How to export a GIF from a Motion Photo in Google Photos

Google Photos has a built-in GIF maker. Here’s how to use it!

GIFs — with a hard “G”, don’t fight me on this — are a great way to show a short animation, either to embarrass your coworkers or to display things that a static image wouldn’t do justice. One feature Google introduced with the Pixel 2 line was Motion Photos: one or two second videos, straight from your phone’s camera.

But playing back a Motion Photo is another story. You could play them back within Google Photos, but sharing them to Imgur or Twitter isn’t supported. Now there’s a much better way to share your Motion Photos — export them as a GIF!

Here’s how to export your Motion Photos as GIFs!

Open Google Photos on your phone.
Open the Motion Photo you’d like to export.
Tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner.

Tap Export.

Select GIF. You can export the same photo to a video or still photo if you’d prefer.
Tap Export.
You will see a message that says the GIF has been exported. You can tap VIEW to view the GIF, or you can look at it later in your Google Photos library.

From your library, you can download or share the image to wherever you want.

Do you take a lot of Motion Photos? Let us know down below!

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Which Transmission Media Helps You Enjoy Fastest Internet

In the modern times, most of the daily basis tasks leverage technology for communication purposes. It is also very common for users to experience interruption and blockades while communicating through technological means. Individuals who lack the basic knowledge about the components of telecommunication channel and their characteristics have to look for professional help to do their tasks in a smooth manner.

Generally, an ordinary user must know about the things like best transmission media, ideal internet speed and capacity of the communication devices to receive and process data.

Here is a guide for the IT users on a different type of transmission media, their examples and impact. The knowledge will help users to know which transmission medium transmits data the fastest.

Types of Transmission Media

These are the two broad categories of media used for transmitting data

1. Unbounded or Unguided Transmission Media
2. Bounded or Guided Transmission Media

Unbounded or Wired Transmission Media

Unbounded and unguided media send data without the use of a physical conductor. In this type, electromagnetic waves that include infrared waves, radio waves and microwaves are used for data transmission through air. The receiver devices receive the signals broadcasted through the free space. Wi-Fi internet or wireless internet connection are typical examples that utilize unbounded or unguided transmission media.

Bounded or Wired Transmission Media

As the name indicates, bounded or wired transmission media include tangible cables that transmit data. Typical examples of wired transmission media are fiber optics, coaxial cables, and twisted cables. These media are used in telephone lines and internet connections for data transmission.

A standard internet user who requires a speedy connection for a smooth online experience must know the characteristics like the amount of data a particular medium can transmit in a timespan.

Let’s have a look at the capacity of different media to transmit data.

Wireless Transmission Media

Wireless media transmit data through following three propagation mechanisms.

1. 1. Ground Wave Propagation (GW) – In this mechanism, electromagnetic waves propagate with the frequency band of up to 2 GHz. One example of ground wave propagation is AM radio.
2. 2. SkyWave Propagation (SW) – In this type electromagnetic waves are propagated through the upper layer of the atmosphere. This kind of wireless medium can propagate up to 30 GHz of frequency waves.
3. 3. The line of Sight Propagation (LOS) – This type characterizes an antenna to antenna transmission of signals through waves. LOS can propagate waves of more than 30 GHz frequency.

In the wireless mode of transmission, signals are spread in free space. Hence, there are a lot of chances for data delay due to refraction, attenuation, radiation and other such characteristics.

Characteristics of Wired or Bounded Transmission Media

Wired media for transmission has following three types.

1. Coaxial cable– Coaxial cable consists of two parallel conductors- one outer and other inner. White plastic coating separates these conductors. The arrangement helps to prevent the Electromagnetic interference (EMI).
2. Twisted Pair Cable– It features the solid pair of copper wires twisted with each other. No. of twists in each cable determine its categories from category 1 to category 5. Twisted pair cables are less costly and easy to install. They have a data transmission speed of 100mps.
3. Fiber Optics Cable– Fiber optics cable is commonly used for Ethernet internet connections. It utilizes light for transmission of electrical signals. A fiber optic cable comprises two strands that are responsible for their side of communication. The central core of a fiber optics cable has glass through which light signals propagate for transmission of data. Cladding process is used to coat the fiber optics cable with a reflective material so that no light escapes through the glass.

Which is the Fastest Transmission Media

Now a day’s wireless transmission media are popular among end consumers. And, it is a common perception that an unguided and unbounded medium for the transmission of data proves to be the fastest. In reality, this is the fiber optics cable which shows to be the best way of transmitting information and hence it must be a priority for the users who want to have a seamless experience on the internet.

