Google wants to standardize Android password managers
Security is more important than ever, but people still don’t love typing passwords into phones. As such, Google is teaming with Dashlane and other password managers on the “Open YOLO” (You Only Login Once) project. The idea is to create an API that lets Android developers access password managers so that you can log into apps automatically with no typing or insecure autofill. Dashlane is spearheading the venture in cooperation with other password managers, though it hasn’t said which are involved.
Details are light on how it works, but we assume you’d log in once to your password manager then get access to all apps that support Open YOLO (gawd that name). Such a system would be more convenient and secure for the average user, as many managers require strong passwords and protect you from reuse attacks. (That’s assuming, of course, that nobody hacks YOLO or the password manager itself.)
Dashlane said that while the project is starting with Android, it could eventually hit other platforms and operating systems. Neither Google nor other password managers like LastPass have chimed in, but we expect we’ll find out more once they do.
Source: Dashlane
SoftBank: Japan’s most interesting tech company
Japan and technology are often mentioned in the same breath. Bullet trains, robots, only-in-Japan phones that’ll never leave the island, digital pop-idols and so on. Tech legends like Sony, Nintendo, Panasonic, Sharp, Nikon, Canon, Toyota and more were born here, but most have had mixed fortunes in recent decades. Some missed out on (or were too late to) the smartphone boom, or suffered from declining point-and-shoot-camera sales. Others simply faced stronger competition from Korean and Chinese companies. Smartphones, wearables and VR have generally come from elsewhere. Japan’s reputation for getting the newest technology first doesn’t ring very true these days — in fact, those aforementioned tech giants have a reputation for being a risk-averse and slow to change. (Many, if not most companies still request that I fax over my RSVP for their press conferences and meetings. I kid you not.) Then there’s Softbank.
Softbank is now best known as one of Japan’s top three phone carriers, but at a time when Japan’s big tech firms are shrinking (or pairing off), it’s launched a humanoid robot, teamed up with Honda to make smarter cars and just bought out the company that designs the chips for most smartphones — including the iPhone.
But first, there’s Pepper. Years after Sony’s Aibo robot faded into obscurity and Honda’s Asimo walked, waved — and not much else — the idea of a personable home robot was replaced with faceless automated vacuum cleaners. Then SoftBank, with no history of robots, announced a large humanoid robot that would come to its phone shops — and even homes.
Early adopters and companies alike seemed to love it. Despite Pepper costing more than a high-end laptop, the first waves of the four-foot robot sold out in minutes. Japanese banks and companies like Nescafe and Pizza Hut all claimed one to help project their images of a futuristic company hiring android help. Pepper is far from perfect, but SoftBank managed to reinvigorate the robot dream in a country whose love for robots has never faltered — as well as inspiring a new generation of rivals. It’s an effort to restart the robot revolution. It’s still not the bot of our dreams, but it’s exciting, OK?
Last month SoftBank announced it’s buying ARM, the UK company responsible for the reference processor designs found in nearly all smartphones. Processors designed by the firm also power a lot of lightweight VR headsets, wearables and and myriad Internet of Things devices. It’s a powerful move for the company: Softbank is buying a major part of the tech supply chain, one that even Apple depends on for chip blueprints that it further develops.
While Internet of Things is taking its time becoming a true revolution, SoftBank is well-placed to profit from it when it does. “ARM will be an excellent strategic fit within the SoftBank group as we invest to capture the very significant opportunities provided by the ‘Internet of Things,”‘ CEO Masayoshi Son said in a statement about the purchase. “This is one of the most important acquisitions we have ever made.”
In the same week as said “most important acquisition ever,” Son took to the stage with Honda’s CEO to announce a partnership aimed at developing cars that drivers can speak and interact with, channeling the same cloud-based processes found inside Pepper the robot. Details aren’t all that specific, but the companies say they’re looking into combining the technology so that cars could speak and interact with the driver, assess the driver’s emotions through vehicle sensors and cameras and offer support during long trips or while trying to park.
Perhaps even weirder: Honda and Softbank hope that by letting mobility products “grow up” while sharing various experiences with the owner, the user will form a stronger emotional attachment with the car. SoftBank talked a similar game before it launched Pepper, although we’re still waiting for a true reaction to our illogical human emotions.
Softbank isn’t new to Japan’s tech scene. Founded back in 1981, it’s changed and adapted what it sells and deals in. CEO Son started the company specializing as a software distributor and soon launched PC magazines at the start of the personal computing boom — a lucrative time to do so.
The company is also used to taking risks. After struggling for years to enter Japan’s carrier market, SoftBank acquired Vodafone Japan in 2006, and in 2008 it was the first (and only) phone operator in the country to offer the iPhone 3G — an exclusive it kept until 2011. Being the exclusive carrier for the iPhone sounds like common sense, but at the time it was surprisingly risky. Japan is the country of the “Galapagos” phones: flip-phones that had high-resolution cameras, TV tuners, GPS and music downloads for years before the iPhone arrived on the scene.
