Regular Wi-Fi can accurately detect bombs, chemicals, and weapons in bags

For the last couple of decades, security measures in places like airports, schools, stadiums, and other public venues have continuously ramped up. X-ray machines, surveillance cameras, and bag searches have all become commonplace, but still concealed weapons, bombs, and explosive can slip through the cracks — sometimes with tragically devastating effect.

Looking for a new way to help solve this problem, researchers from Rutgers University, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, and Binghamton University have found a fresh use for a technology that is ubiquitous in 2018: Ordinary Wi-Fi. Using this radio wave-based connectivity tool, they developed a new type of security screening system which is both low-cost and, potentially, life-saving. It works by detecting suspicious objects by leveraging the fine-grained channel state information (CSI) from off-the-shelf Wi-Fi, without needing to invade the user’s privacy by physically rifling through bags.

“According to our research findings, most dangerous objects are metal or liquid, which create significant interference to wireless signals, while non-dangerous objects and baggage are usually made of fiber, plastics or paper which allows wireless signals to pass through easily,” Yingying Chen, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rutgers, told Digital Trends. “Our idea is to capture the various wireless interference caused by the materials and shapes of objects by inspecting the rich information of CSI complex — including both the amplitude and phase information of wireless signals.”

By examining the differences caused by absorption, refraction, and reflection when Wi-Fi signals transmit through or bypass certain objects, it’s possible to get a detailed idea of the object in question — even down to liquid volume estimation for chemicals. The result is an effective first line of defense for detecting hidden suspicious objects, without having to resort to major security checkpoints.

In a proof-of-concept experiment, the researchers tested 15 types of objects in three categories, including metal, liquid and non-dangerous, carried in six types of bags. During repeated testing over a period of six months, the system successfully detected more than 95 percent of suspicious objects in different types of bags and identified 90 percent of dangerous material types.

While anything less than 100 percent accuracy means that more still needs to be done, Chen said that this is something the team is currently working toward.

“We are still working on different algorithms to improve the accuracy in identifying in-baggage objects, and continue to increase the resolution on metal object imaging and liquid volume estimation under complex scenarios,” she continued. “We hope the system could be commercialized in a couple of years.”

A research paper describing the work was recently awarded “best paper” at the 2018 IEEE Conference on Communications and Network Security.

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Australian student hacks into Apple, steals 90GB of data because he’s a ‘fan’

A 16-year-old student attending a private school in Melbourne, Australia, broke into Apple’s network multiple times and downloaded 90GB of “secure” data for an entire year. He hacked into Apple’s network from his suburban home using tools and instructions stored on his PC in a folder named “hacky hack hack,” The Age reports. He accessed Apple customer accounts as well.

So how did this teen infiltrate Apple’s networks for an entire year without getting caught? The details are scarce for obvious reasons, but reports mention the student using virtual private networking (VPN) tools.

If you’re not familiar with VPNs, they essentially create a secure “tunnel” across the internet, mimicking the connection of a local private network. Corporations typically use VPNs to connect to a central network from remote locations, as VPNs encrypt all transferred data and are typically impenetrable by eavesdropping hackers.

VPNs can be used for personal use as well. They not only hide your true IP address, but enable you to choose a specific country where your fake IP address originates. This allows you to access content not available in your region and bypass blocked websites. In this case, the student supposedly used VPN tools to hide his identity, IP address, and physical location.

Throughout the year, he accessed Apple’s internal systems and retrieved highly secure “authorized keys” for logging into customer accounts, relaying his successes through Whatsapp. His Apple-slicing feats supposedly made him well-known in the international hacking community to the point that the details of the case must be refrained. Apple even admitted it was “very sensitive about publicity.”

Once Apple eventually figured out what was going on, the company blocked his access and informed the FBI. Due to the student’s physical location, the FBI informed the Australian Federal Police (AFP), which executed a search warrant in 2017.

According to the prosecutor, officials raided the home and seized two Apple laptops that contained the logged serial numbers used to access Apple’s internal systems and customer accounts. They also confiscated a hard drive and a mobile phone.

What likely happened is that Apple paired the logged serial numbers to the ones listed on the student’s legitimate Apple account and then notified the FBI with its allegations. What’s strange about this case is that the student supposedly hacked into Apple because he was a huge “fan” of the company. He even admitted to the police that working for Apple was his “dream job.”

