TicWatch Pro vs. Apple Watch: Features or polish, because I can’t have both

There are a lot of things here Apple should pay attention to.

I’ve been an active Apple Watch user for 260 days. Not a lot compared to some of the other smartwatch folks around me, but enough for me to know a fair bit about the strengths and weaknesses of the platform through my daily use. I’m largely a fan of the way Apple does things on the Watch, but like most smartwatch owners I find myself never truly happy with display performance in daylight or the battery after a day of constant use. Neither are easy problems to solve, and the watches offering solutions to date have compromises in other areas that make them downright unpleasant to wear.

The folks at Mobvoi got my attention recently with its TicWatch Pro, a watch running Google’s Wear OS promising between five and thirty days of battery life in certain modes and, a special display which works perfectly even in direct sunlight. After a week of using this new watch, I find myself ready to call TicWatch Pro the best Wear OS watch I have ever used. But compared directly to my Apple Watch, the title of best overall is less easily won.

So much more than round vs. square

Any time you compare anything to the Apple Watch, the initial wave of reactions are the same. People on Twitter, in droves, respond to photos of the two watches side by side with a comment about how round displays actually look like watches and are therefore better. I think it’s clear by Apple’s sales record with the Watch so far that not as many people care about round vs. square as these folks might think, but it remains a talking point in the general public. Personally, the physical shape of either watch doesn’t impact me one way or the other. I’ve never really worn traditional watches, and I don’t wear a TicWatch Pro or an Apple Watch to tell me the time. These are tiny computers on my wrist to give me a deeper look into my digital self. From acting as a trusty notification dumpster to a fitness companion, I don’t need these things to look like watches.

Apple’s third generation Watch display is impressive, but the TicWatch Pro display is on an entirely different level functionally.

What I will say is, because the TicWatch Pro is round, it feels noticeably larger on my wrist than the Apple Watch. TicWatch Pro isn’t appreciably thicker or taller, but the design feels roughly the same as it does when I’m wearing a leather cuff watch band on my Apple Watch. Since I wear a cuff-style band frequently, the size of the TicWatch Pro doesn’t feel particularly big. But on those with smaller wrists, or those who prefer the smaller of the two Apple Watches, the difference will be significant.

TicWatch Pro and Apple Watch both have a pair of buttons for use on the side, but only Apple’s watch has a rotating crown. I admit I almost never use the rotating crown on my Apple Watch, but those who take advantage of not needing to rub your finger on the display are going to notice it missing on the TicWatch. The secondary button on the TicWatch Pro is entirely programmable, though, which I really like. I enjoy having a shortcut to Strava on my watch, and the physical button is more convenient for me than adding a Complication to one of the Apple Watch faces.

The main event in comparing these two watches is the display. Apple’s third-generation Watch display is impressive, but the TicWatch Pro display is on an entirely different level functionally. It’s called a “dual layer” display, with one layer being a fairly standard-looking round AMOLED display. That second layer is using Film compensated Super Twisted Nematic (FSTN) LCD tech, and it exists specifically to deliver high-contrast black and white displays at much wider viewing angles than anything else. And wow does it work well. This secondary display is on when the AMOLED display is off, which means when I’m on my bike I can glance down and my wrist and there’s actually information I care about. I don’t have to lift my arm from the handlebars, or from my keyboard while typing, to gain access to the information I want.

When I do lift my wrist to see the full color display, the time it takes for the watch to transition from FSTN LCD to AMOLED is about the same wait time it takes for the Apple Watch to wake up when I lift my wrist. Which is to say it’s not as fast as I would like, but it gets the job done. There’s never a time when the display is unresponsive, and if my wrist is still I can push a button on the bezel or touch the display to wake it as well, but there’s never a time when some amount of information is being displayed on this watch and I’m a fan of that.

The other thing of note regarding the hardware is the method of charging. Both of these watches require you to use a proprietary dock to charge the watch, but by nature of its popularity, the Apple Watch charger is significantly easier to replace when you need to. The charger for the TicWatch Pro is also a pin-based charger instead of the smooth magnetic-seal wireless charger Apple is using. I personally prefer Apple’s charger, but the use of pins instead of a fully wireless set up on the TicWatch is a real shame. Other Wear OS watches with wireless charging have been found to work with a host of third-party chargers, and it would have been nice to see this watch do the same.

Apps, watch faces, gestures, and everything in between

These little wrist computers need to earn that spot on my wrist, and for me, that means delivering information when I want it and leaving me alone the rest of the time. While watchOS and Wear OS both have great notification controls to keep apps from pestering me when I’m busy, and Theater or Do Not Disturb modes when I really don’t want to feel that vibration at my wrist, delivering information is another thing entirely.

