Nancy Young, Author at Argyll Free Press

Facebook’s Internet.org is Now Called Free Basics

September 25, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Facebook’s free-internet project Internet.org is now called Free Basics. It’s a controversial $1 billion project that is somewhat a huge marketing stunt for Facebook, some say.

Free Basics is almost two-years old today and it aims to bring free internet access to about four billion people on the planet. Four billion people who didn’t have the means to access the internet prior to Facebook’s meddling.

Facebook’s project is aimed especially at Asian emerging markets. This seems like an extraordinarily awesome thing, but users will only be allowed to use Facebook services and a few select websites for jobs, information, updates on sports and health related issues. At least, that’s what their initial statement said.

In essence, the whole issue is about net neutrality. If Facebook is pushing their services, and only theirs, it will have the power to dictate what content is accessible through their project. This means more exposure and money for them and their partners.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and CEO, took to write an editorial piece in two Indian newspapers after Free Basics launched in the country. He defended he company’s project, but received a ton of flack mainly because users can’t access Google.

However, according to a message posted on the project’s official website change is coming. Zuckerberg took to Facebook to post what this entails.

Basically, any developer that wants his services to be included in Internet.org can do so. According to the Facebook post, everything is encrypted and the platform now supports HTTPS web services.

More so, the motive behind renaming the project is as simple as it gets. They want it to be crystal clear that every app used via Internet.org is free and that they provide basic services that every individual has a right to access.

Those strict guidelines seem to be getting loosened up. How much, we don’t know yet, but it’s a step forward.

Free Basics is available across 19 countries, offering more than 60 services.

As of 25th of September 2015, Facebook’s Free Basics can be accessed across 19 countries, offering more than 60 services – people that reside in Asia, Africa and Latin America can take full advantage of Free Basics.

Facebook has allied itself with tech giants such as Ericsson, Qualcomm and Samsung to provide the very best connection.

Zuckerberg ends his Facebook post by saying that connectivity isn’t a thing that should be seen as an obstacle in this day and age. It’s not and end. It’s more about what people do with the possibility of connecting to resources, free knowledge on the internet.

Raising a healthy family may be a given in first world countries, but, unfortunately, it’s not something that emerging markets are all that used to.

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Asus ZenFone 2 With 4GB of RAM, 16GB Storage Costs $229

September 21, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Asus ZenFone 2 is the first smartphone to house 4 gigs of RAM

If you’re looking for a cheap mid-range smartphone, then the new variant of Asus ZenFone 2 might tickle your fancy.

The new Asus ZenFone 2 variant houses 4 gigs of RAM, 16 gigs of internal storage and it costs $229.

Previously, the Taiwanese-based phone manufacturer had only two ZenFone 2 models. According to tech-reviewers it has a great price to value ratio and it offers exactly what Asus claims their smartphone can do.

For $199 you can get an Asus ZenFone 2 with 2 gigs of RAM and 16 gigs of internal storage;
For $299 you can get an Asus Zenfone 2 with 4 gigs of RAM and 64 gigs of internal storage.

Their new smartphone is a blend between the two – the new $229 model packs the built-in storage from the cheaper version, but adds more RAM. Reviewers note that it’s the cheapest smartphone that houses 4 gigs of RAM.

The new Asus ZenFone 2 model touts a few different specs also.

For starters, it has the same quad-core 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z3560 CPU as Asus’ ZenFone 2 ZE551ML – which was recently unveiled in India.

The ZenFone 2 new variant comes equipped with a dual-Sim capability and microSD card support. It has a 5.5-inch full HD IPS display, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It has a 3000mAh power-unit and its main camera consists of a 13-megapixel unit.

The smartphone’s secondary camera unit boasts 5-megapixels.

The product description for the Asus ZenFone 2 notes that the company’s new smartphone was designed with the user in mind. It has a completely new layout and a physical rear key, which is part of the product-line’s new Ergonomic Arc design.

Everything comes natural now – selfies, lowering or increasing volume, searching for websites and more. All of this can be easily done regardless of the user is left or right-handed.

ZenFone 2 versus Note 4

The ZenFone product line will include new variants that Asus showcased at this year’s IFA event. In the near future, the company will add: Deluxe, Max, Laser, Selfie, and Zoom.

The Deluxe version, which is the line’s top-notch device, has a staggering 256 gig of internal storage built-in. Yet, if you’re living in North America don’t get your hopes too high. The Deluxe variant is only available in Brazil. For what reason, we don’t know at the current moment.

