Google Photos celebrates first birthday and 24 billion selfies
Happy birthday, Google Photos. In the year since its launch, the service has created 1.6 billion animations, collages and movies from your snapshots, according to a post on the Google blog. More than that, there’ve been some 2 trillion labels, with 24 billion of them categorizing selfies. All told, the search giant says that thanks to the cloud backup option, the app’s 200 million users have collectively cleared 13.7 petabytes of storage from their phones. If you’ll remember, opting for high quality photo uploads offers unlimited storage, but choosing original quality counts against your overall Google storage. That may change in the future if you own a Nexus device, though.
A teardown of the latest update for the app by Android Police reveals that Nexus folks could soon have another benefit other than speedy firmware updates: unlimited original-quality photo and video storage. More than that, it looks like the app could see internal adjustment tools for exposure and contrast.
Way down the road, we might see Google Assistant going a further than it currently does and delete duplicate photos or blurry shots, according to a Buzzfeed News interview with Photos lead Anil Sabharwal. Why? Because a lot of the people using the app live in developing countries and their phones don’t have a lot of storage. This would allow them to free up even more space. With the developing market in mind, Sabharwal goes on to say that improvements are coming to proximity sharing via Bluetooth (which doesn’t eat into mobile data) as well, which should boost the current 25 million photo transfers that take place per week.
Even if you’ve been using the app since day one, there’s a chance that you might not know a few of its ins and outs (like searching for photos via emoji). The source link below has more tips and tricks to take for a spin after you’ve spent the long weekend capturing summer memories.
Via: Google Photos (G+)
Source: Google blog, Buzzfeed News, Android Police
Meet the wearable tablet you might use at your next job
There’s no way I would wear the Rufus Cuff wrist computer. After a few minutes with this 3.2-inch Android tablet strapped to my body, my wrist started to get all sweaty. It felt bulky, weird and to be honest, not very cool. But if the massive pre-orders are any indication, there is clearly a market out there. In particular, says the company’s CEO, Gabe Grifoni, in a few years something like the Cuff will replace the iPhone in your pocket and even be part of your next work uniform.
I’ll admit, I was initially dubious that a device that makes me feel like a less-cooler version of Leela from Futurama will be the first step of an inevitable wearable-computer revolution. But then Grifoni began telling me about potential industrial uses for the Cuff and it all started to make sense.
Employers believe that small Bluetooth-enabled Android tablets on their employees’ arms are a pretty good idea, according to feedback from the companies that have reached out to Rufus. With an app and a connected scanner, tasks like inventory, housekeeping at hotels and ticket-taking can be streamlined by freeing up the hands of the employees who would otherwise have to hold a tablet. The relatively low $300 price tag also means that smaller companies without the deep pockets of corporations could also get in on the action.
After a successful crowdfunding campaign, Grifoni started getting unexpected calls from businesses and their employees. “We were starting to get all these emails from warehouse workers and hotels.” he told Engadget. He says he’s talked to UPS and other companies about their employees using the Cuff in the workplace.
While the campaign generated $800,000 in pre-orders, Grifoni realized that enterprise is where all the growth is right now. But don’t worry, early adopters, the company will still sell the Cuff to consumers. Just beware that you’re not going to be rocking the latest generation of technology. Specifically, the pre-production unit I tried out had a 400×240 3.2-inch screen, which will look absolutely ancient next to your modern-day smartphone. Also, the 640×480 front-facing camera is guaranteed to make all your selfies look awful.
The actual bracelet portion of the device looks fine, though, and at least kept the Cuff mostly parallel with my arm. That said, while I would probably get used to having a computer on my wrist all day, it’s not something I’d look forward to. Did I mention it made my arm sweaty?
Grifoni predicts that wearable computers (not smartwatches) will be the norm in five to 10 years. We’ll get tired of pulling our phones out of our pockets and instead opt to have them visible at all times.
Maybe he’s right. It’s possible the future of mobile computing could be attached to our bodies. But even if he’s wrong, if he can get the Cuff into businesses and warehouses, it doesn’t really matter if the world’s population embraces tablets on their bodies in their free time because at work, some of us will get them with our nametags.
