If you spend a lot of time in front of your computer screen, chances are you suffer from a certain degree of computer eye strain. Fortunately, there are a few settings you can change in Windows 10 to mitigate the impact of a bright screen on your eyes, and one of those settings is Dark Mode.
What Is Dark Mode in Windows 10?
Dark Mode, not to be confused with Night Light which adds a warm red hue to your screen, allows you to opt for a dark background on certain Windows 10 apps. Night Light is meant to help your sleeping patterns, while Dark Mode is more about easing eye strain.
Dark Mode affects only certain Windows 10 native apps, such as the Settings window and Microsoft Store. Several other apps and programs, including Microsoft’s own File Explorer and Edge browser, aren’t affected by Dark Mode.
To enable Dark Mode manually, you can go to Settings > Personalization > Colors and under Choose your default app mode, select Dark.
But what if you only want Dark Mode at night and don’t want to manually toggle it on and off every day? The good news is, you can automate it using nothing more than the built-in Windows 10 Task Scheduler.
How to Automatically Enable Dark Mode at Night
Type Task Scheduler in the Windows 10 search bar and open the program.
In the program menu click Action > Create Basic Task.
Enter a name for the task (I went with Enable Dark Mode) and click Next.
For When do you want the task to start?, select Daily and click Next.
Leave the start date as is, and fill in the time you want Dark Mode to be enabled and click Next. (If you tend to travel with your laptop, make sure that Synchronize across time zones is checked.)
For the Action select Start a Program and click Next.
In the Program/Script field type Reg. In the Add arguments field, copy and paste the following and click Next:
If your computer is turned off at the time that you chose, Dark Mode will not be enabled unless you do the following, make sure that Open the Properties dialog for this task when I click Finish is checked.
In the dialog box that opens, go to the Settings tab and check Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed. This way the task will run as soon as you turn on your computer, enabling Dark Mode after the fact.
You can revisit these settings by opening the Task Scheduler and clicking the Task Scheduler Library, and finding the task you want to edit (they’re listed in alphabetical order) and clicking on the Settings tab.
How to Automatically Disable Dark Mode at Daytime
This step is essential if you want your computer to switch back and forth between the two modes. To switch back to Light Mode in the morning, you’re going to have to go through the same steps above, creating a second task, but this time at Step 5 select the time in the morning you want to enable Light Mode.
In Step 7, in the Program/Script field type Reg. In the Add arguments field, copy and paste the following and click Next:
If you change your mind and decide you no longer want to automatically enable Dark Mode, or want to make changes to the settings such as the time it triggers, open up the Task Scheduler and click Task Scheduler Library. After you select your task, you’ll see the option to Delete the task under Actions.
You can test if the task is working by clicking the Run button, and it will instantly switch modes.
Double-click the task and a window will open up in which you can edit all the information you had entered previously. To change the time, go to the Triggers tab and double-click to open the dialog box in which you can edit the time.
Posted by Christian Howard, Editor-in-Chief, Google AI Communications
This week, Salt Lake City hosts the 2018 Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR 2018), the premier annual computer vision event comprising the main conference and several co-located workshops and tutorials. As a leader in computer vision research and a Diamond Sponsor, Google will have a strong presence at CVPR 2018 — over 200 Googlers will be in attendance to present papers and invited talks at the conference, and to organize and participate in multiple workshops.
If you are attending CVPR this year, please stop by our booth and chat with our researchers who are actively pursuing the next generation of intelligent systems that utilize the latest machine learning techniques applied to various areas of machine perception. Our researchers will also be available to talk about and demo several recent efforts, including the technology behind portrait mode on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones, the Open Images V4 dataset and much more.
You can learn more about our research being presented at CVPR 2018 in the list below (Googlers highlighted in blue)
Organization
Finance Chair: Ramin Zabih
Area Chairs include: Sameer Agarwal, Aseem Agrawala, Jon Barron, Abhinav Shrivastava, Carl Vondrick, Ming-Hsuan Yang
Two of the co-founders of the art filter app Prisma have left to build a new social app.
Prisma, as you may recall, had a viral moment back in 2016 when selfie takers went crazy for the fine art spin the app’s AI put on photos — in just a few seconds of processing.
Downloads leapt, art selfies flooded Instagram, and similar arty effects soon found their way into all sorts of rival apps and platforms. Then, after dipping a toe into social waters with the launch of a feed of its own, the company shifted focus to b2b developer tools — and we understand it’s since become profitable.
But two of Prisma’s co-founders, Aleksey Moiseyenkov and Aram Hardy, got itchy feet when they had an idea for another app business. And they’ve both now left to set up a new startup, called Capture Technologies.
The plan is to launch the app — which will be called Capture — in Q4, with a beta planned for September or October, according to Hardy (who’s taking the CMO role).
They’ve also raised a $1M seed for Capture, led by US VC firm General Catalyst. Also investing are KPCB, Social Capital, Dream Machine VC (the seed fund of former TechCrunch co-editor, Alexia Bonatsos), Paul Heydon, and Russian Internet giant, Mail.Ru Group.
Josh Elman from Greylock Partners is also involved as an advisor.
