Tinder doubles down on its casual nature, as Match invests in relationship-focused Hinge

Tinder has never really shaken its reputation among consumers as a “hook up” app, instead of one designed for more serious dating. Now, it seems Tinder is planning to embrace its status as the default app for younger users who aren’t ready to settle down. According to Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg, speaking to investors on its Q3 earnings call this morning, Tinder is preparing to launch its first-ever brand marketing campaign that will promote the “single lifestyle” with billboard campaigns and other digital initiatives.

The move is something of an admission that Tinder isn’t working for helping people find long-term relationships.

“Tinder was such a phenomenon when it launched and spread so quickly that the market defined th brand, versus the business defining the brand,” said Ginsberg, referring to its “hook up app” reputation.

“Tinder’s brand particularly resonated with 18 to 25 year-olds because it provides a fun and easy way to meet people. Tinder sometimes gets a bad rap for being casual,” she then admitted. “But keep in mind that people in the late teens and early 20’s are not looking to settle down. It is a time to explore and discover yourself, meeting lots of people and being social.”

Tinder’s new marketing campaign will focus on the “single journey,” the exec said.

The dating app maker has already started publishing content that’s relevant to this “single lifestyle” on its Swipe Life website with stories relating to dating styles, travel, food, and more. For example, some of its recent articles have included things like: “7 Exit Strategies for Terrible Dates,” “Tinder Diaries: Which of these 5 Guys Will Get the Date?,” and “Study Abroad Hookup Confessions.”

Definitely not material for the relationship-minded.

Now, the company will promote Tinder’s “single lifestyle” even further with billboards across major cities throughout the U.S., as well as on digital channels.

The campaign’s goal, explained Ginsberg, is about “further reinforcing how Tinder can enable users to make the most of this fun and adventurous time in their life.”

It’s not difficult to read between the lines here: Tinder’s business model succeeds among people who want to stay single. It succeeds when they’re retained in the app, continually swiping on to the next person they want to meet.

To be fair, Tinder has never really invested in many features that push people to go on dates or exit its app. Instead, it has added addictive features like an in-app news feed – like a social network would have – and tools that enhance in-app chats, like sharing GIFs.

If Tinder was Match’s only dating app, this narrow definition of an app for those embracing their “single lifestyle” would be a problem.

But Match’s strategy has been to diversify its lineup of dating apps. Now it’s a majority owner of dating app Hinge, whose focus has been on helping people get into relationships. In other words, when people are fed up with the ephemeral nature of Tinder, they can just switch apps – while remaining a Match customer, of course!

The company also says it will invest more in Hinge going forward – a move that’s not unrelated to the decisions Match is making around Tinder. 

In fact, in another admission that Tinder wasn’t serving those in search of relationships, Ginsberg said Hinge will help the company to address the “previously underserved” audience of 20-somethings looking for a serious relationship.

She speaks of how Hinge’s user interface is clean and simple, and encourages people to be more thoughtful in their initial conversations. It’s a stark contrast to Tinder, which certainly does not.

Hinge downloads have increased five times since Match invested, the company also noted. It’s gaining traction in major cities throughout the U.S, including New York, as well as in international markets, like London.

The plan is to make Hinge the anti-Tinder, then pull in users as they exit Tinder in search of something real. The company said it’s going to increase the marketing spend on Hinge to drive awareness of the app across the U.S.

“We see a real opportunity to invest meaningful dollars in both products and marketing at hinge to drive long-term growth,” said Ginsberg.

“We think it addresses a great gap in the market,” she continued. “If you think about when Tinder came into the market six years ago, it brought a whole new audience of young users, particularly college-age users. As they start to age…having a product that’s oriented to serious [dating] – but sort of mid-to-late 20’s – is really compelling for us,” she added.

Tinder has evolved over the years from casual dating to include those who are more serious. But with Match’s decision to focus on those not looking for lasting relationships, it risks losing some users going forward. The challenge for the company is to pick them up in another dating app it owns, and not lose them to Bumble…or to an exit from dating apps altogether.

 

 

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Tinder doubles down on its casual nature, as Match invests in relationship-focused Hinge

Tinder has never really shaken its reputation among consumers as a “hook up” app, instead of one designed for more serious dating. Now, it seems Tinder is planning to embrace its status as the default app for younger users who aren’t ready to settle down. According to Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg, speaking to investors on its Q3 earnings call this morning, Tinder is preparing to launch its first-ever brand marketing campaign that will promote the “single lifestyle” with billboard campaigns and other digital initiatives.

The move is something of an admission that Tinder isn’t working for helping people find long-term relationships.

“Tinder was such a phenomenon when it launched and spread so quickly that the market defined th brand, versus the business defining the brand,” said Ginsberg, referring to its “hook up app” reputation.

“Tinder’s brand particularly resonated with 18 to 25 year-olds because it provides a fun and easy way to meet people. Tinder sometimes gets a bad rap for being casual,” she then admitted. “But keep in mind that people in the late teens and early 20’s are not looking to settle down. It is a time to explore and discover yourself, meeting lots of people and being social.”

Tinder’s new marketing campaign will focus on the “single journey,” the exec said.

The dating app maker has already started publishing content that’s relevant to this “single lifestyle” on its Swipe Life website with stories relating to dating styles, travel, food, and more. For example, some of its recent articles have included things like: “7 Exit Strategies for Terrible Dates,” “Tinder Diaries: Which of these 5 Guys Will Get the Date?,” and “Study Abroad Hookup Confessions.”

Definitely not material for the relationship-minded.

Now, the company will promote Tinder’s “single lifestyle” even further with billboards across major cities throughout the U.S., as well as on digital channels.

The campaign’s goal, explained Ginsberg, is about “further reinforcing how Tinder can enable users to make the most of this fun and adventurous time in their life.”

It’s not difficult to read between the lines here: Tinder’s business model succeeds among people who want to stay single. It succeeds when they’re retained in the app, continually swiping on to the next person they want to meet.

To be fair, Tinder has never really invested in many features that push people to go on dates or exit its app. Instead, it has added addictive features like an in-app news feed – like a social network would have – and tools that enhance in-app chats, like sharing GIFs.

If Tinder was Match’s only dating app, this narrow definition of an app for those embracing their “single lifestyle” would be a problem.

But Match’s strategy has been to diversify its lineup of dating apps. Now it’s a majority owner of dating app Hinge, whose focus has been on helping people get into relationships. In other words, when people are fed up with the ephemeral nature of Tinder, they can just switch apps – while remaining a Match customer, of course!

The company also says it will invest more in Hinge going forward – a move that’s not unrelated to the decisions Match is making around Tinder. 

In fact, in another admission that Tinder wasn’t serving those in search of relationships, Ginsberg said Hinge will help the company to address the “previously underserved” audience of 20-somethings looking for a serious relationship.

She speaks of how Hinge’s user interface is clean and simple, and encourages people to be more thoughtful in their initial conversations. It’s a stark contrast to Tinder, which certainly does not.

Hinge downloads have increased five times since Match invested, the company also noted. It’s gaining traction in major cities throughout the U.S, including New York, as well as in international markets, like London.

The plan is to make Hinge the anti-Tinder, then pull in users as they exit Tinder in search of something real. The company said it’s going to increase the marketing spend on Hinge to drive awareness of the app across the U.S.

“We see a real opportunity to invest meaningful dollars in both products and marketing at hinge to drive long-term growth,” said Ginsberg.

“We think it addresses a great gap in the market,” she continued. “If you think about when Tinder came into the market six years ago, it brought a whole new audience of young users, particularly college-age users. As they start to age…having a product that’s oriented to serious [dating] – but sort of mid-to-late 20’s – is really compelling for us,” she added.

Tinder has evolved over the years from casual dating to include those who are more serious. But with Match’s decision to focus on those not looking for lasting relationships, it risks losing some users going forward. The challenge for the company is to pick them up in another dating app it owns, and not lose them to Bumble…or to an exit from dating apps altogether.

 

 

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Facebook is facing an EU data probe over fake ads

The UK’s privacy watchdog has asked Facebook’s lead EU regulator to look into ongoing data protection concerns about its ad platform — including how its platform is being used to target and spread fake adverts to try to manipulate voters.

