New gameplay footage for Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming August 9!

The wild west has never looked this good.

Yes, it’s finally happening my fellow outlaws. Red Dead Redemption II is real and it’s coming to PlayStation 4 this year. After Rockstar Games’ massively successful open-world cowboy game set during the death of the Wild West, fans began clamoring for a follow-up that continued the story of the Marston family or embraced a new gunslinger.

After years of rumors and silence on Rockstar’s end, they finally surprised the world on one random morning in 2016 by announcing a sequel to their critically acclaimed western. It took over a year to get any actual concrete details regarding the game and frankly, it’s still a bit of a mystery but it sounds like it could be a mix of a story of a new outlaw and also fill in a massive gap in John Marston’s story.

What’s new with Red Dead Redemption 2?

Rockstar Games has been quiet lately regarding the highly-anticipated sequel, but with Red Dead Redemption 2’s imminent launch approaching in just a few short months, the studio is starting to discuss the game some more. We’ll keep you up to date with everything you need to know as it’s released.

August 8, 2018

Rockstar has announced that we will see new gameplay for Red Dead Redemption 2 on August 9. This should be our first significant look at gameplay since the game’s announcement. The trailer will air 11AM Eastern, and can be viewed on Rockstar’s website or YouTube channel. We’ll be updating this post with details about the gameplay announcement once it arrives.

August 6, 2018

The big question on everyone’s mind: When are we finally getting gameplay? All signs point to soon. Rockstar has recently sent out Red Dead 2 care packages to members of the press, and with Gamescom taking place in just a few weeks, the developer could be gearing up for a big reveal. Red Dead II was notably absent at E3 2018, so the next biggest gaming convention seems like a good bet for it to make an appearance.

During a recent financial call, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick took the chance to hype up Red Dead 2 even more, saying, “My belief is that Red Dead Redemption 2 will shatter expectations and that the online experience also will be extraordinary, but unexpected.”

Its online aspect was a bit contentious when rumors of its existence began floating around since Red Dead’s identity was tied to its single-player, but it looks like Rockstar may have something special they’ve got cooking up if they’re hyping it up so much.

He continued by saying that Red Dead II will “redefine the industry” and “captivate audiences around the world.”

PC release?

Though Rockstar only announced PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game, there’s still hope it could come to PC. It appears that a programmer at Rockstar, who previously worked on GTA V and L.A. Noire, listed Red Dead II on his LinkedIn profile with its platforms being labelled as “PS4/Xbox1/PC.” This was eventually amended once word got out, but it’s unknown if this was a simple mistake or a PC version is indeed in the works.

The story so far…

Rockstar Games appears to be returning to the traditional one playable character route after successfully experimenting with three playable protagonists in Grand Theft Auto V but he’s not John or Jack Marston. Players will travel back to 1899 (12 years before the first game) to fill the boots and don the hat of a much less noble man that goes by the name of Arthur Morgan, a brute that’s running with Dutch van der Linde’s gang during their prime. While little is known about Arthur, we know he’s a much more sinister cowboy who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. In the second trailer, we see him interrogating and roughing up several people who appear to owe money to Dutch’s Gang, perhaps for protection. He’s a brutal force that is loyal to Dutch and likely only Dutch.

It’s likely we’re going to see the rise and fall of the gang, with Arthur Morgan playing a pivotal role.

The story will see Morgan and Van der Linde’s gang stealing, running, and fighting to survive the rugged and cruel world that is the Wild West. Order has not yet been established, technology is slowly beginning to evolve into something far more advanced, and people like Dutch believe it’s important that things stay the way they are. The Van der Linde gang was always viewed as a Robin Hood-type of bandits, stealing from the rich to give to the poor and resisting the government in favor of a structure where it was an “every man for himself” situation.

The gang eventually evolved into something far more dangerous and unhinged according to an anecdote provided by John Marston, leading him to realize their Robin Hood act was all a front for their evil actions and crimes. The event that likely leads to the start of the downfall of the gang seems to be a heist in Blackwater which later became known as the Blackwater Massacre. In the plot synopsis for the game provided by Rockstar, it’s revealed that the gang is being hunted after they botch a robbery in the wealthy town that is seen toward the end of the first RDR.

Within the lore of the series, the Blackwater Massacre was a massive shootout that took the lives of over 30 people. Civilians, cops, and criminals were among the casualties of the bloody shootout, actual details of why the battle took place remain a mystery to the residents of Blackwater because the officials went to great lengths to cover it up. Why? Well, we’ll likely find out in Red Dead II.

Most people involved died or were criminals who escaped but one of the few survivors was the legendary lawman, Landon Ricketts. Ricketts is in the first game and Marston teams up with him in Mexico, Marston knows him for his status but the two don’t seem to know each other. It’s entirely possible that Marston was uninvolved in the heist or was playing coy and using him to further his quest for redemption.

