Moto G6 Plus vs. Moto G5 Plus: Should you upgrade?

In case you missed it, Motorola just announced a handful of new low-cost devices for its wildly popular Moto G and Moto E series that finally look as nice as they perform, with rounded glass backings and dual cameras galore!

The highest-end of all the phones announced was the Moto G6 Plus, which replaces last year’s Moto G5 Plus in Motorola’s powerful budget lineup. The G6 Plus isn’t going to be available in the U.S. — stateside customers will want to look at the smaller Moto G6 instead — but that doesn’t mean it’s out of the question for the rest of the world, with the G6 Plus launching in Brazil, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. So how does this new affordable powerhouse stack up to last year’s top dog?

Specifications

Before comparing the value of the Moto G6 Plus’s newer features against where the Moto G5 Plus still holds its own, it’s good to have an understanding of how the two differ in specs.

What’s new with the Moto G6 Plus?

The Moto G6 Plus brings a lot of new features to the table, including a complete redesign that’s more akin to the Moto X4 than other Moto Gs before it. In addition to the rounded glass back, the fingerprint sensor up front has been shrunken down to make room for the G6 Plus’s new 18:9 aspect ratio display — that’s up from 5.2- to 5.9-inches year over year. The G6 Plus also features dual cameras, which didn’t show up on a Moto G until the Moto G5S Plus late last year.

The G6 Plus brings a gorgeous curved design to the Moto G lineup, with smarter software and a dual camera module.

The differences aren’t all on the surface, though. The Moto G6 Plus stays up to date with Android 8.0 Oreo, and starts off with twice the internal storage of last year’s G5 Plus. In addition, it houses a larger battery — 3200mAh vs 3000mah, respectively, though that may be negated by the G6 Plus needing to power a larger display.

The Moto G6 Plus is also smarter than last year’s model. Motorola has outfitted the G6 Plus with new intelligent camera settings, allowing the phone to identify specific objects and even apply fun face filter effects. Moto Voice has gotten smarter as well, combining on-device commands (“turn off Bluetooth,” “play Narcos on Netflix,” etc.) with Google Assistant as a fallback when necessary.

See at Motorola UK

Why you might not need to upgrade

At the end of the day, most people that buy a Moto G aren’t necessarily doing so because they’re tech fanatics. They’re buying it because so few other series of devices are able to offer the same levels of performance and reliability at such a reasonable price. Motorola is one of the most trusted brands in the budget space for a reason, and a year later the Moto G5 Plus is still as good a deal as ever — perhaps even more so now that it’s readily available at steep discounts.

The Moto G5 Plus isn’t suddenly a bad phone just because there’s a new model.

Intelligent camera features can come in handy, but they’re far from a requirement for most people. You probably won’t miss features like object recognition in the camera app, face filters, or the G6 Plus’s speedy face unlock — so why pay for them? Same goes for the newer Moto Voice features, though luckily you don’t have to give up Moto Gestures if you stick with the Moto G5 Plus.

Both phones are pretty evenly matched in the specs department. The Moto G6 Plus has a slightly newer Snapdragon 630 versus the G5 Plus’s Snapdragon 625, but both chipsets utilize the same Cortex-A53 microarchitectures (albeit at different clock speeds). If you still prefer the Moto G6 Plus for its 18:9 display, curved glass back, and dual cameras, then by all means, you should go for it. But with nearly equal specs and features in a smaller body, don’t discount the Moto G5 Plus — leave that up to the retailers.

See at Motorola

Which is right for you?

Are you interested in buying either of these budget champions? Or if you already have the Moto G5 Plus, does the G6 Plus bring enough to the table to make you consider upgrading? Let us know in the comments below!

Bluesmart shuts down following smart luggage battery ban

Smart luggage maker Bluesmart is shutting down after concerns over batteries in checked luggage kept travelers from using its bags as intended. The company has sold its intellectual property and is ending refunds, sales and warranty support.

Bluesmart’s bags were a hit, with the company raising over $4.1 million in crowdfunding since its first campaign in 2014. The latest Series 2 carry-on bags and suitcases, which had apparently sold out, included free 3G and GPS connectivity that let owners track their bags anywhere with cell reception. The bags also included a charger for your devices, weight sensors and an auto-locking mechanism in case you strayed too far away.

The nail in the coffin for Bluesmart was a policy most major US airlines enacted in January, which forces travelers to remove lithium-ion batteries from checked smart luggage and power down those in cabin bags to reduce the risk of fire. Similar concerns had previously led the FAA to consider an outright ban on laptops in hold luggage.

