Getting as many things right as wrong
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Getting as many things right as wrong
Windows 10 is now running on 800 million devices worldwide, Microsoft has announced. The figure includes not only traditional laptop and desktop PCs, but also hybrids like the Surface Pro, consoles like the Xbox One X, and any phones that are still running the end-of-life Windows 10 Mobile, which will finally stop receiving security updates at the end of this year.
800 million means Windows 10 is comfortably the most popular desktop operating system in the world, but it still falls short of Microsoft’s original aim of having it installed on one billion devices within two to three years of its 2015 release. Microsoft was forced to extend this timeline a year later as a result of the failure of its mobile variant, Windows 10 Mobile,
W...
Getting as many things right as wrong
Ampler is back with its 2019 lineup of electric bikes that feature integrated batteries and up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) of pedal-assisted range from a 250-watt rear-hub motor. While the bikes still look the same, the Estonia-based company (with its service center in Berlin) is making numerous improvements to the underlying components and firmware. The bikes are also slightly cheaper this year, even as the base prices have increased into premium territory.
The lightweight and sporty Curt model I reviewed last summer is even lighter now thanks to a full carbon fork that helps drop the weight below 30 pounds (13.5kg) for the first time. The base model has been expanded to include full fenders, puncture resistant tires, a belt driven...
Ampler is back with its 2019 lineup of electric bikes that feature integrated batteries and up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) of pedal-assisted range from a 250-watt rear-hub motor. While the bikes still look the same, the Estonia-based company (with its service center in Berlin) is making numerous improvements to the underlying components and firmware. The bikes are also slightly cheaper this year, even as the base prices have increased into premium territory.
The lightweight and sporty Curt model I reviewed last summer is even lighter now thanks to a full carbon fork that helps drop the weight below 30 pounds (13.5kg) for the first time. The base model has been expanded to include full fenders, puncture resistant tires, a belt driven...
Do you own any GPS devices or use equipment that relies on GPS to function? If so, now is probably a good time to check whether or not those products are protected against the GPS Week Number Rollover issue — a sort of mini Y2K Bug for GPS receivers that will come into affect from April 6th this year.
The bug isn’t disastrous and should only hit a small number of GPS devices, but for those impacted the results could be severe, resetting the receiver’s time and corrupting its location data. Only older devices are at risk, though, and if you’re just using a commercial device the fix is quite simple: just check that its software is up to date.
TomTom has told customers “if you frequently update your device there’s no need to worry” as...
Programming note: It’s time for The Interface to take its annual spring break trip to Austin for South By Southwest! I’ll be interviewing Facebook’s former chief security officer, Alex Stamos, at 2:30 PM local time on Saturday; and Craigslist founder Craig Newmark on 3:30 PM Sunday. If you’re in town, RSVP here and come say hello. The Interface returns March 13th — and in the meantime, I’ll be doing some more original reporting that I can’t wait to share with you.
On Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg dropped a 3,200-word blog post in which he promised to “outline our vision and principles around building a privacy-focused messaging and social networking platform.” I took him seriously, and in the hours after his post was published, contemplated...
Do you own any GPS devices or use equipment that relies on GPS to function? If so, now is probably a good time to check whether or not those products are protected against the GPS Week Number Rollover issue — a sort of mini Y2K Bug for GPS receivers that will come into affect from April 6th this year.
The bug isn’t disastrous and should only hit a small number of GPS devices, but for those impacted the results could be severe, resetting the receiver’s time and corrupting its location data. Only older devices are at risk, though, and if you’re just using a commercial device the fix is quite simple: just check that its software is up to date.
TomTom has told customers “if you frequently update your device there’s no need to worry” as...
Programming note: It’s time for The Interface to take its annual spring break trip to Austin for South By Southwest! I’ll be interviewing Facebook’s former chief security officer, Alex Stamos, at 2:30 PM local time on Saturday; and Craigslist founder Craig Newmark on 3:30 PM Sunday. If you’re in town, RSVP here and come say hello. The Interface returns March 13th — and in the meantime, I’ll be doing some more original reporting that I can’t wait to share with you.
On Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg dropped a 3,200-word blog post in which he promised to “outline our vision and principles around building a privacy-focused messaging and social networking platform.” I took him seriously, and in the hours after his post was published, contemplated...
Microsoft’s Skype for Web refresh is here, meaning Chrome and Edge users no longer need to use the service’s standalone app to get access to features such as HD video calling and call recording. The service has also received a number of interface improvements designed to make it easier to keep track of the contents of conversations.
First is a new notifications panel to let you see every time someone has mentioned or quoted you in the same place. Then there’s a new media gallery which contains every link or piece of media sent via a text chat, allowing you to quickly find an image that was sent without having to scroll through the rest of the text conversation. There’s also a new feature that lets you search within individual...
