Already beaten Spider-Man? These games will keep the superhero fun going

Superhero games have never been better.

So, your exploits as the digital Peter Parker have finally come to an end, eh? If you aren’t interested in Spider-Man’s new game plus mode and can’t wait for more story DLC to be out, you’re probably looking for something else to sink your teeth into.

If you liked Spider-Man, we’ve highlighted a few other games worth checking out. Whether you need your superhero fix or you just like punching someone in the face, these recommendations will help you scratch your itch.

• Infamous Second Son
• Batman: Arkham Knight
• Injustice 2
• LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2

Infamous Second Son

We can’t think of a better game to check out than Infamous Second Son. You aren’t quite Spider-Man in this game, but you do get your own unique set of powers and abilities. It’s an open world action game that has you scaling buildings and pulling off insane moves that only superheroes can.

The story takes place in futuristic Seattle, and you’re going up against a corrupt governmental agency which has deemed “conduits,” the name given to those who possess these powers, to be bio-terrorist threats. They want to eliminate you at all costs, and you won’t let them.

$27 at Amazon

Batman: Arkham Knight

The Caped Crusader doesn’t have superhuman strength and laser beams coming out of his eyes or any of that cool stuff, but what he does have is a pretty powerful brain. It makes him the best detective in the history of detectivism, and he can throw a pretty mean roundhouse kick, too.

Batman: Arkham Knight is absolutely worth checking out if you haven’t already. A few odd pacing issues with the vehicle sequences aside, this game helped redefine just how good a superhero video game could be.

$30 at Amazon

Injustice 2

There’s no grand story here, but Injustice 2 brings the best of DC’s superheroes and supervillains into one insanely fun fighting game. Each character boasts a custom move set which allows you to pull off combat that’s even cooler than what the comics and movies have to offer. Plus, the Ninja Turtles are available as playable characters. Need we say more?

$26 at Amazon

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2

LEGO games are known for their cutesy presentation and fun gameplay. You’ll get yourself a bit of everything in LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2. Play as Captain America, The Black Panther, Venom, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Daredevil, and more in a mashup for the ages. It’s like Avengers: The Game, only not quite as serious and without the same level of cinematic epicness.

$25 at Amazon

What are you playing next?

You could take even just one of these games and have enough to keep the superhero fun going for many more hours. Which one will you check out next?

Marvel’s Spider-Man review: Amazing, Spectacular, and a little clumsy

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

Amazon

Amazon’s new Gadgets Toolkit will expand Alexa in all new ways

Amazon’s Alexa is already pretty amazing. With just a simple device like the Echo Dot you can search the Internet, shop online, play your favorite music, and figure out whether you should be wearing a jacket or not. Well, now Amazon has released a beta of the Alexa Gadgets Toolkit, and Alexa’s functionality is going to explode.

The Gadgets Toolkit will allow developers to build their very own Alexa compatible gadgets. With built-in Bluetooth, they can pair to any Echo devices. Once connected, Alexa will then have control of the gadget’s features, including lights, motors, sounds, and more. Build a robot with lips that move when Alexa speaks or a power tool Alexa can run and tell you how to use. The toolkit will come with self-service APIs, interfaces, technical documents, and sample codes. You’ll be able to design your gadgets to directly pair with Echo devices, boost connectivity, and receive over-the-air updates.

Amazon has detailed a lot of the interfaces already available and the ones that will continue to be added over time. Some of the examples include devices that respond to wake word detection, speech synchronization, notification response, timers, alarms, reminders, and visual performances through music.

Many companies like Hasbro, WoWWee Group Limited, BabyPlus, and Novalia, have already gotten on board and started implementing these tools. The new gadgets will be available later this year and include things like dancing plushies, Alexa-powered Big Mouth Billy Bass toys, and more. If you’re looking to develop your own gadgets, you can sign up through Amazon’s page. Otherwise, sit back and relax as we see a whole new wave of Alexa-powered toys, tools, and more this year.

See on Amazon

iOS 12.1 Simulator Supports Virtualized 4K External Displays, Hinting at USB-C Port for iPad Pro

After installing the 12.1 beta, the iOS Simulator in Xcode appears to offer support for virtualized 4K external displays, according to developer Steven Troughton-Smith.