That said, sneaking into a company’s network, downloading sensitive data, and accessing customer accounts is not a good way to impress a potential boss. The Children’s Court listened to his case on Thursday, August 16, as the student pleaded guilty to the criminal charges. Due to the “complexity” of the case, sentencing won’t take place until next month.

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An ultra-light aerogel made using waste beer could help us live on Mars

Any project which starts with beer and ends with colonizing Mars has our attention. At its highest level, that describes new research coming out of the University of Colorado Boulder — where scientists have developed a new super-insulating gel, created from beer waste, which could one day prove useful for building greenhouse-like habitats for Mars colonists.

“The Smalyukh Research Group at the University of Colorado Boulder has developed a super-insulating, ultra-light, and ultra-transparent aerogel film,” Ivan Smalyukh, a professor in the Department of Physics, told Digital Trends. “Aerogels are extremely porous solid objects that are made mostly from air, and are about 100 times less dense than glass panes. Our aerogel is made from nanocellulose, which is grown by bacteria that eat waste beer wort, a waste byproduct of the beer industry.”

The cellulose enables the researchers’ aerogel to be very flexible and durable. It can be produced very cheaply, and means the team can precisely control the individual size of particles which make up its solid structure. This lets the material allow light to pass through it without significant scattering.

“Our immediate real world use-case is to use our aerogel product to dramatically increase the efficiency of windows in homes and commercial buildings,” Andrew Hess, another researcher on the project, told us. “Replacing inefficient windows is a costly and difficult endeavor, especially for buildings with structural or historical constraints. We aim to commercialize a peel-and-stick retrofitting aerogel film for windows which will effectively turn single-pane into double-pane windows — all at an affordable cost well below that of replacing the windows.”

However, the team also has more far-flung ambitions for their research. The project was recently named one of the winners of NASA’s 2018 iTech competition, which aims to reward technologies that could one day be used to help people travel to space.

“Extraterrestrial habitats will face extreme temperature fluctuations which must be eliminated inside the habitat,” Smalyukh said. “We see our aerogel product as a prime way to accomplish this, additionally allowing for the harvesting and storage of solar energy inside of habitats because these aerogels are transparent to sunlight. Because our aerogel can be made from waste, space colonizers wouldn’t necessarily have to bring the aerogel with them from Earth, which would be expensive. Instead, they could grow, from waste, [and] with the help of bacteria, aerogels to be used in habitats.”

At present, the researchers have demonstrated the aerogel at a proof-of-concept level; creating 6.5-inch aerogels with proven transparency, durability, and insulating characteristics. Next, they plan to come up with a means to scale manufacturing in a way that will make the technology affordable to all.

A paper describing the research was recently published in the journal Nano Energy.

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The best cases for the Moto X4

Own a Moto X4? These are the cases that deserve your dollars.

The Moto X4 is a big departure from past Moto X devices, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad phone. In fact, it’s one of the best mid-range Android handsets on the market right now.

It’s the first entry in the Moto X series to feature a glass back, and while it looks downright gorgeous, this also makes the X4 rather fragile and easy to break. To ensure that doesn’t happen and your phone continues to look as good as can, these are the cases we recommend checking out.

• Dretal Full-Body Protective
• Spigen Liquid Crystal
• Mustaner Dual Layer
• Encased Slim Fit Holster Shell Combo
• Swoders Flower Case
• Anccer Colorful Series
• KuGi Flexible Soft TPU
• KwMobile Wallet
• Cimo Heavy Duty

Dretal Full-Body Protective

Budget Option

If you prefer something more traditional, cheaper, and with increased protection, Dretal’s Full-Body Protective case is certainly worth a look. The carbon fiber and anti-stretch TPU rubber design encase the Moto X4 is a durable shell, and the multi-texture design on the back adds a nice bit of flair.

There are a multitude of colors to choose from, including navy, black, gray, red, and mint, and all of Dretal’s products come with a generous 30-day warranty. For under $8, it’s hard to complain about this one.

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Spigen Liquid Crystal

Show it Off

The Spigen Liquid Crystal is a clear case for the Moto X4, and it does an excellent job of showing the sleek look of the X4’s back. The case is made out of a durable and anti-slip TPU material, and in addition to keeping your phone nice and safe, it still manages to remain light as a feather.

Spigen uses a dot pattern for its case, and unlike a lot of cheaper clear options, this helps to drastically cut down on the smudges it picks up. For just under $13, this isn’t a bad choice at all.

