Facebook is reportedly building a censorship tool so it can re-enter China

Facebook is developing a software tool that suppresses users’ posts from appearing in the News Feed in designated geographic areas, a possible first step toward making the social network available in China, the New York Times reported. The tool has reportedly caused a controversy within Facebook, with “several employees” quitting in protest after working on it, according to the Times.

Facebook has been banned from China since 2009. Like many US technology companies, Facebook has long sought a way back in, seeing the country’s 1.3 billion residents as a source of enormous potential growth. Google built a version of its search engine that complied with China’s censorship guidelines but retreated from the country in 2010 after a series of seemingly state-sponsored cyberattacks. More recently, Uber exited the Chinese market with a quick sale of its business there to local rival Didi Chuxing.

As the Times notes, Facebook has taken down posts in other countries around the world, including Pakistan, Russia, and Turkey. But the tool now in development would prevent the posts from ever surfacing in the News Feed at all, according to the report. Facebook plans to outsource censorship duties to a third-party company, the report said.

Allowing censors to manipulate public opinion directly

The news comes in the midst of a national discussion about Facebook’s growing power as a distributor of news, its role in containing the spread of lies and hoaxes, and the possibility that its refusal to adopt editorial standards may have influenced the US presidential election. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said the company is building new tools to address fake news. “I want what we do to have a good impact on the world,” Zuckerberg said earlier this month. “I want people to have a diversity of information.”

But the existence of a “censorship tool” would muddy those waters by allowing censors to manipulate public opinion directly by essentially preventing users from posting articles that offended the state. Once it were introduced, Facebook would likely face pressure from other autocratic regimes to enable its use in their own countries. It is not impossible that the United States would be one of those countries — a fact that led some sources to come forward to the Times, reporter Mike Isaac said on Twitter.

The Times cautioned that the tool is one of several approaches Facebook has considered and that it might never be introduced. “We have long said that we are interested in China, and are spending time understanding and learning more about the country,” a spokeswoman told The Verge. “However, we have not made any decision on our approach to China. Our focus right now is on helping Chinese businesses and developers expand to new markets outside China by using our ad platform.”

Fresh blow to China's troubled tech giant LeEco

The Chinese smartphone-maker Coolpad has unexpectedly warned of a sales slump, causing its shares to fall by nearly 10%.

It blamed tougher economic conditions and "fierce competition in the domestic smartphone market" for its troubles.
The news is a fresh blow to its biggest shareholder LeEco, which had recently increased its stake in the business.
Earlier this month, one of LeEco's co-founders warned of its own financial problems following a push into the US.

Partnership phone

Coolpad's stock dropped to a four-year low after it announced that sales had fallen by 43% over the first 10 months of 2016. It now expects to post a £3bn Hong Kong dollar ($386.8m; £313.2m) loss for its financial year as a whole.
LeEco became the firm's biggest shareholder in June, when it raised its stake in the company to 28.9%.
The two companies subsequently teamed up to release the metal-cased Cool1 Dual smartphone in August.
But the device struggled against rival handsets from other Chinese tech firms including Huawei, Oppo and Vivo.
"Chinese manufacturers used to be able to rely on their home market to give them unprecedented scale," commented Ben Wood from the tech consultancy CCS Insight.
"However, this year the Chinese market has plateaued and we are starting to see some of the casualties as a result."

American ambitions

The latest development casts a further cloud over LeEco after a period in which it pursued rapid growth.
In June, the privately-owned company bought 49 acres (19.8 hectares) of land from Yahoo in Santa Clara, California for a reported $250m.
In July, it revealed it was buying the US TV-maker Vizio for $2bn.
Then last month, the Beijing-based company held a high-profile launch event in San Francisco, where it announced it was to start selling a wide range of own-brand products in the US.
These include a range of 4K TVs, two smartphones, a virtual reality headset, a set-top box with its own streaming TV platform and an Android-enabled smart bicycle. It also planned for its concept car to drive itself on to the stage, but the vehicle was damaged en route to the event.
LeEco has outsize ambitions," noted the Recode tech news site at the time.
"The company literally describes itself as Apple, Netflix, Amazon and Tesla all rolled into one."
But on 7 November, Bloomberg revealed that LeEco's co-founder Jia Yueting had written to its 10,000-plus workers warning that its finances had come under pressure.
"We blindly sped ahead and our cash demand ballooned," the internal memo said.
"We got over-extended in our global strategy. At the same time, our capital and resources were in fact limited."

it had promised to show off the production vehicle at this January's CES.
It is unclear whether this is still planned.
"It would appear to be the case that LeEco has overstretched itself in multiple areas," said Mr Wood.
"Our bet is that it will now have to retrench and perhaps one of those investments will have to be sacrificed."

