EU’s new data protection law being used as bedtime story by meditation app

The European Union’s (EU) new data protection and digital privacy rules landed recently in the form of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), forcing online firms to take greater care in how they gather and use people’s data.

Clearly not one to miss a trick, meditation app Calm has added a reading of the 57,509-word document to its collection of Sleep Stories, confident in the belief that a brief listen to it will be enough to cure even the most wide-eyed of insomniacs.

“New laws aren’t meant to be exciting, but this one could sedate a buffalo,” Calm wrote in a recent blog post about GDPR.

Current Sleep Stories offered by Calm include Blue Gold, The Seventeenth Princess, and The Secret Lagoon narrated by a range of actors, among them Stephen Fry. For the GDPR document, it turned to Peter Jefferson, a former announcer who made a name for himself as the reader of the BBC’s Shipping Forecast, a long-running nightly broadcast detailing sea conditions around the British Isles which is famed for its relaxing theme tune and the soothing tones of those who read it.

“Jefferson’s voice and skill helped the Shipping Forecast to become known … as Britain’s unofficial national lullaby and an accidental natural sleep aid of rare potency,” Calm noted in its blog post.

The company has called the latest addition to its Sleep Stories collection Once Upon a GDPR, and invites listeners to simply “lie back, wind down, and drift off to … the sound of the new legal regulation.”

For reasons unknown — perhaps Jefferson couldn’t make it to the end without dozing off — Calm has declined to include the entirety of the 209-page document in Once Upon a GDPR. Instead, the announcer says he hopes to offer “a taste of it by reading a lengthy extract from the 107-page introduction, and then, if you’re still awake, one or two of the more relaxing articles that make up the real heart of the document.” The entire recording lasts 40 minutes, by which time you should be well and truly conked.

Calm is available for iOS and Android, and offers in-app purchases.

“Insomnia is a modern epidemic,” says Alex Tew, co-founder of Calm. “The search for a cure is a modern Holy Grail. GDPR may be our new best hope.”

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Rumored six-core MacBook Pro could be the fastest Apple ever made

Early test results for what seems likely to be the next MacBook Pro suggest that it will be the most powerful yet released. The “MacBookPro14,3” which appeared on the GeekBench results website packs 32GB of RAM alongside a powerful Core i7-8750H processor which has six cores and up to 12 threads.

Of all of the MacBook’s Apple currently has on sale, its Pro models (without the touch bar) are the ones we’d recommend if you’re looking to buy a new Apple laptop. However, if you want serious performance for your money, you might want to wait a little, as it seems like MacBooks with Intel’s latest eighth-generation CPUs could be not too far away.

The GeekBench listing is far from a solid confirmation, but the hardware listed within the results is quite intriguing. At supposedly 14.3-inches in size, this rumored notebook would slip in between existing 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pros. The additional cores and threads of the new CPU would be a welcome addition for power users like video editors. While the base clock speed is lower on the eighth-generation chip than current edition MacBook Pros, the 8750H boosts up to 4.1GHz, which is several hundred megahertz faster than some of its predecessors, as AppleInsider highlights.

32GB of RAM would be a sizeable upgrade over previous MacBook Pros, too, which were typically limited to 16GB. The GeekBench results also suggest that memory will be faster as well, operating at 2,667MHz. Current MacBook Pros come with memory running at 2,133MHz.

All of that should equate to a sizeable increase in performance. The GeekBench results for the most powerful MacBook Pro at this time give it a multi-core score of 16,999 and a single-core score of 4,969. In comparison, the unconfirmed MacBook Pro “14,3” model has a multi-core score of 22,316 and a single-core score of 4,902. That means that we’re unlikely to see a big boost in MacBook Pro gaming ability, but in terms of multitasking and using applications with support for multiple threads, this new MacBook could be significantly faster than any MacBook Pro that’s come before.