How does it connect to the original Red Dead Redemption?

So, what’s the connection to the first Red Dead Redemption? Well, Rockstar is being very, very careful not to say much about this game and how it connects to the first game but it will shed light on the stories John told in the first game as well as provide more depth to the men we hunt down in that same game.

John Marston is indeed in the game but Rockstar has noted that this is Arthur Morgan’s story, not John’s.

Given this game takes place long before the events of the original game and has a direct link to it via Dutch van der Linde and his gang, it’s hard to imagine Rockstar isn’t trying to expand John Marston’s story in some way. With games like Grand Theft Auto, there have been very subtle connections tying the games together but none of them are direct sequels or relate to each other in any way. With Red Dead Redemption II, Rockstar had the chance to name the game something like Red Dead Revolution, Red Dead Retribution, or something along those lines given that the series so far has gone Red Dead Revolver and then Red Dead Redemption. They purposely named it in a way that links the two games.

Marston was also a substantial part of Dutch’s Gang, he was taken in by Dutch when he ran away from the orphanage he lived in. He was raised by this gang and lived with them for a large majority of his life and in the fallout of him abandoning the gang, it all went to hell and it was more or less disbanded. John Marston is indeed the game, he’s heavily featured in new screenshots and is seen in the newest trailer once or twice but Rockstar says this is Arthur’s story, not John’s. That doesn’t mean that we can’t expand on the character, it just means he will not be the focal point of the narrative.

Major gameplay innovations are coming in the western sequel

Since Rockstar has been pretty prude about Red Dead Redemption II, we only have the word of the press who have seen the game in action to understand how the game plays. There will be more details in the future regarding what the gameplay will look like but for right now we’ll just give you the basic rundown of what we know. For starters, Rockstar seems to be creating their most realisitic world yet and abandoning some of the most video game-y aspects in their formula for something with more depth.

According to Rockstar, they’ve been developing Red Dead Redemption II for eight years, starting as they were wrapping up the first game. In that time, they’ve been handcrafting a world with lots of detail and creating systems that may be fairly unexpected from them. A large portion of the game is centered around managing the gang, Arthur is Dutch’s right-hand man and he helps keep everything running smoothly. This means you’ll help perform odd jobs for gang members, go hunting to get food for the camp or get money to line their pockets with, and so on.

Rockstar has been very clear that you don’t have to do this and you won’t be severely punished if you don’t but the gang will make comments if you leave them hanging for days on end. If you do choose to take care of your gang, you’ll be rewarded in ways that have not yet been revealed and your gang will grow stronger.

Also on tap is a new dialog system that allows you to approach situations with more options than just shoot and kill. Each NPC has their own set of branching dialog, with the player able to talk niceties or show a degree of impatience in any given encounter. And this isn’t just a black and white morality system either. Some choices will be gray areas, some will be lore-advancing, some will lead to friendships, and others will most certainly erupt into bloodbaths. It’s unclear if there will be any more to this system – such as a relationship mechanic that gauges each NPC’s level of warmth toward you – but it’s something.

If you do choose to go off and do things like hunting, you’ll be able to see the amount of depth that Rockstar has added to its hunting system since the original game and Grand Theft Auto V. You’ll find yourself stalking animals, choosing your weapon carefully so you don’t damage pelts/meat, and tracking an animal by following blood trails after you’ve hit it. Once you’ve tracked the animal down, you may find it still alive, bleeding out and yelping. Arthur will then take out his knife and stab the animal in the heart to end its suffering and take what you want from it.

You can then string up your kill on the back of your horse and take it back to camp to feed your people or sell it in town and take the money for yourself. Regardless of what you choose, your hunt will rot and decay over time so the longer you have it on the back of your horse (yes, it’s literally on your horse, not in an invisible pouch), the less valuable it’ll be. If you were to kill an animal (or even a person) behind and let it sit in the wild, vultures, coyotes, and other creatures would come and munch on the remains.

It looks as if Rockstar will be carrying over the heists from GTA V as we see Arthur Morgan robbing a bank and holding up a train in the second trailer. It’s unclear how much of a focal point these will be in the game since it was the core of GTA V’s campaign but one has to imagine it plays a similar role given you’re a gang of notorious western criminals.

We do know there will be some depth to those heists, though. Players can go loud or quiet, create distractions, choose who you bring with you (some can be done solo but isn’t recommended), and use a bunch of other different variables to create different outcomes throughout the heists. All of this will result on if and when law enforcement shows up amongst other things. It’s unclear if you can have gang members die or get critically wounded in these heists like in Grand Theft Auto V or just how dynamic these systems are. Grand Theft Auto V’s heists were heavily scripted, if you chose a certain crew member to come with, they’d always die on the same mission in the same spot because it was coordinated by Rockstar’s writing. It was more of the illusion of choices having consequences rather than them actually having any meaning at all.

