17 May 2019

At this point, SoftBank Group is really just its Vision Fund


Last week, SoftBank Group Corp. — Masayoshi Son’s holding company for his rapidly expanding collection of businesses — reported its fiscal year financials. There were some major headlines that came out of the news, including that the company’s Vision Fund appears to be doing quite well and that SoftBank intends to increase its stake in Yahoo Japan.

Now that the dust has settled a bit, I wanted to dive into all 80 pages of the full financial results to see what else we can learn about the conglomerate’s strategy and future.

The Vision Fund is just dominating the financials

We talk incessantly about the Vision Fund here at TechCrunch, mostly because the fund seems to be investing in every startup that generates revenue and walks up and down Sand Hill looking for capital. During the last fiscal year ending March 31st, the fund added 36 new investments and reached 69 active holdings. The total invested capital was a staggering $60.1 billion.


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What Is a Static IP Address? Here’s Why You Don’t Need One


Every device on a computer network has an Internet Protocol (IP) address. It’s just like a phone number, telling other computers how it can be reached.

It’s the job of your router to assign a new IP address when a device joins the network and maintain a phone book of who has what number.

A static IP address (also known as fixed IP address) is simply one that doesn’t change. Your computer decides upon the address it wants, and it tells the router. But why would you want to set this up, and is there a better solution?

What Is a Static IP Address?

When we talk about IP addresses of home computers, we are usually referring to two types of address.

First is your public IP address. That’s the one that the world sees, and every internet connection, website, or public-facing web-connected thing will have one. If you ask Google “What is my IP address?”, it’ll tell you what your public IP address is, as given to you by your ISP (note, if you’re using a VPN, this will come from your VPN provider instead).

screenshot of asking google what is my ip

Then you have internal, private IPs, which are only used on your home network. Even if you only have one computer, it will have a private IP address assigned by your router. Private IP addresses cannot be routed over the internet and are strictly for private use. They look exactly the same: four numbers up to 255, with a period in between.

There are a few possible ranges of private IP address, but for most home users this will be 192.168.*.* or 10.0.*.* (where * can be anything).

Your router itself also has an IP address, likely 192.168.0.1. Your home computers might then be anything in the range of 192.168.0.2 to 192.168.0.254. Most routers will just assign internal addresses on a first come first served basis.

The first computer you plug into the router will send out a network request saying “I need an IP address”, and will be assigned 192.168.0.2. The next device will get 192.168.0.3.

Your public IP address is not generally something you can change—it is given to you automatically by your internet provider. If you’re sure you want a static public IP address, the easiest way is to use a specialist VPN service, which costs around $70/year. You may be able to get one from your ISP, but this is rare, and typically reserved for business customers.

The truth is that you almost certainly don’t need a static external IP address, and even if you’re sure you do, a Dynamic DNS server might be a better choice.

But on your home network, you can do whatever you want, free of charge. So let’s look at why you might want to get static private IP for your home PC… and then I’ll show you the much better way of doing things.

photo of a router and switch

Why Would I Need a Static Private IP Address?

In the past, you needed a static private IP address for a computer if you were trying to run a server that was open to the internet. For example:

DIY Web Server

In order to set up a web server on your home network that is accessible by anyone in the world, you need to forward incoming requests on port 80 (What is port forwarding?) to whatever computer is running your web server. If your server was to restart, it would get a new IP from the router. The port forwarding rule you created to send requests on port 80 to the old server IP address wouldn’t work anymore. Your website would be offline, even though your server itself may be functional.

Retro Gaming

With some older routers and gaming consoles, you needed to forward certain ports in order to play online multiplayer games. Modern routers include a system called Universal Plug’n’Play, which sets up port forwarding rules automatically when needed.

Disadvantages of a Static IP Address

Fixed IPs need to be configured manually. You will need to make a few changes to your router configuration. In this respect, they are said to have an “administration overhead,” because you need to keep track of the settings yourself. For home networks, this usually isn’t an issue with only a few machines to worry about. But for larger networks, this is quite a problem.

Incorrect configurations will lead to more IP address conflict errors. For example, if you set one of your machines to the IP address 192.168.0.10, and your router continues to hand out IP addresses automatically, then at some point, another machine will be given the same IP! Basically, static IPs can be quite problematic.

In short: don’t use static IPs. 

What You Should Use Instead: Reserved Addresses

Instead of having to manually configure the settings on every PC we want to give a static IP address to, we will simply “reserve” the address we want to be given from the router’s automatic IP address system. By doing this, we ensure our machines have an IP address that will never change, without actually assigning a static IP address, which would complicate things.

Instructions on how to do this will vary depending on your router manufacturer and model.

If your router isn’t covered by that list, then generally speaking: look for a section labeled DHCP or LAN Setup. Then find a bit for Static Leases or Reserved Lease Info.

There are two or more fields that need to be filled in to add a new IP address reservation. First is the hardware MAC address (six pairs of alphanumeric characters), which is unique to every device in the world. Second is the IP you wish to assign it.

You should be able to see your MAC address in the list of current “leases”. A lease refers to the address that the router has automatically lent to your device. You may also just have a screen that shows an overview of currently connected devices.

unifi network showing currently connected devices

In the following example, we’ve added a DHCP Reservation for the device with the MAC address E0:CB:4E:A5:7C:9D, currently with IP 192.168.0.10.

static ip address

You can also change the IP address to something new if you like, but you will need to restart the device in order to get the new address.

That’s it! You can keep your special routing rules the same, and if a device or server restarts, it’ll simply be given the same IP next time. If you found this tutorial helpful, you should also check out our beginner’s guide to home networking.

Image Credit: Todja/Shutterstock

Read the full article: What Is a Static IP Address? Here’s Why You Don’t Need One


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The 5 Best Trail Cameras for All Budgets

AGM X3: If You Thought Rugged Meant Bad Performance, Think Again


Our verdict of the AGM X3:
The AGM X3 is a rugged and waterproof phone that holds its own as a premium Android device. It takes a beating without breaking a sweat and performs better than any other rugged phone. The main downside is its price, which puts it in the firing line of name brand flagship phones.
910

Budget Rugged Smartphones give a decent performance in a solid build, usually at a wallet-friendly price. But have you ever wondered what happens if you up the budget?

At $729.99 the AGM X3 is a premium rugged smartphone at a premium price, but is it worth the extra cash? On paper this phone competes with some brand name flagship handsets, and that kind of power in a tough shell is something rare. Today we’ll see if this phone is all hype, or a solid powerhouse.

In the Box

Alongside the phone, the box contains a quick charger which connects to the phone via a 1 meter USB Type C (USB-C) cable and provides charging at 5 and 9 volts at two amps and 12 volts at 1.5 amps.

Items From the AGM X3 Box

The box also contains a USB-C to headphone jack, two rubber bungs to protect the phone’s USB port, a sim extraction tool, and a manual.

