Skype Preview for Android will soon relay SMS messages from your PC and Mac

You’ll soon be able to send and receive SMS messages on your Android phone via Skype for desktop.

Skype is making a bid to be your texting app of choice with its latest preview update. The Skype Preview app for Android has been updated with a new “SMS Connect” feature that will let you send and receive SMS messages from the Skype app on your PC or Mac (via Windows Blog Italia).

Unfortunately, while the option to turn on SMS Connect now appears in Skype Preview’s settings on Android, it doesn’t appear you can enable it just yet. Regardless, Microsoft is promoting the feature with an update to the Skype Preview app on desktop, which offers the option to use Skype SMS or the new SMS Connect. From the description:

Use Skype on your PC or Mac to read and reply to your Android phone’s SMS messages. To get started, tap the button to install Skype on your Android phone.

We aren’t yet seeing the preview update on Windows 10, but the folks at OnMSFT have reported it is rolling out as version 8.29.76.16.

In other Skype news, call recording and encrypted private messages have started rolling out across the app on all platforms. Private messages should already be enabled for everyone, while Microsoft’s director of design for Skype and Outlook, Peter Skillman, says that call recording will reach everyone soon.

Roll out started with 8.27 and will be at 100% soon. Follow these steps: Start the audio/video call. During call, click Options [+] button & select “Start Recording”. You can stop recording call anytime you want. Once done, the recorded content will be available for everyone

— peter skillman (@peterskillman) August 16, 2018

If you’re ready to give any of the new features a shot, you can pick up the release version of Skype and the Skype Preview app from Google Play now. On desktop, you’ll have to opt into the preview via the Skype app’s settings menu.

See at Google Play See at Google Play (Preview)

Toyota Confirms CarPlay in 2019 Sienna

Toyota has confirmed on its website that CarPlay is a standard feature in all 2019 Sienna models sold in the United States. This is the first model year of the Sienna equipped with Apple’s in-car software platform.

LE, SE, and XLE trims of the 2019 Sienna all feature a seven-inch touchscreen display on the dashboard with Toyota’s custom Entune 3.0 infotainment system, through which CarPlay can be accessed. Amazon Alexa and Siri Eyes Free are also supported, but like other Toyota vehicles, there is no Android Auto.

Toyota’s other CarPlay-equipped vehicles include the 2019 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2019 RAV4, and the 2019 CH-R. It’s also likely that the 2019 Camry, which also has the Entune 3.0 system, will support CarPlay, but Toyota’s website still lists the 2018 model, and a spokesperson would not confirm.

Toyota and its premium brand Lexus were among the last major automakers to begin offering CarPlay earlier this year. On the Lexus front, CarPlay-equipped models include 2019 model years of the ES, LC, LS, RC, and UX.

Toyota and Lexus have deployed a wired implementation of CarPlay, meaning that an iPhone must be connected to the system with a Lightning cable to access a wide variety of apps from the dashboard display, including Phone, Messages, Apple Maps, Apple Music, Spotify, and starting with iOS 12, Google Maps and Waze.

The 2019 Sienna goes on sale this fall at dealerships in the United States, with a suggested starting price of $31,115.

Related Roundup: CarPlayTag: Toyota
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Sony Unveils New Version of Its Top-Rated Aftermarket CarPlay System

Sony today introduced its new XAV-AX210 receiver, which doubles as an aftermarket CarPlay and Android Auto system.

The XAV-AX210 is an update to Sony’s year-old XAV-AX200 receiver, with the headline new feature being support for iDatalink Maestro, a car audio system that seamlessly interfaces with steering wheel controls, amplifier functions, on-screen vehicle settings, and more when used outside of CarPlay mode.

The receiver has a 6.4-inch touchscreen, but Sony hasn’t specified if it’s resistive or capacitive. Other key features include hands-free phone calls and music playback via Bluetooth, SiriusXM compatibility, rear view camera readiness, a built-in four-channel amplifier, and a built-in CD/DVD player.

This product is ideal for vehicles that don’t come with factory installed CarPlay, mirroring several apps onto the dashboard, including Phone, Messages, Apple Maps, Apple Music, Spotify, and starting with iOS 12, Google Maps and Waze. As a wired system, an iPhone must be connected via Lightning cable.

