2016 Holiday Gift Guide
2016 Holiday Gift Guide
Looking for the best gifts for the best people in your life? We can help! We’ve spent the year testing a lot of great (and some not-so-great) products to figuring out our absolute favorite tech of 2016. And we’ve brought it all here, together, in one easy wish list, just for you!
Google Pixel
The Google Pixel is the best Android Phone you can buy today. Whether it’s the straight-from-Google Android software, top-notch performance or best-in-class camera, the Pixel — in either size — does it all. Buy unlocked from Google or from Verizon.
from $649 Buy Now
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
With the Note 7 out of the picture, the Galaxy S7 edge is Samsung’s top-end offering. It gives you gorgeous hardware, a great camera, long battery life and piles of features you can’t find anywhere else.
$769 Buy Now
OnePlus 3T
The OnePlus 3T gives you almost everything you expect in a flagship phone, but does it at a dramatically lower price. You get all of the top-end specs, great features and slick software for just $439 — that’s a fantastic combination.
$439 Buy Now
Moto Z Play
The cheapest of the Moto Z line is no slouch, with a big, vibrant screen, ample performance and support for Motorola’s excellent Moto Mods line. But the real selling feature for this $450 phone is its two-day battery life!
$450 Buy Now
Pixel C
A tablet that covers every need. The Pixel C does everything you would want a tablet to do. YouTube or anything else on the web is great on the gorgeous screen, and all the apps you love work well, especially on Android Nougat.
$499 Buy Now
Lenovo Yoga Book
An innovative take on the traditional Android tablet, its incredibly versatile hinge allows for its rear touch panel to double as a keyboard or a pen-friendly writing surface, while Lenovo’s software makes Android feel more like a desktop OS.
$499 Buy Now
ASUS Chromebook Flip
One of the best Android tablets is actually this small ASUS Chromebook convertible. The same apps that run on a proper tablet run very well on the Chromebook Flip, and the laptop-grade internals have more than enough power to run multiple things at once, each in their own window.
$259 Buy Now
Chromecast Audio
Plug it into any pair of speakers on an audio receiver and you can cast your music from most any source using your phone, Chromebook or any computer using the Chrome browser. The Chromecast Audio is easy to use and sounds great.
$35 Buy Now
UE Boom 2
A tough and compact Bluetooth speaker that’s even waterproof. The UE Boom 2 also has excellent battery life and delivers incredible sound. You can also pair two of them together to fill an entire room with music.
$155 Buy Now
Sonos Play:1
Sonos products deliver premium sound and are easy to set up. The Sonos Play:1 is no exception. Use it by itself or with a bridge as part of a whole-house audio system and you’ll love how great it sounds and how easy it is to get started.
$199 Buy Now
Ricoh Theta S
The Ricoh Theta S is not only a delightful device, it’s also a great introduction into 360-degree content-making. The Theta S is compact, stylish, easy to use, and it produces some worthy panoramic photo and video you can share across social media.
$346 Buy Now
Moto Z Hasselblad Moto Mod
The Hasselblad True Zoom Moto Mod snaps on to the back of any Moto Z, Z Play, or Z Force and turns either of those devices into a point-and-shoot camera with 10x optical zoom. It’s extremely useful if you’re into shooting landscape shots with your smartphone.
$300 Buy Now
ROCK LED Selfie Light
Selfie takers, don’t let nightfall stop you from your front-facing camera game. The ROCK LED ring light slides on to any Android phone of any size so that you don’t have to buy a particular case to tack on extra lighting. Best of all, the ring light is adjustable so that you’re not blasting your face with LEDs.
$20 Buy Now
Aukey Ora Lenses
With an Aukey Ora Lens, you can tack on a 140-degree wide-angle lens or a 10X macro lens. it’s the easiest, cheapest way to get a little more out of your smartphone photography. It’s also universal, so you can hold on to it until your next phone purchase!
$25 Buy Now
Chromecast Ultra
If using with a TV that has a 4K display or can playback HDR content and want to stream media at UHD, the Chromecast Ultra is for you.
$70 Buy Now
Roku Premiere+
The Roku Premiere+ is compatible with 4K televisions and includes a lot of really awesome features, such as an included Wi-Fi remote control with a headphone jack, so you can watch your favorite shows without disturbing anyone else in the room.
