Airbnb now requires that hosts accept anti-discrimination rules

Remember how Airbnb said it would ask you to agree to a non-discrimination policy if you wanted to host guests? That’s now in effect. As of November 1st, hosts must abide by rules forbidding them from discriminating against guests. In the US, they’re explicitly barred from discrimination based on factors such as race, nationality, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation. Hosts can label shared living spaces as open solely to same-gender guests (to discourage creeps) and warn disabled guests about accessibility problems, but those are the only major exceptions.

If you accept the agreement but violate it later, Airbnb’s response varies. If you post a discriminatory listing, you’ll have to edit it. And if you either refuse to make changes or actively reject guests, you’ll face a suspension. There are limits to what Airbnb can do, though. It warns that it can’t enforce all aspects of the policy worldwide, since that may force hosts to break local laws. Also, the firm can’t stop hosts from discriminating over entirely legal matters. Don’t be surprised if you’re turned down for smoking, then.

The requirement is primarily a response to previous racist incidents rather than a proactive step, but it might be just what the company needs to discourage would-be hosts who might reject or insult guests for no good reason. The big challenge is enforcing the rules. Airbnb says that it will watch for hosts trying to skirt around the rules by using legal excuses (say, repeatedly rejecting guests on flimsy pretenses), but it’ll have to prove that it can catch this abuse in a timely fashion — waiting for a public outcry won’t cut it.

Via: Select All

Source: Airbnb (1), (2)

FilmStruck’s streaming service for classic films is here

You can look at FilmStruck in two ways. For film aficionados, it’s a one-stop shop for classic cinema. But it’s also known as the service that ripped the Criterion Collection away from Hulu. Announced back in July, FilmStruck is officially launching today with plans starting at $7 a month for Turner Classic Movies’ library of older films (and a bevy of special features). Bump up to $11 a month (or $99 a year) and you’ll get access to the biggest collection of Criterion films streaming online. You can access FilmStruck on iOS, Android, the web, Fire TV and, later this month, the Apple TV fourth-gen. It’ll also be available soon on Chromecast and Roku.

Clearly, FilmStruck isn’t targeting your typical Netflix viewer; but that might work out in its favor. There’s an overabundance of movie streaming services on the web, so going niche is one of the few paths to success. It also seems like FilmStruck is taking off with its target audience — it announced this afternoon that it had to pause new signups for a bit after getting overloaded with the initial rush.

I’ve yet to try out the service, but I’m looking forward to digging into its library. One of the big selling points for Hulu Plus was The Criterion Collection, which it’s offered exclusively for the past five years. All of those films will be leaving Hulu on November 11, leaving FilmStruck as the only way to get your Seven Samurai fix without renting or buying it.

Source: FilmStruck

Thunderbolt 3/USB-C Adapters, Cables, and Hubs for New MacBook Pro

In line with the 12-inch MacBook, Apple has removed all ports on the new MacBook Pro beyond two or four Thunderbolt 3 ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Thunderbolt 3 carries power, USB, DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA over a single USB-C port, creating one standard for connecting most accessories and peripherals.

The issue for now, however, is not all devices are equipped with USB-C ports. Apple’s very own iOS devices, for example, use a proprietary Lightning port instead.

More USB-C accessories will inevitably be released over the coming months and years, but in the meantime, many new MacBook Pro users will need to purchase at least one dongle or hub to use the notebook with their current setup. Own an iPhone? You need a new cable. Own a Thunderbolt Display? You need an adapter.

Below, we have rounded up some of the USB-C adapters and cables available from Apple and third-party accessory makers.

Apple

Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 1/2 Adapter — $49

This adapter can be used to connect the new MacBook Pro to Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 peripherals. Examples include Apple’s discontinued Thunderbolt Display and older Thunderbolt external storage drives.

The adapter can also be used to connect the new MacBook Pro to Apple’s Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter and Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter. Tip: Belkin sells a direct USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet adapter for $34.95.

The adapter is bidirectional, so it can be used reversely to connect new Thunderbolt 3 devices to an older Mac with a Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 port.

USB-C Charge Cable — $25

Have you ordered a new MacBook Pro and also own an iPhone? You can’t connect the two devices out of the box without purchasing an additional adapter or cable. One of those options is Apple’s own USB-C to Lightning cable.

The cable can be used to charge and sync any Lightning-equipped iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with USB-C devices like the new MacBook Pro. A 1-meter cable is available for $25, while a 2-meter version costs $35.

Few if any third-party Lightning to USB-C cables authorized under Apple’s MFi Program are currently available.

Tip: An alternative option is to purchase a USB-C adapter or hub with at least one USB-A port and then use a traditional Lightning to USB cable — see below.

