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mercredi 23 novembre 2016

Twitter bans its own CEO: Jack Dorsey temporarily suspended

jack-dorsey

jack-dorsey

Jack Dorsey's Twitter account was recently suspended by the company he co-founded back in 2006. Well, for around 15 minutes at least. The reasons behind it are still unknown, but it's probably the result of a bug or human error. At least Twitter didn't claim he was dead like Facebook recently did.

Nevertheless, people on Twitter found it quite funny that Dorsey (@jack) was suspended from the social network he helped create. Quite a few of his almost 3 million followers that realized Dorsey's account was axed decided the best thing to do was make fun of the situation.

tweet

tweet

Thankfully, the issue was sorted out quickly. Jack announced he was back on the network with a tweet saying "just setting up my twttr…again", which is a reference to the first tweet ever posted back in 2006. Dorsey also stated that the account suspension was an internal mistake, but did not provide any further info.

Let's just hope no one gets fired over this. After all, accidents happen: remember that Dorsey's Twitter account was hacked a while back.

See also:

Are you using one of the year's worst passwords?

January 20, 2016

Although Twitter is one of the best known social networks in the world with over 313 million active monthly users, it has been facing quite a few problems lately. It has been on the market for a new owner for a few months now but hasn't been able to find one yet.

But the company hopes to turn things around by venturing into video content and by bringing a few new features to the table – QR codes, anti-harassment features, and shortcuts, multi-window and more…

What do you think about the latest flop over at Twitter? Did you get a kick out of it?



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Latest Nougat beta for the Galaxy S7 defaults to 1080p display

samsung-galaxy-s7-edge-android-nougat-aa-9

samsung-galaxy-s7-edge-android-nougat-aa-9

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Android Nougat beta test is currently underway, before Samsung rolls out its latest software features to the wider public. However, some may have noticed that the display quality looks a little different with the latest beta version, as the resolution has been notched down from QHD (2560×1440) to FullHD (1920×1080) by default.

Samsung first debuted this type of feature with the Galaxy Note 7, which offered variable screen resolutions as part of its Power Saving Mode. The company has tweaked this software so that it's now presented as its own feature, rather than under battery settings.gs7-1080p-ac

gs7-1080p-acUsers are presented with three options, HD (720p), FHD (1080p), and WQHD (1440p), with the middle option being the default after updating. Of course this is a beta build, and Samsung may decide to restore the default to the panel's full resolution come the final release, at least in some regions.

Interestingly enough, it's quite likely that many users haven't even noticed the difference. While some fonts and images may not look quite as sharp, optimized web elements and video streaming quality limits mean that a lot of content doesn't look any different on a 1080p versus 1440p display anyway, especially on the Galaxy S7's 5.1-inch panel. QHD is typically more useful on devices with a display above 5.5-inches, although users who opt to downgrade to the 720p mode will notice a much greater difference.

Why would Samsung include this type of feature? Perhaps the company has found a sweet spot between battery life and image clarity.

So why would Samsung include this type of feature? Battery life is probably the biggest factor, along with heat, as a lower resolution puts less strain on GPU and memory bandwidth. When you consider even the small UI animations that are rendered over and over again each day, a reduction in GPU power could add up over a day's use. We're not talking huge battery life extensions, but for heavy users this could make the difference between getting through the day on a single charge. Of course, display brightness, running apps, and signal strength are bigger contributing factors to battery life.

See also:

Samsung rolls out second Android 7.0 Nougat build in Europe

5 days ago

Along with the resolution scaling option, Samsung has also included additional "screen zoom" options, which replace the old Condensed setting. Users can now opt for tiny or huge settings, with the former allowing for a little more content on the screen just like the old condensed option. Huge mode scales up object significantly for those who struggle to make out text and UI elements.

It will be interesting to see whether Samsung keeps the 1080p default option for its finished Nougat build. Perhaps the company believes it's found a sweet spot between battery life and image clarity, while still allowing advanced users to go all out on QHD if they so wish. It's also an interesting prospect for the rumored arrival of a 4K display with the Galaxy S8, as the panel might just kick into its highest resolution to watch 4K content or play a VR title, much like Sony's Xperia Z5 Premium.



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You can now stream video in WhatsApp beta before downloading it

whatsapp-video-streaming

whatsapp-video-streaming

Signing up for the beta version of WhatsApp means you get access to new features before everyone else. While the official version of WhatsApp has only just added video calling (which was available in beta form for weeks), the beta version has just added another upcoming WhatsApp feature: video streaming.

See also:

Latest WhatsApp beta adds two-step verification features

2 weeks ago

Before you get too excited though, this isn't like Facebook Live or Instagram Live Stories, just the ability to stream video immediately without having to download them first.

WhatsApp is, first and foremost, a friend-to-friend messaging app, so the streaming video feature is more about allowing you to view a video message as quickly as possible than it is about broadcasting your breakfast to the world at large.

whatsapp-streaming-video-beta-auto-download

whatsapp-streaming-video-beta-auto-download

The way the new streaming function works is twofold. If you have media auto-downloading enabled, as soon as the message arrives it'll start downloading, as you can see by the progress meter in the bottom left hand corner of the preview above.

But before the download has finished you can tap the big play button in the middle and watch the video while it downloads in the background. Once it has downloaded the progress meter will be replaced by a video duration indicator.

whatsapp-video-streaming-beta-download

whatsapp-video-streaming-beta-download

If you have media auto-downloading off (or just don't allow auto-download videos when on a cellular connection), you'll see something a little different.

You'll still see the big play button in the middle and be able to stream the video as soon as it arrives, but the video won't be downloaded automatically. For that you'll have to tap the download button in the bottom left hand corner instead.