Some major changes are also coming in combat with the ability to dual wield weapons like Max Payne, bows and arrows used for hunting and maybe even some stealth combat as we see Arthur Morgan taking a knife to someone’s back in the dead of night. We also see Arthur brutally beating people up in the third trailer, suggesting Rockstar has refined their melee combat to create more intense and fun brawls.

A cowboy’s best friend

A cowboy’s best friend isn’t his fellow outlaws/lawmen, it’s his horse. In the original Red Dead Redemption, your horse was almost supernatural in the sense it teleported to you and was basically immortal. You didn’t have much of a connection to it because outside of its speed and stamina, there was nothing too special about the horses. In Red Dead Redemption II, Rockstar plans on changing that.

Your horse in the sequel will be very special. Perhaps the most significant change from the first game or any Rockstar game for that matter is that you won’t be able to carry every single weapon with you. The joke of pulling an RPG out of your rear end in GTA wouldn’t apply in this game as you’ll only be carrying small weapons such as handguns on your person, rifles and other gear will travel via your horse. We’re not sure if you can sling at least one rifle over your shoulder while walking around but you can expect most of your guns to be unavailable if your horse isn’t nearby.

Your horse won’t be disposable in this game, it’ll mean a lot more to you because it has lots of value. You’ll grow a bond that effects how scared it gets when put in danger, how far it gets from you, and more. Rockstar hopes that this bond won’t just serve a gameplay effect but a personal and emotional one to. If your horse gets critically wounded, you can attempt to heal it with medical supplies, if you don’t have any you can try and run into town quickly and gather some and run back. You may come back to your horse dead, making you realize that you left that poor animal that loved you to die thinking you abandoned it in its final moments. Brutal stuff, I know. Should it die, you’ll have to start that bond all over with a new horse and presumably any gear you can’t carry off of that horse’s corpse is lost.

It adds a whole new layer to an aspect that’s iconic to westerns but doesn’t have a lot of attention paid to it.

When you can play it and when we’ll know more

The only questions remaining are when we can play the game and when we can expect more firm details from Rockstar. The game is currently scheduled to release on October 26th, 2018 for PlayStation 4 as well as Xbox One, and we can likely expect some news regarding the game in June or July via a Game Informer cover story or a new breakdown directly from Rockstar. As of right now, we’ll just have to hold our breaths and keep waiting to saddle up again.

Where to buy Red Dead Redemption 2

You can now pre-order Red Dead Redemption 2 ahead of its October 27th release date. You’re in for some nice goodies if you decide to give Rockstar your cash early. All pre-orders for Red Dead Redemption 2 come with the War Horse mount and the Outlaw Survival Kit. The former is a grey-colored steed that has better courage and stamina than others, while the Outlaw Survival Kit gives you extra health kits, Dead Eye replenishment, and more.

If you pre-order the digital copy on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, you’ll also get some extra in-game cash to start your game, as well as a treasure map, though you’ll need to pre-order the game by July 31st to get those.

There’s also a special edition of the game available. It comes with 2 extra side missions, a black thoroughbred horse, gameplay bonuses through medllian and talisman charms, in-game cash bonuses, gameplay boosts, and discounts, a gunslinger outfit, and three additional weapons. You’ll also get a real map of the game world.

If that’s not enough, the Ultimate Edition comes with everything that the Deluxe Edition does, but you can add two more in-game outfits, another black thoroughbred with an exclusive saddle, a Survivor camp theme for the game’s online mode, three additional free weapons, and XP bonuses for online play up to rank 25.

As an added bonus for Grand Theft Auto 5 players, all digital pre-orders also come with in-game currency for GTA Online. Standard Edition gets $500,000, Special Edition gets $1,000,000, and Ultimate Edition gets $2,000,000.

Then there’s the big kahuna reserved for the most die-hard Red Dead fans. It’s a full-blown Collector’s Box, a red-tinted metal tithing box with a lock and key that comes with an assortment of real world goodies. There’s a collectible coin, a double-sized puzzle, a red bandana, a treasure map, a pin set, commemorative playing cards, a real 150-page Wheeler, Rawson and Co. catalogue, and 12 collectible cigarette cards.

You can pre-order your preferred digital edition of Red Dead Redemption 2 at the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, or direct from the Rockstar Warehouse. Those opting for the Collector’s Box, however, can only get it through the Rockstar Warehouse.