Hardy says they had the luxury of being able to choose their seed investors, after getting a warmer reception for Capture than they’d perhaps expected — thinking it might be tough to raise funding for a new social app given how that very crowded space has also been monopolized by a handful of major platforms… (hi Facebook, hey Snap!)
But they also believe they’ve identified overlooked territory — where they can offer something fresh to help people interact with others in real-time.
They’re not disclosing further details about the idea or how the Capture app will work at this stage, as they’re busy building and Hardy says certain elements could change and evolve before launch day.
What they will say is that the app will involve AI, and will put the emphasis for social interactions squarely on the smartphone camera.
Speed will also be a vital ingredient, as it was with Prisma — literally fueling the app’s virality. “We see a huge move to everything which is happening right now, which is really real-time,” Hardy tells TechCrunch. “Even when we started Prisma there were lots of similar products which were just processing one photo for five, ten, 15 minutes, and people were not using it because it takes time.
“People want everything right now. Right here. So this is a trend which is taking place right now. People just want everything right now, right here. So we’re trying to give it to them.”
“Our team’s mission is to bring an absolutely new and unique experience to how people interact with each other. We would like to come up with something unique and really fresh,” adds Moiseyenkov, Capture’s CEO (pictured above left, with Hardy).
“We see a huge potential in new social apps despite the fact that there are too many huge players.”
Having heard the full Capture pitch from Hardy I can say it certainly seems like an intriguing idea. Though how exactly they go about selectively introducing the concept will be key to building the momentum needed to power their big vision for the app. But really that’s true of any social product.
Their idea has also hooked a strong line up of seed investors, doubtless helped by the pair’s prior success with Prisma. (If there’s one thing investors love more than a timely, interesting idea, it’s a team with pedigree — and these two certainly have that.)
“I’m happy to have such an amazing and experienced team,” adds Moiseyenkov, repaying the compliment to Capture’s investors.
“Your first investors are your team. You have to ask lots of questions like you do when you decide whether this or that person is a perfect fit for your team. Because investors and the team are those people with whom you’re going to build a great product. At the same time, investors ask lots of questions to you.”
Capture’s investors were evidently pleased enough with the answers their questions elicited to cut Capture its founding checks. And the startup’s team is already ten-strong — and hard at work to get a beta launched in fall.
The business is based in the US and Europe, with one office in Moscow, where Hardy says they’ve managed to poach some relevant tech talent from Russian social media giant vk.com; and another slated to be opening in a couple of weeks time, on Snap’s home turf of LA.
“We’ll be their neighbors in Venice beach,” he confirms, though he stresses there will still be clear blue water between the two companies’ respective social apps, adding: “Snapchat is really a different product.”
Venmo is making its own website much less useful. The peer-to-peer payments service no longer lets you make payments via its website, and it looks like this is just the start of an intentional effort to degrade the Venmo website.
Venmo, which is owned by PayPal, allows users to send payments to each other using their smartphones. However, until now, Venmo has offered similar functionality with its website. Unfortunately, the company is now changing tack.
Venmo Degrades Its Website for Reasons
Now, you can no longer send payments or charge someone using the Venmo website. Instead, you’ll have to use the Venmo mobile app on Android or iOS. And Venmo isn’t done degrading its website either, promising even “less functionality” moving forward.
As reported by TechCrunch, Venmo informed users about these changes in their account summaries for May 2018. However, to the annoyance of some users, Venmo hasn’t explained its reasoning or told users what else is changing.
“Venmo has decided to phase out some of the functionality on the Venmo.com website over the coming months. We are beginning to discontinue the ability to pay and charge someone on the Venmo.com website, and over time, you may see less functionality on the website — this is just the start. We therefore have updated our user agreement to reflect that the use of Venmo on the Venmo.com website may be limited.”
As a result of these changes, the Venmo website is now all about admin. So, you can cash out your balances, view your transactions, and change your settings. However, you’ll have to open Venmo’s mobile app to actually send and receive money.
Venmo Wants to Be Different From PayPal
There are two reasons why Venmo may have done this. First, it helps differentiate Venmo from PayPal, which is still seen as mostly web-based. Secondly, if the majority of people are using the mobile app, it makes sense to focus entirely on that side of things.
Video games are awesome. Beyond their gripping stories, engaging gameplay, and social aspects lies an oft-overlooked aspect: video game music.
A good video game original soundtrack (OST) is tough to get right. It needs to highlight whatever emotion the player should be experiencing at a point in time, as well as being submissive enough to not distract the player.
Today, we’re going to celebrate some stellar video game soundtracks, perfect for those times when you’re studying or trying to focus.
Why Listen to These Video Game Soundtracks?
You may wonder what the big deal about listening to game soundtracks is, especially if you don’t play video games. As mentioned above, the soundtracks are engineered so that players can enjoy them while still being able to focus on what they’re doing. In addition, it’s difficult to really enjoy a good soundtrack unless you’ve listened to it outside the game, since all sorts of sound effects get in your way while playing.
The games discussed here have some of the best game soundtracks of all time, and make excellent collections that provide a good background for focus. If you enjoy them, check out some of the music genres gamers should love.
1. Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES; 1995)
Kicking off the list is one of the most-beloved soundtracks of all time. The first Donkey Kong Country game was an awesome title, but its sequel improved on it in every way imaginable, with better graphics, more varied locations, amazingly intuitive secrets, and one of the greatest game soundtracks ever.
It’s amazing to think that this much emotion could be packed into a game soundtrack, but composer David Wise made it happen. It is mostly upbeat and good for those times when you need a medium pace for your work.
2. Bastion (Multi-Platform; 2011)
Bastion is an action game with role-playing elements that follows “the Kid” as he strives to restore a fallen world. The soundtrack is excellent; it gives the feeling of the Wild West while also being upbeat and taking you to a fantasy world. The game’s Narrator is certainly one of the highlights; you can hear a sample of his voice in the opening track of the OST.
Bastion’s soundtrack is great for an even-headed day when you need some music to keep you fantasizing about saving the world.
3. The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GameCube; 2003)
Nearly any of the Zelda games could have made this list, but Wind Waker’s soundtrack goes great with any kind of work. It’s also lengthy, so you won’t have to worry about opening a new video anytime soon.
Wind Waker’s soundtrack has an Irish feel to it, with pipe-based instruments bringing a sense of being in the beautiful outdoors.
4. VVVVVV (Multi-Platform; 2010)
Adding some variety into the mix is the soundtrack for VVVVVV (pronounced V-6), a retro-infused platformer game where you reverse gravity instead of jumping. Its 30-minute soundtrack is full of boppy tunes that would have been at home on the early consoles of the ’80s.
The Assassin’s Creed series has been around for over a decade, and allows players to explore various historical cites. Assassin’s Creed II, one of the best, offers an equally historic and beautiful soundtrack with the sounds of Renaissance-era Italy.
6. Super Meat Boy (Multi-Platform; 2010)
Super Meat Boy is a tough-as-nails indie platformer, but it’s not unfair. SMB goes to great lengths to ensure you have everything you need to succeed. The soundtrack is just as well-crafted, and brings some tension while still being smooth enough to allow you to focus.
In Super Meat Boy, each level has a Light and Dark World variant. Most players will be able to clear the Light World levels, but the Dark World path contains some of the most difficult platforming stages in modern gaming.
What’s neat is that the music for each world reflects this. A more pleasant, traditional tune is used for Light and a twisted remix of it for Dark. Note that newer ports of the game feature a different soundtrack, which is inferior to the original.
7. Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! (PlayStation; 1999)
Spyro is one of the classic PlayStation franchises. The second game’s soundtrack is whimsical and has a fantasy element to match the locales you visit. This ensures the high-energy gameplay of Spyro has some great background music to go along with it.
Unfortunately, the series has degraded over time. But the original trilogy stands as excellent 3D platformers, and we’re still enjoying their soundtracks today.
8. Fez (Multi-Platform; 2012)
Fez creator Phil Fish has a rocky story in the gaming industry. The one game he gave us, though, is brilliant. It tells the tale of Gomez, who learns that the world he thought was 2D is actually 3D.
The mostly electronic soundtrack conveys the lands you travel to well. If you want a dynamic OST to listen to, this is one to try.
9. Journey (PS3, PS4; 2012)
Journey’s name describes it perfectly. It’s a game all about wandering around and exploring, and cuts out the background noise of many modern games. The music, of course, gives you an awesome backdrop for this exploration. Even some movies don’t have soundtracks like this!
10. Braid (Multi-Platform; 2008)
Braid is one of the most popular indie games of all time, introducing many people to that special subset of games. In Braid, you control time by rewinding it at will, which also affects the music. Because of this, even if you’ve played it, you can’t appreciate the beauty of the soundtrack unless you’ve heard it without these interruptions.
Unlike most other game soundtracks, Braid’s music wasn’t created specifically for the game. Developer Jonathan Blow used licensed music to convey the game’s mood. Even if you don’t like video games, this is one soundtrack you have to give a listen.
11. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (PlayStation; 1997)
Crash is another PlayStation gem, and it too had golden days with its first three iterations. The second game’s soundtrack is like Spyro’s: whimsical and excellent at matching the various locales you visit in Crash’s adventure.
The orange bandicoot recently made his return with the N. Sane Trilogy on PS4, and that’s one of the remastered games worth playing, especially if you never played the originals.
12. Banjo-Kazooie (N64; 1998)
Banjo-Kazooie is one of the most beloved games on the N64 thanks to its memorable characters, expansive worlds, and excellent music. Grant Kirkhope’s soundtrack features several variations for the different areas of each world, with seamless cross-fades that haven’t been matched since.
It’s whimsical, joyful, and will bring you right back to your childhood. Choose this one when you need some upbeat study music.
12. Cuphead (XBO, PC; 2017)
Cuphead is a run-and-gun game that feels like playing a 1930s cartoon. The graphics, character designs, and even menus all look like something out of an early Disney work, with gorgeous hand-drawn animations and backgrounds.
The soundtrack is nearly three hours of live jazz, big-band, and ragtime music. It’s bombastic and oozes quality and charm, making it a significant part of this stellar game.
13. Animal Crossing (GameCube; 2001)
Animal Crossing is a peaceful social simulation game where you control human living in a village full of animals. The game runs in real time, with unique music for each hour of the day.