The AGM X3's optional flotation case

Separate from the box we found a mystery object which looked somewhat like a protective case–which seems redundant on a rugged smartphone. This turned out to be a flotation case (which we’ll test later), an optional extra available from AGM.

The Specs

  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  • RAM: Up to 8GB
  • Storage: 64, 128, or 256 GB and optional microSD
  • Screen: 5.99 Inch 2160 X 1080 FHD+ Gorilla Glass screen
  • Cameras: 20MP Selfie Cam, 12MP Primary, 24MP Secondary rear Camera
  • Audio: Dual JBL speakers with Smart PA audio chip
  • Charging: USB-C, Quick Charge 3.0, Wireless up to 10W
  • Battery: 4,100mAh Li-On
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, Dual Sim, Dual VoLTE, 802.11ac 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi
  • Dimensions: 167.5 x 81.5 x 10.5mm

The phone features an “Armoured Madman Design”, which means it has an IP68 rating and is yet another phone claiming the MIL-STD-810G military certification.

In short, it should be waterproof up to a depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes, can operate from -30 to 60 degrees Celsius (22-140 Fahrenheit. It should take a lot of punishment without suffering a loss of functionality.

How It Feels to Use

AGM X3 in the hand

Now that the specs are over let’s talk about what is actually important—how it feels in the hand. In use, the X3 feels like a premium phone. The FHD+ screen is bright and doesn’t have a notch. The bezels are small for a rugged phone, and it feels good to hold.

It is big, but given this is a rugged phone it felt much closer to a typical flagship smartphone than something designed to take a beating. It weighs just over 200 grams (7 ounces), which puts it only a few grams heavier than the OnePlus 6T or the Google Pixel 3 XL. That said, the slightly larger screen might be difficult for those with smaller hands to use one-handed.

The phone supports face unlock, which worked perfectly throughout our testing, and if you wear gloves a lot, there is a glove mode which works up to a certain thickness. This phone joins the many without a headphone jack—which I’m still totally not OK with—but in rugged phones this is forgivable. Fewer ports mean fewer points of failure, and the provided USB to 3.5mm converter works fine.

The phone feels great, but aesthetics are a little more subjective. I found the silver metal back and black sides to be clean, understated, and stylish. If it wasn’t for the hardened rubber on the corners, I could forget this is meant to be a rugged smartphone at all.

Performance and Battery

The X3 benchmarks surprisingly well

Given that the X3 has a Snapdragon 845 octa-core chipset, the current fastest in production phones, the device flies along. I tested the version with 8GB of RAM and noticed no slowdown at any point.

Games like Need for Speed and PUBG worked on the highest settings without issue. Geekbench scored the multi-core at 8670—that’s up there with the Galaxy Note 9, OnePlus 6T, and higher than the Google Pixel 3.

In terms of battery management, I used the standard settings the X3 ships with. The battery got me through my day with regular usage and much of the night, despite my propensity to watch videos before bed. In a Geekbench battery test, the x3 scored 5182.

For a high-performance rugged smartphone with a large display, it is impressive, especially at just 10.5mm thick.

The Camera

AGM X3 dual rear camera and fingerprint sensor

The AI-powered dual back cameras are great for taking point and click photos, and I found that I got decent pictures in a variety of light settings. The all-important Bokeh mode works well, providing good images, and is quite forgiving about the subject distance.

The X3's camera does nothing too special, but takes good photos.

The front-facing selfie camera takes good pictures, with or without “face beauty,” but that’s about all it does.

This phone isn’t going to be going toe to toe with flagship camera-oriented handsets. It doesn’t even compete particularly well with other phones in this price range like the OnePlus 6T.

That said, it doesn’t have to. Good photos in places you’d usually be scared to take a phone are likely more appropriate to this phone’s target audience.

Other Stuff

AGM X3's dual JBL speakers

The speakers on this phone are the best speakers I have heard on any smartphone. Even at loud volumes, they don’t distort, and the onboard smart PA chip adjusts the mix to stop things getting shrill. Of course, even a cheap Bluetooth speaker will blow any phone out of the water, but the dual JBL tuned speakers are above and beyond most smartphones and tablets.

Speaking of water, perhaps the most important question:

Is the AGM X3 Actually Waterproof?

AGM's flotation case, makes it unsurprisingly, float

The X3 has an IP68 rating, which means it is happy underwater up to 1,5m deep for up to half an hour – but this doesn’t help much if you drop it in a lake, or the sea. This is where the tailor-made floatation device comes in so handy.

Floatation aids for phones are not new, but this is designed to clip to it without obscuring any buttons, the speakers, or the camera. This completely wipes clear one of the most significant flaws of all waterproof phones—if it drops in deep water, it isn’t just gone. Note that you’ll likely have to buy this separate from the phone, but if you are frequently near or on water it’s a no brainer.

However, the waterproofing does have one small quirk. The tiny rubber bung that covers the USB port truly is tiny, and possibly the most easily misplaced item I’ve ever come across in tech. I understand aesthetics were important here, but attaching it to the phone may have been a better option.

Some other phones don’t bother with covers for their charging ports at all. This does beg the question—what are other phones doing to protect their connectors in the long term?

Can It Take a Beating?

The X3 is drop proof

AGM is yet another company to claim MIL-STD-810G military certification. The military does not certify consumer phones, but it does sound fancy.

I hate breaking tech, but this is a rugged phone, so we’ve got to mistreat it to see if it holds up to it’s claimed toughness.

I dropped the X3 on to asphalt a total of 6 times from 1 meter up to 3 meters, and it just didn’t care. Despite the phone having a flat front and mostly flat back, the rubber corners protected it at all angles. The back and sides are “military grade metal” whatever that means, and the phone’s innards are sprung to resist shock damage.

Whatever they’ve done, this phone, surprisingly, feels as tough as they are claiming.

I used it for over two weeks every day, and I treated it in a most terrible manner. It was dropped many more times (not on purpose), thrown in a lake, left in dust, dirt, and face down on floors. Perhaps the worst crime: the X3 was in the same pocket as my keys for the entire test.

Beyond a few scratches to the screen protector and surface scratches to the metallic back, the X3 didn’t even flinch.

Should You Get One?

I came into this review skeptical. My first impressions weren’t actually so great. I’d heard of AGM before but wasn’t really expecting anything from the name, and with so many exciting things happening with Android devices now I wasn’t expecting much.

I have been won over in every respect—this is truly a premium rugged smartphone.

Premium comes at a price, and that may be one of the phone’s significant issues. The 8GB of RAM, 64GB storage version is available from AGM for $729.99, which is high for a relatively unknown Chinese brand. Given the number of popular phones with similar performance specs at this price, it may seem quite a gamble, especially when there are budget rugged Android phones, also from China, for less than half the amount.