The best thing about a fiber optics cable is that data doesn’t get lost through refraction due to several obstacles that it may face in an unbounded and unguided media. But, apart from choosing the right transmission medium, a user must pay attention to other parameters like bandwidth and capacity, etc.

Who Owns Who In the Tech World?

A few years ago, the idea of having big data and its possibilities to improve sales would make the worldwide market go to a craze. However, the tech companies back then didn’t know how to utilize the collected information. But, with the increasing thirst for information, tech giants today can analyze the raw data and turn this into useful statistics that help forecast future trends.

Today, it is a norm to see smaller companies being gobbled by well established giants who desire to create even more massive conglomerates. For example, a few years ago Rakuten acquired both Buy.com and Ebates, effectively spreading the company’s influence across the continental United States. While it may seem that there are hundreds of brands in the market, they actually have a lot in common (same owners, shareholders, etc.)

So, why do companies merge?

Eliminate Competition

In an attempt to eliminate competition, well established tech companies buy any startups that may be a threat to its operation in the future. Through this, the new company acquires a more significant market share and clientele dominance.

Increase the supply chain power

By merging with other companies, tech giants increase their geographical coverage and supply stores, therefore eliminating a level of costs such as transportation and consulting, among others. The merger also diversifies its products. This reduces the stretch of a company’s focus, helping it to concentrate on one operation, increasing its performance and profitability.

Tech mergers help gain a competitive advantage in the distribution and marketing networks. Rather than expanding to a new zone and start from the ground up, the alliance practically helps new companies gain thousands of customers overnight.

URL: https://www.16best.net/blog/the-web-world-who-owns-who/

How to Convert Several Images into a Single PDF Using Preview

Over the years, Adobe’s PDF file type has become a universally accepted method for sharing digital documents. The format’s cross-platform adoption means the documents can be viewed on almost any mobile device or computer, so it’s no surprise to find that macOS includes native support for viewing and creating PDF files.

In the Preview app, for example, it’s possible to create a single multi-page PDF document out of several separate image files. The feature is particularly useful if you need to share a number of scanned documents over email or digitize something for reference. Keep reading to learn how it’s done.

How to Convert Several Images into a Single PDF

In Finder, select all the images you want to include in the PDF. To do this, drag a box over several images files using your mouse cursor, or select them individually by holding the Command key and clicking them one by one.

Right-click (or Ctrl-click) one of the highlighted files and select Open With -> Preview in the contextual dropdown menu.

In Preview’s sidebar, drag the thumbnail images into the order that you want them to appear in the PDF document. Use the Rotate button in Preview’s toolbar to change the orientation of individual pages (drag a selection over multiple pages to rotate several at once).

In the Preview menu bar, select File -> Print…, or use the Command+P keyboard shortcut to bring up the Print dialog.
Click Show Details to expand the Print dialog and browse the full set of options. Make sure the All button is selected in the Pages options. Note that you can double-check the orientation of each image by clicking the arrows below the print preview, and use the Orientation buttons to correct any if required.

Select Save as PDF from the PDF dropdown menu in the lower left of the Print dialog.

The Save dialog will appear. Give your new PDF a name and choose a save location. Fill in the Title, Author, Subject, and Keywords fields if desired (these details are searchable in Spotlight). The Security Options… button also lets you optionally set a password to open the document, copy from it, and/or print it.

Click Save when you’re done.Note that the Save as PDF option can be accessed from the Print dialog window within a number of macOS apps, not just Preview. You can use it to create PDFs of web pages viewed in Safari, or Word documents opened in Pages, for example.

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Bitcoin’s profitability called into question as energy consumption rises

Energy consumption required to mine for Bitcoin may soon become too expensive for cryptocurrency mining to become profitable. It’s estimated that cryptocurrency mining can consume as much as 0.5 percent of the world’s energy by the end of this year, according to economist Alex de Vries.

“The Bitcoin network can be estimated to consume at least 2.55 gigawatts of electricity currently, and potentially 7.67 gigawatts in the future, making it comparable with countries such as Ireland (3.1 gigawatts) and Austria (8.2 gigawatts),” de Vries said. “Economic models tell us that Bitcoin’s electricity consumption will gravitate toward the latter number. A look at Bitcoin miner production estimates suggests that this number could already be reached in 2018.”

Using a series of mathematical models that take hardware, electricity, and cooling costs into account, de Vries was able to approximate total energy consumption using upstream chip production numbers. In the past, more accurate energy estimates were not possible because of the secretive nature of Bitcoin mining facilities, which keep their operations behind closed doors.