Senate anti-encryption bill is effectively dead, for now
If you were worried that a possible Senate bill requiring encryption backdoors would get enough support to become law, you can relax… for a while, at least. Reuters’ government tipsters claim that the proposal, drafted by Senators Richard Burr and Dianne Feinstein, has lost most of its support. It won’t be introduced this year, the insiders say, and would have no real chance even if it did go up for a vote. The White House’s reluctance to back the bill (in public, anyway) is the main factor, but even the CIA and NSA were “ambivalent” knowing that it could hurt their own encryption.
There were certainly signs that the would-be bill might die before it was really born. Burr and Feinstein didn’t have a firm timetable, and it’s difficult to propose legislation like this during an election year when support from tech companies could decide the outcome. There was also stiff opposition from the pro-privacy camp: Senator Ron Wyden threatened a filibuster.
However, the bill’s early (if possibly temporary) end shows just how divisive encryption is in Washington. For every Burr or Feinstein contending that backdoors are necessary to thwart terrorists who’d otherwise plot in secret, there’s another official worried that these holes would give hackers and foreign spies guaranteed access to your devices. This doesn’t mean that you’ll never see an anti-encryption measure make it to a vote, but it may take a fundamental shift in the political landscape for that to happen.
Source: Reuters
Samsung’s Batman Galaxy S7 Edge has Alfred on speed dial
What better way to celebrate the third anniversary of the popular mobile game Injustice: Gods Among Us than with a Batman-themed phone. Samsung created the Galaxy S7 Edge Justice Edition for the occasion (rather than the release of a certain movie), mixing black and gold accents for the new version. This special model “enhanced hardware and software capability” alongside larger battery capacity which should make the mobile gaming experience a bit better.
This isn’t the first time Samsung has gone full superhero. When The Avengers: Age of Ultron debuted a year ago, the company crafted an Iron Man Galaxy S6 Edge. In certain locales, the Batman handset will come bundled with a Gear VR headset for more immersive views. The phone will be available next month in China, Singapore, Korea, Latin America and Russia, but Samsung says more locations will be announced in the future.
Via: The Verge
Source: Samsung
The best smartphones on the UK High Street
Picking the right smartphone can be tough. With Apple, Samsung, LG, HTC and plenty of other manufacturers releasing handsets at a steady clip, it can be difficult to keep up with each and every launch. We use our smartphones for work, play and everything in between, so it’s important to settle on the right blend of hardware, operating system and price tag that makes sense for you.
After all, you’re likely going to be spending anywhere from 18 months to two years of your life with your new handset, unless your budget allows you to upgrade on whim. Deciding between so many candidates can be a bit of a struggle, but we’re here to help with our guide to the best smartphones around.
Article prices are based on the RRP, but more up-to-date listings can be found in the buyers guide widget below.
Apple iPhone 6s
Score: 91/100
Apple’s follow-up to the iPhone 6 isn’t as much of an incremental update as some were expecting. The 6s is more powerful and carries a pressure-sensitive display, not to mention significant improvements in the camera department. As well as simply being another easy-to-use iOS device, new features include the “3D Touch” panel, which lets you “peek” inside apps, surfacing information and actions without opening the app fully. The upgraded 12-megapixel camera has a few tricks of its own, too, like the new 4K video mode and animated “Live Photos.” New Rose Gold option aside, though, the iPhone 6s is practically identical in looks to its predecessor. It’s not cheap either, so iPhone 6 owners might find it hard to justify an upgrade.
In a sentence: Apple’s iPhone 6s is a great phone and safe bet, especially for anyone moving from an older 5 or 5s.
Price: £539 and up
Samsung Galaxy S7
Score: 90/100
Samsung’s Galaxy S7 takes everything that made the S6 great and improves upon it. The outcome is a flagship with a gorgeous Quad HD display, outstanding performance and subtle design tweaks that make the marriage of metal and glass that bit more appealing. Those already leaning in Samsung’s direction will be thankful for the return of expandable storage, with cards of up to 200GB capacity finding a microSD slot to call home. An IP68 water- and dust-resistant rating only sweetens the proposition. Only minor progress has been made in the imaging department, but the S7 has a capable and versatile camera nonetheless. A steep price is one of the only downsides of the device, but you’re paying for premium.
