Yes Chrome is scanning your Windows PC, but it might be a bug

A few days ago Kelly Shortridge, a product manager at SecurityScorecard detected some unexpected behavior on her PC, as a honeypot Canarytoken reported being accessed by Chrome.exe. That’s not what you’d expect from a web browser normally, except for one thing — Google did add some antivirus-y capabilities to its browser on Windows late last year as an enhancement to its Chrome Cleanup tool that can help reset hijacked settings. Google Chrome security lead Justin Schuh explained how the feature works and pointed to some documentation about it, and that was that — until last night.

If you are hitting this issue and you want a fix right now then go to chrome://downloads in your browser, go to the menu in the top right, and select Clear All. That will clear Chrome’s list of downloaded files so that it won’t have any files to existence-check at startup. If you have a large list of downloaded files then this will improve startup time slightly.

It turns out the “AV scanning” wasn’t that at all, and what it was doing could affect you right now. It turns out that Chrome is checking the integrity of downloaded files at startup, and a bug lead it to that particular folder. It relies on the Downloaded History list for this check, and if you have a lot of files in there, it could slow down your computer when you start Chrome. While the dev team is working to skip the check entirely in a future update, users worried about it can fix it by clearing their download history. Easy, right?

I was wondering why my Canarytoken (a file folder) was triggering & discovered the culprit was chrome.exe. Turns out @googlechrome quietly began performing AV scans on Windows devices last fall. Wtf m8? This isn’t a system dir, either, it’s in Documents pic.twitter.com/IQZPSVpkz7

— Kelly Shortridge (@swagitda_) March 29, 2018

Followed up with @swagitda_ and it turns out the log events weren’t CCT scans. Chrome existence-checks (code below) previously downloaded files, but a bug moved the checks into the startup path. Clearing download history stops the checks. Bug filed here: https://t.co/gLNHJRSGq2 pic.twitter.com/r0aeVAsurr

— Justin Schuh 😑 (@justinschuh) April 6, 2018

Unwanted software protection

The Windows version of Chrome is able to detect and remove certain types of software that violate Google’s Unwanted Software Policy. If left in your system, this software may perform unwanted actions, such as changing your Chrome settings without your approval. Chrome periodically scans your device to detect potentially unwanted software. In addition, if you have opted in to automatically report details of possible security incidents to Google, Chrome will report information about unwanted software, including relevant file metadata and system settings linked to the unwanted software found on your computer.

If you perform an unwanted software check on your computer from the Settings page, Chrome reports information about unwanted software and your system. System information includes metadata about programs installed or running on your system that could be associated with harmful software, such as: services and processes, scheduled tasks, system registry values commonly used by malicious software, Windows proxy settings, and software modules loaded into Chrome or the network stack. You can opt out of sharing this data by deselecting the checkbox next to “Report details to Google” before starting the scan.

If unwanted software is detected, Chrome will offer you an option to remove the software by using the Chrome Cleanup Tool. The Chrome Cleanup Tool also reports information about unwanted software and your system to Google, and again you can opt out of sharing this data by deselecting the checkbox next to “Report details to Google” before starting the cleanup.

This data is used for the purpose of improving Google’s ability to detect unwanted software and offer better protection to Chrome users. It is used in accordance with Google’s Privacy Policy and is stored for up to 14 days, after which only aggregated statistics are retained.

Source: Chromium bugs

China’s ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing recruits drivers in Mexico

In December, Reuters reported that China’s Didi Chuxing ride-hailing company would be expanding its business into Mexico, taking on rival Uber, which has the largest foothold in the country. Now, Reuters reports that the company is actively recruiting drivers and plans a launch in Toluca, Mexico. Sources familiar with the plan said Didi’s ride-hailing app would go live this month. To get people on board, Didi will not take a cut of drivers’ fares until June 17th and those who recruit other drivers and passengers will get a bonus. When it does start taking a cut of fares, Didi’s portion will be 20 percent, below the 25 percent Uber takes in Mexico.

According to Dalia Research reports from August of last year, Uber held 87 percent of Mexico’s ride-hailing market share at the time. Easy, Cabify and Yaxi shared the other 13 percent. Though this is Didi’s first foray outside of Asia, it has butted heads with Uber before. The US company previously tried to take on Didi on its home turf, losing around $2 billion in the process and abandoning that effort in 2016.

