What’s new in Google Lens at Google I/O 2018

Look at all the things.

Google Lens was one of the bigger announcements last year, with the promise to make searching for something as easy as pointing your smartphone at it. Since last October, though, Google Lens has slipped into the shadowy background, (very) slowly improving but being largely ignored as Google Lens was largely a Pixel-exclusive feature.

We’ve been waiting and waiting for Google Lens to escape this beta period and come to more phones.

Wait no more, my friends. the day is here.

What was announced with Google Lens at I/O 2018?

Firstly, Google Lens is coming to a lot more phones, as Google is making Lens directly available in the camera app on “supported devices” from several manufacturers like Motorola, Xiaomi, and OnePlus.

In addition, Google Lens is getting more features as is continues to combine with Google Assistant, like real-world copy-paste, better recognition for clothes and home decor, and real-time search results.

What all is Google Lens actually going to be able to do now?

On top of Google Lens working on more devices, Google Lens is going to be able to do a number of impressive, time-saving, and potentially life-changing tasks:

• Real-world copy-paste: Google Lens’s new Smart Text Selection will allow users to highlight real-world text within Google Lens, and then copy that text to use on your phone. Imagine pointing your phone at a Wi-Fi password and being able to copy-paste it directly into the Wi-Fi login window.
• Smart Text search: When you highlight text in Google Lens, you can search that text with Google Assistant, giving you the definition of unfamiliar words or the composition of exotic dishes.
• Clothing and decor recognition and search: If you see an outfit that you like while out in the world, Google Lens will be able to identify that piece, as well as similar articles of clothing or decor, and present reviews and shopping options.
• Real-time search: If you pan your camera around your environment, Google Lens will identify what kind of plants are in a flowerbed, what kind of dogs keep barking at you, what the reviews of the books on your friend’s coffee table are.

When will I see it on my phone?

Google Lens will begin being added to camera apps on “supported devices” from LG, Motorola, Xiaomi, Sony , HMD/Nokia, Transsion, TCL, OnePlus, BQ and Asus in the coming weeks, though how long it takes to reach an individual device will of course depend on how quickly each manufacturer updates their devices and apps.

Google Pixel devices already have Google Lens, and can begin using these new Google Lens features as they start going live soon.

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The best virtual machines

If it hasn’t happened already, there will come a time when you’ll wish your computer was running a different operating system. Whether you’re a competent software developer or simply a user desiring an application exclusive to an OS other than the one you own, there are plenty of valid reasons why you’d want to use another OS. However, despite what you might think, you don’t necessarily have to adhere to your supposed monetary and spatial restraints, given the number of available virtual machines.

Assuming your machine touts the capabilities, intuitive software allows you to emulate your desired OS within another, allowing you to run two operating systems alongside one another on a single machine. For instance, you could run the latest version of Apple’s MacOS High Sierra on a Windows computer using a virtual machine. Below we’ve compiled our picks for the best virtual machine applications available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

VirtualBox (Free)

VirtualBox is powerful, brimming with terrific features and, best of all — free. It’s a lean piece of software requiring little more than a recent Intel or AMD processor, while boasting seamless integration and switching capabilities within the host desktop. It’s also available on all major platforms, and features plain-text XML files for easy navigation. It remains coupled with special software packages designed to aid users with sharing folders and drives among guest and host operating systems.

The software functions nearly identically regardless of the host platform, and even offers 3D virtualization, multi-screen resolutions, and laudable hardware support, among other features. It’s not the quickest or most industrious when compared to similar offerings, but then again you often get what you pay for.

Download now from:

Windows MacOS Linux

VMware ($Free — $250)

VMware has been in the virtual machine game since ’98, and offers three different pieces of virtualization software: VMware Workstation Pro ($250), VMware Fusion ($80), and VMware Workstation Player (Free).

The Workstation package is ideal for professional users who desire a powerhouse virtual machine capable of simultaneously running applications on multiple guest operating systems. VMware’s Fusion, meanwhile, is a simpler application designed for home users who want to run Windows on their Mac machine. VMware Workstation Player, known until recently as VMware Player, is free for personal use, and caters to those looking to run virtual machines on their Windows or Linux systems.