Apple’s (innovative but still new) PC-style Safari browser didn’t work with Japan’s already well-established mobile sites, and there weren’t even any emoji (gasp!). Phones with embedded NFC chips for contactless payments had already existed in Japan since 2004. To many Japanese phone users, it didn’t look quite as revolutionary as the rest of the world saw it.
History explained the rest: The iPhone was a huge success and helped SoftBank as a carrier gain a foothold in the Japan’s competitive phone market. Softbank’s long-running series of hugely popular TV ads ensure that everyone in Japan knows the company. The ads are weird, confident, funny — and now all the other native phone carriers are trying to copy the same magic for their own advertisements. Softbank-owned Sprint even tried to repurpose them in the US — even if it didn’t work out so well.
Softbank has so far struggled to turn around the American carrier, but it forms just one part of CEO Son’s bid to make Softbank a truly global organization. The company, primarily focused on Japan, also owns a substantial 28 percent share of China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba — it’s like Amazon, but way bigger. And of course, it now owns the UK-based ARM.
The gambles are paying off: SoftBank announced it increased profits 19 percent last quarter. And while the most recent moves may seem hugely disconnected, combining its moves into artificial intelligence (Pepper, autonomous cars) with ownership of ARM (and the chips it designs) Softbank could eventually be the company that truly makes internet of things a … thing.
Facebook starts testing live photo and video filters
Facebook has launched a new, experimental feature for its mobile apps that adds Snapchat-esque live filters over the videos and photos you take. Before you get too excited, though, you should know two things: first, its “creative effects” filters are very limited, and the ones already out (which include masks and frames) are Olympics-themed. Second, only iOS and Android users in Canada, as well as iOS users in Brazil can access it at the moment.
If you’re in either country, you’ll see a notification asking you to give the creative photos and videos feature access to your camera when you launch the app. Once that’s done, a camera will be placed right on top of your News Feed to make it easy to capture new images.
Facebook says that just like Instagram Stories, the prominent camera placing and live filters are part of its strategy to become a “more video-centric network.” But since this is just the feature’s test run prior to its global rollout, it might look and work differently once it arrives in the US and other parts of world. Most people would expect a much bigger selection of creative effects, at the very least, before they make the switch from their more robust, standalone filter apps.
Source: Facebook
Ting made its pay-for-what-you-use data rates cheaper yet
Folks looking to save a few bucks on their cellphone bill might want to take a look at Ting. It’s an alternative to the likes of pre-paid offerings from the big carriers and the company’s approach might be enough to sway you. Ting operates on a pay-what-you-use basis, and it recently announced drops in rates ranging from $2 to $10 for its data plans. Specifically, using less than 500 MB per month will run $10 rather than $12, below 1 GB is $16 versus $19 and up to 2 GB will cost $20. Should you need more than that, each additional gigabyte will be $10.
The move brings Ting in line with other contract-free carriers. But, if you aren’t careful, it could end up costing more than you expect if you’re a heavy talker or texter.
Google sneaks Olympic-themed minigames into its mobile app
The 2016 Rio Olympics officially kicks off today with the opening ceremony, and Google’s already got the fever. In addition to peppering search results with easy-access schedules, stats, highlights and other pertinent info, big G wants to indulge our competitive sides, too. The 2016 Doodle FruitGames is a collection of seven colorful tap-and-tilt titles playable within the Google app for Android and iOS until August 21st, when the Olympics draw to a close.
Hiding behind the Doodle in Google’s mobile app, the games all feature simple control schemes typical to the search giant’s previous pick-up-and-play titles. The mixture of endless scrollers, time-sensitive point maximizers and the like are the kinda games you can spend two minutes playing or dump hours into, ensuring you’ve got the best sprinting strawberry time of all your peers. And who knows… being a champion spider-riding, hurdling grape around might well be your calling.
Source: Google
Apple’s Store app knows what you want and when it’s in stock
Apple’s Store app (not to be confused with Apple’s App Store) that provides info about its bricks-and-mortar retail locations adds a few decent features today, including knowing when your order is ready to pick up, for less in-store loitering time.
The update also adds the ability to recommend products that Apple thinks you’ll like or would be useful based on the devices you already own (a little like a permanently up-selling salesperson in your pocket, let’s just hope it’s a useful one).
You might not have known that Apple Stores run workshops, but they do, and the Store app will flag any that are taking place at your nearest shop, let you see if something on your favourites is in stock and it’ll even let you scan in-store items to check that they’re compatible with the gear you’ve got at home.