USB-C to USB Adapter — $19

This adapter allows you to connect the new MacBook Pro to standard USB accessories such as keyboards, wired mice, flash drives, cameras, printers, docks, and more. USB 3.0 speeds.

This adapter can also be paired with a Lightning to USB cable to charge and sync an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Tip: Satechi sells a cheaper USB-C to USB adapter for $14.99 in gold, silver, and space gray. USB 3.0 speeds. Monoprice has one for an even cheaper $8.99.

USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter — $69

This adapter allows you to connect the new MacBook Pro to an HDMI display or TV in up to 1080p at 60Hz or Ultra HD (3,840 by 2,160 pixels) at 30Hz.

The adapter also has a USB-C port for pass-through charging, and a USB-A port for connecting a standard USB device such as a flash drive, camera, or sync cable.

Tip: Apple sells a similar USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter with VGA instead of HDMI for $69. Want just VGA? Belkin has a $40 adapter.

Third-Party

Satechi Slim 4K Multi-Port Adapter – $60

This hub connects to a single USB-C port on the new MacBook Pro and has one HDMI port with 4K display and TV support, two USB-A ports for standard USB devices, and one USB-C port for pass-through charging of USB-C devices. The hub is available in gold, rose gold, silver, and space gray.

4K Multi-Port Adapter (left) and Slim 4K Multi-Port Adapter (right)

Satechi 4K Multi-Port Adapter – $80

This hub connects to a single USB-C port on the new MacBook Pro and has one HDMI port with 4K display and TV support, three USB-A ports for standard USB devices, SD and microSD card readers, one Ethernet port, and one USB-C port for pass-through charging. The hub is available in gold, rose gold, and silver. SD card not included.

Satechi 3-in-1 Combo Hub — $35

This hub connects to a single USB-C port on the new MacBook Pro and has three USB-A ports for standard USB devices, an SD card slot, and a Micro SD card slot. Available in gold, silver, and space gray. USB 3.0 speeds. SD card not included.

Tip: A similar version of this hub with the addition of one USB-C port for pass-through charging is available for $45.

Satechi USB-C MicroSD and SD Card Reader — $15

This small and compact hub connects to a single USB-C port on the new MacBook Pro and has microSD and SD card readers. Available in silver on Amazon, and in gold and space gray on Satechi’s website. SD card not included.

HyperDrive USB-C Hub With 4K HDMI — $60

This new hub plugs into a single USB-C port on the new MacBook Pro and has one HDMI port with 4K display and TV support, two USB-A ports for standard USB devices, and one USB-C port with pass-through charging for USB-C devices. Available in gold, rose gold, silver, and space gray. USB 3.0 speeds.

HyperDrive 5-in-1 USB-C Hub — $43

This hub plugs into a single USB-C port on the new MacBook Pro and has two USB-A ports for standard USB devices, one SD card slot, one microSD card slot, and one USB-C port with pass-through charging for USB-C devices. Available in gold, silver, and space gray. USB 3.0 speeds. SD card not included.

OWC USB-C Dock — $150

This dock plugs into a single USB-C port on the new MacBook Pro and has four USB-A ports for standard USB devices, one Gigabit Ethernet port, one HDMI port with 4K display and TV support, one SD card slot, and one USB-C port with pass-through charging for USB-C devices. USB 3.1 speeds. 80W of power to charge the MacBook and peripherals. Available in gold, rose gold, silver, and space gray.

SanDisk Extreme Pro SD UHS-II Card USB-C Reader — $50

This adapter connects to a single USB-C port and allows you to quickly transfer HD photos and videos to the new MacBook Pro. It is the first USB-C SD card reader to support fast UHS-II transfer speeds up to 312 Mbps. It is also compatible with UHS-I and non-UHS SD cards. SD card is not included.

Tip: Don’t need USH-II speeds? Monoprice has a USB-C microSD card reader for $9.99.

Disclaimer: Third-party accessories not authorized under Apple’s MFi Program may be lower quality and/or pose safety risks.

Related Roundups: MacBook Pro, Retina MacBook
Tags: USB-C, Thunderbolt 3
Buyer’s Guide: Retina MacBook Pro (Buy Now), MacBook (Neutral)
Discuss this article in our forums

Google Pixel XL vs. Galaxy S7 edge: Battle for the best!

How to keep your Android, and your data, safe and secure

Do your part when it comes to keeping your private things private.

Security and privacy are always a hot topic in the mobile space. While there are plenty of high-profile headlines that try to convince us all that the sky is falling, there are also serious and valid concerns. Regrettably, the FUD often takes the stage and the real issues are lost in the maelstrom of bickering and tribalism about which company is the best.