Didi, which has established an operations hub in Mexico City, will start with a car service, but sources told Reuters that the company may also offer scooter, motorcycle and bike-sharing services in the future.

Via: Reuters

How to stream IPL 2018 on your Android phone, TV, and in VR

IPL 2018 will be broadcast live on Hotstar, with commentary in six languages.

The 2018 instalment of the Indian Premier League cricket is set to kick off from April 7, and it’s hard to believe that we’re already in the eleventh season. The cricket tournament will be held over the course of the next seven weeks — culminating in the final on May 27 — with eight teams scheduled to take part.

The IPL is India’s largest sporting event, and as you can imagine, the franchise draws huge numbers. Just to give you an idea of what we’re dealing with here, last year’s instalment saw viewership figures in excess of 400 million over the course of the tournament. That’s just the figures for the television viewership across Sony’s channels, and another 130 million people tuned in via Hotstar.

Clearly, there’s a lot of interest in the IPL, and this year’s instalment is particularly interesting as Star India will be streaming the matches live on Hotstar at the same time as the television feeds. For the last four years, there was a five-minute time delay between the live TV broadcast and the digital stream as the TV rights were owned by Sony and the digital rights by Star. But with Star India nabbing both the digital and TV rights to the IPL, you’ll be able to stream in real-time on Hotstar.

Star India paid over $2.5 billion to pick up the IPL broadcast rights for the next five years, so you can be assured that the network will go out of its way to make sure the tournament is available on every platform. Here’s how you can stream the upcoming season of IPL on your Android phone, tablet, or TV.

Hotstar is the exclusive destination for IPL

Like previous years, Star India-owned Hotstar is the exclusive streaming partner for the IPL. The streaming service will broadcast all 60 games live, and as I mentioned previously, the matches will be streamed in real-time. Star India will offer seven live feeds throughout the course of the tournament both on TV and Hotstar, with live commentary in six languages — English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali — spread across ten channels.

That’s a huge deal as it gives the network the ability to cater to regional users much more effectively. From Star India MD Sanjay Gupta:

From two languages in 2017, we’ll be taking it to 6 languages in 2018 across 10 channels. And when I say 6 languages, I mean six different feeds, each with localised packaging, commentary and pre/post-programming.

There’s a Super Fan Feed as well that allows you to select from several camera angles, switch up the commentary language, and layer stats directly on the screen.

Hotstar will broadcast all 60 matches in real-time, with six language feeds available.

You’ll be able to access the Super Fan Feed from Hotstar and Star Sports Select, and Star India is also introducing a social element to the streaming platform. While watching the matches on the streaming platform, you’ll have the option to interact with other viewers through cricket emojis.

You’ll be able to stream the matches in real-time on Hotstar provided you subscribe to the service’s premium plan, which costs ₹199 ($3) a month in India, or ₹999 ($15) annually. In addition to the IPL, you get access to a vast array of HBO, Fox, and Showtime TV shows, as well as all the programming aired on Star World. Where the service truly shines, however, is when it comes to regional programming — there’s a dizzying amount of local content available on Hotstar.

If you’re interested in just watching cricket, then Hotstar has a sports-only package that costs just ₹299 ($4.60) for a year — that comes out to just ₹25 a month. Simply put, Hotstar is one of the best deals in video streaming in India, and real-time IPL streaming makes the service that much more enticing to a wider audience.

Subscribe to Hotstar

Hotstar is available on all major platforms — and in virtual reality

Now that you know that you’ll be able to stream the matches using Hotstar, the next question is what platforms the service is available on. Thankfully, Star India made a lot of strides over the course of the last 12 months in ensuring Hotstar is available on all major platforms.

There’s a native Hotstar app for Android, Android TV, and Amazon’s Fire Stick, as well as the Apple TV, and you can stream the matches on the web. The Android app comes with Cast support, allowing you to cast content to a Chromecast. Unlike Netflix, Hotstar has a single ₹199 paid tier, and as long as you’re subscribed to the premium plan you get unlimited access to the service’s catalog, along with live sporting action. You’ll also be able to stream content at 1080p.

Furthermore, Star India has announced that starting this year, it will start broadcasting matches in virtual reality. There’s not a whole lot of information to go on regarding VR, but we should know how the feature works during the first round of matches. I’ll take a look at how feasible it is to view the matches in VR and will update the post once I know more.