In a sentence: Easily one of the best Android smartphones available.
Price: £569
Moto X Style
Score: 90/100
Motorola’s made a name for itself putting out great devices at reasonable prices, and the Moto X Style is a perfect example of that philosophy. A fondness for larger displays is a must. If that’s the case you’ll get a pleasing 5.7-inch Quad HD display to poke at, and Moto Maker means you can customise an already expedient design with whatever colour and texture combination you see fit. Purists in particular will enjoy the vanilla Android build with a light drizzle of Motorola chocolate sauce on top. The Moto X Style has a great camera, too, even if it isn’t quite as good as those on some rival devices. Similarly, the handset offers flagship performance, but it’s not the most powerful device around. There are compromises, but none that should tempt you to overlook the Moto X Style considering its relatively low price.
In a sentence: An expert lesson in striking the balance between user experience and price.
Price: £369 and up
Apple iPhone SE
Score: 89/100
Many people felt left behind by Apple’s turn to bigger-screened iPhones, and the SE is an attempt to regain their favour. The 4-inch form factor feels both familiar and fresh in its design — like an iPhone 5s with softer curves — and the SE benefits from the inclusion of the same internals found in the iPhone 6s, meaning it’s lightning fast. The two also share the same, excellent camera, though the iPhone SE lacks “3D Touch” functionality and possesses an older, slower Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Still, it offers fantastic battery life and happens to be the cheapest iPhone Apple’s ever sold. Oh, and lest we forget: Rose Gold.
In a sentence: A no-brainer for champions of the 4-inch form factor wanting to upgrade from an older iPhone.
Price: £359 and up
HTC 10
Score: 88/100
The HTC 10 marks the end of a few uneventful years at the company, defined by a series of unremarkable flagships. But what a return to form. The HTC 10’s sleek, all-metal design packages a 5.2-inch Quad HD display and internals that are almost unmatched in their performance. While its competent 12-UltraPixel camera isn’t the best on the market and battery life is distinctly average, HTC has cleaned up its Android skin and included a few attractive extras like hi-res audio support and AirPlay compatibility. HTC has again created a flagship handset that can hang with the best of ’em, but that means you’re looking at premium pricing to match.
In a sentence: On the podium as one of the top Android smartphones on the market.
Price: £570
Google Nexus 6P
Score: 87/100
The Nexus 6P is another device for those who prefer a larger-than-average screen. The 5.7-inch, Wide Quad HD display isn’t all the handset has to offer, though, with an abundance of processing power and impressive battery life. Being a Google device, the Nexus 6P also receives Android updates as soon as they become available, so you’ll always be on the latest version. Combine all these features with a solid camera, and you get a large-screen smartphone at a pretty competitive price. However, it’s worth bearing in mind the Nexus 6P lacks a microSD slot to expand storage, and its all-metal design is like the smartphone equivalent of Marmite.
In a sentence: A great option for people who like a larger screen that also benefits from the most up-to-date Android software.
Price: £449 and up.
Moto G
Score: 87/100
When Motorola launched the first Moto G a few years ago, it immediately stood out as offering unparalleled value for money. Now in its third generation, the Moto G is still one of the best all-round smartphones for anyone on a budget, or those that would rather not pay for bells and whistles they’ll get little use out of. While it doesn’t excel in any one area and ignores flagship-grade components to keep costs down, there are no particularly uninviting compromises either. The Moto G’s outward appearance can also be heavily personalised using Moto Maker, at which point avid mobile gamers and users of more demanding apps might want to pay a little extra for more RAM and internal storage.
In a sentence: A decent, affordable Android smartphone that makes minimal sacrifices to hit its low price point.
Price: £149 and up.