However, none of them offer what the X3 does. This is the first rugged phone I’ve mistaken for a regular smartphone.

If you are looking for a premium quality Android phone which will take whatever abuse you can throw at it, I can’t think of anything available that can beat the AGM X3

Enter the Competition!

AGM X3: The Premium AND Rugged Smartphone

Read the full article: AGM X3: If You Thought Rugged Meant Bad Performance, Think Again


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How to Choose the Perfect Keyboard for Your Typing Tasks

How to Check What Version of Windows 10 You Have


windows-10-check-version

“What version of Windows do I have?” That’s a question you might not have asked before Windows 10 came around. You probably knew that you had Windows 8 or Windows 7, but didn’t need to know the exact version number.

But now that Windows 10 receives regular feature updates, you might need to check your Windows 10 version when installing software or getting support. We’ll explain how to do this and find out what the latest Windows 10 update is.

Windows 10 Versions, Editions, and Builds Explained

windows 7 boxes

Before we dive into how to check your Windows 10 version, we should define a few similar terms that are easy to confuse. These are version, edition, and build.

  • Windows versions refer to a major release of Windows. Often, we use these to refer to the “friendly name” of the Windows operating system we’re using, such as Windows XP or Windows 7. However, a version number is a bit more specific than this. For example, what we know as Windows 7 was actually Windows version 6.1. With Windows 10, Microsoft releases a new version roughly twice each year.
  • Builds are a more specific number that show exactly which compiled version of Windows your computer has. You normally don’t need to know this, but it’s the most exact representation of what operating system is on your computer.
  • Windows editions are a bit different. These are flavors of the operating system that Microsoft releases for different markets. Examples include Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro, which offer different feature sets. See our explanation of every Windows 10 version for more details.

Another important distinction that’s somewhat related is whether you’re running a 64-bit or 32-bit operating system. While 64-bit OSes are the standard nowadays, you can still run a 32-bit version of Windows. We’ve explained the differences between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows if you’re curious.

How to Check Your Windows Version

Now that you know what these Windows terms mean, let’s take a look at how to check the Windows version on your computer.

How to Check Windows 10 Version via Settings

Windows 10 Specification Settings

On Windows 10, the easiest way to see your current Windows 10 build is through the Settings app. Open it up (Win + I is the keyboard shortcut to do so) and enter the System category. From the left sidebar, select the About tab at the bottom.

This screen gives you lots of information about your computer. Under the Windows specifications header, you’ll find all three bits of data we discussed above. It also displays when you installed the last major Windows 10 update.

On Windows 10, the Version number is a date in YYMM format of the planned release. This means that version 1809, for instance, was scheduled to release in September of 2018. Each feature update to Windows 10 has a corresponding “friendly name,” which is usually the month and date it actually released. As an example, version 1809 is known as the October 2018 Update.

Check Windows Version Using Winver

Windows 10 winver Command

If you don’t want to dive into the Settings menu, there’s a super-quick way to check your Windows 10 version number. This works on older versions of Windows as well.

This involves running the winver command. While you can do this from the Command Prompt, the fastest way is using the Run dialog. Press Win + R from anywhere in Windows to open it, then type winver and hit Enter.

You’ll open a new window titled About Windows. This shows your version and OS build number. It’s not quite as detailed as the Settings panel, but it’s an ultra-fast way to double-check your Windows 10 build when you need it.

How to Find the Latest Windows 10 Update

Now that you know how to check your own Windows version, you might be curious to know what the latest version and build of Windows 10 on offer is.

What Is the Latest Version of Windows 10?

Windows 10 Download Latest Version

The simplest way to check the current version of Windows 10 is by visiting Microsoft’s Download Windows 10 page.

At the top of the page, you’ll see text stating something like Windows 10 [Version] now available. Click the Update now button to download the Windows 10 Update Assistant. Walking through this tool will help you download and upgrade to the current version of Windows 10.

While Microsoft makes the latest Windows 10 update available on this page to anyone who wants to download it, you’ll also eventually receive it via Windows Update. Microsoft rolls new versions out gradually, so not everyone gets it at once. Indeed, it’s usually best to wait a bit as new Windows 10 versions often have bugs.

What Is the Latest Build of Windows 10?

Meanwhile, to find the current Windows 10 build, have a peek at Microsoft’s Windows 10 release information page. This details the complete version history for every Windows 10 version, showing the date each became available as well the version and build numbers.

Note that it’s possible to run a version or build of Windows 10 higher than what’s on this page. If you’re a Windows Insider, you get to test the latest Windows 10 builds before they release to the public. These are likely unstable, but let you try new features ahead of time. See our explanation of Windows servicing branches for more details on beta versions.

What Is the Next Windows 10 Release Date?

If you want to get on the cutting edge of Windows 10, you should join the Windows 10 Insider Program to get the latest builds ahead of time as mentioned above.

But if you’re just curious when the next Windows 10 release will drop, there’s unfortunately no official page that shows exactly when Microsoft will make it available. Your best bet is to visit the Windows 10 version history page on Wikipedia.

This has a summary of each Windows 10 version so far, plus some information about the next scheduled version of Windows 10. In general, Microsoft tries to release these updates in March and September, but that doesn’t always happen. When a release gets a name, such as the May 2019 Update, you can expect it to drop by the end of that month.

If you need more information, your best bet is to do a quick Google search. Chances are you’ll find at least a vague idea about the latest Windows 10 update.

Now You Know Everything About Windows Versions

We’ve looked at the process to check what version of Windows you have, the differences between build and version, and how to find out when the next Windows 10 release will drop.

Thankfully, for normal users, Windows Update takes care of this in the background for you. Unless you run into some kind of problem with Windows Update, it will download and prompt you to install the latest Windows 10 feature updates eventually. You can always download them manually from Microsoft’s page as soon as they’re available, too.

It’s important to remember that support for Windows doesn’t last forever. Find out what happens when Windows 10 support ends and how to avoid any issues with this.

Read the full article: How to Check What Version of Windows 10 You Have


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The 12 Best Wireless RF and Bluetooth Keyboards of 2019

New Budget Phone vs. Old Flagship: Which Offers More Value?


old-flagship-new-budget

Top-tier smartphones have become astronomically expensive. But no phone lasts forever, and when a successor arrives, you can get the older flagship at a discount. On the other side of the coin are budget devices, which also release regularly.

If you’re in the market for a new phone, how does an older premium device compare to a brand-new budget phone? We find out in this detailed comparison.

Advantages of Old Flagship Phones

First, let’s review some pros of buying a premium model smartphone from last year or the year before.

1. Better Cameras

Smartphone camera

Even though the cameras on more affordable phones have come a long way, flagships still have a much better set of camera hardware. On premium devices, you have access to higher-end lenses and sensors, which enables richer photography in nearly all scenarios.

