Judge Throws Out $625 Million VirnetX Verdict Against Apple, Sets Two Separate Retrials
Apple will no longer have to pay $625.6 million to VirnetX, which claimed the Cupertino company was infringing upon four Internet security-related patents. The decision came last Friday afternoon from U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder in Tyler, Texas, claiming that it was “unfair” on Apple’s part that two VirnetX lawsuits were aimed at the company in one trial (via Reuters).
The case with VirnetX began originally in 2010, with a jury eventually awarding the company $368 million in 2012, but that decision was thrown out in 2014 after the court found the verdict was “‘tainted’ by erroneous jury instructions in the case.” VirnetX remained adamant and kept going after Apple, now amounting to the four total patents it believes Apple infringed upon, related to services like FaceTime and Messages.
In the new ruling, Judge Shroeder claimed that jurors in the current case may have been unknowingly swayed and influenced by the events of the previous lawsuit, ultimately leading to an “unfair trial.” As such, he has ordered that each case face a separate retrial, the first beginning next month on September 26. VirnetX CEO Kendall Larsen mentioned the company’s disappointment at Shroeder’s decision, but is preparing for the upcoming retrials all the same.
“We are disappointed,” VirnetX Chief Executive Kendall Larsen said in a statement on Monday. “We are reviewing all our options and will follow the court’s direction as we start preparing for these retrials.”
In May, following its win in February, VirnetX continued to ask for more money from Apple, along with an injunction to block FaceTime and Messages while the case was happening. VirnetX is one of many companies described as a “patent troll” going after Apple in the court system by attesting that some of the company’s most popular services and products were originated by someone else.
A Supreme Court ruling from earlier in the summer has made it easier for Apple — and any company facing legal issues from such “patent assertion businesses” — to challenge lawsuits like the one from VirnetX. Still, this one isn’t over yet, since Apple will now have to face VirnetX again, twice, with the upcoming pair of separate retrials ordered by Judge Shroeder.
Tags: patent trials, VirnetX
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Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of tvOS 10 to Developers
Apple today provided developers with the fourth beta of tvOS 10, the next-generation operating system designed to run on the fourth-generation Apple TV. tvOS 10 beta 4 comes two weeks after the release of tvOS beta 3 and more than a month after the operating system was first shown off at Apple’s 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference
tvOS betas are more difficult to install than beta updates for iOS and OS X. Installing the tvOS beta requires the Apple TV to be connected to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, with the software downloaded and installed via iTunes or Apple Configurator. Once a beta profile has been installed on the device through iTunes, new beta releases will be available over the air.
tvOS 10 builds on the features initially introduced in tvOS last October, bringing expanded Siri capabilities with topic-based search, Live Tune-In for automatically accessing live channels, and options for managing HomeKit accessories.
Single-Sign On allows users to sign in and authenticate cable credentials just once instead of requiring authentication in all cable-supported apps, games are now able to require controllers, and there are new features for Photos and Music.
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A dark mode offers a better visual experience for darker rooms, universal apps are automatically downloaded, and there’s a new Apple TV remote for iOS devices that mirrors the Siri Remote.
For a full overview of all of the new features in tvOS 10, make sure to check out our tvOS 10 roundup.
Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
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Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of macOS Sierra to Developers
Apple today released the fourth beta of macOS Sierra, the newest operating system designed for the Mac, to developers. macOS Sierra beta 4 comes two weeks after the release of the third beta and almost two months after the software was first unveiled at Apple’s 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference.
Developers can download today’s beta update through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store or through the Apple Developer Center.
macOS Sierra is a significant update bringing Siri to the Mac for the first time, allowing users to conduct voice searches to quickly find files, look up information, and more. New Continuity features offer an “Auto Unlock” option for unlocking a Mac with an Apple Watch and a Universal Clipboard for copying something on one Apple device and pasting it on another.
Deeper iCloud integration makes files stored on the desktop or the Documents folder of a Mac available on all of a user’s devices, and Photos features deep learning algorithms for improved facial, object, and scene recognition. There’s a Memories feature for displaying photo collections, and Messages has rich links, bigger emoji, and “Tapback” response options.