Google is updating Pixel phones with double-tap and raise-to-wake features

Google’s new Pixel smartphones received rave reviews at launch, but they also shipped without some much-wanted features found on their predecessors. Now, with an update pushed live for Canada owners today, the Pixel and Pixel XL have double-tap and raise-to-wake features. That way, you can tap two fingers on the device’s display to see alerts, or raise the phone to wake the screen and see notifications.

These features were present in one form or another on previous Google devices like the Nexus 6P. So they’re a welcome addition to the Pixel family, especially considering Apple just introduced raise-to-wake in iOS 10, and the Pixel is being positioned as the perfect Android alternative to Apple’s smartphone. It’s unclear when Google will release the features for US or international Pixel owners, but we can expect it some time soon.

To turn these features on, head over to the “Moves” section in the general settings panel. There you should find “Double-tap to check phone” and “Lift to check phone.” For those outside Canada interested in getting the features early, you can install a captured over-the-air zip file directly, though you’ll have to do a little extra work to ensure the update works on international and Verizon versions of the phone. For more information on that hack, head over to Droid Life.

Huawei Mate 9 review: Even with unfinished software, Huawei's best ever phone

Huawei's gigantic new flagship is off to a promising start, even on pre-release software. And it's an update away from being a really great handset.

With the spectacular failure of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 comes an opportunity for everyone else with a big-screened Android phone to sell. A major competitor in the world of "phablets" has been taken out of the game, and China's Huawei stands to benefit handsomely from Samsung's misfortune.

The company's long-running Mate series — itself a reaction to the success of the Note line, back in the day — has carved itself out a niche among consumers who appreciate its metal construction, enormous displays and epic battery life.

The new Mate 9 continues the family line — a slightly slimmer, smarter version of last year's Mate 8, with upgraded internals and a new dual camera setup courtesy of imaging partner Leica. Just as important as any hardware upgrade is the new EMUI 5 software, which is the biggest overhaul to Huawei's UI in years, bringing with it Android 7.0 Nougat.

But there's more than one Mate 9 model this time around. Alongside the vanilla 5.9-inch Mate 9 (with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage), Huawei will release a limited edition Porsche Design Mate 9, with a 5.5-inch curved AMOLED display, and a capacious 6GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

We've had a little over a week to get to know both the sensible and ludicrous Mate 9 models in the form of pre-release devices given to us by Huawei. They're running non-final software with a few bugs, and will be getting a software update before launch. Nevertheless, we've seen enough to come to some early conclusions. So here's what we think so far...

About this initial review

We're writing this initial review after a week with the regular Huawei Mate 9 (dual-SIM, MHA-L29), and four days with the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9 (dual-SIM, LON-L29). We used both devices on the EE and Vodafone UK networks while in the UK, and on Telekom.de and Vodafone Germany networks while roaming in Germany.

Both phones were running pre-production software (build B109SP02). We're expecting an over-the-air update to both devices in the next couple of weeks to bring them up to retail-quality firmware. We'll finalize this review in the coming weeks once we have final firmware on both Mate 9 devices. For now, we present our first impressions.

Google makes Translate more accurate and sophisticated

Here's a bit of news that will make your translation prowess a little more sophisticated.

If you're like me and you check yourself before you make a fool of yourself by butchering someone else's native tongue, you'll appreciate the latest update to Google Translate.

Google has announced that it's launched the next step in making its translation services even better: Neural Machine Translation. This technique translates whole sentences at a time rather than tackling them word-by-word. The results are less robotic, more contextual translations that won't make a fool of you when you're overseas.

The Neural Machine Translation engine is now in action for English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Turkish.