$99 Buy Now
Xiaomi Mi Box
The Xiaomi Mi Box is the best Android TV box you can buy right now, which gives you access to a great Google ecosystem experience on your TV. It’s also got plenty of power to play the Android games adapted for the big screen.
$69Buy Now
Google Home
For a Google/Android fan, Google Home is a no-brainer. It’s got all the makings of Alexa, in the proper ecosystem, with the full force of Google behind it.
$120 Buy Now
Amazon Echo Dot
A smaller Echo, the Dot is easy to set up around the house — and because they’re significantly cheaper, you can get a few and pepper them around the house. A great gift, in packs of one, or six!
$49 Buy Now
Philips Hue Starter Kit
Philips is the leader in connected light bulbs for a good reason: everything just works. The Android app is great, and lets you control the lights from anywhere, and the Starter Kit is affordable enough to be a great gift.
$179 Buy Now
Nest Outdoor Cam
The best way to keep tabs on what’s going on outside your house, the Nest Outdoor Cam not only captures great video, but Nest’s improved Nest Aware feature makes it super easy to scroll through the last few hours to see what’s interesting going on outside.
$186 Buy Now
Huawei Watch
If you want all of Android Wear with some style, you want a Huawei Watch. It looks nice, performs well, and comes in Stainless Steel, Black Stainless Steel, Gold, and Rose Gold.
$246 Buy Now
Moto 360 (2015)
This is a great watch, but the killer feature is personalization. There is no other experience like MotoMaker for building a smartwatch based on your personal look and feel.
From $349 Buy Now
Pebble 2
The latest in watches that don’t offer a ton of flash and color, but offer battery life for days and a solid fitness feature set and great notification handling. Pebble’s upgrades here are significant, and proof that you don’t need a chrome bezel to make a watch great.
$130 Buy Now
Samsung Gear S3
Samsung’s new smartwatch comes in two distinct styles, offering longer battery life, new software features and a distinctive rotating bezel. There isn’t deep app integration like on Android Wear, but as a notification mirror and standalone device the Gear S3 is great.
$350 Buy Now
DJI Phantom 3 Advanced
Take to the skies with the DJI Phantom 3 Advanced. Sure this isn’t the latest and greatest professional drone from DJI, the Phantom 4, but it’s still a fantastic, fun option that lets you control the camera and record HD video to your phone — all for well under $1000.
$698 Buy Now
Sphero Star Wars BB-8 Droid
Bring BB-8 home with this super cool rolling drone that you can control with your phone. It’s the perfect gift for the Star Wars fans in your life.
$130 Buy Now
Acer Chromebook R13
The Acer Chromebook R13 is the best $399 computer you can buy. It’s well-built, has a great screen and can run over 1 million Android apps on top of all the things Chrome can do. When you want to step up from an entry-level laptop but don’t want to break the bank, the Acer Chromebook R13 is where you should look first.
$399 Buy Now
Dell Chromebook 13
The Dell Chromebook 13 is the best premium pick when it comes to Chromebooks. It’s not cheap — configurations start at over $450 — but it’s rugged and beautiful. You also get the same hardware as a high-end Windows Laptop at that price. The Dell Chromebook 13 is the Chromebook for folks who use a Chromebook as their main computing platform and want the best.
$450 Buy Now
ASUS Chromebook Flip
Ultra-protable, the ASUS Chromebook Flip is a great convertible for students or anyone else who is on the move every day. This 10-inch Chromebook is speedy and inexpensive, and support for Google Play make it one of the best Android tablets you can buy, too.
$259 Buy Now
Aukey 16000 mAh Power Bank
This beastly powerbank will should get you at least three full recharges, even on the most demanding high-end Android phones. Meanwhile, support for both regular 5V/2.4A output and Qualcomm QuickCharge 2.0 via dual-port setup gives you plenty of options for both phones and tablets. And if you get stuck in the dark, there’s even an LED torch built in.
$27 Buy Now
Anker PowerCore Speed 10000 QC
This Anker battery pack is one of the most compact 10,000mAh power banks around. Not only does it support Quick Charge 3.0 for phones that support it, but it comes with a travel pouch if you want to stick it in your bag for emergencies. An awesome deal for $25.
From $24 Buy Now
SanDisk 256GB microSD
A microSD card is one of the easiest ways to add extra storage for photos, music or videos, and SanDisk’s high-capacity offering gives you an enormous amount of space. Even better, it’s incredibly speedy, with data transfer speeds of up to 90MB/s. The card is bundled with a full-sized SD card adapter for easy use with a PC or camera.
