Best Car Mounts for Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

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Phones like the Galaxy S9 and S9+ do a lot, including in-car navigation. With Google Maps, Spotify, Android Auto, and the open road, the Galaxy S9 is a perfect companion — but you need somewhere to put it while you’re obeying the rules of the road. That’s where these excellent car mounts come in.

• Nite Ize Steelie
• iOttie Easy One Touch Qi Wireless Fast Charge Car Mount
• Anker Univeral Magnetic Car Mount
• Kenu Airframe+ Vent Car Mount

Nite Ize Steelie

There’s nothing simpler than a magnet, and Nite Ize’s Steelie solution is one of the best implementations of a magnetic car mount we’ve seen. Simply stick the small nub to the back of your smartphone or (preferably) phone case, mount the dash portion anywhere you want using the included 3M tape, and connect the two together. The connection between phone and mount is strong enough that, despite the magnet’s small size, your phone isn’t going to go anywhere, even on a sharp turn or a hard stop.

The beauty of this product is that its small size makes it easy to place in cars that aren’t always friendly to larger stationary plastic mounts, and this one does the job just as well — often for half the cost. Get it for around $18.

See at Amazon

iOttie Easy One Touch Qi Wireless Fast Charge Car Mount

iOttie’s Easy One Touch is the Ferrari of wireless charging car mounts. The suction is secure and can withstand even the coarsest of dashboard materials, and on the other end, the phone holder does a great job gripping the Galaxy S9 in and out of a case. There’s also an articulating arm that extends up to 8.3 inches, so you can get the phone as close to you as possible (or, as if often the case, as far from the vents as possible).

To facilitate wireless charging — yep, it does that, too — there are little feet that can be raised and lowered to find the Galaxy S9’s “sweet spot,” which is enormously helpful. This $50 accessory also acts as a USB passthrough, so you can plug in another device into the same charging outlet.

See at Amazon

Anker universal mount

Anker is known for quality products for your phone, and its car mount is no exception. The fundamental idea is the same as the Steelie above but this one is a bit larger and easier to use, and the magnetic plate that attaches to the phone is considerably thinner.

Even better, it supports being placed underneath a phone case — the magnet is pretty darn strong — so no one has to see the magnetic plate on the back of your phone when it’s out of the car. At $16, this is a bargain, especially since it comes with two plates and two pieces of 3M sticky tape for mounting to an unruly dash.

See at Amazon

Kenu Airframe+

If dash mounting isn’t your jam, and you’re not blasting hot air in the middle of winter, there are always car vents. Kenu’s Airframe+ is a simple solution to a vexing problem, especially for cars that either don’t have space on the dash, or the design doesn’t lend itself to one of the above options: stick your phone in the spring-loaded arms so there’s a tight fit, and push the Airframe+ onto a vent so it stays in place.

A word of warning: this solution may not work for everyone. My car (an Acura RDX) has vent fins too thin to accommodate a product like the Airframe+, but my older Toyota Corolla had no issue with it at all. Another word of warning: this isn’t a product where there’s winter six months a year, since you’re not going to want to blast hot air onto the back of your phone.

If you’re vexed by neither of those issues, the Kenu Airframe+ is a manageable $20.

See at Amazon

Your take

What do you use to attach your Galaxy S9 to the car? Let us know in the comments below!

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

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Amazon cancels ‘Breakaway’ video game

The team behind the competitive battle game Breakaway announced this weekend that the game “is no longer in active development” on Reddit. The brawler was being developed by Double Helix and published by Amazon Game Studios. It was one of three games Amazon’s in-house game studio was planning on releasing.

Back in October, the team announced that it would be focusing on changes to Breakway’s core gameplay. This was in response to feedback that the development team received after a four-month Alpha testing period. As a result, the game was put on hiatus, with no timeline for when the game would finally release.

Now, it appears that the Breakaway team didn’t quite make the progress they’d hoped on the game. The post on Reddit says:

“Since our last announcement, we have worked to implement community feedback and iterate on Breakaway’s core gameplay. While we have developed many ideas and made a lot of progress, we are also setting a very high bar for ourselves. In spite of our efforts, we didn’t achieve the breakthrough that made the game what we all hoped it could be. After a lot of soul searching, the team decided to focus on new ideas. As a result, Breakaway is no longer in active development.”