Microsoft’s Skype for Web refresh is here, meaning Chrome and Edge users no longer need to use the service’s standalone app to get access to features such as HD video calling and call recording. The service has also received a number of interface improvements designed to make it easier to keep track of the contents of conversations.
First is a new notifications panel to let you see every time someone has mentioned or quoted you in the same place. Then there’s a new media gallery which contains every link or piece of media sent via a text chat, allowing you to quickly find an image that was sent without having to scroll through the rest of the text conversation. There’s also a new feature that lets you search within individual...
We all know the story of the prototype iPhone 4 that was left at a bar, spoiling what could have been one of the biggest surprises in Apple history.
But have you heard the one about the stolen prototype iPhones that are still winding up in unintended hands — in this case, hackers bent on finding ways to break into Apple’s operating system?
That’s the focus of a new Motherboard investigation this week, which claims there’s now a gray market for “dev-fused” iPhone prototypes that have been stolen from Apple’s production lines. They’re devices which are uniquely valuable for helping security researchers find vulnerabilities because they run a less hardened version of the OS where root access is trivial to obtain, according to the report.
M...
Spoilers ahead for Captain Marvel’s mid-credits and post-credits scenes, for Avengers: Infinity War, and for one big gag in Captain Marvel itself.
Back in 2008, when Nick Fury arrived at Tony Stark’s house to invite him to join the Avengers Initiative after the credits rolled, the sequence felt like most post-credit scenes did back then — a little in-joke for dedicated viewers who cared enough to sit all the way through the credits, instead of bolting for the doors the moment the action stopped. But over the past decade, Marvel’s post-credits scenes have become an institution. Occasionally, they’re just visual gags and callbacks to previous story elements, like Ant-Man and the Wasp’s 20-second view of Ant-Man’s abandoned house, with a...
Tesla will stop factoring estimated fuel savings into the price of its cars in Germany, according to Reuters. The German Centre for Protection against Unfair Competition said Wednesday that Tesla agreed to be more straightforward with pricing on its website by March 20th.
The order pages of Tesla’s website currently feature multiple prices for each car, including ones that include “incentives and gas savings.” These adjusted prices show up next to the pictures of the company’s cars, while the actual sticker price (labeled the “before savings” price) is found at the bottom of the order page. The German association, also known as Wettbewerbszentrale, didn’t like this.
“Even if ‘savings’ could be realized, such an amount cannot be deducted...
Gaming company Valve confirmed today that it has laid off several full-time employees and contractors, possibly from its virtual reality hardware team. “Last month, 13 full time employees were let go and a portion of our contractor agreements were terminated. It’s an unfortunate part of business, but does not represent any major changes at the company. We thank those affected for their contribution and wish them well in future endeavors,” spokesperson Doug Lombardi told The Verge.
Valve didn’t confirm where the former employees worked, but yesterday, Reddit user 2flock posted a message, which is apparently from an anonymous Valve employee. “They fired like half the Valve hardware team recently ... Wonder how long it’ll be until the...
Twitter is adding new options to its reporting process for tweets that share personal information, adding much more specific fields that users can highlight when submitting reports.
Now, when reporting a tweet that contains private information, users will be taken to an additional menu allowing them to specify whether the tweet contains contact information, a home address or physical location, financial information, or ID pictures or numbers. The new feature should be rolling out today on both the web and mobile versions of Twitter.
We want to move faster in reviewing reported Tweets that share personal information. Starting today, you'll be able to tell us more about the Tweet you are reporting. pic.twitter.com/quJ2jqlYIt
— Twitter...
Disney+, the company’s upcoming streaming service, will carry Disney’s entire catalog of animated films, ending Disney’s long-standing “vault” program. CEO Bob Iger told shareholders today that Disney+ “at some point fairly soon after launch” will carry films that “traditionally have been kept in a ‘vault’ and brought out basically every few years.”
That’s a major policy change for the company, which, until now, has deliberately created artificial shortages of its films via extremely limited re-releases. For example, a movie like 101 Dalmatians would have been available to purchase during its initial home release run before being placed in “the vault” for a lengthy period. Disney initiated the practice as a way to control its own market...
Under fire for serving up anti-vaccine propaganda, Facebook announced today that it will remove groups and pages that share anti-vaccine misinformation from its recommendations. The company also pledged that it will stop allowing advertisers to target people who Facebook’s advertising algorithm identifies as interested in “vaccine controversies.”
The news comes three weeks after Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) sent a stern letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, criticizing Facebook and Instagram for “surfacing and recommending messages that discourage parents from vaccinating their children.” When kids don’t get vaccinated due to thoroughly debunked myths that vaccines cause diseases like autism, dangerous diseases like measles can spread....