$70 Buy Now
Sennheiser PCX550
Sennheiser’s wireless noise-cancelling over-ear headphones are a fabulous Bluetooth option in their own right, but it’s the 30-hour battery life, smart song pausing, and multitouch controls which elevate these headphones into an excellent holiday gift for the wireless audio geek in your life.
$400 Buy Now
LG Tone Platinum
LG’s high-end Bluetooth earbuds pack around 10 hours of playback into a sleek, slimline aluminum body. LG G5 owners can also benefit from 24-bit high-resolution audio from these earbuds. But even if you’re using them with a non-LG phone, you’ll get exceptionally clear sound quality and booming bass — along with a microphone for taking calls.
$130 Buy Now
Samsung LevelOn
Samsung’s wired (or wireless) earphones balance aesthetics, comfort and sound quality masterfully. They support NFC paring, and boast 11 hours of playback with noise cancellation turned on. Samsung’s Level app for Android phones also lets you control and customize these headphones.
$130 Buy Now
Google Daydream View
Perfect for on-the-go VR with your Google Pixel, and a huge step forward in smartphone-based VR. Google has big plans for this new virtual world, but even as it is right now the headset is pretty great.
$79 Buy Now
Gear VR
If you have a Samsung Galaxy S6, S7, or Note 5, this VR headset is like taking your whole entertinament center with you when you leave the house.
$99 Buy Now
HTC Vive
Hands down the best VR system you can buy today, but it requires a lot of space and a really great PC to power the experience. If you what what it required, the end result is pretty special.
$799 Buy Now
Anki Cozmo
Cozmo learns from you as you play with it, developing a unique personality that can start a series of games with you. Connect your phone to Cozmo for new games and new AI experiences, or just to drive it around.
$180 Buy Now
View Master VR
Kid-friendly VR is about offering a safe experience and making sure the games and apps are fun for every age. View-Master VR includes discovery apps for space and the headset itself offers the classic View-Finder look and feel.
$30 Buy Now
Samsung Gear Fit2
Samsung made a great product better with its Tizen-powered Gear Fit2. A high-resolution AMOLED display pairs with a GPS and plenty of smarts to deliver notifications from your Android phone. Battery is an excellent two days, too.
$148 Buy Now
UE Healthbox
Under Armour paired with HTC for the UE Healthbox, a collection of fitness focused tools that include a connected wrist tracker, smart scale, and optional chest strap. Together they work to help meet fitness goals, and paired to the UE Record app, there are plenty of smarts — and synergy.
From $350 Buy Now
Fitbit Charge 2
The best Fitbit ever is also one of the most well-rounded fitness trackers on the market. Though it lacks GPS, it has almost everything else, including phone notifications, and one of the best social networks for people wanting to stay accountable.
$150 Buy Now
Samsung Gear IconX
Samsung’s Gear IconX are smart earbuds or smart fitness gear, but whatever they are, they’re pretty darn good. Each bud goes separately in the ear, and use a heart rate monitor to keep track of workouts, while an external microphone picks up ambient noise if you want to keep track of what’s going on.
$185 Buy Now
Every Daydream app you can install right now, and a look at what comes next
Just go ahead and install all of them. You know, for fun.
Google’s first Daydream headset is finally shipping to people who purchased the first Daydream phone, and are quickly finding it’s not easy to locate the whole list of Daydream apps from the Play Store. While we’ve been having a lot of fun showing you the best free Daydream apps and the Daydream games everyone should have installed, the act of browsing for apps and then waiting for them to install while in VR isn’t a good time.
To make it a little easier, we’ve tracked down the first wave of Google Daydream apps that are available to install now, so you can load up your Pixel with VR goodness and see what this new experience is all about.
Read more at VR Heads!
Everyone is talking about Google’s AI-powered game that guesses what you’re doodling
Can a neural network learn to recognize doodles? Google intends to find out.
Google has always had a vested interest in developing and exposing people to the growing power of machine learning technologies. Their most entertaining way of doing this is through their A.I. experiments, which invite the public to explore machine learning by playing with pictures, music and language.
Their latest experiment, Quick, Draw! lets you play a virtual game of pictionary against a neutral network that will try and guess what you’re doodling in under 20 seconds. You’ll be given six words to draw. Once you start drawing, the A.I. instantly starts trying to guess what you’re drawing — meaning the first guess is typically ‘a line’.