That’s not a feature that’s possible with existing iOS devices using a Lightning to HDMI adapter, which suggests it could be a new option targeted at upcoming iPad Pro models that are rumored to be getting USB-C ports instead of Lightning ports.

New in iOS 12.1: the iOS Simulator supports virtualized 4K external displays. This is not possible on any existing iOS device via the Lightning HDMI adapter — lends credence to iPad perhaps getting a USB-C port for 4K video-out? pic.twitter.com/WfNBerHIrb

— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) September 19, 2018

According to well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is well-connected to the Apple supply chain, Apple is planning to replace the Lightning port on the upcoming iPad Pro models with a new USB-C interface.

Apple has been transitioning to USB-C in its Mac lineup since 2016, but despite a rumor here and there, has not adopted USB-C ports for any devices in its mobile lineup. An iPad Pro with USB-C would bridge the gap between the Mac and the iPad, making Apple’s pro-level tablet even more viable as a computer replacement.

Kuo believes the USB-C iPad Pro models will ship with an 18W power adapter with a USB-C port, which would enable faster charging.

We may not have to wait long for Apple to unveil new iPad Pro models. There are new iPad Pros and Macs in the works for fall, and in years when Apple has a lot of fall devices to unveil, it’s held two events, one in September and one in October.

For that reason, we could soon hear news of an October event where new iPad Pro models and new Macs will be introduced.

Along with a USB-C port, new iPad Pro models are expected to have edge-to-edge LCD displays with a TrueDepth camera system for Face ID and no Home button.

Additional details on the upcoming iPad Pro models can be found in our iPad Pro roundup.

Related Roundup: iPad ProBuyer’s Guide: 10.5″ iPad Pro (Don’t Buy), 12.9″ iPad Pro (Don’t Buy)
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How to Use Screen Time in iOS 12

Apple in iOS 12 introduced Screen Time, which is designed to provide you with information on how you’re using your time on your iPhone and iPad.

With Screen Time, you can see how often you pick up your iOS device, which apps you’re using, which apps are sending the most notifications, and other details.

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Accessing Screen Time

There’s no dedicated app for Screen Time, so it might not be immediately obvious how it’s accessed when you first install iOS 12. All Screen Time features are actually available in the Settings app.

Open up the Settings app.
Scroll down to the “Screen Time” section that’s grouped with Notifications, Sounds, and Do Not Disturb.
Tap on “Screen Time” to see your usage statistics.

Screen Time Syncing

Screen Time statistics are collected from all iOS devices running iOS 12 where you’re logged in with your iCloud account. That means it will aggregate data from all iPhones and iPads that you use during the course of a day.

You can view your data across all devices or on a per device basis. To view other devices, tap on the “All Devices” label on the main Screen Time screen and then choose “Devices” from the upper right hand corner.

Info Available in Screen Time

When you open up Screen Time, a chart is displayed with information on your last 24 hours of iPhone usage, organized by each individual app or which app category you’ve used the most, such as Productivity, Games, Creativity, or Messages.

If you tap on that chart, you can see even more information from either the last 24 hours or the last 7 days, including your longest usage setting, the number of times you picked up your device during the day, and how many notifications you got, along with details on which apps are sending you the most notifications.

Other Screen Time Features

In the Screen Time section, you can set scheduled Downtime for yourself to restrict yourself (or a child) from using apps outside of those that have been allowed with App Limits, you can set specific time limits on app categories like social networking or games, and you can access Content & Privacy Restrictions, useful if you’re managing a child’s device.

If you use Family Sharing with a spouse, friend, or child, and you’re the family manager, you’ll also see family members’ names listed under “Family” and will be able to see and control their app usage.

These features are relatively simple to use, but we’ll be looking into them in more depth in future how tos.

Disabling Screen Time

If you don’t want to use Screen Time, you can turn it off in the Settings app.

Open the Settings app.
Tap “Screen Time.”
Scroll down to “Turn Off Screen Time” and tap it.
Turning off Screen Time on your device will delete all app, website, and notification history. You can re-enable Screen Time at any time, but it does not save data nor does it begin collecting data until enabled.