Apple Pay is coming to the web in macOS Sierra, with payments authenticated through an iPhone or Apple Watch, and new features like multiple tabs, Picture in Picture multitasking, and optimized storage are also available.
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During the beta testing period, Apple will tweak and refine the features introduced in macOS Sierra. Any changes found in the fourth beta release will be listed below.
macOS Sierra is currently available to developers and public beta testers, and it will see a wider public release this fall. For full details on all of the new features included in macOS Sierra, make sure to check out our macOS Sierra roundup.
Related Roundup: macOS Sierra
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iOS 10 Beta 4 Includes Dozens of New Emoji Promoting Gender Equality
Today’s iOS 10 update includes more than 100 new emoji with expanded gender options for a wide range of activities and professions, allowing users to choose a man or a woman when expressing themselves through emoji.
Emoji that previously only featured men, such as the cyclist, swimmer, police officer, and construction worker, are now available for either gender, and emoji that previously featured only women, such as the haircut emoji or the massage emoji, now also feature men. All of the new emoji are also available in a range of different skin tones.
The new emoji come following changes to Unicode implemented in July by the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee, which include male and female versions of 33 existing emoji. The change also included a range of new professions from scientist to doctor to cook, but Apple does not appear to have added these.
iOS 10 beta 4 is currently available for developers and can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air on devices running previous iOS 10 betas. Apple will likely release a new public beta containing the emoji later this week, and a worldwide public release will come in the fall alongside new iOS devices.
Related Roundup: iOS 10
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Best wallet cases for Samsung Galaxy Note 5
What are the best wallet cases for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5?
Whether you need to take every card with you or just some cash and your ID, a wallet case for your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is a perfect way to merge all of your necessities into one convenient case that’s functional and fashionable.
- IZENGATE Classic Series wallet case
- TabPow wallet flip case
- iNNEXT wallet case
- Verus Layered Dandy slim fit wallet
- Abacus24-7 wallet case
- Starry Day genuine leather wallet
IZENGATE Classic Series wallet case
This PU leather wallet case from IZENGATE comes in four colors: black, purple, turquoise, and mint. Just snap your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 into place and load up to four cards, as well as some cash in its own pocket, and head out on the town.
The detachable wristlet lets you use the wallet as a clutch; no worries about dropping it when it’s connected to your wrist. The case also folds easily into a kickstand for hands-free viewing or talking. The snap closure isn’t magnetic but it holds the wallet securely closed.
Well-reviewed, well-made, good looking; tough to pass up the IZENGATE Classic Series wallet case.
See at Amazon
TabPow wallet flip case
With room for up to seven cards and a special spot for a few bills, the wallet flip case from TabPow has a unique design. The two-fold system is surprisingly not bulky and it comes in black, white, or brown.
The magnetic closure holds everything in place and TabPow even sends along a screen protector for your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 for a little extra scratch protection. The actual phone case within the wallet is removable for the times when you don’t want to use the full wallet.
For a full-sized bill fold and a little extra room, the TabPow wallet flip case is an excellent choice.
See at Amazon
iNNEXT wallet case
If you have 10 or more cards that you absolutely can’t leave the house without and you’re the kind who tends to carry pockets full of coins, the wallet case from iNNEXT is exactly what you need. You also get to choose from eight lovely colors to go with your Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
The zippered pouch is perfect for cash and even a house key. The PU leather is manufactured to look like cowhide, and that gives the wallet a nice textured, grippy feel. The interior phone case is held in place with strong magnets and the whole wallet is secured on one side with a magnetic clasp and on the other with a snap closure.
The only issue here is that there’s no back cutout for the camera, which means you have to take your phone out in order to snap a photo. Considering how much you get to take along with you and how secure everything is, that’s not a bad trade-off at all.
