It’s official: Xiaomi Mi A2 is launching in India on Aug. 8

Xiaomi’s 2018 Android One device will make its way to India in two weeks’ time.

Xiaomi unveiled the Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite at an event in Madrid yesterday, and we now have more details on global availability. Xiaomi has sent out invites to the media for an event on August 8, where it will launch the Mi A2 in India.

Mi A2 is the latest Android One from Xiaomi, and there’s considerable upgrades on the hardware front. It offers a 5.99-inch FHD+ 18:9 panel, and is powered by the Snapdragon 660, the best mid-range chipset available today.

It also comes with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, along with dual 12MP + 20MP cameras at the back, a 20MP front shooter, and a 3000mAh battery. Xiaomi’s obviously known for offering robust hardware, but it’s the fact that the Mi A2 runs Android One that makes it such an enticing option.

As an added bonus for Indian customers, Xiaomi has stated that it will offer the Mi A2 with Quick Charge 4.0 exclusively for the country. In other markets, the phone comes with QC3.0. The charger in the box, however, works at 5V/2A, so you’ll have to buy a QC4.0 wall charger to leverage the phone’s full charging potential.

We’ll have to wait a few weeks to know the price, but it should be less than the $325 quoted figure for the base 4GB/64GB option. If the Mi A2 launches at anywhere around the ₹20,000 ($290) figure, it should make the device an instant hit with Indian consumers.

In the meantime, what are you looking forward to the most from the Mi A2?

5 reasons to be excited about the Xiaomi Mi A2

Fallout 76: Everything you need to know!

Fallout 76 is about to take nuclear survival to an entirely new level.

Post-apocalyptic nuclear wastelands are supposed to be terrifying, but we’re always excited to experience those conditions whenever we take a visit back to the world of Fallout. With Fallout 4 having kicked this generation off, Bethesda is ready to turn in yet another new title – and all of this is before we’ve had another proper Elder Scrolls game!

It’s called Fallout 76. And no, that doesn’t mean it’s the 76th Fallout game made. To find out the significance of that number and everything else you need to know about Fallout 76, read on.

What’s new with Fallout 76?

Excited about rebuilding a civilization devastated by nuclear fallout? Keep it locked here for the latest details on Fallout 76. We’ll be updating this post periodically as new information surfaces.

July 23, 2018

Just like Fallout 4 received, Fallout 76 is getting a strong marketing campaign in the months leading up to its launch. Bethesda has new videos showcasing a few of the new mechanics you’ll encounter within the game.

Intro to multiplayer and griefing

Fallout 76 won’t feature any human NPCs, so when you see another person out in the Wasteland, it’s someone from the real world. Whether they turn out to be hostile or friendly, this constant knowledge should always keep you on your toes.

In order to avoid griefing, you cannot be killed by another player until you reach level 5, giving you some time to accustom yourself to the gameplay. Those deemed overly aggressive will also be given a wanted level, further discouraging players from ruining the fun of others. Bethesda is still tweaking the systems in place to deter griefing, but there will be systems so players cannot be abusive.

“So you can’t be harassed by somebody who just keeps chasing you around the world and keeps killing you over and over again,” said Bethesda’s Pete Hines. “The game literally doesn’t allow that to happen to you.”

Intro to C.A.M.P.

Bethesda expanded upon Fallout 76’s base building. Dubbed the C.A.M.P. (Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform) system, this differs from Fallout 4’s settlement system in that you can move your base around. It wouldn’t seem fair to settle down in one area only to find yourself plagued by enemies day and night. If you do find your little base under attack too often for your liking, you can move it around between pre-determined areas of the map. The building process, menus, and UI are similar to that found in Fallout 4.

Intro to nukes

When Todd Howard revealed that players could nuke sections of the map, there were some reservations about this mechanic. How would this affect gameplay? Could this be abused? Thankfully, Bethesda is implementing nukes in such a way that sounds more like a fun challenge and less a constant annoyance.

The ability to use nukes is gated behind randomly finding every piece of the code to launch one. You can’t just go up to a silo and instantly nuke the world. When you’re out fighting the various threats in West Virginia, you may find that one of the fallen enemies has a nuclear Silo Alpha Code when you go to loot them. This is just the beginning of your journey to unleash hell. Once you collect several pieces to get the full code, you can then find the appropriate nuclear silo and choose a target to wipe out in one of the six distinct regions; Ash Heap, Toxic Valley, Savage Divide, The Forest, The Mire, and Cranberry Bog.