Apple doesn’t allow third-party developers to build faces for watchOS. The options you get from Apple are what you have available to you, and nearly all of them can be adjusted by adding Complications with additional information or links to apps you want shortcuts to. This is fine, but it means I’m only ever going to use the Activity Rings face on my Apple Watch. That is the information I care about the most, and this face is the only way to show that information with the detail I like. Wear OS takes a different approach, letting just about anyone make a face for these watches. It means I have access to my body tracking data in many different formats, with a ton of visual flourish. I like having access to so many options, though very few of these third-party faces have any customization options at all which is just limiting in a different way.

Apple’s biggest strength against Google right now with its Watch platform is popularity.

Both Wear OS and watchOS do a great job delivering me notification I can interact with, but only Wear OS makes that interactivity possible with just my wrist. Gesture controls in Wear OS remain one of the biggest strong points the platform has, especially when I’m on my bike. Being able to dismiss a notification with a flick of my wrist, or scroll further into a text message with a simple wrist twist, is tremendously convenient. It means I don’t have to slow down, and don’t have to take my other hand away from its task. This is something Apple really should implement sooner rather than later, especially as the watchOS platform continues to offer features for fitness-focused folks, because it makes a huge difference in how convenient a lot of features actually are.

Apple’s biggest strength against Google right now with its Watch platform is popularity. Developers know watchOS is where the people are, and that’s where the energy for optimizing third-party apps goes. Strava on Wear OS is a prime example. The watchOS counterpart displays an order of magnitude more useful information about my ride while I’m moving, and is generally more stable for things like auto-pausing. The Wear OS app straight up isn’t very good, which is a shame. Wear OS apps, in general, are at least a generation behind watchOS when it comes to things like optimizations for information density and battery performance.

On the subject of battery performance, a few notes about that exciting “5 to 30 day” experience on the TicWatch Pro. Mobvoi includes these numbers on the box with a caveat, it only really applies to when the watch is in one of two low power modes. These special modes turn off the color display and leave you with the always-on LCD, effectively blocking you access to most of the things which make the watch useful. While it is amazing that I can flip the watch into these low power modes and know it will still function for much longer than a day or two, the battery drain when you’re actually using the watch is almost identical to the Apple Watch. I get a little over two full days out of it if I’m not using it for much, but four to five hours on my bike with Strava running will cut the battery down to 50%.

Finally, virtual assistants. To be perfectly honest, the less said about Siri on the Watch the better. I know things are going to be much better in the next generation of watchOS, but Google Assistant is more capable in every possible way on the TicWatch Pro. That’s another one of those things that can be a big deal when you don’t want to reach for your phone because you’re driving and want that hands-free experience. I will say that, in comparing the two side by side, the microphones on the Apple Watch did a noticeably better job translating my speech to text when outdoors.

Which should you buy? It depends

Apple Watch is almost always the best experience for people who live entirely in the Apple ecosystem. It meshes better with its software, and the level of polish in the overall Apple experience can’t be discounted. But if you lean into the Google ecosystem from your iPhone, and a MacBook isn’t your primary computer, and you’re not especially slender in the wrist, the TicWatch Pro is the first general non-Apple watch I’ve been genuinely happy using with my iPhone. The layered display tech is exceptional, the size is just right for my needs, and while the apps aren’t all as functional as I’d like there’s a lot to love about the Wear OS ecosystem.

If you’re not totally sold on an Apple Watch and want something a little different, I don’t think there’s a better place to spend your $250.

See at Amazon

“Hey Russell, what Apple Watch strap is that?” – Check out the $16 Nickwea Apple Watch cuff on Amazon!

MacRumors Giveaway: Win an 18W USB-C Power Adapter From Choetech

For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with Choetech to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an 18W USB-C Power Delivery Wall Charger.

This giveaway product is a little simpler than many of our other giveaway options, but we have quite a few to provide to MacRumors readers and these power adapters are an essential component for fast charging with the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus.

All of Apple’s newest devices support fast charging speeds using an 18W+ USB-C power adapter and a USB-C to Lightning cable, which needs to be purchased directly from Apple for $19.

Apple touts fast charging when the aforementioned USB-C to Lightning cable is paired with a MacBook or MacBook Pro adapter, but prices on those start at $49 (for the 30W version), making fast charging prohibitively expensive. At $15 (or even lower, check out the discount below), Choetech’s solution is more affordable.

Earlier this year, MacRumors did extensive testing on various iPhone charging methods and confirmed that an 18W charger such as this one provides just as much charging power as the official MacBook power adapters.

In fact, this Choetech charger is the exact charger that was used in our testing, and paired with an Apple USB-C to Lightning cable, it charged an iPhone X from 1 percent to 49 percent in 30 minutes, and from 49 percent to 79 percent in another 30 minutes.