Sony said XAV-AX210 pricing and availability in North America will be announced in the fall of 2018. It will likely have a similar price as the XAV-AX200, available on Amazon for between $399 and $499 depending on configuration.

Of note, the XAV-AX100 and XAV-AX200 have received favorable reviews from publications such as The Wirecutter.

Other brands with aftermarket CarPlay and Android Auto receivers include Alpine, Pioneer, JVC, Kenwood, and Clarion.

Related Roundup: CarPlayTag: Sony
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Another Report Says Second-Generation iPhone X and iPhone X Plus Will Support Apple Pencil

Apple’s second-generation iPhone X, and a widely expected 6.5-inch model dubbed the iPhone X Plus, will both be compatible with the Apple Pencil, according to Taiwanese publication Economic Daily News.

Image: EverythingApplePro on YouTube
The report, citing “industry insiders,” claims that Apple Pencil support will be limited to those OLED models, meaning that Apple’s upcoming lower-cost 6.1-inch iPhone with an LCD will not work with the drawing tool. Taiwanese research firm TrendForce shared the same prediction earlier this week.

Apple Pencil launched in November 2015 alongside the original 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and it works with all other iPad Pro models released since. Last March, Apple expanded the tool’s compatibility to the new sixth-generation iPad, a lower-cost, 9.7-inch model targeted at students and the classroom.

If these rumors prove to be true, this would be the first time Apple releases its own stylus for the iPhone in the device’s 11-year history.

When introducing the original iPhone in 2007, Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs quipped that “nobody wants a stylus” with a smartphone, but Apple has played the semantics game in insisting that the Apple Pencil is a drawing tool. It’s also been over a decade since Jobs made that comment—things change.

It’s unclear if Apple will release a smaller Pencil for the iPhone, as the current version could be rather unwieldy for use with an iPhone. Apple has yet to update the Pencil’s design since it first launched three years ago.

A stylus on a mobile device is nothing new, but only a handful of modern smartphones have one, including the Samsung Galaxy Note with the S Pen, which can be used to draw on the screen, handwrite notes, annotate documents, and more.

Designed to mimic the feel and sensation of using a pen or a pencil, the Apple Pencil has built-in sensors to determine orientation and angle, and to detect a range of forces for pressure-sensitive drawing and writing. On the iPad Pro, the Apple Pencil is sampled at 240Hz for minimal latency.

Apple is expected to unveil a trio of new iPhones at its usual September event at Steve Jobs Theater, and Apple Pencil support would surely be a headline feature if true. A new Apple Pencil altogether is certainly a possibility too.

Related Roundup: 2018 iPhonesTag: Apple Pencil
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Lifeguards in Germany link child drownings to smartphone-distracted parents

Ina Fassbender/Getty Images

Pedestrians buried in their smartphones have on more than one occasion ended up walking straight into a large body of water, while drivers distracted by their handsets have been known to cause crashes.

Now, in Germany, lifeguards are suggesting parents are putting their children’s lives at risk by spending too much time staring at their phone instead of keeping an eye on their offspring as they take a summer dip.

Peter Harzheim of the German Federation of Swimming Pool Supervisors said that in a number of cases, parents have been so obsessed with their smartphones that they’ve failed to notice their child struggling in the water, the Guardian reported.

“We’re experiencing on a daily basis that people treat swimming pools like a kindergarten and simply don’t pay attention,” Harzheim said.
He added that in days gone by, parents tended to spend more time in the water playing with their children, but said that the rise of the smartphone has changed all that.

“Increasing numbers of parents are fixated by their smartphones and are not looking left or right, let alone paying attention to their children,” Harzheim said, describing it as “sad” that modern-day parents “behave so neglectfully.”

“Put your smartphone away”

Achim Wiese of the German Lifeguard Association, which represents around 40,000 lifeguards for beaches and lakes around the country, added to calls for parents to put their mobile devices to one side while at the beach or down by the lake.

“Too few parents and grandparents are heeding the advice: when your children and grandchildren are in the water, put your smartphone away,” Wiese said.

While it may well be the case that smartphone distraction has caused some parents’ attention to drift away from the water where their children are swimming, there are no official statistics on the extent of the problem. Indeed, some will suggest that it’s not an issue that’s arrived with smartphones, as an engrossing book or chat with a partner could also cause a parent’s attention to momentarily wander.