As great as all that performance is though, we really hope Apple fixes some of the other glaring problems with its MacBook line.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Intel shows off world’s first six-core mobile CPUs, adds Optane to everything
• Apple Store hints you shouldn’t buy a new MacBook Pro until after WWDC
• Panasonic Lumix GH5S review
• AMD, Nvidia graphics could double in performance with new ‘stacked’ tech
• Apple’s latest touchscreen keyboard patent suggests a squishy, keyless future

Intel Anniversary Edition 5GHz six-core CPU may be just days away

Intel’s rumored “Anniversary Edition” Core i7-8086 CPU may be only a few days away from its debut, as a new source suggests it will be available for pre-order on June 8 as part of Intel’s 40th-anniversary celebration of the 8086 chip, its first x86 design. The six-core processor is rumored to be capable of boosting as high as 5GHz at stock.

The biggest change up with Intel’s eighth-generation processors was in how they followed AMD’s Ryzen example (here’s how they compare) and increased the core count of the mainstream processors. Core i3 CPUs were bumped up to four cores and i5 and i7 chips to six cores. Clock speeds remained much closer to the previous generation’s, which is why the suggested 5GHz boost clock of the Intel Core i7-8086 is so intriguing.

If those rumored specifications turn out to be true, the Anniversary Edition CPU will be the fastest hexacore CPU Intel has ever released to mainstream consumers. Supposedly a binned (specifically selected) 8700K, the new chip will be 300MHz faster than the standard chip it’s based on.

None of this is known for sure, but according to the latest rumor we won’t have long to wait to find out how accurate this information is. Overclockers U.K.’s head of purchasing, Andrew Gibson stated in a (now deleted) forum post that the chips were slated to go up for pre-order on June 8, as per TechRadar. “That is when NDA lifts,” he said, suggesting we’ll learn a lot more about the chip in just a few days time.

He also confirmed suggestions that the British retail price would be under 400 British pounds, which if you remove the 20-percent sales tax the U.K. employs, would work out to around $420. When U.S. sales taxes are involved that would make it close to $100 more than the existing 8700K, which might be a hard sell considering it’s only a few hundred megahertz faster out of the box. Existing 8700K owners or prospective buyers could simply get lucky with the capabilities of their new chip and find themselves with a CPU that’s just as capable as the Anniversary Edition Intel CPU.

As for Overclockers U.K.’s part in all this, it plans to offer special, binned versions of these already binned chips, to offer greater guarantees of performance to prospective buyers. It will also offer “delidded” options, though that’s not always something worth paying for the privilege of.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Intel leaks suggest a 40th-anniversary CPU is coming soon
• The best processors for gaming
• Benchmarks show the next wave of Intel desktop processors are on the way
• Rumored six-core MacBook Pro could be the fastest Apple ever made
• Intel shows off world’s first six-core mobile CPUs, adds Optane to everything

How to disable push notifications from Digital Trends

Choose your browser

Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
Microsoft Edge
Safari

We’ve heard it all before, from “it’s not you, it’s me,” to “it’s just over.” We get it, sometimes it’s annoying to see our notifications pop up in your browser, even if we are trying to keep you informed. Although we hate to see you go, we thought it would be better if we were the ones to show you how to disable push notifications in your browser. To opt out of our notifications, simply follow the instructions below.

Google Chrome

Hit the menu button — aka, the three vertical dots in upper-right corner — and select Settings. Then, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Advanced. Next, click Content settings within Privacy and Security and select Notifications.

If you want to disable all notifications, toggle the slider beside, “Ask before sending.” If you are looking to disable notifications from Digital Trends specifically, scroll down until you locate our publication in the Allow column.

Once found, click the three horizontal dots beside Digital Trends and select Block or Remove from the resulting list of options.

Mozilla Firefox

Click the Menu button — aka, the three vertical lines — and select Options. Next, go to Privacy and Security, scroll to Permissions, and click the Settings button to the right of “Notifications.”

Here, you can choose which websites can and cannot send you notifications. If you’re looking to remove Digital Trends, select our publication and click Remove Website.

Microsoft Edge

First, launch Microsoft Edge and click the Menu button represented by the three horizontal dots in the upper-right corner. Then, follow your mouse to the bottom of the list and click Settings. Scroll to the bottom and hit View Advanced Settings. Once there, click Manage, which is located within Website Permissions.

On the resulting page, you can toggle which websites you want to receive notifications from, including Digital Trends. Keep in mind that if you feel like disabling all notifications in Windows 10, we’ve also created an in-depth guide for doing so.

Safari

First, launch Safari and click Safari from within the application menu bar. Next, click Preferences and select the Notifications pane, which will bring up a list of websites you currently receive notifications from.

