Shardul Thakur wears Sachin Tendulkar's number 10 jersey, gets trolled!

Shardul Thakur during the match. Pic/ AFP

Indian cricketer Shardul Thakur made his one-day International cricket debut during the fourth ODI between India and Sri Lanka.

While, Shardul became the 218th cricketer to represent India in an ODI, he attracted the attention of Twitter users for a whole different purpose.

Shardul Thakur was seen sporting the number 10 jersey, which was earlier worn by none other than cricket great Sachin Tendulkar.

Twitterati took no time in slamming the Indian pacer and asked BCCI to retire the number 10 jersey as well. Here are some of the tweets that poured in.

#jerseyno10 is belongs to one and only #SachinTendulkar
Who is this @imShard can take this number
Plz @BCCI don't repeat this in next match http://pic.twitter.com/J3khgGslnu

— VenkatBharatKorikana (@LoyalSachiNist) September 1, 2017

Shardul Thakur is wearing jersey no. 10. How can anyone in Indian team take that number now? #disappointed #SLvIND #cricbuzz @cricbuzz

— JAY KUMAR MEGOTIA (@megotiakumarjay) August 31, 2017

WTF 😠😠 Shardul Thakur wearing #Jersey10 !!
BCCI Have you lost your mind 😠😡 this jersey belongs to only one man 😬 disgusting #INDvSL

— CrickeTendulkar 🇮🇳 (@CrickeTendulkar) August 31, 2017

Didn't like Shardul Thakur wearing jersey no.10!Infact can't see anyone wearing it except Sachin
Bcci shud respect d emotions of Sachin fans

— Swati (@SwatiT_) September 1, 2017

Shardul Thakur is wearing jersey no10. Can't accept it.Ind's no.10 is Sachin.can't even imagine anyone else in that jersey#RetireJerseyNo10

— varunn (@imvarunp) August 31, 2017

So many emotions are attached to #jerseyno10 @imShard please don't hurt them #retirejerseyno10 @BCCI

— sachint_myhero (@sachint_myhero) August 31, 2017

Dear @BCCI @imShard kindly #retirejerseyno10 @sachin_rt

— Ashish Verma (@ashu112) August 31, 2017

how can anybody take 10 number Jersey @BCCI should change "Shardul Thakur" shirt no. even @imShard have to think about sham on him

— sushil purohit (@sushilpurohit) August 31, 2017

No. 10 Belongs to Shardul Thakur
how?? @sachin_rt @BCCI

— AMBUJ KUMAR SINHA (@ambuj_sinha) August 31, 2017

Shardul Thakur! The 2nd Indian Cricketer to sport a Jersey No.10 after Sachin Tendulkar?! #SLvIND

— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) August 31, 2017

Indian skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both scored centuries to help India post a total of 375. India went on to win the match by a huge margin of 168 runs making it 4-0 in the ODI series.

Also view photos: Ex-cricketers in their current jobs: Uber driver, bus stand cleaner

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The littleBits Droid Inventor Kit lets you build an R2-D2 of your very own

Ever wanted to build an R2-D2 to call your own?

You could drop a few million dollars to get all the screen-used parts/props…

Or you could spend a few weeks in the shop bangin’ on scrap metal to build one from scratch.

Or you could grab littleBit’s new Droid Inventor Kit and call it a day. It’s pint-sized and not quite as intense as the aforementioned options, but hey — it’s your R2.

Unfamiliar with littleBits? It was founded back in 2011, and focuses on introducing kids to electronics and circuitry by way of modular components that snap together. Want to build a little Taboo-style buzzing button? Grab a battery module, a button module and a speaker module, stick their magnetic ends together and you’re set — no soldering (and thus no soldering iron burns) required.

This Droid Inventor Kit is a pretty sweet concept: one $99 box containing all the motors, speakers, stickers, sensors and Droid body parts you’d need to recreate a bleeping, blorping, rolling R2-D2 of your own. Want to mix things up a bit? You can do that, too:

A companion iOS/Android app gives you the step-by-step breakdown of how to piece things together, along with a series of missions meant to encourage kids to tweak their Droid to their liking. That one above, for example, has a little paper “drill” that spins as it rolls around the room.

This kit should start shipping by September 1st.

This is a pretty huge partnership for littleBits; they joined Disney’s startup accelerator last year, and this is the first new product to hit the shelves as a result. Check it out at around the 2 minute mark in the video below.

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Australian players face media heat after maiden Test loss to Bangladesh

Steve Smith

Australia's "overpaid prima donna" cricketers were shamed by their humbling first Test defeat to Bangladesh on Wednesday.

Bangladesh claimed their first-ever Test win over one-time power Australia and only their 10th in 101 Tests against all nations, beating Steve Smith's men by 20 runs on the fourth day.

Australia are currently ranked fourth to Bangladesh's ninth in the ICC Test rankings. While applauding Bangladesh's feat, Australia's media focused on the huge financial disparity between the two sides. "What happened in Dhaka was on one hand wonderful for world cricket and on the other embarrassing for a pack of overpaid prima donnas," the Melbourne Herald-Sun thundered. "Australia, if you're going to go strike over their pay packets, you want to make sure you back it up in the field of play. Losing to Bangladesh is hardly doing that."

The Australian newspaper said: "The hapless 11 who became the first Australian team to lose a Test to Bangladesh will be paid an average of Aus$1.36 million from Cricket Australia this financial year, or about Aus$26,000 a week."

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Bangladesh cricket team live late ex-coach Eddie Barlow's dream

Bangladeshi cricketer Taijul Islam (right) reacts after dismissing Australia’s last man Josh Hazlewood at Dhaka on Wednesday. Pic/AFP

If the Bangladesh cricket team find themselves in a state of bliss after their maiden Test victory over Australia, there is one departed coach who they will not forget to acknowledge — Eddie Barlow.

Apart from coaching The Tigers after taking over from West Indies stalwart Gordon Greenidge in 1999, South African-born Barlow, then, 60, structured Bangladesh's domestic set up. However, in 2000, Barlow suffered a stroke, but he made it to witness Bangladesh's maiden Test – against Sourav Ganguly's India at Dhaka.

The late Eddie Barlow

That would've pleased him
"He would be delighted as he always knew they had the right attitude to win," Cally Barlow, wife of the late South Africa all-rounder and coach told mid-day from Gloucestershire, UK yesterday.

Australia was the best team in the world when Barlow coached Bangladesh. Did the country, which Bangladesh beat by 20 runs in Dhaka on Wednesday figure in Barlow's interactions with the Bangladeshis? "He would never talk about any other country to the team in a way that would put pressure on them. He always told them not to bother about things they had no control over; just to concentrate on what they were going to do to the opposition," said Cally.