The Guardian also points out in its report that the German lifeguard organizations have also blamed funding cuts for pools and lessons that have led to fewer children learning to swim, or swim with any great skill.

For its part, the U.S. Lifesaving Association offers a top 10 list for how to safe in the water. Besides the obvious “learn to swim,” the tips include swimming in places where there’s lifeguard supervision, swimming with a friend, and obeying safety signs and posters related to water conditions. It’s yet to add any advice encouraging parents to put their smartphone down.

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Los Angeles subway to become first in the U.S. to use body scanners

Thruvision

Los Angeles’ rail system plans to step up its security efforts by deploying body scanners on its network of 93 subway and light-rail stations. In doing so, it’ll become the first mass transit system in the U.S. to undertake such measures.

But when they’re introduced later in the year, the machines won’t become a permanent part of a station’s infrastructure. Instead, the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has decided to use a small number of the portable trunk-sized scanners, moving them between stations as and when required, the Associated Press reported.

In other words, you can expect to see them set up at a station where a big sports event is being held, or when there’s a protest in the area, or other occasions where a large numbers of people are expected to gather. The authorities point out, however, that the machines could potentially appear at any location on the network.

British security technology company Thruvision, which makes the $100,000 scanners, says the kit can be set up and activated in just 15 minutes.

As with regular security scanners, the machines are capable of performing full-body screenings of people, checking for things like concealed weapons and explosives. But unlike airport machines, Thruvision’s system can monitor moving crowds of around 2,000 people every hour, with no need for individuals to waste time getting in line. Indeed, the system’s efficiency was key in making the proposal a reality.

The technology is said to be capable of identifying suspicious items at a distance of up to 30 feet (9 meters), giving officials enough time to pinpoint, monitor, and perhaps question a person of interest.

Thruvision

Metro security chief Alex Wiggins told the LA Times that the kit would be used to prevent what he described as “mass casualty” attacks. In other words, they’ll be focusing more on searching out assault-style rifles and explosives rather than smaller weapons. He added that the authorities will adhere to the 4th Amendment, making it “very, very clear” that a scan is about to take place. Whether such a notification will reduce the effectiveness of the system remains to be seen.

Thruvision’s technology, which has been in operation for a number of years, is based on research work undertaken by the U.K.’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the European Space Agency, and identifies objects via the natural electromagnetic rays that they give off.

Commenting on the decision to introduce the technology, David Pekoske of Los Angeles’ Transportation Security Administration said the nation is dealing with “persistent threats to our transportation systems ,” adding that it’s their job “to ensure security … so that a terrorist incident does not happen on our watch.”

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Google’s New Cloud Storage Plans Launch in the U.S.

Google today launched its new cloud storage pricing scheme under the moniker Google One, which replaces all paid storage plans under the Google Drive brand.

The new plans include 100GB storage for $1.99 a month, 200GB for $2.99 a month, and 2TB for $9.99 a month (down from $19.99). The free 15GB for non-paying users remains. There’s also a new family option for divvying up a single storage plan amongst up to five members.

As a result of the changes, Google is removing its 1TB/$9.99 plan, but existing 1TB Drive plans will be upgraded to 2TB at no extra cost. Pricing for plans larger than 2TB will remain the same.

The new storage plans provide users with space for Google Drive, Gmail, and original quality photos and videos (including 4K) in Google Photos. The paid plans also come with live chat support, something that was previously limited to G Suite business account holders.

Apple’s iCloud monthly storage plans aren’t so different: they start with 5GB free storage for non-paying users, then offer 50GB for $0.99, 200GB for $2.99, and 2TB for $9.99.

On the face of it, Google One’s new 100GB/$1.99 plan offers something of a middle ground between iCloud’s 50GB and 200GB tiers, but that doesn’t account for the practicalities of switching ecosystems that you’d need to factor in, not to mention differing privacy policies.

As of today, the new Google One plans are available to users in the United States, with existing Drive subscribers there having already been moved to the new plans. Google is promising availability for other regions soon.

Tags: Google, Google One
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Melbourne Teen Pleads Guilty to Hacking Apple Servers and Accessing Customer Accounts

A Melbourne schoolboy has pleaded guilty to hacking into Apple’s secure network after the company notified authorities of the intrusion (via The Age).