Facebook’s international HQ is in Ireland so the regulator in play here is the Irish Data Protection Commission.

The ICO noted the action in a 113-page report to parliament yesterday giving an update on its long-running investigation into the use of data analytics in political campaigns — writing:

We have referred our ongoing concerns about Facebook’s targeting functions and techniques that are used to monitor individuals’ browsing habits, interactions and behaviour across the internet and different devices to the to the IDPC. Under the GDPR, the IDPC is the lead authority for Facebook in the EU. We will work with both the Irish regulator and other national data protection authorities to develop a longterm strategy on how we address these issues.

A spokesperson for the watchdog told us these concerns fall outside the remit of that still partially ongoing investigation, which was triggered by the Cambridge Analytica data misuse scandal.

So the issues of concern are not the same issues that the ICO fined Facebook for last month, when it handed the company the maximum possible penalty under the UK’s previous data protection regime. Hence the referral to the Irish DPC.

We’ve reached out to Facebook for comment on the referral.

A spokesman for the Irish regulator told us: “The DPC has yet to receive any information from the ICO.”

Giving one example of its concerns, the ICO’s spokesperson pointed to recent news reports flagging fake political ads that had passed Facebook’s checks and been able to circulate on the platform — until being spotted by journalists, after which they got pulled by Facebook.

Hello @Facebook. Shall we talk about how your new ad transparency "rules"?
Here's a pro-Brexit advert placed two days ago. It was "paid for by Cambridge Analytica". Posted by "Insider Research Group". And uses an image by the disgraced law-breaking campaign group, BeLeave… pic.twitter.com/8jnK2d2WfL

— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) October 31, 2018

Responding to the above ad, badged as being paid for by the now defunct and disgraced data company Cambridge Analytica, Facebook said: “This ad was not created by Cambridge Analytica. It is fake, violates our policies and has been taken down. We believe people on Facebook should know who is behind the political ads they’re seeing which is why we are creating the Ads Library so that you can see who is accountable for any political ad. We have tools for anyone to report suspicious activity such as this.”

Such an obvious fake slipping through Facebook’s checks on political ads — which were only rolled out in the UK a few weeks ago, in first phase form — suggests they can be trivially gamed.

In related news, the Guardian reports that Facebook has delayed a requirement that UK political advertisers verify their identity — pushing it back from an initial deadline of today to sometime in “the next month”, with the company saying it wants to take more time to strengthen the system after a spate of failures.

“We have learnt that some people may try to game the disclaimer system by entering inaccurate details and have been working to improve our review process to detect and prevent this kind of abuse,” a Facebook spokesperson told the newspaper.

The fake ads issue also highlights how self-styled ‘transparency’ without proper accountability can just further muddy already murky waters — where masses of personal data and opaque ad platforms are concerned.

During a hearing in front of the UK’s DCMS committee yesterday, the UK’s information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, also raised concerns about the use of so-called ‘lookalike audiences’ for targeting voters on Facebook — saying a system that makes inferences in order to target people with political ads needs to be looked at closely in light of Europe’s new GDPR privacy framework.

She also told policymakers that Facebook needs to change its business model. And said all platforms “need to take much greater responsibility”.

“I don’t think that we want to use the same model that sells us holidays and shoes and cars to engage with people and voters. I think that people expect more than that. This is a time for a pause, to look at codes, to look at the practices of social media companies, to take action where they’ve broken the law,” she said.

Committee members raised some of their own political ad concerns with Denham, querying the lawfulness of a crop of ads recently circulating on Facebook, targeting MPs and their constituents, urging policymakers to ‘chuck chequers’ — a reference to the UK prime minister’s current Brexit proposal to the EU — which are badged as being paid for by an organization called ‘Mainstream Network’, without it being clear who on earth is behind that…

https://t.co/XDZwvfNfwt Who's behind the Mainstream Network which has spent £250k on "chuck Chequers" Facebook ads? No clue on their website

— Rory Cellan-Jones (@ruskin147) October 20, 2018

“We are investigating those matters and will be looking at whether or not there was a contravention of the GDPR by that organization in sending out those communications,” Denham told the committee.

But wider concerns about how Facebook’s ad platform operates have now been handed over to the Irish DPC to investigate — a far smaller, less well resourced watchdog than the ICO; the largest such agency in Europe.

Any future audit of Facebook’s platform — as has been recently called for by the EU parliament — would also be led by Ireland, Denham confirmed to the committee.

She was asked whether she had any concerns about the smaller regulator being able to handle its burgeoning caseload. “We can work with,” she replied, noting the ICO likely has greater capacity to conduct technical audits. “We certainly can support them and work with them.”

She noted too that the newly established European Data Protection Board — which is responsible for ensuring consistency in the application of the GDPR — is working on “a more holistic way” to co-ordinate regulating social media platforms across Europe.

“[It] is looking at… what we need to do as a community with Facebook and other social media platforms,” she told the committee, adding that under the GDPR the Irish DPC is the “lead authority on Facebook because that’s where Facebook is based in Europe so they would the lead on an audit that’s going forward in the future”.

“Regulators need to look at the effectiveness of their processes,” she added. “That’s really at the heart of this — and there’s a fundamental tension between the advertising business model of Facebook and fundamental rights like protection of privacy. And that’s where we’re at right now.

“It’s a very big job both for the regulators but for the policymakers to ensure that the right requirements and oversight and sanctions are in place.”

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5 Key Tips for Producing Professional Live Streams

How to Fix the “SIM Not Provisioned MM 2” Error

Swapping SIM cards and getting an error message on your phone? The “SIM not provisioned MM2” error is easy enough to fix, but what does it mean? In this article, we explain how to fix this SIM card error and ensure you can avoid it happening again in future.

What Does “SIM Not Provisioned” Mean?

SIM cards contain certain information that help with the identification of your cell phone account. The SIM enables the phone to be identified as yours on the mobile network (thanks to the IMEI number), so that you can make calls, and connect to the mobile internet. This is explained further in our guide to why phones need a SIM card.

The “SIM not provisioned” error should only affect users who need to register a new SIM card. If it occurs at any other time, it can signify a problem with the SIM card, which will need replacing.

When the “SIM not provisioned MM2” error appears, you can trace it back to one of the following:

• You bought a new phone with a new SIM card.
• You’re transferring contacts to a new SIM card.
• Your mobile network provider’s server is unavailable (if you’re using an iPhone, the Apple server also needs to be online).

In a perfect world, new SIM cards would work out of the box, but for security reasons, it’s often necessary to activate a new card.

Other SIM error messages might occur, depending on your situation. For instance, if the SIM card is locked to a particular phone, when you insert it in a new device you may see the “SIM not valid” message. Unlocking the SIM will let you use it in any compatible phone.

5 Ways to Fix the “SIM Not Provisioned” Error

1. Restart Your Phone

It may seem unlikely, but simply turning off your phone will overcome the SIM not provisioned fault.

Take the usual steps to restart the phone and wait. A few moments later you’ll see that the error message no longer appears and your SIM card is activated.

2. Correctly Insert the SIM Card

If the issue isn’t with the SIM card’s activation or the network, then it might simply be an ill-fitting SIM. This might be due to problems with the shape of the SIM itself or a badly designed SIM card slot (or caddy).

To check if the SIM is correctly seated, switch off your phone, then find the SIM card:

• If you have an older, or cheaper phone, this will probably be found by opening the back panel. You may need to remove the battery to access the SIM card slot.
• With flagship phones, or those without removable batteries, the SIM card slot can be found at the side of the handset. This is typically a caddy upon which the SIM card sits. A small tool is usually provided with phones to eject the caddy. Look for a small hole along the side of your phone and push the tool into this to eject the SIM card.

Note: Be sure to find the SIM card, and not any microSD storage card that might be inserted into your phone!

With the SIM card removed (you may need to use tweezers, or jimmy it out from the other side if a removable battery is involved) give it a blow, and perhaps a quick dust with a lint free cloth.