So much energy is required in mining because of the decentralized nature of Bitcoin. Because cryptocurrency relies on a peer-to-peer network to keep records of transactions, energy is needed to power large distributed networks of computers.

“Those computers collectively perform quintillions of calculations per second, each “mining,” trying to solve a math problem that will give it the right to form the next block on the chain,” Live Science said of the process. “And the winner every 10 minutes is rewarded with 12.5 Bitcoins. That’s more than $100,000 at the coin’s current exchange rates.”

To capitalize on the rewards, miners need to have facilities with numerous computers dedicated to mining, and these computers generate heat. In addition to the energy consumed to mine, these systems also require a significant amount of energy for cooling. In the past, it was estimated that the power required to mine for a single Bitcoin could power your home for an entire week. To help offset some of the cooling costs, operations like Miner One want to locate mining facilities in cooler climates, like in Sweden. Another startup is using the heat generated from mining to warm your home as an alternative to using energy to cool mining facilities.

Because of the high cost associated with mining, a university researcher misappropriated the institution’s hardware and electricity to obtain $8,000 to $10,000 worth of Bitcoin, which incurred a total cost of approximately $150,000. In another example, a mining facility in Russia was suspended for not paying for several million kilowatt-hours of electricity.

As a result of rising cost, malicious agents may be motivated to steal energy for their own mining operations. However, there will still be some who will continue to mine for Bitcoin at a loss, and those people may be motivated by ” libertarian ideology (supporting a payment network that does not rely on a central authority), or speculative reasons.” As energy costs continue to rise, cryptocurrency mining may no longer be a profitable enterprise.

Editors’ Recommendations

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Here’s how to hack an Ikea lamp and transform it into a mixed-reality projector

Do you have access to an Ikea lamp, a 3D printer, a few electronics components, and a bit of free time? If so, you could hack together a pretty awesome creation — a nifty user interface projector that’s bound to enliven any home. Combining a lamp, laser projector, and Google’s Internet of Things software platform, Android Things, the smart “Lantern” projector can be used to create a range of augmented UI elements. For example, you could use it to create an augmented clock where your appointments are overlaid around a real-world clock. And that’s just for starters!

“Using the companion app for Lantern, anyone can assign ‘channels’ to display information to their choice of orientation,” Michael DelGaudio — a product design lead at Google, whose job is to envision and design products related to our connected future — told Digital Trends. “As of now, we have built a calendar overlay for a clock, a ‘currently playing’ song [status] to project onto a speaker, a star chart for the ceiling, and ambient weather for your desk. Anyone can create a channel for themselves, and we are excited to see what people will come up with.”

There’s plenty of buzz around augmented reality technology right now. For the most part, this has focused on use cases in which users are asked to view the world through their smartphone or tablet display in order to see the augmented elements. This project is different, since the augmented interface is actually projected onto the world in front of you, something referred to as “mixed reality.” At present, this is predominantly a fun home hack, but long term, team members are serious when they suggest it could be an alternative to our regular screens, giving us a user interfacethath appears when we need it and fades away when we don’t.

“The team wanted to explore the relation between augmented reality and everyday objects,” DelGaudio saidd. “We started by sketching possible containers that a projector might sit inside while in a home. A lamp is a natural fit because it is movable and already projects light. From there, the team iterated on various housing configurations and interaction design for assigning content, using the physical form.”

If you’d like to build your own Lantern, step-by-step instructions can be found on the website Hackster.io. If you’re wondering how to spend your weekend and fancy picking up a few new skills in the process, there are worse things to do than check out what could possibly be the computer interface of the future.

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Global financial giant Goldman Sachs is launching its own cryptocurrency

While the number of cryptocurrencies has exploded in the last few years, so too has skepticism about many of them. Companies like Microsoft, Google ,and Facebook have all decided to ban ads for these digital currencies — and a big reason for that is concerns about possible scams, bad actors, and a general lack of adult supervision in the field. Wouldn’t it be good if we could have a financial name we could trust in the cryptocurrency mix?

If that’s the way you think, you may well be pleased to hear that Circle, a payment startup owned by none other than multinational investment banking leviathan Goldman Sachs, has just announced the launch of its very own bitcoin rival. Called Circle USD Coin, it’s the first cryptocurrency to be created and released by one of the world’s leading financial giants. Yes, that is kind of the antithesis of the countercultural mentality that spawned the likes of Bitcoin. But it’s also a familiar name and, as the continued popularity of McDonald’s and Hilton Hotels around the world shows, that’s a big selling point for many people.