OnePlus 2
Score: 86/100
OnePlus is in the business of making serious smartphones and selling them for a fraction of the price of competitors. Case in point: the OnePlus 2. It has all the guts and performance of a market-leading flagship, with style and build quality being far from an afterthought. Those features alone make the price tag easy to justify, and that’s without mentioning the versatile 13-megapixel camera. OnePlus has held back in a couple of areas, understandably, such as opting for a 5.5-inch 1080p display instead of a Quad HD panel. Other compromises include a lack of expandable storage and NFC, which are likely to be either deal-breakers or features you can easily live without.
In a sentence: A inexpensive, near-flagship device that prioritises performance and price.
Price: £249
LG G5
Score: 81/100
LG has released some excellent flagship smartphones in the past, but this year the company has skipped an incremental upgrade in favour of something much more adventurous. Top-tier performance and fun, flexible dual-camera array aside, the bottom bezel of the device is completely removable, making space for a couple of modular accessories LG calls “Friends.” These include a hi-res audio attachment and a camera grip that also extends battery life, which is pretty average otherwise. At this point, however, you have look beyond the few accessories currently available and hope others will explore the potential of the modular design even further.
In a sentence: A powerful Android smartphone that dares to be different
Price: £449
Sony Xperia Z5
Score: 80/100
The Xperia Z5 is either another of Sony’s beautiful, polished products, or a slightly lazy attempt to tweak its tired “Omnibalance” design. Regardless of which side of the fence you find yourself on, you can’t dispute the build quality and high waterproof rating. The Xperia Z5 offers the kind of performance you’d expect from a genuine flagship, but pairs that with a 5.2-inch 1080p display. Gorgeous it might be, but it does fall short of competitors’ higher-resolution screens. What your money is primarily going towards is the 23-megapixel rear camera, which happens to be one of the best on the market. The Xperia Z5 isn’t cheap, but it won’t disappoint serious smartphone photographers.
In a sentence: Another lovingly built Sony smartphone with one of the best cameras around.
Price: £469
Wileyfox Swift
Score: 79/100
Fledgling British brand Wileyfox has made an extremely good first impression with the Swift. Like the Moto G, the Swift is all about crafting a low-cost smartphone that still provides an excellent user experience. With a relatively charming, all-plastic design, a bright 5-inch, 720p display and easily customisable Cyanogen software, there’s plenty to like. You also get a decent amount of processing power for an affordable device, though the 13-megapixel camera leaves quite a lot to be desired. However, aside from its underwhelming camera, the Swift deserves serious consideration if you’re after a good smartphone that doesn’t weigh heavily on your wallet.
In a sentence: An affordable Android smartphone that represents excellent value for money.
Price: £129
Your phone probably won’t be Daydream VR-certified
If you can’t wait to get your hands on Daydream, Google’s new mobile VR platform, then there’s some bad news coming. The company’s Clay Bavor has conceded to RoadToVR that you’ll probably have to buy a new handset for it to work. He says that existing handsets, even high-spec flagships, won’t be marked as compatible with the new standard. While the firm has told developers to use the Nexus 6P as the platform to work for, it seems clear that not even the handset that’s used to build Daydream apps will be certified. Then again, we give it a week before someone finds that it’ll work on current devices anyway.
Google’s requirements for the new VR standard don’t seem to be particularly onerous, but we have a theory as to why existing handsets won’t qualify. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 will be arriving shortly with a huge emphasis on improving the mobile VR experience. In addition, the system will boast faster cellular and WiFi networking, as well as better augmented reality. That dovetails nicely, too, with the rumor about the Nexus 6P getting a refresh for 2016 with 4GB RAM and, uh… a Snapdragon 820. But it looks as if, even if your phone contract is up for renewal between now and the end of the year, you might wanna hold off buying anything new.
Source: RoadtoVR
Stringray phone tracker use in the UK admitted for the first time
Stingray devices that can intercept mobile calls, track users and block signals are definitely being used in the UK, it’s come to light. The first official confirmation that these “IMSI catchers” are out in the wild comes from the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), by way of a freedom of information request from The Ferret. Stringrays have been installed in two Scottish prisons (only one is still active, apparently) to jam the outgoing calls of inmates — mobile phones being contraband behind bars and all.