Day Four of the Bangladesh v Australia Test could have gone either way. The visitors needed 156 with eight wickets in hand while left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan, who had claimed a fifer in the first innings, was always going to be a threat. Shakib claimed four on the last day including the wicket of centurion David Warner to steer his country to a historic win. Bangladesh had lost all four previous Tests to the Australians.

Cally Barlow

Cally seemed confident of a win over the Australians. "I always believe in Bangladesh and felt that they were in the right place on this occasion. A place in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy gave them a big boost," she said.

They made the last four of the mega tournament in England thanks to their sizzling display against New Zealand. However, the sixth ranked ODI team lost to India by nine wickets in the semi-finals at Edgbaston.

India have not always had it easy against Bangladesh. On winning the toss in the inaugural Test on November 10, 2000, the hosts were bowled out only after they touched 400. Aminul Islam was one of the many beneficiaries of Barlow's coaching and when he reached his century on the second day of the Test, he looked towards the dressing room to see a paralysed Barlow trying to get up from his wheelchair to applaud him, helped by Cally.

'Emotional time'
"It was a very emotional time for all of us," recalled Cally. "When Bangladesh scored 400 in the first innings I felt sure as did Eddie that Bangladesh would win, particularly when India did about the same. Then, for some reason, the wheels fell off and they lost the game.

"Eddie had is own thoughts as to why this happened. I remember it well. Bulbul (Aminul's nickname) was special and thoroughly deserved his ton." Cally revealed some words of wisdom her departed husband often dished out to the team. "The best advice Eddie gave to them was they had to believe in themselves, to focus on their game (don't pay any attention to chirping), to eat properly (no rice late at night) and to enjoy the game," Cally said.

It's been nearly 12 years since Barlow left for Elysian Fields, but who's to say he was not watching from the great beyond on Wednesday.

Also view photos: Ex-cricketers in their current jobs: Uber driver, bus stand cleaner

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Popular Game ‘Prison Architect’ Comes to Mac App Store

Popular Steam game Prison Architect, which was originally released in October as part of Steam’s Early Access program, is making its way to the Mac App Store today through a partnership between developer Introversion Software and MacPlay.

Prison Architect is a top-down simulation game where the goal is to build and run a successful prison. Players are tasked with building cells, recruiting prisoners, hiring staff, establishing utilities, developing prisoner schedules, managing entertainment and reform programs, and keeping prisoners from escaping.

Prison Architect features two game modes — story and escape. In story mode, the player follows the story of Edward, a man who is facing the electric chair for committing a crime of passion, while in escape mode, the player takes on the role of a prisoner attempting to escape from the prison.

On the Mac, Prison Architect requires 4GB RAM, a Core2 Duo processor or better, and 300MB hard drive space.

In addition to being available in the Mac App Store, Prison Architect can also be played on the iPad, as an iOS version of the game was released earlier this year.

The Mac App Store version of Prison Architect is priced at $29.99. [Direct Link]

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Viral video: Ambati Rayadu abuses, slaps man for objecting to rash driving

Ambati Rayudu. Pic/ AFP

A video clipping allegedly showing Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu involved in a scuffle with a man in what appears to be an incident of road rage went viral on social media Thursday.

The video clip shows the batsman stepping out of his car and indulging in heated exchange of words and a physical fight. Bystanders intervened to separate the two.

#WATCH: Cricketer Ambati Rayudu seen in scuffle with a man allegedly after argument over rash driving in Hyderabad (Unverified video source) http://pic.twitter.com/r1pdq5Lh9g

— ANI (@ANI) August 31, 2017

The batsman, who has been in and out of the Indian team, was seen charging at the man, believed to be a pedestrian. The spat broke out during an argument over rash driving.

The incident apparently occurred in Hyderabad but it was not clear in which area and when. No complaint was lodged with any police station in the city.

When some reporters approached Rayudu, he brushed it aside as a minor issue.

Also view photos: Ex-cricketers in their current jobs: Uber driver, bus stand cleaner

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Samsung gets DMV’s OK to test autonomous cars in California

Samsung first got a permit to test self-driving technologies in its home country earlier this year. The chaebol revealed then that it was planning to test the sensors and parts it’s developing aboard a Hyundai car. It unfortunately didn’t elaborate on what those components can do, but we might find out more details when the company starts testing them in California.

The number of companies testing on California roads is only bound to grow, especially now that the government is mulling on giving tech titans and automakers exceptions to federal safety rules. Next week, lawmakers are slated to vote on the SELF DRIVE Act that would prevent states from regulating autonomous vehicle designs. If it passes, companies like Waymo will be able to test 100,000 autonomous vehicles, though, in exchange they have to turn in more data to the feds.

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Monsoon sail: This event near Lonavala guarantees an adrenaline-packed weekend

Pavana, a freshwater lake nestled in the rolling hills near Lonavala, offers a sense of calm to Mumbaikars. But every monsoon since 2014, it has been bustling with activity, thanks to the Wet and Wild Regatta it plays host to. It's fourth edition is being held this weekend.

A sailboat competition at Pavana lake

It involves a host of activities like surfing, kayaking, cycling, mountain climbing and the key component — sailing. The event was started by a bunch of sailors from the city, who were frustrated with the choppy monsoon waters of the Arabian Sea restricting them from pursuing their passion. "Then, some people discovered Pavana lake. It's safe during the rainy season and has a helpful wind. So, we decided to call sailors from all over the country and conduct a race," says Dhanya Pilo, one of the organisers.

Sailors from Goa, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Chennai and Visakhapatnam will participate in this edition. However, Pilo adds that there's something for everyone since the idea is to bring people close to nature, regardless of whether they know the difference between the port and starboard sides of a boat.

On: Today till September 3
At: Lake Pavana, near Lonavala
Call: 9833820497
Cost: `840 onwards (per activity)

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Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli static in ICC Test rankings

Cheteshwar Pujara

India's Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Virat Kohli remained static at the fourth and fifth position respectively in the latest ICC Test Players Rankings for batsmen issued yesterday. However, young batsman KL Rahul slipped a rung to 10th.

Virat Kohli

The batsmen chart is being led by Australia skipper Steve Smith, followed by England captain Joe Root and New Zealand's Kane Williamson.

Among Indian bowlers, left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja maintained his top spot while Ravichandran Ashwin occupies the third place. James Anderson is on second spot in the Test bowlers rankings and the England pacer is followed by Ashwin. Jadeja (2nd) and Ashwin (3rd) also feature in the top five all-rounders rankings, led by Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan, who consolidated his position with a great show in the historic win over Australia in the opening Test.

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When Cheteshwar Pujara's wife Puja Pabari made him do 'random things'

Cheteshwar Pujara

Puja Pabari

Team India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara posted this picture on Instagram yesterday and captioned it: "When you turn around and end up being clicked. Random things wife (Puja Pabari) makes you do! #CountyCaptures"

"As a cricketer, I always feel my best is yet to come and I have been working hard for it," Pujara, who helped India rout Sri Lanka 3-0 in the Test series in the latter's backyard, told IANS in a telephonic interview recently.