Nuking an area turns it into an end-game location of sorts. The resulting destruction changes the land for a period of time (not forever), welcoming more powerful enemies, rare loot, and new environmental hazards. Great rewards come with great risk. Think of areas similar to the Glowing Sea in Fallout 4.

B.E.T.A.

As announced at E3, Fallout 76 will indeed be getting a B.E.T.A. (Break-it Early Test Application) before arriving this fall. Bethesda recently revealed that the beta will be taking place in October, though specific dates were not announced. The company has stated that Xbox One users will get access to the beta first before PlayStation 4 and PC. Currently you can get a code to participate in the beta by pre-ordering Fallout 76 at participating retailers.

July 1st, 2018

Speaking on the issue of cross-play. Bethesda’s Todd Howard confirmed that Fallout 76 won’t have the feature. He mentions that they would love to add it, but it isn’t currently possible due to Sony’s policy on not allowing cross-platform play with competing platforms.

A loosely translated report from German outlet Gamestar suggests Howard specifically called out Sony, noting that they are “not as helpful as everyone would like it.” This comes as no surprise, as Sony has been under fire lately for the cross-play issue that keeps Fortnite players from being able to use their accounts on multiple platforms.

Howard’s tone would suggest that cross-play could eventually be added if Sony ever lifts restrictions, but for now, you can expect the online communities of Fallout 76 to remain isolated.

June 10th, 2018

At E3 2018, Bethesda premiered a new trailer for Fallout 76. It’s a direct extension of the launch teaser, with the company showing us life outside the vault. We’ve learned that the wastelands are still just as ravaged as you’d expect after a nuclear bomb hits.

The trailer doubled down on expectations that Fallout 76 will be focused on the act of rebuilding a society in the rural plains of West Virginia. Players will not only build up houses but also help grow and nurture entire communities. It even tasks you with educating young ones, a sign that we may see some sort of hereditary system. And you might also get to rebuild an entire government.

We also saw the same power armor suits we’ve seen in previous games, some sort of dragon-esque creature flying about, and a handful of rural towns and cities. Bethesda noted that the overall game world would be four times larger than Fallout 4, some of which was on display in the trailer.

Bethesda also confirmed some gameplay details in their own E3 showcase. We got confirmation that Fallout 76 is entirely online, with folks entering the vast wasteland with at least a dozen other players.
You and your friends can build a survival settlement together, help other players, or even get into some sort of conflict with other players you come across. That conflict can escalate quite heavily with the ability to find nuclear keys and use them at active nuclear launch sites.

Despite the heavy online focus, players will be able to play the game entirely solo if they so wish. Bethesda didn’t specifically say they could play offline, however, so there may be some sort of passive gameplay option available to players. And if you do decide to jump into a friend’s game every now and then, you will be able to take all the progress you’ve made (and, presumably, items found) back to your own game.

Fallout 76 will launch November 14th, 2018, and there will be a beta test ahead of the game’s launch for players who want to ensure Bethesda catches as many bugs and fixes as many issues as possible.

If you’re going to pre-order Fallout 76, you’ll want to consider this awesome collector’s edition. Called Poer Armor Edition, those willing to drop the money on it will get an actual Power Armor helmet, complete with a working light and voice modulator. The helmet is even designed to be worn if your head will fit inside.

There’s also a West Tek duffle bag, a glow-in-the-dark world map, collectible figurines, an exclusive steel case, and bonus digital in-game items. There’s no pricing for all of this just yet, but we’d suggest saving at least $150 if you plan on getting it.

What’s Fallout 76?

The Fallout series has traditionally placed players within a post-nuclear world. It’s a survival game at heart, they’re typically open world affairs ever since the third mainline title, and they feature Bethesda’s signature RPG touch, but with a combat twist that’ll make each encounter equally interesting and intense.

You’re typically in control of a character who has spent most of their life within a “vault,” built for sheltering survivors from the effects of nuclear radiation. In previous Fallout titles, these vaults were typically evacuated due to emergency circumstances, with the events forcing you out into the world to fend for yourself. Some of these vaults are moderate in size, but there are a number of bigger ones called “controlled vaults” which house as much as 500 survivors.

The original purpose of these vaults was to have them open exactly 20 years after the nuclear bombs dropped, with the creators looking to compare the survival rate of those who were let out versus those who remained inside. Vault 76 was one such vault, and it serves as the starting point for Fallout 76.

What’s the story so far?

While the trailer nor Bethesda managed to reveal any hard facts, several things within the announcement trailer help us begin to paint a picture. For starters, the game is set in the year 2102, as spotted by the date entered on one of the Pip-Boy units lying around. We’re not sure if the entirety of the game moves on chronologically from that point, but it’s significant for a couple of different reasons.