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Verus Layered Dandy slim fit wallet
The Verus Layered Dandy slim fit wallet is about as slim as they come if you’re looking to avoid any kind of extra size or bulk at all. Your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will fit nicely inside along with three cards and a little cash.
The faux leather is dyed to look and feel aged, while the PC interior protects your phone against drops and bumps. The precise cutouts on the back allow you to use the camera without removing the case, and the magnetic clasp closure won’t fly open on you after you’ve snapped it shut.
The wallet comes in black, coffee brown, and the wine red that’s pictured here.
See at Amazon
Abacus24-7 wallet case
Abacus24-7 is a popular brand in the world of wallet cases and for good reason. Like many of its wallet offerings, this one converts easily into a kickstand, while keeping a good hold on the three cards and cash that it stores in addition to your Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
The synthetic leather exterior comes in six different colors and the protective TPU interior protects against bumps and shocks that can’t be avoided. Ports, buttons, and access to the S Pen remain open, and the strong magnetic closure keeps everything in its place.
For a popular brand that does the job and then some, Abacus24-7 is a good choice.
See at Amazon
Starry Day genuine leather wallet
If you’re prepared to spend just a little more, you can get your hands on a genuine leather wallet from Starry Day in the beautiful olive green pictured here; alternate colors include light and dark brown, black, and pink.
Two oversized interior pockets store several cards and a little cash while the snap closure secures everything under the cover of a stylish brass button. The removable wristlet turns the wallet into the perfect clutch for an evening out.
Starry Day will even customize your wallet with a monogram, making it a fantastic gift for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 owner in your life, or a treat for yourself to go with your new favorite phone from Samsung.
See at Etsy
Grab everything and go!
Which wallet case are you using right now for your Samsung Galaxy Note 5? Tell us all about it in the comments below.
ZTE Axon 7 review: Incredible hardware, dicey software
ZTE’s second designed-in-America flagship hits all the right notes.
ZTE impressed a lot of people, including me, with its Axon and Axon Pro flagships in 2015. Accessible, stand-out designs met high quality build materials, great performance, a focus on audio quality, and impressive cameras. They even ran what amounted to an approximation of stock Android.
The Chinese company’s follow-up takes a number of cues from its predecessors, while improving several aspects of the hardware to better compete with 2016 rivals like the OnePlus 3.
The bottom line
The ZTE Axon 7 is an impressive blend of high-end hardware and mostly unblemished Android 6.0.1-based software that skimps on little to get to its $399 price point.
The Good
- Excellent build quality and unique design
- Competitive price
- Extremely compact for a 5.5-inch phone
- Fantastic daylight camera
The Bad
- Software gimmicks distract from the experience
- Camera struggles in poor light
- Some translation issues
- 6GB version limited to Chinese market
 |
5.97 in151.7mm |  |
| 2.9 in75mm | 0.31 in7.9mm |
- Display:
- 5.5-inch Quad HD
- AMOLED Display
- 2560×1440 resolution (538ppi)
- Camera:
- 20MP, ƒ/1.5 lens, OIS,
- 8MP front camera, ƒ/2.2 lens, OIS
- Battery:
- 3250 mAh capacity
- Quick Charge 3.0
- Chips:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor
- Quad-core 2.2GHz
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB internal storage
- microSD slot with adoptable storage
About this review
I (Daniel Bader) am reviewing the Axon 7 after spending a week with it in Toronto, on the Bell network, and in New York, on T-Mobile. During that time, the phone ran Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with build A2017UV1.0.0B18, security patch May 1, 2016. No updates were issued during my testing period.
ZTE Axon 7 Hardware
I am truly impressed by the Axon 7. As someone who prefers smaller phones, its compact body, which happens to accommodate an excellent 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display, is one of its signature features.
How ZTE managed that is by reducing the size of the bezels above and below the display, and by minimizing the area filled by the capacitive buttons. Like many recent Android phones, the navigation buttons are capacitive, but these touch targets are very, very small. And while their functions can be reversed in software — either dot can be assigned either “back” or “recents” — they are not backlit, which can make it very difficult to locate the right area in a darkened room. Come on, ZTE, you’re better than this.