If you want to disable push notifications across the board, highlight your selection and click Remove All in the bottom-left corner. Otherwise, select Digital Trends from the list and click Remove.

Editors’ Recommendations

• How to turn off notifications in Windows 10
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• Chrome OS notification center redesign borrows from Windows 10 Action Center
• How to enable cookies

Did you pre-order the HTC U12+?

With a price of $800, the phone’s not cheap by any stretch of the imagination.

On May 23, HTC properly unveiled the U12+ to the world. This is the company’s main flagship phone for 2018, and it comes equipped with a stunning design, powerful dual cameras, fast processing power, and a steep price tag of $800 with no plans to launch on U.S. carriers.

The U12+ will likely be one heck of a phone that can stand up against any of 2018’s other competing handsets, but will its high cost and lacking carrier availability keep consumers at bay?

It’s certainly looking like it. A handful of AC forum users started talking about pre-orders for the phone and this is what they’ve had to say so far.

msm0511
06-02-2018 11:33 AM

“

Just thought I’d start a thread for when the U12+ starts shipping. It’s still all up in the air right now on when it’s gonna start. I’ve emailed HTC for a more specific date, but haven’t heard back. With the Amazon preorder going from June 7th to the 21st, and the more mainstream accessory makers not shipping until the 25th (Skinomi full body) or even in July (Spigen), I’m guessing later June. As…

Reply

bhatech
06-02-2018 04:53 PM

“

Amazon has said June 21st, may be that’s a conservative date. But I’m not expecting anything to move till June 15th or so. Even HTC in Twitter said sometime in June when people tried to get the exact date. It’s crazy how they don’t have actual release date. I like Apple, now Samsung and even OnePlus where they announce and thing is ready to ship within a week or two. Google is getting better with…

Reply

RaRa85
06-02-2018 05:01 PM

“

I think the biggest thing is people can’t try before they buy either at least as far as I know. I really wish their situation was better. This will probably be one of the most underrated phones of 2018.

Reply

worldsoutro
06-02-2018 08:04 PM

“

it’s crazy there is no set launch date. No wonder htc is in financial trouble.

Reply

Now, we’d love to hear from you! Did you pre-order the HTC U12+?

Join the conversation in the forums!

OnePlus 6: Everything you need to know

Unlock the secrets.

The OnePlus 6 is now available, and it’s a compelling option for someone looking for an unlocked phone at a reasonable price — starting at $529 to be specific. But price aside, it’s a great choice for anyone, even those considering more expensive options, thanks to a combination of hardware and software, and a community that continues to support the company and one another.

Here’s everything you need to know about the OnePlus 6!

The latest OnePlus 6 news

June 4, 2018 — Silk White OnePlus 6 and Bullets Wireless earphones launching June 5 @ 10:00 AM ET

About two weeks following the OnePlus 6’s launch, the limited edition Silk White version of the phone and OnePlus’s Bullets Wireless earphones are officially going on sale.

The Silk White OnePlus 6 is “the company’s boldest design to date” featuring six layers of white glass that have been mixed with pearl powder and gold accents for the frame, fingerprint sensor, and more. It’s a downright stunning look and will cost $579 USD with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage “while supplies last.”

Along with the Silk White OnePlus 6, the excellent Bullets Wireless earphones are launching, too. Andrew recently gave these a glowing review, praising them for their surprisingly great sound quality, USB-C charging, comfortable design, and competitive $69 price tag.

Both the Silk White OnePlus 6 and Bullets Wireless will be available on June 5 at 10:00 AM ET.

May 31, 2018 — Battery percentage coming to the status bar, fix for rear camera autofocus issue, and more

As part of a Q&A session OnePlus held of its forums, the company answered a lot of burning questions on users’ minds. You can read through the full rundown here, but the highlights include:

• The three dots in the status bar will be removed in the next update.
• A battery percentage is coming to the status bar in the next update.
• Scheduled Do Not Disturb will be added in the next update.
• The next update will fix low volume for calls and notifications.
• Future updates will correct issues with the rear camera’s autofocus.
• Your network will properly work when using an IDEA as a non-data card in the next update.
• A fix in the next update will resolve an issue that causes sound to stop working when switching to the speaker from the earpiece.

