Daily Crunch: Google launches Live Transcribe

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1. Google intros a pair of Android accessibility features for people with hearing loss

Live Transcribe is, perhaps, the more compelling of the two offerings. As its name implies, the feature transcribes audio in real time, so users with hearing loss can read text, in order to enable a live, two-way conversation.

Meanwhile, Sound Amplifier is designed to filter out ambient and unwanted noise, without boosting the volume on already loud sounds.

2. Amazon’s Audible brings Choose Your Own Adventure stories to Alexa devices

These are professionally performed, voice-controlled narratives from the publisher of the original Choose Your Own Adventure book series, ChooseCo.

3. Bird CEO on scooter startup copycats, unit economics, safety and seasonality

“2018 was about scaling,” he said. “2019 is about really focusing on the unit economics of the business.”

4. Crypto exchange Kraken acquires Crypto Facilities

This nine-figure deal is Kraken’s biggest acquisition to date. Following the deal, some Kraken users can now access both spot and futures trading.

5. Why no one really quits Google or Facebook

Danny Crichton weighs in on the latest Facebook and Google scandals. Rather depressingly, he argues that nothing will change.

6. Watch the tech-centric Super Bowl ads from Amazon, Microsoft and others

This year’s theme: Sad robots.

7. Your Monday podcast roundup

This week, Equity looks at $100 million funding rounds for everyone, Mixtape discusses allegations that Oracle underpaid minority employees and Original Content reviews the creepy Netflix series “You.”

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The Best Android Tweaks You Can Make Without Rooting

If you want to unlock the full potential of Android and play around with full-scale modifications, yes, you’ll need to root. However, rooting is dangerous so it’s best avoided if you don’t want to risk bricking your device.

These days, rooting Android isn’t really necessary. However, some of the more useful apps on the Google Play Store are only available for rooted Android devices, so properly rooting your Android device may be worth it in rare cases.

For the rest of us, there are plenty of awesome improvements to make without committing to that level of risk. In this article, we outline some of the best tweaks and customizations you can make on non-rooted Android devices.

Tweaking the Android Home Screen

Install a Brand New Launcher

A launcher is an app that handles the layout and launching of apps on your home screen. Different launchers provide different layouts, aesthetics, and functionality. Some are optimized for speed, others are packed with features, while others are clean and minimal.

Our advice is to experiment with several different launchers until you find one that you like. Take at least a week per launcher to give it enough time to see how you feel about it. Here are our favorite Android launcher recommendations, plus a few more simple Android launchers for ease of use.

Install an Icon Pack

One way to solidify the thematic feel of your home screen is to replace all of the app icons with a unified icon pack. It’s a small change that can inject a lot of life into your device. Some icon packs cost money, but we’ve highlighted some of the best free Android icon packs you should check out.

Install a Live Wallpaper

No matter how beautiful they are, static wallpapers lose their appeal over time. On the other hand, live wallpapers feel dynamic and interesting. Try these awesome Android live wallpapers to see if it’s something you enjoy.

Worried about battery life? Except in rare cases, live wallpapers are relatively light on battery drain. Worse comes to worst, you can uninstall it if it proves problematic.

Install Widgets

Widgets are interactive elements that reside on the home screen. Some make it easy to quickly toggle system settings. Others provide information at a glance, such as weather forecasts. Most Android music player apps come with widgets that let you control playback from the home screen.

The possibilities are endless and there are dozens to explore. Get started with these must-have Android widgets.

Tweaking the Android Lock Screen

The next aspect of Android worth customizing is the lock screen—assuming you even use a lock screen to begin with (which you should).

Wouldn’t it be great if you could interact with apps without having to unlock your phone? That’s where lock screen widgets come into play. These widgets are just like home screen widgets except they reside on the lock screen. Simple enough, right?

But wait a minute! Don’t widgets defeat the purpose of a lock screen? Not necessarily. Widgets allow you to pick which parts of Android should be exposed while keeping everything else safe behind a lock screen’s passcode. As long as you’re smart about which widgets you install, your privacy should remain secure.

We’ve rounded up some of the best Android lock screen widgets. Check on your RSS feeds, respond to your text messages, or pull up your contacts without needing to punch in your passcode.

Tweaking Battery Life on Android

Concerned about battery life? For non-rooted device users, there’s some good news and some bad news. First, the bad news: starting with Android 4.4 KitKat, most battery-saving apps require root privileges. The good news is that you can still tweak battery life without those apps.