None of the options are particularly simple to use, but the installation is quick, integration between operating systems is seamless, and the guest software runs at near native speeds. Best of all, they remain the most stable and reliable options out there.

Download now for:

Windows MacOS Linux

Parallels Desktop 11 ($80)

When it comes to delivering the Windows experience to Mac users, Parallels Desktop 11 is, well, unparalleled. The latest incarnation of the software is compatible with the latest version of MacOS, allowing you to emulate Windows XP, 7, 8, and 10 as a guest operating system. It allows you to conveniently run Mac and Windows applications side-by-side without rebooting, while additionally providing tools for quickly moving files between operating systems, launching programs directly from your Mac dock, and accessing cloud storage.

The software features a simple setup wizard for beginners, and moreover, it supports Retina displays and advanced 3D graphics. Parallels can also emulate the Linux and Solaris operating systems, but the tightest integration remains when coupled with the latest version of Windows. Unfortunately, you’ll have to look elsewhere for more advanced tools and customization, but for most Mac users, Parallels is probably the best option. 

Download now for:

MacOS

QEMU (Free)

The open-source QEMU, short for “Quick EMUlator,” is ideal for Linux power users who want a customizable virtual machine. Through a process involving dynamic binary translation, QEMU can emulate an array of hardware and software types, while skirting host administrative privileges to run guest operating systems.

The software executes the guest code directly on the host machine, thus attaining near-native performance — and given the software’s aforementioned ability to run without administrative privileges — it’s perfectly apt for creating pocket-sized virtual machines that conveniently fit on a portable flash drive. You’ll need to be comfortable with the Command Prompt to get this up and running, but the open-source nature of the project makes it one of the most regularly updated choices out there.

Download now for:

Linux

Boot Camp (Free)

Apple’s Boot Camp isn’t a virtual machine in any sense of the word, but it’s worth a mention given users researching virtual machines are often curious about it. The software, which is included on all Macs, allows users to dual boot both MacOS and Windows. Instead of emulating an operating system, Boot Camp helps you set up a partition on the hard drive so you can install the Windows operating system of your choice. Since it’s running directly off the hard drive, running Windows via Boot Camp leads to a far better experience than any virtual machine offers.

However, your disk space will be split in half, and you’ll be unable to run the best Mac applications and Windows apps side-by-side considering the software requires disk partitioning. You’ll also need to restart your computer every time you want to switch operating systems.

It’s worth noting that, while Boot Camp itself is not a virtual machine, you can run your Boot Camp partition as a virtual machine with Parallels 11 (outlined above). This gives you quick access to Windows when you want it within MacOS, and full performance when you’ve got enough time to restart your computer and boot up Windows directly.

Download now for:

MacOS

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Stimulating brains with lasers can create ‘Matrix’-like false experiences

Remember the iconic scene from the first Star Wars movie in which R2-D2 projects a Princess Leia hologram, beseeching Obi-Wan Kenobi to help her? Similar technology in the real world might one day do a lot more than offering sci-fi warnings; it could potentially transform lives, too. And all thanks to a little bit of brain manipulation.

At the University of California at Berkeley, researchers have been busy exploring ways to project a holographic image directly into the brain. As they have discovered, this can be used to both read neural activity and also to stimulate it.

The results could mean one day being able to activate or suppress thousands of neurons at once; copying patterns of real brain activity to trick the brain into thinking that it’s felt, seen or sensed something. So Star Wars with a touch of The Matrix or Inception, then!

“We have developed a system using laser light that can both ‘read’ brain activity and ‘write’ brain activity,” Hillel Adesnik, an assistant professor of molecular and cell biology, told Digital Trends. “The system uses principles of holography: a method to generate three-dimensional patterns of light that many might be familiar with in holographic displays. The goal of this technology is to measure brain activity in both health and disease so that we can correct aberrant patterns of activity in real time, and treat a wide array of neurological disorders.”

“The goal of this technology is to measure brain activity in both health and disease.”

The holographic projection technology works using an LCD screen which functions as a holographic negative to shape laser light into custom-designed patterns. These 40W laser beams are then pulsed incredibly rapidly in 300 femtosecond-long bursts every microsecond. The goal is to pulse these quickly enough to simulate the normal firing rates seen in the brain’s cortex.