More: ZTE Axon 7 specs
Using the phone reminded me how accustomed I have become to using, say, the Galaxy S7’s physical home button to orient my thumb, and how that isn’t possible on something like the Axon 7. Unlike the OnePlus 3, there is no option to enable on-screen buttons, and the Axon 7 saves vital front-of-phone real estate by placing the fingerprint sensor on the phone’s back, under the 20 megapixel rear camera sensor.
While I received the gold version of the phone, both colors — Ion Gold and Quartz Gray — are made from unibody aluminum that curves around the shallow sides. Though it impresses no more than the OnePlus 3 did for its price, it’s clear that the investment ZTE has made in its manufacturing, and the collaboration with BMW’s Designworks team, has paid off.
Around back, the 20MP rear camera sits at the top of a symmetrical strip of hardware, flanked by a fingerprint sensor below and a flash in the middle. That fingerprint sensor is no better than many of its competitors, but having transitioned from a number of devices with front-facing varieties, I still find myself preferring it on the back while the phone is in a pocket, but getting frustrated when it is sitting on a desk.
It’s clear that the investment ZTE has made in its manufacturing, and the collaboration with BMW’s Designworks team, has paid off.
Thankfully, the Axon 7’s 3250 mAh battery is good enough to hold up for a decent day’s usage. While the phone doesn’t support wireless charging due to its metal back, it supports Quick Charge 3.0, and gains about 50% in 30 minutes — a number that we already take for granted, but is still astonishing. Moreover, the Axon 7, at 7.9mm thin, has larger battery than most phones in its class, and certainly better uptime than many devices we’ve recently reviewed.
While we typically shy away from performing synthetic battery benchmarks, I’ll say this: after using the Axon 7 for two weeks as my primary device, I only once had to charge it for a few minutes midday, largely from an abundance of caution. Every other day it just lasted from the time I woke up until I went to bed. And I get up early and go to bed late.
Finally, there’s the audio side of things. Few phones have great speakers, and even less have ample hardware to push high-resistance headphones. The Axon 7 has both. The legacy of what the company calls Hi-Fi audio began with the original Axon, which saw, in addition to a dedicated Digital-to-Analog converter (DAC) a secondary audio codec used to enhance audio recording, particularly with video. While the average person isn’t going to notice a big difference in headphone output quality between the Axon 7 and, say, a Galaxy S7 or iPhone 6s, ZTE has included some very high-quality components from AKM, a company that sells its audio conversion equipment primarily to very manufacturers of very expensive audiophile equipment.
Few phones have great speakers, and even less have ample hardware to push high-resistance headphones. The Axon 7 has both.
Aspects of the phone’s sound, from a very low signal-to-noise ratio to extremely accurate (for a phone) audio input when recording video, will likely go unappreciated by the vast majority of users — but to those who care, this phone is a dream.
What will be noticed immediately is the robust sound from the dual front-facing speakers, which are powered by a comparatively massive amplifier. Remember HTC BoomSound? Think of this as ZTE BoomierSound.
ZTE Axon 7 Software
ZTE’s software, while still mired by translation issues that will hopefully be cleaned up in a future build, is impressively restrained for a Chinese manufacturer. Even the stock launcher — humorously called Stock Android — is free of that type of affect that Americans have widely rejected from companies like Xiaomi and Huawei.
But there are remnants of a more playful and experimental side within the settings, such as the ability to unlock the phone with your voice. That’s right, ZTE is all-in on voice actions, allowing you to launch apps and even unlock the phone with a voice command. The problem isn’t the ideas, though, but the implementation: like so many proprietary voice-based services, the feature rarely works, and when it does you have to enunciate the words with the precision of a radio announcer. After several attempts at getting the feature to work, I turned it off and promptly forgot about it.