How to stream the IPL in the U.S. and Canada

There’s considerable interest in the IPL internationally as well, primarily from Indians that have emigrated to the U.S. and Canada. Hotstar rolled out its global expansion at the end of last year, making its way to the U.S. and Canada.

Customers in either country will be able to view the IPL games live via Hotstar, but they have to be subscribed to the premium plan. In the U.S., the Hotstar premium plan comes out to $9.99 a month, while it is CAD$12.99 a month in Canada.

The content library is significantly diminished as Hotstar doesn’t have the rights to broadcast HBO/Fox/Showtime shows in the U.S. and Canada. That said, a lot of customers eyeing Hotstar in either country will be doing so for the regional programming on offer, and on that front Hotstar maintains parity with its Indian counterpart.

Star India is setting an ambitious target of 700 million for the upcoming season of IPL, and by offering a diverse array of regional commentary feeds, it looks like the network will be able to achieve that goal.

What IPL team are you rooting for? Let me know in the comments below.

Subscribe to Hotstar

Facebook suspends another data firm: AggregateIQ

Late Friday the Cambridge Analytica data scandal spread wider, as Facebook announced it has also suspended Canadian data firm Aggregate IQ. In a statement to The Guardian, Facebook said “In light of recent reports that AggregateIQ may be affiliated with (CA parent company) SCL and may, as a result, have improperly received FB user data, we have added them to the list of entities we have suspended from our platform while we investigate.” Former CA employee Christopher Wylie claimed that he helped set up the company and that it received a payment from the Vote Leave campaign in a way that exceeded spending limits.

On Aggregate IQ’s website, the following statement is posted:

AggregateIQ is a digital advertising, web and software development company based in Canada. It is and has always been 100% Canadian owned and operated. AggregateIQ has never been and is not a part of Cambridge Analytica or SCL. Aggregate IQ has never entered into a contract with Cambridge Analytica. Chris Wylie has never been employed by AggregateIQ.

AggregateIQ works in full compliance within all legal and regulatory requirements in all jurisdictions where it operates. It has never knowingly been involved in any illegal activity. All work AggregateIQ does for each client is kept separate from every other client.

AggregateIQ has never managed, nor did we ever have access to, any Facebook data or database allegedly obtained improperly by Cambridge Analytica.

Source: The Guardian

UberX gets a big X from Greece, is forced to suspend operations

Uber’s trials and tribulations aren’t going away anytime soon. A few months after being kicked out of London, the ridesharing company is facing a similar situation in Greece. On Thursday, April 5, the beleaguered San Francisco-based company announced that it would be suspending its licensed service, UberX, in the Mediterranean nation after local legislation was passed that imposed stricter regulation of such services.

“Since launching in Greece in 2015, UberX has become one of Athens’ most popular options to move safely around the city,” Uber wrote in a blog post noting the decision. “More than 450,000 locals and tourists from around the world have booked rides through our app.” Unfortunately, it would appear that Uber is going to have to temporarily push pause on its operations. The company noted that it will be forced to “assess if and how we can operate” given the new laws in Greece.

Consequently, the UberX service will cease operations beginning next Tuesday, April 10, without any clear restart date in sight. Uber has simply said that it will have to “find an appropriate solution,” which it hopes to do by working with local stakeholders.

So what, exactly, are these new laws? In essence, the now-passed legislation requires that all hired car trips begin and end in the fleet partner’s headquarters or parking area, which Uber, of course, does not do. In addition, the new laws will create a digital registry of all ridesharing platforms and their passengers.

Uber has long met with resistance from authorities and local taxi drivers in Europe. Ever since it launched in the continent in 2011, it has been accused of failing to adhere to insurance, licensing, and safety laws. Since the company’s new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, has taken over the reins at the company, Uber has begun taking a closer look at local rules and regulations in order to ensure compliance.

We should point out, however, that this doesn’t mean that Uber is being entirely pushed out of Greece. Rather, the company will continue to offer its UberTAXI option in Athens — this service allows passengers to order a local cab from their phones, rather than attempting to flag down a car on the street. Unlike UberX, which leverages professional licensed drivers, UberTAXI uses actual taxi drivers.