The first reason is that this will have been the earliest time in a Fallout game we’ve ever seen. The original Fallout took place in 2161. Fallout 2 was 2241. Fallout 3 and New Vegas were 2277 and 2281, respectively. The most recent entry – Fallout 4 – took us to the year 2287.

While the bombs have already dropped by the time 2102 arrived (doomsday was October 23rd, 2077), Fallout 76 should be the purest a Fallout world has ever been, meaning buildings won’t be as worn down, vegetation won’t be as scarce, wildlife won’t be as mutated, and things might not be quite as depressing overall. That’s not to say you should expect an oasis, but it could be the perfect excuse for Bethesda to give us more of a living, breathing world when previous games gave them every excuse not to.

The second reason the year 2102 is significant is because Vault 76 was supposed to have opened precisely 20 years after the first bombs dropped — the inhabitants even seem to be celebrating their “Reclamation Day” at some point — but that date would mark 25 years. That means one of two things happened: the vault did open five years ago and we’re just seeing the abandonment in all its glory, or something terrible has happened that delayed the grand opening. And if you know the history of Fallout games, you know you’ll almost never leave the vault due to some regular occurrence.

Beyond that, Bethesda dropped hints as to the game’s setting. The song playing on the radio throughout the trailer is Country Roads, a country song about West Virginia, and sure enough that’s where the game will take place.

We now know that the player will be among the first inhabitants to leave the vault, and that it’ll be up to them to help begin the slow rebuild of society.

Base building, rodent killing, and online play

The first Fallout 76 trailer didn’t give us any expectations of gameplay mechanics, but some early rumors have given us an idea of what to expect. We’ve heard that the base building aspect introduced in Fallout 4 will return in Fallout 76, presumably with more polish and a greater level of detail. In fact, it may serve as the entirety of the game’s premise (whereas Fallout 4’s felt like more of an afterthought feature). We can see a situation where you’re one of Vault 76’s inhabitants and you’re tasked with building up a settlement to help you and your family survive.

And we’re sure all this base building would necessitate supply and food runs, meaning there’ll be plenty of reasons and opportunities to venture off into the wildlands. Expect a huge bundle of quests along the way that’ll help you gain new companions, gather the supplies you need, and indulge in Fallout’s unique combat system that mixes real-time action and turn-based strategy.

Fallout 76 will not be your typical Fallout game.

Another big detail is that Fallout 76 will be the first ever online Fallout game. Fallout 76 originally began as an experimental project to see if an online component would be right for Fallout 4. While that development never came to fruition for the existing title, Fallout 76 gives them a nice opportunity to take a chance.

It’s suggested that it will be akin to games like Rust or ARK: Survival Evolved, where dozens of players can exist on the same server. In those games, you start off with absolutely nothing in your possession, and it’s up to you to start building the shelter, sowing the seeds, crafting your tools, and marking your territory. There will be both cooperative and PVP elements in play.

But those who are fans of single-player experiences shouldn’t fret, apparently. It’s said there will still be a massive quest line for you to enjoy solo should you shy away from interconnected conflict. That’s sure to be good news for folks who enjoy Bethesda games for their strong single-player stories.

When can you play it?

Bethesda has confirmed that Fallout 76 will launch November 14th, 2018, and you’ll be able to play the game on PS4, Xbox One, and PC whenever it launches. Be sure to check back often for more news and updates about Fallout 76 as we begin the long wait for an eventual release!

Updated July 2018: Added information regarding C.A.M.P., nukes, and griefing.

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Apple’s 6.1-Inch LCD iPhone ‘Possibly’ Delayed to October, OLED Models Still Coming in September

Apple might delay the launch of its new, low-cost 6.1-inch iPhone by one month and launch the device in October, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty (via Barron’s). Huberty cites suspected issues with “LED backlight leakage” leading to the “possible” one month delay in mass production on the 6.1-inch iPhone.

Alleged front glass panels for the 2018 iPhones, with the 6.1-inch model in the middle
The problem was worse in the original production forecast, according to the new report, as there was originally a rumored six week delay for the 6.1-inch device. Now, Huberty says the cheaper smartphone will launch in October, while the second generation 5.8-inch iPhone X and 6.5-inch “iPhone X Plus” will “see no delay” and debut in September. All three devices are expected to be revealed during an event in September.