It’s a fun little time waster for us, but a valuable learning tool for Google’s machine learning development. Once you’ve completed your drawing, you can go in and click your drawing to see the logic behind the scenes that the A.I. used to guess your doodle. You can then scroll down a bit further and see what other people drew for that word. Reviewing the other doodles, it becomes pretty clear which were drawn with a mouse, and which were drawn with a laptop touchpad.
The game has taken the world by storm, being shared far beyond the typical tech experiment. That’s probably because it’s actually really fun — especially if you’re a terrible doodler, like a lot of us!
If you’re looking for more fun A.I. experiments to play around with, you can find them all right here, including other experimental apps for Chrome and Android found from the dropdown menu.
Grab a Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S7, or S7 edge case for just $7
The folks at Caseology are currently offering a variety of cases for the Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S7, or S7 edge for just $7 at Amazon with a coupon code. Whether you are looking for something clear or something protective, there is likely a case here that will meet your needs. Each case has its own coupon code that you will need to be sure to use depending which one you end up wishing to purchase.
You will need to make sure that you are picking the option that is fulfilled by merchant and not fulfilled by Amazon. If the coupons don’t work for you the first time, be sure to check your seller option and they should work. Quantities here are limited on each coupon code, so if you are interested in one of them you will want to act quickly.
Galaxy S7
- Parallax Series – Black/Black – $6.99 with coupon code 7KWQMPCL
- Wavelength Series – Pink – $6.99 with coupon code 477JW9WF
- Vault Series – Rose Gold – $6.99 with coupon code GV6CXAZU
- Skyfall Series – Gold – $6.99 with coupon code GV6CXAZU
Galaxy S7 edge
- Parallax Series – Black/Black – $6.99 with coupon code 7KWQMPCL
- Envoy Series – Carbon Fiber Black – $6.99 with coupon code JYL35QNW
- Wavelength Series – Mint Green – $6.99 with coupon code OW93PPJY
- Skyfall Series – Gold – $6.99 with coupon code 7KWQMPCL
Galaxy S6
- Wavelength Series – Pink – $6.99 with coupon code OW93PPJY
Galaxy S6 edge
- Wavelength Series – Navy Blue – $6.99 with coupon code JYL35QNW
Galaxy S6 edge+
- Wavelength Series – Pink – $6.99 with coupon code 7KWQMPCL
- Envoy Series – Carbon Fiber Black – $6.99 with coupon code OW93PPJY
This deal won’t last long, so be sure to grab the one that you are interested as soon as you can. If you were able to grab one, drop a comment and let us know which one you picked up!
AT&T subscribers can now send text messages through Amazon Echo
Alexa, text Mom: I need money to buy an Echo.
AT&T is the first carrier to launch a “skill” on Amazon’s Echo platform, allowing its subscribers to dictate text messages through the always-listening assistant.
While in theory this is fraught with trolling potential, AT&T says that there are steps in place to prevent abuse. Users will have to input specific contacts into the Alexa backend, with a limit of 10 subs numbers per account.
The other news is that AT&T will officially begin selling the $179 Echo and $49 Echo Dot through its website and retail stores, giving the popular living room accessory another huge distribution opportunity through AT&T’s 133 million customers.
The service goes live November 18, with more information available through AT&T’s portal. No word on whether other American carriers will follow suit.
Echo owners, is this something you’re interested in using?
Password manager Enpass now working seamlessly on Chromebooks, including browser autofill
Keeping your passwords safe and synced is just as important on a Chromebook.
Password manager Enpass has just released an update to include complete support for Chromebooks, following a couple of initial teasers as the Google Play Store started rolling out to Chrome OS. With the latest update you can install Enpass on your Chromebook and have access to all of your secure passwords and information, and of course any changes or additions you make will be synced back to your other devices.
Importantly, the new version of Enpass also offers browser autofill for your logins and passwords, saving you from the extra steps of copying and pasting the information every time you want to log in. In order to get autofill to work you’ll need both the full Enpass app installed on your Chromebook and also the “Chromebook Connector” Chrome extension to bridge the gap.
Enpass is one of our favorite password managers because it’s simple, powerful and offers clients for every type of device, and with Chromebook support it’s now even more valuable. The latest update with Chromebook support comes at no additional cost and works with your existing account.