The update’s available to download now, but Apple does point out that only some of those features are available globally — exactly which ones are available will depend on your location.
Source: Apple Store
‘Pokémon Go’ dev says it needed to block scrapers to expand
Niantic Labs is still facing backlash from some players over blocking many third-party Pokémon Go services, but insists that the moves are necessary. In a blog post it provided a graph (without any numbers) that it says shows how much traffic dropped off after it blocked many scraper services. It says that “freeing up those resources” is what enabled it to launch in Central and South America earlier this week, and blamed scrapers for delaying the rollout in the first place.
There’s no indication of whether this strategy will change in the future, but it’s still insisting it will continue work on new features once the game is “on stable footing.” Finally, in something that will probably affect all players, it confirmed that a bug is causing an increase in the odds of escape and omitting the XP bonus, so you’re not imagining it — those Pidgeys and Rattatas really are harder to catch than they should be. It’s working on a fix, but there’s no word yet on when it will roll out, so you may want to save your Pokéballs when and where you can.
Trainers, a new bug affecting throw accuracy increases the odds of escape and omits the XP bonus. We are working on a fix, stay tuned…
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) August 4, 2016
Source: Pokemon Go
Disney launches its own family-friendly messaging app
Although there’s already a crowded field of messaging apps out there, Disney has just announced its own contribution: Disney Mix, which aims to stand out from the pack by being safest, most family-friendly one of the bunch. That means Disney Mix brings along additional games and playful meme-creating features, as well as moderation tools and educational resources to make the place feel more like an online community for kids than a simple messaging app.
As TechCrunch notes, Disney Mix is approved for children “4+” on the app store, although older kids and pre-teens will probably get the most use out of it. When kids sign up, they are presented with straightforward reminders to stay safe, be respectful and “keep it clean.” Bullying and harassment especially will not be tolerated. So kids can help keep their community a safe place, chat threads include a “Whistle” icon at the top of the screen that they can use to essentially call up an adult moderator to step in. Disney is also encouraging parents to talk to their kids about the community rules and to submit feedback if the app isn’t making the grade.
On a more fun note, the app boasts a cache of digital chat stickers from basically any Disney franchise you could think of. Kids also have the ability to build their own custom cartoon blockhead avatar that can compete alongside their friends in original and movie tie-in games right in the chat. In the future, Disney plans to add even more features, plus the ability to share photos and videos in the same safe community.
Disney Mix is available now on the App Store and Google Play.
Microsoft just changed its toy gun emoji to a real pistol
Looks like Microsoft and Apple may not be on the same page about firearm emojis afterall. Right after Apple changed its gun emoji to a water pistol in iOS 10, Microsoft replaced its toy pistol emoji with an actual revolver.
Pushed out with its Windows Anniversary Update on Aug. 2nd, the new glyph is part of a major emoji redesign that Microsoft detailed in a blog post. Before this, the company’s representation for a gun looked more like a space toy, while the new image is a more realistic silver-and-grey revolver.
Left – Windows 8.1 gun. Right – New Windows 10 gun. Photo credit: Emojipedia
When asked for the reason behind this change, a Microsoft spokesperson told us, “Our intent with every glyph is to align with the global Unicode standard, and the previous design did not map to industry designs or our customers’ expectations of the emoji definition. We will continue to work with the Unicode Consortium to refine and update glyphs that reflects customer needs, feedback and supports a consistent system that works across the digital world.”
That’s not the only thing Microsoft revamped in its massive update. In addition to introducing more than 1700 new symbols, the new Windows emoji let you mix and match skintones so you can create more diverse glyph families.
While Apple and Microsoft have gone back to edit their symbols, Google continues to use a pistol in Android keyboards and doesn’t appear to have plans to change this. None of the companies in question have adjusted their knife, sword, bomb, poison and coffin emojis, so… ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Via: Emojipedia
LG unveils the first Android Nougat phone on September 6th
Earlier this month, LG announced its quirky V20 smartphone would be the first to ship with the latest Android 7.0 Nougat operating system, beating the upcoming Nexus refreshes to the nougat-y punch. Now we know the dual-screen, dual-selfie camera successor to the V10 will officially be unveiled in San Francisco on September 6, 2016.
Although LG has yet to share many details about the new phone’s features, we do know it will be once again sporting dual displays: a main 5.7-inch display, plus a second, always-on ribbon display at the top for notifications and quick app access. In practice, Engadget found the V10’s second screen to be one of the best implementations to date, with easy access to audio controls or a quick glance at an email subject line. Other features, like those two front-facing cameras seemed like overkill for anyone who doesn’t need two lens options when shooting a selfie.
As for the rest of the internals, those details will land next month, when we expect the V20 to start retailing around the same $600 price point as its predecessor.
AIVAnet 