They don’t rule out returning to the game in the future — in the final paragraph of the Reddit post, the team says, “if a thunderbolt of inspiration strikes that leads us back to Breakaway, you’ll be the first to know.” However, at this point it seems very unlikely that the game will ever see a public release.

Via: Polygon

Source: Reddit

Genius tests out swipe-able ‘song story’ explainers

Genius, which you might remember from its slick Behind The Lyrics feature on Spotify, is now introducing an even richer, Instagram Stories-style feature, with some YouTube assistance. Song Stories folds together Genius artist interviews, social media missives, concert videos and interactive elements (like quizzes) to swipe along to as the track plays.

Like Snap or Instagram Stories, cards will also automatically swipe themselves, so that lyric quotes and other thematic card line up in time. Swiping up will open up other videos or sites related to the track or artist. You can take a quick look how this all comes together here. Genius showed us several demo stories for the likes of Cardi B, Joy Division and Troye Sivan, but at this point it’s still just an experimental feature that’ll include over 10 songs at launch on both the Genius site and companion mobile apps.

Like Behind the Lyrics on Spotify, it’ll be interesting to see how many further tracks get covered in this experiment. It takes more effort to make these media-rich additions than simply folding in pre-existing lyrics. Ilan Zechory, Genius’s co-founder and president said that: “Genius and YouTube, the two biggest sources of musical deep cuts and rabbit holes on the planet, are natural collaborators on this mission.”

Source: Genius.com

India loses contact with a recently launched satellite

On Thursday, the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) launched the GSAT-6A, the country’s most powerful communications satellite to date, into orbit. Yesterday, the organization confirmed that it had lost contact with the satellite, possibly due to a failure in the power system, according to the Times of India.

The launch, aboard the GSLV-F08 rocket, appeared to go smoothly, and the satellite successfully completed an orbital maneuver following its deployment into geosynchronous transfer orbit. GSAT-6A was then supposed to execute another operation to raise its orbit a day later. About four minutes after that maneuver occurred, officials lost contact with the satellite.

The successful launch of GSAT-6A was seen as a huge triumph for India’s space program, so this is certainly a setback. The country has been developing a robust space program capable of competing on the world stage for years. It doesn’t help that this is the second satellite that the agency has lost in the last six months; the last failure was one of the launch vehicle PSLV, rather than the satellite itself.

Still, all is not lost. ISRO Chairman K. Sivan told The Hindu that, according to the data the organization has right now, “we expect that we will be able to recover the satellite.” That’s certainly good news, and will help the agency get back on track.

Source: Reuters

Apple Store in Westchester Now Closed During Renovations

Apple’s retail store at The Westchester shopping mall in White Plains, New York has temporarily closed to allow for renovations to be completed.

Apple Store at The Westchester in 2011
The location originally opened in September 2002, entirely before products like the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, so it could benefit from some additional square footage to accommodate an increased number of products and customers.

The store should also receive a facelift in line with Apple’s latest retail design, including large glass doors, large video screens for product marketing and in-store events, and sequoia wood shelves on the walls for accessories.

Apple has renovated dozens of its stores worldwide since 2015, when the new design was introduced. Newer stores like Apple Union Square and Apple World Trade Center have also incorporated the refreshed aesthetic.

Apple Store at Westfield World Trade Center
Apple The Westchester joins the following other stores that are currently being or will soon be renovated in the United States:

• Apple Fifth Avenue in New York, New York
• Apple Green Hills in Nashville, Tennessee
• Apple Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, Washington
• Apple Southlake Town Square in Southlake, Texas
• Apple Natick Collection in Natick, Massachusetts starting April 22

White Plains is roughly 20 miles north of Manhattan in Westchester County. Apple directs customers to its store list to find another location, suggesting it won’t have a temporary store at The Westchester during renovations.

