Google offers even more money for Android bugs
Since launching its Android Security Rewards program last year, Google has paid out more than $550,000 to 82 people for their discoveries of security flaws in the company’s mobile operating system. Now, the tech giant is offering between 33 percent and 50 percent more money for reports filed after June 1st, 2016.
The top bug hunter in the past year received $75,750 for 26 vulnerability reports and 15 individuals received $10,000 or more. The average was $2,200 per reward and $6,700 per researcher. “High-quality” reports — that is, those that show a proof of concept and come with a proposed patch — will earn 50 percent more than regular bug submissions.
Finding and squashing these bugs could greatly improve Android’s security, but participants are also encouraged to report problems outside the OS. Google said that more than a quarter of the issues were reported in code developed and used outside of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). “Fixing these kernel and device driver bugs helps improve security of the broader mobile industry,” the company said in a blog post.
Offering more money is a great way to get enterprising hackers and developers to report the vulnerabilities instead of exploiting them for malicious uses. Google also has similar programs for Chrome and other Google services, and has shelled out more than a million dollars in rewards. If you think you’ve found an Android vulnerability and want a cut of that sweet payout, you can read all the details on how to join here.
Source: Google
Apple and Microsoft reportedly vetoed a rifle emoji
Like it or not, emojis are permeating our vocabulary and fast becoming one of the primary ways people communicate. But if you were looking to convey your thoughts on rifles or hunting, you’re out of luck.
Unicode, the organization that oversees and selects emojis across platforms, has removed the rifle from a list of potential additions to the emoji library. According to Buzzfeed, that decision “was led and championed” by Apple, a member of the Unicode Consortium with voting rights.
Buzzfeed’s sources said Apple told the consortium it would not support a rifle on its platforms and asked that it not be made into an emoji. Other tech titans like Microsoft and Google are also voting members of the consortium, and none of them appeared to have any objections to removing the glyph. Microsoft was even said to have spoken up against the additon as well.
The rifle appeared to be part of a proposed Olympic-themed set of emojis that included medals, boxing gloves, goal nets and drums. Most of these other items have been approved and added to the most recent version of the Unicode standard, which now includes different skin tones and professional women.
Source: Buzzfeed
Windows 10 preview makes it easier to do a fresh install
Windows 10 Insiders are greedy but brave souls who want the latest software toys and are willing to take some risks to get them. The latest preview build (14367) gives them a “get out of jail free” card, however, with a new tool called “Refresh Windows.” According to Microsoft, the tool will “install a clean copy of the most recent version of Windows, and remove apps that came pre-installed or that you installed on your PC.” The caveats are that it’s only available to Windows 10 Insider Preview users (of course) and that it will replace the latest version with an older, but more stable Insider Preview build.
The tool gives novice users a slightly easier way to do a clean install than the “Media Creation Tool,” but unlike that app, doesn’t let you download your own ISO. Given the fact that most Insiders will prefer the Media Creation Tool, Refresh Windows seems more at mainstream users in an upcoming Windows 10 release. Should you wish to use it, you’d better back up any content, apps and other personal data, despite the fact that you have the option to keep your personal files.
The preview build also includes new languages for handwriting recognition and a keyboard shortcut to access the Feedback Hub. You get numerous fixes and improvements for PCs, like better notifications from your phone to your PC with Cortana and reduced battery drain when using Edge. Windows Mobile customers also get a slew of fixes.
Source: Microsoft
Disney app will narrate ‘Finding Dory’ for blind theatergoers
Disney’s Movies Anywhere app caters mostly to viewers at home, but it has now become especially useful to visually impaired Nemo fans who want to enjoy its sequel in the theaters. The House of Mouse has updated the iOS app to listen to Finding Dory in the cinema, so it can narrate what’s happening on screen and provide detailed descriptions of each scene in between dialogues. All users need to do is to pop in a pair of earbuds and fire up the application.
The company introduced audio descriptions for viewers at home a few months ago — this is the first time it’s making it to theaters, and we sure hope it won’t be the last. However, the feature’s only available in the US, and based on Disney’s info, only for iOS users. Folks in the US who have an iDevice running iOS 7, though, can access the capability in any theater nationwide.
Shazam’s background listening feature comes to Android
Shazam can build you a Spotify playlist, help you discover new tunes and identify magazines, but song recognition is still at the heart of the app. Even with this core feature getting faster and quicker to start up, sometimes it can still be a race to ask for Shazam’s ear before the DJ drops the next track. In the latest update to its Android app, though, Shazam has added the ‘Auto’ background listening feature so you never have to let a hot beat pass you by.
You still need to open Shazam to enable Auto mode — a feature that came to the iPhone version two and half years ago — but that’s a good thing. It’s described as “battery friendly,” but the app will stay active in the background, draining that bit more of your precious juice. You can at least leave it running while your favorite radio show is on, though, and if you just happen to get a perfect score on the music round at your next quiz night, fear not: Your secret’s safe with us.