You should then replace the SIM card, taking care to position it as per the included illustration. This might be a sticker next to the SIM card slot, or an engraved image showing which way the SIM should go.

Replace the SIM card in your phone, and power up again. The “SIM not provisioned” error should no longer be displayed. If it is, try the SIM in another phone.

3. Activate Your SIM Card

In most cases, a SIM card should be automatically activated, usually within 24 hours of being inserted in a new phone. If this doesn’t happen, three options are usually available to enable activation:

1. Call an automated number
2. Send an SMS
3. Log onto the activation page on the carrier’s website

All these options are quick and straightforward but depend on whether the carrier supports them. In most cases, your SIM should be activated, and the “SIM not provisioned” error is solved.

4. Contact Your Carrier or Network Provider

If the SIM won’t activate, it’s time to make a phone call (from another device, of course!) to your carrier or network. Explain to them the error message, and the steps you’ve taken so far.

As noted above, there may be an issue with the activation server, which would prevent your SIM card activating, leading to the error message.

Your carrier will typically keep you on the line while they investigate the issue, and if it is a problem with the activation server, there may be some delay in getting the SIM activated. On the plus side, you’ll have a reason for the error, and a possible date for resolution.

5. Get a New SIM Card

Still no joy? It’s time to request a new SIM card.

You could call your network for this, but you’ll probably find it’s quicker to head to a local phone shop. Even better, a branch of your network or a franchise outlet.

They’ll be able to run diagnostics on the SIM card and hopefully resolve the “SIM not provisioned MM2” error. Don’t worry if they repeat some of the steps you’ve already attempted, as this is part of the diagnostic process.

If it means you need a new SIM card, this shouldn’t be a problem. The store will have the tools in place to manage the swap and associate the new SIM with your account.

The “SIM Not Provisioned MM 2” Error, Fixed!

Note that this error will only affect mobile devices that use SIM cards. As long as the SIM is compatible, and fits into the slot (or either slot for dual-SIM phones), these fixes will work.

By this point you should understand why your phone is displaying the “SIM not provisioned MM2” error message. Remember, you have five options to fix this error:

1. Restart your phone
2. Check the SIM is correctly seated
3. Correctly activate your SIM
4. Contact your carrier for help
5. Get a new SIM card

If none of these things work, then you’ll need to contact your carrier/network provider to ask for a replacement card.

Once you’ve got everything sorted, your SIM card should work without a problem. It’s worth taking the time to secure your phone and contacts by encrypting the data on your SIM card.

Read the full article: How to Fix the “SIM Not Provisioned MM 2” Error

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The 15 Best Spotify Playlists to Beat the Winter Blues

Summer is but a distant memory and winter is upon us. Which can lead many of us to suffer from the winter blues.

But don’t worry; it’s not all dark mornings and runny noses. Let’s be positive—there’s Thanksgiving and Christmas, beautiful frosty landscapes, and skiing to look forward to.

Feeling Better? Good. And to help your good mood continue on through the winter months here is a selection of winter-themed Spotify playlists we thoroughly recommend.

1. Winter Is Coming

A few leaves are still clinging to the trees, so let’s begin with an aptly-named playlist from Spotify itself—Winter Is Coming.

It’s the perfect playlist if you feel like you need a bit of mental preparation for the upcoming months. The songs are all about cold weather.

Artists include Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, Bat for Lashes, and Sting.

2. Bonfire Chills

If you live on the British side of the pond, winter arguably kicks off on November 5th with the celebration of Guy Fawkes Night.

Listen to Bonfire Chills after the fireworks are over and everyone is relaxing around the flames.

3. Thanksgiving

Next we have a plsylist for you to listen to while you’re planning the perfect Thanksgiving. It fires the starting gun on the Christmas countdown and gives everyone a chance to reacquaint themselves with the taste of turkey.

With artists like Sam Cooke, Van Morrison, and Aretha Franklin, Filtr’s Thanksgiving playlist is the ideal backdrop for dinner.

4. Morning Motivation

Of course, Thanksgiving is swiftly followed by Black Friday and the month-long Christmas shopping spree.

Love it or hate it, you’re going to have to brave the mall at some point. When you do, play Morning Motivation through your headphones. Murder On the Dancefloor, Groove Is in the Heart, and Dancing in the Moonlight might help to give you the willpower to keep going.

Just make sure you don’t fall victim to a Black Friday scam.

5. Throwback Party

Presents bought? Turkey ordered? Days off booked? It must be time to let your hair down at the office party.

If there’s one thing office parties do well, it’s cheesy old music that everyone secretly loves. Throwback Party will have you bopping around to Right Said Fred, Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees, and a little bit of Monica by Mambo No. 5.

6. Christmas Classics

Christmas Day is finally here, and that can only mean one thing. No, not burned turkey, we’re talking about Christmas songs of course.

So, while grandpa snoozes on the sofa and everyone else bickers over Monopoly, it’s time for you to dust off Rudolph and co. with Filtr’s Christmas Classics.

All of your favorite Christmas songs are there. Stars such as Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and Perry Como provide the vocals.

7. Christmas Pop

Are the old classics not your cup of tea? Give the Christmas Pop playlist a whirl instead. There’s Mariah Carey, Michael Bublé, Britney Spears, and Leona Lewis offering a more modern perspective on Christmas.

8. New Year’s Eve Party Bangers

It’s time to make your New Year’s resolutions, grab the champagne, and brush up on the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne. It’s out with the old and in with the new as December 31st draws a line under the year that was.

One last party can’t hurt, can it? Get ready to welcome the arrival of January with Dua Lipa, Luis Fonsi, and Ariana Grande.

9. Hangover Friendly

Urgh. What resolutions? The nation suffers from a collective hangover after the festivities of the night before. The much-anticipated New Year’s Day starts with a whimper.

If you’re feeling a little worse for wear, try Spotify’s Hangover Friendly playlist. It’s soft, quiet, and soothing. Give it a listen, and you’ll be back on top of your game in no time.

10. Adrenaline Workout

The most common New Year’s resolution is to get fit and lose weight.

So if you’ve vowed to shift a few pounds and signed up to your local gym, you’re probably going to need a bit of extra motivation to keep you going in the first few weeks.

Check out Adrenaline Workout. The BPM is so fast you won’t feel like taking a rest.

11. 50 Songs for Snow

OK, so Christmas is behind us; now we’re deep into the darkest winter months. But hey, they’re also the months where you’re most likely to see some snow on the ground.

When the white stuff starts falling, make this the playlist you rock out to. Highlights include Pink Floyd’s Terminal Frost, Velvet Snow by Kings of Leon, and The Cranberries’ The Icicle Melts.

12. After-Ski Classics

Snow means skiing. And skiing means après ski. We have already provided you with a list of apps you’ll need when skiing or snowboarding, and now we’ve found the Spotify playlist to go with them.

With Black Betty by Ram Jam, Queen’s Radio Ga Ga, and Bowie’s Rebel Rebel, it the perfect soundtrack to listen to as the sun dips behind the mountains.

13. Winter Sounds

Christmas is over, the vacations are over, and your New Year’s resolutions are dead. Shame it’s still only the middle of January. Perhaps it’s best to ride out the cold weather indoors with a good book.

If you’re looking for some melodies that match the climate, you should try Spotify’s Winter Sounds playlist. It’s just as appropriate for a frosty morning as for a night by the fire.

14. Acoustic Blues

Oh, when will it end? Optimism about the new year has given way to despair over the endless rain and sub-zero temperatures. You’re starting to question whether you’ll ever see another green leaf.

You’ve got a case of the winter blues, my friend. Kick back to this acoustic playlist for some music to match your mood.

15. Feels Like Spring

Wait, is that a bird you hear? And is that a new flower shoot trying to break through the hard ground?

After months of pretending that Winter is fun, you can finally throw off your coat and embrace the first warm sunlight of the year. It finally feels like spring is in the air!

Relive Those Glorious Summer Months

If winter gets too much for you, you could always shut yourself in your bedroom and relive the hottest months of the year. We have you covered with the best Spotify playlists for summer.