What we do know is that 2015 is witnessing a surge of cheap mid-range smartphones that destroy the trend of buying a flagship smartphone. Take a look at the ZenFone line, but more importantly take a look at the OnePlus 2 flagship killer.

Why would you want to buy a $700 smartphone when you could pay almost half and get the same performance out of a mid-range device?

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Super Mario Maker – Game Design Is for Everyone

September 4, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Super Mario Maker is set to launch on the Wii U on September the 11th. The thing is, most people don’t know that Nintendo’s newest Mario makes game design fun.

We’ve all played Bob the Builder in a Warcraft or Starcraft map editor, and while we had plenty of tools at our disposal – see Dota and TD – they weren’t that approachable to newcomers.

You see, Super Mario Maker is highly addictive mainly because it’s so easy to design a level. You have familiar tools that won’t overwhelm users, the gamepad fits the medium perfectly and you can immediately play your creation.

If you’re a gamer then you most likely played Mario once in your lifetime. If you own a Wii U, now’s your chance to relive those childhood stress-free glory days. Remember those pipes, blocks and power-ups from the original Super Mario Bros.? Welp, they are part of your library of tools in Mario Maker.

Because these tools are so familiar, Nintendo doesn’t explain what the ? blocks do, or what a mushroom consists off – no Timmy, a bad trip isn’t the correct answer.

Tools are highly intuitive, they are evergreen. Even if you didn’t lay a finger on Mario ever, you’ll know what to do without help from a tutorial.

Too many tools, too much functionality may be overwhelming at first. If it’s too hard on the first try, gamers might not launch the title a second time. Super Mario Maker locks the majority of tools at the beginning. It may be a little bit annoying to some that the game forces you to play through in order to unlock tools, but that’s the gamification element.

If you want to unlock boo ghosts or warp pipes, you are required to play at least five minutes a day, each day, for an entire week.

These limitations keep the game from overwhelming users. You master the basics as you play, and you unlock new possibilities when Nintendo thinks you are comfortable enough.

Game design is incredibly hard and sometimes downright boring. I’ve wasted my fair share of time developing my very own Warcraft 3 campaign, only to not even play it because I was so exhausted by the whole design process.

The whole design process has been streamlined so it doesn’t feel like such a chore. The Wii U gamepad is seriously the best input for Super Mario Maker. It frees your mind and hands. It’s easy and fun to just draw crazy things and then unleash them onto the virtual world.

Super Mario Maker - The Wii U gamepad fits the medium perfectly

I think I overdid it a little bit…

That’s the thing. You create and then you can immediately play your creation. You don’t even have to finish the level. The Play button can be found in the left corner of the screen. Tapping it unleashes your creation, regardless if it’s complete or not. This is mainly used for testing things out.

The bottom line is, Super Mario Maker is just, simply put, fun.

You build a level from scratch, then you can play it. If you want to undo something, then just use the cute dog button. I’m just dying to play it again!

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No Hiding The Google OnHub Router In a Corner

August 31, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

If dealing or handling routers is not your cup of tea, the new Google OnHub router has got you covered. The $200 device hit the shelves on August 31st, promising to solve humankind’s problems with router blinking lights and unattractive cords.

What makes the Google OnHub router so special? First of all, it’s quite a sight for sore eyes. You definitely won’t be throwing this in a corner, hiding it in a drawer or sticking a brown paper bag on top of it.

Secondly, it’s easy to set up. That means you won’t waste hours on the phone with customer support to get help for installing it and answering questions like “Is your device plugged in?”.

The first tests all seem to sing Google OnHub’s praises. Compared to an Apple router, the Google OnHub was faster by six megabites per second and performed better on long distance tests, from three rooms away.

The cylindrical device comes with a swappable shell in black and blue, with Google pinkie promising there will be other colors in the future.

Google OnHub doesn’t light up like a Christmas tree and it only blinks when it wants to tell you something. You can also adjust the brightness so it doesn’t ruin your mojo.

You can setup the Google OnHub only through a mobile app, iOs or Android. The steps are easy to follow. The same app shows you how many devices are currently using the network and it also keeps you in the loop with how much data each of them is eating up. You can prioritize the devices if you have a God complex.

The nifty app of the Google OnHub also allows you to share your network with guests (instead of passing around a stained piece of paper) and it will also help you pinpoint any issues, suggesting ideas for fixing them. You can also manage the router remotely, which comes in handy if your parents were born in the 50s.