Then there’s a feature called Mi-Pop, which surfaces a set of virtual navigation keys in the vein of a chat head — by default, it’s a back button, but holding down on it reveals a full set of back, home, and multitasking options that attempt to ameliorate the fact that the physical home buttons are static. I’m sure over the years you’ve seen iPhone users resorting to the on-screen home button accessed through the iOS accessibility menu, and this is similar, though slightly more full-featured. After a few moments of opaqueness, the Mi-Pop overlay turns translucent, waiting for yet another input.
The fact that Mi-Pop replaces the basic option of adding on-screen navigation buttons irks me to no end.
Here’s the thing: I understand that ZTE is trying something new (well, a new take on something old), but the fact that Mi-Pop replaces the basic option of adding on-screen navigation buttons irks me to no end. Especially since, strangely, the model we handled in our preview did have on-screen buttons. I’m not asking ZTE to confirm to the industry, but if you’re going to throw the kitchen sink at a problem, at least make sure the plumbing is installed correctly. As a feature, Mi-Pop is buggy and poorly animated, and requires a secondary swipe to open the menu that reveals the remaining Home and Recents menu buttons. Like so many of the Axon 7’s “value-added” features, Mi-Pop is a good idea implemented poorly.
The good news is that neither voice unlock nor Mi-Pop nor Dolby Atmos — a nicely branded but terrible equalizer app that comes bundled with the phone — are necessary to enjoy the close-to-stock software experience. ZTE didn’t mess with the Settings nor the notification shade, and aside from a few quirks with the lock screen, there is little to complain about. The phone runs like a dream — with a Snapdragon 820 and 4GB of RAM one would hope so — and because it is so compact I found myself using it with one hand with no major problems. That is, only after I inserted the ultra-slippery metal body into the clear TPU case that comes in the box.
ZTE did see fit to include some useful gestures with the Axon 7. A three-finger pinch quickly takes a screenshot, while a strong shake of the phone while idling on the lock screen activates the flashlight.
DeviantArt junkies (or fans of moody wallpapers in general) will also appreciate the on-by-default cycling of lock screen backgrounds whenever the phone is turned on. Most of the photos are over-the-top HDR depictions of popular tourist locations such as the Eiffel Tower or Arizona’s Coyote Buttes rock formation, but I began to look forward to seeing what was going to appear next on the occasional time I didn’t use the fingerprint sensor to skip the lock screen altogether.
The phone runs like a dream and because it is so compact I found myself using it with one hand with no major problems.
The Axon 7, despite having no carrier bloatware to speak of, does come with a couple of non-essential apps that purport to offer value, but really don’t. The most egregious is ZTE Rewards, which asks you to download a number of apps from Perk, a loyalty company that offers free stuff in exchange for a bunch of personal information. More useful is WeShare, an app that allows you to transfer contacts, texts, photos and other phone-specific content from one phone to another.
ZTE Axon Cameras
Eschewing its predecessor’s second sensor used for depth augmentation, the Axon 7 comes with a bevy of camera features all its own. The 20MP Samsung ISOCELL sensor is comparable in quality to what you’d find on any mainstream flagship device today. The sensor measures 1/2.6-inch and sports pixels of 1.12-microns in diameter, similar to that of the LG G5. The f/1.8 lens appears to be sharp in the middle with a hint of distortion at the corners while allowing for impressive and true depth of field.
In practice, the Axon 7 is capable of some magnificent photos. The daylight photos appear color-true and free of significant noise, through chromatic aberrations are common in scenes with high-contrast subjects transposed on a bright sky. The lens is able to focus nearly as close to a subject as the Galaxy S7, our macro leader, and one of the best-performing phone cameras on the market.
As with all phones, the less light available to the sensor, the more grainy and less impressive the photo. That is especially true here, even with optical image stabilization playing an important role in keeping the shutter open as long as possible without introducing motion blur. The problem is the size of the pixels; most phones are moving towards sensors with fewer but larger pixels. The Axon 7 bucks that trend by focusing on resolution and detail. As a result, low-light photos — even those taken with ample indoor light — emerge yellow and splotchy, with a lack of fine detail. It’s also worth noting that the sensor is actually 16:9 by default, a blunder Samsung corrected this year with the Galaxy S7.