Thanks to the game’s variety of tunes that play inside various buildings and events during the year, the full soundtrack is over seven hours. If you’d like something a little shorter, you can listen to a full day’s music in just under an hour.
Animal Crossing is a relaxing series, with a chilled-out soundtrack to match. Check out the other Animal Crossing soundtracks if you enjoy it, or play Animal Crossing: Pocket camp on mobile.
14. Sonic Mania (Multi-Platform; 2017)
Though Sega’s mascot has had some missteps, you can always count on a solid soundtrack in Sonic games. Indeed, you could put pretty much any Sonic game on this list.
We chose Sonic Mania because it’s a collection of some remixed classic favorites along with a few new tracks. There’s something for everyone to love in this collection of funky, fast, and cool music celebrating the Blue Blur.
15. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Wii U; 2014)
Smash Bros. is a celebration of Nintendo’s biggest franchises, with characters, stages, items, and music coming from dozens of game series. The latest entry packs an incredible 15 hours of tunes, including remixes and originals from Donkey Kong, Star Fox, Pokémon, Fire Emblem, and many more.
The OST has a ton of variety, making it a great way to discover new game music you might love. If you’ve got a long night of studying ahead of you, spin this up and don’t look back.
16. Undertale (Multi-Platform; 2015)
Undertale became a cult classic upon its launch. Acting as a one-man team, developer Toby Fox crafted the entire game, including the music. It was universally praised for its gameplay, story, and themes, as it turned several game clichés on their heads.
The soundtrack is masterful, with a variety of moods expressed. A lot of it is chiptune, but not all.
One word of caution: Undertale is a game best experienced without spoilers, and the soundtrack names can give away some plot points. Do yourself a favor and play this as soon as you can—without any foreknowledge.
17. Secret of Mana (SNES; 1993)
One of the most beloved RPGs of the SNES era, Secret of Mana set itself apart from similar games with a few key differences. It featured an action-based battle system instead of the traditional turn-based one, as well as seamless drop-in co-op for up to three players.
Of course, being a Square RPG from the early ’90s, it has a classic soundtrack to match.
18. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch; 2017)
Like Sonic, it would be easy to put most Mario games on this list. Mario Odyssey injected some much-needed freshness into the series, with vast open worlds, a ton of objects to collect, and the ability for Mario to control his enemies.
It’s also got a kicking soundtrack, with the game’s varying locales offering fantastic tracks. From the irresistible “Jump Up, Super Star” (with vocals, which is a first for the Mario series) to the epic orchestral “Cascade Kingdom”, this is one for the ages. It’s a must-play for Switch owners.
19. Metroid Prime (GameCube; 2002)
Metroid Prime took the formula from the popular Super Metroid (a world that gradually opens up as you collect new abilities) and translated it perfectly into 3D. The game makes you feel alone in the wild lands of Tallon IV, and the music plays a big part in that.
From eerie atmospheric background pieces to intense boss fights, this soundtrack will have you ready to explore other planets.
20. Persona 5 (PS3, PS4; 2017)
Persona 5 is an RPG for the ages. It features a memorable cast of characters, a slick art style, fantastic dungeons, and an incredible 100+ hour runtime. The game’s soundtrack carries acid jazz influences, making it funky and upbeat. You’ll also find somber, introspective tracks, rock, and a whole lot more.
If you enjoy RPGs, you simply must experience this phenomenal work of art. But if you can’t spare the time, at least enjoy the OST.
The Best Video Game Music Is Worth Celebrating
You now have hours of game music to listen to while you work or study. Of course, dozens of other games could have made the list, but we selected these for their variety and exceptional quality. Be sure to check out soundtracks for other games in a series if you enjoyed one of these.
We’ve highlighted full-game soundtracks here, but YouTube is a great place to find mixes too. Have a look at the channel Luigi, which features mixes of relaxing music from various series.
If you love these soundtracks and want to hear more, hop over to Rainwave, the best video game music radio site. It hosts thousands of game tracks, lets you vote and keep track of your favorites, and even has a cooldown system to make sure there’s always something fresh playing.
Tel Aviv-based Photomyne, an A.I.-powered app that helps you bring your old photo prints online, has been benefitting from the subscription app boom to the tune of $5 million in Series A funding. Today, the app is used by a million people every month, and 250,000 people pay the $20 annual subscription for the expanded service. This adds a handful of additional features, including the option to build a family website where all your photos are uploaded immediately after being scanned.
There is something of a limited lifetime for apps that convert physical media to digital – at some point, everyone who wants to transition their old media to the web will have done so. Another issue is that some people will make scanning photos a one-time project. They’ll then save all their photos to their own device and cloud storage, and cancel their subscription.
And as those users drop off, physical media will continue to die out.
For those reasons, Photomyne will eventually need to expand into other areas – perhaps scanning other things beyond photos. As it has a couple of patents for things like scanning business cards, documents, and sticky notes, it’s clearly thinking about this, too.
But in the meantime, there’s still an audience of self-appointed family historians, who are making old photos available to their extended families, as well as older folks who grew up in the pre-smartphone era and now want to bring their memories online, too.