Disable Vibrations

While vibrations are less disruptive than ringtones, they actually use up more battery life. Depending on how often your device buzzes, you could end up wasting a lot of juice this way—so disable it. That includes haptic feedback when typing, vibrating notifications, etc.

Purge All Bloatware

Bloatware is apps that might be useful if they didn’t take up an exorbitant amount of resources, whether that means RAM, CPU, disk space, etc. Even if you don’t actively use these apps, they can sit in the background and impact performance or waste bandwidth.

Disable all the bloatware that you can. Ideally, you would DELETE all of that bloatware, but that’s not always possible without rooting your device. Want to learn more? Here’s everything to know about Android bloatware.

Use Airplane Mode

Airplane Mode disables all forms of network communication, including 2G, 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi. While disabled, those network components cease to drain battery life.

If you really need to squeeze extra juice out of your device, consider toggling Airplane Mode whenever there’s going to be an extended period of time where you won’t be using any network.

There’s a lot more to battery life on Android. Check out our article on tips to extend Android battery life that actually work.

Tweaking Security on Android

Always Use a Lock Screen

Passwords are always the first line of defense against somebody who gains access to something that doesn’t belong to them. Would you use a debit card that has no PIN? Would you buy a car that has no key lock? If you want to protect your phone, lock it!

Still, there are right and wrong ways to do this. Take heed and learn more about whether it’s better to use a fingerprint or PIN to lock your phone.

Install an Antivirus App

These days, you don’t really need an antivirus app on Android as long as you’re careful and practice common sense. Don’t install random apps with few reviews. Stick to the Google Play Store. Avoid tapping on suspicious ads when browsing the web.

But everyone makes mistakes, and malware can be a huge nuisance. That’s when an antivirus app proves useful. See our article on the best antivirus apps for Android.

On the other hand, instead of bogging down your phone with antivirus apps, it might just be better to know what to do if your Android is infected. The choice is yours.

Install an Anti-Theft App

Antivirus only gets you so far. What happens if you leave your phone somewhere? Or worse, if somebody picks your phone right out of your pocket? Without an anti-theft app, you may as well consider your phone to be gone for good.

Anti-theft apps for Android help you track your phone in several ways: GPS positioning, security alarms, lockdown, and data erasing features just to name a few. That last feature can come in handy if you have secrets on your phone that nobody should ever see.

Tweaking Communication on Android

Lastly, let’s tweak your communication settings to be as productive and pleasant as possible. When you’re browsing the web and sending out text messages all throughout the day, even the smallest improvement can wipe away your frustrations.

Install an SMS App

The stock SMS apps that come pre-loaded on Android phones are usually basic and bland. Upgrade to one of these free alternative SMS apps for a smoother experience, complete with more features and customization options. And if you don’t use SMS, how about these free messaging apps instead?

Install a Better Keyboard App

If you spend any time at all typing on your device, it’s worth upgrading to a dedicated keyboard app that replaces the default one. There are a few free ones out there, but this is one area where shelling out a few dollars for a paid app can make a difference.

Need help deciding? Check out our article on how to change the keyboard on Android, which includes a few useful keyboard app recommendations.

Enjoy Your New and Improved Android Device

With all of these changes, your device should feel like a brand new product in your hands. If anyone tells you that you need to root Android to start personalizing it, show them your revamped phone and flash a smile.

Let us know how these tweaks work for you! If you’re unsatisfied and want to take Android customization to the next level, check out our guide to safely rooting Android devices.

Read the full article: The Best Android Tweaks You Can Make Without Rooting

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What Is PayPal Credit and Where Can You Spend It?

Imagine a world in which you could shop online without ever needing to enter a credit or debit card number; the increased security alone would be a massive boon. No one could look over your shoulder in a public setting, and you wouldn’t be at risk from credit card fraud or physical theft.

Well, that’s exactly what online payment giant PayPal offers in the form of PayPal Credit.

What Is PayPal Credit?

PayPal Credit (formerly called “PayPal Bill Me Later”) is a virtual credit card. It was originally launched in 2008 but was rebranded into its current form in 2015. The service is paper-less, card-less, and built directly into your PayPal wallet.

The integration with your PayPal wallet means you can manage your payments, view your balance, and check your statements through your existing login.

Two other services—PayPal Extras MasterCard and PayPal Smart Connect Card—fall under the PayPal Credit umbrella. However, they offer a physical card so will not form part of this rundown. Learn more about the pros and cons of PayPal’s credit cards.