While Bluesmart provided instructions on how to extract its “non-removable” batteries, which are integrated into the bags’ electronics, the airlines’ policy effectively rendered the smart functions useless while traveling. That placed the firm “in an irreversibly difficult financial and business situation,” it said in a statement.

The company has sold its technology, designs, branding and IP to Travelpro, a luggage maker geared towards flight crews and frequent fliers. Bluesmart has ceased warranty support, though is still providing troubleshooting advice and how-to information. Consumers seeking refunds and other claims can do so through a third-party liquidator. Those who bought their bags elsewhere can seek a refund or exchange from their retailer.

For those hanging on to their Bluesmart bags, the servers and apps will remain functional for the next several months, though service quality or functionality “will be reduced in the future,” the company said. However, you’ll still need to unscrew the electronics board and stow it in your carry-on bags. It seems unlikely most Bluesmart owners will want to do that every time they fly.

Via: The Verge, TechCrunch

Source: Bluesmart

Facebook’s upcoming dating service will be a heartbreaker

Facebook is getting into the dating game, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced to the assembled crowd at its annual F8 developers conference today. Citing a 2017 Forbes article about how one in three US marriages now start online, Zuckerberg pointed out that some 200 million Facebook users currently list themselves as single on the social media site. So why not use Facebook’s practical monopoly in online social interactions to help folks find lasting love?

As the Facebook team described onstage, Facebook Dating will “mirror the way people meet in real life — through the experiences they have in common.” Users will set up a profile, which will be segregated from their regular FB account. This is so that any dating-related activities won’t show up on their News Feed or be shared with their friends (even if they’ve opted-in to the service as well).

Users can then select the groups and events that they are already members of and “unlock” their dating profiles for those activities, allowing them to view other users who have similarly unlocked themselves. The service will recommend matches “based on dating preferences, things in common, and mutual friends,” according to a statement from the company. This is similar to mechanisms that Tinder and Hinge employ, wherein if you’re logged in to those services via Facebook, you won’t be shown the profiles of people you’ve friended. If the user finds someone they’re interested in, the service offers a discrete text-only messaging service (to hinder the sending of dick pics and spam). For added privacy and security, a user’s profile will only include their first name.

But for the fanfare that the as-of-yet unreleased service received during Tuesday’s keynote, it’s not exactly a new feature for the site. In fact, existing dating apps that leverage the Facebook API will already raise an alert if you and the the person you’re swiping right on have mutual FB friends. Facebook appears to simply be cutting out the middleman (in this case Tinder, Hinge, et al) and monetizing the service for itself.

Facebook itself was initially designed as a way to rank the attractiveness of Zuckerberg’s female classmates. When it was still only available on college campuses, the social site already served as an effective platform for flirting and hookups. Find a cutie who also goes to your school? Give them a poke, post poetry to their wall, like and comment on their posts — the standard, and generally awkward, stuff young people do to get the objects of their affection to notice them.

However, this easy connectability is a double-edged sword. The same service that allowed Raman and Priya, the couple Zuckerberg was crowing about during his speech, to meet and marry, also allows stalkers, creeps and psycho exes to surreptitiously spy on your life. And I fail to see how formalizing the flirting process — even with the protections the company has in place — will enable the former behaviors without the latter.

For example, your profile will only include your first name but it’s right alongside the city in which you live and the company you work for. It doesn’t take a genius to leverage those tidbits of data in order to track down your official Facebook profile, About.Me page, or personal website. And given that the service will base matches — at least partially — on your mutual friends, stalkers will be afforded yet another vector of attack in tracking you down.

This is equally true for the service’s pairing mechanism which, again, is based off of the groups and events you’re already a member of. It remains unclear whether you’ll be matched up via an algorithm, which could conceivably help weed out the creeps, or it will simply give you a list of everybody in the group who also has an unlocked dating profile and matches some basic criteria. Additionally, what protections are going to be implemented to prevent creeps from simply joining every local group they can find to use them to farm for dates? Facebook did not specify during the keynote.

Of course, protecting your privacy from other users is only one side of the data protection issue. For the last year, Facebook has been repeatedly rocked by revelations revolving around its use of user data, specifically the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The CA debacle was so bad that Zuckerberg himself was forced to appear before congress to explain his company’s actions. So it seems odd that immediately after lawmakers repeatedly questioned him as to why Facebook would collect so much user data in the first place, Zuckerberg’s company would come out with a new service that collects even more of user data.