Related Roundup: iOS 12
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HomePod Holds Estimated 70% Share of Growing $200+ Smart Speaker Market

While the HomePod did not rank among the top five smart speakers in worldwide shipments last quarter, it is dominating the premium end of the market, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

Strategy Analytics claims the HomePod accounts for 70 percent of the small but growing $200-plus smart speaker market, topping competing products such as the Google Home Max and a variety of Sonos speakers. They say Apple also captured a leading 16 percent of revenue in the entire smart speaker market.

Among smart speakers of any price, the HomePod accounted for just six percent of the market, as Strategy Analytics estimated last month. If accurate, the data shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as the top five best-selling smart speakers are all regularly priced between $49 and $129 in the United States.

The world’s most-shipped smart speakers last quarter were the Google Home Mini, Amazon Echo Dot, Amazon Echo, Chinese company Alibaba’s Tmall Genie, and the Google Home, according to Strategy Analytics. As always, it’s important to remember that shipments don’t necessarily reflect sales to customers.

By comparison, the HomePod is priced at $349 in the United States, although rumors have suggested Apple has considered releasing a lower-priced version, possibly in the form of a Siri-enabled Beats speaker.

David Watkins, Director of Strategy Analytics’ Smart Speaker Service:

Unsurprisingly, Amazon and Google models dominated the best-selling list of smart speakers in Q2 2018. The Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo Dot accounted for a combined 38% of global shipments although they contributed just 17% towards the value of the market due to their low price.

Apple on the other hand has focused its smart speaker efforts at the premium end of the market, promoting the HomePod’s audio prowess ahead of the device’s voice control capabilities.

As noted by Watkins, Apple has marketed the HomePod’s premium audio quality more than its Siri capabilities, as justification for its $349 price. Reviews do agree it sounds a lot better than offerings from Google and Amazon.

All in all, the smart speaker market is shaping up to be a lot like other product categories Apple operates in. Apple dominates the premium end of the smartphone market with the iPhone, for example, whereas Samsung and many other Android smartphone makers offer a variety of devices at a wide range of price points.

Related Roundup: HomePodTag: Strategy AnalyticsBuyer’s Guide: HomePod (Buy Now)
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How to Create and Use Memoji in iOS 12

In iOS 11, Apple introduced animated emoji characters called Animoji, which are designed to mimic your facial expressions. In iOS 12, Animoji have grown to encompass Memoji, which are customizable humanoid Animoji characters that you can design to look just like you.

Memoji can do all of the same things that Animoji can, mimicking your facial expressions to allow for cute videos, photos, and interactions with friends and family. In iOS 12, you can also use Memoji and Animoji in photos through the Messages camera and in live FaceTime chats.

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Making a Memoji

Animoji live in the Messages app, so creating a Memoji is also done in Messages.

Open up the Messages app.
Choose a conversation.
Tap on Animoji Messages app from the Messages app bar, which looks like a little monkey.
Scroll all the way to the right until you see the “+” button and tap it.

Customizing Your Memoji

Memoji start out as a blank face, and it’s up to you to customize it to look like you. The Memoji interface will open up to a display that lets you choose skin tone to begin with. Tapping buttons and sliders will let you customize features and choose options like freckles or no freckles.

To move on from skin tone to other features, tap the labels at the top, cycling through Hairstyle, Head Shape, Eyes, Brows, Nose & Lips, Ears, Facial Hair, Eyewear, and Headwear.

During this entire process, your Memoji is active so you can see what all of the features look like when animated. Sometimes it will pause when changing a feature, but you can resume the animation by tapping on the Memoji.

There are dozens of facial feature options and accessories to choose from when creating a Memoji, allowing for many different looks.

When your Memoji is all finished, just tap “Done” in the upper right hand corner.

You can save as many Memoji as you want, so you can make Memoji for yourself, your friends, family, celebrities, characters, and more.

Editing and Deleting Memoji

You can edit an already-created Memoji or delete a Memoji at any time.

Open up the Messages app.
Choose a conversation.
Tap on the little monkey icon in the Messages app drawer to open up the Animoji Messages app.
With a Memoji in frame, tap on the three little dots in the left hand corner.
Choose “Edit” to make changes to your Memoji, choose “Delete” to remove it, or choose “Duplicate” to use it as a base for a new Memoji.