By leveraging A.I. technology which runs locally, in real-time, on mobile devices, Photomyne is able to speed up the fairly tedious process of photo scanning using a handheld device. That is, instead of having to focus on one photo – as with Google’s PhotoScan, for example – Photomyne lets you scan multiple photos in a single shot as you flip through the pages of old albums.
It then breaks those up into individual photos by auto-detecting the boundaries.
It also auto-rotates sideways photos, crops the photos, corrects the photo perspective, and saves them in a digital album where you can further filter them, share, or – with the subscription – save locally, backup to the cloud, sync to other devices, or publish to a family website.
The ability to scan more photos in one shot makes the app appealing to those who want to upload their entire collection of old photos to the web, instead of picking and choosing specific photos to import.
In addition, the app’s A.I.-based technology improves over time the more you use it, says Photomyne’s co-founder and CFO Yair Segalovitz.
And soon, the company plans to roll out other advanced features, too, he notes.
“We are focused on a new set of exciting features that we expect to release in the very near future. We intend to offer automatic color correction – such as fixing color decay – and the ability to search interesting photos in our 70 million-plus photo archive,” says Segalovitz.
To date, Photomyne has been downloaded 7 million times and is largely used in the U.S. and in Western Europe, though it’s starting to see growth in China, too.
The Series A round was led by Luxembourg-based Maor, a co-investment tech fund from Philippe Guez and Eric Elalouf. It also included participation from Israeli investors and others from its seed round a couple of years ago.
With the new funding, the company plans to expand its team of 16 to around 25 and scale the business in Japan and South East Asia, in particular.
Photomyne is a free download on iOS and Android, but the full range of feature is only available to subscribers.
When you’re in the market for a new phone, which features are most important to you?
Many people make their decision based on operating system, overall battery life, and the manufacturer. But what about the screen? If you’re a smartphone addict, it’s arguably the most important aspect to consider.
These days, the common belief is that the iPhone X’s screen is the best one out there. But is that true? Let’s take a closer look.
The iPhone X’s Screen and Display
We’re going to focus on the specifications and underlying technology in leading smartphones’ screens.
As such, we won’t be discussing the divisive notch and virtual home button on the iPhone X. You can let us know what you think about those in the comments section.
Well, the iPhone X is Apple’s first OLED phone. For those who don’t know what OLED means, it stands for “organic light-emitting diode.” In practice, it means every pixel on the screen produces light. That differs from a typical LED screen, which instead uses a backlight.
As a result, users can expect to see deeper blacks, more vibrant colors, a greater brightness range, and improved contrast. OLED screens also help battery life; black pixels don’t need to produce any light. It means iPhone X owners can enjoy an average of two hours of additional battery life when compared to the iPhone 8.
But OLED screens are nothing new; top-of-the-line Android phones have been using them for a while. There must be something else that lets the iPhone X screen garner such praise, then.
And there is! It’s the resolution. The iPhone X’s display boasts an incredible resolution of 2436×1125, giving it a pixel density of 458PPI. Apple calls it “Super Retina,” but as a user, all you need to know is that it’s really, really crisp.
But wait, there’s more! DisplayMate—the leading company for testing, evaluating, and comparing phone displays—came up with a list of areas in which the iPhone X screen set or met existing records.
All the tests were conducted under laboratory conditions, and the results found the iPhone X had:
Highest absolute color accuracy
The highest full-screen brightness for OLED smartphones
Highest full-screen contrast rating in ambient light
Highest contrast ratio
Lowest screen reflectance
Smallest brightness variation with viewing angle
But what about the competition? After all, the iPhone X isn’t brand-new anymore. Several flagship models from other manufacturers have since come to market.
Compare to Samsung Galaxy S9’s Screen and Display
In March 2018, the Samsung Galaxy S9 hit the shelves. You can argue about which phone offers the best features and overall package, but remember, we’re only interested in comparing the screens.
And in the battle of the screens, the Samsung Galaxy S9 wins. Seriously, it’s better than the iPhone X.
Don’t believe us? Let’s refer back to our good friends at DisplayMate. Here’s what the company said about the Galaxy’s screen:
“Based on our extensive Lab Tests and Measurements, the Galaxy S9 has an impressive display that establishes many new display performance records, earning DisplayMate’s Best Performing Smartphone Display Award, and receiving our highest ever A+ grade.”
The phone set two new records:
For “Highest Absolute Color Accuracy,” its 0.7 JNCD (Just Noticeable Color Difference) beat the iPhone’s 0.9 JNCD. The S9 also won “Smallest Shifts in Brightness and Color with Viewing Angle.” The review even went as far as the call the color accuracy “visually indistinguishable from perfect.”
The Galaxy S9’s screen also introduced three new features that were previously unseen on any smartphones:
Luminance independence: A peak brightness that does not interfere with lower average picture levels when used in ambient light.
User-adjustable white point: The idea of adjusting a screen’s color temperature is nothing new, but the S9 allows you to only set the temperature of white pixels, leaving the rest untouched. You can set the temperature to between 6,800K and 8,600K.