The Stingrays, which mimic cell towers to intercept mobile traffic, haven’t proven all that useful to the SPS though. As mobiles have grown more sophisticated, and network technology has quickly moved from 2G through 3G to 4G, the IMSI catchers have become less effective. More interesting than the “innovative countermeasures” prisoners have also reportedly come up with to dodge the devices, though, is the admission that Stringrays are being used in the first place.
While the use of Stringrays by authorities in the US is common knowledge, never before has their deployment in the UK been officially confirmed. It has long been suspected, of course, with plenty of believable if not conclusive evidence they’ve been used in surveillance for many years. Now we know for sure the SPS has them to hand, you can bet that law enforcement and intelligence agencies are well-acquainted with Stringray technology.
Via: Ars Technica
Source: The Ferret
Brits can now send a text to stop cold calls
Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, and the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) are making it simpler for Brits to avoid unwanted and unprompted sales calls. A new “text-to-register” option means you can type “TPS,” followed by your email address, to 78070 to get on the UK’s official “Do Not Call” database. Once your number has been accepted, companies will be banned from contacting you with annoying, unsolicited pitches. Oh, and if you’re wondering, Ofcom says your email address is necessary to verify your identity, should you need to file a complaint.
It follows new rules, introduced earlier this month, which bans companies from withholding their number while making cold calls.
Before, you could only sign up by calling the TPS or registering online. Few people have done that — only 2.9 million mobile numbers are on the list, compared with 18.5 million landline numbers. According to Ofcom, less than half of people familiar with the TPS (which on its own isn’t guaranteed, especially among young people) know that mobile numbers can be registered with the service. Nine in 10, meanwhile, know that you can add a landline number. The new text-to-register service could, therefore, be an effective way to raise awareness and adoption.
Source: Ofcom
Lenovo’s new Droids might be shiny and metallic
See those phones above? They might be three versions of the Droid Lenovo’s launching in an upcoming event in June. Evan Blass (aka evleaks), well-known source of device leaks, has posted the photo on Twitter, and people seem to have anointed the black-and-bronze model as the Beyoncé of this trio. While the image only shows the Motorola and the Droid logos, the phone will likely have Verizon’s branding somewhere, since the line’s exclusive to the carrier.
Blass also tweeted out an image of three swappable backplates called MotoMods, which could be compatible with the upcoming handset. He said the three backplates have different features: one has a projector, another has JBL speakers and the third one has a Hasselblad camera. Those backplates will definitely make the phone more interesting than comparable competitors, but we won’t know for sure until the company launches them on June 9th.
The DROIDs you’re looking for? pic.twitter.com/j5zqq73Zh2
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 25, 2016
By the way, these are (from L to R) the projector, JBL speakers, and Hasselblad camera. https://t.co/7FIk9wA8zx
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 26, 2016
Via: The Verge
Source: Evan Blass (Twitter)
ForcePhone software makes any mobile device pressure sensitive
A team from the University of Michigan have developed a novel means of giving any mobile device the same sort of force-sensitive capabilities found on Apple’s flagship iPhone 6s. Dubbed ForcePhone, the software leverages two features that literally every smartphone has — a microphone and a speaker — do to what very few OEM device manufacturers have managed.
It causes the phone to continually emit an 18kHz buzz, which is too high for the human ear to detect. However, it’s not too high for the phone’s microphone to detect. When the user presses a finger against the screen, the pitch changes slightly. Pressing harder causes the pitch to shift further, which the mic picks up and translates into commands for the software. With it, users would conceivably be able to dial their phones or navigate through menus simply by squeezing their screens in different patterns.
“Having expensive and bulky sensors installed into smartphones can solve every problem we have solved, but the added cost and laborious installation prevent phone manufacturers from doing it,” University of Michigan doctoral student Yu-Chih Tung said in a statement. “Our sound-based solution can fill this gap, providing the functionality without making any hardware modification. Everything is just software.” The system isn’t quite ready for public consumption just yet, however. Its inventors will demo the ForcePhone June 27-29 in Singapore at MobiSys 2016.
Source: University of Michigan
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