In addition, budget phones come up short on the software front and usually have fewer options than their more expensive counterparts. Cameras on flagship phones are versatile, with multiple cameras on the front and rear.

That said, in ideal daylight situations, results on both sides are largely comparable, especially if you only plan to post on social media. This point thus depends on how actively you use the cameras on your phones.

2. Waterproofing

Waterproofing is one major perk that still hasn’t trickled down to the budget phone segment. Some, like Motorola, do offer a splash-resistant exterior, but it’s quite limited. This doesn’t ensure your phone will avoid even minor water damages.

On the other hand, you can use upper-tier phones from companies like Samsung and Apple in rain or even to record quick videos underwater.

It’s worth noting that no phones have a warranty policy that covers water damage. So it’s always a risk to use your phone in environments involving water, no matter how much they cost.

3. Longer Software Support

Pixel 2 Software Support

The older-generation flagship you’re eyeing probably ships with outdated software. But chances are its manufacturer will support it for a longer period of time than its budget series.

Since premium phones cost a lot, people expect to own them for a longer period of time. And to help ensure they don’t run into issues a year or two down the road, OEMs push more updates to them. Plus, a flagship phone receives relatively consistent security patches compared to an affordable one.

We’ve looked at the top smartphone manufacturers for software updates if you’re curious.

4. Unique and Superior Designs

To cut corners, phone makers don’t spend as much in research when building a budget phone; they tend to follow a template. Design is where you’ll notice this the most, as cheaper products generally have a bland exterior.

Contrarily, flagships feature unique and superior designs made out of higher-quality materials. Do note, however, that because budget phones often have a polycarbonate shell, they’re more rugged and thus better equipped to withstand falls.

5. Sharper Screens

Despite being released some time ago, a flagship phone will most likely still have a sharper screen than a budget model. The majority of top-tier devices come with a Quad HD panel instead of the 1080p resolution available on more affordable phones.

On top of that, premium products pack a bunch of additional features like HDR10 compatibility and a tougher layer of protection. Another spec only found on high-end phones is an OLED display, which offers deeper blacks and better color contrasts than LCD.

6. Faster and Wireless Charging

Similarly, quick charging is not as widespread in the mid-range segments. For that, you will have to invest in a high-end phone.

While it is present to some level on budget devices, flagships have much faster battery top-up speeds. The same goes for wireless charging, which at the time of writing is not available on any low-end phone.

7. Older Processor vs. Mid-Tier Chip

The budget phone you’re considering may have the latest mid-range processor. However, unless the flagship is years old, the chip it runs will still be more capable in terms of raw performance.

So if you’re looking to play advanced games or do any other resource-intensive tasks, an older but more powerful CPU is the way to go.

Advantages of New Budget Phones

Now that we’ve reviewed the perks of an older flagship, let’s look at the best reasons to get a brand-new budget device.

1. Bigger Batteries

Since budget phones are generally thicker and have more space for internals, they often pack bigger batteries.

OEMs try to make their premium offerings as thin as possible, leaving little room for components. Moreover, because budget devices run on a less demanding chipset and don’t sport high-resolution displays, they’re able to last longer on a single charge.

2. Better Customer Support for New Products

New products are favored when it comes to customer support. That doesn’t mean the flagship phone you’re thinking about will be neglected, especially if it’s still in warranty.

But to make sure their new phone sells well, OEMs need to maintain a good reputation. A delayed response or repair won’t help that.

3. Latest Software Out of the Box

moto g6 play

While a premium phone will be probably receive support for a longer period, new launches typically ship with the latest software out of the box.

This means you won’t have to wait for an update to try out trending features. These attributes, though, vary across the market and might not hold true in some cases.

4. More Storage and Memory

On a budget phone, you can get more storage and memory without spending much. Even if the base variant doesn’t have enough, you can upgrade by shelling out a little extra.

Xiaomi’s Poco F1, for instance, comes with 6GB of RAM for $300. In comparison, the Google Pixel has 4GB of RAM and starts at $799.

Features to Consider Before Buying a New Phone

We hope you now have a better understanding of the differences between a new budget phone and a dated flagship.

But your job is not done yet—you have to decide which particular phone to buy. And going through the major specifications won’t be enough. Review the features you should keep in mind while purchasing a phone.

Read the full article: New Budget Phone vs. Old Flagship: Which Offers More Value?


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Amazon now sells flight tickets in India


Indians can already use Amazon to pay for their mobile bills and borrow money to purchase items, but now there’s more. This week, the ecommerce giant quietly introduced an additional feature to its shopping site: flight tickets.

Amazon has partnered with local travel service Cleartrip to add flight booking option to its payment service — Amazon Pay — in India, according to an FAQ posted on its website. The feature, first spotted by news outlet Skift, is available on its Indian website and app.

The addition of plane ticketing underscores Amazon’s growing interest in expanding its payment service in India, which is both one of its fastest-growing markets and a country it uses to test new ideas.

Since launching Amazon Pay in India in late 2016, the company has added a myriad of features to the service. Amazon Pay today allows Indians to top up their phones, cable TV subscriptions, and pay for electricity and water bills. Last month, Amazon announced support for peer-to-peer (P2P) money transfers for users of its Android app. Amazon also plans to soon let users order food from its website, local media reported last month.

The company has also inked deals with other top firms such as movie ticketing site BookMyShow, food delivery startup Swiggy, and bus ticketing startup Redbus to embed Amazon Pay into many popular Indian services. To spur its adoption, the company has offered cashback incentives to those who checkout using Amazon Pay.

The flight ticketing option is not much different. The company is promising a one-time cashback of up to Rs 2,000 ($28.20) for each first booking.

The push comes as many local companies in India and those that operate in the nation begin to mold their apps into so-called super apps. Top mobile wallet service Paytm has expanded to add a number of financial services, including as of this week a credit card, in recent years. India’s ride-hailing service Ola also entered the credit card business this week

Truecaller, an app that lets users screen for spam calls, has added messaging and payment features in India. The bundling often seems big names work together. For example, Paytm recently partnered with Zomato to test food ordering option on the mobile wallet app, a source with knowledge of the partner told TechCrunch.

Amazon’s interest in flight ticketing option in India should also help its partner ClearTrip gain a larger foothold in the nation. The company competes with giant MakeMyTrip, Booking.com, and Paytm. Google also offers flights in India, though, at the moment, that is limited to search. When it comes to transactions, users are directed to ticketing websites to complete their purchase.


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A/B


A/B

The state of the smartphone


Earlier this month, Canalys used the word “freefall” to describe its latest reporting. Global shipments fell 6.8% year over year. At 313.9 million, they were at their lowest level in nearly half a decade.