Read our review and watch the video

First thing’s first, watch the video and read the review. There’s plenty about the phone to learn, even though much of it is familiar. But the essential question a review tries to answer is, Should you buy this thing? And the response is an unrestrained, Yes.

The OnePlus 6 is the company’s finest phone ever, with excellent design, build quality, battery life and, for the first time, cameras.

Read the review

Review the specs

Once you’re done reading the review, you should, ahem, review the specifications. The phone is powerful — like one of the most powerful on the market today — with plenty of headroom and legroom (it’s proverbially spacious is what I’m trying to say) for whatever you want to throw at it. Apps-wise, not like object-wise.

OnePlus 6 specifications

How does it compare to other phones?

Of course, the OnePlus 6 doesn’t exist in a bubble — you have to compare it to other devices if you’re going to decide whether you should buy it. Thankfully, we’ve done most of the work for you, comparing it to the best flagships on the market right now.

• OnePlus 6 vs. Google Pixel 2 XL: Which should you buy?
• OnePlus 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy S9+: Which should you buy?

What about to other OnePlus phones?

Yeah, OnePlus owners like to keep it in the family, so to speak, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see many upgrading, or thinking of upgrading, from an existing OnePlus device, like a 3, 3T, 5, or 5T. Of course, with the company releasing two phones a year these days, it won’t be long until the next upgrade cycle hits, but that also means that the existing phones age quite well, thanks to frequent software updates (the joys of not going through carriers).

If you have a OnePlus 5 or 5T, you can probably hold onto those phones for a bit longer — unless you need the camera improvements. OnePlus’s 2016 phones, on the other hand, may be getting a bit long in the tooth and could use a replacement.

• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5T: Should you upgrade?
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5: Should you upgrade?

Is the OnePlus 6 camera that much better than before?

This photo was taken in nearly pitch-dark conditions. OnePlus ramps up the light sensitivity to ISO6400, which would normally produce a lot of grain, but this photo is totally usable thanks to better software processing.

Yes! The OnePlus 6 has a larger 16MP sensor than previous OnePlus devices, with pixels that are 19% bigger, so low-light photography is immensely improved. It’s not going to overtake the Huawei P20 Pro or Pixel 2 for Low Light Champion Of The World, but it’s reliable in all conditions, and that’s more important than anything else.

The camera is probably the biggest improvement over previous OnePlus models.

The phone’s main sensor is aided by a fast ƒ/1.7 aperture, so true depth of field is a thing, along with drastically improved image signal processing from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845. Together, the phone is able to detect the correct settings more quickly, take multiple shots if necessary, enable HDR mode automatically, and reduce or eliminate grain in dark conditions.

There’s also Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), which was in the OnePlus 3 line but removed in last year’s series for unknown reasons. It’s back now, and paired with a larger sensor and faster main lens, the results speak for themselves.

On the other hand, the OnePlus 6’s secondary camera has less to do — it’s a 20MP sensor with an ƒ/1.7 lens, but its main purpose is to facilitate portrait mode which, while good, isn’t enough reason to have a second sensor in the first place.

Is the notch distracting?

The notch is what it is. You may hate it out of an aversion to all things Apple, or you may learn to live with it and forget it’s there. Most people will fall somewhere in the middle — it’s a character trait, like a freckle or a certain hairstyle.

What it does, though, is open up spme additional real estate on the 6.28-inch screen, which is great. But it also limits the number of icons that can be seen in the notification area, which is a bummer. Plus, the clock on the left side of the notification bar will never make sense. If you watch the video below, though, you can see ways to tweak the notification area to your liking. And you can also disable the notch altogether if you want to.

How’s the software?

It’s good! Running Android 8.1 Oreo, OxygenOS has turned into one of the most enjoyable, reliable versions of Android to date. OnePlus has also added a number of additions to make the whole thing run more smoothly, especially if you’re looking to maximize your screen real estate.

One of the more interesting changes to the software is a set of gestures that eliminates the bottom navigation keys, relying on swipes up from different areas of the bottom edge to go back, home, and enter multitasking. It’s different, but not bad. You’ll have to try it yourself.

As for tips and tricks, we’ve already got that list going, so if you’re looking to make the most of your OxygenOS experience, we have you covered.

