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If you've got mystery artists in your Spotify history, here's why http://bit.ly/2Mv2QLp If you've got mystery artists in your Spotify history, here's whyBy Roger Fingas
One of the now-removed 'mysterycore' artists.
The bands include names like "Bergenulo Five," "Onxyia," and "Dj Bruej," whose songs are short and simply named with few to no lyrics and generic cover art, BBC News said on Friday. The acts have no social media presence or concert listings, and BBC attempts to contact them were futile. They've nevertheless racked up tens of thousands of streams in some instances, enough to earn hundreds of dollars in royalties, though Spotify declined to say whether it had actually issued any payouts. Most or all of the artists have been purged from the service following BBC inquiries. Many listeners only discovered the issue recently when Spotify launched an option to share 2018 music habits on the Web, learning that the mystery bands somehow made it into their top five despite never hearing about or searching for them. It's unknown exactly how many people have been impacted. This prompted at least some to assume their accounts had been hacked, yet even people who logged out and changed their passwords were still encountering the problem. Spotify said it has "multiple detection measures in place" to counter fraudulent streaming, though if so it's not clear why they didn't catch the mystery artists until they were pointed out. In September 2018 Facebook acknowledged that hackers exploited a Web vulnerability to steal nearly 50 million access tokens. While Facebook said it cancelled any tokens affected by the incident, some could theoretically have been missed and used to log into Spotify accounts. Facebook is an option for listeners who don't want to resort to manual logins, and the first mystery artists began appearing in October. Spotify also opened direct artist uploads in September, helping independent artists who previously had to go through record labels and publishers. Apple Music would be invulnerable to such an exploit unless hackers some how got their hands on an Apple ID access token. Even then Apple is believed to exert tighter restrictions on who can submit music. Gadget News via AppleInsider - Frontpage News http://appleinsider.com January 25, 2019 at 09:31AM
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iPad mini 5 (2019) Preview http://bit.ly/2CMRfD3 Steve Jobs never wanted an iPad mini. He joked about having to file down your fingers just to use one. Then, Eddy Cue read an article about the advantages of a smaller Android Tab and how they could apply to iPad. Curious, he picked one up and tried to out. There's a story about how the other Apple executives pitched Jobs on iTunes for Windows. He said no. They said they were going to do it anyway. Jobs cursed, told them to do what they wanted, and they were responsible. Similar with iPad mini. That Steve Jobs, one of the biggest deciders in the history of personal technology was willing and able to let the people he hired and trusted make some of those decisions, even when he fiercely disagreed with them, is a leadership case study for another time. For now, let's dig into where iPad mini is going next. Watch the video above. Seriously. It's so much more fun than reading. iPad mini EvolutioniPad mini has the shortest turn around of any iOS device ever, at least up until that time. Apple went from not making one to scheduling one to ship on a dime. Luckily, the software teams discovered that the existing 9.7-inch iPad interface, shrunk down to 7.9-inches, with the density increasing from the iPad's 132 ppi to the iPhone's 163 ppi — remember, these were the days before Retina — kept it completely usable. That wasn't the result of any careful, multi-year planning to re-use existing screen fabs or save on UI work, it was simply the karma of solid, practical past choices creating opportunities for smart, efficient future choices. Combined with the next-generation, size-bezel-slimmed design language Jony Ive and the ID team had been working on, and the new Lightning port the platform technologies team had been developing, for the full-sized iPad, and the teams once again managed to do the impossible — turn around and ship the iPad mini in record time. And, in 2012, it enjoyed a good amount of success, especially back in the days before big and bigger screen iPhones, Plus and now Max