In the last year or so, the Saurashtra batsman has gone from strength to strength, becoming the new Mr. Dependable in Virat Kohli's Test team.

The second-highest run getter in Sri Lanka, amassing 309 in three games, which included two centuries, Pujara has been India's most consistent batsman alongside Kohli since the team's return from the tour of the West Indies last year. He aggregated 1,316 runs from 13 matches in the 2016-17 home season.

Also see: Ex-cricketers in their current jobs: Uber driver, bus stand cleaner

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MS Dhoni will always be India's captain, says emotional Virat Kohli

"You will always be our captain," is what an emotional Virat Kohli told MS Dhoni before presenting a specially designed bat to the India great on completing 300 ODIs yesterday.

Dhoni, who hit an unbeaten 49 off 42 in India's 375 for five in the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka, was felicitated on the ground in the presence of the entire Indian team. Kohli's short speech touched everyone's hearts.

"What do I say. 90 per cent of us started our career under you. It is an honour to give this memento to you. And you will always remain our captain," said the current Indian captain drawing a loud applause from his teammates.

Dhoni is the sixth Indian to get to 300 ODIs and others are Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammed Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh.

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Virat Kohli: Youngsters will get picked in fifth ODI vs Sri Lanka

India's Virat Kohli acknowledges the crowd after his century against Sri Lanka during the 4th ODI match in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Thursday. Pic/PTI

Skipper Virat Kohli today described India's 168-run win over Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI as a clinical performance and said he would continue to experiment with the team's line-up in the fifth and final one-dayer.

Batting first, India posted a huge 375-5 in the fourth ODI with Kohli (131 off 96 balls) and opener Rohit Sharma (104 off 88 balls) scoring sublime centuries.

The visitors then returned to dismiss Sri Lanka for 207 in 42.4 overs to take a 4-0 lead in the five-match series.

"It was a good game for us. We spoke about not getting complacent at any stage and today was a clinical performance," said Virat Kohli," who was adjudged the Man of the Match for his scintillating innings.

Talking about the toss, Kohli said: "We wanted to bat first because we hadn't batted first in the three games. The wicket was amazing to bat on. It was a good toss to win, we put up a good score and it was very difficult for the opposition to maintain that required run rate."

Asked if he would continue to experiment with the playing eleven in the next game, Kohli said: "We've given opportunities to three new guys. They will get another
opportunity. Batting order is flexible and we can experiment depending on the situation of the game."

Sri Lanka's stand-in skipper Lasith Malinga today claimed his 300th wicket when he dismissed Kohli in the 30th over.

Asked about the achievement, he said: "300 wickets is special. But, it is just a number. I feel these last few days, I'm not doing well for the team. Still lost the game and that doesn't feel good."

Sri Lanka today succumbed to their sixth straight ODI defeat and Malinga hoped his team will make a comeback in the next match.

"We are still to get 250 in the series, I think the youngsters are too excited and couldn't perform well to their potential. Hopefully they will comeback strong and perform well in the coming games," he said.

Also view photos: Ex-cricketers in their current jobs: Uber driver, bus stand cleaner

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4th ODI: Kohli, Rohit centuries help India beat Sri Lanka by 168 runs

India's Virat Kohli (right) celebrates his century with Rohit Sharma during the fourth ODI against  Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday. India won by 168 runs. Pic/PTI

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma produced sublime centuries as India dented Sri Lanka's chances of a direct World Cup qualification with a thumping 168-run victory in the fourth ODI here yesterday.

Kohli (131 runs off 96 balls) and Rohit (104 off 88) made merry on a batting beauty to guide India to 375 for five, the highest total posted by a visiting team in an ODI in Sri Lanka. The final flourish was provided by comeback man Manish Pandey (50 not out off 42) and MS Dhoni (49 not out off 42), who achieved a memorable milestone of 300 ODIs.

Sri Lanka never looked like getting close to India's imposing total and could only manage 207 all out in 42.4 overs with Angelo Mathews' 70-run knock being the sole noteworthy batting performance. The heavy defeat was also Sri Lanka's biggest at home in terms of runs. India now lead the five-match series 4-0 and look set to complete another whitewash after blanking Sri Lanka in the preceding three Tests.

Things are going from bad to worse for Sri Lanka, who needed to win at least two matches in the ongoing series to seal automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup.

India, opting to bat for the first time in the series, virtually batted the opposition out of the game. Courtesy skipper Kohli's 29th ODI hundred and his 219-run second-wicket stand with an in-form Rohit, India were able to lay the foundation for a massive total. Rohit, who hit back-to-back hundreds, now has 13 three-figure scores in the 50-over format. It was also India's third-highest second wicket partnership against Sri Lanka in ODIs, after 318 at Taunton in May 1999, and 236 at Nagpur in March 1999 — both set by Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. This was also their third 200-plus stand as a pair equalling the record held jointly by Sachin Tendulkar and Ganguly, as well as Gautam Gambhir and Kohli.

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Instagram Suffers Data Breach! Hacker Stole Contact Info of High-Profile Users

Instagram has recently suffered a possibly serious data breach with hackers gaining access to the phone numbers and email addresses for many “high-profile” users.

The 700 million-user-strong, Facebook-owned photo sharing service has currently notified all of its verified users that an unknown hacker has accessed some of their profile data, including email addresses and phone numbers, using a bug in Instagram.

The flaw actually resides in Instagram’s application programming interface (API), which the service uses to communicate with other apps.

Although the company did not reveal any details about the Instagram’s API flaw, it assured its users that the bug has now been patched and its security team is further investigating the incident.

“We recently discovered that one or more individuals obtained unlawful access to a number of high-profile Instagram users’ contact information—specifically email address and phone number—by exploiting a bug in an Instagram API,” Instagram said in a statement. 

“No account passwords were exposed. We fixed the bug swiftly and are running a thorough investigation.”

Instagram declined to name the high-profile users targeted in the breach, but the news comes two days after some unknown hacker hijacked most followed Instagram account belonged to Selena Gomez and posted her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber’s nude photographs.

Selena’s Instagram account with over 125 Million followers was restored later in the day and the photos were removed.

However, Instagram did not mention if the recent data breach was related to Selena’s hacked account.

With email addresses and phone numbers in their hands, the hackers next step could be used the information in tandem with social engineering techniques in an effort to gain access to verified users’ Instagram accounts to embarrass them.

The company notified all verified users of the issue via an email and also encouraged them to be cautious if they receive suspicious or unrecognised phone calls, text messages, or emails.