• How to enable navigation gestures on the OnePlus 6
• How to disable the notch on the OnePlus 6

What’s it cost?

The OnePlus 6 starts at $529 USD for the base model and goes up to $629 for additional RAM and storage. There are three configurations and three colors, though one of the colors, Silk White, is only going to be available in early June and will be manufactured in limited capacities.

Here’s how the pricing breaks down in various regions.

6/64	$529	€519	£469	$699
8/128	$579	€569	£519	$769
8/256	$629	€619	£569	$839

See at OnePlus

Tell me more about the colors

There are three colors: Mirror Black, Midnight Black, and Silk White.

• Mirror Black is going to be the most common, since it’s the only color offered in the cheapest tier. It’s shiny, reflective glass, so it gets fingerprint-y, but that’s OK because you’ll likely put the phone in a case (see below). It’s also a little slippery, which is to be expected. Mirror Black is offered in 6GB / 64GB configurations for $529.

• Midnight Black is the color we’ve come to expect from OnePlus over the years, though the matte-looking finish belies a glass back, too, like the Mirror Black. Midnight Black is only available in 8GB / 128GB and 8GB / 256GB configurations for $579 and $629, respectively.

• Silk White is the most limited of the three colors, and will be available June 5. It’s also covered in glass, but like the Midnight Black model it has a matte finish and is easier to grip. Its white back has rose gold accents, and it’s definitely the nicest and most unique of the three colors. It will only be available in the 8GB / 128GB configuration, for $579, and once the run is sold out, OnePlus is not making any more.

I heard there’s an Avengers version — TELL ME EVERYTHING

Yes, you heard right: OnePlus has once again worked with Disney on licensing a special version of the OnePlus 6 for the Chinese and Indian markets. Last year, OnePlus offered an understated Start Wars variant of the OnePlus 5T, and now the Avengers version takes advantage of the hype behind the recent film release.

The Avengers version comes in a unique box and includes an Iron Man case and a OnePlus/Avengers co-branded medallion, which is neat. And while there’s a familiar glass back on the Avengers Edition, it has a Kevlar-style design underneath. Because Kevlar=superheroes, or something.

While the special edition isn’t coming to the U.S. officially, I’m sure that some entrepreneurial Indian and Chinese resellers will do the dirty business of importing some of them at a huge premium to this side of the world.

This is the OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Edition

The OnePlus 6 doesn’t work on Sprint or Verizon

The OnePlus 6 technically supports the CDMA bands for Verizon and Sprint in the U.S., but the phone lacks certification for their networks, so those users — just under half the smartphone-wielding U.S. population, is out of luck.

We’ve got your full technical explainer below.

The OnePlus 6 doesn’t work on Sprint or Verizon

Do you like cases?

As it does with all of its phones, OnePlus has unveiled a series of first-party cases for the OnePlus 6, and they’re all pretty great.

This year, there’s a fancy new protective bumper made of woven nylon, and while it adds a bit more bulk than the typical snap-on, I think it looks and feels awesome.

These are the official OnePlus 6 cases you can buy at launch

What are your thoughts on the OnePlus 6?

Let us know in the comments!

OnePlus 6

• OnePlus 6 review
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5T: How much changes in six months?
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5: Should you upgrade?
• These are the official OnePlus 6 cases
• The OnePlus 6 doesn’t work on Verizon or Sprint
• Join the discussion in the forums

Project Fi wish list: 3 things that would make me switch

With a few small changes, Project Fi could become unstoppable.

When Google launched Project Fi in April 2015, I signed up for the service as fast as I possibly could. I ordered the starter kit for my Nexus 6 and loved the added benefits, but ultimately went back to my previous service provider after the first month.

Project Fi gets a lot of things right. Its mobile app is wonderfully designed and easy to use, the billing process is dead simple, roaming in other countries is second to none, and support from three different networks (Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular) provides coverage unlike any other competitor out there.

However, as great as these features are, there are still aspects of Project Fi that hold me back from canceling my T-Mobile subscription. I really, really want to embrace Project Fi with open arms, but there are a few things that need to change before I can commit.