Chromebooks
- The best Chromebooks
- Should you buy a Chromebook?
- Google Play is coming to Chromebooks
- Acer Chromebook 14 review
- Join our Chromebook forums
LeEco’s Black Friday sale offers up Le Pro3 phone for $279, 65-inch Super4 TV for $1099
If you want a big TV or an inexpensive phone, LeEco’s Black Friday deals are for you.
LeEco’s first Black Friday sale since launching in the U.S. kicks off the morning of November 25 and runs all the way to midnight on November 28, offering up steep discounts on its two phone sand range of 4K TVs. Similarly to its flash sales, you’ll need to sign up for its LeRewards program (it’s free) in order to get access to these extra Black Friday discounts, but unlike the flash sales these Black Friday deals run the entirety of the four days, rather than simply while supplies last.
All of the deals will go live on its own LeMall.com store start at 12:01 a.m. PT on November 25, and will be available all the way to 11:59 p.m. PT on November 28, giving you plenty of time to shop and pick out what you want. Some of the discounts are quite steep.
You may not care about the free phone, but those are great prices for 4K TVs.
The flagship Le Pro3 smartphone, which usually retails for $399, will be available for $279 and offer an extra option to buy a $20 bundle that gives you a Bluetooth speaker and power bank. Its lower-end Le S3, which retails for $249, will be on sale for $129 and have a “gift bag” bundle available for $12 that includes a case, screen protector and power bank or Bluetooth speaker.
There are also big discounts on LeEco 4K TVs. You can pick up a 65-inch Super4 set for just $1099, which is $300 off, and get a Le S3 phone included for free. The lower-end 55-inch model will be $599 ($300 off) and also include a Le S3 phone, while the 43-inch will be $349 ($300 off). If you want to go big — and expensive — you can get the uMax 85-inch TV for $3999, which is a full $1000 off MSRP.
LeEco has yet to prove itself in the U.S. when it comes to either phones or TVs, but at these prices it may be able to convince a few people to give them a shot.
Press release:
Double the Holiday “LeJoy” During LeEco’s “LeMall for All!” Four Day Black Friday Event
LeMall.com offers special bundles including ecophone with 65-inch or 55-inch ecotv purchase, ecophone accessory bundles and a chance for additional savings over four-day sales event
SAN JOSE, CALIF. – November 17, 2016 – Today, LeEco™ detailed the company’s four day Black Friday event in the U.S., which kicks off on Friday, November 25, 12:01 a.m. PT, and continues through Cyber Monday, Monday, November 28, 11:59 p.m. PT.
On top of its already disruptive prices, the company offers customers the chance to not only bundle an ecotv and ecophone to save more, but grab even greater savings with a “spin of the wheel.” Customers who purchase a Super4 X65 or Super4 X55 ecotv will also receive a Le S3 ecophone, a $200 LeRewards instant rebate, and the opportunity to receive another $100 instant rebate with a spin of the wheel. Customers who purchase an ecophone can add a valuable accessory bundle at incredible savings, plus a chance for another $20 coupon with a spin of the wheel.
The complete list of offers includes:
ecotv
- Super4 X65 — $1,099 ($200 LeRewards instant rebate plus $100 spinner coupon applied towards the MSRP of $1,399) including a Le S3 ecophone (valued at $249)
- Super4 X55 — $599 ($200 LeRewards instant rebate plus $100 spinner coupon applied towards the MSRP of $899) including a Le S3 ecophone (valued at $249)
- Super4 X43 Pro — $349 ($200 LeRewards instant rebate plus $100 spinner coupon applied towards the MSRP of $649)
- uMax85 — $3,999 ($1,000 LeRewards instant rebate applied towards the MSRP of $4,999)
ecophone
- Le Pro3 — $279 ($100 LeRewards instant rebate and $20 spinner coupon applied towards the MSRP of $399)
Customers who purchase a Le Pro3 also have the option to purchase an exclusive bundle for $19.98 that includes a LeTV Super Power Bank and Letv Bluetooth speaker (total value of bundle is $80)
- Le S3 — $129 ($100 LeRewards instant rebate and $20 spinner coupon applied towards the MSRP of $249)
Customers who purchase a Le S3 also have the option to purchase an exclusive gift bag for $11.97 that includes an ecophone case, an ecophone screen protector and Letv Super Power Bank or Letv Bluetooth speaker (total value of the bundle is $70)
To qualify for the event, customers must pre-register for LeRewards at LeMall.com by clicking on the LeRewards banner. From there, the web site will take you through the process of signing up for an account and selecting the LeRewards instant rebate you’d like to claim. The instant rebate will be automatically uploaded into your account for you to use when the Black Friday sale begins on Friday, November 25, 12:01 a.m. PT. The event last through Cyber Monday, ending at 11:59 p.m. PT, Monday, November 28.