Wanting to catch up and play through the original Red Dead Redemption before the sequel drops? You can find the Game of the Year Edition for $20 at Amazon

See at Amazon

Updated August 2018: Added information regarding a possible PC version, CEO Strauss Zelnick’s comments, and when we may be getting gameplay

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What’s the point of the Note’s S Pen? Samsung needs to find one or kill it

The defining feature of Samsung’s Galaxy Note phone is not the large screen, it’s the stylus. Why? Because almost no other phone has included one over the past decade. It’s a Note tradition, but as we approach the launch of the ninth version of the phone, Samsung faces a severe challenge. It has to convince not just us, but owners of Note phones everywhere, that it’s actually worth using.

The stylus remains deeply unusual in the world of phones because it’s, if you’ll forgive the pun, pointless. At this stage the S Pen feels like a tacked on gadget there for no other reason than the phone’s name is the Note. It’s time Samsung changed that.

Only the arty

If you’re reading this and anger is boiling inside — before you clutch the S Pen and scribble a heated reply — we’ll concede the stylus makes sense for artists. Drawing with your finger is best left to pre-schoolers, so when inspiration strikes, reaching for the stylus will elevate the result beyond the work of a keen five year-old. Also, if you’re using the S Pen with the Galaxy Tab S4, that’s also fine. It’s a tablet, the natural home of a stylus.

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Modern phones, especially those with big screens, are designed specifically to be used with our fingers. There was a time when this wasn’t the case. Before capacitive touchscreen technology became common, we had to make do with resistive touchscreen technology. If you’ve never used one before, they’re slightly springy and require a firm prod — with a fingernail for best effect — to register an action. A stylus was a very big help. When the capacitive screen came along, the stylus became redundant.

Apple’s Steve Jobs was a famous hater. He claimed if you saw a stylus, then the manufacturer had failed, hence the use of a capacitive screen on the first iPhone. Samsung and the Galaxy Note 9, in Steve Jobs’ eyes, even before it has launched, has failed. More worryingly, in a completely unscientific Twitter poll we ran, a high percentage of Galaxy Note owners can’t find a use for the S Pen stylus either. Of the 200 people that answered, 61 percent said they don’t use the S Pen on the phone.

The S Pen feels like a tacked on gadget there for no other reason than the phone’s name is the Note.

If the majority is nonplussed by the S Pen, Samsung’s definitely failing, although not in the way Steve Jobs meant. If you’re going to include a special, almost unique feature, it’s criminal not to make it useful to everyone.

Quickly forgotten

When I used and really enjoyed the Galaxy Note 8 after its release, the stylus came out of the phone perhaps twice, and one of those was only to show it to someone else. The rest of the time, it was faster and more convenient to use my finger, as intended by the operating system. The S Pen stayed inside its sheath while I had the device.

The previously mentioned pre-schoolers have greater artistic ability than I do, therefore I never felt the need to put S Pen-to-screen and sketch my surroundings. Otherwise, the shortcut menus weren’t useful because my finger does the same thing, only faster, and while taking notes in a meeting, I quickly swapped to a pen and paper as I didn’t need to look at the screen while jotting away. Besides, scribbling on glass still feels weird due to the lack of resistance.

Even in our reviews of Note phones, we’ve either questioned why it exists at all, unsurprisingly praised it for how good it is for an artist, or summed it all up with, “styluses aren’t for everyone.” This is a feature that has been around for nearly nine generations, yet we haven’t said anything more positive, or once singled it out as a big reason to buy the Note. Even after adding new graphical features, buttons, and additional levels of pressure sensitivity, the S Pen remains an anachronism. A leftover from when screen tech was worse.

Where’s the point?

Why then, is it still there? It simply has to be Samsung being obstinate, and needs something in its ads to remind us the phone we’re looking at isn’t an S9 Plus. This is a problem, because the Galaxy Note series has become increasingly less relevant over the past few years, and it has been far harder to differentiate between it and the S Plus models. Pushing the S Pen as the Note’s unique selling point is eye-catching, despite most eventual owners not even using it. Even Samsung may know it, and there are rumors the Galaxy Note 9 may be the last of its kind. If the Galaxy Note goes, then the stylus will go with it.

The S Pen’s nemesis is the finger, and we’re giving it the middle one.

Harsh criticism? No. We complain about apps that duplicate other functions, and silly camera features like augmented reality filters all the time. They don’t add anything to the experience, and simply replicate another app or service that inevitably does it better. The S Pen’s nemesis is the finger, and we’re giving it the middle one.

Yes it makes us mad, but when features we thought were six-feet under are thoughtfully given a new lease of life, they can quickly become desirable. See the BlackBerry Key2 for proof. We don’t really want the Note’s stylus to just fade away. What it needs is a reason to exist. Not just for artists, but for every prospective Note owner.

Note 9 saves the day?

Samsung has already said it wants to improve key Note features with the Note 9, and there are few as iconic as the S Pen. Rumors talk about a new Bluetooth connection, additional features including a button to act as a remote camera shutter release, and most interestingly operating as a custom game controller.