So far, the technique has been successfully demonstrated in mice. It was achieved by engineering neurons in the mouse’s brain so that they express proteins which create a brief spike of activity when they are hit with light. At present, it has only been carried out on a tiny piece of brain, measuring a half-millimeter square, but the researchers think they could scale this up. And when they do, the results may be extraordinary.

“In the future, when gene therapy has been shown to be safe in humans, this system could track brain activity of patients with neurological disorders, including epilepsy and schizophrenia, rapidly identify when brain activity is going wrong, and then stimulate patterns of activity in the brain to correct this activity and block the symptoms of these diseases,” Adesnik continued.

“Patients who have lost function of their retinas or other sense organs could use this system to regain vision.”

“More generally, this technology could also be used for neural prosthetics. Patients who have lost function of their retinas or other sense organs could use this system to regain vision. In principal, it might be possible to take the imaging data from a head mounted camera and write this activity — after the appropriate transformation — as neural activity directly into the brain to provide someone who is blind with artificial vision.”

Hillel Adesnik, Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology University of California at Berkeley

In the same vein, Adesnik said that it might be possible for researchers to use this development to enable new ways of controlling smart prostheses, such as robotic arms.

While this research is still at a relatively early stage, it could potentially solve two of the biggest challenges which exist in the field of brain-machine interfaces. These are the low spatial resolution of existing systems approved for human use, and the fact that such systems don’t typically write back in sensory feedback. This is crucial if researchers want to build tools that will accurately let us use our hands are arms to pick up objects.

Next up for the project? A neural prosthesis for mice, apparently.

“We plan to use this system to see if we can cure models of cognitive disease, such as schizophrenia,” Adesnik continued. “But as basic neuroscientists, we are also primarily interested in using this system to ‘crack’ the neural codes of sensory perception.”

:We want to understand how our brain builds perceptions of our external world all through the language of neurons, which is basically a digital code of zeros and ones in hundreds of millions of brain cells. We believe this new technology can address this fundamental question in neuroscience because we can attempt to generate artificial perceptions by writing specific patterns of activity into the brain and see what ‘works.’”

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Which way is which? Here’s how to quickly calibrate the Google Maps compass

The days of busting out a paper map while on the go are mostly over, which means that people are much less likely to be found wandering cluelessly around new cities now that they have a phone with Google Maps in their pocket. Google Maps is a fantastic way of quickly and easily orientating yourself in unfamiliar areas. But that speed and ease can be quickly harpooned when Google Maps isn’t correctly showing you which way you’re facing. Or is it? I don’t know, I’m surrounded by buildings and I can’t see a street sign — oh, come on!

Calm down, take a breath. Recalibrating your compass on Google Maps might sound difficult, but it isn’t, and it doesn’t involve going into any settings menus, using any strange commands, or changing anything on your phone. At worst, you might look a little silly or drop your phone. Here’s how to quickly calibrate the Google Maps compass.

Quick calibration — it’s all in the wrist

Google updated the direction indicator way back in the heady days of 2016, changing it from a simple arrow to an indicator that looks more like a flashlight “guiding your travels”. The beam of the flashlight narrows if the phone is sure of where you’re looking, and conversely widens if it’s not so sure — hence the confusion of your current direction. If it’s really wide, that generally means your magnometer sensor needs calibrating, and since the magnometer inside the phone is prone to interference from chargers, metal objects, and even other magnometers, it’s worth doing a calibration every now and again to keep it up to speed.

But enough bellyaching — how is it done already? The process is simple, and it’s exactly the same for both iOS and Android users — repeatedly wave your device around in a figure-of-eight motion until your direction narrows down.

Once you’ve completed a couple of these motions, your “flashlight” should have narrowed down, and should accurately respond to your movements better. Be careful while you’re waving your phone around, and make sure that your phone doesn’t come flying out of your hand. While that may still help your positioning, it won’t do your phone much good if it ends up with a broken screen.

Accurately calibrating your Google Maps is only the start of the fun you can have with the world’s biggest navigation app. We’ve collated some of the best tips and tricks in our guide on Google Maps, so make sure you check that out to get the full low-down, or if you’re really not satisfied with what Google Maps is offering you, then check out some of the best navigation apps for iOS and Android.