Image Credit: HotPhotoPie/Depositphotos

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The 7 Best Cross-Play Games Worth Buying

When you play most multiplayer games online, you’re limited to competing against others on the same platform as you. However, that’s starting to change as more games add support for cross-platform play.

Cross-platform support has several benefits, such as providing more people to play against and letting you join up with friends on other systems. Here are some of the best games with cross-platform multiplayer you can buy today.

A Note on PlayStation 4 Cross-Play

For some time, Sony has stood vehemently against the idea of cross-play. However, Sony now supports cross-play on PlayStation 4. But because this only happened in late September 2018, the feature is still in the works for many games.

Thus, most of the PS4 games that feature cross-play only let you connect with PC players at the time of writing. We’ll hopefully see this improve in the future, but for now, the Xbox One is the best console for cross-play support.

1. Fortnite

Cross-play on: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Android, iOS

Fortnite is one of the big battle royale games that has taken the world by storm. And it’s also the king of cross-platform play. Currently, it’s the only game that lets players on every available platform play together.

While Fortnite has a PvE mode titled Save the World, Fortnite’s insane popularity comes from its free Battle Royale offering. This pits 100 players against each other in singles, duos, or squads of 3-4 in a battle of survival. After dropping onto an island from a flying bus, you must pick up weapons and supplies, plus build a variety of structures, to defeat your opponents.

As the match progresses, the map shrinks, forcing you to fight. The last player (or team) standing wins.

Worried about the effect of Fortnite on your children? Check out our parents’ guide to Fortnite for more information. Make sure you know how to install Fortnite on Android safely if you plan to play on that platform, as it’s not available on Google Play.

Download: Fortnite Battle Royale for Windows/Mac | PS4 | Xbox One | Nintendo Switch | Android | iOS

2. Rocket League

Cross-play on: PC, Xbox One, Switch | PC and PS4

Rocket League was an early pioneer for cross-platform play, and still enjoys this support. Notably, it was free for PlayStation Plus subscribers when it launched on PS4 in July 2015, which played a large part in its success.

The game is essentially soccer with super-powered RC cars. In matches that are one-on-one all the way up to four-on-four, you control a small rocket-powered car and try to hit a big ball into your opponent’s goal.

Aside from the main game which also offers competitive play online, you’ll find modes based on hockey and basketball. There’s also plenty of customization if you’re into that.

It’s a simple game, but a lot of fun, and has enjoyed success in the eSports scene. Despite the PS4 playing a big part in its launch, though, PS4 players can only cross-play with those on PC.

To get more from the game, check out the best Rocket League mods for PC.

Buy: Rocket League for Windows/Mac/Linux | PS4 | Xbox One | Nintendo Switch

3. Minecraft

Cross-play on: PC, Xbox One, Switch, Android, iOS

Minecraft needs no introduction; it’s the second best-selling game of all time behind Tetris. The sandbox building game, initially released in 2011 for PC, has since made its way to pretty much every platform imaginable.

The Better Together update in September 2017 enabled cross-play for most platforms. PS4 owners are left out of the fun for now, though hopefully Sony’s revised cross-play stance will change this.

Playing Minecraft with friends on other platforms lets you explore, survive, build, and more in massive worlds.

Buy: Minecraft for Windows 10 | Xbox One | Nintendo Switch | Android | iOS

4. Ark: Survival Evolved

Cross-play on: PC, Xbox One

Ark: Survival Evolved is one of the best action survival games that tasks you with surviving on an island full of dinosaurs and other threats. Playing with others online lets you work together in a tribe, or take down hostile players.

The game has been available in Early Access on Steam since June 2015, with a full launch in August 2017. Ark is also available for PS4, Android, and iOS, and a Switch version is set to release in November 2018. But those platforms don’t support cross-play.

You’ll need to install the Microsoft Store version of Ark for cross-platform play; the Steam version doesn’t support it.

Buy: Ark: Survival Evolved for PC | Xbox One

5. Chess Ultra

Cross-play on: PC, Xbox One, Switch | PC and PS4

Not every cross-platform game needs to be epic. Chess Ultra is a well-reviewed way to play one of the world’s favorite games digitally. In addition to gorgeous visuals, it includes AI approved by chess Grandmasters, puzzles to solve, historical matches you can replay, and tutorials to help you improve at chess.

If you don’t like chess, there’s not much for you here. But for chess fans who don’t have anyone to play against offline, this is a great way to get your fix.

Buy: Chess Ultra for PC | PS4 ($13) | Xbox One | Switch

6. Trailblazers

Cross-play on: PC, Xbox One, Switch | PC and PS4

Trailblazers is what you’d get if you combined the colorful antics of Splatoon and the high-speed racing of F-Zero.

Its unique mechanic is that as you race, you paint the track with your team’s color. In turn, that color helps your teammates to go faster. This leads to lots of opportunities to work together and outsmart your opponents. It’s a great choice if standard racing games bore you.

As with most of the games on this list, PS4 players are limited to cross-platform play with PC as of November 2018.

Buy: Trailblazers for PC | PS4 | Xbox One | Switch

7. Sea of Thieves

Cross-play on: PC, Xbox One

Sea of Thieves is an open world action game created by legendary developer Rare. In it, you and a group of friends sail the high seas and man the roles involved in sailing a ship. Taking on quests lets you collect loot and fight other players you encounter in the shared world.

This title is exclusive to PC and Xbox One. And thanks to Xbox Play Anywhere, you can install both versions from one purchase. While it received mixed reviews at launch, the game still has a dedicated fanbase and has added more things to do since release.

Buy: Sea of Thieves for PC/Xbox One

What Games Will You Play Next?

This is just a sampling of the awesome cross-play games available across a variety of genres. PC and Xbox One players enjoy the most cross-platform compatibility, but nearly anyone can join in the fun.

Hopefully in the near future, we’ll see more games add support for cross-play. This should keep multiplayer communities from dying out quickly after release.

Not interested in playing games online? Then check out our pick of the best local multiplayer games for Nintendo Switch instead.

Read the full article: The 7 Best Cross-Play Games Worth Buying

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What Are Machine Learning Algorithms? Here’s How They Work

Artificial intelligence and machine learning produce many of the advancements we see in the technology industry today. But how are machines given the ability to learn? Furthermore, how does the way we do this result in unintended consequences?

Here’s our quick explainer on how machine learning algorithms work, along with some examples of machine learning gone awry.

What Are Machine Learning Algorithms?

Machine learning is a branch of computer science that focuses on giving AI the ability to learn tasks. This includes developing abilities without programmers explicitly coding AI to do these things. Instead, the AI is able to use data to teach itself.

Programmers achieve this through machine learning algorithms. These algorithms are the models on which an AI learning behavior is based. Algorithms, in conjunction with training datasets, enable AI to learn.

An algorithm usually provides a model that an AI can use to solve a problem. For example, learning how to identify pictures of cats versus dogs. The AI applies the model set out by the algorithm to a dataset that includes images of cats and dogs. Over time, the AI will learn how to identify cats from dogs more accurately and easily, without human input.

Machine learning improves technology such as search engines, smart home devices, online services, and autonomous machines. It’s how Netflix knows which movies you’re more likely to enjoy and how music streaming services can recommend playlists.

But while machine learning can make our lives much easier, there can also be some unexpected consequences.

7 Times When Machine Learning Went Wrong

1. Google Image Search Result Mishaps

Google Search has made navigating the web a whole lot easier. The engine’s algorithm takes a variety of things into consideration when churning up results, such as keywords and bounce rate. But the algorithm also learns from user traffic, which can cause problems for search result quality.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in image results. Since pages that receive high traffic are more likely to have their images displayed, stories that attract high numbers of users, including clickbait, are often prioritized.

For example, the image search results for “squatters camps in South Africa” caused controversy when it was discovered that it predominately featured white South Africans. This is despite statistics showing that the overwhelming majority of those living in informal housing, such as shacks, are black South Africans.

The factors used in Google’s algorithm also means that internet users can manipulate results. For example, a campaign by users influenced Google Image Search results to the extent that searching for the term “idiot”  shows images of US President Donald Trump.