Are you happy to see video messages delivered faster? What do you want to see in WhatsApp next?



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Ditto has now been discovered in Pokemon GO

android-authority-ditto-found

android-authority-ditto-found

At long last, the elusive Ditto has appeared in Pokemon Go. The only non-legendary Pokemon of the original 151 that hadn't yet made an appearance can now be captured and, as those familiar with the Pokemon may have anticipated, Ditto is hiding in plain sight.

Ditto is known for taking on the form of other Pokemon and thus you won't see it in its natural form in the wild. Instead, you may find that after catching a Pokemon – reportedly common Pokemon like Rattatas, Pidgeys, Spearows and Magikarps – a cutscene will play to reveal that you, in fact, caught Ditto. Reports also suggest that Ditto can still be caught using lures and incense as with other Pokemon.

See also:

Pokemon Go update brings double XP and Stardust from Nov 23-30

2 days ago

Ditto was rumored to make its debut in the game after code from a Pokemon Go update earlier this month was discovered to house the Transform move, which is used by Ditto (among other Pokemon). In the same code references to 100 new Pokemon were also discovered. Could this mean that they're also on their way soon? We'll keep you posted.



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New battery technology could charge your smartphone in just a few seconds

ucf

ucf

One of the biggest problems smartphone users across the globe experience with their mobile devices is poor battery life. Not only do batteries last for a few days at most, they also take quite a bit of time to charge, and degrade after time.

These familiar issues might all come to an end one day, thanks to scientists from the University of Central Florida (UCF), who have managed to create a prototype of a supercapacitor battery that is able to store more energy and charge a lot faster.

According to Nitin Choudhary, a postdoctoral associate at UFC, the new technology would allow you to charge your smartphone in only a few seconds. And even better, you wouldn't have to charge it again for at least a week. In addition, the battery can be recharged more than 30,000 times without degrading.

See also:

Quick Charge 4.0 rumored to support 28W for even faster charging

2 weeks ago

But before you get too excited, please note that the technology is still in an early development phase. It is not ready for commercialization yet and probably won't hit the market anytime soon. But it does give us hope that the agony of charging our phones daily and running out of juice mid-day is coming close to an end.

The new technology, which the team over at UCF plans on patenting, could be used in quite a few different industries. Smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches obviously come first to mind, but the new battery tech could also make a big impact in the electric vehicle industry. It would allow EVs to significantly improve their range and fully charge in just a few minutes. Nice!

Any thoughts? Do you think that this technology will change the market, or will it flop like so many others in the past?

Up next: Everything you need to know about solid state batteries



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This is the ‘Glossy Black’ Galaxy S7 Edge, coming soon

samsung-galaxy-s7-edge-glossy-black-edge

samsung-galaxy-s7-edge-glossy-black-edge

A couple of days ago we told you about the possibility of a "Glossy Black" Galaxy S7 Edge in the works. Just 48 hours later and the first images of that upcoming device have now appeared on Chinese microblogging site, Weibo. The photos show a very shiny, very sexy S7 Edge that's quite similar to the Olympics Games edition, but without the accents.

The baby blue version of the Galaxy S7 Edge is now available across all U.S. carriers, but the new shiny black version is expected to arrive in December sometime. We would expect it to arrive as early as possible though, to give it the best chance of being snapped up in time for the holiday buying frenzy.

samsung-galaxy-s7-edge-glossy-black-edges

samsung-galaxy-s7-edge-glossy-black-edgessamsung-galaxy-s7-edge-glossy-blacksamsung-galaxy-s7-edge-glossy-blacksamsung-galaxy-s7-edge-glossy-black-front-and-backsamsung-galaxy-s7-edge-glossy-black-front-and-back

The images come from the Weibo account of a China-based Samsung official who obviously doesn't care too much about leaking these images. They show the glossy black device from several angles, including its black metal chassis, with a regular Galaxy S7 Edge appearing in the background of one photo for comparison.

Would you drop a few dollars on a glossy black S7 Edge? Do you think it'll be as scratch-prone as the Jet Black iPhone 7?



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Google, Microsoft and others create guidelines for improving IoT security

google-home-review-4-of-15

google-home-review-4-of-15

The Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group – an alliance formed by Google, Microsoft, Intel, Verizon and others in the tech industry – has laid out guidelines for improving security on Internet of Things devices.

The group, also known as BITAG, was formed in 2010 to produce best practices for broadband security and published its recommendations for IoT manufacturers yesterday.

In the document, BITAG warned that "the nature of consumer IoT is unique because it can involve non-technical or uninterested consumers; challenging device discovery and inventory on consumer home networks," adding that IoT devices can be hijacked to create "Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, perform surveillance and monitoring, gain unauthorized access or control, induce device or system failures, and disturb or harass authorized users or device owners."

See also:

What is the problem with IoT security? – Gary explains

3 days ago

To avoid such exploits, BITAG makes a number of recommendations for manufacturers, including:

  • Shipping products with up-to-date software
  • Including a mechanism for automated and secure software updates
  • Providing "Strong authentication", such as password protection, by default
  • Conducting security tests on a number of configurations
  • Following security and cryptography best practices
  • Ensuring devices remain functional even if the cloud back-end fails

BITAG also suggested that, when possible, IoT devices should not be reachable via inbound connections by default. As an advisory group, however, BITAG can't legally enforce any of its recommendations to IoT device manufacturers.

In October, an IoT exploit was a major contributor in an internet blackout in the US, which affected huge parts of the country. Watch our own Gary Sims detail some of the concerns surrounding IoT security in this video.



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