Nintendo made the stylus work very well as a game controller on the 3DS, and provided Samsung doesn’t make it too awkward for developers it integrate it into their games, we could see this being a desirable additional feature. That’s artists and gamers covered, selfie fans, and compulsive note takers too; but there needs to be more. We need a reason to take it out, on a daily basis, rather than just using a finger.

Otherwise, just buy a cheaper but excellent Galaxy S9 Plus, or wait to see just how space-age Samsung’s foldable phone is next year. If Samsung can’t give you a reason to want a stylus, don’t pay for the pleasure of having one.

The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not reflect the beliefs of Digital Trends.

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Snapchat redesign woes drop user count by three million, but retention grows

Proof of the disruption that Snap Inc. predicted would come with a redesign of the Snapchat app is here — Snapchat’s user base fell by three million daily active users in the second quarter. The company shared the latest financial results on August 7, and while revenue grew, the camera-focused social network lost users.

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel says the change is largely from the predicted disruption after the redesign, with some users typically counted among the daily users opening the app less frequently, a statement that jives with the increase in monthly active users. The numbers fell around two percent from the previous quarter, from 191 million to 188 million. Compared to the same time in 2017, however, Snapchat is ahead by eight percent from the 173 million daily users reported last summer. The number of daily users in North America fell by one million from the first part of the year.

“It has been approximately six months since we broadly rolled out the redesign of our application, and we have been working hard to iterate and improve Snapchat based on the feedback from our community,” Spiegel said during the earnings call. “We feel that we have now addressed the biggest frustrations we’ve heard and are eager to make more progress on the tremendous opportunity we now have to show more of the right content to the right people.”

Despite the loss in daily users, the redesign has a few high points that arose from separating brands from friends. The number of users watching Stories from Publishers, including Snapchat Shows, has grown by 15 percent, with last month bringing the most views for brand Stories in the app’s history.

While the number of users opening Snapchat daily has fallen, the average time spent on the platform stayed above 30 minutes. Retention for users who are over 35 has increased by eight percent, one of the goals for the redesign.

Snap is also continuing the process of completely rewriting the Android app in a way that makes the app easier to update in the future. The rewritten Android app is already in beta testing, Speigel says, and shows speed improvements for opening the app and taking a Snap over the current version.

While the company’s user count was less than stellar, the company’s revenue jumped 44 percent from the same time in 2017 and by 14 percent from the first quarter. Growth in advertising has allowed the company to charge less for the ads while increasing ad revenue.

The financials were better than Wall Street predicted and were followed by a $250 million investment by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal for a 2.3 percent stake in the company. While the earnings report is a positive one among the company’s struggles after going public, a report from Bloomberg suggests the company isn’t “out of the woods.”

In between announcing the redesign and actually rolling out the new app, Snap saw a five percent increase in daily active users at the end of 2017. Those numbers dropped to two-percent growth as the update rolled out, ahead of the user loss announced on Tuesday.

“With the updated redesign, we’ve been able to combine the strength of our close-friend network that brings people to Snapchat every day with an infinite scroll of personalized content,” Spiegel said. “We’re working hard to expand the long-tail of our content offering and we are making steady progress on improving personalization. Despite our DAU results this quarter, we believe that this is an important evolution of our product that will help drive future growth in engagement.”

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‘Fortnite’ for Android will reportedly be a timed Galaxy Note 9 exclusive

Epic Games previously revealed that the Android version of Fortnite would be bypassing the Google Play store in favor of the company’s own platform, but things have gotten a little more interesting. It appears the game will actually launch as a timed Samsung Galaxy Note 9 exclusive, so you might have to wait a little longer before you can get that Victory Royale on the go — but those who do have the device will get some sweet rewards.

Samsung is due to unveil the Galaxy Note 9 at a launch event on August 9, and according to 9to5Google, Fortnite will launch on Android as a timed 30-day exclusive for the phone — most likely on August 24. Pre-ordering the phone will reportedly get your account between $100 and $150 in the game’s V-Bucks.

Data-miners managed to uncover a few different skins scheduled to arrive in Fortnite in the future, and among them is a “Galaxy” skin that doesn’t look like it will be for sale to the general public. This likely means it will be available as some type of promotional goodie, which would make perfect sense if the reports about the Note 9 exclusivity turn out to be true.

The latest content update for Fortnite added the Double Barrel Shotgun to battle royale, which should be perfect for those looking to fight up close and personal, and a limited-time “Steady Storm” mode alters the map by continually shrinking and eliminating safe zones. “Playground” is also back, giving you a chance to explore the battle royale map for a full hour and disabling the storm for a full 55 minutes. It’s a great opportunity to practice strategies with friends, and you can build and test structures without having to worry about getting sniped. If you do die, however, you’ll respawn.