Via: Ubergizmo
Source: Shazam (Google Play)
Google lists Android Pay promotions in one page
Google has made it simpler to keep track of all available Android Pay discounts: The big G has launched a promotions page for the service, similar to the one for Chromecast. It details all the promos you can take advantage of for the current crop of Android Pay-compatible apps. For instance, the page lists Uber’s offer, which gives you $10 off for your next ride, and explains that you’ll have to type the code ANDROIDPAY in the ride-sharing app’s promo section to claim it. On the other hand, some applications automatically apply discounts if you choose the mobile wallet as your payment option upon checking out. If you regularly use an app that’s compatible with the service, you may want to check the portal every once in a while to make sure you’re not missing out on a great deal.
Via: Reddit
Source: Android Pay
Google’s GIF-searching Gboard app is now available in the UK
Although Google often includes the UK in launch plans for a new product, its new web-searching and GIF-finding Gboard extension wasn’t one of them. But now that the app has been out for roughly a month, Google has had more enough time to get it ready for the British public. That’s right, Google’s slick third-party keyboard is now available to download in the UK.
If you’re not familiar with Gboard, it works like this. Download the extension from the App Store like you would any other app and Google will walk you through the installation process. Once it’s the default option, Gboard will place a circular button at the top-left of the keyboard, allowing you to perform web searches without having to leave the app you’re in. It’ll also do the same for GIFs and let you type the name of your favourite emoji so you don’t have to spend valuable time scrolling through trying to find it.
During its WWDC 2016 keynote, Apple announced a number of new features that cross over with Google’s Gboard app, including an emojifier that can detect specific words and replace them with the relevant emoji. With web and GIF search, Google still maybe has an edge over its rival, but it’s good to see both companies implementing more keyboard-centric features on iOS devices.
#Gboard for iPhone is here. No more app switching; search and send, right from your keyboard https://t.co/qNpPdrghGp pic.twitter.com/x5nkMhaxW6
— Google UK (@GoogleUK) June 17, 2016
Via: Google UK
Source: Gboard (App Store)
Microsoft’s new acquisition can enhance Cortana’s chat bots
Looks like Microsoft has been on a shopping spree. Hot on the heels of its massive LinkedIn purchase, the company announced that it’s acquired three-year-old messaging-app maker Wand Labs.
In a statement, Microsoft said that the acquisition would “accelerate [its] vision and strategy for Conversation as a Platform.” Unveiled at the company’s Build 2016 conference in March, Conversation embeds AI bots into Cortana to let users access third-party services within a chat.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because Google and Facebook have since also announced similar plans to integrate chatbots into their messaging apps. Facebook Messenger, for instance, already has bots that let you send flowers, get breaking news and go shopping without leaving the app.
Wand Labs would boost Microsoft’s ability to offer more in this space, given the former’s experience with “third-party developer integration and conversational interfaces,” according to Microsoft. Wand has shut down its messaging app, but screenshots on its website show its ability to pull up third-party services such as Yelp and YouTube from its keyboard.
With the Wand application, you could even share access to apps such as Nest’s smart thermostat app so the friends you’re chatting with can change the temperature for themselves. That’s a feature that Facebook and Google Allo don’t appear to have yet.
Just like the LinkedIn buy, this acquisition looks to be a natural fit for Microsoft and could even help it get a lead in the chatbot space. Microsoft may even get ahead of the competition for a change.
Via: Recode
Source: Microsoft
FreedomPop’s apps put free minutes and texts on any device
FreedomPop’s basic SIM-only service offers 200 minutes, 200 texts and 200MB of data each month absolutely free. While that’s technically true, FreedomPop effectively relies on data alone, with calling and messaging handled through a standalone app, not your smartphone’s native dialer. And now, where you get that data from is by the by, as FreedomPop has opened up its iOS and Android apps to everyone, regardless of what’s scrawled on their SIM. A couple hundred minutes and texts might seem redundant in the FaceTime/Hangouts/WhatsApp era, but having a virtual number means you’ll have no trouble calling your nan’s landline, because she doesn’t have Viber, does she?
WiFi-only devices can support the service too, of course, and anyone that signs up to FreedomPop also gets 300 free minutes of international calls in the first month — handy if your Skype credit is running low. Make sure to stay within those free allowances, though. Overage charges are how FreedomPop makes money, after all, as well as selling added-value packages like unlimited calls and texts for £4 per month, or a second, foreign virtual number for cheap international calls.
Source: FreedomPop
Engadget giveaway: Win a Samurai Kiwami smartphone courtesy of Freetel!
The Japanese smartphone brand Freetel has finally arrived in the US and leading its stable of handsets is the Samurai Kiwami flagship. This Android phone features a six-inch, 2,560 x 1,440-pixel display, a rear placement fingerprint sensor and a whopping 21-megapixel rear camera. Other perks include 32GB of onboard memory, up to 128GB of expandable storage, a 2.0GHz Octa-core Cortex A53 CPU to keep it thrumming and an approachable price at just $389. It’s enough to keep us placated until Freetel unleashes its sleek Musashi flip phone on these shores. This week, the company has provided us with one of the Samurai Kiwami handsets to help get one lucky reader up to speed on what these devices can offer. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will receive one (1) Freetel Samurai Kiwami smartphone.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Engadget and AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
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- Entries can be submitted until June 17th at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
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