You can use it with Google Search, the Google Translate app for Android, and on the web. Google said its goal it to eventually roll out Neural Machine Translation to all 103 languages, but until that's fulfilled, consider contributing to the Translate Community, where you can help review translations. I just helped with Romanian!

LG V20 Hands-On

At a press event in San Fransisco, USA, LG has announced the successor to its V10 handset, and it’s calling it the V20. Now, even though the device has just been made official to the world,  LG invited me to briefly play with the smartphone a few days prior to the launch event. And here’s what I think of it from the short amount of time I had with a pre-production unit.

What’s new? A brand new design, which looks and feels premium, yet is durable at the same time. LG acknowledged the fact that the V10 was a big and clunky device, so they decreased the thickness by a millimetre, and, at the same time, made it a tad narrower as well. I have actually never held a V10 in my hands before, because it never came to Europe, therefore my LG UK PR folks weren’t able to arrange a review unit for me.

With that being said, just by comparing the dimensions of both devices on paper, the difference seems tangible — LG V10: 159.6 x 79.3 x 8.6mm; LG V20: 159.7 x 78.1 x 7.6mm.


As for the build materials, LG has somewhat spiced things up with its next generation V-series smartphone. While the V10 was made mostly out of plastic, with stainless steel rails on the sides. The V20 is primarily constructed out of aluminium, which is not anodised and does actually feels like metal this time around, unlike the LG G5. The top and bottom part of the handset, however, are made out of Silicone Polycarbonate (Si-PC), which LG says reduces shocks by more than 20% compared to conventional materials; this is how LG is retaining the rigidity of the device, while making the design more premium.

The V20 has also passed the MIL-STD 810G Transit Drop Test, which determined that the device could withstand shocks when dropped repeatedly from a height of four feet, landing in various positions, and still function normally.

Even though the back is made out of aluminium, it’s user-replaceable — simply press the button located on the bottom right side of the device and the cover will pop right off. You have probably already guessed where I’m going with this. Yes, the battery is removable. And its size has been increased from 3,000mAh to 3,200mAh. Additionally, the device supports QuickCharge 3.0 technology, so you don’t really need to carry an extra battery with you, but you can, if you want to. And the smartphone uses a USB-C connector for syncing and charging.

Just like the V10, the V20, too, is packing two displays. The primary display (IPS Quantum display) comes in at 5.7-inches with a Quad HD (2560x144) resolution and a pixel density of 513ppi. The secondary display is located just above the primary display. It has double the brightness and 50 percent larger font size, compared to its predecessor. What’s more, the Korean firm has implemented a new Expandable Notification feature, which allows the user to interact with their incoming notifications through the secondary display. The unit I tested suffered from slight light bleed, but, overall, I was impressed by the quality of the panel, during the short amount of time I had access to it.

Now it’s time we had a little chat about the multimedia capabilities of this device, because they are insane. LG has brought the G5’s dual-camera system to the V20, which includes a 16-megapixel sensor with an aperture of f/1.8 and a 78-degree lens, and an 8-megapixel sensor with an aperture of f/2.4 and a 135-degree, wide-angle lens. I wasn’t able to extract pictures from the device I was testing, but they looked pretty solid to me. The device is also capable of shooting 4K video at 30FPS.

Then there’s the Hybrid Auto Focus system, which elevates the photo taking and video recording experience to a whole another level. In total, there are three AF systems: Laser Detection AF, Phase Detection AF, and Contrast AF. According to the scenario in which you’re shooting a video or capturing an image, the device chooses which AF system to go with (LDAF or PDAF), and then further refines the focus with Contrast AF.

With the LG V20, the company is introducing SteadyShot 2.0. It’s a technology which utilises Qualcomm’s Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS) 3.0 and works in conjunction with Digital Image Stabilisation (DIS). The EIS uses the built-in gyroscope to neutralise shakiness from the video footage, while DIS uses algorithms to minimise the rolling shutter in post-processing.

Basically, the new auto focus systems should allow you to easily focus on an object in any lighting condition. And the new SteadyShot 2.0 technology should make your videos so smooth, that they should seem like they were shot using a gimbal. Nevertheless, at this very moment, I can’t really comment how well these technologies work in the real world, as I haven’t extensively tested the V20’s camera yet; expect a thorough examination of the camera in the full review.