Vision accessibility display modes: Designed to help people with visual impairments, a new color lens mode offers 12 types of color filtering with selective transparency. Meanwhile, the color adjustment mode lets the user adjust colors interactively based on their visual similarity.
Elsewhere, it offers 529PPI and a resolution of 2220×1080 pixels.
Perhaps none of this should come as a surprise. In its iPhone X review, DisplayMate praised Samsung for developing and manufacturing the OLED hardware in the device. The S9 merely took the next step.
Compare to OnePlus 6’s Screen and Display
The only other phone screen that can come close to rivaling the iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy S9 is the OnePlus 6. It was released in May 2018.
There’s no denying that this phone’s screen is incredible. It’s a considerable step up on every other flagship phone that’s available today. But alas, it’s not as good as its two competitors.
However, in the interests of completion, let’s take a quick look at what it offers.
The 2280×1080 resolution offers a pixel density of 402PPI. That’s less than the S9 (529) and the iPhone X (458), but it still marks an upgrade on previous OnePlus models.
It also lags behind the other two phones when it comes to viewing angle. According to independent testing, you’re liable to experience color fringing when using the screen at a closer-than-typical distance. Broadly speaking, pixels are unresolvable past 12 inches.
The phone also struggles with color temperature. Whereas the S9 earned praise for its adjustable white point, the OnePlus’ sRGB and DCI-P3 display profiles show whites at 6276K. That’s too warm; 6504K is considered the standard for white.
Unfortunately, the repercussion of the excessively warm OnePlus display is skewed color accuracy. The upper half of the red saturation range is below average.
The iPhone X’s Screen Is Good, But Not the Best
If you’re buying a phone based solely on screen quality, the clear winner is the Samsung Galaxy S9. The iPhone X is the runner-up, with the OnePlus 6 in a distant third. However, all three models are significantly better than any other flagship phone on the market.
Python is used in everything from the Raspberry Pi to machine learning. If you want to work on any large project however, you’ll need to know how Python works with object-oriented programming (OOP). This article will cover the very basics you need to know.
If you’re not actually into programming, why not take a look at these best Monty Python sketches instead? They did inspire the language, after all!
Wait, Python’s Not a Real Language?
Let’s get one thing clear: Python IS a real programming language, it’s popular, and it’s rapidly growing. Just because it reads like pseudocode and you can code Minecraft on the Pi with it, that doesn’t mean you should discount it as a lesser language.
OOP is the cornerstone of modern software development, and Python is more than capable of keeping up. It may do one or two things differently than other mainstream languages, but don’t let that put you off.
Before getting started, you may wish to get your Python development environment setup. We’ll be using Python 3.6.5, and while you can use older versions, you’ll have less problems following along if you’re using a fairly new version.
You’ll want to create a virtual environment if you don’t have one already, and install PIP for Python if that’s not installed (it comes with most modern installs of Python though). Once you got those setup, you’ll be good to go. Let’s get started!
The Basics of Python: Classes
A class is the basic building block of OOP. A class is like a plan or blueprint. They define characteristics of an object. If you have a car class, for example, it may state that there are four wheels, at least one seat, and an engine.
Here’s how to make a class in Python:
class Vehicle:
""" This class defines vehicles. """
pass
Simple right? There’s a few things going on here. Notice the comment at the top of the class. This is a special comment called a docstring. It should explain a bit about your code. By using the triple quotes (“””), you’re telling Python that this is a docstring.
The pass keyword tells Python do to nothing. It’s a special word, and you can think of it like a todo. It will make your code run, but it doesn’t actually do anything.
If you run this code, you’ll see that nothing happens. You need to instantiate you class. This effectively means to go and build an object based on the plan defined in the class. You can create as many copies as you like, each with different properties. Here’s how you do that:
red_car = Vehicle()
If you run this again, you’ll see that nothing happens. The code is working correctly, but you’ve not told it to do anything noticeable. The Vehicle class defines blueprints for a vehicle, and this latest line creates a vehicle object, and gives it a name of red_car.
It’s possible to make as many objects as you like:
Let’s add some more code. Add a method called __init__ to the Vehicle class:
class Vehicle:
""" This class defines vehicles. """
def __init__(self, color='plain'):
""" Setup some custom car properties """
print('New car made!')
self.color = color
red_car = Vehicle()
green_car = Vehicle()
blue_car = Vehicle()
Pay special attention to this __init__ method. It must begin and end with two underscores. This is a special method in Python. It gets called automatically when you create a new object. Running this code will show the words “New car made!” three times.
Finally, __init__ takes a custom argument called color. The equals sign and string immediately following tell Python to set the color to “plain” if not specified. You can modify your instances to setup your car color at creation:
If you print the car color, you’ll see that each instance has a different color, even though all three were made to the same specification (the class). Python allows you to access nearly any variable or object—not many other languages allow you to do this:
This works because you assigned color to self.color. Self is another special keyword in Python, and it refers to each specific instance of a class. Whenever you use self, you can set or access data unique to that instance. The red car has a color of red, for example.