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Walmart is adding 500 more ‘Pickup Towers’ to stores this year

Walmart is expanding the amount of its in-store “Pickup Towers” for online orders. The retailer is adding some 500 more of the across the country by year’s end. Walmart says once the rollout is complete, nearly 40 percent of the country will have access to the automated kiosks. The physical size is expanding as well, and you’ll be able to pick up the new TV your ordered with a few UHD Blu-rays from connected lockers. Maybe don’t expect to snag a 65″ OLED though.

The question, though, is if they’ll be placed in more convenient locations. Some existing stores have them in the very back, which is good for Walmart — you’re more likely to buy stuff while making a pick up — but kind of terrible for everyone else.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Walmart

In proper 2018 fashion, the royal wedding now has its very own cryptocurrency

When folks get married, it’s not unheard of for them to get a bit of money from friends and family to set them up in their new lives as a married couple. But not all of us can expect to be gifted an entirely new currency, created to celebrate our nuptials. Things are a bit different if you’re a member of the U.K.’s Royal Family, though.

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tie the knot on May 19 this year, they’re being gifted a new cryptocurrency, called the Royal Coin, that’s been established to commemorate their wedding. The Royal Coin had its initial coin offering (ICO) this week, underwritten by ICO Rocket. It’s endorsed by the British Monarchist Society and Foundation, and proceeds from its tokensale are being divided between Harry and Meghan’s favorite charities. Part of the proceeds will also go to the Crown and Country Magazine to help fund a special Royal Wedding edition.

“The Royal Coin is a decentralized wedding gift to celebrate the marriage of Prince Harry and Miss Meghan Markle,” Shahar Namer, CEO of ICO Rocket, told Digital Trends. “Participants in the ICO have access to a unique offering, by celebrating the Royal wedding as well as contributing funds to three charitable organizations officially approved by Kensington Palace. It is not only a commemorative investment, but also a gift to the couple and [their selected] charities.”

The three charities the proceeds will be split between include Lesotho children’s charity Sentebale, The Invictus Games, and the Royal Foundation. “The coin was born out of the goal of engaging people to be a part of the Royal Wedding in an entirely new and modern way, while supporting three good causes as a gift to the royal couple,” Namer continued. “It is a 2018 way to celebrate great British pageantry.”

Will it catch on like Bitcoin or is this doomed to be another also-ran cryptocurrency that fails to make waves? For the sake of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle we hope it’s the first option. After all, the thought of your very own commemorative cryptocurrency going belly-up isn’t the most promising of omens for a happy marriage!

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This throwable life preserver inflates instantly when it hits water

When you’re talking about a potentially life-saving device like a life preserver, it should ideally fit a couple of criteria; ease of transport, and quick and easy deployment. This combination means that, should disaster strike, you’ll be in the best possible position to do something about it.

The designers of a new life preserver called OneUp have apparently taken these crucial points into consideration when developing their new device. The result is a gadget the size and shape of a large can of soda, but which promises to rapidly inflate into a full-sized polyurethane float in just a couple of seconds.

“OneUp is a portable life float which is automatically inflated in two seconds once in contact with water,” Saul de Leon, CEO and founder of OneUp, told Digital Trends. “It is lightweight, portable, and easy to throw. It is lighter than conventional life floats and a lot smaller, so you can carry it with you at any time, in any situation. You don’t need to do anything [special] to activate it, you just need to throw it [into] the water.”

The device’s cylindrical case houses the deflated float, a CO2 canister, a salt pod, and a spring. The moment the device comes into contact with water, the salt pod dissolves, releasing the spring, and triggering the CO2 canister to inflate the float, which subsequently bursts out of its container. According to its creators, it can support swimmers who weigh up to 330 pounds. Once used, you can then replace the CO2 canister and salt pod in order to recycle the device.

“One night I was watching a documentary about the refugees in the Mediterranean,” de Leon explained, describing the project’s origins. “Guys from rescue services were saying that when they first came to the place, in jet skis, where people were drowning, it was impossible to assist them. With this situation in my mind I went to bed thinking that something needed to be done. This is how I thought that if something small, light, easy to throw, and automatically inflated was created, so many lives could be saved in a safer way without endangering anyone. This is how OneUp was born.”