The front-facing camera setup has received a few changes as well. Remember how the V10 boasted two 5-megapixel camera sensors at the front, one with a standard, 80-degree lens and the other with a wide-angle, 120-degree lens? The V20 only has a single 5-megapixel sensor, but it can shoot in both, standard (80-degree) and wide (120-degree), angles. Neat, right? Well, I certainly think so. Moreover, It comes with an Auto Shot feature, which automatically captures an image when the software detects the subject has a big, wide smile on their face, so no need to press the shutter button yourself.

It’s not just the imaging system which has received an upgrade, the audio system has been drastically improved as well. The V20 comes with a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC (ESS SABRE ES9218), and the DAC’s main aim is to reduce distortion and ambient noise by up to 50%, which will, technically, result in a much clearer  listening experience. The device also has support for lossless music formats: FLAC, DSD, AIFF, and ALAC.

Furthermore, there are three built-in microphones on the V20, and LG is taking full advantage of them. Firstly, the company is bundling a HD Audio Recorder app with every V20, which allows you to record audio with a wider dynamic range frequency range. Secondly, you can record Hi-Fi audio using 24-bit / 48 kHz Linear Pulse Code Modulation (LPCM) format, while recording video, and use options like Low Cut Filter (LCF) and Limiter (LMT).

And, that’s not it. LG is partnering up with B&O PLAY (Bang & Olufsen) to further enhance the audio experience, which will result in their engineers tweaking the device’s sound profile, B&O PLAY branding on the device, and the manufacturer including a set of B&O PLAY earphones inside the box. But, there’s a catch.

The B&O PLAY variant will only be available in Asia, at least for now, it won’t be coming to either North America or Middle East. As for Europe, the LG rep wasn’t sure if it will receive the B&O PLAY variant or the standard variant, once the device eventually becomes available in the region — LG still hasn’t decided if it will be launching the V20 in Europe.

The LG V20 is packing a Snapdragon 820 SoC, with a quad-core CPU and an Adreno 530 GPU, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of UFS 2.0 internal storage, which is user-expandable up to 256GB via a MicroSD card slot. Performance-wise, I was actually surprised by how responsive the V20 was, switching through apps was lightning fast, but keep in mind that there were no 3rd party apps installed on the device, and I only used the device for about 40 minutes. There’s also a fingerprint sensor on-board, it’s located at the back, underneath the camera sensor, and works really, really well.

In terms of software, the V20 is the world’s first smartphone to ship with Android 7.0 Nougat with LG UX 5.0+ running on top of it. Yes, you read that exactly right. There’s not a single Galaxy or a Nexus device out there which ships with Nougat out of the box, but now an LG smartphone does. Congratulations, LG.

The V20 will be launched later this month in Korea and will be available in three colourways including Titan, Silver, and Pink. LG hasn’t yet confirmed pricing nor a release date for the US market.

So far, as you can clearly assume from my first impressions, I really seem to like the V20, much, much more than I liked the G5. And I can’t wait to put it through its paces and give you folks my full review of LG’s multimedia powerhouse. Stay tuned!

iPhone 6S Review By A Long-Time Android User

I have always wanted an iPhone, ever since Steve Jobs announced it in 2007. However, back then, I was 11 years old and there was no way my parents were buying me an iPhone, and there was nothing I could do to convince them. And trust me, I tried plenty of methods to persuade them, and none of them did the trick.

Nevertheless, I did get to use it and play with it quite a lot, because my Dad bought one, for himself. Sigh. I mean, how can a parent do that to his kid, right? It’s like, you can play with it, but you can’t put your SIM card in it and truly make it your own. And if you mess something up, you’re doomed!

In 2010, my Dad bought a Samsung Galaxy S and I fell in love with its Super AMOLED screen and the Android OS. And, finally, in 2011, I bought my first ever Android-based smartphone: Samsung Galaxy S II — I saved for seven months until I had enough to buy one. Since then, I have exclusively only used Samsung’s flagship smartphones as my daily drivers; upgrading every year to the latest model as soon as it came out.