Helping further reduce volatility is the fact that, unlike a lot of other cryptocurrencies, Circle is tied to the U.S. dollar. People owning the cryptocurrency must own one dollar for each Circle USD Coin they have — with the hook being that, essentially, this is a U.S. dollar that operates on blockchain technology.

“A price-stable currency, such as a token pegged to the U.S. dollar, is critical for enabling mainstream adoption of blockchain technology for payments, as well as for supporting maturation in financial contracts built on smart contract platforms, such as tokenized securities, loans, and property,” a press release for the new currency notes. “There are several interesting approaches to solving this need, spanning algorithmic reimaginations of money supply to crypto-backed tokens to fiat asset-backed tokens.”

This does take out some of the thrill of cryptocurrency, which is at least partially rooted in the massive fluctuations in value that saw a single bitcoin rise from virtually nothing to more than $10,000 in less than a decade. In some ways, it’s more like a Venmo-type service that gives you an alternative to using your regular credit or debit card for purchases. But it’s still an important step in the maturation of cryptocurrencies.

Circle also shared news about a $110 million investment round led by Bitmain, the bitcoin miner that operates Antpool, one of the largest bitcoin mining pools.

Editors’ Recommendations

• World domination, phase two: Facebook ponders its own cryptocurrency
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• Cambridge Analytica designed cryptocurrency to sell back your personal data
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First preproduction units of the Pimax ‘8K’ VR headset to ship to testers in May

The developers behind the first “8K” virtual reality headset plan to ship the preproduction unit, aka the M1, to 10 participants in the closed beta testing group this month. If these testers give the green light, the general launch will begin in June for backers of the Kickstarter project. The team says the “8K” model will have a steady 80Hz refresh rate, while the “5K” model, also shipping in June, can reach a higher 90Hz refresh rate. 

Don’t let the “8K” branding fool you — the Pimax VR headset doesn’t produce a full 7,680 x 4,320 resolution. Instead, it relies on two 3,840 x 2,160 screens, which is higher than what’ll you currently find in the Oculus Rift, the original HTC Vive, and the newer HTC Pro. Essentially, the screens combine to create a 7,680 x 2,160 viewing area with an extremely wide 200-degree field of view. Branding the device as the Pimax 4K+4K would be a marketing nightmare, and there’s currently no industry standard to correctly label VR resolutions. 

Regardless of the branding, the journey to the point of finally releasing the first preproduction model wasn’t easy for the Pimax team. As previously reported, they originally targeted a January 2018 full product launch, but after five prototypes decided to explore new hardware in December 2017 to better maintain high refresh rates. To appease backers, the team said they would release a preproduction model called the M1, but even that model experienced a setback because the lenses due to arrive in February showed up late.  

While the current design supports two 3,840 x 2,160 screens running at a stable 80Hz refresh rate, the team is still working on improving that number to the target 90Hz. Units shipping to Kickstarter backers may still run at 80Hz, while the 5K unit will push frames at 90Hz. Of course, these headsets don’t guarantee a VR experience running at those rates given that the overall performance falls to the parent PC’s hardware configuration, especially when you throw two 4K screens into the mix.

“Up to now, the 80Hz [refresh rate] is confirmed stable.[Eighty-two] Hz just passes the initial test standard, and now we’re trying to optimize on 85Hz and 87Hz [refresh rates]. [Ninety] Hz is the [theoretical] upper limit of the whole system,” the Kickstarter post reads. It goes on to list the 80Hz to 85Hz range as a “worst-case scenario” for the final product. 

Funding for the Pimax Kickstarter project began in September 2017 and ended 45 days later, reeling in 5,946 backers pledging a hefty $4,236,618, exceeding the original $200,000 goal. The first working prototype controllers are expected to arrive sometime in June or July, followed by a general availability in the fourth quarter of 2018. Compatible lighthouses are scheduled to ship in October. 

According to the team’s latest update, the upcoming Pimax headset will support games and experiences sold for the Oculus Rift. The team is also refining the head strap design and has plans for a face cushion and cooling fan. The 33-foot cable passed the internal sample test but is undergoing additional tests, they said.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Pimax takes notes from Valve for its prototype ‘knuckles’ VR controller
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• Unboxing the HTC Vive Pro: Take a peek at what you get
• Oculus Rift review
• Oculus Go and Santa Cruz will have a 72Hz mode for smoother mobile VR

Here’s what’s changing with YouTube Music, YouTube Red, and Google Play Music

Google’s music strategy is confusing, and its latest effort to streamline everything isn’t helping. The company announced major changes to its streaming lineup Thursday, including a re-imagined YouTube Music service, but there were some real lingering questions after the dust settled. We reached out to Google to clarify the details of its new service, as well as how it affects Google Play Music, which is the default music app on many Android phones.