Apple’s fast charging specification is designed to provide a 50 percent charge in just a half hour, which is successfully achievable with Choetech’s 18W power adapter.

This power adapter isn’t much to look at with its plain black design and rather prominent logo, but it gets the job done. If you have a Nintendo Switch or a compatible Android smartphone, it also charges those devices at full speeds.

We have 35 of Choetech’s 18W power adapters to give away, and Choetech is also providing a significant discount for MacRumors readers. Enter code MACRPD18 at checkout when purchasing from Amazon to drop the price from $15 to $10. This deal will be available until the end of the month.

To enter to win the giveaway, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
The contest will run from today (July 20) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on July 27. The winners will be chosen randomly on July 27 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

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How to Close Apps on iPhone X in iOS 12

When Apple launched the iPhone X, a whole new set of gestures were introduced, changing the way that we were used to interacting with our iPhones.

One of these changes involved the App Switcher and the way apps are closed, with Apple introducing a gesture that was much more cumbersome than the simple swipe up to close option that was available on devices with a Home button.

To close an app in iOS 11 on iPhone X, you need to open up the App Switcher, press a finger on an app until the red “-” appears in the corner, and then tap that – to close it.

In iOS 12, the process has been simplified, and it’s once again a swipe gesture. Here’s how to do it:

At the Home screen of the iPhone X, or while in an app, swipe up and hold from the bottom of the display.
When the App Switcher comes up swipe through the different app cards to find the app that you want to close.
Use a quick swipe upwards to close the app.Using this gesture exits out of an app and effectively closes it, which is useful if you need to restart an app for some reason. There’s never any need to close your apps to improve performance, though, as Apple has built-in management systems for dealing with all of the apps that you have open on your device.

Apps that are not active are in a suspended state and are not using up system resources.

Force quitting an app will not improve your battery life, and it’s possible that doing so can actually drain battery because it causes the iPhone to load it all over again.

Related Roundup: iOS 12
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All of the Changes to Notifications in iOS 12

In iOS 12, Apple has introduced new notification features, providing an expanded set of tools for monitoring and managing notifications in quicker and more intuitive ways.

There have been no changes to the way that Notifications work on the whole, but many of these features make it easier to clear notifications, determine which notifications you want, and make adjustments on the fly.

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Grouped Notifications

iPhone and iPad owners have been asking for the return of grouped notifications for years, and in iOS 12, Apple delivered.

Multiple notifications from the same app will be grouped together on the Lock screen of the iPhone, cutting down on clutter. You can tap a set of notifications from a particular app to expand them to see all of the notifications in the list.

You can tap on the “X” next to a notification group to clear all of those notifications at one time, or do the same thing with a swipe to the left.

In the Settings app, you can change the behavior of grouped notifications. Go to Settings > Notifications and tap on any app to see the “Notification Grouping” preferences. Tap that to choose “Automatic,” “By App,” or “Off” if you’d rather see all of the incoming notifications for a particular app like Messages.

Automatic sorts by app for the most part, but with this setting enabled, you might get two notification groups if you have email threads going with two different people in the Mail app, or multiple conversations in Messages, for example. Or different incoming Messages conversations.

By App will make sure all notifications from an app are in one stack, without the sorting that Automatic mode uses.

Instant Tuning

Instant Tuning is a feature that lets you manage a pesky notification right on the Lock screen, giving you the tools to turn notifications for that app off entirely or send notifications right to the Notification Center.

On any notification that’s on the Lock screen or in the Notification Center when you swipe down, swipe left on a notification to see settings that include “Manage,” “View,” and “Clear All.”

Select “Manage” from this list to see Instant Tuning options. Notifications set to “Deliver Quietly” will be visible in Notification Center, but you won’t see them on the Lock screen, there will be no banner, and there won’t be a badge.

To reverse this, tap on a notification from the muted app again, follow the same instructions, and choose “Deliver Prominently.” Notification settings can also be changed in the Settings app, also accessible from the Instant Tuning popup. Turn Off, as the name suggests, turns off notifications for that app entirely.

You can also get to your Instant Tuning settings by 3D Touching or long pressing on any notification and selecting the three ellipses. For more details on using Instant Tuning, make sure to check out our detailed how to.

Note: In iOS 12, Apple will send you alerts asking you if you would like to continue receiving notifications from a particular app if you’ve been getting a lot of notifications and haven’t been interacting with them. When this happens, the alert will feature a “Manage” section so you can access your Instant Tuning settings for that particular app.

Critical Alerts

Critical Alerts are a new type of opt-in notification in iOS 12 that can ignore your Do Not Disturb settings to send important must-see notifications.

These alerts are limited in scope and are available for medical and health related information, home security, and public safety. For example, a person who is diabetic might want to set critical alerts for a glucose monitor when blood sugar is low, so the notification will be delivered even if Do Not Disturb is turned on.