Last week, review site Rotten Tomatoes disabled a couple of long-standing features to fight a new kind of internet culture war. In advance of Captain Marvel’s release, it stopped letting users leave comments before a movie launches, and it removed a badge showing the percentage of people who indicated they wanted to see the film. “Unfortunately,” a staff blog post said, “we have seen an uptick in non-constructive input, sometimes bordering on trolling.”
Most online review platforms have encountered some kind of review-bombing — a term that broadly covers a coordinated effort to give a project an influx of negative ratings, based on some contentious issue that’s tangential to the project itself. Review-bombing isn’t universally condemned;...
Sonos reminds us that it can do almost anything
A previously reported Facebook vulnerability was similarly found in the company’s Messenger product, according to security research group Imperva. Nearly a year ago, Imperva researchers discovered that, through Messenger, a hacker could use “any website to expose who you have been messaging with.” The bug was disclosed to Facebook in November and subsequently patched.
Hackers could target a Facebook user’s web browser and exploit iframe elements to see which friends the user had talked to and which were not in the user’s contact list. Imperva confirmed the hackers couldn’t gain any other data from the attack.
Like the vulnerability in Facebook reported last November, Messenger users would have been vulnerable if they visited a malicious...
With Wonder Woman 1984 having been delayed a whopping seven months, 2019 looks to be the year of Shazam!, at least as far as DCEU movies go. And from everything we’ve seen of the David F. Sandberg film so far, it really does look like this is going to be unlike any DC effort before it.
For starters, it’s headlined by Billy Batson, a young boy who becomes the unlikely successor to Shazam, an ancient wizard who’s harnessed the god-like abilities of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury. That premise will clearly bring a bit of levity and lightheartedness to the pic and also help set it apart from the franchise’s other outings, like Justice League and Batman V Superman.
Another thing that might help set it apart though is that apparently, it’s fantastic. The first reactions have now surfaced over on Twitter and it seems that the critics are head over heels for Shazam! Calling it brilliant, tremendously fun and damn near perfect, among other things, the DCEU looks to have another smash hit here – following Aquaman – and below, you can find just a sampling of what folks are saying.
#Shazam is such a brilliant movie. It’s so tremendously fun, and incredibly scary at some points (thanks, David F. Sandberg!). It blows away every expectation and is my new favorite DC movie. pic.twitter.com/DlpymCukTP
— Brandon Davis (@BrandonDavisBD) March 8, 2019
#Shazam was damn near PERFECT in my book. My FAVORITE DC movie (DCEU? What are we saying now?) by far. Pure of heart, incredibly funny, full of in-jokes and references. Brought me a childlike joy to watch. This role was MADE for @ZacharyLevi… & Jack & Asher & the entire cast pic.twitter.com/rVrxjcwvCe
— Ash Crossan (@AshCrossan) March 8, 2019
#Shazam is big, goofy, lovable, and unlike anything DC has done before. Definitely in the vein of Tom Hanks' BIG, but with superhero action & lots of Batman and Superman references. I dug this film so much I wanted to give it a bear hug at the end. DC's movies keep getting better pic.twitter.com/WQJgo61gMg
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) March 8, 2019
#Shazam is an absolute delight! Super vibrant, tons of heart & a great fun-loving vibe. The family element is a big charmer & so is the humor that comes with watching @ZacharyLevi explore his new powers. Said this after IT but it's worth repeating – @Jgrazerofficial is a star.
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) March 8, 2019
Zachary Levi was born to play #Shazam He delivers lots of laughs alongside co-star Jack Dylan Grazer. The film packs some big surprises for comics buffs and offers enough mainstream appeal to win over new fans. Shazam’s strengths definitely outweigh its weaknesses. pic.twitter.com/kfFMW01jfO
— Jim Vejvoda (@JimVejvoda) March 8, 2019
Finally allowed to say that #Shazam was fantastic! Full of heart and pure childhood wish fulfillment. It's funny and the tone is exactly right. @zacharylevi is perfect in the role, and so is @asherangel, who I'm convinced is @maisie_williams' brother! pic.twitter.com/DXhp2ZBteR
— Jenna Busch (@JennaBusch) March 8, 2019
#Shazam is an absolute joy. Both definitely in the DCEU and nothing at all like any DCEU movie so far, it’s funny, warm, good hearted and silly and the cast is terrific. Watch out for our review soon. pic.twitter.com/NNPU5hqNtv
— Den Of Geek UK (@denofgeek) March 8, 2019
#Shazam is emotionally uneven, yet absolutely FUN. @ZacharyLevi perfects Shazam, though @Jgrazerofficial is the real hero here. All in all, it's an average superhero movie – but it's one that feels like a breath of fresh air. pic.twitter.com/zwfG1hqidE
— Mansoor Mithaiwala (@MansoorAYM) March 8, 2019
#Shazam is parts Home Alone, parts Big, a crowd pleasing family-friendly joy-filled wish-fulfillment superhero film which gets a bit over the top and cheesy at times. It’s fun and funny, and I was surprised at how much it wears it’s heart on its sleeve.