New Animoji Features in iOS 12

In iOS 12, new facial recognition capabilities have been added that let your Animoji and Memoji mimic both your tongue sticking out and winks. All Animoji and Memoji have tongues, with some special touches like a glitter tongue for the unicorn, a green tongue for the alien, and an articulated tongue for the robot.

Recording a Memoji or Animoji Video in the Messages App

Recording a message, song, or facial expression in a video that can be sent to family and friends is done in the same way that it was done in iOS 11.

With the Animoji app open in Messages and an Animoji or Memoji selected, tap on the red record button to start recording a message. When finished, tap the red stop button, and then tap the blue up arrow to send.

Tapping on the arrow sends the Animoji or Memoji recording automatically to the person you’re conversing with.

Using a Memoji or Animoji as a Sticker

Your Memoji and Animoji can also be used as stickers if you just want to send a quick photo reaction but not a full video. To do this, make the desired face and then tap on the Animoji itself rather than the record button to create a quick little screenshot that can be sent using the blue up arrow.

If you want to use the Animoji or Memoji as a sticker to react to another message or to decorate a photo, press a finger on the Animoji and then drag it upwards into the iMessage conversation.

While the sticker is attached to your finger, you can use gestures to rotate it and resize it to get the perfect position.

Animoji in the Messages Camera and in FaceTime

iOS 12 includes a new Effects camera in both Messages and FaceTime, which includes support for Animoji and Memoji. You can use Animoji and Memoji to create photos in Messages and to entertain friends and family while in FaceTime conversations.

Animoji in the Messages Camera

Open the Messages app.
Choose a conversation.
Tap on the Camera icon that’s next to the iMessage chat bar.
Tap on the star-shaped icon in the bottom left corner.
Select the Animoji icon, which looks like a little monkey.
Choose an Animoji or Memoji and it will pop up over your face.
After applying an Animoji, tap the small “X” in above the Animoji menu to exit out of the Animoji interface. Your Animoji will still be displayed, but you will also be able to add other camera effects.
When all of your desired effects are applied, tap the photo button to snap a photo that can then be edited, marked up further, or shared.
With the Messages camera, you can add Animoji, filters, text, shapes, and stickers to your images.

Animoji in FaceTime

Initiate a FaceTime call.
After the call has started, tap on the star-shaped Effects icon.
Choose an Animoji or Memoji, tap it, and it will be displayed over your face.

As in the Messages Effects camera, tap on the “X” above the Animoji menu and you can also apply other effects while in the FaceTime call.
The person on the other end of the FaceTime call will see the Animoji and any other effects that you have applied, such as filters. You can complement your Animoji FaceTime calls with the aforementioned filters, stickers, text, and all of the other Effects camera options.

Animoji and Memoji only work with the front-facing camera in both Messages and FaceTime, because the TrueDepth camera system is required.

Memoji and Animoji Compatibility

You need a device with a TrueDepth camera system to create Memoji and Animoji, which includes the iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max. Later, that will also encompass the iPhone XR and upcoming iPad Pro models that are expected to adopt TrueDepth camera systems.

While it’s just the iPhone X, XS, and XS Max that can be used to create and display Animoji, others can still see them in FaceTime calls (including Group FaceTime calls) and in photos created with the Messages camera.

Related Roundup: iOS 12Tags: Animoji, Memoji
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HomePod Guide: How to Create Multiple Timers, Search for Lyrics, Find Your iPhone, and Make Calls

Apple’s HomePod was updated this week to version 12, which debuted alongside iOS 12 for iPhones and iPads. The HomePod update brings about a handful of new abilities for Apple’s smart speaker, including support for multiple timers, lyric search, find my iPhone, making and receiving phone calls, and more.

Because of all the useful and handy new additions arriving on HomePod this week, we’ve written this guide to provide quick steps that can help you figure out each new feature, and added in some tips as well.

Multiple Timers

On previous HomePod software you could only make one timer and not name it, but with the new software Apple is letting you create and name as many as over 20 timers at once (our testing reached about 23). This should greatly help out HomePod owners, especially those who have placed the speaker in their kitchen.