Critical alerts bypass Do Not Disturb and the ringer switch, and will always play a sound. They are meant to be disruptive and for that reason, are going to be highly limited to apps that need these kinds of immediate alerts.

Developers with apps appropriate for critical alerts will need to apply for an entitlement that needs to be approved by Apple. Users will be able to turn off critical alerts on a per app basis separately from other notifications.

Notification Count in Screen Time

Screen Time, Apple’s new feature designed to provide you with the tools to monitor when and how you’re using your iOS devices, keeps track of all of the notifications that apps are sending you, letting you know which apps are the noisiest.

This information can help you decide if you want to keep notifications turned on for a particular app, or if you might want to mute an app to cut down on interruptions.

You can get to this section of Screen Time by opening the Settings app, choosing Screen Time, selecting “All Devices,” and then scrolling down to the bottom. You can see your notifications from the last 24 hours or the last 7 days.

For more on using Screen Time, make sure to check out our Screen Time how to and our how to on App Limits and Downtime.

Richer Notifications

In iOS 12, app developers can build notifications that are able to accept user input, so you can interact with notifications in new ways, doing more on the Lock screen without having to open up your iPhone.

With Instagram, as an example, if the app sends you a notification that a friend posted, you might be able to view the photo and then add a like all from the notification.

In this example, you can tap the heart to like the photo, something that wasn’t possible in iOS 11.
Rich notifications were available in earlier versions of iOS, but Apple has removed the limits that previously restricted interactive touches.

What do you think of the changes to notifications in iOS 12? Are there other notification features you’re hoping for in the future? Let us know in the comments.

Related Roundup: iOS 12
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Dish Network versus DirecTV

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

So, you’ve chosen to go with a satellite television provider over cable or a live TV streaming service. Now the question is: Dish Network or DirecTV? The companies offer remarkably similar programming packages, but there are still some serious differences between the two. If you’re looking for specifics about what its like to be a subscriber to each service, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together this handy guide to give you a thorough rundown of each service, and how they compare in terms of specialty content, hardware, and pricing.

Content

The programming packages Dish and DirecTV offer are very similar, but there are a few notable differences that will likely drive your decision in selecting one company over the other.

First, here’s what you’ll get by going with either:

• More than 300 available channels (exact number ranges between packages)
• 200 available high-definition channels
• Three free months of HBO, STARZ, Cinemax, and Showtime
• Access to locally broadcast programming
• 4K Ultra HD support

That’s quite a bit in common, but there are perks to choosing one over the other, depending on your viewing preferences.

One major difference between the services is the channel options included in their sports packages — specifically those outside the domain of Disney’s ESPN channel suite. The lion’s share of sports packages — including MLB Extra Innings, ESPN GamePlan, NBA League Pass, Fox Soccer Plus, NHL Center Ice, and MLS Direct Kick — are available on both. Both providers also include common pay TV options like Fox Sports and NFL Red Zone, the latter of which offers a commercial-free way to watch scoring plays from every NFL team that plays each Sunday.

When it comes to differences, Dish’s exclusive sports packages include Outdoor Sports and Racetrack Television Network. DirecTV, however, has the monopoly on NFL Sunday Ticket, which includes every regular season NFL game, regardless of your market. That’s a pretty big point in favor of DirecTV. It’s worth noting, however, that each of these packages are supplemental add-ons to your base channel package, and costly ones at that.

Lastly, the languages each service supports vary quite a bit. Dish supports 29 different languages ranging from Spanish and Italian to Tagalog and Urdu. DirecTV offers a mere eight options, including Spanish, Brazilian, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Filipino, Vietnamese and South Asian.

DirecTV’s Support for NFL Sunday Ticket tilts the scales in DirecTV’s favor, here, albeit at an extra cost to your subscription. Unless you’ve got a specific language need that Dish covers, those looking for the most content will want to go with DirecTV.

Winner: DirecTV

Hardware

We’ve included this handy table so you can compare the hardware specs of teh two services side by side, but below we’ll dig a little deeper into specifics.

Dish
DirecTV

DVR
Hopper
Genie

Internal storage
2TB, supports USB storage expansion
 1TB

Apps
Netflix
N/A

Watch Anywhere-supported devices
Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Android Phone, Android Tablets, Kindle
Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Android Phone, Android Tablets, Kindle (Watch Anywhere on DirecTV requires extra GenieGo hardware)

4K streaming
Yes
Yes

Local programming
Yes
Yes

Auto-skip recorded commercials
Yes (after 24 hours)
No

On Demand
Yes
Yes

Home security
No
Yes

Tivo
No
Yes

Picture in picture
No
Yes

Max TVs
7
8

Max simultaneous recordings
16
5

When comparing Dish Network and DirecTV’s DVR boxes — the Hopper and the Genie, respectively — the major sticking point is recording capacity. You’ll have to shell out a monthly rental charge and supplemental fees for various DVR services, but exactly what those extra services are, and the amount of storage capacity available, differs between each.