If you’re interested in getting hold of one of the innovative life preservers, you can pledge money as part of its Indiegogo campaign. While we offer all our usual warnings about getting involved with crowdfunding projects, if you nonetheless feel confident, you can pledge $49 to hopefully secure yourself a unit. Shipping is set to take place in July 2018.

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Antarctic scientists are growing veggies without dirt, sunlight, or pesticides

You don’t have to be a pamphlet-distributing, faux leather-shoe wearing militant vegetarian to realize that vegetables are going to be pretty important in space. Whether it’s long periods of time spent on the International Space Station or the eventual dream of colonizing other planets, the ability to grow veg outside of Earth’s atmosphere is going to be crucial for our survival. Or, at least, our ability to enjoy life in the stars without suffering from a massive lack of fiber and assorted nutrients.

Fortunately, science is here to help. Scientists in Antarctica this week announced that they have successfully grown the first crop of vegetables without the help of earth, daylight or pesticides. This was achieved using cutting-edge hydroponics techniques — including replacing the soil with nutrient-rich water and using LED lighting to double for sunlight. While the experiment took place on Earth, the scientists believe that the demonstration will help pave the way for future astronauts to cultivate fresh food on other planets.

Investigators working at Germany’s Neumayer Station III research station picked 3.6 kilograms (eight pounds) of salad greens, 18 cucumbers, and 70 radishes. These were grown in a high-tech greenhouse, which kept the soon-to-be food at temperatures considerably in excess of the chilly negative-4 degrees Fahrenheit found outside. The German Aerospace Center DLR, which is in charge of coordinating the project, claims that from next month scientists will be able to harvest an even more impressive four to five kilograms of fruit and vegetables. In the future, they plan to expand their crop to include a large number of other varieties of green. The project began in January when the greenhouse arrived in Antarctica.

This isn’t the first time that we have heard about scientists growing space vegetables. Earlier this year, NASA reported that the crew of the International Space Station successfully harvested greens. These included mizuna, aka “spider mustard,” red romaine lettuce, and Tokyo Bekana cabbage. That’s pretty impressive in its own right (and, you know, has the added benefit of having actually been carried out in space!). However, according to a DLR spokesperson, the Antarctic project promises to produce a much wider range of vegetables.

Suddenly life in space just got a whole lot more appealing. Unless you really, really hate salad!

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Sparkmaker review

Research Center:

SparkMaker

Back when 3D printing was just beginning to make its way into the mainstream, the only printers available to consumers used a technique called Filament deposition modeling (FDM). It’s the type of 3D printing you’ve probably seen before: A printer feeds a strand of plastic filament through a hot nozzle, then carefully deposits the molten goo onto a build plate, layer by layer, to create a 3D object.

This is by far the most popular and widely available style of 3D printer, but lately, a technology known as stereolithography (SLA) has been on the rise. SLA printers create objects by flashing light into a pool of photo-reactive resin, which hardens when struck by UV light. Due to the precision of this technique, SLA printers typically create much better parts than FDM printers do.

The only problem, however, is that these kinds of printers have been prohibitively expensive for the past few years, and therefore been out of reach for the average consumer — but that’s beginning to change.

Case in point? The $300 Sparkmaker printer. Born from a Kickstarter project that launched in early 2017, the Sparkmaker is one of the first SLA/DLP printers to break the $500 barrier – so we got our hands on one to see how it stands up to the competition.

Standout Features and Specs

The first thing you’ll notice about the Sparkmaker is its diminutive size and weight. Tipping the scales at just six pounds, and measuring a slim 6 x 11 inches (it’s a cylinder), it’s easily one of the smallest printers on the market. So while it won’t be hard to find a spot for the little guy, it does come with a downside.

Lifting the orange UV-blocking hood reveals the printer’s tiny 4 x 2.2 x 5 inch build envelope. While that’s certainly not the smallest build area we’ve ever seen, you shouldn’t expect to do any huge prints on this machine. On the upside, Sparkmaker does feature a removable resin vat, which makes swapping materials a breeze.

The Sparkmaker owes its low price point to its relatively simple printing technique. Instead of using a laser like Formlabs’ printers, Sparkmaker uses a UV backed LCD screen to project an image up into a vat of resin, which causes it to solidify – a process known as DLP. Despite having a few minor drawbacks, this printing method provides the Sparkmaker with a maximum resolution of ten micrometers. For those of you keeping score at home, that’s ten times more detail than your average FDM printer, and about 1.5 times more detail than the $3,500 Ultimaker 3 – arguably the best consumer-level FDM machine on the market right now.