On the surface, the PayPal Credit works like a traditional credit card; you make a purchase on the card and either pay off any balances immediately or spread the costs over several months—but that’s where the major similarities end.

PayPal Credit vs. Traditional Credit Cards

The biggest difference between PayPal Credit and a bank-issued credit card is how it affects your credit score.

The initial setup is the same; PayPal will make a hard inquiry on your credit report, which may temporarily lower your credit score by a few points.

Thereafter, PayPal will never report any activity to the credit bureaus. This means if you’re late with a payment or default on a balance completely, it will not affect your credit score in a negative way.

On the flip-side, if you’re a good customer and make all your payments on time, you won’t see any benefit in your score.

Beware, just because it won’t affect your credit score doesn’t mean it won’t affect you in other ways—PayPal will charge you up to $27 the first time you’re late, and up to $37 each time thereafter. Debt can build up quickly, and it’s not easy to shake off.

It’s also worth noting that PayPal won’t offer you any of the typical rewards that normally go hand-in-hand with credit card usage—think air miles, reward points, or cash-back deals. Instead, it’ll offer you promotional offers such as reduced interest rates or interest-free periods on certain purchases when you’re checking out of an online store.

At the moment, PayPal is offering zero interest on all purchases over $99, as long as you pay the purchase balance in full within six months.

The variable purchase APR for new customers is 25.74 percent, which is slightly higher than most high street cards. Your credit limit will be at least $250, and you may even get a $10 sign-up bonus. There’s not been an official word from PayPal, but anecdotal evidence suggests the maximum credit limit is capped at $10,000.

Where Can You Use PayPal Credit?

Who let my broke ass into PayPal credit now I’m negative broke

— Don Conejo (@jaykozyy) January 24, 2019

If you’re wondering what stores accept PayPal Credit, the good news is that you can use the service at almost any business that accepts standard PayPal payments, including eBay (though you cannot use it for purchases that fall into the categories of adult, weapons, alcohol, or vehicles). Other participating stores include Walmart, Home Depot, Best Buy, and Overstock.

Some companies have a PayPal Credit option on their checkout screen, others don’t. If you don’t see the option it doesn’t mean you can’t use the service—as long as PayPal is accepted, PayPal Credit will also be accepted.

If you don’t see it on the initial checkout page, just choose to pay by PayPal, then select PayPal Credit as your payment method on the next page.

And don’t worry—if you do not already have an account, you can apply for one at the time of checkout. You’ll be asked to provide your date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security number, and then to accept the Terms of Service. PayPal will make a decision on your application almost instantly.

Payments on your balance can either be made from your PayPal balance or directly from your bank.

PayPal Security

PayPal offers “zero fraud liability” protection, which is the same protection that most major credit cards offer.

In practice, it means you cannot be held liable for unauthorized charges, and if someone hacks your account and goes on a spending spree you are guaranteed to get all of your money back.

If you use an Android device with the service, make sure to check out our article on how Android malware could empty your PayPal account.

Is PayPal Credit Right for You?

Now it’s over to you. Have you used PayPal Credit? Would you use PayPal Credit? And what do you think are the pros and the cons of PayPal Credit? You can let your fellow readers know your thoughts in the comments at the end.

If you’re trying to decide whether a PayPal Credit account is right for you, remember that it’s not free money. As with any credit line, you need to be financially responsible and ensure it’s the best fit for your needs.

Of course, PayPal isn’t the only online payment method you can use. If you want to learn more, read our article about the best PayPal alternatives.

Read the full article: What Is PayPal Credit and Where Can You Spend It?

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Is Your Smartphone Listening to You? (Or Is It Just Coincidence?)

Ever wondered if your phone is listening to your conversations? Spotted personalized adverts for TV shows, movies, or objects that you know you haven’t searched for?

What is going on?

Let’s consider the evidence and try to work out whether surveillance-driven advertising is really taking place, or if it is really nothing more than good, old-fashioned, coincidence.

Is Your Phone Listening to You?

Various users across the web have claimed that something fishy is going on with their phones. They believe that smartphone microphones are being used to record what they say, with the information used to better target personalized Google ads on websites and Facebook.

This is mostly found on older Android phones, typically running Android 7.0 Nougat and earlier.

It sounds unlikely, but the anecdotal evidence is quite compelling. BBC Technology Report Zoe Kleinman reports an occasion when she learned of a friend’s death in tragic circumstances, only to find that her friend’s name, the accident, location and year were in the Google search box on her phone.

