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  • Feature Roundup: Google Assistant Visual Snapshot

    Feature Roundup: Google Assistant Visual Snapshot

    Google’s push for its assistant to make your life easier continues with the Visual Snapshot. Featuring a dashboard that helps you organize your life at a glance, Visual Snapshot is set to revolutionize how you interact with your virtual assistant. It’s set to go live soon, and we’re pretty excited about it!

    What’s the Deal with Visual Snapshot?

    The feature’s first and foremost function is its use as a personal assistant. It’ll remind you of flights and reservations, of course, and even tells you how much traffic is between you and your destination. The first page is entirely dedicated to these travel times, since your life is certainly busy enough that you need to keep ahead of traffic.

    That’s not all it does, either. It can remind you of when deliveries are expected to arrive. The assistant can remind you about movies and events you’ve got tickets for, or appointments you’ve made. All of the cards that host this information are available in the app, and the AI that runs it will curate the information based on where you are. For instance, if you’re at the office, you’ll see traffic info for how to get home the fastest. If you just walked in the door, you might see a notification about when your grocery delivery is arriving.

    Proactive Notifications

    The most interesting feature in the new Snapshot is proactive notifications. These are notifications you receive if your plans need to change. For instance, if your dinner reservation is at 8, but traffic is very heavy, you might be prompted to leave early to make it on time. If your flight gets a delay, you’ll be notified. You can even be notified of bills that need to be paid so that you aren’t caught off guard.

    When Can I Try It?

    Visual Snapshot is launching later this week! You can access it through your Google Assistant or through an iOS app. Get ready to get organized as this new feature rolls out!

  • Dyson V8 Absolute Feature Roundup

    Dyson V8 Absolute Feature Roundup

    Dyson’s a big name when it comes to things that suck. I mean that in a good way, though! While the Dyson V8 Absolute isn’t the newest or flashiest thing from the company, it is still excellent. The V8 Absolute is one of our favorite cordless vacuums, and today we’re rounding up its best features!

    Cordless and Convenient

    The V8 Absolute is totally cordless, light and easy to maneuver. It’s great at getting into hard-to-reach sports, and perfect for big houses where you have to cover a lot of ground. Having to fuss with a cord around corners or furniture is a pain, so its nice to not have to worry about it here.

    Different Brush Heads

    The many different head attachments are great for the convenient Dyson V8 Absolute. If you want to take it outside to clean your car, there’s a head for that. If you want to vacuum the stairs, use the hose attachment. It’s really flexible and works great!

    Performance

    It’s a Dyson, so it’s great. It can clean on carpet, hardwood, whatever! It works like a charm in most any environment. Even really tough messes you’d normally think a cordless can’t handle are easy for this vacuum. We also love how quiet it is! If you have pets or live in an apartment, you can be sure this vacuum won’t disturb anyone nearby. It’s still audible, of course, but not nearly as loud as most conventional vacuums.

    Battery Life

    The only place where we dock points from the vacuum is on its relatively short battery life. It gets about 50 minutes of life with everything but the main brush head. The main head, however, only allows for 25 minutes of charge. After the charge is spent, it takes about 4 hours to get another full charge. That’s not amazing, but it doesn’t totally diminish the experience.

    Dyson V8 Absolute Bottom Line

    The $500 vacuum is a great value and works like a charm. Other than its relatively shallow battery, it’s a fantastic pick for cleaning your house. It’s light, convenient and powerful, and works in any environment. Try it for yourself and you’ll see what we mean!

  • Budget Roundup: Headphones Under $100

    Budget Roundup: Headphones Under $100

    Beats headphones are wonderful, but they’re really quite expensive. Ironically, you don’t have to spend all that much money to get a solid pair of headphones. To be honest, unless you’re the type that just loves name brands, you should probably check out some of these options instead! Let’s look at some of the best headphones under $100.