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Mustaner Dual Layer

Two-layer Protection

Mustaner’s case features a two-layer design – including a soft TPU base layer and hard shell frame that goes on top of it. This combo allows for maximum safety no matter what happens to your Moto X4, and the built-in kickstand on the back is a really nice touch.

You’ve got six different colors to choose from, and all of this comes in at under $8.

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Encased Slim Fit Holster Shell Combo

Rugged Option

This case is made out of a reinforced polycarbonate frame, and as expected, offers ample protection against any accidental spills. You’ll find a subtle texture on the back for increased grip, and along with a kickstand that can prop up your phone vertically or horizontally, Encased also includes a holster that your Moto X4 can slide into so you can easily attach it to your belt. For less than $14, that’s a steal.

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Swoders Flower Case

Slim Option

A rubberized polycarbonate back combined with TPU bumper shields allows for maximum protection against any accidental drops, and the slim design makes it easy to carry with you no matter where you go.

Better yet, Swoders $8 case has four patterns to choose from (three of which are currently available) of varying flower designs. This helps the Moto X4 stick out from the rest of glass-backed phones on the market, and the end result is actually quite nice.

See at Amazon

Anccer Colorful Series

Most Stylish

The above two cases are great for buyers that prefer function over form, but if you like things the other way around, one of your best bets lies with the Anccer Colorful Series. This is the thinnest case on the list, measuring in at just 0.3mm, but even with the thin design, Anccer’s case still manages to protect against drops, bumps, and shocks.

Available colors include black, blue, red, rose gold, gold, and silver, and these are available in either gravel or smooth finishes. This is a great case for adding some color to the Moto X4 while protecting it at the same time, and you can do so for about $11.

See at Amazon

KuGi Flexible Soft TPU

Non-Slip

The TPU material that’s present on this KuGi case does a fantastic job at housing your X4 in a secure home from just about any element imaginable. Non-slip sides allow you to always have a confident hold on your device, bumper guards protect against unwanted shock during a drop, and the faux-leather material on the back looks and feels like a million bucks.

KuGi sells its case in navy, black, and gray, and you’ll pay just under $8 before applying an extra 8% off.

See at Amazon

KwMobile Wallet

Best Wallet

Available in black, black/brown, and grey/black, for about $11, the fabric design of the case is great for both looking and touching, and the plastic shell the X4 sits in offers ample protection against any mishaps. The front of the case is held together by magnets, and you have access to a three-card compartment for carrying around your most important plastic.

See at Amazon

Cimo Heavy Duty

Heavy Duty

Cimo uses a lightweight design here, and this allows your Moto X4 to stay safe and secure without adding much bulk. The two-layer design offers more than enough protection against most all drops, raised bezels help to protect the X4’s screen, and the grippy back is something we always love to see.

You’ll pay just under $8 for this case, and it comes in armor black, gray, purple, and red color options.

See at Amazon

What one do you choose?

Which of the above cases meets your fancy? Let us know down in the comments below and if there’s another awesome pick we may have missed.

Moto X4 review: A mid-range phone done right

Updated August 2018: Trimmed down the descriptions of the cases so it’s easier to figure out which one you should buy!

AmazonBasics gaming headset review: Mucho boom for your buck

This gaming headset from Amazon provides great entry-level audio for cheap.

Editor’s note: We reviewed this Amazon gaming headset on an Xbox One, but it’s also compatible with PlayStation 4. However, PlayStation users’ experiences may vary slightly due to the console difference.

For gaming accessories, the growing “AmazonBasics” line is among the best when on a budget. Backed by one of the world’s largest retailers, the range strips products down to basics, while still maintaining a benchmark for quality and features. Amazon generally delivers on this claim, through its controllers, chargers, and more for the platform.

After getting hands-on with Amazon’s take on gaming headsets, it provides the familiar blend of strong features at a low price.

Audio from Amazon

AmazonBasics gaming headset

$17.99

Bottom line: Great all-around audio, despite some cut corners.

Pros:

• Great price point.
• Comfortable wear.
• Flexible, clear microphone.
• Additional premium touches are welcomed.

Cons:

• Main headset frame feels cheap.
• Better audio can be found elsewhere.

See at Amazon

What you’ll love about the AmazonBasics gaming headset

Like much of the AmazonBasics range, this headset’s low price is enticing, especially for those on a tight budget. While cutting commodities of some premium alternatives, it often nails the basics, while guaranteeing a high standard of build quality. This headset fulfills this proposition, stripping down to essentials for the average casual gamer. With an Amazon one-year warranty, this is a budget accessory you can buy with confidence.