Dish’s Hopper can save up to 500 hours of HD content or 2,000 hours of SD content for a $12 monthly fee. That’s more than double the storage of DirecTV’s Genie, which offers 200 hours of HD programming or 800 hours of SD programming for a $15 monthly fee. Plus, the internal storage on Dish’s Hopper can be expanded with USB storage devices, which could push it well beyond its base 2TB drive, while DirecTV’s Genie remains at a static 1TB. If you aren’t recording dozens of shows, this might be a minor sticking point, but Dish easily carries the day there.

The two boxes also offer varying feature sets. Dish’s Hopper includes a dedicated Netflix app, and commercial auto-skip for select recorded content after 24 hours. DirecTV’s Genie supports picture-in-picture mode, and even offers home security options when paired with your AT&T service.

Both set-top boxes feature some support for voice control, with Amazon Alexa available on both DirecTV and Dish hardware. Dish does currently have a leg up here, however, as its hardware also supports Google Assistant, making it a winner for Android users and those heavily invested in the Google ecosystem.

There’s also a difference in the number of devices and simultaneous streams the two DVR boxes support, as well as mobile viewing options. Dish’s Hopper will allow up to seven TVs to be connected in a single home, and up to 16 simultaneous recordings. The Hopper also allows mobile viewing of DVR content on Mac and Windows PCs, iOS devices, and Android devices including Kindle.

DirecTV’s Genie, on the other hand, allows a maximum of eight TVs (one more than Dish), but only supports five simultaneous recordings. While the Genie features mobile viewing as well, and supports all the same devices that the Hopper does, it requires mobile devices to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your receiver to view DVR content. Dish’s Watch Anywhere has no such network restrictions, and grants access to the same content no matter where you are watching. Dish even offers a special mobile storage device, the HopperGo, which can store up to 100 hours of your DVR recording that can be accessed by your mobile device without an internet connection.

Despite allowing for one less TV connection than DirecTV, Dish’s Hopper is all about allowing for easy access to a multitude of devices, content, and recordings. Storage size and simultaneous recordings available top the Genie, plus it doesn’t require any extra hardware for remote watching on mobile devices. Those are some major points for Dish. While DirecTV has a number of features, like picture-in-picture mode and home security options if you bundle with your AT&T service, Dish still gets the win.

Winner: Dish

Huawei is gaining on Apple as it aims for 200 million smartphone sales in 2018

Jack Taylor/Getty Images

Feel as if you’ve seen more Huawei and Honor smartphones in the wild than ever before? That might not just be the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon — Huawei’s global sales are rising, and the Chinese company is slowly gaining on Apple to become the second-largest phone manufacturer in the world.

According to a statement from Richard Yu Chengdong, chief of Huawei’s mobile segment, the Chinese company’s 2018 sales passed 100 million on July 18 — which means Huawei’s phones are selling faster than ever before.

“Previously Huawei reached the 100 million shipments mark on December 22, 2015, October 14, 2016 and September 12, 2017,” said Yu during a product launch on Wednesday, July 18. “As it’s only taken just over six months to reach the target this year, we are now aiming for shipments of 200 million units by the end of 2018.”

Reaching the 200 million mark would put Huawei within striking distance of its closest rival in the mobile marketplace — the almighty Apple. Apple sold 215 million smartphones in 2017, but should Apple’s sales decline again in 2018, as they did in 2017, then Huawei could end up surprisingly close.

Thankfully for Apple, 2018 has started strong, with sales in the first quarter of 2018 increasing by 2.8 percent over the previous year. Still, Huawei’s rapid ascent of the ranks should be a worry for Apple, as the Chinese company’s strong sales numbers come in spite of a failure to break into the U.S. market after a planned deal with AT&T fell through due to security concerns.

But how likely is it that Huawei will be able to achieve sales of 200 million in 2018? According to Zaker Li, a senior industry analyst with IHS Markit, as the market hasn’t yet entered its busiest period, Huawei’s goals could be easily within reach.

“Given that the second half is normally the peak season for smartphone sales as major brands will all release their flagship phones, it will not be difficult for Huawei to exceed 200 million units of phone shipments if it has already completed half of that now,” said Li.