Reddit Users Think Their Phones Are Listening

Stories on Reddit expand further, such as this from hawk8177:

“i was talking to a friend about a med he takes, next day im getting ads about that med… i asked a friend something about the best way to defog car windows… the next day when i open youtube the very first suggestion for me to watch was how to defog windows!”

Here’s another, from Redditor karlrocks23:

“My SO and I were having a chat and I was telling her about a new Nespresso shop that opened up in the city and how nicely designed it was. I don’t like coffee that much, and I’ve never even tried Nespresso. That is the only time I can remember having a conversation about Nespresso to anyone and I’ve certainly never Googled it or anything.

The next day, all my ads on chrome were about Nespresso.. I have no issues with ads popping up related to things I’ve searched by voice or type. But it did feel a bit invasive being constantly listened to and for private conversations to be used as a means to target ads at me.”

You’ll find many similar stories on Reddit and beyond. Check this account of a user noticing Google ads for everything he discussed with his wife for more.

Is My Smartphone Really Listening to Me?

A while ago, I noticed a similarity between Google Now recommendations and news updates, and the shows I’d recently watched. Keen to avoid spoilers, I had resisted searching for anything about the programs, so it was a surprise to see them listed.

A few days later, I’d forgotten about this, until I noticed that after leaving my phone at my parents’ house, a bunch of new shows appeared in Google Now, along with the legend “Because of your interest in this show.”

You’ll see two examples above: on the left, Fireman Sam, which often played on TV not far from my phone. On the right, British TV drama Heartbeat, selected because it was “Similar to Coronation Street”. This is a show watched in our house, but not Googled by me.

Since this happened, Google Now has evolved. It no longer offers this sort of recommendation, however the possibility of technology being used to target customers based on their conversations is concerning. Ensuring your Android permissions don’t give apps access to your phone’s mic is a good idea.

It does seem as though this is something more than coincidence. After all, proving that smartphone mics are collecting data to target content at users is tricky.

Can You Prove If an App Is Listening to You?

Could apps steal data captured through your smartphone’s microphone? To prove it, in 2016 cybersecurity experts Ken Munro and David Lodge from Pen Test Partners developed an app. Its aim is to record what was being said in the vicinity of a phone and display it on a monitor.

As Munro explained to the BBC, “All we did was use the existing functionality of Google Android—we chose it because it was a little easier for us to develop in.”

“We gave ourselves permission to use the microphone on the phone, set up a listening server on the internet, and everything that microphone heard on that phone, wherever it was in the world, came to us and we could then have sent back customized ads.”

David Lodge explained that the code was largely available within the host OS or in the public domain. The experiment was achieved with minimal battery drain on the device.

Google “Categorically” Rejects Accusations

Google and Facebook have both denied that their apps can use smartphone microphones to gather information in this way.

Facebook told the BBC that it blocks brands from advertising based on microphone data. Meanwhile, Google claims “categorically” that it does not use any “utterances” from when the OK Google hotword is used, or share them with third parties.

Additionally, app developers must adhere to the Google developer policy. This specifies that apps do not breach privacy by using recordings from OK Google.

So, what is going on? Are devices listening in? Well, we know that Google does record you, just as we know that Amazon does, via the Amazon Echo. But is the information is used for commercial purposes?

Enhancements in mobile device privacy seem to have put an end to this sort of privacy breach. If you’re using a recent version of Android, it’s unlikely that you’ll be affected by this. However, you should inspect your Android permissions to ensure apps don’t have access to your microphone without good reason.

Concerned? Here’s how to check and delete your Google history of audio recordings.

Read the full article: Is Your Smartphone Listening to You? (Or Is It Just Coincidence?)

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10 Apple Watch Games You Can Play on Your Wrist

How to Make a Chart in Excel

Charts are wonderful tools to display data visually. And if you’re a Microsoft Excel user, then you have a variety of chart options at your fingertips. Here’s how to make a chart in Excel and customize it, using the most common chart types.

If you’ve never created a chart in Microsoft Excel, start here with your first chart.

Starting the Chart

With each type of chart in Excel, you’ll go through the same initial process to insert it every time.

Select your data. You can do this by clicking the first cell, holding down your mouse, and then dragging through the rest of the cells. Or, you can click the upper left cell, hold down the Shift key, and then click the bottom right cell.

Your data will display in the chart best if you include headers for the columns and rows. This will make the chart easier to read and you can make adjustments as needed.