Modify your __init__ method to store the car noise in a variable:
self.noise = 'Vroooom'
To print the car noise, you could just access the noise variable, like you did with color, but this isn’t the best idea. What if, when you drive a car, you want some other code to run at the same time, maybe code that you haven’t written yet? Or what if you want to change how a car drives in the future? By creating a function (also known as a method), you can tightly control how things work. Add this below your __init__ method:
def drive(self):
print(self.noise)
You can call this method quite simply:
red_car.drive()
Whenever you call the drive method, Python will print the sound. You can expand this to perform all manor of tasks, but leave it as is for now.
Well done! By now you should have a firm grip on the basics. You should be able to create and use your own classes, each with their own unique abilities and functions.
What About Private Variables in Python?
Private objects are very common in most other languages. They are simply variables or functions that cannot be accessed outside the class. They may be code that requires special conditions to be met before use, or simply designed for internal use only. Whatever the reason, instances cannot access private members… unless you’re coding in Python.
Python does not have private members. Instead, Python relies on an honor system: “We are all consenting adults.” Python programmers understand that you may want to tinker with the sensitive internals of a class, and that’s okay, so nothing should ever be truly inaccessible.
However, Python does have an accepted convention for marking certain variables as “private” in the sense of “This variable is for internal use and you probably don’t need to touch it.” The convention is to prefix variable names with an underscore:
_some_secret_variable = 42
This acts as a warning to other programmers. Python won’t stop you accessing this, but the underscore advices you that this was not designed to be used this way, and you should continue at your own risk.
It’s sometimes the Python way to tinker with hidden stuff, but you run the risk that things may not work properly.
Understanding Inheritance in Python
Inheritance is another way to reduce duplication and reuse code. Thinking of a parent and child relationship, inheritance allows the child to share common code with the parent. Let’s implement an electric car, which inherits from the parent.
Add this code below your Vehicle class:
class ElectricCar(Vehicle):
""" Electric vehicle class. """
def charge(self):
print('Zzz')
electric_car = ElectricCar()
electric_car.charge()
electric_car.noise = 'Whoosh'
electric_car.drive()
After the ElectricCar is defined, the Vehicle class is specified inside two brackets. This tells Python that ElectricCar is a child of Vehicle. This gives it access to all the data and methods provided in Vehicle.
The electric car has its own special methods. It can charge (something that other vehicles cannot do). By changing the car noise, and then driving, you can see that the electric car makes a different sound, and you didn’t have to define the drive method. This is because drive is inherited from the parent.
Expand Your Python Knowledge Even Further
These examples have shown just how easy OOP can be in Python. We’ve only just covered the very basics, but once you’ve got those down, the rest is easy.
By connecting two Macs together in this way, you can quickly transfer files, migrate your data to a new Mac, or access your startup disk when macOS refuses to boot. While regular backups are always essential, Target Disk Mode provides added peace of mind in case disaster strikes.
Let’s take a deeper look at what Target Disk Mode is and the different ways you can use it to your benefit.
What Is Target Disk Mode?
Target Disk Mode is a boot mode which allows you to browse and transfer files to and from a Mac’s internal drive without booting macOS. Volumes mount virtually and instantly, and the use of a cable means that transfers are significantly faster than equivalent wireless methods.
You cannot use the target Mac while it is in Target Disk Mode. Your Mac essentially becomes an enclosure for your internal drive. In order to use your Mac again, you’ll need to disconnect and reboot as normal.
Target Disk Mode was first introduced with the PowerBook 100 in 1991 and has made it into most Mac models since then. Exceptions include the tray-loading iMac, Power Macintosh G3 and G4, models of iBook G3 without FireWire, the first MacBook Air (2008-2009), and old unibody MacBook.
What You Need to Use Target Disk Mode
You’ll need two compatible Mac computers in order to use Target Disk Mode, each with a FireWire or Thunderbolt interface. You’ll also need a cable and any necessary adapters (like Thunderbolt to FireWire, or Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3).
You cannot use plain old USB type-A connectors (not even USB 3.0), but old Thunderbolt and FireWire connections play nicely with the latest standards. Be aware that Thunderbolt cables aren’t cheap. Apple is currently asking $39 for a 2.6-foot-long Thunderbolt 3 cable.
If you’re using a recent Mac, like the post-2017 MacBook Pro or slim iMac, make sure you pick a genuine Thunderbolt 3 cable and not a new-shape USB cable (or Apple’s charger). We’ve put together a guide to help you understand the differences between USB type-C and Thunderbolt cables.
How to Use Target Disk Mode on Mac
When using Target Disk Mode, each Mac takes on a different role:
Target: This is the Mac that contains the disk you want to access. You won’t be able to do anything using this Mac, since it will remain in Target Disk Mode for the duration of the operation.
Host: This is the Mac which will be accessing the drive. It will boot into macOS as normal so you can transfer files.
1. Connect Your Two Machines
Take your cable and connect both computers via the relevant Thunderbolt or FireWire ports. Connect any adapters you need for older machines. If you’re performing this operation on a MacBook, make sure it has enough power for the duration of the transfer or connect it to a power source.
2. Start the Target Mac in Target Disk Mode
You can do this two ways:
Shut down your target Mac, hit the power button, then press T and hold it while your Mac boots. You can let go when you see a Thunderbolt or FireWire icon on screen.
