owner whose hotel was said to be in receivership.

If Google told you to walk into traffic

Ah, Google, your helpful services just can’t get a pass, can they? In 2009, Lauren Rosenberg filed a suit after being hit by a car while walking on a highway in the dark. She named two targets in her lawsuit: the driver of the vehicle that hit her and everyone’s favorite multibillion dollar search giant, Google.

Why Google? Because Rosenberg claimed that Google Maps led her on a route that headed into dangerous traffic. The case was later thrown out, but it does call into question our reliance on A.I. tools and our tendency to believe them. Speaking of which…

The TomTom told me to

The same year that Lauren Rosenberg blamed Google for walking into traffic, 43-year-old British driver Robert Jones blamed his TomTom navigation system in court.

According to Jones, following his SatNav caused him to get stuck in his car on a narrow cliffside path. He had to be towed back to the main road by police in a nine hour rescue mission involving a tractor and three quad bikes.

Jones was told that he should have used common sense instead of slavishly following his GPS system, and fined him for careless driving.

Allergic to Intel

Court Mast/Intel via Getty Images

This one’s a little hard to process: a 2002 complaint against Intel and the Netherlands’ Ministry of Economics on the basis that a Dutch woman was allergic to Intel processors. Apparently the problems didn’t extend to the 486 processor, but the high frequency radiation emitting from the Pentium was making her sick.

As a result, she had left her job and was seeking compensation. Apparently the tribunal didn’t totally buy her story.

Memes in court

It’s not every day that memes get discussed in court. That’s exactly what could happen this year, however, as Matt Furie — creator of the unofficial alt-right mascot Pepe the Frog — is taking Infowars’ Alex Jones to court. Furie is claiming damages for copyright infringement after a poster featuring Pepe was sold on the Infowars website.

“Furie did not authorize the use of the Pepe image or character in this poster, and does not approve of the association of Pepe with Alex Jones or any of the other figures shown in this poster, or the ‘MAGA’ slogan,” the civil complaint alleges.

A previous lawsuit, in which Pepe was featured in a self-published book which contained “racist, Islamophobic and hate-filled themes” was settled out of court in 2017.

Monkey selfie

David Slater via Wikimedia

If a monkey takes a selfie who owns the copyright? That’s an actual legal case resulting from a 2011 incident in which nature photographer David Slater set up a camera during a trip to Indonesia to photograph the endangered Sulawesi crested macaque.

One such macaque, possibly named Naruto, wound up taking a selfie, complete with cheeky grin. The image went viral and appeared on countless memes. More controversially, Wikimedia Commons posted the images and claimed they were public domain since monkeys can’t own copyrights for pictures they take.

This case has been argued in court ever since. Somewhere there is a lawyer rethinking their reasons for going to law school.

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Blue Origin is working on the BE-4, a rocket engine that can launch 100 missions

Look out, SpaceX. You may not be the belle of the ball in the industry forever. This week, Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos, announced that its new rocket engine would have the capacity to launch “100 full missions,” as per CEO Bob Smith. And while it has yet to begin any commercial operations, that could soon change. The BE-4 engine is well on its way to becoming a rocket engine to contend with, and is slated to send the New Glenn orbital launch vehicle into space.

As Smith told CNBC’s Morgan Brennan at the 34th Space Symposium at Colorado Springs, Colorado, the BE-4 engine has proven that it “works, and works well.” The company recently tested the engine for almost two minutes at about 75 percent of full power. Thus far, Blue Origin seems pleased by how hardy the engine is. Indeed, the rocket was designed to be reused, which is part of why production has taken a longer stretch of time.

New test video of Blue’s 550K lbf thrust, ox-rich staged combustion, LNG-fueled BE-4 engine. The test is a mixture ratio sweep at 65% power level and 114 seconds in duration. Methane (or LNG) has proved to be an outstanding fuel choice. @BlueOrigin #GradatimFerociter pic.twitter.com/zWV0jWXIvx

— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) March 13, 2018

As Smith noted, “… We’ve spent … over seven years developing this engine to make it reusable,” Smith said. “This engine will actually perform 100 starts — 100 full missions that we’d actually be able to go do.”

The BE-4 was preceded by the BE-3 engine, which Smith says “was designed with the same kind of principles.” This engine managed to launch the New Shepard rocket, which successfully deployed an unmanned capsule back in December. In keeping with the reusability principle, the New Shepard rocket was launched a total of five times without ever removing the BE-3 engine. The BE-4, then, is really “just a five times larger” version of the same thing.

“We’re excited about the commercial opportunities that’s going to give us: when we fly it on New Glenn and when we hopefully get selected by United Launch Alliance for its vehicle, Vulcan, as well,” Smith said. That particular alliance is a partnership between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, and the two companies are currently determining what engine will be chosen to send its next-generation rocket into space.

“We certainly are demonstrating all the technical characteristics that they need, for their vehicles,” Smith said. “But we’re going to offer it to whoever else will come out and say they need a new engine.”

Even if Blue Origin doesn’t manage to land the United Launch Alliance deal, the company is still looking to send tourists to space before the end of 2018 on its existing New Shepard rocket. But of course, safety will be key, and Smith says that launch will only take place when the company is fully ready. “We want to make sure it’s completely safe for our passengers,” Smith said.

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