    Klipsch R6

    If you’re looking for a great value on a great set of earbuds, we’ve got good news for you. The Klipsch R6 earbuds are a steal, running only around $40-$50, having been knocked down in price considerably. They were introduced around $100, but they were well worth that price too. The fact that they’re running for less than half that now is pretty mind-blowing. If you can find a good sale on these, pick them up. You’ll be glad you did.

    Shure SE112

    These come in right at $100, but they’re all-around great wireless earbuds. There’s a wired version, too, if your phone still has a headphone jack. If not, no sweat, the wireless configuration is also great, with excellent battery life and sound quality. These earbuds sound great on all registers, high and low, and do a good job blocking outside sounds. The sound quality is the real star of the show, and these earbuds cost about half what a product of their quality could.

    V-Moda Forza

    These comfortable, powerful and stylish earbuds will set you back $100. And man, they’re worth every penny. They have a wide variety of endcaps and fins, so you can customize yours until they fit in your ear perfectly. They’re also water-resistant, making them perfect to bring by the pool or take out exercising. These little workhorse earbuds sound great, too, bringing a big, wide sound despite their small size. The drivers are crisp, and all genres sound great with them. If you’re looking for a great, affordable set of workout earbuds, here they are!

    Our Favorite Headphones Under $100: Marshall Major II

    These fantastic over-ear headphones are our favorites that come in under $100. Marshall’s headphones are often stylish, and these are no exception. They have a classic appearance, looking like a vintage set of earphones. Importantly, they also have impressive sound quality, blowing headphones that cost twice as much out of the water. It’s really hard to justify buying more expensive headphones when these can be snagged for around $50 when they’re on sale.

  • Nest CEO Steps Down After Google Rearranges

    Nest CEO Steps Down After Google Rearranges

    Google acquired smart thermometer maker Nest in 2014. Nest, founded by ex-Apple engineer Tony Fadell, has experienced a ton of shakeups lately. New reports from C-NET indicate that Alphabet, Google’s parent company, even shopped the company around to Amazon at one point. Given Google and Amazon’s current relationship, that’s honestly quite surprising.

    Nest CEO Marwan Fawaz

    Fawaz was installed in 2016 after Fadell left the company. According to anonymous sources from within Nest, he wasn’t exactly an office favorite. Many felt that Fadell was a visionary, and his brand of leadership inspired the team. His Apple-inspired product design led to clean, effective products. Fawaz, on the other hand, proved to be a bit more of a “logistics guy.” It’s not so much that he was disliked, according to sources, as he was un-charismatic.

    Many sources stated that they felt as though Fawaz was more of a “numbers guy,” someone who was more suited to logistics than leadership. In fact, Fawaz is moving to an advisory position within Alphabet, which indicates that his bosses felt the same.

    Google’s Fight to Dominate Smart Homes

    In February, Alphabet rolled Nest back into the fold after leaving them as a semi-independent entity since 2015. In the interim since Google acquired Nest, the smart home market has heated up significantly. Amazon holds nearly half of the market, its Alexa virtual assistant being a household name. Google, by contrast, only holds about a quarter of the market. This is something they wish to change, of course.

    Amazon doesn’t sell Google’s smart home products, generally. Nest thermostats and some other Nest devices appear on the site, but Google’s proprietary Google Home is nowhere to be seen. That has certainly limited Google Home’s reach, and the company has been playing catch-up in that regard. However, Google has also pursued upgrades for its assistant through its incorporation in their smartphones. Google Pixel phones and Android OS both support Google Assistant, just like Google Home. This gives them a unique edge over Amazon, one that they plan to leverage.

    However, the relatively unstable Nest situation has certainly not helped them achieve smart home domination. In that light, Fawaz’s redeployment as an advisor makes sense, as Google reworks the hierarchy of their smart home division. The heat is on, and they want to win the race with Amazon.