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) March 8, 2019
DC is finally building a solid run: #Shazam is a delight! Its familiar origin structure is forgivable because of all the new it brings to the table – primarily it's gleeful, childlike enthusiasm, & heartfelt perspective on family. It's also the role Zachary Levi was born to play. pic.twitter.com/5zXtfFDBGm
— Eric Eisenberg (@eeisenberg) March 8, 2019
#Shazam is a laugh-out-loud funny romp that captures the innocence and challenge of being both a superhero and a kid at once. It’s clever, fun and heroic with an obvious nod to 80s classics like Big, Ghostbusters, The Goonies etc. @joblocom @ShazamMovie
— Paul Shirey (@arcticninjapaul) March 8, 2019
It’s important to remember that a lot of these people are the same critics who initially praised other DCEU efforts like Batman V Superman, Suicide Squad and even Justice League following their press screenings, so we can’t say for certain yet that the reactions here will be indicative of how the general public ultimately receives the film.
That being said, it’s still nice to see all this praise being heaped upon it and we fully expect Shazam! to bring about a heartfelt expansion of the DCEU when the flick flies into theaters next month, on April 5th, 2019.
Though you wouldn’t think it after seeing that Carol-free trailer and TV spot, Captain Marvel will actually have a pretty big role in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame. But while it’s all well and good that Captain America and the rest of the gang now have a powerful new ally to help them take down Thanos, one of the biggest questions that remains is where exactly has Brie Larson’s heroine been all this time.
We’ll no doubt find out the answer to that once Endgame arrives in theaters, but thanks to Captain Marvel‘s post-credits scene, we at least get a tease of the moment when Carol finally comes face to face with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. If you’ve seen the film already, you’ll know that the sequence in question actually has some pretty big implications for the MCU as a whole. After all, it is the final movie before Endgame hits, so that was always to be expected.
The scene itself is a short one, but takes place in Avengers Compound shortly after the events of Infinity War, and we see Captain America, Black Widow, War Machine and Bruce Banner examining Nick Fury’s pager which he used to contact Carol in the aforementioned film. They’re trying to figure out what exactly its purpose is and who he contacted with it. It’s at that moment that Ms. Danvers enters the room, and as she looks Nat directly in the face, she has just one question: “Where’s Fury?”
In terms of what this all means, well, there’s nothing too cryptic here. We get some confirmation that Captain Marvel will come across the Avengers pretty soon into Endgame though and that she most definitely received Nick’s page. Not only that, but if she’s crossing paths with them near the start of the film, she’ll obviously have a pretty large role to play in the battle against Thanos. Then again, given that she’s the MCU’s most powerful hero, that was to be expected.
What’s also interesting to note is that when we see Cap here, he’s still got his beard. In the Endgame trailers though, he’s already clean shaven. So, we can presume that this scene takes place before what we’ve seen in the promos, which really only spawns more questions about just what exactly the plan to defeat Thanos is and what Carol’s part in it is.
But regardless of how this all gets resolved in Endgame, it’s nice to see Captain Marvel setting things up like it does and audiences will no doubt get a thrill from finally getting to watch Larson’s hero sharing the screen with a few of the Avengers in the film’s post-credits scene.
Though you wouldn’t think it just from watching the film’s Carol-free trailer and TV spot, Captain Marvel is set to play a major role in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame. But while it’s all well and good that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have a powerful new ally on hand to turn the tide against Thanos, one of the biggest questions around Carol Danvers ever since she was first teased in the post-credits of Avengers: Infinity War is where exactly she’s been all this time. And in the Endgame footage that recently screened to Disney shareholders, it’s said that we hear an answer to this question from the heroine herself.
Twitter user Scott Ladewig has offered a brief summary of the preview, which reportedly featured a scene of Carol interacting with her fellow heroes at the Avengers HQ. When James Rhodes asks her why she wasn’t around to prevent the Snap, Captain Marvel apparently explains that there are a lot of other planets out there that need her help, since they don’t have their own Avengers to protect them.
While this explanation gets us halfway to understanding why Nick Fury didn’t call on Captain Marvel sooner, two decades still seems like an awfully long time for Carol to stay away from her home planet. Still, don’t be surprised if both Endgame and the new Captain Marvel movie offer a little more context on her absence.
Speaking of which, Carol’s solo debut is hitting theaters on March 8th and believed to be on course for a strong opening weekend. After that, she’ll be joining up with her superhero peers and bringing Marvel’s current era to a close when Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26th.