Of the major players, Apple was easily the hardest hit, falling 23.2% year over year. The firm says that’s the “largest single-quarter decline in the history of the iPhone.” And it’s not an anomaly, either. It’s part of a continued slide for the company, seen most recently in its Q1 earnings, which found the handset once again missing Wall Street expectations. That came on the tale of a quarter in which Apple announced it would no longer be reporting sales figures.

Tim Cook has placed much of the iPhone’s slide at the feet of a disappointing Chinese market. It’s been a tough nut for the company to crack, in part due to a slowing national economy. But there’s more to it than that. Trade tensions and increasing tariffs have certainly played a role — and things look like they’ll be getting worse before they get better on that front, with a recent bump from a 10 to 25% tariff bump on $60 billion in U.S. goods.

It’s important to keep in mind here that many handsets, regardless of country of origin, contain both Chinese and American components. On the U.S. side of the equation, that includes nearly ubiquitous elements like Qualcomm processors and a Google-designed operating system. But the causes of a stagnating (and now declining) smartphone market date back well before the current administration began sowing the seeds of a trade war with China.

Image via Miguel Candela/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesThe underlying factors are many. For one thing, smartphones simply may be too good. It’s an odd notion, but an intense battle between premium phone manufacturers may have resulted in handsets that are simply too good to warrant the long-standing two-year upgrade cycle. NPD Executive Director Brad Akyuz tells TechCrunch that the average smartphone flagship user tends to hold onto their phones for around 30 months — or exactly two-and-a-half years.

That’s a pretty dramatic change from the days when smartphone purchases were driven almost exclusively by contracts. Smartphone upgrades here in the States were driven by the standard 24-month contract cycle. When one lapsed, it seemed all but a given that the customer would purchase the latest version of the heavily subsidized contract.

But as smartphone build quality has increased, so too have prices, as manufacturers have raised margins in order to offset declining sales volume. “All of a sudden, these devices became more expensive, and you can see that average selling price trend going through the roof,” says Akyuz. “It’s been crazy, especially on the high end.”


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Minecraft Earth makes the whole real world your very own blocky realm


When your game tops a hundred million players, your thoughts naturally turn to doubling that number. That’s the case with the creators, or rather stewards, of Minecraft at Microsoft, where the game has become a product category unto itself. And now it is making its biggest leap yet — to a real-world augmented reality game in the vein of Pokemon GO, called Minecraft Earth.

Announced today but not playable until summer (on iOS and Android) or later, MCE (as I’ll call it) is full-on Minecraft, reimagined to be mobile and AR-first. So what is it? As executive producer Jesse Merriam put it succinctly: “Everywhere you go, you see Minecraft. And everywhere you go, you can play Minecraft.”

Yes, yes — but what is it? Less succinctly put, MCE is like other real-world based AR games in that it lets you travel around a virtual version of your area, collecting items and participating in mini-games. Where it’s unlike other such games is that it’s built on top of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, meaning it’s not some offshoot or mobile cash-in; this is straight-up Minecraft, with all the blocks, monsters, and redstone switches you desire, but in AR format. You collect stuff so you can build with it and share your tiny, blocky worlds with friends.

That introduces some fun opportunities and a few non-trivial limitations. Let’s run down what MCE looks like — verbally, at least, since Microsoft is being exceedingly stingy with real in-game assets.

There’s a map, of course

Because it’s Minecraft Earth, you’ll inhabit a special Minecraftified version of the real world, just as Pokemon GO and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite put a layer atop existing streets and landmarks.

The look is blocky to be sure but not so far off the normal look that you won’t recognize it. It uses OpenStreetMaps data, including annotated and inferred information about districts, private property, safe and unsafe places, and so on — which will be important later.

The fantasy map is filled with things to tap on, unsurprisingly called tappables. These can be a number of things: resources in the form of treasure chests, mobs, and adventures.

Chests are filled with blocks, naturally, adding to your reserves of cobblestone, brick, and so on, all the different varieties appearing with appropriate rarity.

A pig from Minecraft showing in the real world via augmented reality.Mobs are animals like those you might normally run across in the Minecraft wilderness: pigs, chickens, squid, and so on. You snag them like items, and they too have rarities, and not just cosmetic ones. The team highlighted a favorite of theirs, the muddy pig, which when placed down will stop at nothing to get to mud and never wants to leave, or a cave chicken that lays mushrooms instead of eggs. Yes, you can breed them.

Last are adventures, which are tiny AR instances that let you collect a resource, fight some monsters, and so on. For example you might find a crack in the ground that, when mined, vomits forth a volume of lava you’ll have to get away from, and then inside the resulting cave are some skeletons guarding a treasure chest. The team said they’re designing a huge number of these encounters.

Importantly, all these things, chests, mobs, and encounters, are shared between friends. If I see a chest, you see a chest — and the chest will have the same items. And in an AR encounter, all nearby players are brought in, and can contribute and collect the reward in shared fashion.

And it’s in these AR experiences and the “build plates” you’re doing it all for that the game really shines.

The AR part

“If you want to play Minecraft Earth without AR, you have to turn it off,” said Torfi Olafsson, the game’s director. This is not AR-optional, as with Niantic’s games. This is AR-native, and for good and ill the only way you can really play is by using your phone as a window into another world. Fortunately it works really well.

First, though, let me explain the whole build plate thing. You may have been wondering how these collectibles and mini-games amount to Minecraft. They don’t — they’re just the raw materials for it.

Whenever you feel like it, you can bring out what the team calls a build plate, which is a special item, a flat square that you virtually put down somewhere in the real world — on a surface like the table or floor, for instance — and it transforms into a small, but totally functional, Minecraft world.

In this little world you can build whatever you want, or dig into the ground, build an inverted palace for your cave chickens or create a paradise for your mud-loving pigs — whatever you want. Like Minecraft itself, each build plate is completely open-ended. Well, perhaps that’s the wrong phrase — they’re actually quite closely bounded, since the world only exists out to the edge of the plate. But they’re certainly yours to play with however you want.

Notably all the usual Minecraft rules are present — this isn’t Minecraft Lite, just a small game world. Water and lava flow how they should, blocks have all the qualities they should, and mobs all act as they normally would.

The magic part comes when you find that you can instantly convert your build plate from miniature to life-size. Now the castle you’ve been building on the table is three stories tall in the park. Your pigs regard you silently as you walk through the halls and admire the care and attention to detail with which you no doubt assembled them. It really is a trip.

It doesn’t really look like this but you get the idea.

In the demo, I played with a few other members of the press, we got to experience a couple build plates and adventures at life-size (technically actually 3/4 life size — the 1 block to 1 meter scale turned out to be a little daunting in testing). It was absolute chaos, really, everyone placing blocks and destroying them and flooding the area and putting down chickens. But it totally worked.