And just because the conversations you have within the messenger won’t show up on your timeline, doesn’t mean they can’t or won’t potentially be squirreled away by the company itself. Just look at Grindr’s April SNAFU where the company was caught sharing a host of sensitive data points, including users’ HIV statuses, with advertising companies.

Now, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t give Facebook Dating a shot when it is released later this year. Virtually all of the issues raised here are simply online analogs to the dangers folks face while dating in real life. However, unlike other dating services like Tinder or Bumble, which simply leverage the social site’s API, Facebook’s overwhelming global reach dramatically increases user’s exposure risk. I mean, do you really want to trust the same site that your racist uncle uses to rant about “Obummer” and the Deep State with finding you a mate?

Click here to catch up on the latest news from F8 2018!

Images: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Facebook hopes to write the security ‘playbook’ for others to follow

It was only back in March that Facebook’s Chief Security Officer, Alex Stamos, was rumored to be leaving the company after reportedly clashing with other execs over its disclosure of Russia’s meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. But, that clearly never happened (though he did say his role “changed”), and Facebook has been dealing with a lot more problems than just election interference since then — like ensuring that it keeps people’s personal data safe. Today, Stamos took the stage at the F8 developers conference to talk about Facebook’s efforts in security and how it plans to address the many issues it faces now and others that may arise in the future.

Stamos said on stage, during a keynote dubbed “Security at Facebook Scale,” that the company has a responsibility to the world to build products that bring people closer together, but at the same time keep them safe from abuse. He added that one of the biggest challenges Facebook has had to face recently is knowing that, even though its tools are designed to create positive connections between people, building them comes with a risk. And that’s something the company has had to learn the hard way in the past couple of years, after what happened with the 2016 election in the US and, most recently, the Cambridge Analytica data misuse nightmare.

Alex Stamos shows an image of what Facebook’s network looks like.

“Protecting people’s data is extremely important,” Stamos said. “But doing that is not enough. I personally had to adjust to understand that security is more than building systems, it’s understanding how tech can be abused to cause harm.” He said that while Facebook “can build technically perfect products, there are still bad things that could happen,” and it needs to take that into consideration with anything it makes going forward. “When you think about AI you have to think about risks in how you’re training it,” Stamos said. “With VR, it’s not just the great, fun things, but what is safety in a VR world? How are we gonna build that at scale when there are not any examples to go off?”

Stamos said that Facebook’s goal isn’t just to figure out the answers to these questions on its own, by investing heavily in new technologies and hiring more people to filter out bad content, but also to work together with academics and even other tech companies. “When we do this work, we also have to build relationships around the world. We have a lot of work to do to understand our responsibility,” he said. “Theres no magic solution to these problems, but we’re also not going to allow these challenges to paralyze us. We’re going to build the playbook for companies to follow us, build at scale and mitigate those risks.”

Click here to catch up on the latest news from F8 2018!

HBO renews ‘Westworld’ for a third season

Less than two weeks after second season premiered, HBO has confirmed Westworld will return for a third go-round. The sci-fi drama, which centers around a theme park filled with humanoid robots, has proven a hit for HBO, so it’s hardly a surprise the network is saddling up for season three. It’s not clear when the third season will hit screens, but given season two is just a couple of episodes in following a 16-month hiatus, it might be some time before it airs.

Westworld creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan took a slightly different approach to marketing the second season, after releasing a video promising to reveal its secrets before the first episode had aired. Given Nolan’s track record, though, we bet he has a few more tricks up his sleeve to keep those fan theories bubbling away. The renewal follows HBO confirming Silicon Valley will return for a sixth season.

INITIATE: Season 3. #Westworld pic.twitter.com/s5Mz32Yo3C

— Westworld (@WestworldHBO) May 1, 2018

Source: HBO

FTC warned Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft about illegal warranties

Last month, the FTC sent letters to six companies informing them that their product warranties were violating US law. Though there are some exceptions, under the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, voiding a warranty because a customer didn’t use a specified part or repair provider isn’t generally allowed. The FTC called out six companies for warranty language that did just that, though — required certain parts or services to be used in order to preserve a warranty. The agency didn’t say which companies received letters, but Motherboard filed a Freedom of Information Act request and found that Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Hyundai, HTC and ASUS were the recipients.

Each company received a similar letter. “Warranty language that implies to a consumer acting reasonably under the circumstances that warranty coverage requires the consumer to purchase an article or service identified by brand, trade or corporate name is similarly deceptive and prohibited,” said the letters. And the specific warranty wording found to be in violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act was called out in each individual letter.