Related Roundup: Apple Stores
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Brits (still) can’t stream BBC iPlayer abroad

While the BBC charges £150 a year for a TV licence fee in the UK, the corporation won’t offer streaming access to its iPlayer in mainland Europe. The paid-for competition, like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, now follow the EU’s digital media portability rules which came into play over the weekend. These let residents watch digital media services in other EU member states as if they were in their home country.

There’s reasons for it, however. Other paid-for TV services know who is accessing their content as there is typically billing paper trail that outlines, say, a country of residency. The BBC, which introduced a registration system for its iPlayer last year, can’t ensure that non-payers would be kept out of viewing its wares for free in Europe. It’s not the only one avoiding the rules, either. UK terrestrial TV broadcasters Channel 4 and ITV aren’t opening their free services to the rest of Europe.

In a comment to The Guardian, the BBC said that it was “interested in being able to allow UK licence fee payers to access BBC iPlayer while they are on holiday, and welcome the European Union regulation to help make this feasible.”

The spokesman continued: “There are complex technical issues to resolve which we are investigating and it will be dependent on what legislation is in effect in the UK in the future.” The problem could resolve itself, as once the country leaves the EU, these portability rules may no longer apply.

Source: The Guardian

Stomach wearable could replace the need for invasive probes

Researchers have created a wearable monitor that can track your stomach’s electrical activity for signs of digestion maladies. Called electrogastrography (EGG), it’s like an EEG for the GI tract, and was used briefly in the ’90s but abandoned due to a lack of usefulness as a diagnostic tool. UC San Diego scientists are trying to resuscitate it with improved hardware and, most importantly, algorithms that help filter out noise. The results so far are promising, and if perfected, it could help doctors diagnose gastro-intestinal problems without the need for invasive probes or even a hospital visit.

EGG works by scanning electrical signals in the stomach that control gastric contractions. Any oscillation rates different from a normal three cycles per minute can signal GI tract maladies. The system had a moment in the 90s, but is rarely used by gastroenterologists nowadays. That’s because signals from the skin-mounted electrodes can be distorted by patient movement movement and complex stomach interactions.

To fix those issues, UC San Diego’s team optimized the electrode positions and increased the number of scanning channels from one to 25 in the high-resolution device, or eight in a portable version. More critically, they developed algorithms that remove electrical noise to isolate the true stomach wave signals.

In a small trial with 11 children they tested the high-resolution device against an invasive manometry test, in which a cathetor is inserted the nose to measure stomach contractions. The EGG results closely lined up, while the older, single-channel system matched the manometry in just three of the eleven subjects.

“A gastroenterologist can quickly see where and when a part of the GI tract is showing abnormal rhythms and as a result make more accurate, faster and personalized diagnoses,” said lead author Armen Gharibans. “Until now, it was quite challenging to accurately measure the electrical patterns of stomach activity in a continuous manner, outside of a clinical setting.”

On top of helping physicians find GI tract issues, the device could be worn over a long period to help healthy patients or athletes perfect their dietary regimes. It might also be useful for patients with diseases like diabetes that cause secondary digestive issues.

Critics have questioned whether EGG data is valuable, even if accurate, saying that gastric contractions are too general to use as a diagnostic tool. To counter that, the UC team is now testing 25 adults with digestive disorders and found promising correlations between electrical signals and specific problems like abdominal pain, bloating and heartburn. If the final study bears out those results, it could bring relief to a host of stomach-churning issues.

Via: Spectrum IEEE

Source: Nature

Jony Ive Talks About His Design Process, Apple Secrecy, Steve Jobs, and More in New Interview

Apple chief design officer Jony Ive recently sat down with model and actress Naomi Campbell for an interview, discussing topics like his design process, Steve Jobs, Apple secrecy, and more (via Vogue).

Campbell asked about Ive’s personal involvement in the manufacturing process, bringing up a rumor she heard that he slept on factory floors when Apple was making the first iPhone. Ive didn’t specifically confirm the rumor, but he mentioned he has “stayed for months” in the places that Apple makes its products. “I don’t know how you can be an effective designer and not do that,” he said.