We currently see no delay in the ramp of Apple’s upcoming flagship 5.8″ or 6.5″ OLED iPhones. However suspected issues with LED backlight leakage have caused a 1 month delay in mass production of the 6.1″ LCD iPhone, although this is down from a 6-week delay baked into the original production forecast, according to suppliers.

The six week delay for the LCD model was previously mentioned in a report earlier this year that predicted the LCD model wouldn’t launch until November 2018, but otherwise the belief has been that Apple will release all three devices in September 2018.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has backed this idea, and in a June report outlined what he believes will be Apple’s pricing plan for the smartphones: the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone will be priced at $600 to $700, the 5.8-inch OLED second-generation iPhone X will be $800 to $900, and the 6.5-inch OLED device will be $900 to $1,000.

If the 6.1-inch model doesn’t make a September debut, Apple will likely lose a few sales to customers who are interested in a new iPhone model but still don’t want to pay upwards of $800 in full for the OLED devices. Because of this, Huberty sees Apple delivering a “slightly weaker-than-consensus September quarter.”

This is a similar sentiment that the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus gained when Apple split up their launches last year, although somewhat reversed given that the flagship iPhone X was the delayed device in 2017.

Related Roundup: 2018 iPhonesTag: Katy Huberty
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Nike Training Club Launches on Apple Watch

Nike Training Club is now available on the Apple Watch, as part of a free update to the existing iPhone app released today.

The personal training tool offers more than 180 free workouts, ranging from strength and endurance to mobility and yoga, with expertise from Nike trainers and sponsored athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo and Serena Williams.

Workouts can be started in the iPhone app, and then the Apple Watch app allows users to easily check the amount of time or reps remaining for a drill. Apple Watch wearers will also receive haptic feedback during workouts.

The release notes provide more details:

• Easily control your workout – advance to the next drill, pause, skip drills, and more, directly from your wrist
• Monitor your heart rate, calories and Exercise ring progress
• Haptic guidance to stay on track with less distractions
• Workout recommendations to help you hit your Exercise goal

Nike Training Club, free on the App Store, requires iOS 11 or later on iPhone and watchOS 4 or later on Apple Watch.

Tag: Nike+
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Apple Offering Pilot of Hulu’s ‘Castle Rock’ Stephen King Series for Free in TV App

Apple is letting anyone in the United States with an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV watch the pilot episode of Hulu’s new series Castle Rock for free through its TV app. The episode is available now for users in the U.S., and it will live in Apple’s TV app for two weeks (via Engadget).

This coincides with Castle Rock’s premiere on Hulu today, beginning with the first three episodes available for Hulu subscribers to watch in full. Over the next few weeks, one episode will launch each Wednesday leading into the finale with the tenth episode capping the first season.

As Engadget points out, Apple’s decision to promote the show makes sense as it’s one of the most anticipated new series of the summer and should get more people to jump into the company’s TV app ahead of the launch of its own exclusive shows next year. Apple says this is the first time it has debuted a new series before any paywalls in the TV app, and it already offers free episodes of its own shows like Carpool Karaoke in the app.

For the show itself, Castle Rock focuses on the life of a criminal law attorney who returns to his hometown of Castle Rock, Maine when a new case about a mysterious inmate emerges from the nearby Shawshank State Penitentiary. The show uses numerous stories and locations created by author Stephen King as the backdrop for new characters and a new story in the Maine town.

The episode has already launched, so those interested can watch the pilot of Castle Rock for free in Apple’s TV app right now.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 12Tag: HuluBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
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Siri on iOS Answered 78.5% of Queries Correctly in Latest Test, Trailing Google Assistant at 85.5%

Five months after performing a test that put the smart speakers of multiple companies in the spotlight to determine how well they performed in various categories, Loup Ventures is back today with an IQ test focused entirely on digital AI assistants. To get the necessary results, the researchers asked Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, and Cortana 800 questions each on a smartphone, and compared their findings to a previous AI test held in April 2017.

For Siri in the new test, Apple’s AI helper understood 99 percent of the queries and answered 78.5 percent of them correctly. That’s an improvement on a similar AI-focused test from April 2017 (66.1 percent of 800 questions answered correctly). While Loup Ventures looked at similar methodologies when testing smart speakers in February, the researchers explain that it’s “not worthwhile to compare” the results across these tests since “the use cases differ greatly between digital assistants and smart speakers.”

This is particularly true for Siri on HomePod, which performs well in certain areas but is largely limited to the amount of actions it can perform on the speaker itself. This led Apple’s HomePod to become relegated to the “bottom of the totem pole” in an AI assistant performance test during Loup Venture’s smart speaker research in February, with Siri answering 52.3 percent of 782 total questions correctly, across the same five categories as the new test.