If your target Mac is already running, head to System Preferences > Startup Disk and click on Target Disk Mode to force a restart into Target Disk Mode. No need to hold any keys down here.
3. Decrypt and Access Your Drive
Wait for macOS to detect your target Mac’s drive. If your target drive is encrypted with FileVault, you’ll need to enter your password when you start up the target Mac. Wait for the drive to decrypt, then it should show up like any other external drive.
4. Copy, Transfer, and Disconnect
Use Finder to browse files, copy to and from the drive, and then safely eject your drive. You can do this by dragging your target Mac’s drive icon over the Trash can, or by right-clicking the drive and selecting Eject.
On your target Mac, press the power button to power down the machine. You can now restart this machine as normal, if you want.
When to Use Target Disk Mode on Mac
Now that you know how to use target disk mode, you should familiarize yourself with some of the applications for this boot mode.
Quick Wired File Transfers
If you’re used to transferring files between computers using intermediary media like an external hard drive, why not use Target Disk Mode instead? There’s no need to copy from your Mac to a USB volume, then from the USB volume to your destination—simply move from Mac to Mac.
This is most useful for large files like videos, media libraries, disk images, and so on. A wired transfer via Thunderbolt is much faster than a similar wireless transfer using the notoriously buggy AirDrop.
Transferring Data With macOS Migration Assistant
If you’ve bought a new Mac, you’re going to want to transfer your old data to it. There’s no faster way to achieve this than with Target Disk Mode. In this scenario, your new Mac (which you’re transferring data to) is the host and your old Mac (which you want to pull data from) is the target.
Connect the target and host, boot the target into Target Disk Mode as normal, then on the host launch Migration Assistant under Utilities. Select From another Mac, PC, Time Machine backup, or other disk then select From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk.
When prompted, select your target Mac’s drive and hit Continue to start the transfer process.
Recovering Files When macOS Won’t Boot
Operating system failures happen to the best of us. Whether it’s the result of a botched macOS upgrade, or a dodgy kernel extension that’s preventing your system from booting, connect your problem Mac in Target Disk Mode and breathe easy.
Once you’ve mounted your Mac’s drive, you can start to copy the important files, media libraries, and work documents you forgot to back up. If you’ve got enough space, you could grab your entire /Users/ folder!
Run a Target Mac’s Operating System on the Host
What if you have a MacBook with a broken screen or dodgy keyboard? Using Target Disk Mode, you can use a host Mac to boot a target’s operating system. This will restore access to your damaged Mac so you can recover files, wipe the hard drive, and do anything else you need to do.
Connect the two machines as normal, and launch your broken (target) Mac in Target Disk Mode. Now reboot the host machine and enter Startup Manager by holding Option as your host Mac boots. You’ll see your target Mac’s drive appear in the boot menu. Select it, and your host will boot your target’s drive as normal.
You’ll need to know the FileVault password in order to decrypt the drive if you’re using it. From here, it’s possible to recover files, run applications, and prepare your machine for repair.
Limitations of Target Disk Mode on Mac
Target Disk Mode offers real peace of mind and some everyday benefits—you’ll just have to remember to use it! But if you’ve really trashed your target Mac, this can’t help fix your problems.
This is because Target Disk Mode will only work if your drive is operational. If you have a faulty drive, be prepared for some issues. Damage to Thunderbolt and FireWire ports will also make this tricky, as well as logic board issues that might prevent normal operation of these ports.
In November, Google introduced Datally, a data-saving app largely aimed at emerging markets where users often rely on prepaid SIM cards, and don’t have access to all-you-can-eat unlimited data plans. The app lets users granularly control which apps can use data, which resulted in a 30% savings on data usage during pilot testing and now saves users 21%, on average. Today, Google is giving Datally an upgrade with several new features that will help users cut data usage even further.
One key feature is the introduction of daily limits, which allow you to control your data usage on a per-day basis. This one is more about creating better habits around data consumption, so you don’t accidentally burn through too much data in a day, then end up without any data left before the month ends.
This also ties into to Google’s larger push to give users more insights into their own behavior when using mobile devices, and more tools to combat the addictive nature of smartphones.
The company in May announced new time management features for Android users, as well as new features to help users silence their phones and wind down at bedtime. It also has software for parents to limit screen time for their children.
While the Datally feature is primarily about conserving data, it acknowledges that it’s often easy to get sucked into your smartphone and lose track of how much time – and then, consequently, how much mobile data – you want to spend.
Another new Datally feature lets you enable a guest mode where you control how much data someone borrowing your phone can use – helpful in those situations where phones are shared among family members.
The “Unused Apps” feature, meanwhile, highlights those apps you’ve stopped using but could still be leaking data. Google notes that, for many people, 20 percent of mobile data is from apps using data in the background that haven’t been opened for over a month. Unused Apps will find those culprits so you can uninstall them, it says.
And finally, a new Wi-Fi Map shows all the nearby Wi-Fi networks so you can find those with a good signal and stop using your mobile data.
Though Datally is aimed at helping the “Next Billion Users” come online, it’s not limited to emerging markets. Anyone concerned with data usage can give it a shot.
The new additions are rolling out to Datally today, says Google.
The Android app, which has been downloaded over 10 million times, is free on Google Play.