The main body of the AmazonBasics gaming headset is comprised of a robust yet flexible plastic, featuring an adjustable headband and articulated on-ear speakers. Both units are padded with artificial leather cushions, with a matching padded headband overhead. This makes for a lightweight fit that remains comfortable over long sessions, although the cushions could sit firmer against the ear. This unit also features green highlights across its frame.

Dual stereo speakers output audio expected at this price, suitable for basic listening, but lacking the nuance of higher-end alternatives. You may miss the punch of top-tier audio, but across most games, movies, and music, it covers the average Xbox One owner. This is paired with a fully-retractable microphone arm bound to a fixed 140-degree hinge, which holds up for general voice chat. And when not in use, the microphone remains firmly tucked into the headset body.

The inline headset controls are welcomed, which allow for quick volume adjustment and microphone muting.

What you’ll dislike about the AmazonBasics gaming headset

Although its lightweight frame makes for comfortable wear, the overall presentation of this headset packs sizeable room for improvement. The near all-plastic finish feels cheap in-hand (and on-head) which detracts from some otherwise smart design choices. Comparably priced headsets provide a much more polished feel at a similar price.

You’ll also need to consider what you want from a headset, with alternatives better suited for certain gamers. These cans are well suited for immersive games or blockbuster movies, however, footsteps and directional audio in shooters is less perceivable.

Should you buy the AmazonBasics gaming headset? Yes

For the casual gamer, the AmazonBasics headset could fill a variety of boxes. It’s a comfortable product that delivers on the essentials, while still allowing for a low price. Amazon never fails to deliver when catering to this crowd, sitting among the best low-end headsets to date. Provided its shortcomings aren’t a deal breaker, there’s a lot to love about this product.

4
out of 5

While the AmazonBasics gaming headset retails for $17.99, the accessory is currently out of stock in the U.S. For those in the UK, the headset is now available for £21.26 directly from Amazon UK.

See at Amazon

What are Fortnite V-Bucks and what’s the best way to spend them?

The gear you buy in Fortnite is all a matter of status.

To say that Fortnite is a big deal in the gaming industry right now is a bit of an understatement. It’s now available across all platforms and, as reported by Forbes, regularly rakes in over $100 million on a monthly basis.

That’s a ton of money being pumped into a video game which must beg the question: what’s the smartest way to spend money in Fortnite?

How much is a V-Buck?

Before we talk about getting the best value out of your V-Buck, we should first break down the value attached to the currency itself. The smallest amount you can buy is 1,000 V-Bucks for $10, so that sets the base value of a single V-Buck around one cent, although you won’t find anything in the Fortnite store for less than 500 V-Bucks. That makes the base in-app purchase around $5. Of course, Canadians and anyone living outside the U.S. will end up paying more based on the currency exchange rate.

Here are the pricing levels for buying V-Bucks via in-app in USD:

• 1,000 V-Bucks for $9.99
• 2,500 (+300 Bonus) V-Bucks for $24.99
• 6,000 (+1,500 Bonus) V-Bucks for $59.99
• 10,000 (+3,500 Bonus) V-Bucks for $99.99

It’s worth noting that the V-Bucks you buy on a specific platform stay with that platform, so if you’ve bought 1,000 V-Bucks on Xbox One, you won’t see them in Fortnite Mobile and vice versa. However, once you’ve spent your V-Bucks on items you’ll be able to access them across all the platforms you play. Also, because Epic Games didn’t launch Fortnite on the Google Play Store, you’ll need to authorize payment through another means and can’t use any Google Play credit towards your V-Bucks purchase.

What should you buy with your V-Bucks?

Battle Pass

To keep Fortnite free-to-play, Epic Games have implemented Battle Pass seasons. Each season sees players completing objectives to rank up through tiers and unlock in-game rewards along the way. Players are given a free Battle Pass with its own dedicated objectives and rewards, but the premium Battle Pass, available for 950 V-Bucks, lets you unlock up to 100 in-game rewards throughout the season. By comparison, the free Battle Pass for Season 5 (the current season) is just 16, and they’ve been spaced out over 62 tiers.

Epic Games says that you’ll unlock 25,000 V-Bucks worth of content with a premium Battle Pass, but in case you’re curious what that would actually look like, I’ll break it all down using Season 5 as an example.