  • Get a Taste of Luxury with the 2019 Acura MDX

    Get a Taste of Luxury with the 2019 Acura MDX

    2019 will be remembered as the year of SUV. Trends in the automotive market show that everyone wants an SUV right now, and who can blame them? They’re spacious, offer a smooth ride and can carry you and your family all over! Not to mention, they’re great for carrying equipment and going camping. Acura hasn’t missed the signals, either, and has brought a pretty sweet new model for the 2019 year.  The 2019 Acura MDX, unveiled earlier this year, is a new entry-level SUV in Acura’s range. Don’t let its entry-level price fool you, though, it’s a sweet vehicle.

    2019 Acura MDX: A Modern Design

    While the MDX has been around since 2013, this newest entry is a slight overhaul. It now features LED-matrix headlights that are crazy bright, first seen on the TLX. Acura’s new diamond-pentagon front grille also makes an appearance here, looking mean and sleek all at once. The A-Spec has a pseudo-sporty look that underscores the combination of luxury and style. The interior boasts sports pedals, A-Spec gauges and incredibly comfortable seats. It’s really hard to beat the A-Spec!

    And A Modern Ride to Match

    The engine, a Honda-made 3.5-liter J series, has 290 horses and 267 pound-feet of torque. Those are impressive numbers for such a big, easy-riding vehicle. On top of that, the smooth suspension and clean braking give you an enviable ride that matches the MDX’s sleek looks. Whether you’re heading across town or across country, this vehicle will handle great and make the ride fun.

    High-Tech Amenities

    The MDX also sports a ton of high-tech accoutrements that you want to see in an SUV in this price range. For one thing, the MDX sports AcuraWatch, the company’s proprietary advanced safety features. These include things like lane keeping assist, cruise-control with radar guiding, braking assist and forward collision warnings.

    Pricing

    The 2019 Acura MDX has a starting price of $44,300, which sets it firmly in the “luxury” spectrum of SUVs. That said, you get a lot of bang for your buck! If you’re looking for a high-tech, luxury ride, look no further!

    Feature Image Credit: CNET

  • Russian BTC-e Suspect Ordered to France, not America

    Russian BTC-e Suspect Ordered to France, not America

    Russian national Alexander Vinnik has been ruled to be sent to France in connections to crimes related to Bitcoin. Vinnik is suspected to be the mastermind behind the BTC-e bitcoin exchange, a high-profile exchange that was preferred by criminals. The court that ruled him to go to France was a lower Greek court in Thessaloniki, which contradicted an earlier ruling. Previously, the Greek Supreme Court had ruled that Vinnik should be sent to America, where an indictment of him is ongoing.

    Russia’s Response

    Russia, a country known for its diplomatic tact, was rather candid when assessing the situation. Regarding Vinnick’s potential extradition, the Russian Foreign Ministry had this to say. According to them, sending Vinnick to France would “continue to complicate [Greece’s] relations with Russia” and that Russia wouldn’t “leave these actions unanswered.” Well, that sounds ominous and threatening.

    Mt Gox, BTC-e and Vinnik

    American prosecutors have connected Vinnik to the criminal bitcoin exchange BTC-e. In their indictment of him, they stated this. “BTC-e was an international money-laundering scheme that, by virtue of its business model, catered to criminals and to cybercriminals in particular.” They elaborated, “Through VINNIK’s efforts, BTC-e emerged as one of the principal means by which cybercriminals around the world laundered the proceeds of their illicit activity. BTC-e facilitated crimes, including computer hacking and ransomware, fraud, identity theft, tax-refund fraud schemes, public corruption, and drug trafficking.”

    Vinnik has also been connected by prosecutors in the theft of bitcoin from the exchange Mt Gox. Mt Gox, a Japan-based bitcoin exchange, was one of the most popular exchanges early in the currency’s history. However, following the theft, the exchange went into a downward spiral and eventually went under. If Vinnik is connected to that case, his involvement would solve a long-standing injustice in the bitcoin community.