2. Microsoft Bot Turned Into a Nazi

Trust Twitter to corrupt a well-meaning, machine-learning chatbot. This is what happened within of day of the release of Microsoft’s now notorious chatbot Tay.

Tay mimicked the language patterns of a teenage girl and learnt through her interactions from other Twitter users. However, she became one of the most infamous AI missteps when she started sharing Nazi statements and racial slurs.  It turns out that trolls had used the AI’s machine learning against it, flooding it with interactions loaded with bigotry.

Not long after, Microsoft took Tay offline for good.

3. AI Facial Recognition Problems

Facial recognition AI often makes headlines for all the wrong reasons, such as stories about facial recognition and privacy concerns. But this AI also caused huge concerns when attempting to recognize people of color.

In 2015, users discovered that Google Photos was categorizing some black people as gorillas. In 2018, research by the ACLU that showed that Amazon’s Rekognition face identification software identified 28 members of the US Congress as police suspects, with false positives disproportionately affecting people of color.

Another incident involved Apple’s Face ID software incorrectly identifying two different Chinese women as the same person. As a result, the iPhone X owner’s colleague could unlock the phone.

Meanwhile, MIT researcher Joy Buolamwini recalls often needing to wear a white mask while working on facial recognition technology in order to get the software to recognize her. To solve issues like this, Buolamwini and other IT professionals are bringing attention to the issue and the need for more inclusive datasets for AI training.

4. Deepfakes Used for Hoaxes

While people have long used Photoshop to create hoax images, machine learning takes this to a new level. Software like FaceApp allows you to face-swap subjects from one video into another.

But many people exploit the software for a variety of malicious uses, including superimposing celebrity faces into adult videos or generating hoax videos. Meanwhile, internet users have helped improve the technology to make it increasingly difficult to distinguish real videos from fake ones. As a result, this makes this type of AI very powerful in terms of spreading fake news and hoaxes.

To show off the power of the technology, director Jordan Peele and BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti created a deepfake video showing what appears to be former US President Barack Obama delivering a PSA on the power of deepfakes.

5. The Rise of the Twitter Bots

Twitter bots were originally created to automate things like customer service replies for brands. But the technology is now a major cause for concern. In fact, research has estimated that up to 48 million users on Twitter are actually AI bots.

Rather than simply using algorithms to follow certain hashtags or respond to customer queries, many bot accounts try to imitate real people. These ‘people’ then promote hoaxes and help make fake news go viral.

A wave of Twitter bots even influenced public opinion to a degree on Brexit and the 2016 US presidential election. Twitter itself admitted that it uncovered around 50,000 Russian-made bots which posted about the elections.

Bots continue to plague the service, spreading disinformation. The problem is so rife that it’s even affecting the company’s valuation.

6. Employees Say Amazon AI Decided Hiring Men Is Better

In October 2018, Reuters reported that Amazon had to scrap a job-recruitment tool after the software’s AI decided that male candidates were preferential.

Employees who wished to remain anonymous came forward to tell Reuters about their work on the project.  Developers wanted the AI to identify the best candidates for a job based on their CVs. However, people involved in the project soon noticed that the AI penalized female candidates. They explained that the AI used CVs from the past decade, most of which were from men, as its training dataset.

As a result, the AI began filtering out CVs based on the keyword “women”. They keyword appeared in the CV under activities such as “women’s chess club captain”. While developers altered the AI to prevent this penalization of women’s CVs, Amazon ultimately scrapped the project.

7. Inappropriate Content on YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids has many silly, whimsical videos meant to entertain children. But it also has a problem of spammy videos that manipulate the platform’s algorithm.

These videos are based on popular tags. Since young children aren’t very discerning viewers, junk videos using these keywords attract millions of views. AI automatically generates some of these videos using stock animation elements, based on trending tags. Even when the videos are made by animators, their titles are specifically generated for keyword stuffing.

These keywords help manipulate YouTube’s algorithm so that they end up in recommendations. A significant amount of inappropriate content appeared in the feeds of children using the YouTube Kids app. This included content that depicts violence, jumpscares, and sexual content.

Why Machine Learning Goes Wrong

There are two major reasons machine learning results in unintended consequences: data and people. In terms of data, the mantra of “junk in, junk out” applies. If the data that is fed to an AI is limited, biased, or low-quality; the result is an AI with limited scope or bias.

But even if programmers get the data right, people can throw a wrench in the works. Creators of software often don’t realize how people may use the technology maliciously or for selfish purposes. Deepfakes came from the technology used to improve special effects in cinema.

What aims to provide more immersive entertainment also ends up ruining people’s lives when exploited.

There are people working towards improving the safeguards around machine learning technology to prevent malicious use. But the technology is already here. Meanwhile, many companies don’t show the required willpower to prevent abuse of these developments.

Machine Learning Algorithms Can Help Us

It may seem a bit doom and gloom when you realize just how much machine learning and artificial intelligence falls short of expectations. But it also helps us in many ways—not just in terms of convenience, but improving our lives in general.

If you’re feeling a bit hesitant about the positive impact of AI and machine learning, find out about the ways artificial intelligence is fighting cybercrime and hackers to restore some hope.

Read the full article: What Are Machine Learning Algorithms? Here’s How They Work

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Where’s the accountability Facebook?

Facebook has yet again declined an invitation for its founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to answer international politicians’ questions about how disinformation spreads on his platform and undermines democratic processes.

But policymakers aren’t giving up — and have upped the ante by issuing a fresh invitation signed by representatives from another three national parliaments. So the call for global accountability is getting louder.

Now representatives from a full five parliaments have signed up to an international grand committee calling for answers from Zuckerberg, with Argentina, Australia and Ireland joining the UK and Canada to try to pile political pressure on Facebook.

The UK’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee has been asking for Facebook’s CEO to attend its multi-month enquiry for the best part of this year, without success…

Zuckerberg refuses UK parliament summons over Fb data misuse

Zuckerberg again snubs UK parliament over call to testify

In its last request the twist was it came not just from the DCMS inquiry into online disinformation but also the Canadian Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.

This year policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic have been digging down the rabbit hole of online disinformation — before and since the Cambridge Analytica scandal erupted into a major global scandal — announcing last week they will form an ‘international grand committee’ to further their enquiries.

The two committees will convene for a joint hearing in the UK parliament on November 27 — and they want Zuckerberg to join them to answer questions related to the “platform’s malign use in world affairs and democratic process”, as they put it in their invitation letter.

Facebook has previously despatched a number of less senior representatives to talk to policymakers probing damages caused by disinformation — including its CTO, Mike Schroepfer, who went before the DCMS committee in April.

But both Schroepfer and Zuckerberg have admitted the accountability buck stops with Facebook’s CEO.

The company’s nine-month-old ‘Privacy Principles‘ also makes the following claim [emphasis ours]:

We are accountable

In addition to comprehensive privacy reviews, we put products through rigorous data security testing. We also meet with regulators, legislators and privacy experts around the world to get input on our data practices and policies.

The increasingly pressing question, though, is to whom is Facebook actually accountable?

Zuckerberg went personally to the US House and Senate to face policymakers’ questions in April. He also attended a meeting of the EU parliament’s Conference of Presidents in May.

But the rest of the world continues being palmed off with minions. Despite some major, major harms.

Facebook’s 2BN+ user platform does not stop at the US border. And Zuckerberg himself has conceded the company probably wouldn’t be profitable without its international business.

Yet so far only the supranational EU parliament has managed to secure a public meeting with Facebook’s CEO. And MEPs there had to resort to heckling Zuckerberg to try to get answers to their actual questions.

“Facebook say that they remain “committed to working with our committees to provide any additional relevant information” that we require. Yet they offer no means of doing this,” tweeted DCMS chair Damian Collins today, reissuing the invitation for Zuckerberg. “The call for accountability is growing, with representatives from 5 parliaments now meeting on the 27th.”

The letter to Facebook’s CEO notes that the five nations represent 170 million Facebook users.

“We call on you once again to take up your responsibility to Facebook users, and speak in person to their elected representatives,” it adds.