Setup and Configuration

Unlike FDM printers, the Sparkmaker only has one moving component and doesn’t require any assembly, so it’s extremely simple to set up. After plugging it in, all you have to do is pour some resin into the tank and make sure the build plate is level. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to print.

You definitely won’t find another SLA/DLP printer that can match Sparkmaker’s $300 price tag.

Then there’s the software. Like many printers these days, Sparkmaker has its own proprietary slicing program that can be downloaded for free on the manufacturer’s website. It’s called Sparkstudio, and compared to most other proprietary slicing programs, it’s one of the most intuitive and approachable ones we’ve ever used.

Unfortunately, we did encounter a few bugs that soured the experience (more on that later), but broadly speaking, this printer is a cinch to set up.

Design and Build Quality

Sparkmaker is inexpensive for a reason. Most of the body is made of plastic, and the parts feel a bit flimsy and cheap. The creators definitely cut some corners during manufacturing, and it shows.

The biggest misstep in the machine’s design is a tiny component called a “lead screw.” It’s a little threaded tube that keeps the build plate moving smoothly along the Z axis — or at least that’s what it was supposed to do. Due to this component’s faulty design, the build plate’s up-and-down motion is prone to periodic jerks and jumps, which causes issues during the printing process.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

There is a fairly simple workaround for this problem, though. Following some advice from the Sparkmaker Facebook group, we used a different 3D printer to print a new lead screw. This simple replacement drastically improved the printer’s success rate and overall consistency. If you intend on buying this printer, you should definitely plan on replacing that screw.

Aside from the faulty lead screw, the rest of the printer works fairly well. The removable resin tank is easy to take out and replace, and the build plate itself is secured via a single knobbed screw, which streamlines the process of getting your finished print out of the printer.

Another bonus is that, generally speaking, the Sparkmaker is incredibly easy to take apart and work on – which is good, because it definitely requires some tinkering.

User Interface and Software

Sparkmaker’s on-board user interface is practically nonexistent, and is comprised of nothing more than a single push knob. However, unlike other printers that utilize this design, that’s all the Sparkmaker gives you. It doesn’t have an accompanying screen for you to navigate with, so the machine lacks a variety of helpful functions as a result. These include: being able to pause a print, the ability to adjust machine settings without plugging in to a computer, and the ability to select specific files on your SD card for printing. The latter is particularly annoying, as you’re then forced to either remove old files or rename them. Sparkmaker will only recognize sliced files named “Print.wow.” It’s not the worst problem you could ever have, but it’s definitely one of those bothersome quirks that make the machine a pain to work with.

Due to software bugs and hardware flaws, this machine has a woefully above-average failure rate.

Luckily, the accompanying desktop software, Sparkstudio, partially makes up for these issues with a stellar interface that’s simultaneously feature-rich and easy to navigate. In other words, it’s simple and approachable for beginners, but also provides deep print customization options, so intermediate and advanced users aren’t left out to dry.

Much to our delight, Sparkstudio also features a tool that’s generally only available on high-end slicing software: customizable supports you can manually place or remove. If that’s not your bag, the software still includes automatic support placement, which you can then modify posthumously. It’s really neat, and we wish more slicing programs offered this kind of functionality.

SparkMaker Compared To

Monoprice Mini Delta

Ultimaker 3

Zortrax M300

Robo C2

FormLabs Form 2

NewMatter MOD-t

M3D Micro

MakerBot Replicator (5th Gen)

Pirate3D Buccaneer

3Doodler 2.0

3D Systems Cube

Ultimaker 2

Formlabs Form 1+

However, even with all the good, Sparkstudio suffers a couple of crippling flaws that sour the experience. First, there’s a scaling bug that randomly adjusts the length, width, height, or size of the objects you slice – without giving you any clues or warnings that it’s done so. During our testing, this resulted in a 3DBenchy tugboat that was twice as tall as it should’ve been, and a skull that was roughly one tenth the height we originally set for it. This bug, combined with an inconsistency in what caused our prints to fail, pushed us to use a different slicer program entirely. We ended up using SLAcer: a user-made slicer that eliminates Sparkstudio’s aforementioned bugs, but also lacks many of its best features – including the custom support placement feature.