The 8MP front-facing camera is good, and features plenty of ways to turn one’s skin “beautiful,” which by phone maker standards means soft and artificial. Still, despite a few-second delay in opening the app the camera app itself is nicely designed, with an auto mode that is easy to use and a manual mode that features all the granular settings a photographer like me would care about. And because the Snapdragon 820 is so much faster than the Axon’s Snapdragon 801, 4K video capture is smooth at 30 fps and lacks the judder we’ve come to expect from unsteady hand movement. It’s no Galaxy S7, but it’s close.
Unfortunately, ZTE decided to crib from the wrong company inside its camera app; not only did it blatantly steal the iPhone’s live filters, but it also coopted Apple’s Live Photos feature down to the name. Activating LIVE Photo (sic) captures a short 1080p video clip stored in .mp4 format that can be played alongside the static photo, but, like Apple’s own faltering format it (though fun) answers a question that nobody asked.
Odds and ends
This phone is interesting for a number of reasons, least of which is the fact that it supports two SIM cards and a microSD slot. I used the phone on a recent trip to New York and back home to Toronto, placing a T-Mobile SIM card in the secondary slot. While the phone is able to field incoming calls and texts from either number, a single data connection must be specified (for obvious reasons), and the handoff is seamless between the two. Having no use for a dual-SIM phone in Canada, my first experience taking advantage of one was largely positive. Some of the user experience (UX) around setting up the individual SIM cards could be improved, but those are minor criticisms.
The Axon 7 is one of the best phone surprises I’ve had so far in 2016.
The Axon 7 also sports a USB Type-C port, which is becoming increasingly common among Android phones in 2016. And while the company ships a Quick Charge 3.0 charger and Type-C cable in the box, it generously provides a micro-USB adapter for those who want to keep using those older, far more ubiquitous cables. It’s one of many nice touches in a box that includes a very decent pair of headphones and the aforementioned clear TPU case.
Another nice addition is the Passport 2.0 protection plan, which is included alongside every Axon 7 purchased directly from the company in the U.S.. Because the phone is unlocked and carrier-free, it does not include any bloatware — a bonus on top of a two-year warranty, easy warranty exchanges, low-cost repairs and more. It’s great that ZTE is maintaining this program, but it’s only available to buyers in the U.S., and it only honors hardware; there is no equivalent promise on the software side. And that is something to be concerned about.
ZTE has an awful reputation for keeping its phones updated. Indeed, the Axon and Axon Pro, while eventually receiving an update to Android 6.0 earlier this year, have each received only one update, and are still on the May 1, 2016 security patch (which, ironically, is the same as the Axon 7).
Should you buy it? Yes
The Axon 7 is one of the best phone surprises I’ve had so far in 2016. Like the OnePlus 3, it provides tremendous value for its $400 asking price, and despite a few software quirks is without major compromise.
Not only is it wonderfully compact for a 5.5-inch phone, but it is well-made and nicely designed, replete with an excellent camera setup and superlative sound. If you can overcome the need to have the latest software (or expeditious software updates, for that matter), the ZTE Axon 7 is one of the best unlocked smartphones you can buy today.
See at Amazon
Instagram should have had harassment prevention tools years ago
I was never sure when it was going to happen next. I’d open Instagram and see the heart-shaped notification icon lit up. Maybe three of you liked my latest #nofilter sunset shot! Except sometimes, instead of hearts, what I saw were comments from strangers. Usually mean ones.
Each time, I did the only thing you can do when you find yourself abused on Instagram: I swiped on the comment, hit the block button and reported it as hate speech. Most recently, a stranger left comments on half a dozen of my photos, one of which was from two-and-a-half years ago (meaning, you’d have to spend some time digging through my archive to find it).