Facebook say that they remain committed" to working with our committees "to provide any additional relevant information" that we require. Yet they offer no means of doing this. The call for accountability is growing, with representatives from 5 parliaments now meeting on the 27th pic.twitter.com/VJFtpqUi0r

— Damian Collins (@DamianCollins) November 7, 2018

The UK’s information commissioner said yesterday that Facebook needs to overhaul its business model, giving evidence to parliament on the “unprecedented” data investigation her office has been running which was triggered by the Cambridge Analytica scandal. She also urged policymakers to strengthen the rules on the use of people’s data for digital campaigning.

Last month the European parliament also called for Facebook to let in external auditors in the wake of Cambridge Analytica, to ensure users’ data is being properly protected — yet another invitation Facebook has declined.

Europe’s parliament calls for full audit of Facebook in wake of breach scandal

Meanwhile an independent report assessing the company’s human rights impact in Myanmar — which Facebook commissioned but chose to release yesterday on the eve of the US midterms when most domestic eyeballs would be elsewhere — agreed with the UN’s damning assessment that Facebook did not do enough to prevent its platform from being used to incite ethical violence.

The report also said Facebook is still not doing enough in Myanmar.

Facebook still isn’t taking Myanmar seriously

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Facebook connects Russia to 100+ accounts it removed ahead of mid-terms

The 115 accounts Facebook took down yesterday for inauthentic behavior ahead of the mid-term elections may indeed have been linked to the Russia-based Internet Research Agency, according to a new statement from the company. It says that a site claiming association with the IRA today posted a list of Instagram accounts it had made which included many Facebook had taken down yesterday, and it also has since removed the rest. The IRA was previously llabeled as responsible for using Facebook to interfere with US politics and the 2016 Presidential election.

Hours before US Election Day, Facebook pulls dozens of accounts for ‘coordinated inauthentic behavior’

Facebook’s head of cyber security policy Nathaniel Gleicher issued this statement to TechCrunch:

“Last night, following a tip off from law enforcement, we blocked over 100 Facebook and Instagram accounts due to concerns that they were linked to the Russia-based Internet Research Agency (IRA) and engaged in coordinated inauthentic behavior, which is banned from our services. This evening a website claiming to be associated with the IRA published a list of Instagram accounts they claim to have created. We had already blocked most of these accounts yesterday, and have now blocked the rest. This is a timely reminder that these bad actors won’t give up — and why it’s so important we work with the US government and other technology companies to stay ahead.”

Yesterday, Facebook had published that it would provide an update on whether the removed accounts were connected to Russia, as some were in Russian languages:

“On Sunday evening, US law enforcement contacted us about online activity that they recently discovered and which they believe may be linked to foreign entities . . .  Almost all the Facebook Pages associated with these accounts appear to be in the French or Russian languages, while the Instagram accounts seem to have mostly been in English — some were focused on celebrities, others political debate . . . Typically, we would be further along with our analysis before announcing anything publicly. But given that we are only one day away from important elections in the US, we wanted to let people know about the action we’ve taken and the facts as we know them today. Once we know more — including whether these accounts are linked to the Russia-based Internet Research Agency or other foreign entities — we will update this post.”

Attribution of foreign interference into politics via social media can be difficult to accurately attribute, however. Facebook could have provided stronger wording in this update regarding its own evidence about the connection between Russia and the 80 Facebook accounts and 35 Instagram accounts it removed yesterday. Now with the mid-term results being counted, we’ll see if politicians or researchers suggest election interference could have influenced any of the results.

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Alibaba rival JD.com plays the long-game on technology investment

You Can Finally Preorder the Google Pixel Slate Tablet

After spending far too much time being coy about when buyers would be able to get their hands on the Chrome OS-based Pixel Slate tablet, Google has finally put the device up for preorder.

The tablet is available directly from Google and Best Buy starting at $599 for the Celeron-based entry-level model and going to up to $1599 for the Core i7-toting top-of-the-line variant.

What Is the Pixel Slate?

The Pixel Slate is a high-end tablet from Google that runs Chrome OS. It comes in five different configurations with everything from a basic Intel Celeron processor, up to a high-end model with the latest Intel Core i7.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the five models on offer:

• $599 – Intel Celeron processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage
• $699 – Intel Celeron processor, 8GB RAM, 64GB storage
• $799 – Intel Core m3 processor, 8GB RAM, 64GB storage
• $999 – Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage
• $1599 – Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, 256GB storage

A key thing to point out is that, like Microsoft’s Surface line, the keyboard isn’t included with any of the models. Instead, it’s available as an almost necessary accessory for $199, so buyers should plan on adding that to their initial investment if they want to make the most of their purchase.

Also, buyers who want to take advantage of the writing features will need to purchase the $99 Pixelbook Pen, further increasing the total barrier to entry.

When Will the Pixel Slate Ship?

As mentioned from the onset, the device is available for preorder, which means buyers won’t receive one right away.

Fortunately, the wait isn’t too bad, Google says the Pixel Slate will ship in two or three weeks. Best Buy says preorders will receive free shipping and that the device will arrive on November 22. This means it’ll be ready to go in time for the holiday shopping season.

Prepare for Chrome OS

Making the switch to Chrome OS will be a bit of a transition for most PC, Mac, and Linux users. If you’re on the fence, here’s why you should give chrome OS a second chance. Thinking about a PC with Windows 10 S instead? Here are some reasons Chrome OS is better than Windows 10 S.

 

Read the full article: You Can Finally Preorder the Google Pixel Slate Tablet

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Google launches Cloud Scheduler, a managed cron service

Google Cloud is getting a managed cron service for running batch jobs. Cloud Scheduler, as the new service is called, provides all the functionality of the kind of standard command-line cron service you probably love to hate, but with the reliability and ease of use of running a managed service in the cloud.

The targets for Cloud Scheduler jobs can be any HTTP/S endpoints and Google’s own Cloud Pub/Sub topics and App Engine applications. Developers can manage these jobs through a UI in the Google Cloud Console, a command-line interface and through an API.

“Job schedulers like cron are a mainstay of any developer’s arsenal, helping run scheduled tasks and automating system maintenance,” Google product manager Vinod Ramachandran notes in today’s announcement. “But job schedulers have the same challenges as other traditional IT services: the need to manage the underlying infrastructure, operational overhead of manually restarting failed jobs and lack of visibility into a job’s status.”

As Ramachandran also notes, Cloud Scheduler, which is currently in beta, guarantees the delivery of a job to the target, which ensures that important jobs are indeed started and if you’re sending the job to AppEngine or Pub/Sub, those services will also return a success code — or an error code, if things go awry. The company stresses that Cloud Scheduler also makes it easy to automate retries when things go wrong.

Google is obviously not the first company to hit upon this concept. There are a few startups that also offer a similar service, and Google’s competitors like Microsoft also offer comparable tools.

Google provides developers with a free quota of three (3) jobs per month. Additional jobs cost $0.10 per month.

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TWIICE One Exoskeleton furthers the promise of robotic mobility aids

Few things in the world of technology can really ever be said to be “done,” and certainly exoskeletons are not among their number. They exist, but they are all works in progress, expensive, heavy, and limited. So it’s great to see this team working continuously on their TWIICE robotic wearable, improving it immensely with the guidance of motivated users.

TWIICE made its debut in 2016, and like all exoskeletons it was more promise made than promise kept. It’s a lower-half exoskeleton that supports and moves the legs of someone with limited mobility, while they support themselves on crutches. It’s far from ideal, and the rigidity and weight of systems like this make them too risky to deploy at scale for now.

But two years of refinement have made a world of difference. The exoskeleton weighs the same (which doesn’t matter since it carries its own weight), but supports heavier users while imparting more force with its motors, which have been integrated into the body itself to make it far less bulky.

Perhaps most importantly, however, the whole apparatus can now be donned and activated by the user all by herself, as Swiss former acrobat and now handcycling champion Silke Pan demonstrated in a video. She levers herself from her wheelchair into the sitting exoskeleton, attaches the fasteners on her legs and trunk, then activates the device and stands right up.

She then proceeds to climb more stairs than I’d rather attempt. She is an athlete, after all.