Instagram users are also highly recommended to enable two-factor authentication on your accounts and always secure your accounts with a strong and different password.

Also, avoid clicking on any suspicious link or attachment you received via an email and providing your personal or financial information without verifying the source properly.

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Apple sets iPhone event for September 12 at new Steve Jobs theater

Apple just sent out invites for its annual iPhone event, which is taking place on September 12 at its new Cupertino HQ, at the Steve Jobs Theater it built there specifically to host special events. It’s expected that Apple will reveal a brand new iPhone with a nearly bezel-free design on the day.

TechCrunch previously reported that the event would fall on this day, confirming WSJ’s sources. This will be the first ever event at Apple’s new headquarters, and the dedicated theater, which is actually built partly underground with an entry in a glass covered rotunda at ground level.

At the event, we’ll likely see the new iPhone, which sources say is a premium priced option to be sold alongside updates to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus (likely 7s and 7s Plus models). Reports also suggest we’ll see an updated Apple Watch, possibly sporting its own built-in LTE connection, as well as a new 4K-capable Apple TV.

We’ve seen a lot of evidence about what’s coming, through the HomePod firmware leak, and reports including one from Bloomberg this week that outlines exactly how the iPhone interface will work without a home button, but Apple should still have plenty to reveal that we haven’t seen at this event, including at least a few amazing ARKit demos.

Of course, TechCrunch will be there and bringing you all the news as it happens from the Steve Jobs theater on September 12, so check back then for updates.

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First impressions of Essential’s 360-degree camera attachment

Essential has a unique port around back on its debut Phone, which can handle data and power transfer, and which attaches to accessories via magnets. The first such accessory is Essential’s own 360 camera, which offers you an easy way to capture immersive images and video in a very small package. The Essential 360 camera is much smaller than most other consumer 360 cameras out there, and aims to be something that’s as easy to take with you wherever you go as the phone itself.

I got a chance to take the 360 camera for a spin over the past few days, now that it’s preparing to ship out to early Essential customers. The diminutive camera easily slides into a pocket or bag, and snaps into place on the back of the Essential phone with a satisfying click. The magnetic force also feels strong enough that you can be confident the camera won’t fall off during use, while also keeping the accessory easy enough to remove when you want to.

Snapping the camera on to the back of the Essential Phone results in the camera app itself launching right into 360-degree capture mode. This was a bit hit or miss for me – the camera app also launched, but sometimes I’d have to exit and relaunch to get the image preview to appear. Removing the camera also automatically quits the app, which is a nice feature.

By default, the app launches in photo capture mode, where you tap the virtual shutter button to grab a still. You can also pan around the image in live preview using your finger to see what the whole scene looks like. Essential stitches the image on the fly, so what you see is what you get when you tap the shutter.

Tapping the red dot next to the shutter will jump right into video recording, so that’s always only one tap away, too. Video capture also lets you pan around to see your surroundings, and again stitches the images from its two 210-degree cameras live to provide you with a real-time preview of what you’re recording.

Both the resulting images and the resulting video are good quality, and perfectly usable for sharing on Facebook and YouTube, as you can see with the examples provided. Stills come in at 12 MP, and the video records at 4K UHD resolution – 3840 x 1920, captured at 30 fps. Audio is recorded from the microphone on the camera, too, not the one on the phone, and that features a 4-mic array that captures 3D audio for more immersive effect.

In the end, Essential’s $50 camera add on is as good, or better, than some third-party mobile 360 camera options that are bulkier and more expensive. Also, this doesn’t really impact any of the video or photo results, but the Essential phone has a tiny fan in it to help with heat management, which I just find incredibly cool. Plus, it satisfies that most important quality for a camera: it’s more likely to be with you and usable, which is the key to making this kind of media more commonplace.

Featured Image: Darrell Etherington

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Kirin 970 SoC Said to be Announced Tomorrow at IFA Berlin 2017

Huawei is set to announce their new Kirin 970 SoC tomorrow at IFA Berlin 2017, according to a report from the German news website WinFuture.de.

The new SoC is said to be based on 10nm manufacturing process, in-line with the competition from Exynos, MediaTek and of course Snapdragon. The Kirin 970 is said to have 8 CPU cores, 12 GPU cores and a dual ISP.

With 5.5 billion transistors, it has reportedly exceeded the Snapdragon 835 by 2.5 billion. Transistor count isn’t all that matters, however, especially once you consider that the Kirin 960 had 4 billion transistors and is a generation behind the Snapdragon 835. That isn’t to say Kirin isn’t capable of putting up a fight, as the Kirin 960 actually outclassed the Snapdragon 820 in single core performance. The Snapdragon 820 won out thanks to its graphics capabilities and multi-core performance, as expected given Qualcomm’s steadfast dominance in graphics thanks to the Adreno GPU line. The Kirin has always been a serious contender, however.

What’s more, this chip is reportedly armed with advanced artificial intelligence computing capabilities, advertised to be 25 times faster than a normal CPU core and 50 times more efficient. It seems that with the Kirin 970, Huawei wants to integrate better and more powerful artificial intelligence into its devices — once more in line with what’s being increasingly offered by competitors. This can only be a good thing, as artificial intelligence can learn a user’s tendencies, as we’ve seen in some Huawei devices. This can be used for preloading applications, helpful notifications and more, though we have yet to see truly noticeable improvements through these kinds of implementations.

We’ll be keeping an eye out on the Kirin 970 to see when it launches. We expect to see it debut in the Huawei Mate 10 which should be launching in the next few months. It’s always nice to see more chipsets and competition, so we can’t wait to see what HiSilicon will be offering.

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Source: WinFuture

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Nintendo ordered to pay $10 million in Wii patent lawsuit

The technology created by and patented by iLife was designed to detect when elderly individuals fell and monitor babies for sudden infant death syndrome. It sought $144 million in damages, or $4 for each of the 36 million Wii systems sold prior to the suit being filed, along with an injunction against Nintendo’s use of the technology in question.

Nintendo said it didn’t infringe on the patent and that the patent was improperly written, causing it to be invalid. Around the same time that it sued Nintendo, iLife also filed patent infringement suits against a number of other companies — including Fitbit and Under Armour — that involved the same patents listed in the Nintendo case. Both of the Fitbit and Under Armour suits were dismissed by the parties themselves and presumably settled out of court. Nintendo plans to appeal the ruling, according to reports from Rolling Stone.

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Instagram Stories Expand to the Web

Instagram Stories, the feature that allows users to upload ephemeral photos and videos to a special daily timeline, is expanding to the web on both desktop and mobile devices, the company announced today.

As with Instagram Stories in the mobile app, on the web, Stories will be featured at the top of the page. Clicking or tapping into a story will allow it to be viewed. For now, Instagram Stories is view only, but in the future, Instagram plans to allow Stories uploads from the web on mobile devices.