models that might as well be tiny tablets in their own rights. It pushed down iPad ASP — the average selling prices financial analysts often cite when commenting on market health in lieu of any deep product knowledge. But some customers really loved it. In 2013, it went retina with iPad mini 2, in 2014, it got Touch ID with iPad mini 3, and in 2015 it finally got the laminated display and A8 processor… of the previous year's iPad Air 2. But without the benefit of any keynote time, other than a pricing slide. Because iPad Pro had come, with a 12.9-inch display, Apple Pencil, and an average selling price that would make Wall Street beam a little again. At least for a while. And, since then, nothing. Nothing and more nothing. Until now. iPad mini 5 RumorsThere have been some off and on rumors about a new, updated iPad mini... pretty much since the last iPad mini shipped back in 2015. Some were wishful thinking. Others, perhaps, echoes of experiments attempted and shelved. Recently, however, the rumors have picked up again. October 23, 2018, supply-chain exfiltrator extraordinaire, Kuo Ming-Chi, via MacRumors
Obviously, iPad mini 5 didn't launch alongside the newly redesigned iPad Pro last October, but that doesn't mean it isn't launching sometime in the near future. December 20 2018, China Times rumored:
Yeah. I'll revisit those full sized iPad 2019 rumors in a future video. January 8, 2019, a Mr. White on Twitter reservoir dogged up some photos of what they claimed was the new iPad mini:
So. Salty. January 17, 2019, the randomly accurate Digitimes, which previously said Apple was AirPorting the iPad mini, EOL, exercised some self retort:
So, what can be made of all that? iPad mini 5 PotentialAn iPad mini Pro has been the dream of many. Same size, just over an 8-inch size. The new, retro, squared-off design language, and all the state-of-the-art accessories, bells, and whistles Apple can pack in. This… almost certainly won't be that. No matter how much I'd like to see what Apple and Logitech and others can do to make a really small Smart Keyboard a really useful reality. Pretty much all the rumors point to the exact opposite — a low-cost iPhone 9.7-inch style 7.9-inch iPad mini. If the leaks are accurate, the design looks like the most recent 9.7-inch iPad, including the antenna lines. It's possible that will be tweaked up, svelted up even, but probably not to the current iPad Pro style, not on a budget. The display is one area where we might see some real regression. The iPad mini 4 got the iPad Air 2's laminated display. The last two 9.7-inch iPads lost that to keep costs down and it sounds like the new iPad mini will lose it as well and for the same reason. At the very least, people will stop being confused about why the smaller iPad currently costs more than the smaller iPad… The current iPads Pro — It's a the West Wing joke, relax about it — use Apple's latest-generation A12X systems-on-a-chip. The current iPad non-Pro uses the 2016 A10 non-X SoC. The current iPad mini 4 uses the 2014 A8 also non-X SoC. So, obviously, there's a ton of room for improvement there. But, to keep costs down, we'll probably end up with quite a few pounds less than a ton. Worst case, the A10. Best case, the A11. The first would give Fusion level efficiency and performance cores. The second, a full-on neural engine. Even if — and it's still a big if — Apple brings the neural engine to the iPad mini, it's tough to see them bringing Face ID along with it. Don't get me wrong, I want Face ID everywhere. Every iPad, every Mac. But it's currently still a premium feature and that doesn't fit with the rumored budget narrative here. Last year's 9.7-inch iPad got Apple Pencil support. What was previously a niche, premium feature got taken out across the line and made accessible to a much wider audience. It'd be great to see Apple continue to push Pencil tech out to the new mini. It may not be enough to satisfy those who want it on the iPhone as well, but it will make for the best small tablet drawing and note taking experience in the industry, and I would very much like that. Inductive charging, water proofing, 3D Touch or haptic touch, OLED displays — none of those have come to iPad yet, so it's tough to see them coming to an entry-level iPad mini first. Especially when all of them are made more complicated by iPads size to begin with. iPad mini 5 TimelineSo, when can we expect the new iPad mini, if we can expect it at all?