Obama: We have to get serious about facts
After a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Obama tackled the topic of fake news following a number of reports detailing Facebook activity during the 2016 election. He explained at a time when so many people are getting their news via sound bites on social media, we have to get serious about facts.
“If we can’t discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems,” Obama explained.
Before speaking on the need to get the facts right “in the age of social media,” Obama explained that if 43 percent of eligible voters in the US don’t cast a ballot, “democracy is weakened.” He went on to say that if people, both conservatives and liberals, are unwilling to participate in the democratic process, democracy will cease to function as it’s intended.
“My most important advice is to understand what are the foundations of a healthy democracy and how we have to engage in citizenship continuously, not just when something upsets us,” he said. “It’s hard work.”
President Obama’s made the comments during a stop in Germany during a European trip where he’s also scheduled to meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Francois Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
The president’s statements follow Facebook’s continued issues with fake news stories trending on its social network weeks after backlash began. The company has vowed to take care of the problem, but hasn’t announced many details on how it plans to do so. Earlier this week, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that 99 percent of content on the site is authentic. BuzzFeed News reported Wednesday that the amount of fake news soared on Facebook in the days leading up to the election. That report found that 17 of the top 20 hoaxes were openly pro-Trump or anti-Clinton in nature, the most popular of which was the fake news that the Pope endorsed the President-elect.
Source: The Washington Post
iCloud logs your calls, but it’s not leaking anything
Apple scored points with privacy advocates early in 2016 by resisting the FBI’s attempts to crack into the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone. But the tech giant gave the government one concession: If the phone’s data had been backed up to iCloud, Apple would have handed it over to help the investigation. Which gives some cause for concern — like from a Russian security firm, which discovered that if users sign up for iCloud Drive, their devices secretly sends call records back to the tech giant’s servers. But this is exactly how it’s supposed to work, says Apple.
The security firm Elcomsoft illustrated the privacy issue in a brief: If users have iCloud Drive active, they can’t prevent it from uploading their call history every time the phone is synced up. Conveniently, the security firm is also announcing a new version of its cloud-cracking software that can extract call logs and contacts even if the targeted phone is locked and its passcode is unknown.
In short, Elcomsoft is advertising a new tool for law enforcement to sidestep iCloud’s security protections while alleging that Apple keeps those call logs for up to four months. But as The Intercept points out, a hacker used the software back in 2014 to break into over 100 celebrity iCloud accounts and steal compromising photos.
But far from denying it, Apple confirmed that it logs calls to its servers. That’s how you have the same call, Facetime and text data synced across all your iCloud-connected devices:
Apple’s statement to me on call history sync via iCloud and security thereof. Article/explainer to follow: pic.twitter.com/LhmF9W62n2
— Rene Ritchie
That’s not to say it’s clear-cut what activity iCloud saves and doesn’t save automatically. In July 2012, an Apple forums user asked whether iCloud backups contain recent calls. They do, someone replied, pointing to iCloud’s backup overview page — but that changed in the interim, since call logs are no longer listed in the summary bullet list of backed-up data. Even then, most recent call recovery methods for iOS devices instruct users to restore from backups.
The crux of the issue is both disclosure of the logs and whether the government would have easier access to them given how long they’re stored on Apple servers. But call histories are as protected as the rest of your iCloud data — that is, they’re locked behind your Apple ID and password, along with two-factor authentication if that’s enabled. More alarming, the chief technologist of the ACLU told The Information, was the revelation in September that Apple keeps records of end-to-end encrypted iMessage conversation metadata. The government can get call logs in other ways, the expert said, but keeping those encrypted text message info on Apple servers might be the only way officials could get to them.
Via: The Information
Source: Elcomsoft
Instagram sees shopping as the next step in its evolution
Gone are the days when Instagram’s scope was clear-cut. For better or worse, the app is no longer just about sharing photos with other users or scrolling through a river of images with hundreds of digital likes. Since being acquired by Facebook in 2012, Instagram has left behind its roots as an unambiguous social network in favor of becoming a more robust platform. Whether to monetize or to enhance the experience for people, newly minted features like Stories have catapulted Instagram beyond being a simple photo-sharing app. And it’s not finished yet.