    Vinnik’s Fate

    Where Vinnik will ultimately be sent is up to the Greek minister of justice. Vinnik will either be sent to America, France, or back to Russia, depending on what the minister thinks is the best course of action. The country he is sent to will likely have huge repercussions in the ongoing case against him.

    Feature Image Credit: CBS News

  • Valve Puts Temporary Hold on Adult Games on Steam

    Valve Puts Temporary Hold on Adult Games on Steam

    Valve’s guidelines for what games will be allowed on the service have changed quite a bit recently. While they were initially a bit more direct, cautioning developers to reduce offensive content in said games, they’ve recently backed off of this a bit. Instead, the massive publishing company has stated that they’re reworking the Steam Marketplace to allow users finer control over what they see.

    For instance, if a parent wishes to restrict their child’s marketplace from being able to view adult games. Or, even if certain customers simply don’t want to see adult games or have them recommended to them. As far as Valve’s concerned, under the new policy, you can have whatever you want in your game, as long as it isn’t illegal, such as depictions of certain acts involving minors.

    Adult Games Held Back from Steam

    According to some developers, though, their games have been put on hold from being released for the time being. Apparently, according to developer Love in Space, their game Shining Song Starnova was being put on hold by Steam until it met new requirements. According to Valve, they’ll have more information on why titles like this are being held back soon. The company maintains that this is all part of the new initiative that customers can be selective with what they see on the marketplace.

    Unseen Benchmarks

    For developers like Love in Space, however, this is a rather unsettling prospect. They’ve been given no official timeline on when they can expect their game to be released. Further, they’ve received no statement as to what changes they need to make so that it can be released. While such measures might seem trivial to some, to many developers, this is unsettling.

    While content restrictions on mature games make sense, the developers need to be informed. Informed as to what guidelines they’re operating under, for one, and what won’t fly. Steam is the single largest platform for PC games in the world. And, as such, not having one’s game be available through the service is a poor business decision. As such, the developers’ distaste for this opaque policy is understandable.

  • New Samsung DRAM Chip Set to Overhaul Smartphones

    New Samsung DRAM Chip Set to Overhaul Smartphones

    Processors in smartphones are receiving countless upgrades these days. Industry mainstay Qualcomm is ahead of the curve, producing chips for Android phones that rival some laptops. Apple’s A11 Bionic processor is like lightning on a chip, performing tasks with blistering speed. The newest entry into this smartphone race is Samsung, the Korean juggernaut that makes the Galaxy line of phones. Testing on their 8GB LPDDR5 DRAM line of new chips has begun in earnest. This new DRAM chip is slated to ship in AI-powered 5G smartphones.

    Less Power Consumption

    The biggest takeaway from Samsung’s marketing of this new DRAM chip is the low power consumption. In general, they promise that the chip is overall more efficient and will help save battery life. More importantly, though, the “deep sleep mode” offered by the chip will help ensure that battery consumption is low when the phone isn’t being used. Samsung claims this will lead to an average of 30 percent longer battery life for phones with these new DRAM chips.

    Surprising Power

    The 8GB LPDDR5 DRAM also boasts some impressive specs. The data rate is much faster than standard chips are currently, transferring around 51GB in a second. That’s a bit hard to visualize, so here’s an example: that’s about 14 HD video files per second. Which is, frankly, nuts.

    The combination of that high amount of transfer speed and low consumption will be critical for AI phones. AI will likely require large amounts of through-put for data as it parses information. Similarly, the always-learning programs will benefit from lower consumption of power and longer battery lives. This means that Samsung’s newest chips will likely give it a competitive edge as personal phones with AI companions become the industry standard. Programs like Alexa, Siri and Bixby will likely evolve alongside new chips in this vein, taking advantage of their strengths. The future of phones is AI, and Samsung has set themselves up for success in this field.