Note: Because HomePod relies entirely on voice controls for timers (and other features in this guide), there may be other sentence patterns that result in the same responses as the ones we’ve discovered. With that being said, below you’ll find a few examples of Siri commands for multiple timers on HomePod. To create multiple timers, simply begin listing one timer after the other to Siri:

Setting Timers

• “Hey Siri, set a 15 minute timer for food.”
• “Hey Siri, set a burger timer for 20 minutes.”
• “Hey Siri, set a 25 minute french fries timer.”
• “Hey Siri, set a 45 minute timer for the laundry.”
• “Hey Siri, set a 3 hour timer for the sprinklers.”

Checking Individual Timers

• “Hey Siri, what’s left on the food timer?”
• “Hey Siri, how’s the french fries timer?”
• “Hey Siri, what’s the sprinklers timer at?”
• “Hey Siri, how long until the laundry is done?”
• “Hey Siri, is the burger timer almost done?”

Checking All Timers

• “Hey Siri, where are the timers at?”
• “Hey Siri, how much time is left?”
• “Hey Siri, list the timers.”

The limit of any timer is a maximum of 23 hours (as it was previously). If you create a timer but don’t give it a name, Siri will name the timer by its original length, saying something like “There is 1 minute left on the 10 minute timer.”

When you have multiple timers running and one ends, the usual timer ending chime will sound, but it will now be interspersed with Siri stating which timer is completed. As usual, you can tap the top of HomePod to silence the timer, or ask Siri to shut it off. If you have numerous timers running simultaneously and want to end them all, you can say “Hey Siri, stop/cancel all of the timers.”

Lyric Search

Similar to Apple Music on iOS, you can now search for a song through its lyrics using Siri on HomePod. Try out these commands to start using voice-enabled lyric search:

• “Hey Siri, search for a song with the lyrics [lyrics].”
• “Hey Siri, play the song with the lyrics [lyrics].”
• “Hey Siri, search for the song that goes [lyrics].”
• “Hey Siri, play the song that goes [lyrics].”

If you just want to perform a search for a song based on its lyrics without playing it, you can say something like “Hey Siri, what song has the lyrics [lyrics]?”

Find My iPhone

If you’ve lost track of your iPhone but know it’s somewhere nearby, HomePod can now send out a helpful ping so you can more easily locate your misplaced iPhone. Try these commands to get started:

• “Hey Siri, find my iPhone.”
• “Hey Siri, find [iPhone name].”
• “Hey Siri, where’s my iPhone?”
• “Hey Siri, ping my iPhone.”
• “Hey Siri, can you find my iPhone?”
• “Hey Siri, is my iPhone nearby?”
• “Hey Siri, I can’t find my iPhone.”

Siri will respond to each one of these commands by asking “Should I try to make it play a sound?”, to which you’ll need to reply yes or no.

This feature extends to any iOS or macOS device connected to your Apple ID, so you can also search for a missing iPad or MacBook, as long as they’re all connected to the internet at the time of the search.

You can provide the specific name of each device to ping, but Siri does have some trouble recognizing custom names at times. When the alert is sent, you’ll get a notification on the lost device and an email to your connected Apple ID account.

Phone Calls

One of the biggest new additions to HomePod this week is the ability to make and receive phone calls via your connected iPhone. Make sure your iPhone is on iOS 12 and your HomePod is updated (with Personal Requests turned on), and follow these steps to make calls on HomePod:

Making a call: “Hey Siri, call Ben.”
When a call comes in on iPhone: “Hey Siri, answer my phone.”
Hanging up: “Hey Siri, hang up.”
Checking a missed call: “Hey Siri, who just called?”

During a call, HomePod’s top Siri waveform display will turn a bright green, indicating that you’re on the phone with someone. If you don’t want to speak to Siri to hang up, you can simply tap once on HomePod to end the call. Of course, the usual volume indicators can also make the person on the other end softer or louder.

If you answered a call on iPhone and want to move over to HomePod, follow these steps:

Transferring a call from iPhone to HomePod
Answer or place a call on iPhone
Tap “Audio” in the Phone app while the call is live
Choose your HomePod speaker Notably, you won’t be able to perform any of Siri’s basic search or query functionalities while HomePod is being used as a speakerphone. If someone else calls you while you’re talking on HomePod, you can tap the green light at the top of HomePod to switch to it, or double tap the green light to end the current call and switch to the new one. To continuously switch between calls, tap the top of HomePod.