Since then, though, the non-Pro iPads have moved from fall to spring:
At last year's education event. Apple has held March events in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2018. That's five out of the last eight years. If Apple holds one in 2019, and there's another new 9.7-inch iPad, that could be the best time to announce a new 7.9-inch iPad as well. And the price — total guess — maybe $299 and even less for education? It's possible iPad mini has set a course for the second star on the left, but it's also possible Apple is readying it for a relaunch. We'll have to wait and see. Gadget News via iMore - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog https://www.imore.com/ January 25, 2019 at 09:28AM
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Mark Zuckerberg reportedly orders Facebook Messenger and Instagram teams to add end-to-end encryption http://bit.ly/2S6fu8D Facebook is reportedly looking to add end-to-end encryption to both Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct chats, according to The New York Times. It’s part of a plan from CEO Mark Zuckerberg to merge the underlying messaging system across Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp so all three apps can communicate between each other. The move apparently comes directly from Zuckerberg, who has ordered the company to rework the underlying infrastructure behind all three apps into a single, unified service that will allow users of Facebook’s three disparate messaging services to talk to each other, even if they don’t have accounts on the same app. As part of that overhaul, Zuckerberg is reportedly ordering that Messenger and Instagram join WhatsApp by adding end-to-end encryption. That means, in theory, Facebook would no longer be able to access or investigate any messages sent on any of its platforms (or between any of its platforms, should the cross-platform system actually make it to consumers). Facebook Messenger already offers a Secret Conversations feature that’s encrypted end to end, but few users know about it. While Facebook wouldn’t directly confirm the planned cross-platform merger, the company did acknowledge the fact that it was working on adding end-to-end encryption to The New York Times, saying, “We’re working on making more of our messaging products end-to-end encrypted and considering ways to make it easier to reach friends and family across networks.” The move would make sense as part of Facebook’s goal to merge the messaging systems. After all, offering end-to-end encryption on WhatsApp isn’t really that useful if that protection gets lost when users message friends on other platforms. While Facebook adding more secure messaging on more platforms is ostensibly a good thing, there could be downsides, too. Part of WhatsApp’s prevalent disinformation issues stem from the fact that there isn’t really a way track or moderate what content is sent on it (as recently seen in Brazil’s presidential election last fall). This led Facebook to institute a limit on how many times messages can now be forwarded on the platform. It’s easy to imagine how this sort of issue might grow more controversial if Facebook throws its other billion-plus user platforms into the mix. Gadget News via The Verge http://bit.ly/1jLudMg January 25, 2019 at 09:27AM
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Facebook is reportedly unifying all its messaging apps https://engt.co/2B5Fibw Mark Zuckerberg is planing on bringing Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp closer than ever by giving users the power to message one another across all three apps. The masterstroke is part of Zuckerberg's grand plan to revitalize Facebook's fortunes in the wake of a torrent of privacy scandals, according to The New York Times. With thousands of Facebook staffers working on the restructuring process, the update could arrive by the end of the year, or early 2020, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the Times. Fortunately for Zuckerberg, there's no one left to oppose his plans now that both WhatsApp and Instagram's founders have departed. As part of the move, Facebook will reportedly add end-to-end encryption (a feature currently limited to WhatsApp and available optionally on Messenger) across all three platforms. The decision to focus on privacy comes amidst increasing criticism from Apple CEO Tim Cook, who's been calling for industry-wide regulations. Those in the know insist that the trio of apps will remain as stand-alone entities. "After the changes take effect, a Facebook user could send an encrypted message to someone who has only a WhatsApp account, for example. Currently, that isn't possible because the apps are separate," writes NYT's Mike Isaac. "As you would expect, there is a lot of discussion and debate as we begin the long process of figuring out all the details of how this will work," Facebook said in a statement to the Times. Gadget News via Engadget http://www.engadget.com January 25, 2019 at 09:24AM
