Encrypted chat app Signal adds domain fronting to bypass censorship in the Middle East

Signal is now routing its traffic through Google’s CDNs.

Open Whisper Systems — makers of the encrypted chat app Signal — found out that the Egyptian government had blocked access to the app earlier this week. The company has now rolled out an update to Signal that circumvents government censorship through a technique called domain fronting.

Signal is now routing its traffic through Google’s CDNs (content delivery networks), so all messages sent on the platform now look like requests to Google services. Essentially, this means that for a country to block access to Signal, they’d also have to switch off connectivity to all of Google’s services.

Signal described the process in detail on its blog:

Today’s Signal release uses a technique known as domain fronting. Many popular services and CDNs, such as Google, Amazon Cloudfront, Amazon S3, Azure, CloudFlare, Fastly, and Akamai can be used to access Signal in ways that look indistinguishable from other uncensored traffic. The idea is that to block the target traffic, the censor would also have to block those entire services. With enough large scale services acting as domain fronts, disabling Signal starts to look like disabling the internet.

With today’s release, domain fronting is enabled for Signal users who have a phone number with a country code from Egypt or the UAE. When those users send a Signal message, it will look like a normal HTTPS request to http://www.google.com. To block Signal messages, these countries would also have to block all of google.com.

Follow up releases will include detecting censorship and applying circumvention when needed (eg. so that when users with phone numbers from other countries visit places where censorship is being deployed, Signal will work without a VPN for them as well) and expanding the services that domain front for Signal.

In addition to circumventing government censorship, the latest update also includes support for adding doodles, stickers, and text to images. If you’re looking for a secure way to communicate on Android, you should take a look at Signal.

The LG V20’s Second Screen is a gimmick that actually works

Is the LG V20’s second screen a reason to buy the phone?

The LG V20 is a big phone with a twist — a second “ticker” display just above the main LCD panel that LG calls the “Second Screen.” In reality, it is just a small extension of the main display, but thanks to improvements in battery efficiency and some software smarts, it is able to stay on all the time.

But is the Second Screen a gimmick? And what exactly can you do with that extra space? Let’s break it down.

What is the Second Screen?

It’s exactly what it sounds like: a place for displaying additional information and quick settings that aren’t always in the foreground on a typical Android phones. Its resolution is 1040×160 pixels, which isn’t quite as wide as the full width of the 2560×1440 display since it needs to leave room for the front-facing camera and proximity sensors.

LG has seven built-in panels that can be swiped through horizontally:

• Quick Tools (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
• App shortcuts (specific apps)
• Recent apps
• Quick contacts
• Music controls
• Signature (By default your name)
• Upcoming plans

Some of these are considerably more useful than others, and I tend only to leave three — quick tools, app shortcuts, and media controls — enabled while the screen is on. The rest merely duplicate existing functionality.

Is it useful?

That’s the big question. Andrew Martonik, in his review, dismissed the Second Screen, saying that it doesn’t really add much to the experience. Here are his words:

Much like I found with the “edge screen” on the Galaxy S7 edge (and Note 7), the second screen doesn’t really do much other than duplicate functions I can already do very quickly elsewhere on the phone. Just as easily as getting to the quick tools I can swipe down the notification shade. Just as quickly as swiping and then tapping on a recent app in the second screen I could just hit the Recents button in the navigation bar … and so on and so forth. Add to that the fact that the second screen is at the top of an extremely tall phone, and it makes it (literally) a bit less accessible than the same functions elsewhere on the phone.

Now, I agree with most of that, but after using the LG V20 as my main phone for a month, going back to a phone without the second screen feels like it’s missing something. Here’s why: by default, the second screen shows notifications that would have popped over existing content; you can expand it to create the “real” notification overlay, but generally the second screen version suffices.

The second screen also works when the main one is off, showing notifications when they appear while at other times offering the same quick tools as when the display is on. It’s a system that works most of the time, and unlike the edge display on the Galaxy Note Edge, I never find this one intrusive or frustrating to use.

The best use cases

For me, the best use cases are the simplest.

For me, the best use cases are the simplest: tapping on my most-used apps to quickly get to Slack, 1Password, Todoist, Spotify or Instagram, or quickly toggling Wi-Fi without having to swipe down on the notification shade.

I think LG understands the second screen is there to augment the first, and not to intrude on the primary experience of using Android. That the phone runs Android 7.0, which has an inherently better notification system than anything before it, also helps, since I often find myself relying on inline replies to communicate rather than entering the app itself. The second screen makes it easy to decide whether I should actually take action on a particular notification, since there’s a small arrow to the right of the message that lets you expand it to its normal size. Think of it as notification triage.