What’s going on?

Google has two music streaming services: Google Play Music, which launched in 2011, and YouTube Music, which debuted in 2015. If you purchased a subscription to Google Play Music, you also got access to YouTube Red (or vice versa), an ad-free version of YouTube with access to premium content.

Now, there’s been a shake-up. YouTube just announced a completely revamped and re-imagined version of YouTube Music. It has access to thousands of playlists, songs, albums, artists, and more; and it has neat features like the ability to search for songs via vague descriptions or lyrics. There’s a free version with ads, or you can pay $10 a month for YouTube Music Premium, which offers “background listening, downloads, and an ad-free experience.”

YouTube Red is now called YouTube Premium, and it will still provide an ad-free experience across all of YouTube, along with background play, the ability to download videos to watch offline, and access to YouTube Originals. YouTube Premium includes the new YouTube Music Premium experience, though, so its price is now $12 per month, as opposed to the previous $10 price tag for YouTube Red.

So to break it down: YouTube Music lets you stream music with ads; YouTube Music Premium lets you stream music without ads, and has a few extra perks; YouTube Premium gives you an ad-free experience on YouTube, with some additional features and access to YouTube Music Premium.

So where does that leave Google Play Music?

Naturally, with all this streamlining, you’d think Google would just replace Google Play Music with the new YouTube Music experience, right? A lot of news websites seem to think so, claiming that the long-standing service will eventually be replaced by the new YouTube Music — but there is no official confirmation this is the case.

“If you use Google Play Music, nothing will change,” Google said in the blog post.

Current YouTube Red and Google Play Music subscribers in the U.S., Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, and Mexico “will continue to get the features they already enjoy at the same price they pay today.” In other countries, Google Play Music subscribers will automatically get access to YouTube Music Premium as soon as it’s available in those countries.

We asked Google if Google Play Music will get replaced at a certain point in time, and a Google spokesperson didn’t say yes or no. Instead, the spokesperson reiterated that nothing will change for Google Play Music subscribers. So it doesn’t look like Google Play Music is on the chopping block anytime soon.

When asked if Google Play Music subscribers will easily be able to transition to YouTube Music Premium with the same library of music, the spokesperson simply said “nothing will change for Google Play Music subscribers.” It’s unclear why Google Play Music subscribers in the U.S., Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, and Mexico won’t immediately get access to YouTube Music Premium, but those in other countries will.

Since Google Play Music is the default music player on many Android phones, we asked if YouTube Music will be pre-loaded onto Android phones. The Google spokesperson said the company has no “plans or news to share.”

Here’s what else we confirmed:

• Family plans are still available for current and new Google Play Music subscribers.
• There will be no podcasts on YouTube Music or YouTube Music Premium. Instead, you can access podcasts through Google Play Music, or Google Search on Android, as well as the Google Assistant.
• You will not be able to upload your own music to YouTube Music as you can in Google Play Music — at least, “not at this time.”

So yes, Google’s music strategy is still a confusing mess that requires a bit of explanation — not unlike its messaging strategy. Hopefully we’ve cleared a few things up, but we’ll certainly know more in the coming weeks and months as the new YouTube Music continues to roll out. It will launch in early access on May 22 to select countries.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Revamped YouTube Music is Google’s latest effort to take on Spotify
• How to download music from YouTube
• YouTube plans to ‘frustrate’ music fans into paying for its ad-free service
• Google will reportedly kill Play Music when it launches YouTube Remix
• DT Daily: YouTube announces Premium subscription service

Spotify’s Android app is crashing on users when streaming songs via Wi-Fi

A new version of the app should fix the issue soon.

Spotify is my music streaming service of choice, as it probably is for a lot of you reading this. For many users, unfortunately, a bug with the most recent version of the Android app is making it unusable.

On May 16, user Danalite took to the Spotify community with the following complaint —

As of around 2 hours ago, using Spotify with wifi enabled on my android phone (s8) causes the application to lag for about 5 seconds before it crashes. If I use the app with 4g or with wifi turned off then it works just fine. I’ve tried the usual troubleshooting (reinstall, clear cache, ect) and none of that has fixed it.

Shortly after this thread was created, user after user replied with reports of having the same problem on the OnePlus 5/5T, LG G6, Samsung Galaxy A5, Huawei P20 Pro, and many more.

The issue is still persisting as of today, May 17, but Spotify is apparently aware of what’s going on and working on a fix. I haven’t had any problems on my Pixel 2, but what about you? Sound off in the comments below.

Spotify vs. Google Play Music: Which should you subscribe to?