Moreover, as I have been in the media industry for more than three years now, I have also tested a plethora of Android smartphones from other manufacturers as well. But I have never owned an iPhone, until now.

Mainly because, before the iPhone 6, Cupertino refused to manufacture an iPhone with a bigger screen than 4-inches. While on the Android side, we were rocking devices with screen sizes ranging from 5 to 5.7-inches and sporting a display resolution much higher than that of the iPhone’s Retina Display. There was no way I could use a smartphone with a such a small display.

So whenever my colleagues or friends used to ask for my opinion on the iPhone, I used to say to them: as soon as the company launches a bigger iPhone, I’ll buy one instantly. And Apple ultimately did it. It launched two variants of the iPhone 6, one with a 4.7-inch display and the other with a 5.5-inch display. On launch day, I tried to get one by queuing outside my local Apple Store; I queued for two hours, yet I wasn’t able to score one. Apple ran out of all 64GB variants of both, the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. After that, I gave up and never bothered getting one.

My good friends over at MobileFun.com have been following my work for quite some time now and sent me a 64GB, Silver, 4.7-inch iPhone 6S for this editorial. I have been using it for more than six weeks now, and I’m ready to give you my thoughts on the current state of the iPhone — a perspective from an Android user.

Now, this piece won’t be like my usual comprehensive reviews, it will be more like the things I like and don’t like about the product, and what I think Apple needs to do in the future.

Design and build quality

There was a time when if somebody wanted to buy a smartphone with a premium design and exceptional build quality, they would just get the latest iPhone without thinking much about it. And, to be honest, I would have done the exact same thing, because Apple was one of the few manufacturers — if not the only one — who focused on the form of its smartphone, not just the spec sheet.

With that being said, nowadays, the tables have turned and almost every Android OEM is producing their smartphones by keeping the design at the centre of the development process. We have passed the point where one device is significantly faster or powerful than the other in its category, so the design is what often plays the differentiating factor in the consumer’s buying decision. Hence, the iPhone 6S’s design doesn’t excite me.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that it’s a poorly designed smartphone; It’s just that it doesn’t have the wow factor we all expect from an iPhone, at least in my opinion. And as it’s a flagship Apple design, it’s blatantly being ripped off by other companies to sell their own smartphones, which in return has made Cupertino’s design a bit too generic.

The iPhone 6S’s design language to me is very reminiscent of the original iPhone. It features 7000-series aluminium back (no more bendgate issues) with rounded corners and curved edges, which seamlessly connects with the 2.5D glass on the front; the glass is also curved at the edges.

The entire body is extremely slippery with almost no grip whatsoever; I have actually almost dropped it a few times while taking it out of my inside jacket pocket. In my experience, a glass back provides a bit more grip over a metal back, even though it’s more prone to get shattered once dropped on to the ground. Furthermore, I’m not a big fan of the antenna lines at the back, they break the consistency of the overall design. I really hope the company figures out a way to get rid of them in the next iteration of the device.

As far as the build quality is concerned, I think we all are very well aware of the fact that Apple doesn’t joke around when it comes to the quality of its products. And just like its other products and previous generations of the iPhone, the iPhone 6S’s build quality is top notch. I have been using the 6S without a case since day 1, and there’s not a single scratch or dent to be found anywhere on the enclosure — even the stainless steel Apple logo is so far scratch-free.

Display

Believe it or not, the new 6S is a tad taller, wider, thicker, and heavier than its predecessor — 138.3x67.1x7.1mm, 143g (compared to the 6: 138.1x67x6.9mm, 129g) — and that’s because it’s equipped with Apple’s new pressure-sensitive display technology, which is called 3D Touch. And, in my opinion, it’s the best characteristic of the iPhone.

With 3D Touch, Apple has taken software interaction to a whole new level, it has basically developed a right-click for the iPhone. As the display is now pressure-sensitive, the device detects how hard you’re pressing the screen and acts accordingly.

For instance, if your friend sends you a link to a website, you can light press on the link and a preview window will open up, giving you a peek at the website itself. And if you like what you see, you can increase the pressure of your thumb and it would pop open the website inside Safari.