Insert your chart. Click the Insert tab and then pick your chart from the ribbon. You’ll see a brief preview of it as you mouse over it and then when you click, it will pop right into your spreadsheet.

Alternatively, you can choose the Recommended Charts button to view different options if you aren’t sure which one you want to use. You can also see all chart types available, which is helpful. If you select one from there, click OK to insert it.

If you aren’t sure which type of chart suits your data the best, we’ll give examples as we go. But for a more in-depth explanation, check out our article on Excel chart types and when to use them.

Creating a Line Chart in Excel

A common chart type is the line chart. Excel offers 2-D and 3-D, stacked or unstacked, with and without marker line charts.

This one works well for displaying trends over a period of time or categories when their order is essential. For instance, we have sales totals for products over six months.

1. Select your data.
2. Click the Insert
3. Click the button on the ribbon for Insert Line or Area Chart.
4. Choose the chart style you like and the chart will appear in your spreadsheet.

Creating a Column or Bar Chart in Excel

Another type of chart you likely see often is a column or bar chart and Excel provides both 2-D and 3-D column and bar charts.

These types of charts also work well with the sales data we used for our line chart. They are intended for comparing pieces of a whole or categories along with changes over time.

1. Select your data.
2. Click the Insert
3. Click the button on the ribbon for Insert Column or Bar Chart.
4. Choose the chart style and the chart will pop into your spreadsheet.

Creating a Pie Chart in Excel

Pie charts are excellent tools for displaying parts of a whole when that whole equals 100 percent. Excel offers 2-D, 3-D, and doughnut pie charts.

Using our sales data example, let’s say you want to view sales for only the shirts over the six-month period.

1. Select only that section of your data.
2. Click the Insert
3. Click the button on the ribbon for Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart.
4. Choose the chart style you want and it will display in your spreadsheet.

If a pie chart is a type you need often or would like to delve into it more, check out our article on how to create a pie chart in Excel.

Creating a Waterfall Chart in Excel

Waterfall charts might not be as commonly-used or seen as some other types. But they can work nicely when you’re dealing with financial data and want to display the increases and decreases. There’s just one type of waterfall chart in Excel, however, you’ll be able to adjust its appearance.

You could use a waterfall chart to display the ups and downs of monthly income, sales percentages, or inventory counts.

1. Select your data.
2. Click the Insert
3. Click the button on the ribbon for Insert Waterfall, Funnel, Stock, Surface, or Radar Chart.
4. Select Waterfall and it will display in your spreadsheet.

More Excel Chart Types

This is certainly not the extent of the Excel charts you can create. To see those that are recommended for your data or all chart types, click the Insert tab and Recommended Charts from the ribbon.

You can browse through the Recommended Charts tab if you aren’t sure which chart type is best for you.

Click the All Charts tab to see every chart available in Excel. As you can see, there are many options to choose from along with the common types. Pick a stock, funnel, sunburst, or surface chart if it suits your data best. Once you make your choice, click OK and the chart will display in your spreadsheet.

Customizing Your Chart

Now that you have your chart, you can customize it with a variety of options. Select your chart and a small menu will appear on the top right with buttons for Chart Elements, Chart Styles, and Chart Filters (certain charts only).

Chart Elements

This area allows you to select the elements of the chart you want to display such as axes, data labels, gridlines, and a legend. These options change depending on the type of chart you use. And some of the elements let you drill down even further. For instance, if you want a legend, you can select the location it should display on the chart.

Using our line chart from above, let’s add and move some elements. We’re going to include a chart title on top, a data table with no legend keys, a legend on the right, and make our gridlines smaller.

Select the chart and click the Chart Elements button. Then check and uncheck the elements as you need them.

1. Check Chart Title, click the arrow, choose Above Chart, then click inside the chart’s box to enter the title.
2. Check Data Table, click the arrow, and choose No Legend Keys.
3. Check Gridlines, click the arrow, check Primary Minor Horizontal, and uncheck the other options.
4. Check Legend, click the arrow, and choose Right.

Here’s our before and after screenshots of the charts. Those changes make the chart much clearer to understand and include additional data for our audience.

Chart Styles

This feature lets you change the look and feel of the chart. You can choose from attractive styles and color schemes to give your chart some personality. Let’s give our waterfall chart a bit of pizzazz using our company colors.

Select the chart and click the Chart Styles button to the Style tab. As you mouse over the various styles, you can see a preview of how your chart will look. Click when you see one you like.