  • Facebook Protecting Far-Right Extremist Groups

    Facebook Protecting Far-Right Extremist Groups

    Facebook has been at the center of many controversies recently. The Cambridge Analytica leak was a huge breach of user data that set the company on the back foot. Then, news broke that the site had been used as a platform by Russian nationals seeking to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. After some purported changes in the site’s algorithm and some nominal moves to oppose “fake news,” Facebook is back in the hot seat. This time, they’re reported to be defending Far-Right extremist Tommy Robinson and his group Britain First, among others.

    “Shielded Review”

    The policy in question was referred to at the time as “Shielded Review.” The way Facebook deals with groups that violate its terms of service is pretty clear. After the fifth post in the group that is evidence of hate speech, the group is shut down. However, in many instances, including the Britain First case, the group fell under “Shielded Review” (which has since been renamed “cross-check”). Shielded Review meant that, even though the offending posts were taken down, the group was allowed to continue existing. According to Facebook, this was because of the high-profile nature of the group and the large number of members. It would seem these groups are so large that their traffic makes Facebook too much money to ban outright.

    Facebook’s Statement

    A spokesperson for Facebook, Richard Allen, stated the following in a Tuesday blog post. “It’s clear that some of what is shown in the program does not reflect Facebook’s policies or values, and falls short of the high standards we expect,” referring to Shielded Review. “We take these mistakes in some of our training processes and enforcement incredibly seriously and are grateful to the journalists who brought them to our attention. Where we know we have made mistakes, we have taken action immediately. We are providing additional training and are working to understand exactly what happened so we can rectify it.”

    Emboldening the Far-Right

    This comes at a particularly sensitive time. Last year, Far-Right terrorists in Charlottesville killed a peaceful protestor, sparking national outrage. Facebook’s apparently light hand with these hate groups is especially troubling in light of this fact. It begs the question: which move is too much? Facebook has had numerous second chances to recover from costly mistakes. At some point, the company will be too deep in their own mistakes to wade back.

  • 2019 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport: Best of Both Worlds

    2019 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport: Best of Both Worlds

    Acting as the middle ground between the Z06’s massive power and the Stingray’s lower-end performance, the Grand Sport is an impressive balancing act. For many car buyers, power like that of the Z06 is just impractical. It’s awesome when you get out on the track, but how often do you really get to cut loose? At the same time, many enthusiasts want that stellar acceleration and speed for the times they get a long stretch of highway. If you want your car to be fun to drive but not put you in debt forever, the 2019 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport is your car. It brings power, style and panache to bear for a great price.

    Under the Hood

    The GM standard workhorse engine is in play here. That 6.2-liter LT1 V8 engine puts out 460 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. You hear every bit of it, too, as this engine is loud and responsive. While some may prefer a quieter ride, the 2019 Grand Sport is not that.

    All-in-all, the Grand Sport has a fantastic ride. The suspension feels nice on the street and on the track, and the car handles beautifully around turns. Everything in the engine works in harmony around sharp turns, and you can really feel the power. The best part is the balancing act, though. When you’re stuck in traffic going across town, the car doesn’t feel impatient. When you hit a bump, the suspension doesn’t feel stiff. You get a lot of the fun of the track without many of the drawbacks.

    Design

    She’s pretty, and then some. This vehicle just looks downright mean, no matter how you slice it. If you like the classic Corvette look, it’s on display here, and its sexy as ever. Few cars match that raw, American, powerful look, and it really underscores the car’s strengths. It’s hard to see this vehicle sitting in your driveway and not want to take it out for a spin.

    Is the 2019 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport Worth it?

    Yeah, it’s absolutely worth it. It starts around $65,000, and it’s really the only thing like it in its price range. The closest vehicle in performance is probably the Jaguar F-Type, but that vehicle will set you back $100,000. That puts the Grand Sport in a rather underpopulated price bracket for cars with its kind of power. If you’ve been wanting a sports car that can handle the track or the street, the Grand Sport is for you.