Loup Ventures grades each digital assistant on two metrics: “Did it understand what was being asked?” and “Did it deliver a correct response?” Questions came from five categories, including Local (example: “Where is the nearest coffee shop?”), Commerce (“Can you order me more paper towels?”), Navigations (“How do I get to uptown on the bus?”), Information (“Who do the Twins play tonight?”), and Command (“Remind me to call Steve at 2pm today”).

Charts via Loup Ventures
Questions were asked of Siri on an iPhone running iOS 11.4, Google Assistant on a Pixel XL, Alexa on the iOS app, and Cortana on the iOS app. Siri’s best category was Command (90 percent of questions answered correctly), outperforming all rivals when asked to control aspects of the iPhone, smart home products, Apple Music, and more. Following Command, Siri performed well in Local (87 percent), Navigation (83 percent), and began dipping in Information (70 percent) and Commerce (60 percent).

Google Assistant has the edge in every category except Command. Siri’s lead over the Assistant in this category is odd, given they are both baked into the OS of the phone rather than living on a 3rd party app (as Cortana and Alexa do). We found Siri to be slightly more helpful and versatile (responding to more flexible language) in controlling your phone, smart home, music, etc. Our question set also includes a fair amount of music-related queries (the most common action for smart speakers). Apple, true to its roots, has ensured that Siri is capable with music on both mobile devices and smart speakers.

Google Assistant was the top digital assistant in all categories except Command, with Loup Ventures particularly liking Google’s “featured snippets” feature that reads off search results of voice queries and is often “exactly what you’re looking for.” Both Alexa and Cortana were lesser performers in the test due to the iOS app for each limiting what the assistants can do on an iPhone, unlike Siri’s ability to perform tasks all over iOS and not just in one app.

In total, Google Assistant answered 85.5 percent of the 800 questions asked correctly and understood all of them, compared to Siri’s 78.5 percent answered correctly and 11 misunderstood. Alexa correctly answered 61.4 percent and misunderstood 13, while Cortana was the “laggard” and correctly answered 52.4 percent and misunderstood 19.

Over the 15 month period since April 2017, Siri improved by 13 percentage points, with Loup Ventures pointing out that it was “impressed with the speed at which the technology is advancing” for most of the assistants. The researchers went on to explain that many of the issues they had last year were erased by “improvements to natural language processing and inter-device connectivity.”

Loup Ventures also sees more improvements coming down the line, particularly for Siri. This fall, the digital assistant will gain new abilities with Apple’s upcoming “Siri Shortcuts” feature in iOS 12, which will let users create automations between apps that can be easily triggered through voice commands. The researches say they are “eager to test that feature” when it launches within iOS 12, likely coming in September.

Tag: Siri
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Not at Hogwarts? You can still build and use a wand thanks to Kano

You may not be able to get into Hogwarts (muggles that we all are), but that doesn’t mean that you can’t build your own wand. After all, who needs Ollivander and his wands when you have the new Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit? Heralded as the first-ever Harry Potter STEM project, this coding kit is the latest offering from runaway hit Kano, who first burst onto the coding scene via Kickstarter. By the end of 2017, it had shipped more than 200,000 of its original Raspberry Pi coding kits, and had also raised nearly $30 million. It’s now building upon that success by bringing to life one of the most popular mystical worlds of our (and previous and subsequent) generations.

The new Kano kit gives kids and adults alike the opportunity to build their own wands, and also comes with more than 70 magic-inspired coding challenges. The wand works by way of software and a companion app, which capture your movements and turn them into convincing effects. You can make snakes slither, toads turn into … not toads, set fires, and more. By carefully following the instructions of the coding manual, you’ll not only build a wand, but also learn about hardware by way of sensors, data, and of course, code.

As for the wand itself, it makes use of a gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer in order to keep tabs on its location and speed in space, which means it’s able to track your hand motion. Just like magic (or like computer science), the sensors will land a cursor on screen to reflect where you’re pointing, and also recognize what’s happening when you swish and flick to some signature spells.

“We’re surrounded by technology in our homes, workplaces and pockets, yet only a small percent of people, less than 1 percent of 1 percent, understand the happenings behind the screen,” said Alex Klein, Co-Founder and CEO of Kano. “We are thrilled to partner with Warner Bros Consumer Products to inspire people of all ages, all over the world to make their own code, and see how easy it can be to understand, play, and create with it.”