Google OnHub is made by TP-LINK, a third party networking hardware maker. Other companies are bound to design and start selling their own versions of the OnHub, like the Taiwanese company ASUS.

The router has some other aces up its sleeve, in the form of unactivated features. The Google OnHub will have Bluetooth and ZigBee low power wireless which will probably be activated at a later date by an automatic update.

Excited to get your hands on the Google OnHub? Personally, I’m more excited to see if this router will turn into a hub for all the devices in my house.

Image sources 1, 2, 3

FPS LawBreakers Breaks the Moon and Shatters the World

August 30, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Nope, LawBreakers isn’t your average post-apocalyptic first person shooter.

It’s just a plain shooter, but don’t let this fool you into thinking that it’s borderline average. We’re talking about Cliff Bleszinski here, the dev genius who brought us Unreal Tournament and Gears of War.

LB takes place in the future, and players will be in charge of a group of Marines. These space-marines have one goal in mind – to gun down villains in the name of justice.

This may seem like your average futuristic plot-line, but Bleszinski assures us it isn’t. LawBreakers is set in a post-catastrophe world where our Earth is in pieces because someone shattered the Moon through countless experiments. When I say someone, I imply humans – we are stupid little creatures.

So, after humanity breaks the moon, we start rebuilding, better and bigger. Violent groups take wind of this and the possibility of owning Terra. Attacks on the new world are frequent and visceral.

These LawBreakers are the only safeguard humanity has against vicious gangs. They are embedded with super-human supplements, and their training consists of vast periods of time spent in low-gravity zones. Basically, they are bad ass!

LawBreakers will be a free shooter that includes RPG-elements. It’s clearly inspired from TitanFall and the unreleased Battleborn. It’s multiplayer-oriented, and based on classes. It’s set to launch sometime in 2016. At the current moment, we don’t know on which platforms it will be available.

Classes will have unique abilities. Let’s take the assassin. He’s able to double jump, among other things – Bleszinski showcased it on a Twitch Live Stream.

The game world is a stew of old and new, with various timey references set in a modern, dystopic medium.

The US government has to sell parcels of national land because it went bankrupt during the cataclysm. The highest bidder is always the favorite. This way, Yakuza bought land near the edge of the Grand Canyon and set up shop – a criminal network shop.

Hard to reach, easily defendable and surrounded by rocks floating in low-gravity zones, the Yakuza HQ is one secure modern fortress.

Here’s the cinematic trailer that shows Terra attacked by stars and its inhabitants alike.

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Elbows off the table and smartphones in your pocket

August 26, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

We take our smartphones everywhere with us: on first dates, to the hospital, to dinner with our parents, to swimming lessons and even to church. We can no longer deny their ubiquity. Despite being everywhere, we still lack an etiquette for using smartphones. When is and when isn’t acceptable to take out your device and glaze your fingers over the screen, immersed in Facebook, Twitter or Reddit content?

The Pew Research Center took on the task of carrying out a survey on 3,217 Americans, out of which 3,042 were smartphone users. The results point to the fact that we all have different opinions on cell phone etiquette. Most of us are annoyed when someone takes out their phone at dinner, but we’re all guilty of the same thing.

A look at the numbers from the report shows that nine out of ten adults carry their smartphones everywhere they go, and the majority of interviewers with ages between 18 and 29 think it’s ok to use their gadgets in public places like crowded buses.

If a staggering ninety percent of the surveyed young adults said they wouldn’t shy away from flipping through Facebook on their smartphones on a crowded subway, only eleven percent agreed that using the phones in quiet places like a movie theater is acceptable.

Exactly how many of these young adults admitted to using a cell phone on their last social gathering? The survey showed that as much as eighty-nine percent of them answered affirmatively. Guided by the “always on” motto, the young generation seems to crave being online at all times, no matter the social circumstances.

This can have serious effects on multiple fronts. Scientists worry human interactions are sacrificed to the benefit of Whatsapp and Reddit. But using your smartphones also disables you from multitasking. Texting or talking while driving is the best example to illustrate that inattention can be fatal.

Eighty-two percent of the Pew survey respondents admitted that whenever their friends are more interested in their smartphones than in their companies it ruins the atmosphere and it can hurt the whole gathering.

Although meant to help people connect, these gadgets seem to be a double-edged sword. The survey revealed that young adults often use their smartphones to engage or disengage from a social gathering.