The teen, who can’t be named for legal reasons, appeared at an Australian Children’s Court on Thursday facing allegations of hacking into Apple’s servers on multiple occasions.

Details of the case are still sketchy, but the boy’s hacking is said to have begun at the age of 16, and included downloading tens of gigabytes of secure files and accessing “authorized keys” that grant login access to users.

The boy is said to have attempted to hide his identity using a number of methods including “computerized tunnels”, a system which had “worked flawlessly” until the teen was caught.

That chain of events began when Apple apparently detected the unauthorized access and blocked the source of the intrusions. It subsequently notified the FBI, which passed on the information to the Australian Federal Police, resulting in a warrant being executed at the family home last year.

Prosecutors said the raid turned up a “litany of hacking files” on a computer laptop and hard drive, as well as a mobile phone with an IP address that matched the source of the intrusions.

The boy’s lawyer said the teen was a fan of the company and had “dreamed of” working for Apple. His lawyer also asked the magistrate’s court not to disclose some of the details of the case because the boy is well-known in the hacking community and it could put him at risk.

The magistrate’s court acknowledged the guilty plea, and the case has been adjourned until next month for sentencing.

Tags: Australia, cybersecurity
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How to Subscribe to Calendars on iPhone and iPad

Calendar subscriptions offer a convenient way for you to stay up to date with everything from national holidays to the match fixtures for your favorite sports team. In this article, we’ll show you how to subscribe to a public calendar on your iPhone or iPad – all you need in advance is the web address of the calendar (ics) file.

Note that if you want a calendar subscription to sync across all devices signed into your iCloud account, you’ll need to subscribe to it on your Mac. To do so, open the Calendar app in macOS and select File -> New Calendar Subscription, enter the URL of the calendar to subscribe to, and then select iCloud in the Location menu.

How to Subscribe to a Calendar in iOS 11

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap Accounts & Passwords.
Under the Accounts section, tap Add Account.

Tap Other.
Under Calendars, tap Add Subscribed Calendar.
Type in your calendar link in the Server field; to paste in a copied link, tap and hold the field and select Paste.

Tap Next.
Use the Description field to give the calendar an easily recognizable name.
Enter a server username and password if required (most users will be able to skip this step).
Tap Save.

How to Remove a Calendar Subscription in iOS 11

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap Accounts & Passwords.
Tap Subscribed Calendars.

Tap the calendar subscription you want to remove.
Tap Delete Account.

Tag: Calendar
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Scientists try to trick brains of amputees with phantom limb syndrome

The term “phantom limb” is often thrown around to describe the subtle sensation of something felt but not seen, but few people realize how disorienting the syndrome can be.

For more than half of all amputees, phantom limbs can be an uncanny and even painful experience, feeling as though their missing limb is much smaller than it actually was. That can cause added problems when wearing a prosthesis. Instead of sensing their limb as extended by the prosthesis, they feel as though the device just doesn’t match up with their phantom limb.

New research out of École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland might help some amputees better mesh what they see with what they feel. In a paper published recently in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, the researchers show how an amputee’s brain can be tricked into thinking that a prosthetic hand blends with their own body.

“In this study, we show that amputees can actually be convinced that the prosthetic hand belongs to their own body,” Giulio Rognini, a senior scientist at EPFL and first author of the study, told Digital Trends. “We do this by going beyond the ‘seeing is believing’ idiom, based on established research on how the brain identifies what belongs to its own body. Instead of using the sense of sight alone, we used a combination of two senses — sight and touch.”

Rognini’s system works by stimulating a nerve in the subject’s stump, which cause them to feel a tactile sensation on the index finger of the phantom limb. At the same time, the index finger is illuminated on a prosthetic device, depicted to the participant through a virtual reality headset. That combination of vision and tactile sensation seems to congeal the mind, restoring the perception of the phantom limb into the prosthesis.

In studies ran on amputees, the feeling of extension of their phantom limb lasted up to 10 minutes after the simulation ended, according to the researchers. The participants said after the study that they felt as though the limb had stretched into the prosthetic device. Moving forward, they want to test whether these effects can be made permanent and whether this system can be used to alleviate or eliminate pain experienced in phantom limbs.

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