More details on HomePod’s new update can be found in our launch post, and if you need a refresher on HomePod’s overall set of features be sure to visit our full HomePod Roundup.

Related Roundup: HomePodBuyer’s Guide: HomePod (Buy Now)
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Mi 8 Pro looks like an iPhone, but has a feature Apple fans can only dream of

Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro

Xiaomi has launched two new smartphones, the Mi 8 Pro and the Mi 8 Lite, which join several other members of the Mi 8 family that were announced in June. These two new phones will get a global release in the near future, and it’s the Mi 8 Pro that will attract the most attention. Let’s take a look at that one first.

The Mi 8 Pro’s specification is very similar to the existing Xiaomi Mi 8, while adding some of the key tech seen in the Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition, which has the unfortunate side effect of making it look even more like the Apple iPhone XS. The main difference between the Mi 8 and the Mi 8 Pro is the addition of an in-display fingerprint sensor, which we’ve seen on several phones already, including the Vivo Nex S.

Xiaomi has abandoned the 3D face identification system on the front for a more conventional infrared system, but has not chosen to add a second fingerprint sensor for backup, like Huawei and Porsche Design did with the Mate RS. The face-unlock cam and the 20-megapixel selfie camera live in a notch above the 6.21-inch OLED screen, which has a 2248 x 1080 pixel resolution. Both rear cameras have 12 megapixels, and the phone has a Snapdragon 845 processor and either 6GB or 8GB of RAM.

Perhaps the best news, if you liked the look of the Mi 8 Explorer, is Xiaomi will sell the Mi 8 Pro with the translucent rear panel. Whether what you’re seeing behind it is actually factual — there are question marks over component placement, and the overall neatness of the presentation — is irrelevant.

Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer with translucent rear panel Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

We’ve seen the Mi 8 Explorer, and as you can see in the photo here, it looks fantastic. If the Mi 8 Pro looks as good, it’ll be the model to buy. It also comes in colorful blue and orangey red, each with a fetching gradient, making them very reminiscent of the best Huawei P20 Pro colors.

The Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite is a midrange phone with a Snapdragon 660 chip, either 4GB or 6GB of RAM, a monster 24-megapixel selfie camera, and a lesser 12 megapixel/5 megapixel lens setup on the back. A traditional fingerprint sensor is also found on the rear panel, and the screen measures 6.26 inches with a 2280 x 1080 pixel resolution. The phone will also come in some bright gradient-style colors, as well as a more subdued gray.

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite

To confuse everyone just a little more, the new Mi 8 Pro and Mi 8 Lite join not only the Mi 8 and Mi 8 Explorer edition, but also a Mi 8 SE which has a smaller 5.88-inch screen, and a Snapdragon 710 processor. An international release for the existing Mi 8 phones is unlikely, however, and according to Xiaomi’s senior vice president Wang Xiang, the Pro and Lite will see a global release. Remember though, anyone wanting one in the U.S. will still have to import one.

Otherwise, expect to see the Mi 8 Pro and Lite on sale in China and Xiaomi’s growing international and European markets by the end of September. Prices are shockingly reasonable, with even the 8GB/128GB Mi 8 Pro coming in at around $525 when directly converted over from its Chinese price. The cheaper Mi 8 Lite tops out at around $290 for the 6GB/128GB version.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Xiaomi Mi A2/Mi A2 Lite: Everything you need to know
• The Xiaomi Mi Max 3 has a tablet-sized screen and a huge battery
• Xiaomi Mi A2 hands-on review
• Sharp jumps back into the phone market with a trio of midrange devices

How to use Siri Shortcuts

Apple has finally released iOS 12 to the public, bringing with it improved notifications, ways to track how long you spend on your phone, and the ability to set up shortcuts to make doing things easier and faster through the Siri Shortcuts app. Siri Shortcuts could supercharge the aging Siri, making it much more useful in a world with Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa.

Thankfully, using Siri Shortcuts is relatively easy. Like any Apple app, it is well-designed and clean, plus you don’t have to start from scratch — there are dozens of shortcuts you can choose from to get started, without having to create your own.