Huawei’s sales figures are calculated by adding the sales numbers of both Huawei and sister company Honor, and the company has apparently found much success in India, but hasn’t shied away from trying new things, having recently released a triple-lens camera phone in the Huawei P20 Pro.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Huawei hasn’t forgotten — expect a foldable phone from company in 2019
• Here’s everything you need to know about the Huawei P20
• Slow Chinese sales signal slump in global smartphone shipments
• HTC to cut a quarter of jobs after huge plunge in 2018 sales
• Huawei MateBook X Pro review

Google, Microsoft, Twitter, and Facebook team up on new data transfer project

Some of the biggest tech companies in the world want to make it a little easier to transfer your data between services. Google, Twitter, Microsoft, and Facebook have all teamed up for a new initiative called the Data Transfer Project, which is aimed at helping users more easily transfer content, contacts, and more.

The Data Transfer Project has revealed its plans for a new open-source data portability platform that any online service can join. That could be very helpful for users — plenty of services allow you to download your data, but not many then let you upload it into different accounts.

Google announced the project in a blog post, describing it as a way to transfer data directly between services, essentially meaning that users don’t have to worry about downloading and re-uploading it. Microsoft also called for other companies to join the project, noting that it could be central to better competition — after all, if there’s an industry standard for data portability, companies could instead have to compete on offering useful services, instead of forcing users to stick with their services or risk losing data.

If it reaches its full potential, the project could change the tech industry. Imagine being able to easily switch to a new music streaming service while being able to bring your playlist with you. Or being able to switch to a new mobile operating system without the need to start from scratch.

Of course, there’s one major tech company missing from the initiative — Apple. While that’s certainly not surprising, it is still a little frustrating. Still, the initiative is very much in its infancy, and we could certainly see more companies jump on board.

The initiative could also be groundbreaking for startups. Companies like Google have an advantage in that they already have lots of data on their customers. New companies, however, have no such luxury — but if a user transfers their data to a new service, it could make users feel more at home thanks to the ease of adopting a new service.

We’ll have to see how the initiative evolves, and if more companies jump on board. In the meantime, you can check out the new group’s white paper for more information.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Twitter sold tweets to the guy who made the Cambridge Analytica app
• Google’s new tools for Datally put your mobile data on lockdown
• When we run out of room for data, scientists want to store it in DNA
• Despite promising to stop sharing your data, Facebook continues to do so
• Worried about extra data charges? Here’s how to check your usage on an iPhone

Microsoft stops a Russian attempt at hacking 2018 midterm elections

Less than a week after the United States government charged 12 Russian officers for hacking in the 2016 presidential election, Microsoft is accusing the same Russian intelligence agency of using a phishing scheme to hack at least three additional candidates in the 2018 midterm election. Microsoft vice president for customer security and trust Tom Burt revealed the company’s findings at the Aspen Security Forum’s Defending Democratic Institutions: Election 2018 and Beyond panel.

“Earlier this year we did discover that a fake Microsoft domain had been established as the landing page for phishing attacks,” Burt said. “We saw metadata that suggested those phishing attacks were being directed at three candidates.” Details of the attack were not revealed, but phishing attacks usually involve hackers sending an email with a web address containing a malicious link that’s designed to install malware when it is activated. As part of its work with the United States government, Microsoft was able to seize the domain before it could inflict damage.

Microsoft also did not reveal the names of the affected candidates nor their political party affiliations, but Burt noted that “because of their positions, [the candidates] might have been interesting targets from an espionage standpoint, as well as an election disruption standpoint.” The company traced the hacks back to the Russian group Strontium, which is widely believed to be closely linked to Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency.

Burt’s announcement comes less than a week after U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 12 members of the GRU for their involvement in hacking the Democratic National Committee in 2016. Similar to the discovery of Russian-linked hacking on the 2018 elections, Microsoft’s security team found that spoofed domains were used in the 2016 election hacks. Though hacking politicians has been part of spy organizations, leaking the information is seen as a violation of the practice, Buzzfeed News reported. “A hacker group from a second Russian intelligence agency had penetrated the DNC as early as 2015, but didn’t spread that information, and has avoided the kind of international condemnation aimed at the GRU,” the site noted.

Despite continued warnings by U.S. intelligence officials, including FBI Director Christopher Wray and National Intelligence Director Dan Coats, that election hacking will be a likelihood in the 2018 elections and beyond, the Republican-controlled House voted to eliminate new funding for states to strengthen election security, The New York Times reported. In addition to U.S. hacks, the GRU is also believed to have targeted the campaign of French president Emmanuel Macron.

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How to make a Minecraft server

Minecraft has changed significantly since its inception, but one thing that hasn’t changed over the years is its capacity for online multiplayer. Players can create their own persistent worlds with space for hundreds of other people to gather and create with only a few clicks of a mouse or controller button.

Whether you’re hosting a server for a few friends or launching a massive effort to recreate your favorite TV show’s world, you have several different options for hosting your own Minecraft server. Here are a few ways you can create your own private oasis for you and your friends to play around in.