It works the same with the Color tab, run your mouse over the scheme options to see how they’ll look and click to make a selection. For additional color schemes and themes for your chart, select the Page Layout tab and browse with the Themes and Colors buttons.

Here’s our before and after screenshots of the charts. Those changes may not make a difference in clarity but do let us declutter the left side and use the colors we want.

Chart Filters

Certain types of charts, like line and pie, offer Chart Filters for you to add and remove specific data. This can be handy if you need to make a quick change.

For this one, we’ll use our pie chart. And let’s say we only need to show quarterly sales for our shirts instead of six-month sales.

Select the chart and click the Chart Filters button. Now, uncheck the data on the Values tab you want to remove. We’re taking July and August out of the picture. Click Apply when you finish.

You can also select the Names tab to remove Series or Category names from the chart. Again, click Apply to save your changes.

Moving or Resizing Your Chart

To move your chart to another spot on the spreadsheet, select it and when the four-sided arrow appears, drag your chart to its new location.

To resize your chart, select it and then drag one of the circles on the border of the chart in the direction you want to expand it.

Happy Charting!

As you can see, making charts in Excel is a lot easier than you might think. If you’re ready to go with your data, inserting a chart and customizing it for your audience or its purpose is a breeze!

If you would like help creating a flowchart in Excel, we have an article dedicated to that chart type too.

Read the full article: How to Make a Chart in Excel

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The 7 Best Running Watches for Tracking Your Exercise

Chat app Line injects $182M into its mobile payment business

Japanese messaging app company Line is pumping 20 billion JPY ($182 million) into its mobile payment business as it tries to turn things around following a challenging year in 2018.

The company announced the infusion into Line Pay, a subsidiary that it fully owns, in a filing that stated the new capital is “necessary funds for its future business operation.” No further details were provided.

The investment comes on the heels of Line’s latest financial report which saw it post a 5.79 billion JPY loss as revenue grew by 24 percent to reach 207.18 billion JPY in 2018. Line has long been a top money maker in the App Store, but its efforts to build out content around its messaging platform and games division have turned out to be expensive, with a job service, manga platform and e-commerce business among its ventures.

In addition to more content, payments are also seen as “glue” that can increase engagement within the Line ecosystem and its main messaging app.

The company is going after the cashless opportunity in Japan, where it is the dominant chat app with an estimated 50 million registered users. The country is notable for its continued use of cash, but the government is using the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games as an opportunity to move toward a digital future. Aside from its core Line Pay service, which sits inside the Line chat app, Line is introducing its own credit card with Visa and has gone after Chinese tourists through a tie-in with Tencent, the internet giant behind China’s top messaging app WeChat.

Outside of Japan, Line Pay is also available in Thailand (where it works with the Bangkok metro provider), Taiwan (where it counts two banks as partners) and Indonesia, which Line says are its next three largest markets in terms of user numbers. Together, across those four countries, Line claims it has 165 million monthly active users and 40 million registered Line Pay users. Line said GMV reached 55 billion JPY ($482 million) per month back in November 2017; there’s been no update since.

The service was launched more widely but it has shuttered in other markets, including Singapore where it was ended in February 2018.

Beyond payment, Line is also moving into banking and financial services. It is working to launch a digital bank in Japan and last year it announced plans to investigate the potential to roll out loans, insurance and other services backed by its own cryptocurrency. While it didn’t hold an ICO — its “Link” token is earned or can be bought on exchanges — Line did dive into crypto in a major way, opening its own exchange and starting a crypto investment fund, too. With the bear market in full effect, and token valuations dropping by 90 percent across the board, we haven’t heard too much more from Line regarding its crypto plans.

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Launch Risk

Launch Risk

Samsung pulls the plug on ‘Supreme’ collaboration

When Samsung announced a collaboration with Supreme at an event back in December, it didn’t go over great. It wasn’t that people weren’t excited about the potential of rocking a Supreme-branded Galaxy Note or whatever, so much as which Supreme the company had struck a deal with.

You see, there’s Supreme, the U.S.-based streetwear company beloved by hypebeasts everywhere, and then there’s “Supreme.” Or, in this case, Supreme Italia. There are all sorts of intellectual property-related reasons the company is allowed to exist with near identical signage, but the long and short of it is that the deal rubbed plenty of people the wrong way.

After initially balking at the pushback, Samsung this week announced that it’s killing the deal. According to a Weibo statement translated by Engadget Chinese, “Samsung Electronics had previously mentioned a collaboration with Supreme Italia at the Galaxy A8s China launch event on December 10th, Samsung Electronics has now decided to terminate this collaboration.”