The Harry Potter Coding Kit is Kano first offering to be created with tablets in mind, and works with both Apple and Android devices, as well as Windows and Mac computers. The Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit is available for now available for pre-order from the Kano website, and will set you back $100. The kit will go on sale around the world online beginning October 1, 2018, and will also be made available in retail stores in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.

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How to manage downloads and files on your Chromebook

Make the most of your Chromebook’s limited storage by managing your downloads and files.

Chromebooks are designed from the ground up to work “with the cloud” and they do a fine job at it. But they also work just as well with locally stored files if you want to keep things close. Even if you regularly work from the cloud, you might want to keep a local copy of that thing you’re currently working on in case you get stuck somewhere away from Wi-Fi for a bit. Your Chromebook doesn’t really care where you store your files, but because most devices have 64GB internal storage or less, you’ll want to take a bit of care how and where you put the important stuff.

Your Chromebook is a lot like your Android phone when it comes to downloading and storing files. You have a dedicated Downloads folder, or you can choose another spot in the user-accessible portion of your storage drive to place a file when you’re downloading it, and you can move files and folders around as you like as long as you stay out of the system files. On the surface, things look super simple and if you’d like to keep them that way you really only need to remember a couple things.

• Files won’t be mirrored or stored in your Google Drive account unless you put them in the Google Drive folder through the file manager.
• Files kept in the “Downloads” folder can be deleted when you get low on space.

But you don’t have to keep things that simple as there are plenty of other options when it comes to storing files on your Chromebook. Things like SD cards and other removable storage devices are a great option as are cloud-based services like Google Drive or Dropbox. You can even store files on a home network device like a NAS box and access them as if they were local. That’s part of what makes a Chromebook great — they are built for networked storage to act seamlessly.

Removable storage

You’ll see an SD card or USB hard drive listed as its own “folder” in Chrome’s built-in file manager. Once you click or tap on its icon, you’ll notice it is exactly the same as your physical storage space when it comes to the look, and it acts the same when you use it, too.

More: Best SD cards for Chromebooks

What you’ll need to remember is what you already know: these files are only there if the media — the SD card, thumb drive, or hard drive — is in place. That’s not a problem if you stick an SD card in the slot and never take it out, but if you use other storage remember to keep the things you often need in a local folder. I have a hard drive at my desk that I attach to my Chromebook when I “dock” it for work. It has music stored on it so I’m not likely to need any of the files while I’m away from my little office space. If I did need to have some documents on hand all of the time, that hard drive isn’t the best place to store them.

Right now, Android apps aren’t installed to the removable storage in Chrome. That should be soon changing and when it does, you’ll need to have your SD card in its slot to use any app you’ve installed that way. A thumb drive or hard drive isn’t going to be a great option if you let Android apps use the removable storage on your Chromebook.

The cloud

You get free Google Drive space when you set up a Google account and most Chromebooks also get you a bit of extra storage free for a year. This makes using Google Drive a no-brainer when it comes to the cloud, but you can use any service that lets you interface with it through a web browser.

Google Drive just works but you can use other cloud services through the Chrome file manager.

Some, like Dropbox, also have extensions that bundle them into the Chrome files app the same way Google Drive is. That’s super-handy because it’s seamless. you can use your Google Drive space (or Dropbox or OneDrive or local Samba shares with the right extensions) just like it was a local folder. You might have to wait a few seconds for things to upload properly once you place them in the Google Drive folder, but it makes for an easy way to store a lot more than you can locally.

Advanced users with a home network with attached storage can set up Windows or Samba sharing and use the Chrome OS Files app the same way through an extension. This gives the same benefit of “unlimited” storage space but allows you to keep files out of the cloud if that’s how you would rather work.

Backups

If you keep everything in Google Drive, you don’t have to worry about backups. That’s what I would recommend, especially if you’re not really a “computer person” and just want to make things simple. Open the Drive storage space in your file manager and create any and all folders for things like photos and music inside of it, and use it. No muss, no fuss.

You only remember backups twice — when someone reminds you and when you wish you had one.

If you don’t use Google Drive for all things you’ll want to remember that you should always have at least one backup of every important file you own. Two backups of every file is even better. You have a couple of great options available to you when it comes to backing up files from your Chromebook.

You can back up important files to an SD card or removable USB storage device. Just plug it in and wait for a second or two for your Chromebook to see it and set it up, then copy things over like you normally would. All you need to do then is remove the card or drive and store it somewhere safe.