Image via Vogue
On the topic of Apple’s secrecy:

I don’t really see it as being secretive – if I’m working on something and it’s not finished, I don’t want to show somebody! One of the defining things about the nature of ideas is just how fragile they are: when you’re not sure whether some-thing is going to work, the idea is vulnerable. Part of protecting the idea is to be careful about who you show it to; premature criticism can shut something down that perhaps deserves more of a chance.

Ive also discussed former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, mentioning that the two “looked at the world in the same way,” and that he appreciates and misses Jobs more as time goes on. When Campbell asked about lessons learned from Jobs, Ive said that Jobs’ way of thinking has stuck with him: “There was an incredible liberty in the way he would think. He wouldn’t obey rules that were perceived to be accepted wisdom, and he had an extraordinary optimism and enthusiasm.”

Ive also stated that he thinks of Jobs and his values when hiring new people at Apple:

The main thing is how they see the world. Ultimately, Steve’s legacy is a set of values and, I think, the belief in trying. Often the quietest voices are the easiest to overlook, but he was brilliant at listening as well as leading and speaking. A lot of com-munication is listening – not just listening to figure out what you want to say in response.

The Ive-Campbell interview has been published ahead of Ive’s sponsorship of former fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa’s work at London’s Design Museum in May. Ive said that he used to watch Alaïa design and was in “utter awe”: “It was incredible to see the way that he understood material, and the way he would be frustrated with material and so create new ones. And then these beautiful forms would emerge.”

To read the full interview, visit Vogue’s website.

Tags: Vogue Magazine, Jony Ive
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Mark Zuckerberg Rebuts Tim Cook: Companies That Charge You More Don’t Necessarily Care About You More

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has countered an argument that companies without an ad-supported business model are better off.

“You know, I find that argument, that if you’re not paying that somehow we can’t care about you, to be extremely glib,” said Zuckerberg, in an interview with Vox’s Ezra Klein. “And not at all aligned with the truth.”

“The reality here is that if you want to build a service that helps connect everyone in the world, then there are a lot of people who can’t afford to pay. And therefore, as with a lot of media, having an advertising-supported model is the only rational model that can support building this service to reach people.”

Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook told Recode’s Kara Swisher and MSNBC’s Chris Hayes that his company “could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer,” but added “we’ve elected not to do that.”

Apple’s business model is primarily focused on selling products like iPhones and iPads to customers, rather than targeting users with advertisements based on their personal information. Facebook, on the other hand, is a free service that relies on ads for a significant portion of its revenue.

Cook, who said Apple views privacy as a “human right,” believes that Facebook shouldn’t have the ability to collect as much information as it does.

“The ability of anyone to know what you’ve been browsing about for years, who your contacts are, who their contacts are, things you like and dislike and every intimate detail of your life — from my own point of view it shouldn’t exist,” said Cook, speaking at the annual China Development Forum last week.

Zuckerberg argued that while Facebook is “squarely in the camp of the companies that work hard to charge you less and provide a free service that everyone can use,” it doesn’t mean the company doesn’t care about people.

“I don’t think at all that that means that we don’t care about people. To the contrary, I think it’s important that we don’t all get Stockholm Syndrome and let the companies that work hard to charge you more convince you that they actually care more about you. Because that sounds ridiculous to me.”

Zuckerberg’s comments follow last month’s revelation that data firm Cambridge Analytica used personal information harvested from more than 50 million Facebook profiles without permission to build a system that could target U.S. voters with personalized political ads based on their psychological profile.

Cook said the situation “is so dire and has become so large that probably some well-crafted regulation is necessary.” He also made the mic-drop comment that he “wouldn’t be in this situation” if he were Zuckerberg.

The entire question and answer is embedded below.

Ezra Klein
One of the things that has been coming up a lot in the conversation is whether the business model of monetizing user attention is what is letting in a lot of these problems. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, gave an interview the other day and he was asked what he would do if he was in your shoes. He said, “I wouldn’t be in this situation,” and argued that Apple sells products to users, it doesn’t sell users to advertisers, and so it’s a sounder business model that doesn’t open itself to these problems.