If you were to complete all tiers of the Season 5 Battle Pass, which Epic Games says typically takes 75 to 150 hours of gameplay to complete you’d get:

Consumables:

• 1,500 in bonus V-Bucks (15 x 100 V-Bucks).
• 19 XP boosts.

Cosmetic upgrades:

• 7 character skins — two of which are gifted to you to start.
• 2 harvesting tools.
• 2 back blings.
• 4 gliders.
• 5 free-fall contrails.
• 5 emote dance moves.
• 6 toy balls.

Basically useless:

• 14 battle icons.
• 12 emoticons.
• 15 spray designs.
• 12 loading screen images.

Right off the hop, if you’re able to make it through 90% of the season tiers you’ll be able to win back enough V-Bucks to cover the cost of the next season’s Battle Pass — pretty good motivation alone. You’ll also get the hottest skins and features of the season in the form of outfits, harvesting tools, gliders, emote dance moves, and other goodies.

But as we go through the list you’ll notice that out of the 116 total rewards offered, the majority fall under the category I call “basically useless”; these include profile icons, in-game emoticons and tags, and literally new graphics to stare at during loading screens — absolute filler. These represent roughly 50 of the tiers you’re tasked with completing with your premium Battle Pass, so those cosmetic upgrades better be worth it.

If you’d prefer to pay a bit more to avoid grinding through the Battle Pass tiers, you’re also able to buy 10 tiers for 900 V-Bucks. Keep in mind that your premium Battle Pass along with all your progress resets at the end of each season, so you’ll want to buy your Battle Pass earlier rather than later so you have more time to work your way up through the tiers.

Cosmetic upgrades

On top of the stuff you can unlock throughout the Battle Pass season, you’re also able to directly buy cosmetic upgrades from the in-game shop. The catch is that only a limited number of items are available at one time, and the items available rotate out every day. I found a great resource for tracking all the Fortnite cosmetics that lets you scope out what’s currently available, wh

There are four categories available on your character to upgrade:

• Outfits: These affect the overall look of your character and is the most significant cosmetic upgrade. There are a ton of outfits available and while some are much bigger it’s worth noting that a bigger outfit does not necessarily increase your character’s hitbox. It’s also worth considering that the flashier the outfit the more you will stand out in the field, so that’s something to keep in mind if you prefer stealth play. Outfits start as low as 800 V-Bucks for Uncommon outfits and up to 2,000 V-Bucks for Legendary outfits.

• Harvesting Tool: By default, Fortnite gives you a generic pickaxe for busting down walls and harvesting building supplies but you can swap out your trusty pickaxe with a wide range of crazy skins for your trusty tool. These have no effect on your harvesting ability but can look pretty fun. There’s also typically a corresponding harvesting tool for each outfit if you’re a stickler for continuity. Harvester tools can be bought for as low as 500 V-Bucks and as high as 2,000 V-Bucks.

• Glider: Upgrading your glider gives you no speed advantages over your opponents, although it can sure look intimidating to see an upgraded glider floating around your landing area at the start of the game. Uncommon Gliders start at 500 V-Bucks, while a Legendary Glider costs 1,500 V-Bucks

• Emotes: There’s nothing sweeter than busting out a quick dance move after you’ve knocked out an opponent, knowing that the other player has a front row seat for your antics on the kill cam. There are over 80 different Emotes to be unlocked or bought and they start as low as 200 V-Bucks.

What’s the best value?

Buying cosmetic upgrades in a free-to-play video game such as Fortnite is akin to donating to the developer. You get a modest reward that helps your character stand out while investing in the longevity and profitability of the game itself. It’s also 100% optional and can get really expensive if you get hooked on upgrading your character on a regular basis.

Let’s take a look at how much someone could hypothetically spend to fully kit out their Fortnite character, based on the average price of items available in the item shop:

New Outfit: 1,500 V-Bucks
New Harvesting Tool: 800 V-Bucks
New Glider: 800 V-Bucks
New Emote: 500 V-Bucks

Total spent: 3,600 V-Bucks, or $35 in in-app purchases

That’s a sizeable chunk of change for some digital apparel. If you’re a parent with kids begging you to buy them V-Bucks, you ought to know just how easy it is to blow through that $25 in-app purchase in just a few quick taps.

Should you buy V-Bucks?