A cheaper plan

One of my biggest complaints about Project Fi is its pricing — specifically the rate of $10 per GB that you use. I understand that one of the big draws to Fi is that it helps you seamlessly connect to Wi-Fi networks whenever they’re available, but there are still times where you just need to use a lot of data.

Project Fi recently made a big upgrade to the way data is handled by only charging you that $10/GB rate for the first 6GB, with the rest of your data after that offered for free — effectively turning it into an $80/month setup for unlimited everything.

This is a big step in the right direction, but it can still be rather costly.

I’d ideally like to see data dropped to around $5 per GB, or alternatively, Google change its handling of the Fi Basics of unlimited calls/texts at $20/month by either including it for free or cutting it down to $15 or $10.

Better support for multiple lines

Project Fi’s pricing in its current state isn’t terrible for people on their own, but once you start adding more and more lines, that’s where things start to really add up.

Project Fi just doesn’t make sense if you have multiple lines that use a lot of data.

Additional lines beyond your first one cost $15/month for the Fi Basics instead of the regular $20, and while that small discount is greatly appreciated, is still nowhere near as competitive as what other carriers offer.

As a quick example, I pay $155/month for five lines on T-Mobile. On Project Fi with the same data usage for each line with my last bill, it would have come out to $275 plus any additional taxes and fees.

T-Mobile offers considerably steeper discounts as you add more and more lines to your account and often runs promotions that include lines for free when signing up for the first time.

This is something that Project Fi needs to get better at. It’s taken steps in the right direction to get there, but we’re still a ways off before Fi is a viable option for more than one or two people.

Customer incentives

Over the last couple years, we’ve seen U.S. carriers go beyond good service and affordable prices to entice new customers and retain existing ones. T-Mobile gives its subscribers free goodies each week with T-Mobile Tuesdays and includes Netflix with all plans, Verizon Up rewards customers with regular perks and partner discounts, Sprint plans come with a free Hulu subscription, etc.

At this time, Project Fi doesn’t offer anything along these lines.

Google has the potential to make Fi really exciting by giving its customers free YouTube Premium plans, discounts on YouTube TV, and other incentives.

People love getting stuff for free, and Google’s got enough services and tools under its belt to do something like this.

That’s it

If Google can make those three changes to Project Fi, it’s got potential to quickly become a fierce competitor in the phone service game.

What Project Fi currently offers works really, really well. If Google can figure out how to make the experience a bit more affordable, more accessible to families, and give people a reason to stay with small incentives/perks, joining will be a no-brainer for anyone that’s got a supported Project Fi phone.

What do you think? What things would you like to see changed to Project Fi or is it already a good deal as is?

What is Project Fi, how does it work, and why do I want it?

Google Project Fi

• What is Project Fi?
• Get the latest Project Fi news
• Google Pixel 2 review
• Moto X4 review
• Discuss Project Fi in our forums
• Sign up for Project Fi!

Facebook’s been sharing user data with 60 smartphone OEMs for over a decade

Companies include Apple, Samsung, BlackBerry, and others.

If you thought Facebook was finally escaping the limelight following its big Cambridge Analytica scandal, think again. A new report from The New York Times recently emerged, claiming that Facebook has been sharing its users’ data with at least 60 smartphone OEMs over the past 10 years.

According to The New York Times —

Facebook has reached data-sharing partnerships with at least 60 device makers — including Apple, Amazon, BlackBerry, Microsoft and Samsung — over the last decade, starting before Facebook apps were widely available on smartphones, company officials said. The deals allowed Facebook to expand its reach and let device makers offer customers popular features of the social network, such as messaging, “like” buttons and address books.

Although Facebook reportedly began to end these partnerships this past April, most of them are still alive to this very day. Facebook views these partnerships as “extensions of Facebook” and says “they knew of no cases where the information had been misused.”

According to Facebook Vice President Ime Archibong, “these partnerships work very differently from the way in which app developers use our platform” and aren’t similar to the way certain apps/games can gain access to your account information.

However, upon seeing what these “partnerships” are really capable of, The New York Times connected one of their reporter’s Facebook accounts to a 2013 BlackBerry phone via the Hub app. Upon doing so —

Immediately after the reporter connected the device to his Facebook account, it requested some of his profile data, including user ID, name, picture, “about” information, location, email and cellphone number. The device then retrieved the reporter’s private messages and the responses to them, along with the name and user ID of each person with whom he was communicating.