The other part of the second screen that really works is media control. Having a permanent Spotify toast at the top of the display is just great, and it blends nicely into the rest of the Android experience. Yes, you can just swipe down the notification shade to access he same controls, but this is better.

A reason to buy the V20?

The second screen is one of many features that make the V20 compelling, and while alone it isn’t enough to warrant a buy, it’s definitely one of those features that impresses passersby and improves the phone’s general desirability. Along with its removable battery, the second screen is certainly a check box on a list that includes a great big screen, a fast processor, plenty of storage, two awesome cameras, and a version of Android 7.0 that I’ve grown to appreciate, if not admire.

That’s kind of the confusing aspect of the LG V20. It has so many gimmicky-sounding features on the surface, but they consolidate into something much better than their individual components. The second screen is something special: a gimmick that works, and improves, the whole.

LG V20

• LG V20 review: Built for power users
• LG V20 specs
• All LG V20 news
• LG V20 vs. Galaxy Note 7
• Discuss the V20 in the forums!

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Best TVs of CES 2017: What to expect

CES 2017 kicks off in Las Vegas in a little over a week and one of the biggest draws of the show every year is new TVs. CES is the place where all the TV manufacturers go to show off their ranges for the year ahead and the new technologies they’ve been working on.

It’s so often been the proving ground of many important TV technologies over the past few years, including 4K, Dolby Vision, HDR and Quantum Dot.

But with those technologies already having firm foundations in the TV market, what new things could 2017 possibly bring?

Let us run through what TVs we can expect to see at the world’s largest consumer electronics show.

• CES 2017: What is it and what to expect

Hisense

Pocket-lint

Purveyor of affordable 4K and 4K HDR TVs, Hisense will return to CES 2017 armed with what will no doubt be another range of budget screens. From our experience with Hisense TVs, the drop in price doesn’t necessarily mean a drop in quality. The screens haven’t always been able to compete with the very best from the LG and Samsung’s of the world, but when they cost a fraction of the price, we’re happy to compromise.

The Chinese electronics manufacturer introduced a new H7 series of screens at CES 2016 which started at $399 for a 43-inch 4K TV, an absolute bargain. In 2017, we expect to see yet more affordable screens, with hopefully an improvement in picture quality to keep them hot on the heels of the leading brands.

LG

Pocket-lint

LG announced a new Signature OLED series of TVs at CES 2016, which included the OLED G6 and OLED E6, arguably two of the best TVs to come out of 2016. LG is still the only manufacturer really pushing for 4K OLED screens while others are sticking with LCD.

Will that change in 2017? We shall see.

As for what TVs LG will give us, well the company usually announces its new offerings before the show actually starts so we don’t have long to wait. However, we expect more 4K OLED screens with HDR and Dolby Vision support, along with improved picture performance on last year’s models – as tricky as that may be.

Of course it won’t just be OLED screens from the South Koreans, as CES 2016 ushered in a new range of Super UHD LCD TVs. 2017 will likely give us the same, hopefully with improved contrast and brightness levels to enhance HDR images.

As for screen sizes, there will likely be everything from 49 up to 75 inches, although we may see a huge 100-inch plus screen as an indication into what the company can do.

• Best TVs of CES 2016: LG, Samsung, Panasonic and more

Panasonic

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Panasonic was first out the blocks to announce the first 4K TV with the illustrious Ultra HD Premium mark of approval at CES 2016 in the DX902. Ultra HD Premium is a set of criteria a TV must meet to show it’s capable of the very best picture performance. Criteria includes a 10-bit colour-capable panel and a brightness of more than 1000 nits for the best HDR performance.

• Panasonic Viera DX902 4K TV review: Honeycomb-sweet picture quality

And what a TV the DX902 was, delivering bright whites, impressive contrast and deep blacks. We’re hoping Panasonic can deliver much of the same in 2017 and trickle some of its impressive picture technology down to lower ranges.

Philips

Pocket-lint

Philips always has a fun stand to visit at CES because of all the lights! Yes, Philips is the only company to attach strips of LEDs to the back of their TVs, called AmbiLight. The result is rather effective too, delivering a more immersive picture experience by essentially removing the bezel of the TV and extending the picture.

At CES 2016 Philips even introduced the PUS8901 AmbiLux TV that had nine mini projectors fitted to the back instead of LEDs. While the LEDs can only produce colours that relate to whatever is on screen, the projectors are able to actually continue the image of what’s on screen.

We expect to see more lights, more projectors and more Ultra HD panels at CES 2017.

Samsung

Pocket-lint

Samsung is always one of the star attractions at CES because it usually has a world’s first or two. CES 2016 saw the arrival of the flagship KS9500 series, part of its SUHD TV range. To this day, nobody knows exactly what the ‘S’ stands for, Samsung? Super? Splendid?