In my opinion, you should only invest in V-Bucks if you’re a diehard Fortnite player and you play across multiple platforms. A Battle Pass upgrade is a great place to start, as a thriftier gamer with just a Battle Pass upgrade has the potential to unlock a good collection of gear through just one season of play. The $25 pack that gives you 2,800 V-Bucks is probably your best value, as you’ll be able to afford a premium Battle Pass for the upcoming season while maintaining a V-Bucks balance in case something in the item shop really catches your eye.

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Philips Hue kits, USB-C adapters, and more are discounted today

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

We found plenty of great deals today that include big discounts on a Philips Hue smart lighting kit, a USB-C 5-in-1 adapter, PNY’s portable SSDs, and more!

View the rest of the deals

If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!

Step up your Wi-Fi with 20% off TP-Link routers, range extenders, and more

No more weak signals.

Follow this link or use the code 20TPLINK to save 20% on a selection of TP-Link tools designed to increase, extend, and enhance your wireless signal at home.

With this deal you can get TP-Link’s Deco 3-pack mesh networking system for $157.71 total. That’s the lowest price we’ve ever seen on the Deco, which we’ve shared a few deals on before. It can cover up to 4,500 square feet of your home in a strong, wireless blanket. It’s easy to setup and is covered by a two-year warranty.

TP-Link’s AC1350 MU-MIMO smart wireless gaming router is down to $158.39 with this promotion. It normally sells for around $200. The router can work with some of the fastest speeds around and has technology integrated into it to help with multiple devices on the same network and Internet protection like anti-virus. It even works with Alexa so you can do things like create guest passwords with your voice.

Check out the full sale for everything else being discounted today.

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Twitter Explains API Changes to Employees as Limits for Third-Party Apps Go Live

Twitter’s API changes went live today, disabling key features for third-party apps like Tweetbot and Twitterific.

The new API removes timeline streaming, preventing third-party apps from refreshing timelines automatically, and it limits push notifications and other features. Twitter is also charging exorbitant fees for access to its new activity APIs, with access starting at $2,899 per month for up to 250 accounts.

All third-party Twitter apps are affected by these changes. Tapbots yesterday updated the Tweetbot for iOS app to cripple multiple features popular with Tweetbot users. Timeline streaming over Wi-Fi is no longer available, for example, which means Twitter timelines will now refresh more slowly.

Push notifications for Mentions and Direct Messages are delayed by several minutes, and push notifications for likes, retweets, follows, and quotes have been disabled entirely. The Activity and Stats tabs, which were reliant on now-deprecated activity APIs, have been removed from the app, and because the Apple Watch app was heavily dependent on Activity data, it too has been eliminated.

Similar changes were introduced in Twitterrific in July, and as of today, the Twitterrific app is no longer able to receive and display native notifications. Twitterrific’s Today center widget and Apple Watch app relied on these features, and have been removed.

Twitterrific recommends Twitter users download the official Twitter app to receive their notifications, while using the Twitterrific app for everything else.

As the changes went live, Twitter today sent out a company-wide email to employees that starts out by acknowledging the huge impact that third-party Twitter clients have had on growing the Twitter service before pointing towards “technical and business constraints” that prevent it from continuing to offer the APIs necessary to keep these apps working as before.

Today, we will be publishing a blog post about our priorities for investing in Twitter client experiences. I wanted to share some insight into how we reached these decisions and how we’re thinking about 3rd party clients moving forward.

First, some history: 3rd party clients have had a notable impact on the Twitter service and the products we built. Independent developers built the first Twitter client for Mac and the first native app for iPhone. These clients pioneered product features we all know and love about Twitter such as mute, the pull-to-refresh gesture, and many more.

We love that developers build experiences on our APIs to push our service, technology, and the public conversation forward. We deeply respect the time, energy, and passion they’ve put into building amazing things using Twitter.

However, we haven’t always done a good job of being straightforward with developers about the decisions we make regarding 3rd party clients. In 2011, we told developers (in an email) not to build apps that mimic the core Twitter experience. In 2012, we announced changes to our developer policies intended to make these limitations clearer by capping the number of users allowed for a 3rd party client. And, in the years following those announcements, we’ve told developers repeatedly that our roadmap for our APIs does not prioritize client use cases — even as we’ve continued to maintain a couple specific APIs used heavily by these clients and quietly granted user cap exceptions to the clients that needed them.