Instagram launched Stories just over a year ago in August of 2016 to compete with Snapchat, and the feature has been highly popular with Instagram users. As of April, Instagram Stories has more daily active users than Snapchat.

The feature allows users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. Like Snapchat, it includes filters, stickers, emoji, and other image enhancement tools. Today’s update also includes new weather-related filters that can be applied to photos.

According to Instagram, Stories on the web is rolling out starting today, but it will take a few weeks for the feature to show up to all users. Posting from the mobile web will be implemented in the coming months.

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Samsung secures self-driving car testing permit for California roads

Samsung got approval to test autonomous vehicles on state roads in California, according to the CA Department of Motor Vehicle’s website. The DMV maintains an ongoing list of companies and organizations it has granted autonomous testing permits to, and that list includes a growing number of automakers and tech companies, including Apple, Nvidia, GM, BMW and now Samsung.

Samsung has already gotten the green light to test self-driving vehicles in South Korea, as we reported back in May, but its California license means the tech giant is likely looking to start testing its technology stateside as well, in the backyard of rivals including Waymo and Apple.

The South Korean company has already revealed modified Hyundai cars, equipped with test hardware built by Samsung including sensors and AI-powered computer modules. Samsung looks like it aims to provide software and platform for autonomy in a supply capacity at the very least, but its ambitions could extend further than that, too.

Samsung maintains a San Jose office, from which it could operate California-based tests. The company’s far-reaching supply relationships could give it an edge as a self-driving software platform provider, once the technology becomes more ubiquitous.

Featured Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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There’s an Easy Fix for the Essential Phone’s Camera Quality – Google’s Camera App

The company behind the Essential Phone, while selling a nice looking phone with some pretty high end specifications, have made some pretty questionable decisions. We wrote an article detailing our problems with the device and the company behind it. What’s more, not even a day after we published that article Essential seemingly messed up again, leaving a small number of customers in a potentially dangerous position. In an attempt to regain goodwill from users, those who received the disturbing email will receive a free phone and a year of LifeLock service.

And those are only problems relating to the company.

The phone itself seems pretty decent, especially software wise thanks to its nearly stock Android. Not fantastic, not “essential”, just good. But one of the biggest issues with the device has been the camera experience. Nearly universally, reviewers and early users of the phone have stated that the camera experience just isn’t on par with other flagship phones in its category. The phone provides a slow, laggy picture taking experience with poor quality photos and a lot left to desire.

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The Essential Phone’s Camera Potential is Held Back by Software

Thankfully, a review over on TheNextWeb.com points out that the Google Camera HDR+ port we covered works very well on the device. The difference is absolutely night and day, and shows that the Essential Phone’s camera can be saved. The sensor certainly has potential as showcased by the images below, taken on an Essential PH-1 by reviewer Napier Lopez.

Before I show the other images, I just need to point out how amazing the Google Camera HDR+ is against the stock camera. There is substantially less noise and an impressive amount of detail in comparison. These photo comparisons were enough to sway me – the Essential Phone actually has a good camera, but it is held back by the stock camera software.

Left is stock, right is Google Camera HDR+ Port. Credits: Napier Lopez \\ TheNextWeb

Left is stock, right is Google Camera HDR+ Port. Credits: Napier Lopez \\ TheNextWeb

If you still aren’t convinced, TheNextWeb tells us they will have a more detailed comparison between HDR+ on the Google Camera app versus the stock camera app, so be sure to check that out.

As for the pictures we’ve seen so far, they are of a much better quality with nicer colors and greater detail when taken on the Google Camera app. This shows the phone’s camera woes actually come from the camera processing software, and not the camera sensor itself. If the device has potential for photos like those shown above and can consistently do as good of a job as these, keep an eye out on future software updates from Essential – the camera quality still has room to grow.

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Nobody is going to ask Cortana to talk to Alexa

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Microsoft’s new Mixer Create app lets you live stream games from your phone

Microsoft’s mobile game streaming app Mixer Create is launching out of beta testing today on iOS and Android, allowing gamers to broadcast the games they’re playing right from their phone. This feature works on Android with all games, but is more limited on iOS. On iPhone, select games that have enabled Apple’s ReplayKit functionality will work, the company notes.

That means games like Star Trek Timelines, Goat Simulator, Modern Combat 5: Blackout, and others will be supported.

The app can also be used for co-streaming, which allows up to four streamers to combine their streams into a single viewing experience, Microsoft says in its announcement. In the new app, there’s now an invitations feature that’s partially functional for now. Currently, you can accept or reject the pop-up co-stream invites, but in a few months, you’ll be able to send out these co-stream invites as well.

Gamers can also use the app for non-gaming related purposes, too – like vlogging through a feature that lets them ‘go live’ at any time to initiate a real-time broadcast to their fans.

Plus, streamers can interact with viewers in their channel’s chat interface when broadcasting, as they could on PC or Xbox.

This includes access to moderation tools as well. Some gamers may choose to use the Mixer Create app for chat, while streaming from their computer or console, Microsoft suggests.

The launch comes shortly after rival Twitch debuted an updated streaming app of its own, which included the ability to live stream from mobile devices to their channels. Like Microsoft, Twitch is also working to expand beyond gaming to allow its streamers to broadcast other content, including personal updates and other artistic endeavours.

While Microsoft has some features gamers want, its traction in the streaming market still lags behind both Twitch and YouTube in terms of reach. According to a recent study by Streamlabs, Twitch has a much larger chunk of the streaming market, ahead of YouTube in second place. Microsoft, Periscope and Facebook Live had only slivers.

However, Mixer (a startup that won TechCrunch Disrupt last year, when it was then called Beam), is still a relatively new entry to this market, and could catch up in time, or at least increase its share.

Mixer Create is live now on both Android and iOS.

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How to Tell if Your Android 8.0 Oreo Device Supports Project Treble

We’ve first learned about Project Treble right before this year’s Google I/O 2017. Treble is the most significant low-level change to the Android platform to date. To simplify heavily, it separates the vendor implementation from the Android framework in an effort to avoid lengthy waits for updates. Project Treble is currently supported by the Google Pixel and the Google Pixel XL running Android 8.0 Oreo. We’ve also learned from the initial announcement that, going forward, all devices shipping with Android 8.0 (like, for example, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 and the just announced Sony Xperia XZ1 series) will come with Treble support. Google also recently announced that they are working with OEMs to bring Project Treble to some existing flagships.

If you have a flagship device that is expected to be updated to Android 8.0 Oreo, how will you know for sure if it supports Project Treble? Unless the release notes outright tell you, which they likely won’t given that it’s such a low-level change, you’ll have to find out another way. Luckily, there’s a really, really simple way to find out if an Android Oreo device supports Treble.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how you can tell if your device supports Project Treble. Obviously, for this, you’re going to need official, stock Android 8.0 Oreo, since Treble is not supported on 7.0 and lower. And as a reminder, if you have a Google Pixel, Google Pixel XL, or any device that launches with Android 8.0, then that device will for sure support Treble.