Just like that, 3D Touch works throughout iOS 9, with the same peek and pop principle. My most-liked 3D Touch feature, however, is being able to change the position of the curser while in a textfield. Almost all the 3rd party apps I use have already been updated to support 3D Touch, except a few Google apps — mainly Gmail and Hangouts.

A very limited number of Android OEMs have also tried experimenting with pressure-sensitive displays, but their implementation hasn’t been as great as Apple’s — won’t get the push from Android app developers. Nevertheless, Google has recently confirmed that Android N will have native support for pressure-sensitive displays, so that sounds like a step in the right direction.

Speaking of the display, the iPhone 6S is packing a 4.7-inch IPS  HD (1334x750) panel with a pixel density of 326ppi, which makes it a Retina Display. Sure, the display isn’t boasting a Quad HD (2560x1440), or even Full HD (1920x1080), resolution or is of an AMOLED variety, it’s still sharp enough and gorgeous to look at.

I must say, before making the switch, I was a bit skeptical about the iPhone’s display, as I had been using Android flagships with much, much higher resolution displays. Nonetheless, I’m glad to report that Apple has sourced one of the best LCD panels in the business. The only issue I had was with the brightness of the panel, it doesn’t perform really well under direct sunlight. And the auto-brightness system isn’t that great too.

I have also been using Night Shift — introduced in iOS 9.3 — which allows the user to manually control the colour temperature of the display, it can also automatically activate and deactivate upon sunset and sunrise or a custom timeframe. Technically, it should have helped me sleep better, but I don’t think it has affected my sleep at all. In spite of that, I did notice that the warmer temperature was less straining on my eyes.

Camera

Apple’s smartphones have always been known for their superb camera systems, and the 6S didn’t disappoint at all. There are three things you need to know: the resolution of the sensor has been increased from 8 megapixels to 12 megapixels, it can shoot 4K video at 30FPS, and there’s a new Live Photos feature. Furthermore, just like its predecessor, the iPhone 6S isn’t equipped with optical-image-stabilisation, while the Plus model is.

Here’s the thing with the camera: the image quality isn’t as impressive as Samsung’s flagship Galaxy devices, but it’s extremely close, and the software isn’t as feature-rich as LG’s G4/V10. By default, 4K video recording is disabled and has to be enabled from the settings, probably because of the 16GB variant Apple is still selling in 2016. Overall, the camera experience is pretty solid — it’s easy-to-use and the sensor is capable of taking great pictures in almost all lighting conditions. However, if you do a lot of low-light photography, I would advise you to put your money on the Plus model instead, as it has OIS built-in.

As for the Live Photos feature, I only found myself using it just for the sake of testing it, actually. I disabled it a week later, as it took double the amount of storage compared to a standard, single image. If you aren’t already familiar with the feature, it’s basically a GIF with audio. What it really does is, it records a 1.5 second video before and after you capture a picture, so you can relive the moment every time you view it. This is actually also the primary marketing trait for Apple’s 3D Touch technology, because in order to preview a live photo, you need to press down hard on the display.

Hardware and software

In terms of hardware specifications, the iPhone 6S is a mid-range device on paper, yet it’s the fastest and smoothest smartphone I have ever used in my life. And that’s because Apple builds the hardware and software itself, so the entire platform is heavily optimised. I don’t think I need to say anything else regarding the performance.

Software-wise, my experience with iOS was mostly pleasant, but sometimes frustrating as well.

The best thing about iOS is that it seamlessly interlinks with OS X on the Mac. As I use a Macbook Pro as my computer of choice, iOS allowed me to make and receive calls directly through my computer, and switch from the mobile app to the desktop one and pick up right from I left off. For example, I could start writing a text on my iPhone, while walking towards my desk, and continue with it on my MacBook, and vice versa. Moreover, I was finally able to use FaceTime and iMessage to converse with my friends and family, who use these specific Apple services regularly.

Furthermore, almost all of my banking apps support Apple’s Touch ID for authentication, so it was super convenient using Touch ID to log into them, as I no longer had to type in a password or a pin number in public places — which potentially is a security risk. Speaking of Touch ID, Cupertino’s fingerprint sensor is insanely fast and accurate. I almost never saw my lock screen, it’s that fast.