• Samsung KS9500 SUHD TV review: Brightest HDR, pitched on a curve

Either way, Samsung’s TVs were some of the best of this year and were a real testament to just how well LCD can perform against OLED. We expect much of the same from 2017, although Forbes journalist John Archer has said Samsung will introduce a new range of QLED TVs in Las Vegas.

The range will be a more intricate marriage between Quantum Dot – a technology that appears in some of its 2016 TV – and LCD LED panels. The new sets are said to have three distinct features: HDR 1500, which likely refers to the brightness of the panel, increasing from 1000 nits to 1500 nits, which should make HDR images even better. Q HDR likely refers to how Samsung will use Quantum Dot as a means to improve HDR pictures and Real Black should result in deeper blacks, one of the areas where LCD just can’t quite compete with OLED sets.

Sony

Sony

Sony waited until late 2016 to unveil the excellent ZD9 series TV, which ended up winning a Pocket-lint Award. CES 2016 however saw the introduction of the XD93 series, which had full HDR capabilities and was powered by Android TV.

• Sony is getting in on the OLED TV action with two new models

In 2017, we expect Sony to carry on with HDR-capable LCD TVs, although there is speculation that the Japanese manufacturer will turn its hand to OLED screens too. If Sony does venture into OLED waters then we’ll probably only see prototypes at CES, as the full production models aren’t expected until IFA later in the year.

TCL Corporation

TCL will bring with its latest range of flagship Quantum Dot TVs to Las Vegas, as well as announce plans for future progression. The company’s TVs aren’t sold here in the UK, but being the world’s third-largest TV manufacturer, they’re available in a lot of other territories, and are incredibly popular in America.

Best smartphones of CES 2017: What to expect

Considering there’s a dedicated smartphone convention held in February in the form of Mobile World Congress, you can sometimes wonder why manufacturers would release any smartphones at CES in January.

In previous years, flagship phones have been reserved for MWC or separate events, and more mid-range handsets have been shown off in Las Vegas. We expect much of the same again for the next show in January, although unsurprisingly not a lot has been formally announced just yet, but we do know of some companies that will be at the show, so we can take some pretty educated guesses.

Here’s everyone we know will be attending CES 2017 at the moment, we’ll update this page as and when we know more.

• CES 2017: What is it and what to expect
• Mobile World Congress 2017: Smartphones, smartphones, smartphones to expect

Asus

Asus has confirmed it will be attending CES 2017 and has called its press conference ‘Zenovation’. While we aren’t completely sure what products will be announced, it’s almost certain to relate to the company’s Zen series of products, which can include smartphones.

Honor

Honor is another company to confirm it will be at the show and has already sent out invites for an exclusive global launch of a new product, which will likely be a new smartphone. The unveiling will take place on Tuesday 3 January, but until then, details of the new phone are pretty thin on the ground.

The Huawei-owned subsidiary has impressed in the past with its mid-range phones, although they haven’t been quite able to challenge OnePlus. Will the company’s new model stand a better chance? Watch this space.

LG

LG

While we’re expecting to see the LG G6 later in 2017, the company has announced the mid-range phones that we’ll be seeing in the US. There will be four phones as part of a new K Series alongside the latest version of LG’s stylus-controlled phablet, the Stylus 3.

The K Series phones will have varying screen sizes, batteries and cameras, all of which will be targeted at different types of consumer.

The Stylus 3 meanwhile will get a 5.7-inch HD display, 32GB of internal storage and rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

• LG confirms CES 2017 smartphone line-up: K Series and Stylus 3 inbound

Sony

Pocket-lint

Sony is rumoured to be unveiling not one, but two new phones at CES 2017, and ones of the flagship variety at that. The phones in question are said to have 5.2-inch and 5.5-inch displays, the former being full HD while the 5.5in will be 4K.

• Sony could launch 4K Xperia smartphone at CES 2017

It’s not the first time Sony would have put a 4K screen on a phone, so it’s entirely plausible for the company to do it again.

We’re still not entirely sold on 4K screens for smartphones, as there’s currently no native content to watch on them, unless you record it yourself. But we applaud Sony for being able to do it nonetheless.

ZTE Corporation

Chinese smartphone manufacturer ZTE will be in attendance at CES. Only some of the company’s phones are sold here in the UK, but those that do tend to be affordable while still offering a near-premium experience. There’s no word on what exactly will be revealed in Las Vegas as the company is keeping tight-lipped until the big reveal.

However it does say we can expect to see “new and exciting product announcements and company news”. We’ll be sure to bring you all the latest news as and when we get it.