So what is everyone looking up on their smartphones at parties? The same survey found that fifty-five percent sent text messages, emails or posted something from the gathering they were attending. Fifty-three percent of the respondents said they posted a photo or a video while fifty-one percent googled something they thought the group would be interested in.

Maybe Pew Research Center should repeat their survey with teenagers. The results, I’m sure, will be worth our time.

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Mits Multifab 3D Printer Can Use Up to 10 Materials at Once

August 25, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

The Mits Multifab 3D printer is the world’s first 3D printer that can use up to 10 different types of materials at once.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also known as MIT, have managed to create a new machine that’s easy to use and far less expensive that any other model on the market.

Your usual 3D printer is capable of printing with just one material at a time. Intricate and complex objects require time and patience. Assembling your end product can quickly become a chore, mainly because it’s time consuming.

However, if you sought after a machine capable of using 3 different types of materials, the price tag of $250,000 would have definitely been a deal breaker. No more, says MIT.

The Mits Multifab 3D printer built by CSAIL, which is the institute’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, costs under $7,000. Researchers used off-the-shelf components.

But that’s not the only great thing about the Mits. You see, the team behind the project have also added a machine vision into the device. Now it can scan objects, self-correct and self-calibrate. Its new scanning functionality means that any object can be embedded into a 3D printed project.

You could just scan your smartphone on the printbed and have your machine create a special customized case.

Self-correcting means that the machine saves a lot of time, wasted material and effort on your part. The printer checks the build for errors, and if they are present, it adjust itself accordingly so you don’t have to scrape the whole thing.

Extruders have been built from piezoelectric inkjet printheads. Imagine the width of a human hair. Now cut it half in size, and that’s the print resolution that these microscopic droplets of polymer extrude at – 40 micrometers.

A wide array of materials can be used with the Mits. The team has experimented with co-polymers, solvent-based materials and hydrogels. These were just experiments, however.

The Mits mainly uses rigid or high refractive materials, flexibile or elastic materials. Researchers have built smartphone cases, flexible fabric, a microlens array, a colorful tire, a fibre optic bundle and a LED lens.

All of that under $7,000.

We covered 3D printers a while back, but honestly, the Mits Multifab 3D Printer takes the cake. There isn’t anything else on the market like the Mits. When and if it will have a commercial release, be sure that we’re going to review it. 3D print enthusiasts rejoice!

Would you buy the Mits? Do you think there’s something better on the market? Tell us in the comments section below!

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Huawei Honor 7i Is Here To Revolutionize Your Selfies

August 21, 2015 By Nancy Young 2 Comments

The Chinese phone maker is getting ready to launch their newest model, the Huawei Honor 7i which will probably revolutionize your selfies with its flippable camera. Instagram is about to get flooded by even more selfie pictures with the release of Huawei’s latest model.

Already nicknamed one of the most eccentric devices of this year, Huawei Honor 7i boasts a 13 mega pixel sensor that has a 28 mm wide-angle sapphire crystal lens and also a f/2.0 aperture. Here’s what makes everyone bite their fingernails in excitement over this phone: the dual tone LED flash is ready to go at all times when you feel like snapping a pic.

While we still remember how previous swivel camera concepts have gone bad in the past, we’re ready to be amazed by Huawei. Another cool feature is its fingerprint reader which also doubles as a camera button. You can find it on the left side of the Huawei Honor 7i and all you have to do to take a selfie is touch it. It really doesn’t get easier than this.

Ok, we’re in love with the idea, but we’re still a bit skeptical. Exactly how sturdy are the twirly parts? According to Huawei, they were designed to take at least two years of use, assuming you flip it around each day for 136 photos. The Chinese phone manufacturer seems to have created the ideal device for the fiercest selfie takers out there.

To prove its sturdiness, Huawei went ahead and carried out an experiment. They fixed a glass pane on three of Huawei Honor 7i flippable cameras and asked three girls to step on the glass pane. The seemingly indestructible selfie periscopes managed to withhold the weight of the three demonstrators, amounting to 140 kg. If this doesn’t make you buy the device, Huawei doesn’t know what else to do.

Huawei Honor 7i has a 5.2 inch 1080p screen which is fueled by an octa-core Snapdragon 616 processor. If you want this fierce selfie device, you’ll be able to choose between 2Gb of RAM and 16 GB of storage or 3Gb of RAM with 32Gb storage.

Ready to ditch your selfie stick? Huawei’s device will support dual SIM standby through a hybrid SIM slot. The a Li-Polymer 3,100mAh battery ensures 11 hours of talking time and promises to last up to 400 hours on standby.