So, yes, those dreams of sporting that familiar red and white logo on your Android handset will have to wait. Or you can always just take matters into your own hands. 

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Google intros a pair of Android accessibility features for people with hearing loss

Google this morning unveiled a pair of new Android features for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. As the company notes in a blog post this morning, the WHO estimates that 900 million people will be living with heading loss by 2055. The ubiquity of mobile devices — Android in particular — offers a promising potential to help open the lines of communication.

Live Transcribe is, perhaps, the more compelling of the two offerings. As its name implies, the feature transcribes audio in real-time, so users with hearing loss can read text, in order to enable a live, two-way conversation. It defaults to white text on a black background, making it easier to read and can also connect to external microphones for better results.

The feature leverages much of the company’s work in speech to text and translation. It starts rolling out today in limited beta for Pixel 3 users. It will be available in more than 70 languages and dialects.

Announced back at last year’s Google I/O, Sound Amplifier is designed to filter out ambient and unwanted noises, without boosting the volume on already loud sounds. The feature works with headphones, letting users manually adjust the settings for the right fit. That one is available now via the Play Store.

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Google intros a pair of Android accessibility features for people with hearing loss

Google this morning unveiled a pair of new Android features for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. As the company notes in a blog post this morning, the WHO estimates that 900 million people will be living with heading loss by 2055. The ubiquity of mobile devices — Android in particular — offers a promising potential to help open the lines of communication.

Live Transcribe is, perhaps, the more compelling of the two offerings. As its name implies, the feature transcribes audio in real-time, so users with hearing loss can read text, in order to enable a live, two-way conversation. It defaults to white text on a black background, making it easier to read and can also connect to external microphones for better results.

The feature leverages much of the company’s work in speech to text and translation. It starts rolling out today in limited beta for Pixel 3 users. It will be available in more than 70 languages and dialects.

Announced back at last year’s Google I/O, Sound Amplifier is designed to filter out ambient and unwanted noises, without boosting the volume on already loud sounds. The feature works with headphones, letting users manually adjust the settings for the right fit. That one is available now via the Play Store.

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Why no one really quits Google or Facebook

Another week, another set of scandals at Facebook and Google. This past week, my colleagues reported that Facebook and Google had abused Apple enterprise developer certificates in order to distribute info-scraping research apps, at times from underage users in the case of Facebook. Apple responded by cutting off both companies from developer accounts, before shortly restoring them.

The media went into overdrive over the scandals, as predictable as the companies’ statements that they truly care about users and their privacy. But will anything change?

I think we know the answer to this question: no. And it is never going to change because the vast majority of users just don’t care one iota about privacy or these scandals.

Privacy advocates will tell you that the lack of a wide boycott against Google and particularly Facebook is symptomatic of a lack of information: if people really understood what was happening with their data, they would galvanize immediately for other platforms. Indeed, this is the very foundation for the GDPR policy in Europe: users should have a choice about how their data is used, and be fully-informed on its uses in order to make the right decision for them.

I don’t believe more information would help, and I reject the mentality behind it. It’s reminiscent of the political policy expert who says that if only voters had more information — if they just understood the issue — they would change their mind about something where they are clearly in the “wrong.” It’s incredibly condescending, and obscures a far more fundamental fact about consumers: people know what they value, they understand it, and they are making an economic choice when they stick with Google or Facebook.

Alternatives exist for every feature and app offered by these companies, and they are not hard to find. You can use Signal for chatting, DuckDuckGo for search, FastMail for email, 500px or Flickr for photos, and on and on. Far from being shameless clones of their competitors, in many cases these products are even superior to their originals, with better designs and novel features.

And yet. When consumers start to think about the costs, they balk. There’s sometimes the costs of the products themselves (FastMail is $30/year minimum, but really $50 a year or more if you want reasonable storage), but more importantly are the switching costs that come with using a new product. I have 2,000 contacts on Facebook Messenger — am I just supposed to text them all to use Signal from now on? Am I supposed to completely relearn a new photos app, when I am habituated to the taps required from years of practice on Instagram?

Surveillance capitalism has been in the news the past few weeks thanks to Shoshana Zuboff’s 704-page tome of a book “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.” But surveillance capitalism isn’t a totalizing system: consumers do have choices here, at least when it comes to consumer apps (credit scores and the reporting bureaus are a whole other beast). There are companies that have even made privacy their distinguishing feature. And consumers respond pretty consistently: I will take free with surveillance over paid with privacy.