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With Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ending, Great News might be your next go-to http://bit.ly/2UiCVt8 There are so many streaming options available these days, and so many conflicting recommendations, that it’s hard to see through all the crap you could be watching. Each Friday, The Verge’s Cut the Crap column simplifies the choice by sorting through the overwhelming multitude of movies and TV shows on subscription services and recommending a single perfect thing to watch this weekend. What to watch“Honeypot!,” a season 2 episode of the late, lamented NBC sitcom Great News, created by Tracey Wigfield in conjunction with 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt honchos Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. Launched with too little fanfare in January 2017, the wacky workplace comedy ran for two seasons and a total of 23 episodes, telling the story of ambitious MMN cable news producer Katie Wendelson (Briga Heelan) and the company’s latest intern: her 60-something helicopter mother Carol (Andrea Martin). In “Honeypot!” Carol struggles with her new position as “head intern” because she can’t convince the post-millennial kids in the office that she deserves their respect. In the episode’s main plot, Katie finds out that her boss / mentor Diana St. Tropez (played by Fey) has been promoted to an overseas position, just as MMN’s male employees have been accusing Diana of sexual harassment. Why watch now?Because the second half of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s final season debuts today. After NBC unexpectedly dropped Kimmy from its schedule, unaired, after the entire first season was completed, the show quickly became one of Netflix’s staples, winning major awards and landing on critics’ best-of lists. It never flagged in quality, although the fourth (and last) season didn’t generate much buzz when its first half debuted in May 2018. The series has always presented an exaggerated, absurdist take on a That Girl / Mary Tyler Moore Show-style “eager young woman takes on the big city” sitcom, cut with the more poignant story of its heroine’s bizarre past as a kidnapping victim and cult member. As the show wraps up, star Ellie Kemper has been doing some of her best work, bringing heart and an endearing kookiness to her portrayal of a recently arrived New Yorker who’s had her soul healed by a deeply flawed, frequently ridiculous metropolis. Great News never got much traction with viewers during its two years on the air. But now that it’s on Netflix — with recommendation algorithms suggesting it to people who like Kimmy — it’s been getting discovered more regularly. In the same way, there have been plenty of stories in recent weeks about You, a Lifetime drama that bombed on cable, then became a Netflix sensation. This has become an increasingly common phenomenon, where viewers accustomed to firing up their streaming devices when they turn on their TVs end up stumbling across former network and cable flops. They then become fans, often assuming they’re watching Netflix originals. Great News has the hallmarks of another of those belated Netflix favorites. It’s so rocket-paced that it almost demands multiple viewings to catch all the one-liners and oddball cultural references. Some of the best jokes in “Honeypot!” are asides. When conceited MMN anchor Chuck Pierce (John Michael Higgins) excitedly announces that he’s the new spokesman for the tomato juice council, he shares their slogan: “Tomatoes: Take a Sip. Please?” When fussy British producer Greg Walsh (Adam Campbell) hears Katie talking about Law & Order, he says he prefers the English version, Barristers & Decorum. “Honeypot!” (with a script credited to Fey and Sam Means) has two or three of these little wonders every minute. Not all the gags are digressive, though. Carol overhears her teenage colleague Moana complain about how out-of-touch she is — “When I told her to Venmo me the $5 she owed me, she gave me these weird paper tickets,” Moana says, holding up a handful of dollar bills — in a funny moment that also cuts to the heart of the modern generation gap where people on either side of the divide aren’t even speaking the same language. Meanwhile, the main story in “Honeypot!” puts a provocative twist on our current #MeToo / Time’s Up moment, as Katie attacks Diana’s accusers to protect a woman she admires. Who it’s forTina Fey fans and lovers of snappy sitcoms. Great News found its voice and rhythm fairly quickly, thanks to Heelan’s lead performance as a relatably frazzled young professional: in over her head but desperate to plunge in even deeper. The veteran comedian Martin is at her best on this show, too, playing an aging meddler who worries she won’t have a purpose if she doesn’t micromanage her daughter’s life. Both these characters are filtered through the sensibilities of Wigfield, Carlock, and Fey, who use the Wendelsons to put a human face on what it’s like to be a 21st century woman in the media, juggling career expectations and messy personal lives while working in a stressful, rapidly evolving industry. “Honeypot!” riffs hilariously on this, from the perspectives of both Katie and Diana. (It’s not really spoiling anything to say that the boss’s harassment is part of a larger scheme to get some time off from work and a Bill O’Reilly-like “golden parachute” package.) There’s real sweetness in the ladies’ interactions as Diana tries to put a happy face on a promotion that’ll take her farther away from her kids. (“On the weekend I’ll be able to meet my children halfway, on an aircraft carrier, in the Bering Sea. Children love the Bering Sea.”) Meanwhile, Katie asks if MMN has “Mufasa technology” that’ll let her mentor appear in the clouds occasionally to give her advice. When the women finally do part, with “a pervert’s high five” (an index finger poked through an “okay” sign), it’s like the over-stressed working woman’s version of an old boy’s secret-club handshake. Where to see itNetflix. Hulu, meanwhile, has Fey and Carlock’s 30 Rock, the original model for all these other shows. Hulu also has the full run of The Mindy Project, which Wigfield worked on as a writer, producer, and guest star. Gadget News via The Verge http://bit.ly/1jLudMg January 25, 2019 at 09:12AM