It’s time to make the hard decision to end support for these legacy APIs — acknowledging that some aspects of these apps would be degraded as a result. Today, we are facing technical and business constraints we can’t ignore. The User Streams and Site Streams APIs that serve core functions of many of these clients have been in a “beta” state for more than 9 years, and are built on a technology stack we no longer support. We’re not changing our rules, or setting out to “kill” 3rd party clients; but we are killing, out of operational necessity, some of the legacy APIs that power some features of those clients. In addition, it hasn’t been realistic for us to invest in building a totally new service to replace all of the functionality of these APIs, which are used by less than 1% of Twitter developers.

We’ve heard feedback from our customers about the pain this causes. We review #BreakingMyTwitter quite often and have spoken with many of the developers of major 3rd party clients to understand their needs and concerns. We’re committed to understanding why people hire 3rd party clients over our own apps, and we’re going to try to do better with communicating these changes honestly and clearly to developers.

We know we have a lot of work to do. This change is a hard, but important step forward. Thank you for working with us to get there.

Twitter has continually said that just 1 percent of Twitter developers use its now-deprecated APIs, but as these changes seem to impact most of the major Twitter clients, it’s not clear how the 1 percent figure is being calculated.

As TechCrunch points out, Twitter’s email insists that the APIs were “legacy technology” that needed to be eliminated for “operational necessity,” but it’s Twitter, not an outside force, that has refused to maintain or redevelop the APIs third-party apps are using or transition existing apps over to the new API platform.

The sad thing is they did build a service to replace most of this, they just priced access to it so high that it might as well not exist. pic.twitter.com/ylfG6lHbQp

— Paul Haddad (@tapbot_paul) August 16, 2018

Twitter has further explained its decision to remove the APIs in a blog post that says the “best Twitter experience” it can provide is through its own “owned and operated Twitter for iOS and Android apps, as well as desktop and mobile twitter.com.”

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Nest x Yale Smart Lock review: Buggy, but wonderfully convenient and secure

Security is a funny thing; it’s this illusion we all indulge in, telling ourselves our homes are safe because we secure the main point of entry – the front door. In reality, unless you’ve painstakingly and expensively alarmed and reinforced every single point of entry in your home – effectively existing in a leaden box –  your home isn’t safe. Every window can be broken with the smallest of stones, your garage door opener easily spoofed, your deadbolt easily picked. In short, if someone wants to get in your house, they’ll find a way.

The fact of the matter is a lot more would-be criminals have the skill to bust a window or pick a lock than do ones that can hack a two-factor Google account or an AES256-encrypted WiFi network. And that’s what makes a smart lock every bit as secure as a manual deadbolt.

The Next x Yale in particular fits the bill. Its exterior is largely metal (in Satin Nickel, Oil Rubbed Bronze, or Polished Brass finishes), with a black plastic battery cover on the interior plate and black glass keypad on the exterior.

Installation

Frankly, it was a fairly fool-proof installation, assuming you already have a deadbolt installed in your door. The included instructions, diagrams and templates are tremendously helpful.

I have next to no experience installing hardware. I’m mostly useless around the house, but I still pulled it off with minimal help.

My only hangup, hardware-wise, came when I made the decision to use my existing strike-plate rather than the one included in the box. Mine is a four-screw plate affixed using tamper-resistant cabinet screws, while the included one from Nest was a puny little two-holer with two standard 1″ screws included. The deadbolt wouldn’t quite turn without a slight hitch, and the small motor in the Nest x Yale requires a completely smooth turn to work properly. A coarse file and a little elbow grease later, and the bolt turns smooth as butter.

Using the Nest x Yale

Using the Nest x Yale is pretty painless, whether you’re doing so via the app or manually, from within or without.

From Within

The interior side of the Nest x Yale looks like your average deadbolt, albeit with a rather garish black plastic battery cover that can only be removed by poking a thin object – like the included tool, or a pushpin – into the top of the lock. Whether this is actually tamper-proof or simply put in place to annoy us, we’ll never know – but it’s a pain.

If you installed it correctly, the bolt should slide with no trouble at all – but the turn-style may trigger a (patently false) sense of flimsiness. There’s a single button on the on this side of the door; a Privacy Mode button, which when pressed and held makes it so it can’t be unlocked from the outside, even with a code. Needless to say, it should be used judiciously.

From Without

The exterior face of the Nest x Yale is standard fare, with a metal frame and black gloss keypad as the only means of access on the thing. Some die-hard traditionalists might bemoan the lack of a mechanical key slot, but the result is a clean look indeed. Unlocking the door manually is simple – just tap the Yale key to wake up the lock, type in your personal code, then tap the check mark. It’s not quite as fast as using a key, perhaps, but it sure beats keeping track of one.