That kind of independence is often crucially important for the physically disabled for a multitude of reasons, and clearly achieving the capability has been a focus for the TWIICE team.

Although the exoskeleton has been worked on as a research project within the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), the plan is to spin off a startup to commercialize the tech as it approaches viability. The more they make and the more people use these devices — despite their limitations — the better future versions will be.

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Jaquet Droz’s “Sports Watch” is a high-end, heavy-duty chrono

Watchmaker Jaquet Droz makes luxury watches that cost more than some San Francisco apartments. Now, however, they’ve decided to go “downmarket” with their Sports Watch chronograph, a handmade watch that is designed for both work and play.

The watch is a standard chronograph with big date, a complication that displays the date as two digits instead of on a rotating dial. The resulting piece looks like a haute couture Speedmaster and should cost around $15,000, an acceptable sum for a manufacture watch with Droz’s provenance given that other Droz watches can run into the $100,000s, a price that might be less appetizing to the illiquid entrepreneur.

More from the release:

True to watchmaking tradition, the hour markers are 18-carat white gold appliques. Wide Roman numerals indicate 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock. At 12 o’clock, Jaquet Droz features a big date, a complication traditional in fine watchmaking but rarely associated with a chronograph. Although more complex to produce than a simple date aperture, the large date offers superior readability. Again, to provide optimal readability, the latest versions of the SW Chrono feature a 45 mm dial, and a rail track over the motion work in fine watchmaking tradition.

The strap is made of “rolled-edge hand-made dark-blue fabric,” a unique addition to the luxury watch world that has thus far used rubber or metal for bands. It is water resistant to 50 meters, if you think you’re going to get wet with this thing on your wrist, and it should be on sale before the end of the year.

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The ultimate guide to gifting STEM toys: tons of ideas for little builders

The holiday season is here again, touting all sorts of kids’ toys that pledge to pack ‘STEM smarts’ in the box, not just the usual battery-based fun.

Educational playthings are nothing new, of course. But, in recent years, long time toymakers and a flurry of new market entrants have piggybacked on the popularity of smartphones and apps, building connected toys for even very young kids that seek to tap into a wider ‘learn to code’ movement which itself feeds off worries about the future employability of those lacking techie skills.

Whether the lofty educational claims being made for some of these STEM gizmos stands the test of time remains to be seen. Much of this sums to clever branding. Though there’s no doubt a lot of care and attention has gone into building this category out, you’ll also find equally eye-catching price-tags.

Whatever STEM toy you buy there’s a high chance it won’t survive the fickle attention spans of kids at rest and play. (Even as your children’s appetite to be schooled while having fun might dash your ‘engineer in training’ expectations.) Tearing impressionable eyeballs away from YouTube or mobile games might be your main parental challenge — and whether kids really need to start ‘learning to code’ aged just 4 or 5 seems questionable.

Buyers with high ‘outcome’ hopes for STEM toys should certainly go in with their eyes, rather than their wallets, wide open. The ‘STEM premium’ can be steep indeed, even as the capabilities and educational potential of the playthings themselves varies considerably.

At the cheaper end of the price spectrum, a ‘developmental toy’ might not really be so very different from a more basic or traditional building block type toy used in concert with a kid’s own imagination, for example.

While, at the premium end, there are a few devices in the market that are essentially fully fledged computers — but with a child-friendly layer applied to hand-hold and gamify STEM learning. An alternative investment in your child’s future might be to commit to advancing their learning opportunities yourself, using whatever computing devices you already have at home. (There are plenty of standalone apps offering guided coding lessons, for example. And tons and tons of open source resources.)

For a little DIY STEM learning inspiration read this wonderful childhood memoir by TechCrunch’s very own John Biggs — a self-confessed STEM toy sceptic.

It’s also worth noting that some startups in this still youthful category have already pivoted more toward selling wares direct to schools — aiming to plug learning gadgets into formal curricula, rather than risking the toys falling out of favor at home. Which does lend weight to the idea that standalone ‘play to learn’ toys don’t necessarily live up to the hype. And are getting tossed under the sofa after a few days’ use.

We certainly don’t suggest there are any shortcuts to turn kids into coders in the gift ideas presented here. It’s through proper guidance — plus the power of their imagination — that the vast majority of children learn. And of course kids are individuals, with their own ideas about what they want to do and become.

The increasingly commercialized rush towards STEM toys, with hundreds of millions of investor dollars being poured into the category, might also be a cause for parental caution. There’s a risk of barriers being thrown up to more freeform learning — if companies start pushing harder to hold onto kids’ attention in a more and more competitive market. Barriers that could end up dampening creative thinking.

At the same time (adult) consumers are becoming concerned about how much time they spend online and on screens. So pushing kids to get plugged in from a very early age might not feel like the right thing to do. Your parental priorities might be more focused on making sure they develop into well rounded human beings — by playing with other kids and/or non-digital toys that help them get to know and understand the world around them, and encourage using more of their own imagination.

But for those fixed on buying into the STEM toy craze this holiday season, we’ve compiled a list of some of the main players, presented in alphabetical order, rounding up a selection of what they’re offering for 2018, hitting a variety of price-points, product types and age ranges, to present a market overview — and with the hope that a well chosen gift might at least spark a few bright ideas…

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Adafruit Kits

Product: Metro 328 Starter Pack 
Price: $45
Description: Not a typical STEM toy but a starter kit from maker-focused and electronics hobbyist brand Adafruit. The kit is intended to get the user learning about electronics and Arduino microcontrollers to set them on a path to being a maker. Adafruit says the kit is designed for “everyone, even people with little or no electronics and programming experience”. Though parental supervision is a must unless you’re buying for a teenager or mature older child. Computer access is also required for programming the Arduino.

Be sure to check out Adafruit’s Young Engineers Category for a wider range of hardware hacking gift ideas too, from $10 for a Bare Conductive Paint Pen, to $25 for the Drawdio fun pack, to $35 for this Konstruktor DIY Film Camera Kit or $75 for the Snap Circuits Green kit — where budding makers can learn about renewable energy sources by building a range of solar and kinetic energy powered projects. Adafruit also sells a selection of STEM focused children’s books too, such as Python for Kids ($35)
Age: Teenagers, or younger children with parental supervision

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Anki

Product: Cozmo
Price: $180
Description: The animation loving Anki team added a learn-to-code layer to their cute, desktop-mapping bot last year — called Cozmo Code Lab, which was delivered via free update — so the cartoonesque, programmable truck is not new on the scene for 2018 but has been gaining fresh powers over the years.

This year the company has turned its attention to adults, launching a new but almost identical-looking assistant-style bot, called Vector, that’s not really aimed at kids. That more pricey ($250) robot is slated to be getting access to its code lab in future, so it should have some DIY programming potential too.
Age: 8+

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Dash Robotics

Product: Kamigami Jurassic World Robot
Price: ~$60
Description: Hobbyist robotics startup Dash Robotics has been collaborating with toymaker Mattel on the Kamigami line of biologically inspired robots for over a year now. The USB-charged bots arrive at kids’ homes in build-it-yourself form before coming to programmable, biomimetic life via the use of a simple, icon-based coding interface in the companion app.

The latest addition to the range is dinosaur bot series Jurassic World, currently comprised of a pair of pretty similar looking raptor dinosaurs, each with light up eyes and appropriate sound effects. Using the app kids can complete challenges to unlock new abilities and sounds. And if you have more than one dinosaur in the same house they can react to each other to make things even more lively.
Age: 8+

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Kano

Product: Harry Potter Coding Kit
Price: $100
Description: British learn-to-code startup Kano has expanded its line this year with a co-branded, build-it-yourself wand linked to the fictional Harry Potter wizard series. The motion-sensitive e-product features a gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer and Bluetooth wireless so kids can use it to interact with coding content on-screen. The company offers 70-plus challenges for children to play wizard with, using wand gestures to manipulate digital content. Like many STEM toys it requires a tablet or desktop computer to work its digital magic (iOS and Android tablets are supported, as well as desktop PCs including Kano’s Computer Kit Touch, below)
Age: 6+

Product: Computer Kit Touch
Price: $280
Description: The latest version of Kano’s build-it-yourself Pi-powered kids’ computer. This year’s computer kit includes the familiar bright orange physical keyboard but now paired with a touchscreen. Kano reckons touch is a natural aid to the drag-and-drop, block-based learn-to-code systems it’s putting under kids’ fingertips here. Although its KanoOS Pi skin does support text-based coding too, and can run a wide range of other apps and programs — making this STEM device a fully fledged computer in its own right
Age: 6-13

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Lego

Product: Boost Creative Toolbox
Price: $160
Description: Boost is Lego’s relatively recent foray into offering a simpler robotics and programming system aimed at younger kids vs its more sophisticated and expensive veteran Mindstorms creator platform (for 10+ year olds). The Boost Creative Toolbox is an entry point to Lego + robotics, letting kids build a range of different brick-based bots — all of which can be controlled and programmed via the companion app which offers an icon-based coding system.