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First iOS 12.2 beta gives hints as to how HomeKit on televisions will work http://bit.ly/2FPtHB7 While everyone is eagerly awaiting the first HomeKit televisions to come to market, developers have taken to the first beta of iOS 12.2 to provide initial demos of the functionality. Gadget News via AppleInsider - Frontpage News http://appleinsider.com January 25, 2019 at 09:10AM
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Apple HomePod vs Amazon Echo: Which should you buy? http://bit.ly/2sJMHbV We're a virtual company made up of tech experts from across the globe. We live and breathe wireless smart speakers, and use nearly everyone to find the best option for most people. Apple HomePodHigh fidelity audio Pros
Cons
If you're fully invested in the Apple ecosystem, the HomePod is a fantastic smart speaker with superior audio quality. It's designed mostly for music, so if you subscribe to Apple Music, the native integration with that allows you to listen to anything in high fidelity. You can also get access to your Podcasts natively, give Siri commands, and even AirPlay other forms of media to the smart speaker. Amazon Echo (2nd Gen)Affordable and flexible Pros
Cons
Amazon Echo is a highly affordable smart speaker, more so than the HomePod. It has decent audio quality with the 360-degree speakers with Dolby, and Alexa is a pretty capable digital assistant. However, since this is an Amazon product, it integrates seamlessly with Amazon, but Apple services will require some tinkering with skills. Also, there may be privacy concerns with Amazon Alexa. Apple designed the HomePod to be perfect for audiophiles who truly love their music. The high fidelity audio you get from the HomePod is one of the best on the market, and the smart ambient Siri integration is just icing on the cake, that is, if you prefer to use Siri. However, Amazon's 2nd Gen Echo is a decent speaker for all sources of audio, and the more mature "Works with Alexa" ecosystem gives you more control over your smart home devices. The breakdownIf you are looking for a great smart speaker to play a lot of music on, then you're going to want something with high fidelity sound, and that's HomePod. For those who aren't audiophiles and just want a decent little smart speaker with a lot of compatibility and features with non-Apple services, then Amazon's 2nd generation Echo is the way to go.
While Apple's HomePod seems mighty expensive (which it is), it is one of the best sounding speakers on the market. This one is definitely built more for audiophiles who choose to use Apple Music, which is built-in to the HomePod. And if you're already invested in the Apple ecosystem, HomePod is great because of the ambient Siri that's integrated. With HomePod, you can have Siri do things like make calls, send messages, add a reminder, set alarms and timers, turn on your HomeKit-compatible devices, and more. Apple Music is also a pretty good music streaming service, and it's integrated seamlessly into HomePod. You'll have access to your iCloud Music Library, everything that's streamable on Apple Music, and even access to radio stations like Beats 1. Siri will also be able to pretty much pull up anything that you'll feel like listening to without breaking a sweat. However, if you aren't an Apple Music subscriber but still want to use HomePod for music, it's still a viable option. You'll just need to AirPlay your music streaming service from your iOS device to the HomePod instead. It's not as convenient as built-in integration, but it works well.
Siri itself is a decent digital assistant, but there is always the issue where she doesn't understand what you said. In the past, I've often had issues with Siri not understanding what I want her to do, but Apple has made a lot of improvements to Siri since I last used it. However, I often never have issues with Amazon Alexa, but your mileage may vary here. Both digital assistants are capable of doing the same things, so the one you pick ends up coming down to personal preference and how invested you are into either Apple or Amazon's ecosystem. However, keep in mind that HomePod and Siri will only be able to control your smart home devices only if they're HomeKit compatible, whereas Alexa works with anything that has the "Works with Alexa" tag. If you're not a big audiophile but still want an all-around smart speaker that can play some music here and there, then Amazon Echo is for you (and most people). It's a much more mature system with a lot of compatibility with smart home devices (like controlling your smart lights), music streaming services, is highly customizable with the hundreds of skills available, and is fully integrated with your Amazon account. The only drawback is that there are some privacy concerns with Alexa that seem to hit the news. Overall, if you are all-in on the Apple ecosystem and need high fidelity audio, then go with the HomePod, that is if