The system uses Microsoft’s new Azure Spatial Anchor system, which quickly and continuously fixed our locations in virtual space. It updated remarkably quickly, with no lag, showing the location and orientation of the other players in real time. Meanwhile the game world itself was rock-solid in space, smooth to enter and explore, and rarely bugging out (and that only in understandable circumstances). That’s great news considering how heavily the game leans on the multiplayer experience.

The team said they’d tested up to 10 players at once in an AR instance, and while there’s technically no limit, there’s sort of a physical limit in how many people can fit in the small space allocated to an adventure or around a tabletop. Don’t expect any giant 64-player raids, but do expect to take down hordes of spiders with three or four friends.

Pick(ax)ing their battles

In choosing to make the game the way they’ve made it, the team naturally created certain limitations and risks. You Wouldn’t want, for example, an adventure icon to pop up in the middle of the highway.

For exactly that reason the team spent a lot of work making the map metadata extremely robust. Adventures won’t spawn in areas like private residences or yards, though of course simple collectibles might. But because you’re able to reach things up to 70 meters away, it’s unlikely you’ll have to knock on someone’s door and say there’s a cave chicken in their pool and you’d like to touch it, please.

Furthermore adventures will not spawn in areas like streets or difficult to reach areas. The team said they worked very hard making it possible for the engine to recognize places that are not only publicly accessible, but safe and easy to access. Think sidewalks and parks.

Another limitation is that, as an AR game, you move around the real world. But in Minecraft verticality is an important part of the gameplay. Unfortunately the simple truth is that in the real world you can’t climb virtual stairs or descend into a virtual cave. You as a player exist on a 2D plane, and can interact with but not visit places above and below that plane. (An exception of course is on a build plate, where in miniature you can fly around it freely by moving your phone).

That’s a shame for people who can’t move around easily, though you can pick up and rotate the build plate to access different sides. Weapons and tools also have infinite range, eliminating a potential barrier to fun and accessibility.

What will keep people playing?

In Pokemon GO, there’s the drive to catch ’em all. In Wizards Unite, you’ll want to advance the story and your skills. What’s the draw with Minecraft Earth? Well, what’s the draw in Minecraft? You can build stuff. And now you can build stuff in AR on your phone.

The game isn’t narrative-driven, and although there is some (unspecified) character progression, for the most part the focus is on just having fun doing and making stuff in Minecraft. Like a set of LEGO blocks, a build plate and your persistent inventory simply make for a lively sandbox.

Admittedly that doesn’t sound like it carries the same addictive draw of Pokemon, but the truth is Minecraft kind of breaks the rules like that. Millions of people play this game all the time just to make stuff and show that stuff to other people. Although you’ll be limited in how you can share to start, there will surely be ways to explore popular builds in the future.

And how will it make money? The team basically punted on that question — they’re fortunately in a position where they don’t have to worry about that yet. Minecraft is one of the biggest games of all time and a big money-maker — it’s probably worth the cost just to keep people engaged with the world and community.

MCE seems to me like a delightful thing but one that must be appreciated on its own merits. A lack of screenshots and gameplay video isn’t doing a lot to help you here, I admit. Trust me when I say it looks great, plays well, and seems fundamentally like a good time for all ages.

A few other stray facts I picked up:

  • Regions will roll out gradually but it will be available in all the same languages as Vanilla at launch
  • Yes, there will be skins (and they’ll carry over from your existing account)
  • There will be different sizes and types of build plates
  • There’s crafting, but no 3×3 crafting grid (?!)
  • You can report griefers and so on, but the way the game is structured it should be an issue
  • The AR engine creates and uses a point cloud but doesn’t like take pictures of your bedroom
  • Content is added to the map dynamically, and there will be hot spots but emptier areas will fill up if you’re there
  • It leverages AR Core and AR Kit, naturally
  • The Hololens version of Minecraft we saw a while back is a predecessor “more spiritually than technically”
  • Adventures that could be scary to kids have a special sign
  • “Friends” can steal blocks from your build plate if you’re playing together (or donate them)

Sound fun? Sign up for the beta here.


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Minecraft Earth makes the whole real world your very own blocky realm


When your game tops a hundred million players, your thoughts naturally turn to doubling that number. That’s the case with the creators, or rather stewards, of Minecraft at Microsoft, where the game has become a product category unto itself. And now it is making its biggest leap yet — to a real-world augmented reality game in the vein of Pokemon GO, called Minecraft Earth.

Announced today but not playable until summer (on iOS and Android) or later, MCE (as I’ll call it) is full-on Minecraft, reimagined to be mobile and AR-first. So what is it? As executive producer Jesse Merriam put it succinctly: “Everywhere you go, you see Minecraft. And everywhere you go, you can play Minecraft.”

Yes, yes — but what is it? Less succinctly put, MCE is like other real-world based AR games in that it lets you travel around a virtual version of your area, collecting items and participating in mini-games. Where it’s unlike other such games is that it’s built on top of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, meaning it’s not some offshoot or mobile cash-in; this is straight-up Minecraft, with all the blocks, monsters, and redstone switches you desire, but in AR format. You collect stuff so you can build with it and share your tiny, blocky worlds with friends.

That introduces some fun opportunities and a few non-trivial limitations. Let’s run down what MCE looks like — verbally, at least, since Microsoft is being exceedingly stingy with real in-game assets.

There’s a map, of course

Because it’s Minecraft Earth, you’ll inhabit a special Minecraftified version of the real world, just as Pokemon GO and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite put a layer atop existing streets and landmarks.

The look is blocky to be sure but not so far off the normal look that you won’t recognize it. It uses OpenStreetMaps data, including annotated and inferred information about districts, private property, safe and unsafe places, and so on — which will be important later.

The fantasy map is filled with things to tap on, unsurprisingly called tappables. These can be a number of things: resources in the form of treasure chests, mobs, and adventures.

Chests are filled with blocks, naturally, adding to your reserves of cobblestone, brick, and so on, all the different varieties appearing with appropriate rarity.

A pig from Minecraft showing in the real world via augmented reality.Mobs are animals like those you might normally run across in the Minecraft wilderness: pigs, chickens, squid, and so on. You snag them like items, and they too have rarities, and not just cosmetic ones. The team highlighted a favorite of theirs, the muddy pig, which when placed down will stop at nothing to get to mud and never wants to leave, or a cave chicken that lays mushrooms instead of eggs. Yes, you can breed them.

Last are adventures, which are tiny AR instances that let you collect a resource, fight some monsters, and so on. For example you might find a crack in the ground that, when mined, vomits forth a volume of lava you’ll have to get away from, and then inside the resulting cave are some skeletons guarding a treasure chest. The team said they’re designing a huge number of these encounters.

Importantly, all these things, chests, mobs, and encounters, are shared between friends. If I see a chest, you see a chest — and the chest will have the same items. And in an AR encounter, all nearby players are brought in, and can contribute and collect the reward in shared fashion.