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Know if Your Android 8.0+ Device Supports Project Treble (Terminal)

Unlike most adb/terminal tutorials we’ve done previously, this one does not require root, since we’re simply getting a build.prop value. You do need Termux (or any other terminal application) going forward, though.

Termux (Free, Google Play) →

The image on the right shows you how it should look. Once you’re set up inside the app, simply type the following command:

getprop ro.treble.enabled

It will return a boolean value, true if your device supports Treble and false if it doesn’t.

Know if Your Android 8.0+ Device Supports Project Treble (ADB)

Firstly, you’ll need to set up the Android Debug Bridge on your device in order to get going. Follow this tutorial, as it has everything you need to get going on Windows, Linux, and macOS! Then, you’ll need to connect your device, either with USB debugging or WiFi debugging (we recommend the latter, but either one will work just fine). Whatever one you choose, be sure to check if it’s connected using “adb devices”. The image on the right shows you how it should look.

Then, we’ll proceed to start the Android terminal inside ADB. For this, use:

adb shell

Afterwards, use the following command:

getprop ro.treble.enabled

The shell will return a boolean value. If it returns true, then congratulations: your device supports Project Treble!

 

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Explanation

It’s actually pretty simple. Project Treble isn’t really a value that you can see or configure in Settings, device info or other places, however if your device does support it, a preference in build.prop lets any apps know of that fact. This is probably because the Google Play Store needs to read this flag in order to deliver updates for things like graphic drivers and other vendor-related stuff. This flag is required on all devices supporting Treble. The build.prop file is located in the system partition, but its values are readable without root, making this tutorial possible.

However, this does NOT mean you can enable Treble on your device by simply adding this flag to your build.prop since it will do absolutely nothing. As we said above, it requires OEM implementation since it’s pretty much a complete rework of a lower layer of Android, and Google is actually working with OEMs to bring Project Treble to existing devices.

As such, this is not something a custom ROM developer can simply bake into their ROM like a regular feature. And should an OEM refuse working with Google to bring it to their device, they can just roll out a simple Android 8.0 update without Treble. The list of OEMs working on Project Treble support for existing phones hasn’t been disclosed either. So, until phones start shipping with Android 8.0 (Project Treble is required for all new devices running Oreo), this will be the only way to actually know if your updated Android 8.0 device supports Treble or not.

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Motorola Launches the Mid-Range Moto X4 for €399, Europe Release in September, US in the Fall

We’ve been hearing about a new Moto X since May of this year, which was surprising to many since the company didn’t release one last year. Initial renders that were leaked had most of the details right, but some were off (the camera module in specific). Then this month the device was approved for sale in Brazil and then shortly after that it passed the FCC certification process. Today, Motorola has officially launched the Moto X4 and we now know the full details of the new smartphone.

The Moto X line holds a special place in a lot of enthusiast’s hearts because it was the first flagship series that Motorola released for the short time they were under Google’s umbrella. Now, the Moto Z line is the company’s premiere flagship series and the Moto X series has been relegated to the mid-range market. This isn’t as bad as it could be when you consider the company’s original Moto Z Play was mid-range and it received a ton of praise thanks to its stellar battery life.

So the new Moto X4 has a 5.2″ 1080p display with the Snapdragon 630 SoC powering it from the inside. It has 3GBs of RAM and 32GBs of expandable storage with a 3,000mAh capacity battery. The phone comes with a 15 watt TurboPower charger and Motorola states you can get 6 hours of use after a 15-minute charge. The frame is metal and it has a glass back so the company was able to achieve IP68 water and dust resistance which is a huge selling point these days.

The biggest feature in this phone is the dual rear-camera setup. One of these rear camera sensors is 12MP while the other is an 8MP wide-angle shooter, and both of them are able to capture color images (so no monochrome feature here). The main 12MP sensor has dual-pixel autofocus, an f/2.0 lens, and 1.4nm pixels. The secondary camera is able to offer a 120-degree field of view with its f/2.2 lens and 1.12nm pixels. Motorola says they’re able to give you those depth effects that are so popular these days thanks to the dual camera setup. The front of the device houses a 16MP camera and includes an “adaptive low-light mode” that Motorola says allows for better low light performance while sacrificing some resolution.

Another big feature here is that Motorola has opted for Amazon Alexa as its virtual assistant of choice so it will be able to respond to “Alexa” voice commands, even when locked. The company says they’re launching the Moto X4 in Europe next month (September) for €399, and that it should be made available in the United States sometime this fall.

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Source: Motorola

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Add a Quick Settings Display Mode Tile to the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+

Samsung’s OEM ROM software comes with hundreds of additional features on top of stock Android, and there are a ton of of quick settings tiles for some of them. However, those of you on the Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ may have noticed that a display mode quick settings tile is missing, so there’s no easy way to change between Adaptive Display/AMOLED Photo/AMOLED Cinema/Basic.

For that reason, XDA Assistant Forum Admin the_scotsman has put together a guide to create a quick settings tile to switch between these modes yourself. This method does require root as you will be writing to a kernel preference file to change the display mode. You will also need to have Tasker installed to create the custom quick setting tile, but the guide itself is quite easy to follow and walks you through the entire process of getting this working.

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Guide to Add Quick Setting Display Mode Tile

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Sony Equips the Xperia XZ1 with 3D Scanning and Image Creation Software

Sony is in Berlin this week for the big IFA 2017 conference and they’re announcing a number of new devices there. We reported on their two new flagship devices earlier this month that were leaked before the unveiling, and they have also launched a new connected speaker with support for Google Assistant. Now that these two flagship smartphones are official, we get a look at some of their software features and one in particular that stands out is what they’re calling the Xperia XZ1 3D Creator.

Augmented reality is becoming more and more popular these days with companies such as Google working on them for years. Google’s previous work required special hardware for AR to work the way they wanted it, but even their new ARCore platform eliminates this requirement. It looks like Sony is jumping into this market as well with a piece of software called 3D Creator for their new Xperia XZ1 flagship smartphone. They’re even taking it a step further though and using this 3D capturing technology for more than just AR, though.

The process starts by launching the application and then using it to capture a full 360 degree scan of the object. If you want, you can do this with your head and then use it with one of their pre-built avatar figures. This can then be placed virtually in the room you’re in, or you can use it with popular chat applications (they used WhatsApp as an example) as a 3D Sticker. You can capture other 3D objects as well, such as a conch shell, and then put then virtually place that captured object anywhere else.