In Hyundai’s case, the letter notes, “The use of Hyundai Genuine Parts is required to keep your Hyundai manufacturer’s warranties and any extended warranties intact,” as an illegal statement. And for Microsoft, the FTC points to wording that warns against using anyone other than Microsoft to repair an Xbox One. Nintendo’s letter calls out its warranty for stating that it won’t apply if the product “is used with products not sold or licensed by Nintendo.” And Sony’s highlights a passage that states the PS4’s warranty seal can’t be “altered, defaced or removed.” You can read all of the letters over at Motherboard.

These companies have 30 days from when the letters were sent to change the passages in question, after which the FTC will review their policies again. If these six companies haven’t changed their language to fall in line with the law, the FTC says it could pursue legal action.

Via: The Verge, Games Industry

Source: Motherboard

Apple Announces $100 Billion Share Repurchase Program

During today’s second quarter earnings release, Apple said that it is launching a new share repurchase authorization of $100 billion, with a 16 percent increase in quarterly dividend.

Apple expects the execution of its previous $210 billion share repurchase authorization to wrap up by the end of the current quarter, three quarters earlier than originally expected. From Apple CEO Tim Cook:

Recent corporate tax reform makes it possible for us to executive our program more efficiently. Given our strong confidence in Apple’s future, we’re announcing a significant update. Apple’s Board approved an additional $100 billion share repurchase authorization, as well as a 16 percent increase in quarterly dividends, effective with the next divided later this month.

Following tax reform in the United States that will allow Apple to repatriate its overseas cash at a lower tax rate, Apple has said that it wants to reduce its net cash balance to zero, a goal it will accomplish through share buybacks, increased dividend payouts, acquisitions, and investments into research and development.

Apple CFO Luca Maestri said that Apple wants to maintain the cash it needs to fund day to day operations, invest in the future, and provide the flexibility it needs to respond strategically to opportunities that arise.

Maestri also said that Apple plans to executive its share buyback program thoughtfully, efficiently, and at a fast pace. Apple will provide updates on the program at the end of every quarter.

After the news of Apple’s $100 billion share buyback program, Apple stock is up 4 percent in aftermarket trading.
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Apple’s Wearable Business is the Size of a Fortune 300 Company

Apple’s “Other Products” category, which includes AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, HomePod, Beats products, iPod touch, and other Apple-branded and third-party accessories brought in nearly $4 billion in revenue, up an impressive 38 percent compared to the year-ago quarter that brought in $2.9 billion in revenue.

According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the Apple Watch, one of the most lucrative products in the “Other” category, saw strong revenue growth “in the double digits” year-over-year, setting a March quarter revenue record. Apple does not break down “Other” product sales, so specific numbers on Apple Watch sales are unavailable.

Cook described AirPods, another popular “Other” product as a “runaway hit” that the company is still working to keep in stock.

Wearables saw a combined revenue increase of almost 50 percent year over year, which includes AirPods, Beats, and Apple Watch. Cook said that Apple’s wearables business is now the size of a Fortune 300 company.

Cook didn’t have much to say about the HomePod, which is also in the “Other” category, but he said that he believes it is a “breakthrough” speaker that will change the way we listen to music.

Apple is “looking forward” to adding new features to the HomePod and introducing it to more markets soon, but he gave no timeline for these updates.
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Tim Cook: iPhone X is a Super Bowl Winner’ Even if You Wanted It to Win ‘By a Few More Points’

During today’s earnings call covering the second fiscal quarter of 2018, Apple CEO declined to provide specific information on iPhone X sales, but he did suggest that the new device has been selling well, a major contrast to reports that have suggested poor sales and waning orders.

According to Cook, customers chose the iPhone X more than any other iPhone “each and every week” of the March quarter, just as they did following the device’s launch in the December quarter.

Furthermore, Cook said that the iPhone X marks the first time its most expensive, flagship device has been its most popular device. Cook said that Apple was “surprised somewhat” that the iPhone X was the most popular device each week since its launch. “That’s a powerful point,” he said. iPhone X was also the most popular smartphone in China during the quarter.

Since we split the iPhone line with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 2014, this is the first cycle we’ve ever had where the top of the line iPhone model has also been the most popular.

Referencing customer satisfaction numbers for the iPhone X, Cook said that the device is a “beloved product.” He went on to use a Super Bowl metaphor to describe iPhone X sales.

I think it’s one of those things where a team wins a Super Bowl. Maybe you want them to win with a few more points, but it’s a Super Bowl winner and that’s how we feel about it.