You can back up important files to Google Drive, even if you normally don’t use the service. It’s just like copying files to any local folder, just choose the Drive storage space and create any folders you need for backups. Even if you have extra space for a year and decide not to renew it after, anything you store in Google Drive is always available. You just can’t add any new files once it’s full.

Setting up Dropbox or OneDrive with the file manager is as easy as clicking a button.

To use another online storage service, you can upload files through the company’s web interface. When given the opportunity to choose a file for uploading you’ll see the Chrome files app and it works exactly as you would expect.

You need to keep backups because everything is erased when you “Powerwash” your Chromebook. In other operating systems you can reinstall the whole OS without losing your user data and files. Chrome OS doesn’t work that way — when you reset a Chromebook through what’s called Powerwashing, everything is erased forever. You’re probably never going to do this by accident, but if you lose your Chromebook or it gets stolen, everything is gone forever. Back up your stuff.

About the Downloads folder

The Downloads folder in Chrome is not a regular folder. It’s a place where you can dump any file and any other app has access to it, but it’s managed by the OS itself. You can keep files in the Downloads folder and access them normally, but when you reach the point where 80% or more of your local storage is used the OS will randomly delete files in the Downloads folder to free space.

Chrome OS doesn’t have a Recycle Bin. When a file is deleted it is gone forever unless you have the means to rebuild it from a forensic check of the storage. Make it a practice to never keep any large file in the Downloads folder and to regularly move out any files you’ll want to keep.

Managing files and folders on a Chromebook isn’t hard, especially if you’re used to doing it on another operating system like Windows or macOS. All you need to know are a few extra details about the special way Chrome can work with the cloud and you’ll be a wizard in no time!

Chromebooks

• The best Chromebooks
• Chromebooks in education: Everything you need to know
• Should you buy a Chromebook?
• Chromebook Buyers Guide
• Google Pixelbook review
• Join our Chromebook forums

Twitter: Everything you need to know

All the way back in 2006, a little website by the name of Twitter was created. This July marks the 12-year anniversary of the social network, and since then, Twitter’s become one of the most popular apps/sites around.

Over the years, Twitter’s become the go-to place to learn about current events, new movie trailers, fresh memes, and to scream about politics with random people online.

Whatever you use Twitter for, here’s everything you need to know about it.

The latest Twitter news

July 13, 2018 — Bottom-navigation bar comes to the Android app

After testing it out for a few weeks, Twitter decided to flip the switch and officially roll out the bottom navigation bar to all of its Android app users.

While the four main pages are the same, you’ll now find tabs for Home, Explore, Notifications, and Messages at the very bottom of the app rather than the top. Along with this change, Twitter’s also annoyingly removed the swipe gesture to go from page-to-page.

Lastly, Twitter’s made it easier to switch back and forth between All and Mentions in the Notifications tab.

June 13, 2018 — Twitter announces new features to more easily discover news topics

Twitter’s always sort of been an unofficial way to get caught up with the latest news, but thanks to a few new features coming soon, finding the latest stories/current events will feel a lot more natural and fleshed-out.

If something particularly big is happening, you’ll see a card for it at the top of the Home page. When you tap on a story from here or the revamped Explore page, you’ll see a brief bit of text outlining what’s happening, a live video if there’s on to accompany it, and tweets that can be filtered by Recap and Latest.

Along with all this, Twitter will also begin to send out push notifications to users if there’s a story the app thinks you’d be interested in.

All the big details

Home, Explore, Notifications, and Messages are the four main pages

In the Twitter app, you’ll be met with four main icons at the bottom to make your way around everything. They include:

• Home — This is the page you’ll go to every time you open Twitter. It shows a list of tweets from your followers, things they’ve liked, and anything they’ve retweeted. If you see something that looks out of place, it’s probably an advertisement (yay!).

• Explore — Want to know what’s happening around the world? Explore is the page for you. At the top is the day’s most popular story, below that are trends Twitter thinks you’ll be interested in, and as you keep scrolling, you’ll see other popular stories and curated tweets based on who you follow.

• Notifications — Upon going to the Notifications tab, you’ll see chronological entries for when a tweet of yours was liked/retweeted and when someone replied to a tweet or mentioned your username. If you just want to see these mentions/replies, tap on the Mentions icon near the top.

• Messages — Slide in those DMs! On the Messages tab, you can jump into any ongoing private conversations you have with other users or start a new thread by tapping the big blue circle near the bottom right.

Tweets can be a max of 280 characters

For the vast majority of its lifespan, one of the main draws to Twitter was its restricting limit of only being able to use 140 characters per tweet. However, in November 2017, Twitter made a pretty controversial decision to double it to 280 characters for all users after testing it with small groups.