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A German bank is using Bitcoin to handle international loans

German businessman Radoslav Albrecht has founded an online bank that will use Bitcoin to facilitate international money transfers. Albrecht says that Bitbond’s use of cryptocurrency will allow it to transfer money quicker and at a lower cost than standard banks.

“Traditional money transfers are relatively costly due to currency exchange fees, and can take up to a few days,” he told Reuters. “With Bitbond, payments work independently of where customers are. Via internet it is very, very quick and the fees are low.”

Clients who use Bitbond only hold onto the cryptocurrencies for a few minutes before they are exchanged for local currency. This ensures that clients won’t have to deal with the rather volatile cryptocurrency market.

Bitbond was founded in 2013 and has grown into an officially licensed bank with a large number of investors. Currently, Bitbond’s Berlin office employs 24 people from a dozen countries managing loans for about 100 clients. In total, the loans amount to about $1 million each month.

Albrecht says that the majority of his customers are small business owners or freelance workers who need a quick and affordable way to handle international loans. The loans are fairly small by the standards of most banks, and tend to be around $50,000 at the higher end of the scale.

While Bitcoin has been used as collateral for loans in the past, this is the first time that it has been used to facilitate international loans. It makes sense that Germany would be one of the first countries to attempt it, however. Adoption of Bitcoin has proceeded at a rapid rate within Germany. In terms of Bitcoin usage, it is second only to the United States.

While Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are just now beginning to hit the mainstream, they still pose many risks not found in traditonal currencies. The largest is the simple fact that the various currencies tend to sharply fluctuate in value. This can make it risky as a long-term investment, but since Bitbond clients only hold the cryptocurrencies for a short amount of time, that risk is mitigated to some extent.

For more information about Bitcoin and the technology that makes it possible, check out our blockchain primer.

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Twitch adds a new 24/7 streaming sports channel called Stadium

Although Twitch is primarily known as an outlet for esports, a new channel seeks to expand its reach into traditional sports including live games, highlights, and original programming.

Stadium, which launched in 2017, provides live and on-demand games for multiple online platforms. It’s owned by a conglomerate of entertainment and sports enterprises including Sinclair Broadcast Group, the NHL, and the PGA Tour.

Twitch will already be the home to 11 Thursday Night Football games for the 2018 season. After Fox was awarded the broadcasting contract in a deal worth more than $3 billion, the NFL renewed its deal with Amazon for two more years to broadcast the games online to its 100 million Prime video members.

According to Variety, the streaming deal was for anywhere from $50 to $65 million. The inclusion of Twitch was a new addition — the service will live-stream the TNF games free for everyone on the platform, whether they have a Prime membership or not. Amazon has said the broadcasts will include “enhanced viewing experiences” for Twitch watchers.

The new partnership with Stadium means Twitch will increase their offerings with more than 250 live games and events.

“As Twitch continues to expand into adjacent areas of interest surfaced from our community of gamers, physical sports are gaining traction,” said Jane Weedon of Twitch in an announcement. “Stadium effectively taps into this passion with its broad range of programming from football and basketball to competitive Frisbee, ensuring sports fans have a lot of variety to tune into 24/7.”

Running alongside the main feed will be Twitch Stadium 2, a co-streaming channel featuring commentary and analysis various Stadium and Twitch personalities. The NBA G League broadcasts on Twitch also use a co-streaming broadcast.

“We continue to focus our strategy on reaching fans on whatever platform they consume sports content and are excited to introduce Stadium to the millions of active and engaged viewers on Twitch,” said Brendan Canning of Stadium. “We look forward to tapping into a new, growing audience of fans and bringing an array of top tier games and daily and original sports programming to Twitch.”

This is the second 24/7 sports channel on Twitch after the debut of Eleven Sports in March. The channel is free to U.S. users, although Eleven Prime subscribers who pay $5 a month can get some extras, including ad-free broadcasts.

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Twitch adds a new 24/7 streaming sports channel called Stadium

Although Twitch is primarily known as an outlet for esports, a new channel seeks to expand its reach into traditional sports including live games, highlights, and original programming.