The New York Times discovered that the BlackBerry phone “was also able to retrieve identifying information for nearly 295,000 Facebook users” and that “Facebook empowers BlackBerry devices to access more than 50 types of information about users and their friends.”

While encouraging to know that these partnerships are in the process of being laid to rest, it is troubling to know that something like this even existed in the first place. What’s your hot take on this?

How to check if your Facebook info was accessed by Cambridge Analytica

YouTube Music: Everything you need to know

YouTube is taking the reins for Google’s music strategy — and Early Access is available now.

Google’s music strategy has been fractured and confusing and falling behind for years, with Google Play Music being treated like an orange-haired stepchild, YouTube Music being ignored by some users and unheard of by the rest, and YouTube being a place where people of all kinds come to listen to music — both legitimately uploaded and not-so-much.

Google’s been amassing a new team to take on the music industry, from streaming competitors like Spotify to the record labels that control what music can appear on what platforms and how.

We’ve been waiting months for the shoe to drop and Google to reveal its new strategy, and now we know what that new direction looks like. YouTube Red is dead, and it’s being replaced by YouTube Music and YouTube Premium.

May 23, 2018 — Your locally owned songs from Google Play Music will transfer over to YouTube Music

Google wants all of its Play Music subscribers to migrate over to YouTube Music at some point in 2019, and to help make that process as seamless as possible, the company’s confirmed that some of Play Music’s best features will be coming to the new YouTube Music — the biggest of which is a music locker for storing copies of song you locally own.

This news was recently confirmed by Google to The Verge, with the Head of YouTube Music saying on Twitter that “Your collection, playlists and preferences from Google Play Music will be preserved at migrated to YouTube music for a soft landing.”

In addition to having a place to store music you already own, YouTube Music will eventually allow you to buy new songs that you can add to your collection.

May 22, 2018 — The new YouTube Music is officially here!

Just like we expected, YouTube Music’s new app and desktop site officially started rolling out on May 22. Google says the new look is currently in “early access” and is gradually becoming available for folks in the U.S., Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea.

To access YouTube Music, you can download the app from the Play Store or hit up the desktop site at music.youtube.com. If you’re not seeing the changes quite yet, be sure to check back frequently to know when you’ve been graced with Google’s good wishes.

The service starts at $9.99/month

Similar to every other streaming service, the new YouTube Music will offer a paid subscription of $9.99/month. For that price, you’ll get an ad-free experience when listening to your tunes, can have music videos play in the background, and download songs for offline listening.

The big difference with Google’s new plan, however, is that all of the non-music features included with YouTube Red will now cost extra.

For $11.99/month, you can subscribe to YouTube Premium and get all of the above features in addition to ad-free videos, the ability to play videos in the background and download them for offline viewing, and access to the growing collection of YouTube Original programming.

Existing YouTube Red subscribers are grandfathered into the old plan

Having to pay more for the same features is never an exciting proposition, but Google’s made sure to cater to those that are already subscribed to YouTube Red/Google Play Music.

If you’ve been a paying member for some time or sign up for the current service before the new YouTube Music + YouTube Premium changes take hold, you’ll be able to get all of the YouTube Premium perks for just $9.99/month instead of $11.99.

All-new apps are coming to mobile and desktop

If you’re already using YouTube Music, you’ll notice some big changes coming to the user interface. A “reimagined mobile app” is in the works, as is a brand-new desktop site. According to The Verge, both of these have been “designed specifically for music.”

Similar to what’s already offered in Play Music, Google will use AI to recommend songs and playlists based on where you’re at and what you’re doing. If YouTube Music detects you’re at the gym, it’ll suggest music to listen to that’ll help keep you moving. If it’s late at night and you’re home, you might be offered calm songs for unwinding.

There will be a bigger focus on YouTube Originals

YouTube Originals have paled in comparison to programming made by the likes of Hulu and Netflix, but this is another area Google’s hoping to improve.

It’s promised that YouTube Originals will offer “bigger original series and movies” spanning the genres of action adventure, drama, comedy, and reality shows. Along with the U.S., YouTube Originals will also feature content from the UK, Mexico, France, Germany, and others.