Fortnite is currently available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and iOS. All supported platforms can cross-play with each other, though the PlayStation 4 cannot connect to Nintendo Switch or Xbox One players. Those who have an Epic Games account associated with a PlayStation console are also barred from using the same account on Nintendo Switch, though Sony said it’s looking into a solution for players.

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Network routers with roaming enabled are likely susceptible to a new attack

Hashcat creator Jens Steube accidentally discovered a new method to break into network routers while researching new ways to attack the new WPA3 security standard. He stumbled onto an attack technique capable of cracking hashed passwords based on the Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key (WPA-PSK) security protocol.

For starters, WPA is a mechanism in wireless networking that encrypts and decrypts data passed between the router and a connected device. The PSK aspect applies to the network’s password or passphrase, as the router creates a unique 256-character key that is shared between both devices. These keys change periodically to prevent hackers from infiltrating the network.

In a typical attack, the hacker must be in the range of a router and a connecting wireless device, and patiently wait for the latter device to log onto the network. When the wireless device begins the connection process, the hacker must run a tool in the exact same moment to capture the full four-way “authentication handshake” made between the router and the device.

That’s not the case in the new attack. With this method, the hacker needs only a small portion of the handshake called the Robust Security Network Information Element (RSN IE). Even more, the hacker can connect directly to the router and access the needed data rather than lurk in the background and wait for someone to connect.

“At this time, we do not know for which vendors or for how many routers this technique will work, but we think it will work against all 802.11 i/p/q/r networks with roaming functions enabled (most modern routers),” Steube says.

The login aspect of connecting a wireless device to a router consists of a set number of steps or frames. The RSN IE is an optional field within one of those steps that contains the Pairwise Master Key Identifier, a networking component that verifies that both the router and wireless device know the PSK-based password. This component is the new method’s attack vector, retrieving the stored PSK-based password.

According to Steube, the attack requires three available tools: Hcxdumptool v4.2.0 or higher, Hcxtools v4.2.0 or higher, and Hashcat v4.2.0 or higher. The first tool on the list grabs the necessary connection frame and dumps it into a file. The second tool converts the saved data into a format that can be read by Hashcat. This third tool cracks the encryption.

Ultimately, this method reduces the time used to access the stored passwords but doesn’t lessen the time needed to crack the encryption protecting these passwords. The cracking duration depends on the password complexity, thus if router owners never change the password from the factory default, the password should take no time to crack.

To better protect yourself from a possible attack, change the default password on your router. Using your own password is supposedly better than allowing the router to create one for you, and always use a variety of characters: Lower and upper-case letters, numbers, and symbols. If you’re not great at remembering passwords, Steube suggests using a password manager.

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Take 15% off any eBay order over $25 today only

Save big today only!

Today eBay is taking 15% off just about everything with the code PRONTO15. You will need to make a minimum purchase of $25. It has a maximum potential savings of $100, so you will continue to save 15% when buying up to $667 worth of goods. You can only use the code once on one shopping cart, but you can use the code on everything in that cart instead of just one item. This deal expires at 1 a.m. Eastern, August 9.

Today’s deal is more-or-less identical to the 15% off sales we’ve seen recently, and while that’s not quite the best sale we’ve seen from eBay it does mean you have another chance to save on the sort of products we really don’t see go on sale very much. The only exclusions to this sale are warranties, protection plans, and any items from the following categories: Coins & Paper Money, Gift Cards & Coupons, and Real Estate.

If you’re a little unsure about eBay itself, remember that this sale isn’t limited to just auctions. You don’t have to bid on your favorite items and wait to see who else bids. We’re talking about “Buy It Now” products. Also, many major retailers like Best Buy, Newegg, Dyson, and KitchenAid have eBay storefronts where you can find a lot of the items from their main web sites. Stick to those stores, top-rated sellers, and people with a lot of great feedback from the last six months or so. You’ll be taking a lot less risk that way.

A few of the best ways to save include:

• Bose QuietComfort 35 II wireless headphones – $297.49 (from $350)
• Xbox Live Gold membership 12 months – $42.49 (from $50)
• Nintendo Labo Robo Kit – $66.29 (from $78)
• Dyson V6 Motorhead cordless vac refurb – $152.99 (from $180)
• Madden NFL ’19 Hall of Fame Edition – $67.99 (from $80)

See at eBay

5G Moto Mod: Everything you need to know

To unlimited plans, and beyond.

Alongside the Moto Z3, Motorola, along with Verizon and Qualcomm, announced a 5G Moto Mod that’s set to be released in early 2019.

A lot of importance was placed on this announcement, but what’s the big deal? And should you buy a Moto Z3 just so you can be among the first people in America to connect to the next-generation wireless network? Let’s dive into it.

What exactly is this thing?