If you have a particularly big rant to go on and need more than 280 characters to get all your thoughts out, you can tap a small + icon to quickly add another tweet to your thread and then send multiple tweets out at once in an uninterrupted stream.

All hail the built-in dark mode

Even though Google still can’t get its head around a system-wide dark mode for Android, the Twitter app has had one for years.

You can manually enable it by tapping the moon icon on the hamburger menu, or have it turn on and off automatically in accordance with the sunset and sunrise.

If you want to configure these settings, tap your profile icon near the top right and go to Settings and privacy -> Display and sound -> Night mode.

Bookmarks is the best feature you’re not using

This past February, Twitter added a new feature called “Bookmarks.” It’s technically not a huge addition, but it’s one that’s proven to be extremely useful in day-to-day use.

I like just about every tweet that makes me chuckle or I find interesting, and while I’m more than happy to throw those virtual hearts around, this does make it extremely difficult to go back and find a specific tweet later on.

With bookmarks, you can add tweets to a separate page that only you can see so you can go back and view them at a later time.

It never hurts to make your account more secure

Whether there’s a data breach or you just think it’s time to beef up the security for your account, resetting your Twitter password is fairly simple.

Once you’ve got a new password created, you may also want to think about enabling two-factor authentication for your account. This requires you to enter a unique code each time you log in from a new device, and with Twitter, you have the option of getting this code texted to you or through an app like Google Authenticator.

How to change your Twitter password and activate two-factor authentication

A Lite version of the app is available for developing countries

If you live in a developing market and/or have a phone that has struggles handling the full-fledged Twitter app, you can download a slimmed-down version called Twitter Lite that aims to offer the core Twitter experience while trimming down some of the unnecessary fat.

All of the main Twitter features are included with Twitter Lite, such as your timeline, profile pages, direct messaging, and even the Explore page. On top of that, there’s also a Data Saver tool to help you use even less data.

Twitter Lite should work well on even 2G and 3G networks and the app weighs in at just 810KB.

As it currently stands, Twitter Lite is available in:

• Algeria
• Bangladesh
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Chile
• Columbia
• Costa Rica
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• El Salvador
• Israel
• Kazakhstan
• Mexico
• Malaysia
• Nigeria
• Nepal
• Panama
• Peru
• Serbia
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• Tunisia
• Venezuela

Download: Twitter Lite (free)

Apple Supplier LG Display’s Quarterly Losses Unlikely to Affect OLED Investment

Apple supplier LG Display has reported a second quarterly loss and cut its investment plans by $2.7 billion up to 2020, on mounting concerns for the smartphone market (via Reuters).

LG shares fell 7 percent after it posted faster-than-expected declines in the price of display panels and an unpredictable outlook. The announcement follows news that another Apple supplier, Taiwan-based TSMC, also scaled back its revenue and investment estimates over uncertainty in the mobile market linked to risks of oversupply and unbalanced competition.

Crucially for Apple, LG said the $2.7 billion investment cut would not impact the speed of the Korean firm’s transition from LCD to OLED production, although existing LCD operations could be affected.

The investment cut would not impact plans to “speed up the shift” from LG’s mainstay liquid crystal display (LCD) business toward next-generation organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels, the company said.

Plans to invest about 20 trillion won in OLED panels by 2020 remained unchanged, meaning the cuts would apply mainly to LCD operations.

LG’s traditional LCD business, which analysts estimate makes up more than 90 percent of its sales, is reportedly struggling with falling prices as fast-growing Chinese panel makers ramp up their capacity.

Against that backdrop, Apple is investing $2.67 billion in LG’s OLED panel business, with the Korean firm said to be building a production line dedicated to iPhone orders only, as part of its agreement with Apple.

Separately, LG is believed to have signed a deal with Apple to supply both LCD and OLED panels for the company’s 2018 range of iPhones.

Apple is expected to launch two OLED iPhones (5.8 and 6.5 inches) and one 6.1-inch LCD iPhone later this year, with the LCD device to be positioned as a low-cost option alongside the two more expensive OLED devices.

The contract should see LG ship around 20 million LCD smartphone panels and around 3-4 million OLED panels to Apple in 2018. LG also hopes to secure the majority of 6.5-inch panel orders from Apple in 2019, which will see the firm ramp up its OLED shipments to 10 million units in the year.

LG’s OLED panel business has yet to make a profit, but the company said it would be positive for earnings in the third quarter.

Related Roundup: 2018 iPhonesTags: OLED, LG Display
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