What’s happening to Play Music?

All of this is great, but what in the world is happening to Google Play Music? YouTube’s announcement says “if you use Google Play Music, nothing will change — you’ll still be able to access all of your purchased music, uploads and playlists in Google Play Music just like always.” However, I wouldn’t expect things to stay that way forever.

Google clearly wants YouTube Music to be the face that takes on Spotify and Apple Music, and having another service lying around that offers so many overlapping features will only create for continued confusion.

Play Music needs to be laid to rest in order for Google’s efforts with YouTube Music to truly pay off, and while that may not happen soon, I wouldn’t expect Play Music to still be kicking in a year’s time.

A mixtape full of promise

YouTube Music is built on a gold mine. YouTube is not only the most used video platform in the world, it might be the biggest catalog of professional, semi-professional, and amateur music available in the world. This isn’t the first time Google has tried to capitalize on this, but this time is different. They have gotten their act together and made us all a mixtape full of promises.

But can they follow through on them?

YouTube Music review: A mixtape full of promise

Getting started

YouTube Music is an adjustment from traditional music services — especially because it is based around video rather than audio — but thanks to the Google’s search prowess and downright uncanny predictions and recommendations, getting used to Google’s newest music service should be as painless as possible. And since it’s built around years of your YouTube history, YouTube Music already knows you better than you think.

Getting started with YouTube Music

Going offline

Networks fail. Your plane says it’s going to have Wi-Fi, but nope. You get stuck in the car with your parents in the middle of nowhere, and you’re outside cell range, and the radio stations are nothing but static and muffled AM country. Having music to listen to when you offline is important, and when the music service you’re using is based around video — which eats data like nobody’s business — how you save your music for offline playback is even more important.

How to download music for offline playback in YouTube Music

Making the most of things

YouTube Music is “Early Access” right now, which means the service is essentially a beta and it is definitely buggy. While time and updates will fix some of those bugs, there are some things you can do to make the most of its current state.

6 tips and tricks for using YouTube Music

Can it dethrone Spotify?

Spotify has spent the last decade building up a loyal user base, building algorithms that few companies can even begin to touch, and building up a reputation as the best brand in streaming music. YouTube, however, is one of the most used sites on the internet, period, a selection you can’t find anywhere else — a selection that will be absolutely unbeatable in the future — and Google is bringing its best algorithmic game with YouTube Music.

It’s still early days, but YouTube Music will be enough to dethrone Spotify soon?

YouTube Music vs Spotify

Don’t overpay for it

There’s no real sugar-coating it: using YouTube Music as a free user on Android is crap. There are ads every 3-6 songs and you can’t leave the now playing screen, so it hogs your screen and your battery. YouTube Music is worlds better when you unlock its paid features. YouTube Premium is absolutely worth paying for.

YouTube Music Premium, however, is not.

For the love of Duarte, don’t buy YouTube Music Premium

Updated June 2018: We have expanded this guide to include links to the YouTube Music guides and how-to content since Early Access launched.

Netherlands court rules that Samsung isn’t required to update old phones

The consumer group that took Samsung to court wants it to update phones for 4 years.

In the world of Android updates, Samsung’s one of the worst in regards to sending security patches and big system upgrades to its phones in a timely manner. Consumer group Consumentenbond recently took the OEM to court in the Netherlands asking that it update its Android phones for a minimum of 4 years after release, but the court ended up ruling in Samsung’s favor.

As it stands right now, Samsung promises its Netherlands consumers 2 years of software updates following the launch of a phone. This guarantee is readily available at the very top of Samsung’s Dutch website and Samsung says that it releases updates within a “reasonable” amount of time.

Although having 4 years of guaranteed software support would be a welcome change, this isn’t something Samsung will have to commit to. The court said that Consumentenbound’s demands were “inadmissible” as it’s impossible to determine what sort of bugs or software patches may pop up in the future.

Consumentenbound says that the ruling is “disappointing” but also notes that “during the legal procedure, Samsung has taken steps to provide consumers with better information.”

Companies like Google already offer 3 years of guaranteed updates for its Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL phones, and while Samsung may not be committing to similar support quite yet, this could be a small stepping stone in that direction.

Samsung Galaxy S9 second opinion review: A battery short of perfection