At the moment, Huawei Honor 7i is only available in China and can be yours starting from 250$. World wide pre orders have already started, with device shipments scheduled to begin at the beginning of September.

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Amazon Dash Was Hacked For Data Tracking

August 18, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Earlier this year, in March, Amazon rolled out the Dash Buttons, which allow customers to reorder household goods like detergents, toilet paper and diapers with just a press. Amazon’s smart device is adhesive and sends a notification to the users’ smartphones for canceling or proceeding with placing the order.

The $5 buttons have received mixed reviews, with some praising Amazon’s initiative that saves them time, and others thinking out loud whether the buttons shouldn’t have been free. Then, there are those worrying their ten month old will be pressing the button non stop and those complaining about Amazon’s prices and lack of product variety.

While some spend their free time criticizing the single purpose buttons, the Amazon Dash was hacked by Cloudstitch CTO, Ted Benson, who wanted to enlarge the device’s horizons and make it do other stuff. Like track data.

Benson broke down his Amazon Dash button’s functioning mechanisms and noticed the device sends out a signal every time the users press it. He didn’t want to crack open Amazon’s button and tinker with the hardware, so instead he turned towards the network to see what he can do there.

After the unique signal from the button gets picked up, Benson set up a script that will do anything he wants. His experiment involved one Dash button keeping tabs on his baby’s diaper getting changed and another device recording when his baby woke up from his naps. All the data was automatically recorded in a Google Spreadsheet.

But how do you prevent the hacked Amazon dash from ordering any products? The answer is simpler than you could imagine. Just skip the initial configuration process after you receive the device. If you don’t enter an SKU, the button won’t know what to order for you.

However, there’s still a catch, even if you tackle the accidental household products ordering. Amazon’s Dash can act on its own, but the hacked, modified button will require something else. You’ll have to leave your computer on at all times. Also, make sure your computer is always connected to your network so it can pick up the button presses and upload data points to the spreadsheets.

If you’re no stranger to Python coding, Benson offered all the instructions and the script you need for hacking your own Amazon dash. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for the next hacker to set out a demo for turning on the coffee machine in the mornings or automatically locking the doors at night.

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Pebble Time Steel – Elegance Wrapped Around Your Wrist

August 9, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

The Pebble Time was already a major hit in US, and European markets, but it seems this isn’t enough for the record-breaking company – their Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign is the most funded project to date. So where to now?

The Pebble Time Steel Edition is like elegance wrapped around your wrist. No matter what you’re wearing, the Time will make sure you’re emitting that simple, and respectable vibe.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room first – the Apple Watch. Can Pebble Time compete with Apple’s wearable? Or is it doomed from the get-go? The huge amount of popularity it has garnered over the past couple of years makes the Pebble smart watch more than a worthy challenger.

It’s way cheaper than Apple’s device, about $249, and most important of all, it doesn’t scream Look At Me. It doesn’t have anything that will make others think you are wearing a smartwatch – and this is the exact thing that Pebble Time fans are looking for, as in not looking like a big show-off.

Pebble Time Steel Edition - Elegance and Simplicity Wrapped Around Your Wrist

Pebble Time VS. Pebble Time Steel

The Pebble Time Steel, like Pebble’s other smartwatch models, doesn’t have a touchscreen, and nor does it feature a heart sensor. It simply pushes notifications on your wrist, amongst other things. The thing is, any Pebble wearable can do this, but the Steel Time edition is the better looking of the bunch.

Stainless steel envelopes the watch’s mechanism, and leather straps latch onto you wrist making you look all grown-up, instead of a man-child wearing a toy-watch.

It has a 1.25-inch display, which is amplified tricking you into thinking that the watch’s display is way larger than previous models – which clearly isn’t.

But it’s not just a more design-polished smart watch. It actually does feel better on your hand, and using it is simple, intuitive, and downright fun. I don’t know if this is the Fata Morgana of the modern tech age, but making something look better, ends with it tricking the user into thinking it actually is better.

But the over-sized bezel is a little bit off-putting, and it may seem like you’re wearing a 90s calculator, but that depends on what model you own. Also, the display gets easily scratched, and more worrying, it can get seriously dented if you don’t pay attention to your surroundings – those awful morning hangovers have received yet another reason for humanity to get off of its ass, and find a cure for, uhm, drinking I suppose.

Expect the Pebble Time Steel Edition to be delivered some time between six to eight weeks.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

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