Cook also discussed Apple’s iPhone X pricing strategy, as he has done in the past. “We price for the value we’re delivering,” he said. “The iPhone X is the most innovative product on the market, and as I’ve said a few times, it’s jam packed with technology that sets the smartphone up for the next decade. That’s how we priced it.”

Cook also said that Apple will “continue to provide” different iPhones to meet different consumer needs, perhaps referencing plans to introduce a three iPhone lineup in 2018.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTag: Tim CookBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Neutral)
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Eight of the best word games you can play to boost your vocabulary

Word games are a perfect fit for mobile gamers. They are super easy to pick up whenever you feel like exercise your brain, but they’re also easy to put down when you feel like it’s time to go back to the real world.

The main benefit of word games is that they don’t only keep you entertain, but they’re also great for sharpening your vocabulary.

And we’re all in need of expanding our lexicon, so here’s a bunch of word games that are super fun to play, but are also quite educative.

Word Collect

What it is:

A simple-to-play yet addictive game in which you connect letters in any direction to form hidden word matches.

Why we like it:

• It offers tons of challenging word jumbles. Players get over 900+ levels to play for free.
• You start off easy, but the difficulty increases as you go
• You can play it online or offline, which is great if you want entertainment while you’re on a camping trip.

Install Word Collect

Wordscapes

What it is:

A brain-teasing game which groups together the best of word searching games, anagrams and crosswords.

Why we like it:

• This game really challenges your brain and vocabulary. With over 3,700 crossword puzzles to solve, you’ll never get a dull moment.
• Find words while immersed in beautiful scenery including Forest, Desert and Ocean.
• Stuck? You can easily purchase hints with the in-game currency that you earn by playing the levels. Clues are super useful for when things get harder, and they will as you advance.

Install Wordscapes

Cryptogram

What it is:

A different kind of word game in which you have to decipher the encrypted text to uncover a motivational quote.

Why it’s fun:

• The game has you uncovering the meaning of cryptograms. But to do that, you need the cypher used to encrypt the text. This is a simple substitution of letters you need to figure out in order to unravel the inspirational quote.
• It works online, as well as offline, so you can enjoy the puzzle anywhere you are.
• Broadens your knowledge of inspirational quotes and iconic characters from history.

Install Cryptogram

Stereotypo

What it is:

A game in which you are tasked to find associations starting from a given word.

Why we like it:

• It challenges you to think creatively. What would you associate “France” with? Play and see if you can answer this question.
• Trains you to spot details and reveals stereotypes.
• The game is available in many languages including German, Italian, Japanese and more, so it’s not limited to English speakers.

Install Stereotypo

Baikoh

What it is:

A game developed by Mum Not Proud that challenges you to type words in order to destroy tiles.

Why we like it:

• In Baikoh letters fall out of the sky and you have to be quick and make words in order to make the tiles disappear. Don’t let the letters stack or you’ll lose.
• The game has you fight against bombs, ghosts and more foes.
• Unlock tons of fun badges with unique skills that can be used to survive the toughest levels.
• The game has really cute dark graphics and an overall sarcastic tone.

Install Baikoh

Words with Friends 2

What it is:

Who hasn’t heard of Words with Friends? In this classic game which you play with friends, you create a word on the board by placing titles vertically or horizontally to make points.

Why we like it:

• Words with Friends 2 comes with a few improvements over its predecessor. For starters, it has completely redesigned interface and offers a bunch of cool new game modes like the Solo Challenge. This pits you against the computer disguised as figures such as William Shakespeare or Jane Austen.
• There’s also a fast team mode called the Lightning Round, in which you can set up teams of up to 5 players and compete in matches with other teams.
• Playing the weekly challenge unlocks different badges every week. And you can build quite a collection.

Install Word with Friends 2

Wordament

What it is:

A real-time continuous word tournament that will get you hooked immediately.

Why we like it:

• Swipe to connect letters diagonally, horizontally or vertically in order to get points.
• Stuck? You can rotate the board to better see the combination options.
• Rich statistics including best word count, best word found and more to let you keep track of your gameplay.
• Challenges you to become a champion by finding the most words possible, earn the best score or finding the longest words.

Install Wordament

Four Letters

What it is:

Seemingly simple yet very complex game in which you have to make words of four letters.

Why we like it:

• Challenges you to think creatively and come up with as many four letter words as you can.
• The game gives you four letters and you have to make a list of words as quickly as you can. Each session is timed.
• The game includes leaderboards, so you can see your achievements and a Dictionary where you can view all the words you made.

Install Four Letters

So, have a few minutes to spare? Try one of these word games. You won’t regret it.