Let’s take a moment and talk about what we can do to make our phones — the things that contain most every private detail about our lives — more secure.

We’re going to break down the things all of us can do to maximize security, so we can keep our information out of the hands of anyone who might do unfriendly things with it. Yes, this means you, too. You don’t have to be high-profile to be a target. Banking information, credit card data, and even your Social Security number can be pretty valuable information for a lot of people. Keeping it as safe as you can is a no-brainer.

More: The most secure Android Phone

This previously-published post was updated in November 2016.

Have a secure lock screen

We say this a lot, and we always hear things like “I never put my phone down” or “I’ll never lose my phone” or “I can remote wipe my phone” as replies. Those are all great options and ideas, and while we also hope you never have a lost or stolen phone, in the real-world stuff happens.

Use a password, PIN or any other means to secure the lock screen on your phone. It’s easy to do, and all the tools you need to do it are already built into your lock screen settings.

The inconvenience of having to unlock your phone when you pull it out of your pocket or pick it up from your desk is minimal, and things like Android’s Smart Lock features can make it something you won’t have to do as often.

Compared to the possible issues you would face if the wrong person was able to get in your phone because they stole it or you lost it, unlocking your phone when you pick it up is a minor inconvenience at the most.

Be safe. Protect your lock screen.

Only install apps you trust

For many of us, this means stick to the Google Play store exclusively.

Sideloading applications — a feature built into Android since the beginning — is a great option to have. It’s also just about the only way to encounter one of those “Android security scares” you’ll read about on the Internet, so you need to be careful here.

Only install apps from places you absolutely trust.

Google allows anyone willing to register a developer account to upload applications to Google Play, but they also scan each and every application to see if it’s malware. While things can (and have) slipped in and caused trouble during the time they were uploaded and had not yet been scanned, this is extremely rare (and happens in every application store, no matter how high the garden walls are) and chances are you’ll never have to face it.

Amazon, and OEMs like Samsung or LG also have application markets. These are probably just as safe — especially if you don’t have to allow “unknown sources” to download and install apps. There are also other alternative app stores, many of which have a very good reputation.

We’re not saying sideloading is a bad idea. If you know what you’re doing, and more importantly, have absolute trust in the source of the app you want to sideload, it’s a great option. Just don’t do anything you’re not 100 percent sure of.

More: Is it safe to use the Amazon App Store?

Do you need root?

Do you “need” to root your phone?

I get it, trust me I get it. You paid good money for the small computer in your hands and should be allowed to do anything with it that it is capable of doing. And that means you need root to do a lot of it.

But allowing root access on your phone makes it less secure. Not counting any silly mistakes you may make while fiddling with things (it happens to the best of us), there are also concerns about what third-party apps may want to try to do.

If you sideloaded an application that has hidden code to do bad things, it can’t do most of them if your phone isn’t rooted. It can try, but it won’t have the needed permissions to get to any sensitive data and it will fail.

Apps can root access to circumvent most any security feature.

If you allow root access, it has a chance to do more. You can rely on your best judgment as well as a superuser access prompt of one sort or another, but the folks trying to do bad things to your phone are clever.

If you don’t need root access on your phone, stay away. If you do need root access, you have to be more careful and more critical about anything you install if you want to stay safe.

A safe bootloader is a locked bootloader

Just like with root above, do you need to unlock your bootloader?

A locked bootloader is an excellent method to protect your phone, especially if someone steals it. If the right person gets your phone in his or her hands, and the bootloader is unlocked, they may be able to root it and bypass any password or other lock screen protection you have in place. This means they have all your stuff.

If your bootloader is locked, it’s far more difficult to get admin access and pull data off the phone because an attacker can’t just boot up with an insecure image and grab your data. To do that, they would need to unlock the bootloader, which erases all of your data.

I’ll admit, my bootloaders are usually unlocked. I know that means that half of the people reading this would be able to get a full copy of everything from my phone with minimal effort if they got my phone in their hands. Why do I risk this, you ask? I dunno. Don’t do the silly things I do unless you have a valid need.

Only click links you trust

If you get a link — whether it’s in an email, or a text, or an IM, or Facebook or anywhere — from someone you don’t know, do not click it.

I’ll repeat — don’t click any link from someone you don’t know.

Random Internet links from random people are a great way to find rogue apps that want to install themselves on your phone (they can’t unless you say it’s OK, though) or corrupted media files that can freeze things up, or even more serious exploits like the poorly-named “stagefright” hack.

And you might get RickRolled, too. Which is almost as bad.

Don’t click random links from random strangers.

Something nobody wants to talk about — faith in the people who made your phone

I know this is a touchy subject and is one of those things that is as divisive as it is informative. But it needs to be talked about and considered:

Are the folks who made your phone delivering those promised “monthly security updates” ?