All things considered, Sparkstudio has tremendous potential, but is held back by a couple glaring flaws. It’s possible that WOW! might fix these issues in the future, but in its current state, the software is frustratingly buggy. So until those problems get fixed, you’re stuck using a more dependable but less feature-packed slicing program.

Print Performance

Despite the issues with consistency and slicing bugs, the Sparkmaker prints surprisingly well – (when it finishes, that is). With its maximum Z-axis resolution of 10 microns, this little machine can print some amazing detail and super fine geometry. There’s a slight amount of voxeling visible on some of our test prints (a consequence of the printer’s DLP printing technique), but the effect is only noticeable if you’re looking for it.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Overall, the Sparkmaker’s virtues outweigh its flaws when it comes to print quality. It’s definitely not on the same level as, say, the Formlabs Form 2, but let’s not forget that this is a $300 printer we’re talking about here. It’s one tenth the price of a top-of-the-line machine, yet offers only slightly lower quality. That’s pretty impressive.

Print quality is only one part of the equation, though. Consistency and reliability are the other part of it, and unfortunately, that’s where Sparkmaker falls short. Due to the aforementioned software bugs and hardware flaws, this machine has a woefully above-average failure rate.

Even with all of its flaws and shortcomings, we did enjoy this printer.

Even after we had addressed the lead screw issue and switched to a less-buggy slicing program, we still experienced a high number of botched prints. By our count, you’ve got a 50/50 chance that the print won’t adhere properly to the build plate. You can mitigate this issue by printing with an improvised “raft” on the bottom of your object – but that raft won’t be removable, and there’s still a good chance it won’t stick anyway.

All in all, we’d say that the Sparkmaker produces impressively detailed prints about 30 percent of the time. The other 70 percent, you wind up with something that resembles postmodern glitch art. We’ll continue working on it though, and will update this article if we figure out how to get better, more consistent prints.

Our Take

Even with all of its flaws and shortcomings, we did enjoy this printer. Its compact, it’s quiet, and it’s the only printer we’ve ever tested that didn’t drive everyone in the office crazy with its fumes or noise. It’s also highly affordable, relatively easy to upgrade, and occasionally produces stellar prints.

That said, Sparkmaker definitely isn’t a good printer for beginners. In its current state it’s too flawed, too buggy, and too unreliable for us to recommend to anyone who is just breaking into the 3D printing scene. However, if you enjoy a little challenge and aren’t afraid of getting your hands dirty, the Sparkmaker is a fixer-upper that might be worth your time.

Is there a better alternative?

You definitely won’t find another SLA/DLP printer that can match Sparkmaker’s $300 price tag. However, there are a couple competitors out there that you can snag for around $500 – such as the Wanhao Duplicator 7, which boasts a slightly larger build volume, and a built-in screen for menu navigation.

If you don’t have your heart set on an SLA/DLP printer, there’s a handful of good FDM printers on the market you can get your paws on for around $300. For bugdget buyers, we highly recommend Monoprice’s $160 Mini Delta printer. It can’t match the Sparkmaker’s print resolution, but it does boast a larger build area, and is far more reliable.

For those who don’t mind spending a bit more, you can also get yourself a Monoprice Maker Select Plus for $400. It’s a bit more expensive, but for that extra $100, you’ll get considerably larger build area and a wide range of high-end features.

How long will it last?

With its cheap parts and plastic chassis, the Sparkmaker’s lifespan will likely definitely depend on how you treat it. Without regular maintenance, we’d be willing to bet things will fail after a year or two. However, if you keep it tuned up and well-oiled, it’ll probably keep on ticking past the age of 5 – assuming that WOW! keeps pushing out firmware updates and bug fixes.

On the plus side, Sparkmaker’s community is brimming with guides for fixes and upgrades. We found endless support through their Facebook as we encountered problems, both from other users and the developers themselves.

Should you buy it?

If you’re new to 3D printing and you want something that’s easy to use, definitely don’t buy this printer. We guarantee it will make you pull your hair out.

However, if you’re ready to get messy and have the gumption to make a few DIY upgrades, then Sparkmaker might be up your alley. With a bit of tinkering, you can definitely make this machine shine.