you can afford it (watch for deals). If you don't care about superior audio quality and want a better smart speaker overall with compatibility with more devices and features, then go with the Amazon Echo. Apple HomePodOur pick Superior high fidelity audio The HomePod is the speaker for any music aficionados who use Apple Music and want incredible sound quality. It also has ambient Siri integration, so you can give commands to Siri from anywhere in the room, and she will hear you. You can also use HomePod to control your HomeKit enabled smart devices around the house. Amazon Echo (2nd gen)Great overall smart speaker Affordable and functional The Amazon 2nd Generation Echo is a great smart speaker for most people. The audio quality is fairly decent (definitely not HomePod-quality but not bad), and it's fully integrated with your Amazon account. You can use Alexa and tell her to play music from a variety of streaming services, including Apple Music and Amazon Music, add items to your shopping list, tell her to turn on your smart home devices, and more. There are hundreds of Skills available to customize Alexa to do what you want. Gadget News via iMore - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch blog https://www.imore.com/ January 25, 2019 at 09:06AM
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You can’t pay for 'the wall' with a porn tax https://engt.co/2B3mcTg An Arizona Republican is attempting to place a levy one of the world's most popular hobbies, especially if you've got any alone time. State senator Gail Griffin is pushing a bill that would force adults to pay a $20 online "porn tax." Revenue from the initiative would be channeled into building a wall along the state's southern border. As reported by Ars Technica, House Bill 2444 proposes a state-wide blanket ban on all websites offering adult content. The bill outlines what would be blacklisted, including pornography, sites that "facilitate prostitution," revenge porn and obscenity. Users would be able to have access to those pages restored if they can prove that they're an adult and pay the fee. Sadly, the law is poorly drafted. It suggests that paying the fee will allow them access to illegal content, like revenge porn. In Arizona, the publication of revenge porn is already a felony that can carry a jail term of up to six months. And, in the unlikely event the bill was enacted, the state could leave itself open to charges of profiting from criminality. The bill then outlines how the revenue would be placed in a fund, administered by the head of Arizona's Commerce Authority. They would be tasked with handing out grants for projects that "uphold community standards of decency." The most crucial of which, apparently, is the construction of a wall between Arizona and Mexico, for reasons. Many believe the bill was authored by "anti-porn troll" Chris Sevier, who has pushed similar projects. BoingBoing says that Sevier has built a career "convincing grandstanding Republican state lawmakers to introduce doomed, unconstitutional porn tax laws." In 2014, Sevier, who uses a number of pseudonyms, unsuccessfully attempted to marry his computer as part of a series of protests against same-sex marriage, which he believes is unnatural. And in 2017, The Daily Beast reported that he was charged with stalking and harassing a minor. Motherboard believes that the bill is likely to fail, in the same way Sevier's other bills have in Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, Utah, Rhode Island and South Carolina. One clear hurdle would be that the law contravenes the first amendment. In the wake of FOSTA/SESTA, the first amendment is seen as less of an impediment to some lawmakers now. The EFF, amongst others, protested that the anti-trafficking bill amounted to government censorship, but its objections were ignored. John Stagliano, the CEO of adult studio Evil Angel, was similarly dismissive of the plan, saying that "politically unpopular industries" are often the target of lawmakers. He cited other businesses that could also be targeted, including payday loan companies, tobacco, booze and medical marijuana. Mike Stabile, a representative from the Free Speech Coalition told the Arizona Mirror that the move is "clearly unconstitutional." Projects with wooly, apparently high-minded goals that attempt to right some digital wrong have rarely succeeded. Canada attempted, in 2003 and 2013, to levy an "iPod Tax," on MP3 players to match similar taxes on blank media. The thinking went that since those devices could be used to enable piracy, a fund should be set up to compensate copyright holders. A few years later, and the country tried to mess with the import tariff situation to punish importers of those devices. Both attempts failed, however, since there was no clear link between what was being taxed, and the taxation itself. A court found the initial tax illegal, while the latter was rolled back after a year, and all fees were returned to importers. Attempts to shut down large portions of the internet to prevent people accessing adult content also rarely work. In 2018, Nepal blocked a number of adult websites, including xHamster, which saw visitor numbers from the country crater. Less than ten days later, and traffic levels had returned to almost the same numbers they were before the ban. The site said that users simply opted to use VPNs, proxies and alternative networks (like Tor) to get online.