Also on the exterior side of the Next x Yale is also a terminal for connecting a 9-Volt battery in the case of a battery failure – which would be useful if, you know, anyone carried a 9-Volt battery. I stuck one in my glove compartment, just to be safe.

Via App

Whether indoors or out, the easiest way by far to lock or unlock your Nest x Yale smart lock is with the Nest App. The app maintains a separate UI for each Nest device in use in your home, so accessing these devices is as simple as tapping on the device you want to use from the Nest home screen and then – in the case of the Nest x Yale – long-pressing the massive Lock/Unlock icon to perform that function.

From the app you can also manage codes and permissions for those codes, as well as configure notifications. Unfortunately, notification control is limited to whether or not you get one when the door is locked or unlocked, or not at all. Personally, I’d love to see a bit more micro-management options. For example, I’d like to be able to receive notifications when one of my AirBnB guests uses their code to get in, but I’d rather not be notified every time my girlfriend uses her code.

Codes can be granted either Door Access Only or System-Wide Access. The former enables them to only use their code to unlock or lock the door, while the latter also gives them access to things like your Nest Thermostat, Nest Cameras, and Nest Doorbell. I recommend the former for guests – rather obviously. These codes can also be set to only activate at certain times or certain days; perfect for those of us that use AirBnb and want to automatically limit access before a guest checks in and after they check out.

Hiccups

I’ve had exactly three software SNAFUs since receiving the Nest x Yale back in April.

Connection Issues

The first came during setup, in which my V30 would not detect the Nest Connect that’s used as a bridge between your lock and your phone. No amount of rebooting or refreshing would fix the problem, so we tried using the HTC U11 instead – and it worked flawlessly. Now, my V30 has had connection problems since the day I got it (Bluetooth compatibility, in particular, was finicky) so it’s hard to land the blame squarely on Nest’s shoulders for this one, but I feel it’s still worth noting.

Random Reporting

The second of these issues showed up when my Nest app spontaneously decided to report dozens of instances of the door locking and unlocking over a period of six hours – over a hundred in total!

Upon closer inspection it would appear that the lock never actually unlocked during this period of time, the app merely generated a log of it doing so. So while the app decided to go crazy for a few hours, the lock itself remained secure – which is reassuring. Also reassuring is the fact that in the month since, I’ve had no other instances of this happening.

More Connectivity Issues

However…this last problem is a bit of a doozy. I recently got a new internet provider, and therefore new network hardware to go with the new network. After re-configuring the network SSID and password, the Nest x Yale worked properly for about a week. But then, out of the blue, the entire Nest setup – both Connect and Yale lock – reverted to Offline mode for a day and change. I went through the proper troubleshooting steps suggested by Nest (check connection, re-certify the network, the works) but my app wouldn’t even detect that the Nest Connect existed, let alone connect to it. I used three different phones (LG V30, HTC U11, and OnePlus 6), but nothing I did helped.

So I reinstalled the whole system from the ground up. It was a pain in the butt, but it worked.

…Until it didn’t. A couple weeks later, the same thing happened. This time I contacted Nest Support directly and was connected with a very diligent and persistently helpful representative. He walked me through all the steps he could, using his support tools every step of the way to try to diagnose the problem. After a bit of fiddling the system came back up without me having to reinstall anything, which was great. But then it happened again. And again. And now again, for the fourth time, with my Nest Rep still trying to figure out what’s going on. Unfortunately, I couldn’t wait any longer to publish my review…so I’ll update you all if my experience improves.

Still Secure

Worth noting, however, is that even with all of these connection issues the lock itself remained secure and the onboard memory intact – all my codes still functioned, the only thing that didn’t was the remote unlock feature. This is a problem, yes – but not a disaster and not a security risk.

Value

At $279, the Nest x Yale/Nest Connect Bundle is a bit pricey. Similar smart locks are a bit cheaper: Schlage’s Z-Wave is $179, August smart lock is between $112 and $279, and Kiwkset’s smartlock solutions range from $90 to $150. Nest x Yale has the advantage of being connected to the rest of the Nest line – which is either a pro or a con, depending on whether or not you plan on using other Nest products. Unlike the august solution, which is merely a cover for an existing deadbolt, the Nest x Yale replaces your deadbolt – making a more elegant solution.

Get the Nest x Yale for $279

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