Stadium, which launched in 2017, provides live and on-demand games for multiple online platforms. It’s owned by a conglomerate of entertainment and sports enterprises including Sinclair Broadcast Group, the NHL, and the PGA Tour.

Twitch will already be the home to 11 Thursday Night Football games for the 2018 season. After Fox was awarded the broadcasting contract in a deal worth more than $3 billion, the NFL renewed its deal with Amazon for two more years to broadcast the games online to its 100 million Prime video members.

According to Variety, the streaming deal was for anywhere from $50 to $65 million. The inclusion of Twitch was a new addition — the service will live-stream the TNF games free for everyone on the platform, whether they have a Prime membership or not. Amazon has said the broadcasts will include “enhanced viewing experiences” for Twitch watchers.

The new partnership with Stadium means Twitch will increase their offerings with more than 250 live games and events.

“As Twitch continues to expand into adjacent areas of interest surfaced from our community of gamers, physical sports are gaining traction,” said Jane Weedon of Twitch in an announcement. “Stadium effectively taps into this passion with its broad range of programming from football and basketball to competitive Frisbee, ensuring sports fans have a lot of variety to tune into 24/7.”

Running alongside the main feed will be Twitch Stadium 2, a co-streaming channel featuring commentary and analysis various Stadium and Twitch personalities. The NBA G League broadcasts on Twitch also use a co-streaming broadcast.

“We continue to focus our strategy on reaching fans on whatever platform they consume sports content and are excited to introduce Stadium to the millions of active and engaged viewers on Twitch,” said Brendan Canning of Stadium. “We look forward to tapping into a new, growing audience of fans and bringing an array of top tier games and daily and original sports programming to Twitch.”

This is the second 24/7 sports channel on Twitch after the debut of Eleven Sports in March. The channel is free to U.S. users, although Eleven Prime subscribers who pay $5 a month can get some extras, including ad-free broadcasts.

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Best VPN Services of 2018

Add some privacy to the internet with a quality VPN.

A VPN can be described as an encrypted tunnel that shuttles your internet activity between your PC or phone and a host server. While the internet is a public space, a VPN works by extending an invisibility cloak across the user’s activity and allows people to send and receive data in a mostly-anonymous manner. In the simplest terms, a VPN makes it hard for someone to track your activity.

There are many different reasons people would want to use a VPN. In some countries, VPNs become a journalist’s main tool to get around government censorship and geo-blocks.

It’s true, there are plenty of free VPN services out there, but paid services are almost always a better option. You need a service that has fast speeds even when streaming video, and you want a service that doesn’t keep logs of its users’ activities. To help you decide which VPN is best, here are some great options that are available now.

NordVPN

NordVPN is operated in Panama, which means it has no legal obligation to record any of the activities of its users. You’re free to connect to any of the 4,173 VPN servers in 62 different countries, and you can use NordVPN on up to six different devices at once. To get around this restriction, however, it can be set up on your router, in which case it will handle any devices connected to your network.

I awarded NordVPN a near-perfect score in my review, focusing on the large set of extra features available to users. You can take advantage of a double VPN, P2P-dedicated servers, a DNS leak resolver, and a dedicated single IP service.

With rock-solid encryption and plenty of connection protocols for you to use, including OpenVPN, this is one of the best VPNs operating today. Grab a yearly subscription for about $5.75 per month, or go for two years for just $3.29 per month.

See at NordVPN

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ExpressVPN

Voted the top VPN by BestVPN, this service has plenty of servers all over the world, it doesn’t keep a log of user activity, and torrenting is allowed on all servers. In BestVPN’s review, it stated:

ExpressVPN is a British Virgin Islands-based VPN provider that has always led the way when it comes to offering a customer-focused service. Ease of use, a highly responsive 24/7 customer service team, and an industry-leading, no quibbles, 30-day money-back guarantee ensure ExpressVPN’s place at the top of the VPN industry.

The service is easy to use with a simple setup (if you get stuck, there’s always a live customer support chat on their site), and it has strong encryption with minimal logs. If you’re ready for unlimited bandwidth, unlimited server switches, unlimited speed, servers in 94 countries, and more, have a look at ExpressVPN. A yearly subscription costs about $8 per month.