"It's a tax on computer buyers," xHamster's Alex Hawkins told Engadget, creating a filter that "users would have to pay to remove in order to access the free internet." Hawkins also railed against the notion that the internet would be limited to "what's approved by a government censor." The executive said that the proposal would create an "ineffectual internet wall," and that he "couldn't think of anything that smacks less of liberty." Hawkins also said that xHamster could pay the $20 to reimburse users for the tax in a show of solidarity with the state's internet users. The company also released statistics showing how adult content views have fallen in countries like China and Saudi Arabia as censorship tightens. "Do we really want to have the US go down that road as well?" he added. The UK is currently attempting to put all adult content behind a wall that only adults can access. The Digital Economy Act made provision for such a system, whereby people would verify their age in order to gain access to the material. It's not clear yet if people would be required to pay, but it's likely to be far less than Senator Griffin's proposed $20 fee. The project has, however, been postponed several times due to the difficulties in implementing such a system. How much money would Sevier and Griffin's boondoggle generate for the state? If it was feasible to implement, and people wouldn't circumvent it, how much would be raised for this wall? Using data from the US Census, if all of Arizona's 4.27 million 18-to-65-year-olds watched porn and paid, it would rake in a maximum of $85 million. That's an optimistic figure, too, since Pornhub says that 72 percent of US porn watchers are male. In reality, the figure may be anything up to half of that price, which would also have to cover the cost of administering the system and paying for monitoring staff. According to Fox News, a US-Mexico border wall cost an estimated $25 billion, making Arizona's hypothetical contribution a rounding error. Gadget News via Engadget http://www.engadget.com January 25, 2019 at 09:06AM
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HP Spectre Folio review: more laptops should be wrapped in leather http://bit.ly/2B6id8r There’s nothing really quite like HP’s new Spectre Folio. For the past few years, the concept of a “laptop” has been constant. There are the traditional, clamshell designs, which are largely derivative of Apple’s MacBook Air design. There are the 360-style convertibles with screens that flip all the way around for tablet functions, like Lenovo’s Yoga line. And then there are those convertible laptops with fully detachable screens that can be used as standalone tablets, such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro or Surface Book. The $1,299 and up Spectre Folio fits into… none of those descriptions. It doesn’t look like a MacBook Air, it doesn’t have a 360-degree hinge, and it doesn’t have a detachable display. Yet, it’s still a 2-in-1 with the ability to switch between a standard clamshell laptop and a tablet-style device. We haven’t seen a laptop with a hardware design this different since the heady days of Windows 8’s craziness. On top of that, the Spectre Folio is wrapped in leather, making it visually and tactilely different from any computer I’ve ever used before. It is truly one of the most unique and interesting laptops released in years. Interesting and unique do not mean good, however, and the Spectre Folio is not a perfect device. But the problems it has can’t be blamed on the clever hinge or the leather finish. 7.5 Verge Score Good Stuff
Bad Stuff
The most obvious thing that separates the Spectre Folio from, well, every other laptop you can buy is that it is wrapped in actual leather. It’s not a case — the leather cannot be removed because it’s integrated into the computer’s metal frame. And it’s not plasticky, fake leather, either — it is genuine leather that HP says is harvested from the scraps produced during the manufacturing of other leather goods. It looks, smells, and feels like the real thing because it is real. The leather, which comes in brown or burgundy, not only gives the Folio a unique look, but also gives it a different feel compared to other laptops. The finish wraps around the top deck, so your palms are always resting on soft cowhide instead of cold metal. The borders of the leather wrapping extend beyond the metal frame, so there are no real exposed edges or sharp corners. In those respects, it behaves a lot like a case you might put on a standard laptop, but since it’s integrated into the Folio and not removable, it’s far less bulky than a case might be. Leather is used in a variety of applications because it’s durable and actually looks better the more you use it. The leather finish on the Folio should prove to be more hardy than the Alcantara fabric Microsoft uses on the Surface Laptop, though I haven’t used the Folio long enough to fully put that to the test. In the month or so I’ve been testing the device, including using it on road trips and at demanding press events like CES, it has maintained its appearance and still basically looks brand-new. Leather is not a light material, however, and the Folio is a heavier computer than many other laptops in its class. At 3.26 lbs, it’s more than half a pound heavier than the Surface Laptop 2 and a quarter pound more than even a 13-inch MacBook Pro. That doesn’t sound like a lot on paper, but it is something I immediately noticed when picking up the computer. The Folio’s very thin design doesn’t help here, either — it weighs more than you’d expect when looking at it. Even with that compromise, I still really like the finish of the Folio and hope it’s something that HP uses more in the future. The other defining characteristic of the Folio is its hinge, which allows the computer to quickly transition from standard laptop mode to tent and tablet modes. The frame has a flex point right in the middle of the screen, and you have to snap the bottom of the screen off the frame (it uses magnets) and pull it