After spending however many minutes it took to flag each comment about my neck flaps (what?), my fivehead (fuck you) and my “hopefully-cancerous” moles (sigh), I decided I was done. Not done with Instagram, but done sharing my photos with the world. I don’t like feeling like I’m giving in to the trolls, but with barely any control over who can see or comment on my posts, I don’t feel safe enough on Instagram to stay public.
To be clear, this isn’t about me having thin skin. Calling me gay because I posed for a picture with my future sister-in-law isn’t as cutting as you think. And to the guy who thinks I’m flat-chested, well, you’re just wrong. No, this is about my sense of safety. It’s a creepy feeling when a stranger goes out of his way to insult me, and to not even know why.
This is about my sense of safety.
But according to a Washington Post report published Friday, I might soon be able to reopen my account to the public. After speaking with Instagram’s head of public policy, the Post was able to confirm that the company is testing improved comment-moderation tools for “high volume comment threads,” including the ability to block certain words and disable comments on individual posts. “High-volume threads” is, of course, a euphemism for celebrity accounts — the Taylor Swifts and Kim Kardashians of the world — but Instagram told the Post that these features will eventually roll out to the rest of the community as well. In addition, an Instagram spokesperson tells me that the company has a team dedicated to keeping the community safe.
That’s great, but also too little, too late. This should have been a priority when Instagram launched six years ago. Even now that it is, the moderation tools are skimpy, and only famous people have the privilege of using them. Meanwhile, these features have long since been available on other social networks — in some cases even on Facebook, which owns Instagram.
These are not esoteric tools, either; many people would benefit from them. Not just public figures like me, but everybody — all 500 million users. Think of everyone whose posts became more widely visible just because they used a popular hashtag. And think of the teenagers who could be spared some public bullying if they, too, had finer control over their comments.
And it’s really those people who Instagram should have been keeping in mind all these years. As painful as harassment has been for me, I’m at least in a privileged position: I help run a large tech-news site that frequently covers Instagram. I have the platform to write an editorial like this one, and I can email a human at the company and tell her about my experience.
In Instagram’s defense, it’s not the only social network with a bullying problem. Twitter has long been a hotbed for harassment, with a racist campaign against comedian Leslie Jones being the most recent high-profile example. What makes Instagram different, though, is that the solutions have always seemed painfully obvious. Instagram was correct: We do need the ability to disable comments on select posts, or all of them, for that matter. But there are so many other no-brainer solutions not mentioned in that Post report. Give us the option of approving all comments before they go live, or to allow comments only from people we follow. Oh, and add a mute function, please.
None of these features would fundamentally change the site, either. This isn’t Twitter, whose entire premise is predicated on people speaking in public. For many of us, it’s really about the likes.
The solutions always seemed painfully obvious.
Besides, fewer comments would be good news for Instagram as well. If you let me disable comments from randos, I would never have to block anyone or report abuse, which means no one at Instagram would have to read my harassment report to decide if the comment in question fits their murky definition of hate speech. Not that Instagram ever responds to abuse reports anyway — it doesn’t. For all I know, no one’s even reading. Regardless, with granular privacy controls in place, Instagram wouldn’t have to be an arbiter of hate speech, as Twitter so frequently does. I’m not sure why that didn’t occur to them earlier.
What rankles most is that these tools would probably not have taken long to implement, what with all the engineers Instagram has at its disposal. Even if this were a serious undertaking, the company has already had plenty of time. Indeed, Instagram’s silence on harassment has been damning. This calendar year alone, the company has taken it upon itself to block swear words in comments, add an in-photo text translator, lengthen the video limit to 60 seconds, block links to Telegram and Snapchat, and screw with the order of people’s feeds. That’s to say nothing of the energy the company has invested in censoring nipples, launching a failed Snapchat competitor and trying to make Instagram Direct a thing.
It’s not that Instagram didn’t have the time or resources before now to take on harassment — it’s that until now, it wasn’t a priority.
Clinton and Kaine will answer your questions on Quora
Donald Trump’s Reddit AMA was a bizarre affair, as the Republican candidate answered just a dozen questions while mods banned some 2,000 accounts. Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, will go in a completely different direction with a group Q&A on Quora, the hive mind site that answers any question, however idiotic. The session is now open, and the top question so far is “how will [Hillary Clinton] address Trump supporters’ major concerns?”