The 3D Creator software for the Xperia XZ1 even lets you use these objects for 3D printing as well. Sony says it should only take between 15 to 60 seconds to scan an object, and the software comes with four different modes including face, head, freeform and food.

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Source: Sony Mobile

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Mod to Customize the UI of your Google Pixel running Android Oreo

With the Android Oreo OTA update rolling out to the Google Pixel phones, some are looking for ways to customize the user interface of their device. So XDA Senior Member Tulsadiver has put together a collection of mods that lets you pick and choose which mods you want to install through an Aroma installer.

Some of the included mods let you change things such as the navigation bar height, status bar icon colors, clock positions and more. The developer does note that not all of the mods have been tested, so you should create a backup ahead of time. To install this mod, your Google Pixel needs to have an unlocked bootloader and has to have a custom recovery such as TWRP installed.

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Check out this UI mod in our Pixel forum

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Sony’s RX0 is a tiny camera with big ideas

Sony just announced a new camera called the RX0, but breaking from the trend of lower number = fancier camera, this one is a tiny device that combines an action-cam form factor with some traditional imaging prowess. It’s an unusual combination, yet somehow tempting.

The waterproof, shockproof RX0 has a 1-inch, 15-megapixel (cropped down from 21) sensor and a 24mm-equivalent F/4 lens, which right off the bat differentiates it from GoPro cameras, which generally have smaller sensors with super-wide-angle, relatively slow glass in front. But it lacks a zoom and many of the other useful features of a pocket camera like the RX100. So you’re not going to be walking around taking snapshots with this thing.

It seems that the RX0 is being put forth as a sort of modular system for videographers who need the ruggedness and versatility of a GoPro but want a bit more control and fidelity. B cameras on set and outside (depending on the image quality), shooting from multiple angles (multiple RX0s can sync together), super slow-mo footage (it goes up to 960 FPS), and so on.

While its $700 price tag might be a bit much for people who just want a camera to attach to their bike or surfboard, there are plenty of people who would opt for the RX0 instead of a GoPro.

It’s an odd little device, no doubt, but the more I think about it, the more I feel I’d prefer it for non-traditional duties. It’ll be available in October.

Featured Image: Sony

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Massive Email Campaign Sends Locky Ransomware to Over 23 Million Users

Whenever we feel like the Locky ransomware is dead, the notorious threat returns with a bang.

Recently, researchers from two security firms have independently spotted two mass email campaigns, spreading two different, but new variants of the Locky ransomware.

Lukitus Campaign Sends 23 Million Emails in 24 Hours

The campaign spotted by researchers at AppRiver sent out more than 23 million messages containing Locky ransomware in just 24 hours on 28 August across the United States in what appears to be one of the largest malware campaigns in the second half of this year.

According to the researchers, the emails sent out in the attack were “extremely vague,” with subjects lines such as “please print,” “documents,” “images,” “photos,” “pictures,” and “scans” in an attempt to convince victims into infecting themselves with Locky ransomware.

The email comes with a ZIP attachment (hiding the malware payload) that contains a Visual Basic Script (VBS) file nested inside a secondary ZIP file.

Once a victim tricked into clicking it, the VBS file starts a downloader that downloads the latest version of the Locky ransomware, called Lukitus (which means “locked” in Finnish), and encrypts all the files on the target computer, and appends [.]lukitus to the encrypted data.

After encryption process ends, the malware displays a ransomware message on the victim’s desktop that instructs the victim to download and install Tor browser and visit the attacker’s site for further instructions and payments.

This Locky Lukitus variant demands a sum of 0.5 Bitcoin (~$2,300) from victims to pay for a “Locky decryptor” in order to get their files back.

This Lukitus attack campaign is still ongoing, and AppRiver researchers had “quarantined more than 5.6 million” messages in the campaign on Monday morning.

Sadly, this variant is impossible to decrypt as of now.

2nd Locky Campaign Sends over 62,000 Emails

In separate research, security firm Comodo Labs discovered another massive spam campaign earlier in August, which sent out over 62,000 spam emails containing a new variant of Locky ransomware in just three days in the first stage of the attack.

Dubbed IKARUSdilapidated, the second variant of Locky ransomware has been distributed using 11,625 different IP addresses in 133 different countries—likely made of a botnet of “zombie computers” to conduct coordinated phishing attacks.

According to security researchers at Comodo, “this is a large-scale, email-based ransomware attack in which a new Trojan malware variant appears as an unknown file and can slip into unsuspecting and unprepared organizations’ infrastructures.”

The original attack that was first identified on August 9 and lasted three days utilized spam email messages that also contained a malicious Visual Basic Script (VBS) attachment, which if clicked, follows the same functioning as mentioned in the above case.

The cyber criminals operating Locky’s IKARUSdilapidated variant demands ransom between 0.5 Bitcoin (~$2,311) and 1 Bitcoin (~$4,623) to get their encrypted files back.

This massive Locky ransomware campaign targets “tens of thousands” of users across the globe, with the top five countries being Vietnam, India, Mexico, Turkey, and Indonesia.

Here’s How to Protect Yourself From Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware has become one of the biggest threats to both individuals and enterprises with the last few months happening several widespread ransomware outbreaks, including WannaCry, NotPetya, and LeakerLocker.

Currently, there is no decryptor available to decrypt data locked by above Locky ransomware variants, so users are strongly recommended to follow prevention measures in an attempt to protect themselves.

Beware of Phishing emails: Always be suspicious of uninvited documents sent via an email and never click on links inside those documents unless verifying the source.

Backup Regularly: To always have a tight grip on all your important files and documents, keep a good backup routine in place that makes their copies to an external storage device that is not always connected to your PC.

Keep your Antivirus software and system Up-to-date: Always keep your antivirus software and systems updated to protect against latest threats.

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One Click Tool to Change the Splash Screen on the HTC U11

The splash screen is one of the first things that every user sees after booting up a device. It generally shows the company logo before going into the device’s boot animation. Developers on our HTC U11 forums have managed to create a tool to replace this splash screen for the device.

The Universal Splash Screen Flasher Tool was created by XDA Recognized Developer ivicask and XDA Senior Member JEANRIVERA. To use this tool, your HTC U11 needs to be S-OFF. The method works on Windows, but adapting it to other operating systems should not be difficult. Head over to the development thread to get more details and instructions.

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Get Universal Splash Screen Flasher Tool for HTC U11

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Survival and horror in the post-apocalyptic Shadows of Kurgansk

So-called survival games have been booming in the gaming world for a while now in a hodgepodge of genres in which you live with a noose around your neck trying to survive one day at a time. Shadows of Kurgansk is a new addition to this line of games that immerses you in a zombie-plagued post-apocalyptic world, complete with quite high production values for an Android title. Welcome to the Zone.