When talking about Android and all the companies making phones that use it, things can get ugly and complicated.

Samsung, LG, HTC and the rest want to keep you as safe as they can. Making you feel safe means you’re more likely to be a return customer, and they also probably want to take care of their customers. The folks working there are also customers of someone, who would want to get all the security updates they need, too.

There isn’t much money to be made updating phones nobody is buying.

But it’s expensive. The code for any fix that goes into Android source code isn;t going to work if it has been changed. That means people have to be on staff that can take the time to make the necessary changes. Those folks aren’t working for free, so any time that’s not profitable it doesn’t happen.

The various Android vendors make good stuff. Nobody can deny that. But they also will never be able to keep current with security patches the way companies with fewer models and a more streamlined distribution method can.

Some of us are willing to trade off features and options and services for slower security patches. Some of us aren’t. Only you know the right answer for you.

There will always be a trade-off of convenience versus privacy and security if you want to use the services and features provided by the folks who made your phone or the software that runs on it. Apple, Google, and Microsoft all need to collect a good bit of anonymous (and that’s a key point — keeping it anonymized) data about how, when and where you’re using the things you use. Besides wanting to maximize profits, this also helps improve the services and features. For the most part, all these companies do a good job harvesting as much data as they can while keeping it anonymous, and not sharing it with anyone you don’t explicitly want it shared with.

While we can’t do much about how this is handled without buying the majority of voting stock in these companies, we can do a few simple things ourselves to stay more secure and safer.

ASUS ZenWatch 3 up for pre-order at $229, without Android Wear 2.0 of course

After a long nap, the ZenWatch 3 is launching … without Android Wear 2.0.

It’s been relative silence from ASUS since it announced the new round ZenWatch 3 back at IFA in Berlin at the end of August. But now we have pre-orders going live at both ASUS and B&H Photo, with pricing set at $229 and shipping windows of mid-November.

The ZenWatch line has always offered great value in terms of giving you a solid-looking and feeling watch for far less than the competition, and the new round design of the ZenWatch 3 builds on that. The metal body isn’t great, but the new Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor offers a nice performance bump and the price helps make this a compelling budget choice.

You’ll have to wait a bit longer for Android Wear 2.0

The only really interesting thing about this launch is that the ZenWatch 3 was originally promoted as the first Android Wear 2.0 watch … but since Google has pushed back the launch of that update, the watch will be shipping with Android Wear 1.4 like all of the other watches right now. It of course has the right specs inside to handle 2.0 come 2017, but this surely threw a bit of a wrench in its launch plans.

Right now the only model made available is the gunmetal grey with gold trim and a deep brown leather strap, so if you’re looking for one of the lighter color selections you’ll have to wait a bit. With pre-orders already kicking off and general availability just a couple weeks away, it shouldn’t be long before we have more options available.

See at ASUSSee at B&H Photo

Daydream View finally available starting November 10

Pixel owners, get your VR on in just over a week’s time.

Google has dropped launch details on its official blog for Daydream View, the first headset certified for its virtual reality platform. Owners of Daydream-certified phones — of which Google’s Pixels are so far the only ones — can pick up the fabric-clad goggles from November 10.

That’s when orders will ship from the Google Store, and in addition, Daydream View will also be available from a variety of retailers across five countries:

• United States: Verizon, Best Buy; $79 (USD)
• Canada: Bell, Rogers, Telus, Best Buy; $99 (CAD)
• United Kingdom: EE, Carphone Warehouse; £69 (GBP)
• Germany: Deutsche Telekom; €69 (EUR)
• Australia: Telstra, JB Hi-Fi; $119 (AUD)

A big retail push should ensure Google’s VR endeavor gets in front of as large an audience as possible in the early days, particularly as Pixel carrier partners like Verizon and EE promote the accessory alongside Google’s new phones.

Here’s what chief VR Head Russell Holly thought when he first tried Daydream a few weeks back:

Google’s first efforts with the Pixel XL created an experience with little of the “screen door effect” that plagues other VR headsets, and head tracking is a dream. Even the setup process is convenient — you place the phone down on the pad in the casing and an NFC tag launches Daydream and pairs you with the controller. When you close your phone against the lenses, alignment happens immediately with no QR codes to scan to make sure you have the best lens form on the display. The big question here is how any of this is different from Cardboard, and the answer to that is in the system itself.

MORE: Hands-on with Google’s Daydream View

See at Google StoreSee at Verizon

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

• Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
• Google Pixel XL review: A U.S. perspective
• Google Pixel FAQ: Should you upgrade?
• Pixel + Pixel XL specs
• Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
• Join the discussion in the forums!

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