Minecraft Realms

Brittany Vincent/Digital Trends

Minecraft Realms is your best bet for cheap and simple hosting. It’s an official subscription-based offering straight from Mojang, and a fast and simple way to both create and manage servers without any prior knowledge of hosting. Minecraft Realms server owners are essentially renting a server via Mojang, so there is a reduced degree of freedom should you choose to opt for Mojang’s hosting solution.

For instance, Realms will currently allow up to a maximum of 11 players in one server at a time (you and 10 additional players.) Powered by cloud server platform Microsoft Azure, you’ll deal with low server latency, and you can usually count on the servers to be up just about any time you’re ready to jump on and have an adventure. The cheapest server currently available is $3.99 per month that supports up to 3 simultaneous players on a server that runs on Windows 10 as well as mobile and console versions.

It jumps up to $7.99 to start for a server that supports up to 11 players, but you can save a bit of money if you decide to set up a recurring subscription or simply pay for a few months at once. You can purchase subscriptions in one, three, or six month versions, just in case you want to pre-pay for a long-term server. Windows 10 doesn’t allow for recurring subscriptions, so you’ll have to remember to renew. Only the server admin pays. Players invited to the server will not be charged.

There are two separate Realms versions available, one for the original classic PC edition, and one for the cross-platform Bedrock edition, which lets players group up across iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Windows 10 to play together.

Realms also has a number of different and simple ways to further customize your server in unique ways. Utilizing the Minecraft Add-Ons service, you can create your own skins, activate modifiers for character behaviors, and more.

There’s not much to lose if you want to test out the service without any repercussions. If you’ve never tried it out before, you’ll be able to take part in a 30-day free trial — so long as you’ve never had a free trial on your Mojang account in the past.

If you just want a quick and easy way to create an exclusive area for you and your friends to mingle, Realms is your best bet, by far.

Mojang’s Minecraft Server Software

If Minecraft Realms doesn’t sound like it will fit your needs, you can go a completely alternate route and set up your own customized server. It will require at least a modicum of technical prowess, however, so be prepared to do a little tinkering.

If your version of Minecraft is up to date, the easiest way to get your friends in on the fun is to simply pause and click “Open to LAN” and then “Start LAN World” to invite other players into your game. However, there are many advantages to more permanent server options that may be appealing if you find yourself playing with others often.

If you only need to have a few friends connected at a time and don’t mind breaks in persistence, you can set up a listen server using a simple program that you can download from the same page as the game client (linked above). Save that .exe file into a folder all by itself, and then double-click to run it for the first time. The program will generate a world and configuration files, as well as text files to use as lists to either allow or block players.

Once you have the world generated, you can stop the server by typing “stop” in the commands text box and changing settings, or you can start playing. While the server software is running, you can use the direct connect button under the multiplayer menu and connect to “localhost” to join. If you want to invite your friends to play from different locations you’ll have to first identify your external IP address using a website, and set up your router to port forward. If you’re all on the same network, you can simply find your IP address and share it with your friends. This should make connecting to each other a lot simpler than it may have been otherwise.

This method of hosting a server is configurable – provided you’re willing to learn a little bit about different server parameters and how they work – but in the long term it suffers a few shortcomings. Playing on the same computer that you use to host can cause significant lag for yourself and other players if you don’t have spare RAM to use for your own client. While the amount of RAM allocated for the server can be changed, it may not be enough, and may cause your own client to become unplayable.

Home internet connections also frequently use a dynamic IP address, which may cause remote players to become disconnected when your IP address is changed by your service provider. Finally, if your computer turns off or becomes disconnected from your network, the server won’t continue to run and persistent world features will be lost.

Craftbukkit

Craftbukkit is a more hands-on option for server hosting software that is designed to accommodate a larger number of add-ons and mods. The Minecraft community creates and curates any number of game-changing and content-adding modifications, and running a number of them together can create performance issues even on high-end servers.

CraftBukkit maintains a forum of add-ons designed specifically for their server software, creating a solution for managing the effects of many add-ons together in game, without causing conflicts or reducing performance. Setting up CraftBukkit takes a little bit of Java knowledge, but you can set it up with help from the Bukkit wiki.

Bukkit is extremely customizable on the backend, and in-game. Multiple pages of server commands greet you once you’re playing, allowing you to make any number of changes to the world and the way the server operates. If you’re so inclined you can begin to browse Bukkit’s forums for mods that add anything from new blocks and vehicles to property and other kinds of portals. This works similarly to Minecraft Realms‘ number of easy Add-ons that can be implemented in-game.