Shadows of Kurgansk drops you into an alluring 3D world in first person where your aim is to explore your environment while trying to survive every passing day in the face of all the dangers that assail you. To do it you’ve got to collect all kinds of objects to manufacture weapons and tools and build a shelter to endure this hostile environment. That said, don’t forget that when the night comes you’ve got to make a bonfire to deter the zombies trying to murder you.

This game carries on the tradition begun by the Soviet film director Andréi Tarkovski with his movie Stalker where we witnessed the birth of a place called “the Zone,” in a story inspired by the novel Roadside Picnic by Arkadi and Borís Strugatski. This nearly mythological place also makes an appearance in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. saga, from which Shadows of Kurgansk borrows a bunch of ideas, like the fact that you face anomalies and discover artifacts. In broad terms we could even say that this free Android game is a sort of small-scale S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Shadows of Kurgansk does a good job meshing the standard survival gameplays made so popular by Minecraft with elements from RPGs, like leveling up your skills with every day you manage to stay alive. It’s a super entertaining game that will keep you in continual tension due to the enemies that stalk you at unexpected times.

Shadows of Kurgansk for Android on Uptodown [APK] | Download

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The cinema website Letterboxd unveils an app for Android

The world of cinema apps for Android doesn’t have that many big names, but this appears set to change thanks to the rollout of the new Letterboxd app. One of the best social networks for discovering cinema and reviewing movies has just released an app for the Android ecosystem and we couldn’t be happier.

Android users have been waiting for over a year for their due since the release of the iOS version – an inexplicable but still true fact. Luckily we can now be excited that we’ve finally got our own version of Letterboxd, an app that lets you enjoy the features of the web version in compact format. This is terrific news for movie buffs as it’d be hard to find a more comprehensive or better-designed site than Letterboxd.

You browse through the app using the tabs up top, where you can see what films are trending, user reviews, or the famous lists that served to make Letterboxd so popular. You can go as in-depth as you wish, seeing detailed entries for all movies and each member of the cast.

But this app is way better if you log in – that way you can enjoy a ton more features. Besides rating movies, adding them to your Watchlist, or writing reviews, you can also access your profile, lists, friends… An excellent and tremendously smooth experience that brings this app closer to the desktop version.

The Letterboxd app for Android has all the potential to become a proper point of reference for cinephiles. The site’s own team admits there’s still work to be done and a blog post outlines the following improvements set to roll out in later versions: viewing each user’s movie diary as well as your own and your friends’ activity feeds, filters and ordering of lists and searches, editing your lists… improvements we hope to see soon and that should delight all diehard movie buffs.

Letterboxd for Android on Uptodown [APK] | Download

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YouTube revamps the look of its Android app

The video site par excellence is showing off new threads: YouTube has taken a step forward and made some big changes to its look, plus changed its logo for the first time in 12 years. Its interface now looks cleaner and tidier than ever, and we can say the same thing about the new logo. But they haven’t stopped there, as the app for smartphones and tablets has also gotten a makeover and added a few upgrades to improve the user experience.

The evolution of YouTube after these twelve years is notable, though also as logical as can be given how ridiculously successful it’s become. The new YouTube that we’re all soon to be on intimate terms with has a less compressed design and its Android app has fully embraced the always-elegant material design. Plus people who are already bored of the same old YouTube colors can now pick the new dark mode that completely changes the look.

The official YouTube blog offers a rundown of the upgrades, like browsing in rows or using gestures to fast forward and rewind, though these changes had already made an appearance in earlier version and we talked about them here. Luckily there are indeed novelties in the Android app. Now we’ve got the option to adjust the speed of the videos: pick from a range of 0.25x to 2x if you feel like watching something at a different tempo.

Plus they’re going to adapt the YouTube player to modern times now that vertical videos aren’t quite as anathema as they used to be. A feature we could already enjoy in fullscreen, but that they now plan to do from the moment you play a video. We say “plan” because this feature still isn’t available. We hope they speed up the rollout as our YouTube channel has a good number of gameplays from the best Android games in vertical. Don’t miss ’em.

YouTube for Android on Uptodown [APK] | Download

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How to control PCs remotely from your smartphone

TeamViewer is a brilliant tool for people who serve as “tech support” for family and friends. This smooth solution lets you take full control of remote machines. While the most common way to use it is to access one PC by connecting from another one, it’s also got an official Android app that lets you connect to remote machines from any smartphone or tablet, and likewise control a remote device using a PC. We explain how to do the whole process in either direction.

How to connect to remote PCs from an Android device

On the Android side you need the TeamViewer for Remote Control app, while the PC in question needs the official TeamViewer client installed. When you open the PC version you’ll see a window like the following one with a nine-digit identifier and a four-digit password that you’ll need to type into the corresponding fields on the Android app. With this simple process you can now browse the computer’s remote desktop using touches on the screen of your smartphone or tablet.

During browsing you can zoom in by pinching the screen, and tap any area to get the same effect as clicking with a mouse. You can also pull out the virtual keyboard and a set of submenus from the bottom bar on the screen, and the standard shortcuts all work including the inveterate CTRL+ALT+DEL for force-quitting. Plus from the settings menu on the same bar you can activate the Windows wallpaper so that it’s visible (by default the background will be black), and modify the output resolution to change that of the PC itself and adapt it to the screen you’re working from.

How to connect to remote Android devices from a PC

The reverse case isn’t that mysterious, either, with the point being to view and handle an Android device from a PC. On the PC side you’ll use the same TeamViewer client as in the previous section, but on Android you’ll need to turn to a different app specific to this job, though it’s still an official one: TeamViewer QuickSupport.

In the startup menu for PC you’ll see the Control a remote computer section and underneath that a field to fill in the ID of the associated computer. Once you’ve done that just hit the connect button and there you go.

In front of you is a remote control panel made up of several tabs. The main one gives a real-time display of what’s happening on the screen of the connected device along with a chat where you can communicate with the owner of the device. Though it may appear otherwise, the free version of TeamViewer does not give you remote control of the touch commands, but does let you do a few other maintenance tasks as we’ll see later on. What you can do is click on the PC over the screen being streamed so that a finger icon appears and points out the area in question. It should now be quite clear that the idea of this system is to give directions to the person holding the smartphone while you supervise each action remotely.

You will still have access to a set of automated actions: from the Panel tab you can view a summary of the basic device info in terms of the model, available space and RAM, and battery status. The really interesting thing, though, is something else. In the Applications section you can see a list of all the installed apps, and can even uninstall them remotely (though a window will pop up on the other side to confirm each action). Likewise, from the setup section you’ve got the option to edit the parameters related to WiFi connections, including protocol and password data.

In addition, it’s got a particularly useful file explorer at the top left side of the screen and it will let you transfer all sorts of documents in both directions between the phone and the computer, which is great for making backups and directly sending apps in APK format, something that we’re proper experts on around here, as ya’ll well know.

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