Boost components can also be combined with other Lego kits to bring other not-electronic kits to life — such as its Stormbringer Ninjago Dragon kit (sold separately for $40). Ninjago + Boost means = a dragon that can walk and turn its head as if it’s about to breathe fire
Age: 7-12

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littleBits

Product: Avengers Hero Inventor Kit
Price: $150
Description: This Disney co-branded wearable in kit form from the hardware hackers over at littleBits lets superhero-inspired kids snap together all sorts of electronic and plastic bits to make their own gauntlet from the Avengers movie franchise. The gizmo features an LED matrix panel, based on Tony Stark’s palm Repulsor Beam, they can control via companion app. There are 18 in-app activities for them to explore, assuming kids don’t just use amuse themselves acting out their Marvel superhero fantasies
Age: 8+

It’s worth noting that littleBits has lots more to offer — so if bringing yet more Disney-branded merch into your home really isn’t your thing, check out its wide range of DIY electronics kits, which cater to various price points, such as this Crawly Creature Kit ($40) or an Electronic Music Inventor Kit ($100), and much more… No major movie franchises necessary

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Makeblock

Product: Codey Rocky
Price: $100
Description: Shenzhen-based STEM kit maker Makeblock crowdfunded this emotive, programmable bot geared towards younger kids on Kickstarter. There’s no assembly required, though the bot itself can transform into a wearable or handheld device for game playing, as Codey (the head) detaches from Rocky (the wheeled body).

Despite the young target age, the toy is packed with sophisticated tech — making use of deep learning algorithms, for example. While the company’s visual programming system, mBlock, also supports Python text coding, and allows kids to code bot movements and visual effects on the display, tapping into the 10 programmable modules on this sensor-heavy bot. Makeblock says kids can program Codey to create dot matrix animations, design games and even build AI and IoT applications, thanks to baked in support for voice, image and even face recognition… The bot has also been designed to be compatible with Lego bricks so kids can design and build physical add-ons too
Age: 6+

Product: Airblock
Price: $100
Description: Another programmable gizmo from Makeblock’s range. Airblock is a modular and programmable drone/hovercraft so this is a STEM device that can fly. Magnetic connectors are used for easy assembly of the soft foam pieces. Several different assembly configurations are possible. The companion app’s block-based coding interface is used for programming and controlling your Airblock creations
Age: 8+

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Ozobot

Product: Evo
Price: $100
Description: This programmable robot has a twist as it can be controlled without a child always having to be stuck to a screen. The Evo’s sensing system can detect and respond to marks made by marker pens and stickers in the accompanying Experience Pack — so this is coding via paper plus visual cues.

There is also a digital, block-based coding interface for controlling Evo, called OzoBlockly (based on Google’s Blockly system). This has a five-level coding system to support a range of ages, from pre-readers (using just icon-based blocks), up to a ‘Master mode’ which Ozobot says includes extensive low-level control and advanced programming features
Age: 9+

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Pi-top

Product: Modular Laptop
Price: $320 (with a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+), $285 without
Description: This snazzy 14-inch modular laptop, powered by Raspberry Pi, has a special focus on teaching coding and electronics. Slide the laptop’s keyboard forward and it reveals a built in rail for hardware hacking. Guided projects designed for kids include building a music maker and a smart robot. The laptop runs pi-top’s learn-to-code oriented OS — which supports block-based coding programs like Scratch and kid-friendly wares like Minecraft Pi edition, as well as its homebrew CEEDUniverse: A Civilization style game that bakes in visual programming puzzles to teach basic coding concepts. The pi-top also comes with a full software suite of more standard computing apps (including apps from Google and Microsoft). So this is no simple toy. Not a new model for this year — but still a compelling STEM machine
Age: 8+

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Robo Wunderkind

Product: Starter Kit
Price: $200 
Description: Programmable robotics blocks for even very young inventors. The blocks snap together and are color-coded based on function so as to minimize instruction for the target age group. Kids can program their creations to do stuff like drive, play music, detect obstacles and more via a drag-and-drop coding interface in the companion Robo Code app. Another app — Robo Live — lets them control what they’ve built in real time. The physical blocks can also support Lego-based add-ons for more imaginative designs
Age: 5+

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Root Robotics

Product: Root
Price: $200
Description: A robot that can sense and draw, thanks to a variety of on board sensors, battery-powered kinetic energy and its central feature: A built-in pen holder. Root uses spirographs as the medium for teaching STEM as kids get to code what the bot draws. They can also create musical compositions with a scan and play mode that turns Root into a music maker. The companion app offers three levels of coding interfaces to support different learning abilities and ages. At the top end it supports programming in Swift (with Python and JavaScript slated as coming soon). An optional subscription service offers access to additional learning materials and projects to expand Root’s educational value
Age: 4+

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Sphero

Product: Bolt
Price: $150
Description: The app-enabled robot ball maker’s latest STEM gizmo. It’s still a transparent sphere but now has an 8×8 LED matrix lodged inside to expand the programmable elements. This colorful matrix can be programmed to display words, show data in real-time and offer game design opportunities. Bolt also includes an ambient light sensor, and speed and direction sensors, giving it an additional power up over earlier models. The Sphero Edu companion app supports drawing, Scratch-style block-based and JavaScript text programming options to suit different ages
Age: 8+

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Tech Will Save Us

Product: Range of coding, electronics and craft kits
Price: From ~$30 up to $150
Description: A delightful range of electronic toys and coding kits, hitting various age and price-points, and often making use of traditional craft materials (which of course kids love). Examples include a solar powered moisture sensor kit ($40) to alert when a pot plant needs water; electronic dough ($35); a micro:bot add-on kit ($35) that makes use of the BBC micro:bit device (sold separately); and the creative coder kit ($70), which pairs block-based coding with a wearable that lets kids see their code in action (and reacting to their actions)
Age: 4+, 8+, 11+ depending on kit

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UBTech Robotics

Product: JIMU Robot BuilderBots Series: Overdrive Kit
Price: $120
Description: More snap-together, codable robot trucks that kids get to build and control. These can be programmed either via posing and recording, or using Ubtech’s drag-and-drop, block-based Blockly coding program. The Shenzhen-based company, which has been in the STEM game for several years, offers a range of other kits in the same Jimu kit series — such as this similarly priced UnicornBot and its classic MeeBot Kit, which can be expanded via the newer Animal Add-on Kit
Age: 8+

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Wonder Workshop

Product: Dot Creativity Kit 
Price: $80
Description: San Francisco-based Wonder Workshop offers a kid-friendly blend of controllable robotics and DIY craft-style projects in this entry-level Dot Creativity Kit. Younger kids can play around and personalize the talkative connected device. But the startup sells a trio of chatty robots all aimed at encouraging children to get into coding. Next in line there’s Dash ($150), also for 6+ year olds. Then Cue ($200) for 11+. The startup also has a growing range of accessories to expand the bots’ (programmable) functionality — such as this Sketch Kit ($40) which adds a few arty smarts to Dash or Cue.

With Dot, younger kids play around using a suite of creative apps to control and customize their robot and tap more deeply into its capabilities, with the apps supporting a range of projects and puzzles designed to both entertain them and introduce basic coding concepts
Age: 6+

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