It’s a Moto Mod, one of the now-plentiful accessories, or modules, that snap via magnetic pins to the back of a Moto Z phone. The line debuted in 2016 alongside the original Moto Z and Z Force, and compatibility has been retained through 2019 when the 5G Moto Mod is set to debut.

So what is it? It’s a relatively chunky piece of plastic that snaps onto the back of the Moto Z3 and “takes over” the cellular connectivity of the phone. Along with the Moto Z3, which is a Verizon-exclusive handset, it offers compatibility with the carrier’s nascent 5G network, which is set to debut in four cities — Houston, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and another unnamed location — by the end of 2018.

So what’s the big deal with 5G?

5G is the next generation of wireless technology, and it’s set to make a bunch of improvements to the speeds at which our phones connect to the networks and the latency at which they communicate with the internet. In other words, faster uploads and downloads, and less time waiting for those connections to begin.

This particular mod is only compatible with Verizon’s 5G network, which is being built on a technology called millimeter-wave, or mmWave. The idea here is that at much higher frequencies than our current networks operate — we’re talking microwave frequencies, between 28GHz and 39GHz — there’s more “space” for the signal to breathe, allowing for incredible speeds. A typical wireless channel in the mmWave range is 100Mhz wide, between five and 20 times wider than our current LTE networks, which typically operate between 600MHz and 3.5GHz.

5G is also much more flexible than our current networks, allowing for all kinds of low-latency, real-time operations like lag-free VR, driverless car communication, and remote surgeries through high-resolution cameras and robotics. Of course, those applications will come later on in 5G’s life cycle. For now, though, when we talk about 5G on phones, we’re talking about faster speeds and lower latency.

So how fast will the 5G Moto Mod go?

According to Motorola, the 5G Moto Mod will support speeds of up to 5Gbps, or five times that of the fastest LTE networks in the U.S. You may have seen Qualcomm, the supplier of the 5G modem in the Mod, tout the “gigabit” capabilities of its recent LTE modems. Well, this is five times that speed. And that’s thanks to the Snapdragon X50 modem inside.

Now, there are a few caveats. The high frequencies that these mmWave 5G networks operate prevent signals from traveling very far. That means, at least for the first few years, you’re unlikely to get a 5G signal while inside buildings. They’re also more susceptible to interference than lower-frequency LTE networks, though the presence of four 5G antennas inside the Moto Mod is an attempt to prevent such interference.

What about when you don’t have a 5G signal?

Good point. When Verizon releases the 5G Moto Mod in early 2019, there will only be a few places that offer 5G signal. So what do you do when you’re out of range of those super fast speeds? Well, you could take the Mod off and return to using the Moto Z3’s regular X16 LTE modem, but there’s an alternative.

See, there’s also a fallback X24 LTE modem in the 5G Moto Mod that’s two full generations newer than the one in the Z3’s Snapdragon 835. The X24 supports 2Gbps LTE and should perform significantly better than the one in the phone itself, offering higher average speeds and better reception all-round.

Does the modem in the phone turn off when the Mod is attached?

Yes, sort of. It goes into a low-power state, but it can’t turn off completely. That’s because in its current configuration, 5G networks only transmit data — they can’t do phone calls. That means when your Moto Z3 receives a call, the X16 modem inside the phone kicks back into gear and shuts off when the call ends.

When you remove the Mod entirely, the phone’s modem once again takes over.

What else can the Mod do?

Because 5G is pretty power hungry, there’s a 2,000mAh battery inside that feeds the monster. It’s unclear whether the phone’s battery will take over once the Mod’s is depleted; Motorola says it’s still figuring that out.

There’s a SIM card in the Mod, too, separate from the one in the phone. It’s unclear right now what the relationship between the phone and Mod will be — again, Verizon and Motorola are figuring this out in real time — but it seems like the Mod will pair with a specific phone, so it may not be usable with another Moto Z3 unit.

Will the Mod work with other Moto Z phones?

Right now, no. The Mod is built specifically for the Moto Z3, and at this time I believe it will need to be activated for a particular phone itself. That means you may not be able to swap the Mod if there’s more than one Moto Z3 in the family. We’ll update this bit as we learn more.

Do you know pricing and availability?

Not right now. The 5G Moto Mod is only going on sale in “early 2019,” according to Motorola, and Verizon isn’t saying much about its own plans at this point. The reality is that Verizon’s 5G network isn’t even close to ready for prime time, and the demos Motorola showed us of the Mod were very early, using unfinished, buggy prototype hardware. Both companies have a long way to go before the 5G Moto Mod is commercially ready.

Why is Motorola even making this?

Verizon and Motorola have a very special relationship dating back to the early Droid days. Back then, Verizon needed an iPhone competitor, and Motorola was one of the biggest handset makers in the world. But since then, Motorola’s leverage has weakened, and it’s forced more closely to meet the demands of its carrier partners. That means when Verizon wants to be the first to market with a 5G mobile product, it turns to Motorola’s scalable, flexible Mods platform for functionality.