See at ExpressVPN

IPVanish

IPVanish is one of the easiest VPNs to use, thanks to an app with a user interface that appeals to both novices and experts alike. In my review, I gave IPVanish a four-star rating for their strong encryption, excellent performance, and large set of servers. While it is based in the U.S., the company promises to keep no logs other than payment information, which you can also avoid by paying with Bitcoin.

IPVanish has more than 40,000 shared IP addresses on more than 1,000 servers in more than 60 countries. That’s some serious diversity, and there’s no limit on how many times you can switch servers. You can essentially move around until you find one that’s fastest. Toss in a kill switch, IPv6 and DNS leak protection, and manual port selection, and this becomes a very attractive option. Yearly plans start at about $6.50 per month.

See at IPVanish

Private Internet Access VPN

When it comes to a VPN and its apps, some people want a UI that has only what is needed. Private Internet Access is exactly this. With one click, you’ll be connected to a server of your choosing. There are more than 3,000 servers in 28 different countries, and they support torrenting without jeopardizing speeds. Private Internet Access is based in the U.S. but does not log its users’ activity beyond payment information.

Private Internet Access VPN was chosen as an Editor’s Choice at PCMag. The site concluded its review with this:

Private Internet Access is easy to recommend, but only with an asterisk. Yes, it’s incredibly robust with powerful tools and an extensive network of VPN servers across the world. It also has a strong privacy stance when it comes to protecting customer information. And it’s incredibly simple, but (and this is the asterisk) it’s also stripped to the bone in terms of interface.

Toss in some ad-blocking features as well as varied, budget subscription options — get two full years for just $70 — and this service might be your first choice, especially if you like your UI as simple as possible.

See at PIA

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Updated May 10, 2018: I’ve refreshed this list to ensure you’re still getting the best VPNs available right now.

Microsoft’s sale on the Surface Laptop covers every color and every configuration

Blue, Gold, Platinum, or Burgundy.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop in Cobalt Blue with a Core i5, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD is down to $999 on Amazon and the Microsoft Store. It also comes in a variety of colors, including Graphite Gold, Burgundy, and Platinum. I just went with Cobalt Blue because I like it the most. This laptop is normally $1,100 on Amazon and as much as $1,300 at Microsoft.

This is part of a larger sale on all the different configurations of the Surface Laptop. You can even get the Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB version for $1,899 in all four available colors. That would normally cost you around $2,200 at Microsoft, although the street price is closer to $2,000.

The Surface Laptop comes with Windows 10 and Office. It has an exterior aluminum casing, natural typing and trackpad, and an ultra-thin Alcantara fabric-covered keyboard. The screen is a 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen display with 2256 x 1504 pixel resolution. The battery life offers up to 14.5 hours of video playback. The ports include USB 3.0, mini DisplayPort, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

See on Amazon

Organize your office with four AmazonBasics 20-inch zippered cable sleeves for $7

No more cords.

Good cable management is essential to a clean office space. If you want an easy way to gather all your cables together, keep them secure but flexible, and still conceal them, then you should get a four-pack of AmazonBasics 20-inch zippered cable sleeves for $6.54 with code 15THRIFTER15. The code works on both the black and white versions. Just a few days ago, these were going for as much as $14. They recently dropped in price to $7.69, and now this Thrifter-exclusive code gives you another 15% off the price, dropping the sleeves down to the lowest price we’ve ever seen.

These are add-on items, which means you will need to get your shopping cart up to $25 to take advantage of the deal price. We’ve got plenty of other Amazon deals worth checking out if you need some inspiration.

You might be used to the sheer amount of cables it takes to put together a stellar office workspace or home entertainment center, but the other members of your house might see it as an eyesore. For example, I just finished building a brand new standing desk for my office. I worked really hard to keep the cables as minimal as possible and secured where they could be secured. When I showed the space to my wife, the first thing she said was “Look at all those cables!” even though she was seeing about 10% of the total.

These sleeves could solve that problem by concealing the group of cords inside a durable, flexible sleeve that’s fully-zippered and can hold several cables at once. Considering each purchase comes with four sleeves, you can use these anywhere around your house you have a lot of wires. Get multiple packs to cover really long cable runs with more than one sleeve. These are backed by a one-year warranty, and users give these sleeves 4.2 stars based on 39 reviews.

See on Amazon