I have to say, the user interface is pretty basic and intuitive, it’s so simple that even my grandmother could use it without asking for my help after 5 minutes — it’s brilliant. However, I did miss not having Weather and Google Calendar widgets on my home screen from time to time. Also, not having a permanent back button was a big issue for me. In order to go back to the previous screen, some apps required me to swipe to the right or press the back button on the top left or press the ok button on the top right; it got really confusing sometimes.

The company should take some cues from Android for its notification system, as it’s somewhat deficient. It dismisses notifications from the lock screen as soon as you unlock the device, and if you have already attended a notification but haven’t accessed it directly from the notification centre, it won’t get removed. Additionally, I would have liked if there was a built-in file manager to access my local files and a file extractor to unzip/unrar compressed files.

I live in the UK and we don’t yet have Android Pay or Samsung Pay, but we do have Apple Pay. So it was really an experience using the iPhone to pay for a meal. With that being said, It wasn’t able to completely replace my wallet, due to it being not that reliable. I’m not talking about the service, but the iPhone 6S as whole. I say that, because the battery life on this thing is a joke. It doesn’t even last an entire working day, usually dies on me around 6PM, so I have to charge it at least twice a day. And as it doesn’t have fast charging, it takes more than 2 hours to fully charge it.

Conclusion

Now it’s time for the magic question: will I be using the iPhone 6S as my daily driver? As I mentioned earlier, I don’t really have a daily driver; perks of being a technology writer and reviewer. I’m always testing something new and exciting. However, these days I’m thinking of getting a separate work line, and If I do get one, the iPhone will get my vote for a second smartphone.

Should you get one, you may ask? Well, If you want your smartphone to just simply work, you should get an iPhone. If you own a Mac, look no further and get the iPhone. If you have been using Android for quite a few years now and love customising your software experience, it’s better that you stick to Android for now.

Why Google Cardboard is Important to VR's Future

1.  It gives you an authentic VR experience

I've used various Oculus versions and the very impressive HTC Vive, but Google Cardboard, despite its lo-fi nature, still does an amazing job at conveying the nature of VR to you. The demos where you explore cities in 3D caused me to feel strong emotions, like I was there. Games work incredibly well, too. While you get only a simplistic experience due to only being able to look and use the cardboard trigger, you can still get the feel of what VR is capable of. Even when playing a makeshift Flappy Bird clone in VR, it conveys a lot.

Google

2.  Google Cardboard is very accessible.

 If you have a phone and a Google Cardboard headset, you have a VR headset and can check out the interesting content already available. Cardboard isn't expensive, there's a bunch of free apps, and Google has even given away many Google Cardboard headsets at various times; they ran a promo for Star Wars: The Force Awakens headsets that proved to be very popular, what with all the Star Wars mania going about. But it also put a bunch of headsets into the hands of people who might not have had them before. This gets a rudimentary form of VR to the masses.

Mike Pont / Getty Images Entertainment

3.  It leaves you wanting more.

Google Cardboard has its limitations. The phone coming unaligned in the holder can be annoying. The fact that you have no real controls other than moving your head and the use of the cardboard trigger is very limiting as to what you can do, so most games and apps that support VR right now are very limited. Even the fact that many Cardboard headsets don't come with straps to keep them tethered to your head is a problem for usability. It's clear that Cardboard, at least in its current form, is not a long-term VR solution.
But what it does do is give you enough of a taste of VR to the point that you can see what the value of it is right away. And while it could leave some users thinking that VR is a bit overblown with the limited functionality of Cardboard, it should make you think that with a less-makeshift solution, VR could be truly fantastic. Based on my experience with VR demos in comparison to Cardboard, that's the case.