One of the lessons I have learned — perhaps the most important you can learn about consumer products — is just how much people are willing to give up for free things. They are willing to give up privacy for free email. They are willing to allow their stock broker to help others actively trade against them for a free stock brokerage account with free trading. People love free stuff, particularly when the harms are difficult to perceive.

This is not to say that Facebook and Google shouldn’t try to improve their shoddy records on privacy, or rebuild trust with users. Those consumers are always able to leave, and their sentiment should never be taken for granted. But after more than a decade of abuse, we should look deeper at our analysis and perhaps conclude that these issues aren’t abuse at all, but rather a bargain, a negotiation, and one that people are quite willing to live with.

China’s influence pushed MSCI to add shares to index

(Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

MSCI runs some of the most important financial indexes in the world. Trillions of dollars of capital are pegged to these metrics, which is why changes to them can be so controversial. Few decisions by MSCI have been as significant though as the addition of Chinese “A-shares” to its emerging markets indexes last year, which for the first time added mainland Chinese stocks to these important benchmarks. Billions of dollars of capital was expected to flow to those stocks, as wealth managers matched their allocations to the updated indexes.

Now, we have learned just how much pressure MSCI faced in adding those shares. Mike Bird at the Wall Street Journal reports that China placed enormous pressure on MSCI to change its indexes, threatening to cut off its access to domestic wealth managers and stunt its growth in the number two economy. From the article:

MSCI’s discussions with several Chinese asset managers were abruptly curtailed in 2015 and 2016 after the firm didn’t add Chinese-listed stocks to the emerging-markets index following its midyear reviews, according to people close to or directly involved in the discussions. The Chinese firms communicated that they had been instructed by authorities to cut off negotiations with MSCI, the people said.

China’s two national stock exchanges also threatened to withdraw MSCI’s access to market pricing data, which the company provided to its customers all over the world, the people added. It was akin to “business blackmail,” said a person familiar with MSCI’s negotiations with Chinese regulatory authorities.

Companies the world over attempt to manipulate these indexes, particularly given the increasing amount of money flowing to ETFs and other index-backed funds. But few companies have the clout required to actually get MSCI to make changes that benefit them. China, with its huge market, clearly does.

MSCI is “now considering quadrupling China’s weighting in the emerging-markets index.” Maybe that’s objective and fair — after all, China is crucial for the global economy. With China’s meddling and MSCI’s capitulation though, one has to wonder how much is blackmail, and how much is financial science.

More links

• Behind Tech’s Shine, Some Warnings Signs Appear | The New York Times
• India takes aim at popular Chinese social media apps | Financial Times
• Tencent-backed Chinese movie-ticketing app Maoyan makes weak Hong Kong debut | Reuters
• Lawmakers Vow to Modernize Congress, One Modem at a Time | WSJ

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Share your feedback on your startup’s attorney

My colleague Eric Eldon and I are reaching out to startup founders and execs about their experiences with their attorneys. Our goal is to identify the leading lights of the industry and help spark discussions around best practices. If you have an attorney you thought did a fantastic job for your startup, let us know using this short Google Forms survey and also spread the word. We will share the results and more in the coming weeks.

This newsletter is written with the assistance of Arman Tabatabai from New York

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Watch the tech-centric Super Bowl ads from Amazon, Microsoft and others

Another year, another batch of Super Bowl commercials from tech giants like Amazon, Google and Microsoft.

In fact, Amazon will have different ads focusing on different areas of the business: one highlighting products that won’t be taking advantage of its voice-powered assistant Alexa, and another previewing “Hanna,” an upcoming show on Amazon Prime.

Microsoft, meanwhile, is highlighting some of the ways technology can actually make people’s lives better — perhaps as a corrective to the ongoing backlash against the tech industry.

There will be star-studded spots from somewhat less ubiquitous companies too, with Bumble enlisting Serena Williams to deliver a message of empowerment and Squarespace depicting Idris Elba’s attempts to build his own website.

This year, we’ve also got commercials from non-tech companies like Pringles that place voice assistants and robots front-and-center. And while there are plenty of car commercials, I tried to stick to the ones that actually focused on new tech.

I’ve rounded up the tech-related ads that were released before the game below. Some companies are holding back until the actual Super Bowl, so if necessary, I’ll update this post after the game.

Amazon Alexa

Amazon Prime/”Hanna”

Audi

Bumble

Expensify

Google

Microsoft

Pringles

Squarespace

TurboTax (teaser)

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