Quora may seem an unusual choice for such a thing, but it previously hosted queries from the White House following President Obama’s 2012 State of the Union address. Founder Adam D’Angelo said in March that the site has 100 million monthly unique visitors, with about half of those from the US. Reddit, by contrast, hosts around 230 million users per month. (Trump’s AMA was not hosted on the main forum, but rather the Trump-friendly “r/the_donald” subreddit.)
Quora recently launched its “Sessions” platform to host Q&A sessions, and VP candidate Kaine was one of the first guests. With the new format, the site promises more Q&As with “economists, authors, political scientists, doctors, movie casts, etc.” You can now put your questions to the Democrat party’s presidential and vice-presidential nominees, who will respond at a session on August 8th.
Via: The Verge
Source: Quora
Huawei’s Honor Note 8 packs a huge 6.6-inch screen
Honor might be a Huawei sub-brand, but it’s definitely taking the spotlight today. It’s introducing the Honor Note 8, an upper-mid-range behemoth meant to take on the likes of Xiaomi’s Mi Max. Its focal point is undoubtedly its 6.6-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 screen — it’s both larger and sharper than its Xiaomi rival, and clearly built for people whose smartphone might be their only computing device. You won’t get an exotic camera setup like on the Huawei P9 (there’s ‘just’ one rear 13-megapixel camera with stabilization). However, you will get the P9’s Kirin 955 octa-core processor as well as a hefty 4GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel front camera, a fingerprint reader, a sizeable 4,500mAh battery and 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of expandable storage.
It’s being joined by the Honor 5 (below), a more modest device that sits under the Honor 5X. It’s very much a lower-mid-range device between its 5-inch 720p display, quad-core MediaTek processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, 8-megapixel rear camera and 2-megapixel front shooter. About its biggest perk is its dual-SIM support for people who need more than one line. Still, it’s a viable alternative if the 5X is too big or pricey.
The Honor 5 will be available in China on August 2nd, where it’ll cost a downright frugal 599 RMB ($90). You’ll have to wait until August 9th to get the Honor Note 8, although its Chinese prices range from 2,299 RMB for 32GB ($346) to 2,799 RMB for 128GB ($420). That’s much more expensive than the $230 Mi Max, but a bargain if you’re looking for a massive but capable handset. The question is whether or not any of these devices will reach the US. The 5X did, but it also hit a sweet spot for screen size, features and price — the Note 8 and 5 are more specialized devices that might have a tougher time in the States.
Via: Engadget Chinese, Android Central, Android Headlines
Source: Honor
Longtime Shareware Payments Processor Kagi Shuts Down
After more than 20 years in operation, once popular software payments processor Kagi yesterday announced on its home page that it has shut down effectively immediately. Longtime Mac users are probably familiar with Kagi, which assisted numerous small developers in accepting credit card payments from users.
Kagi arose in the 1990s on the popularity of shareware, which allowed developers to widely distribute their software with time or feature limits as trial versions and then offer unlock codes for a fee to open up full functionality. Processing credit card payments for these unlock codes was difficult for small developers who didn’t have the manpower or financial resources to handle payment issues or deal with setting up merchant accounts with credit card companies, and Kagi provided a solution for those developers by handling the payment processing, code distribution, and development and maintenance of store pages.
With the evolution of payment processing in the form of PayPal and Stripe, Kagi’s popularity waned, though it continued to be used by a number of small developers. Ultimately, however, that user base was not enough to sustain the service, with founder Kee Nethery also citing a decade-old case of supplier fraud that Kagi was never able to recover from as a major reason for finally closing down.
Based on the notice posted on Kagi’s site and emails sent to developers using the service, a third-party company is “dividing up the Kagi assets and distributing them to the creditors,” so it is possible some developers may not receive the full amount they are owed as Kagi shuts down.
Tag: Kagi
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