And it’s in these AR experiences and the “build plates” you’re doing it all for that the game really shines.

The AR part

“If you want to play Minecraft Earth without AR, you have to turn it off,” said Torfi Olafsson, the game’s director. This is not AR-optional, as with Niantic’s games. This is AR-native, and for good and ill the only way you can really play is by using your phone as a window into another world. Fortunately it works really well.

First, though, let me explain the whole build plate thing. You may have been wondering how these collectibles and mini-games amount to Minecraft. They don’t — they’re just the raw materials for it.

Whenever you feel like it, you can bring out what the team calls a build plate, which is a special item, a flat square that you virtually put down somewhere in the real world — on a surface like the table or floor, for instance — and it transforms into a small, but totally functional, Minecraft world.

In this little world you can build whatever you want, or dig into the ground, build an inverted palace for your cave chickens or create a paradise for your mud-loving pigs — whatever you want. Like Minecraft itself, each build plate is completely open-ended. Well, perhaps that’s the wrong phrase — they’re actually quite closely bounded, since the world only exists out to the edge of the plate. But they’re certainly yours to play with however you want.

Notably all the usual Minecraft rules are present — this isn’t Minecraft Lite, just a small game world. Water and lava flow how they should, blocks have all the qualities they should, and mobs all act as they normally would.

The magic part comes when you find that you can instantly convert your build plate from miniature to life-size. Now the castle you’ve been building on the table is three stories tall in the park. Your pigs regard you silently as you walk through the halls and admire the care and attention to detail with which you no doubt assembled them. It really is a trip.

It doesn’t really look like this but you get the idea.

In the demo, I played with a few other members of the press, we got to experience a couple build plates and adventures at life-size (technically actually 3/4 life size — the 1 block to 1 meter scale turned out to be a little daunting in testing). It was absolute chaos, really, everyone placing blocks and destroying them and flooding the area and putting down chickens. But it totally worked.

The system uses Microsoft’s new Azure Spatial Anchor system, which quickly and continuously fixed our locations in virtual space. It updated remarkably quickly, with no lag, showing the location and orientation of the other players in real time. Meanwhile the game world itself was rock-solid in space, smooth to enter and explore, and rarely bugging out (and that only in understandable circumstances). That’s great news considering how heavily the game leans on the multiplayer experience.

The team said they’d tested up to 10 players at once in an AR instance, and while there’s technically no limit, there’s sort of a physical limit in how many people can fit in the small space allocated to an adventure or around a tabletop. Don’t expect any giant 64-player raids, but do expect to take down hordes of spiders with three or four friends.

Pick(ax)ing their battles

In choosing to make the game the way they’ve made it, the team naturally created certain limitations and risks. You Wouldn’t want, for example, an adventure icon to pop up in the middle of the highway.

For exactly that reason the team spent a lot of work making the map metadata extremely robust. Adventures won’t spawn in areas like private residences or yards, though of course simple collectibles might. But because you’re able to reach things up to 70 meters away, it’s unlikely you’ll have to knock on someone’s door and say there’s a cave chicken in their pool and you’d like to touch it, please.

Furthermore adventures will not spawn in areas like streets or difficult to reach areas. The team said they worked very hard making it possible for the engine to recognize places that are not only publicly accessible, but safe and easy to access. Think sidewalks and parks.

Another limitation is that, as an AR game, you move around the real world. But in Minecraft verticality is an important part of the gameplay. Unfortunately the simple truth is that in the real world you can’t climb virtual stairs or descend into a virtual cave. You as a player exist on a 2D plane, and can interact with but not visit places above and below that plane. (An exception of course is on a build plate, where in miniature you can fly around it freely by moving your phone).

That’s a shame for people who can’t move around easily, though you can pick up and rotate the build plate to access different sides. Weapons and tools also have infinite range, eliminating a potential barrier to fun and accessibility.

What will keep people playing?

In Pokemon GO, there’s the drive to catch ’em all. In Wizards Unite, you’ll want to advance the story and your skills. What’s the draw with Minecraft Earth? Well, what’s the draw in Minecraft? You can build stuff. And now you can build stuff in AR on your phone.

The game isn’t narrative-driven, and although there is some (unspecified) character progression, for the most part the focus is on just having fun doing and making stuff in Minecraft. Like a set of LEGO blocks, a build plate and your persistent inventory simply make for a lively sandbox.

Admittedly that doesn’t sound like it carries the same addictive draw of Pokemon, but the truth is Minecraft kind of breaks the rules like that. Millions of people play this game all the time just to make stuff and show that stuff to other people. Although you’ll be limited in how you can share to start, there will surely be ways to explore popular builds in the future.

And how will it make money? The team basically punted on that question — they’re fortunately in a position where they don’t have to worry about that yet. Minecraft is one of the biggest games of all time and a big money-maker — it’s probably worth the cost just to keep people engaged with the world and community.

MCE seems to me like a delightful thing but one that must be appreciated on its own merits. A lack of screenshots and gameplay video isn’t doing a lot to help you here, I admit. Trust me when I say it looks great, plays well, and seems fundamentally like a good time for all ages.

A few other stray facts I picked up:

  • Regions will roll out gradually but it will be available in all the same languages as Vanilla at launch
  • Yes, there will be skins (and they’ll carry over from your existing account)
  • There will be different sizes and types of build plates
  • There’s crafting, but no 3×3 crafting grid (?!)
  • You can report griefers and so on, but the way the game is structured it should be an issue
  • The AR engine creates and uses a point cloud but doesn’t like take pictures of your bedroom
  • Content is added to the map dynamically, and there will be hot spots but emptier areas will fill up if you’re there
  • It leverages AR Core and AR Kit, naturally
  • The Hololens version of Minecraft we saw a while back is a predecessor “more spiritually than technically”
  • Adventures that could be scary to kids have a special sign
  • “Friends” can steal blocks from your build plate if you’re playing together (or donate them)

Sound fun? Sign up for the beta here.


Read Full Article

You Can Now Play Your Steam Games on iOS


You can now get the Steam Link app for iOS and tvOS, allowing you to play Steam games on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. Which is good news for anyone with a large collection of Steam games and a desire to lie in bed playing them. Which is surely everyone, right?

Apple Initially Rejected Steam Link

In May 2018, Valve released the Steam Link app for Android. The company also tried to release the Steam Link app on iOS, but Apple rejected it because of alleged “business conflicts”. Valve appealed the decision, but Apple denied the appeal.

Now, one year on, Valve and Apple appear to have resolved their differences, and the Steam Link app is now available on the App Store. It isn’t clear what prompted the change of heart, but it’s likely Valve changed certain aspects of the app in order to get it approved.