forward to switch positions. It almost feels like you are breaking the screen in half in the process, but the action is easy to perform quickly. Pull the screen forward and place the bottom of it between the keyboard and the trackpad and the Folio is in its “tent” mode, which is ideal for watching movies or Netflix on a plane. Interestingly, you still have full access to the trackpad in this mode, so if you don’t want to make use of the touchscreen, you don’t have to. But annoyingly, there are no physical volume controls when you move the screen to this position, so the only way to adjust the volume is by using Windows 10’s on-screen controls. You can also continue to push the screen until it rests entirely on top of the lower deck, forming a large tablet surface to work on. HP includes an active pen in the box with the Folio, housed in a goofy-but-functional loop on the right side of the screen. You can write or draw on the screen when in tablet mode, and the hinge is strong enough to hold the screen at a variety of positions between tent mode and fully flat. The Folio’s internal components aren’t as interesting as its external design, but there are more than a few points to highlight. The Folio uses either an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 Y-series processor, which has no fan and is paired with either 8GB or 16GB of RAM. Y-series chips are not the most powerful processors available, and can easily get bogged down and overloaded, but I’ve been impressed with the Folio’s performance for day-to-day productivity work. I’m able to run as many tabs as I want in either Edge or Chrome, along with Slack, mail, Word, Twitter, and many other apps without hitting frustrating slowdowns or bottlenecks. I even used the Folio for photo editing in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, all without pulling any of my hair out. My $1,800 review unit has the Core i7 chip and 16GB of RAM, so it’s basically maxed out in terms of specs, but the performance delta between the Core i5 and Core i7 isn’t huge and I wouldn’t be too surprised if most people are just fine with the lower-end model. No fan means the Folio operates silently, and it surprisingly stays cool, too. I’m not sure if the leather helps insulate the heat from reaching my legs or if HP’s temperature management just works better here than in other laptops, but the Folio remains cool the entire time I use it. The best part of the Folio’s Y-Series chip is that it enables incredible battery life. I’m able to easily use the Folio for more than a full workday without plugging in, even when I’m using battery-hogging apps like Slack. That’s more than I’m accustomed to from other premium Windows or Mac laptops. For I/O, the Folio has three USB-C ports, two of which are Thunderbolt 3, but no USB-A ports. HP includes a dongle in the box for your old USB-A devices, and the USB-C charger works with any of the Folio’s ports. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack, which will be important later on. The Folio’s keyboard is also excellent: it has comfortably sized keys, good key travel, and backlighting. But the component that has me most excited is the optional integrated LTE, which works on AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. The SIM card is cleverly hidden inside the display hinge, and it admittedly took me quite a few minutes to locate it when I was setting up the computer. LTE on the Folio is just as good as LTE on the Surface Pro: it allows me to connect to the internet from basically anywhere without having to worry about Wi-Fi availability or hassle with tethering my phone. It’s something every computer should have an option for at this point, but it’s still very rare to see. Most of the Folio experience is excellent, but there are three areas that could either use improvement or are just downright bad. The 13-inch display is mostly fine. I’ve been testing the 1080p version (a 4K option is available, but at this size is completely unnecessary) and it’s bright, with good colors and viewing angles, and only consumes 1W of power, which helps with that long battery life. But it’s stuck with a 16:9 aspect ratio, which feels horribly cramped compared to the 3:2 screens available on Surface computers. There’s also a giant, unsightly “chin” at the bottom that would all but disappear if the Folio had a 3:2 screen. At least there’s a Windows Hello-enabled webcam at the top, where it belongs. Remember how I said it would be important that the Folio has a headphone jack? That’s because the Folio’s speakers are horrible. They are sharp and sibilant with virtually zero bass reproduction. They do get loud, and are quite functional for video calls, but the audio is miserable for music or movies. And when the Folio is in the tent mode, the sound echoes around in the cavity that’s formed behind the screen, making it even worse. But the worst part of the Folio is its trackpad. Not because of the hardware — it’s glass and smooth to the touch — but because HP is still using horrible Synaptics drivers instead of the far superior Windows Precision drivers from Microsoft. There is support for multitouch gestures and scrolling, but the response is laggy and it’s just frustrating to use. The entire time I was using this computer at CES I was cursing myself for not bringing a mouse along with me — it’s that bad. HP is the last major laptop manufacturer that hasn’t switched its premium line of computers over to Precision drivers and the Folio experience suffers because of it. Those faults are enough to give me pause when recommending the Spectre Folio, which is disappointing, because it does so many other things so well. And it’s a unique fish in a sea of look-alike laptops, which is refreshing and exciting. But I’ll wait until the next version, when HP hopefully fixes the display, speakers, and especially the trackpad. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy. Gadget News via The Verge http://bit.ly/1jLudMg January 25, 2019 at 09:05AM
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