In truth, it’s kind of a brilliant compromise, one that favors Verizon and gets Motorola some much-needed positive press. At the same time, the 5G Moto Mod is unlikely to sell in volume, since it’s tied to a phone that, to put it mildly, isn’t going to fly off the shelves.

What next?

We wait until Verizon launches its 5G network in four cities by the end of 2018. The initial rollout will be for home broadband using specialized hardware in specific areas. Once the kinks are worked out, the carrier will expand its 5G footprint to mobile devices, and that’s when the 5G Moto Mod can launch.

I wouldn’t be surprised if “early 2019” is more like March or April, and I still wouldn’t be surprised if that release date gets pushed back to the summer of 2019. It doesn’t make any sense for Verizon to market a product for a network that’s not finished, and with any network rollout, there are inevitably going to be bugs to work out.

Are you excited for 5G?

5G is a big deal — or at least it will be. For now, though, it’s still pretty theoretical. Still, the potential is quite exciting!

Are you excited for it? Let us know in the comments below!

Moto Z3 hands-on preview: A Verizon exclusive with 5G flourish

How to take screenshots in Android Pie

Here’s everything you need to know about screenshots in Android Pie!

Android Pie brings a lot of new features and changes to our favorite mobile OS, and one of the most basic elements of Android — taking screenshots — hasn’t been left out.

Google’s vastly improved the screenshot-taking and editing experience in Android Pie compared to past versions, and today, I’m going to walk you through all the changes to keep an eye out for.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

Quick note — the steps shown below are based on a Pixel 2 running Android Pie. The core elements should remain intact for your device, but depending on the manufacturer, things could look slightly different from phone to phone.

How to take a screenshot

In Android Pie there are two ways to take a screenshot — the old-fashioned way and a new method.

Starting first with the combo we’ve known for years now, you can take a screenshot by holding the power button and volume-down buttons at the same time. That hasn’t changed at all in Pie, and while it still works just fine, the new way might be even easier for you.

Hold down the power button until you see the pop-up menu on the left.
Tap Screenshot.

Once you do this, a screenshot will be captured.

How to edit a screenshot using the built-in Markup tool

No matter how you take a screenshot in Android Pie, there’s now a built-in feature called Markup that allows you to quickly edit screenshots right after you take them.

After taking a screenshot, you’ll get a notification. From that notification, tap the Edit button.

From here, you’ve got a full set of tools for making whatever edits you’d like. Here’s a quick overview of what you can do:

• Crop your screenshots by dragging any of the arrows found on all four corners.
• Write on screenshots with a pen and highlighter tool
• Change the color of the pen/highlighter (black, red, yellow, green, blue, purple, white)
• Undo and redo edits

After you’re done editing a screenshot, you can either save it to Google Photos or instantly share it wherever or with whomever you’d like.

That’s it!

With that said, that’s everything you need to know when it comes to taking screenshots on a phone running Android Pie.

Have more questions? Leave a comment down below and let us know what’s on your mind!

Android Pie: Everything you need to know about Android 9

Android 9 Pie

• Android 9 Pie review: Greater than the sum of its slices
• Everything you need to know about Android 9 Pie!
• Will my phone get Android Pie?
• How to get Android 9 Pie on your Pixel right now
• Join the Discussion

Set yourself up for success every morning with this Coffee Gator gear up to 30% off today

Magic bean juice.

Tons of Coffee Gator gear is on sale today at Amazon. These are all part of Amazon’s daily deals and you can save up to 30% off. The gear includes everything from travel mugs to pour over coffee makers, and it’s all made by Coffee Gator.

This personal travel mug is down to $17.70 as part of this sale. It normally sells for around $27 and has never dropped this low before. It actually works as a pour over coffee maker, too, so you do the pour over thing and your coffee comes in a container that’s ready to travel.

This vacuum-insulated French Press coffee maker has dropped to $29.57. That’s about $14 lower than what it usually goes for and one of its best prices ever.

Check out the full sale before it expires at the end of the day.

See at Amazon

The $110 TaoTronics standing desk converter transitions smoothly between sitting and standing

Up, down, up, down, up, down.

The TaoTronics height adjustable 32-inch standing desk converter is down to $109.99 with code WGZDKREC on Amazon. This desk converter is $170 without the code and was selling around $150 until late July. We have never seen it go this low directly or with other codes.

The device uses a gas spring hovering system so it can adjust smoothly between a sit or stand position. It rises and folds vertically from 6.3 inches to 17.3 inches. The work surface is large enough for dual monitor setups or setups that include a computer and a laptop. You don’t have to spend a lot of time putting it together or anything either because it works right out of the box. Users give it 4.7 stars based on 639 reviews.

See at Amazon