Connecting to a Bukkit server is similar to connecting to a standard server, and mostly doesn’t require that users also install the mods that are running host-side. Although instructions on the site are straightforward, there are still a few hiccups in installing the server that may take a bit of troubleshooting to get resolved. Once it’s up and running, you can connect to it from another computer on the network and even run a few mods. Connecting to the server on the same computer isn’t an option, but with a bit of work it could be set up to work that way. Ideally, you would run Bukkit or the regular Minecraft server software on a remote machine to cut down on latency.

Additional Paid Server Options

If you decide not to opt for the Minecraft Realms route, there are a number of websites offer hosting for game-specific servers, and for a monthly fee they’ll host a server for you with a variable number of players to connect. There are many benefits to this type of server, including easy setup, consistent access, and technical support. There are more paid services available than the free offerings, and a lot of them can be found on the Minecraft forums starting at under five dollars a month, with rates increasing for use of extra server software and for more allowed connections.

Brittany Vincent/Digital Trends

While setting up your own server can be complicated and require some networking and FTP knowledge, most of the paid services designed specifically for Minecraft automate the process. Setup is usually as simple as picking the number of players, deciding the type of world, then hitting go. Configuring and restarting the server is also easy thanks to web interfaces that deal with configuration files and parameters in more robust ways than a user might if they were just editing the files themselves. Some systems like Multicraft (pictured below) are implemented by hosting companies to allow users to access the controls to their servers in limited ways while leaving some configuration decisions in the hands of the host.

Connecting is a breeze with these options, as the connection IP and port are listed on the server administration page, and there are options to ban or allow players and restart the server, all conveniently located. If you’re feeling a bit more do-it-yourself, any service that offers servers with a decent amount of RAM can be fitted with a Bukkit or Minecraft server instance loaded over FTP. Amazon offers these kinds of servers with flexible memory use based on what’s needed for competitive rates, if you prefer the control over files and settings and feel comfortable not using web-based control software. There’s a number of things you can accomplish with this kind of setup, especially since it allows for almost limitless customization.

Do you have any additional recommendations for setting up a Minecraft server? Tell us in the comments.

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Best 4K TVs For Chromecast in 2018

Getting your 4K content on a TV is easy with a Chromecast, but which TV should you buy?

A television can be a major purchase, especially when you’re looking for one that can display in 4K HDR. The latest Chromecast Ultra can do exactly that, but you need a TV that supports it.

And you’ll be getting a lot of TV for the money as prices on mid-tier models drop and software like webOS and Android TV seem to be present in almost every model. It’s a buyer’s market, so if you’re thinking about it now is the time to act! here is our pick for the best televisions to use with your Chromecast Ultra.

• LG 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV
• Samsung FLAT 65 -inch 4K UHD 7 Series Smart TV
• Sceptre 55-Inch 4K Ultra LED UTV

LG 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV

LG’s OLED TVs are a thing of beauty. They bring absolute perfect black and vivid color and the bright self-illuminating pixels make for sharp images and crystal clear motion. If you want the very best of the best in a television, you’ll look for an LG OLED set.

But you can get the same display and the accompaniments that make LG TVs great at a more reasonable price if you go with a smaller model. The 65-inch series comes complete with ThinQ, LG’s AI platform, and Google Assistant built in and supports Dolby Atmos for cinematic sound, Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG for 4K HDR content and uses LG’s unique tone-mapping to make sure your picture looks amazing. it even works with Amazon’s Alexa platform. $3,000 is still a lot of money to spend, but this is a lot of TV.

See at Amazon

Samsung FLAT 65 -inch 4K UHD 7 Series Smart TV

Samsung’s 65-inch flat LCD brings the rich color of 4K HDR in a super slim design. Samsung’s UHD engine brings the same beautiful color and high contrast of the company’s Q Engine but at a fraction of the price as this 65-inch model sells for just $1,000.

It includes Samsung’s SmartTV software and smart remote, but these won’t interfere with a Chromecast in any way. you can also install the Samsung TV app on your phone and have a full-function remote in your pocket all of the time. The 65-inch model also works with SmartThings so it will fit right into any smart home. This television is one of the best values you’ll find and offers all the extras — and a beautiful display — at an affordable price.

See at Amazon

Sceptre 55-Inch 4K Ultra LED UTV

You don’t have to spend a thousand dollars to get a 4K television, you just have to give up some of the bells and whistles that most TVs come with. This Sceptre 55-inch model has a great picture and checks in at just $300!

What you get is a very nice LED-backlit panel at 3840 x 2160 resolution that’s HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 compliant and has an MEMC 120Hz refresh rate. That means it’s motion interpolated and not true 120Hz so you won’t be playing games at 120HZ, but you’ll see a difference in quality when you watch a video or movie. Iy’s also nice and slim and comes with a full-function remote. Getting a TV this good at a budget price is a great way to move to 4K.

See at Amazon

Your pick

What TV do you use with your Chromecast? Have you taken the plunge to 4K yet? Let us know in the comments below!