Stream Steam Games to Your iPhone or iPad

Steam Link is easy to download and install. And once set up, the Steam Link app lets you stream your collection of Steam games from your PC to other devices on the same network. And that now includes Apple devices including the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

As good as mobile games can be, they simply cannot compete with big-budget PC games in terms of storyline and scope. Which is what makes the idea of being able to play said PC games on a smartphone or tablet such a compelling prospect.

There are some prerequisites. You’ll need to have a computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux) running Steam, an iPhone or iPad running iOS 10 or higher, and a fast and reliable internet connection. You’ll also want a Steam controller or MFI controller.

If you have all of those things—as well as an existing collection of Steam games ripe for playing on your mobile device—the Steam Link app is a worthy download. Especially if you want a break from having to sit at your PC to play video games.

Download: Steam Link for iOS and tvOS

Is the Steam Link App Worth Installing?

While we don’t have a guide to using Steam Link on iOS, we have previously detailed how to play Steam games on Android using Steam Link. Which may prove useful. Just bear in mind that there are reasons the Steam Link app isn’t worth bothering with though.

Read the full article: You Can Now Play Your Steam Games on iOS


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Baidu, China’s answer to Google, reports first quarterly loss since 2005


Baidu, widely seen as the Google of China, felt the heat from its spending on artificial intelligence and other next-gen technologies that have yet to reach the mass market as it unveiled troubled first-quarter financials on Thursday.

The company logged a net loss attributable to shareholders of $49 million in the quarter ended March 31, marking the first quarterly loss since it went public in 2005. That compares to net income of 6.69 billion yuan a year before.

Baidu is the biggest search service in China and has reaped huge rewards from search ads in the PC era. But as consumers allocate their attention to new forms of mobile services — notably recommendation-based apps to discover content — Baidu is losing its appeal.

Xiang Hailong, senior vice president of Baidu’s search business, resigned after serving the company since 2005, announced the earnings report. The search giant has renamed its search business to a new ‘mobile business’.

Baidu’s revenue for the quarter rose slightly to 24.1 billion yuan ($3.5 billion), up 15 percent year-over-year.

This is a developing story. Check back for analysis.


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Asus’ $499 ZenFone 6 has a flip-up camera and a giant battery


Premium smartphone manufacturers have moved the needle on pricing, but 2019 may well go down as a kind of golden age for budget flagships. Apple, Google and Samsung are all in that business now, and OnePlus has once again shown the world how to offer more for less. And then there’s the new Zenfone.

It’s a bit of an understatement to suggest that Asus has had trouble breaking into the smartphone space. And things aren’t likely to get any easier as the market further consolidates among the top five players. But you’ve got to hand it to the company for swinging for the fences with the $499 ZenFone 6.

First thing’s first. Like the excellent OnePlus 7 Pro, the phone (fone?) forgoes the notch and hole punch, instead opting for a clever pop-up that flips up from the back. That means one camera is doing double duty, toggling between the front and rear with the push of an on-screen button. Like the OnePlus, there’s built-in fall detection that retracts the camera if it slips from your hand.

That whole dealie would be enough to help the phone stand out in a world of similar handsets, but this is a solid budget handset through and through. Inside is a bleeding edge Snapdragon 855, coupled with a beefy 5,000mAh battery. The new ZenFone also sports a headphone jack, because it’s 2019 and rules don’t apply to smartphones anymore.

Is that all enough to right the ship? Probably not, but it’s nice to see Asus stepping up with a compelling product at an even more compelling price point. More information on the phone’s U.S. release should be arriving soon.


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A year after outcry, carriers are finally stopping sale of location data, letters to FCC show


Reports emerged a year ago that all the major cellular carriers in the U.S. were selling location data to third party companies, which in turn sold them to pretty much anyone willing to pay. New letters published by the FCC show that despite a year of scrutiny and anger, the carriers have only recently put to end this practice.

We already knew that the carriers, like many large companies, simply could not be trusted. In January it was clear that promises to immediately “shut down,” “terminate,” or “take steps to stop” the location-selling side business were, shall we say, on the empty side. Kind of like their assurances that these services were closely monitored — no one seems to have bothered actually checking whether the third party resellers were obtaining the required consent before sharing location data.

Similarly, the carriers took their time shutting down the arrangements they had in place, and communication on the process has been infrequent and inadequate.

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who has been particularly frustrated by the foot-dragging and lack of communication on this issue (by companies and the commission).

“The FCC has been totally silent about press reports that for a few hundred dollars shady middlemen can sell your location within a few hundred meters based on your wireless phone data. That’s unacceptable,” she wrote in a statement posted today.

To provide a bit of closure, she decided to publish letters (PDF) from the major carriers explaining their current positions. Fortunately it’s good news. Here’s the gist:

T-Mobile swiftly made promises last May and in June of 2018 CEO John Legere said in a tweet that he “personally evaluated this issue,” and pledged that the company “will not sell customer location data to shady middlemen.”

That seems to have been before “T-Mobile undertook an evaluation last summer of whether to retain or restructure its location aggregator program… Ultimately, we decided to terminate it.” That phased termination took place over the next half a year, finishing only in March of 2019.

AT&T immediately suspended access by the offending company, Securus, to location data, but continued providing it to others. One hopes they at least began auditing properly. Almost a year later, the company said in its letter to Commissioner Rosenworcel that “in light of the press report to which you refer… we decided in January 2019 to accelerate our phase-out of these services. As of March 29, 2019, AT&T stopped sharing any AT&T customer location data with location aggregators and LBS providers.”

Sprint said shortly after the initial reports that it was in the “process of terminating its current contracts with data aggregators to whom we provide location data.” That process sure seems to have been a long one:

As of May 31, 2019, Sprint will no longer contract with any location aggregators to provide LBS. Sprint anticipates that after May 31. 2019, it may provide LBS services directly to customers like those described above [i.e. roadside assistance], but there are no firm plans at this time.

Verizon (the parent company of TechCrunch) managed to kill its contracts with all-purpose aggregators LocationSmart and Zumigo in November of 2018… except for a specific use case through the former to provide roadside assistance services during the winter. That agreement ended in March.

It’s taken some time, but the carriers seem to have finally followed through on shutting down the programs through which they resold customer location data. All took care to mention at some point the practical and helpful use cases of such programs, but failed to detail the apparent lack of oversight with which they were conducted. The responsibility to properly vet customers and collect mobile user consent seems to have been fully ceded to the resellers, who as last year’s reports showed, did nothing of the kind.

Location data is obviously valuable to consumers and many services can and should be able to request it — from those consumers. No one is arguing otherwise. But this important data was clearly being irresponsibly handled by the carriers, and it is probably right that the location aggregation business gets a hard stop and not a band-aid. We’ll likely see new businesses and arrangements appearing soon — but you can be sure that these too will require close monitoring to make sure the carriers don’t allow them to get out of hand… again.


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