If you want to create your own Siri shortcut, however, it’s thankfully very easy to do, and we’re about to show you how. For the purpose of this, we’re going to create a shortcut that you could use in the morning to start your drive to work and play a music playlist — perfect for when you first get in the car.

Open the Siri Shortcuts app and head to the Library tab. Press Create Shortcut.
Scroll down to the first action you want to the shortcut to perform. Here, we want the shortcut to begin our drive to San Francisco.
Enter the address you want the shortcut to navigate to in the box that appears.
On the bottom half of the screen, scroll down to the Music app.
Tap on the app, and select a playlist or music that you want to listen to.
Rename your shortcut by tapping on the Settings button under the Done button on the top right. Then tap Done.
Press Done on the top right-hand side of the screen.

Once your shortcut is created, you can run it from the Shortcuts app, but there are probably easier ways to run it. For example, you can add a shortcut to Siri by going into the Shortcut’s settings and tapping Add to Siri. You’ll then be prompted to add a voice command, which will be used to run a specific shortcut.

You can also add shortcuts to a widget. First, add the widget by scrolling down to the bottom of your widgets, tapping Edit, and adding the shortcuts widget. If you only have a few shortcuts, they’ll all show up — but you can tweak the shortcuts that show by heading to the settings for each shortcut and either enabling or disabling Show in Widget.

Of course, there are plenty of Siri Shortcuts to choose from. For example, you can easily log your weight or how much water you’re drinking into the Health app without having to open the app. It’s worth going through the list of shortcuts on offer to see if any would be helpful to you.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best iOS 12 features
• Here’s how App Actions in Android 9.0 Pie work, and how to control them
• 18 Lightroom keyboard shortcuts you can actually remember
• Tap to Alexa makes it easier for deaf community to interact with Amazon assistant
• How to take a screenshot on a Mac

Windows handwriting recognition tool may pose security risk via text storage

Kyle Wiggers/Digital Trends

Windows has a built-in tool for improving its own handwriting recognition capability, and like many modern, smart features that increase their accuracy over time, it employs user data to do that. Some are concerned, however, that the way it stores that information could prove to be a security risk, as researchers have discovered everything from the content of emails, to passwords stored in a single file.

Handwriting recognition was introduced in Windows 8 as part of its big drive toward touchscreen functionality. It automatically translates touch or stylus (these are the best ones) inputs into formatted text, improving its readability for the user, and giving other applications the ability to comprehend it. To help improve its accuracy, it looks at commonly used words in other documents, storing such information in a file called WaitList.dat. But digital forensics expert Barnaby Skeggs has highlighted that it stores just about any text on your system — not just handwritten content.

“Once [handwriting recognition] is on, text from every document and email which is indexed by the Windows Search Indexer service is stored in WaitList.dat. Not just the files interacted via the touchscreen writing feature,” Skeggs told ZDnet.

Considering how ubiquitous the Windows search indexing system is, this could mean that the content of most documents, emails, and forms ends up inside the WaitList file. The concern is that someone with access to the system — via a hack or malware attack — could find all sorts of personally identifiable information about the system’s owner. Worse yet, WaitList can store information even after the original files have been deleted, potentially opening up even greater security holes.

PowerShell command:

Stop-Process -name "SearchIndexer" -force;Start-Sleep -m 500;Select-String -Path $env:USERPROFILEAppDataLocalMicrosoftInputPersonalizationTextHarvesterWaitList.dat -Encoding unicode -Pattern "password"

— Barnaby Skeggs (@barnabyskeggs) August 26, 2018

This is something that has purportedly been known about in the forensics space for some time and has provided researchers with a useful way to prove the prior existence of a file and in some cases its contents, even if the original had been scrubbed from existence.

Although typically such a potential security hole would warrant contacting Microsoft about the issue before making the public aware of it, Skeggs has reportedly not done so, since the handwriting recognition feature is working as intended. This isn’t a bug, even if it’s potentially exploitable.

If you want to close up that potential security hole on your system, you can delete WaitList.dat manually by going to C:Users%User%AppDataLocalMicrosoftInputPersonalizationTextHarvester. If you don’t find that folder, you don’t have handwriting recognition enabled, so you should be secure.

Well, you should be secure against this potential security flaw at least. We’d still recommend you enable Windows Defender and use one of the best anti-malware solutions.

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