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4.  It clears a very important hurdle for VR

One of the issues with VR is that there's a high hurdle to getting people convinced that VR has value. See, it's easy to just think that VR is about wearing a giant silly headset, and that goofiness is difficult to overcome. Also, VR as a consumer product is tough to get your hands on right now – Oculus headsets are mostly for developers, and Gear VR requires that you have specific high-end Samsung models. Gaming events often have VR setups, and there have been tours for the HTC Vive, but it's still difficult to convince people of the benefits of VR unless they try it out.
What Google Cardboard does is that it lets people try it out. It's not an ideal experience, but it gets the point across. It's like when I demoed Owlchemy Labs' Job Simulator at IndieCade in LA. The game was set up in a tent, and the developers were having issues with the room sensors. Plus, there were cables to deal with and not a huge space. It wasn't the ideal setup. But that doesn't matter – it got the point across that this technology is here and it's impressive.
Google Cardboard won't give anyone the ideal VR experience, especially for gaming with its limited inputs. But it will give people the gist of what the VR experience will be.

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5.  It allows for a wider variety of content.

Having a commercially-available VR headset to the masses encourages developers to make VR content, and to make sure that they make mobile-friendly content, not just for the powerful hardware of tomorrow. Right now, VR is still a pipe dream unless you're talking about the Gear VR. Many developers are taking the risks to create VR content without knowing that it's viable for consumers. And many developers might ignore VR development because of the risks. Google Cardboard lets them test out VR and see how to create in it, and to be ready if and when VR becomes a fashionable future. And because Cardboard is encouraging developers to make mobile-friendly content, it means that developers are making things that will work on mobile devices. Mobile might just have a place in the future of VR.

If virtual reality is here to stay, it may have Google Cardboard to thank.

Virtual reality has a potentially iffy future. Will there be interest in it? Will it be ready for consumers when they're ready for it? There's many questions, and reason to have skepticism. But as a first step towards getting people to see the value of virtual reality, we may have Google Cardboard to thank for when we explore the immersive worlds that virtual reality can provide.

How Does Android Pay Stack Up Against Samsung Pay and Apple Pay?

Tap and pay apps, in which you can use your smartphone to make purchases at the store, are really starting to catch on. While Google Wallet has been around since 2011, it hasn't reached mass appeal. Google is trying to change that with Android Pay, which has started to roll out to Android smartphones after much hype. It follows Apple's launch of Apple Pay last year, which has gained wide acceptance.

Coming up next is Samsung Pay, due out later this month. So how does these services compare? I'll walk you through the pros and cons of each app and show you what's in store for Google Wallet users.

First things first. Android Pay is not a direct replacement for Google Wallet. Like Google Wallet, you can store your credit or debit card in the app and then use it to pay at retail locations that use PayPass technology.

However, Google Wallet required you to open the app first; with Android Pay, you simply need to unlock your smartphone, using a fingerprint reader if you prefer, and place it near the contactless terminal. You can also use it make purchases within other apps and store your loyalty cards. Google says that Android Pay is accepted at more than a million stores in the U.S. and will soon be available in thousands of apps, such as Airbnb and Lyft. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon will pre-install the app on their Android smartphones.  

So what's up with Google Wallet?
If you're a fan, don't worry, Google Wallet will live on—just in a different capacity. Google has re-built the app, removing the contactless pay feature, and focusing on money transfers.

With it, you can easily send and request money (ala PayPal). The new Google Wallet works with Android smartphones and tablets running Android 4.0 or above, and Apple devices running iOS 7.0 or above. You can download the new app or update your existing app via the Google Play Store.

Samsung Pay
In the meantime, Samsung has developed its own contactless payment app.

Samsung Pay will be available on the Galaxy S6, Edge, Edge+, and Note5, and on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular carriers. (Verizon is notably missing from that list.) It works similarly to Android Pay in that you can verify your identity using a fingerprint reader, and then pay by placing your phone near the terminal. The big difference, though, is that Samsung Pay is also compatible with swipe-based credit card machines, meaning you can use it virtually anywhere that accepts credit cards. Samsung gained this functionality by acquiring LoopPay, a company that created patented technology that turns credit card swipe machines into contactless readers. For Samsung users, this is huge. 

Apple Pay
Apple Pay, which was launched in 2014, uses PayPass technology, so it has similar retail compatibility to Android Pay; it also enables you to store loyalty cards. The app is pre-installed on all the latest iPhones (iPhone 6 and newer) and compatible with the Apple Watch and newer iPads. For obvious reasons, it's not available on Android devices, just as Android Pay isn't available on iPhones.