A couple of weeks ago, the company rolled out support for shopping tags, which gives users the ability to buy products they see in ads in their feed. Rather than a brand telling you to click a link in the bio, you now hit a tap-to-view button on an image to learn more about any item you’re interested in. Once you’re ready to buy the goods, companies have the option to send you to their website or app to complete the checkout process. The idea, naturally, is to keep people glued to Instagram for longer periods and, most importantly, make shopping an integral part of the app’s design.
Instagram shopping tags on JackThreads’ profile
Right now Instagram is only making this tool available to 20 fashion brands, such as Warby Parker and Kate Spade, as well as online retailers like JackThreads. But the feature, which is only viewable by iOS users in the US at launch, could expand to other countries in the near future. Android support is expected down the road too. According to Instagram, that’ll happen once it’s comfortable with how partners display and recommend products without affecting the core experience. Eventually, users will also have the option to bookmark products they’d like to buy at a later time, in what’s going to be an obvious move to challenge Pinterest.
Surprisingly, Instagram isn’t earning revenue based on how many people use shopping tags to make a purchase. Instead, the company hopes brands see the feature’s potential and spend more money advertising on its platform. That strategy could pay major dividends, especially if things continue to go as smoothly as they have during this trial period. The challenge for Instagram, however, will be ensuring this doesn’t become obtrusive, which wouldn’t be good for either the user or the brand advertising.
“We’re really kind of focused on being very craft oriented and doing the simple things first,” says Vishal Shah, director of product management at Instagram. He points to the feature being aesthetically similar to when you see someone tagged in a photo, with an icon on the lower left corner indicating that you can go deeper than viewing or liking the picture. When asked about feedback from consumers, Shah said it is too early to know, though he noted that brands and retailers are excited about the possibilities.
If it feels really good for the consumer, it’s going to be good for the brand.
Vishal Shah
For Instagram’s partners, having access to shopping tags allows them to further engage with consumers. Most importantly, it sets up another platform where they can sell products with ease. Dave Gilboa, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, says this new feature won’t be replacing its website or apps anytime soon. That’s not only because you can’t shop directly through Instagram (yet) but also because he sees it as a complement, not a replacement, to his company’s current marketing strategy.
“We don’t view this as anything that extreme,” he says, “but it does remove friction.” Gilboa notes that a lot of Warby Parker customers are already discovering products on Instagram, but up until now there wasn’t a simple way for them to capitalize on that engagement. Naturally, Instagram is hoping to alleviate that problem with shopping tags and other recently launched business-focused tools. In August, for example, Instagram started letting business profiles add a “contact” button to their account, which made it simple for followers to call, email or text them without having to search for that information on Google or elsewhere.
While Instagram is now making an official push to keep shoppers glued to its app, some of its actual users (read: not businesses) have been two steps ahead. In recent years, Instagram has become a platform for streetwear resellers, who post anything from Yeezys to highly coveted Air Jordans and sell them directly to anyone interested. “Andre,” a reseller whom we interviewed about his unconventional marketplace, said he chose Instagram over eBay because of the one-to-one aspect of it.
Individual resellers have a big presence on Instagram.
Andre isn’t the only one doing this either. There are thousands of users mirroring what he does through his Sole Street Sneaker Co account. To some extent, what Instagram is hoping to accomplish with brands and retailers feels akin to that — namely the direct-to-consumer approach. “There’s a lot of different kind of ways we’re thinking about this to expand to,” says Shah about whether smaller players could ever get access to shopping tags. “Right now we’re really only focused on retailers.”
Nevertheless, only time will tell how this test plays out for Instagram. Both Shah and Gilboa emphasize that they won’t find out if shopping tags are a success until later, but they’re confident users will be fond of what this feature and others like it bring to the table. One thing is certain: Instagram is evolving, which may be a hard pill to swallow for people who don’t appreciate change and want the app to stay true to its simple roots.
At the end of the day, Shah claims everything Instagram does is with the user in mind first and foremost. Although business partners may play a major role in how the app is shaped, he says it’s not the main one. “If it feels really good for the consumer,” he adds, “it’s going to be good for the brand.” You can be the judge of that.
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