Dior’s frame-maker is developing mood-assessing smartglasses

The Italian company that makes frames for Dior, Fendi and Hugo Boss eyewear is working on something more high-tech than it’s used to: a pair of smartglasses. According to Bloomberg, Safilo Group SpA spent the past year developing internet-connected glasses with the intention of debuting it at CES 2017. The pair will reportedly be more like Snap’s Spectacles than Google Glass — a device that looks just like any eyewear out there with some “smart” capabilities.

When we say “some,” we actually mean just one: Safilo’s device doesn’t have a camera, a display or even a microphone. What it does have are five sensors embedded behind the ears and on the nose bridge that can measure brainwaves. It then sends the results to an app to help you assess your state of mind and help you relax and meditate. The company is reportedly working with Toronto startup InteraXon to create the pair, which has the same feature as the Canadian brand’s flagship product, the Muse Headband.

Safilo chief Luisa Delgado believes its product is fashionable enough to appeal to more people than Google Glass did. Further, this is probably just the beginning of the company’s foray into the smartglass market. If it sells enough units, it will likely develop more models with other features. Bloomberg says Safilo’s technology will first be available as a pair of mood-assessing shades to be sold online in the US by summer 2017. It could eventually make its way to prescription glasses and even to eyewear sold by Dior and other companies that use Safilo’s frames.

Source: Bloomberg

Atari Releases ‘RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic’ for iOS

Atari has released RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic on iPhone and iPad, combining the best features of the popular PC and Xbox titles RollerCoaster Tycoon (1999) and RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 (2002) to create “a new RCT experience” for long-time fans.

Create and run amazing parks complete with the most outrageous rides imaginable. RCT Classic includes a mixture of authentic playability, depth of gameplay and unique graphical style of Chris Sawyer’s original best-selling RollerCoaster Tycoon® PC Games, now enhanced for handheld devices.

Packed with content, players can enjoy designing and building roller coasters and rides, landscaping parks and managing the staff and finances to keep their guests happy and the money flowing in.

The game includes hundreds of pre-made designs and classic building tools for bespoke coaster construction, a fully featured park designer and park management tools, 95 classic park scenarios from the two games, and the original graphics, park music and sound effects.

RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic costs $5.99 and is available on the App Store for iPad and iPhone, with the expansion packs Wacky Worlds, Time Twister and Toolkit available as in-app purchases. [Direct Link]

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Uber Pulls its Self-Driving Cars From San Francisco Streets

Uber has removed its fleet of self-driving cars from San Francisco streets on Wednesday after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked its vehicle registrations (via Reuters).

Earlier this week, the DMV ordered Uber to shut down its self-driving car test program and comply with regulations requiring a permit to test the autonomous vehicles on public roads. The order came after an Uber car was reportedly seen running a red light in downtown San Francisco, but the company refused to comply with the agency’s demand, arguing that it did not require a permit because each of its 16 vehicles are continuously monitored by a driver and an engineer who sit in the front seats.

Uber disputed the interpretation by the DMV that the cars require a special permit and said the state laws were being unevenly applied, owing to the fact that the self-driving capabilities of Uber’s fleet matched those of Tesla’s vehicles, which have an optional “autopilot” feature.

Uber’s defiance brought threats of legal action from the DMV and the state attorney general, but the dispute has apparently come to an end now that state officials have yanked registration for the cars used in the company’s pilot program.

“We have stopped our self-driving pilot in California as the DMV has revoked the registrations for our self-driving cars,” San Francisco-based Uber said in a statement emailed to AFP.

“We’re now looking at where we can redeploy these cars but remain 100 percent committed to California and will be redoubling our efforts to develop workable statewide rules.”

DMV director Jean Shiomoto said in a letter sent to Uber on Wednesday that she would “personally help to ensure an expedited review and approval process,” for the required permits, which she said can take less than three days. It’s still unclear whether Uber will take up the offer.

San Francisco was the company’s second testing ground for its self-driving cars. Uber unveiled its autonomous car fleet in September in Pittsburgh. Uber launched its self-driving car program to passengers in the city on December 14 after testing the cars on San Francisco roadways for over a month.

Apple has met with California DMV officials in the past regarding self-driving car laws within the state, with its Apple Car team said to be focusing on in-car autonomous systems rather than developing an out-an-out vehicle.

Google has also scaled back its self-driving car ambitions, and is now reported to be working with established car companies to develop vehicles that will include self-driving features. Google’s autonomous vehicles have clocked over two million miles of tests on public roads. Like Uber, the company has complained to authorities about the situation regarding nascent state and federal laws for self-driving vehicles.

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