Do you think part of the problem here is the business model where attention ends up dominating above all else and so anything that can engage has powerful value within the ecosystem?

Mark Zuckerberg
You know, I find that argument, that if you’re not paying that somehow we can’t care about you, to be extremely glib. And not at all aligned with the truth. The reality here is that if you want to build a service that helps connect everyone in the world, then there are a lot of people who can’t afford to pay. And therefore, as with a lot of media, having an advertising-supported model is the only rational model that can support building this service to reach people.

That doesn’t mean that we’re not primarily focused on serving people. I think probably to the dissatisfaction of our sales team here, I make all of our decisions based on what’s going to matter to our community and focus much less on the advertising side of the business.

But if you want to build a service which is not just serving rich people, then you need to have something that people can afford. I thought Jeff Bezos had an excellent saying on this in one of his Kindle launches a number of years back. He said, “There are companies that work hard to charge you more, and there are companies that work hard to charge you less.” And at Facebook, we are squarely in the camp of the companies that work hard to charge you less and provide a free service that everyone can use.

I don’t think at all that that means that we don’t care about people. To the contrary, I think it’s important that we don’t all get Stockholm Syndrome and let the companies that work hard to charge you more convince you that they actually care more about you. Because that sounds ridiculous to me.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: Facebook, Tim Cook
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How mobile technology can improve your college life

Days when lectures prepared printed presentations and handouts for their classes are about to be gone forever. At least, in those institutions where teachers understand there is no way to resist technology. According to the Pew Research Center study, 94% of young people aged 18-29 use smartphones and number of Americans using tablet computers is constantly growing. Also, the study shows that young adults rely on their smartphones for online access rather than sitting in front of their desktops. Wouldn’t it be just foolish for colleges to ignore the trends and not adapt their learning process to them?

Mobile technology brings change to education

For the last decade, mobile technology has been changing the way we receive and treat information dramatically. Availability of mobile gadgets has a huge effect on the way we learn and education in general. Let’s have a quick look at what is becoming different.

1. Tablets make learning more personal and engaging. Young people enjoy the privilege to learn when they want and from the resources they like. They prefer apps which make lessons interactive and entertaining. To follow this trend, educators are also trying to include game elements to their programs.
2. Feedback in real time. Multiple studies show that when students get a quick feedback, their performance tends to go up. The reason is obvious – students can apply what they’ve learned immediately.
3. Learning process becomes more interactive. Instead of making students read long and boring textbooks, the most progressive educators introduce new concepts using tablets, for example, two-way interactions teaching to solve problems.
4. Digital texts displace printed books. Of course, no one says modern students do not need to read. They do. But they don’t have to go to libraries since they can access the majority of texts from their mobile devices. This is convenient and easy.

How to use your cellphone for learning

Mobile devices have many functions which can make education process easier and more fun. Grab your cell phone or tablet and let’s see how well they are equipped for education purposes.

Audio recording apps

There are plenty of mobile apps which allow students to record lectures, interviews and other events on their device. Teachers can also benefit from this since they don’t have to spend their time on going over the same material again. Another way teachers can use audio recording on smartphones is to provide personal feedback to students.

Polling apps

Did you know that you can use your mobile device for live polling right there during your class? It can be useful for different projects. Teachers may also benefit from using these apps to assess students’ progress.

Video recording apps

The best content for different projects can be created by video apps on mobile phones. With videos students show a better understanding of certain topics. Plus, classes become more interesting and creative when students deliver their presentations using video content. Also, a video can serve as a great alternative to a long custom descriptive essay!

Apps to stay connected

Mobile devices allow students to connect with their classmates and teachers using a quick access to various discussion forums. Join conversations or seek help if you didn’t understand something in the class whenever you need it.

QR codes apps

Teachers can code links, diagrams and other learning materials for students’ convenience. Young people will like such an innovative approach and will respond with a better performance.

As you can see, mobile technologies give so much space for creative learning. And the benefits of using them could be impressive. It will not save your time only but also increase productivity and make students’ and teachers’ lives more interesting and effective.