Skype now supports Android devices running 4.0.3 and up

In a blog post today, Microsoft announced a new version of Skype is being released with optimizations for devices running Android 4.0.3 to 5.1. The updated app hasn't started rolling out yet - that'll happen in the next few days, the company says.

Microsoft explains the new Skype app is "is lighter on both disk and memory consumption, allowing for greater speed and better audio and video quality on lower end Android devices, as well as increased performance in challenging network conditions".

The new app will be made available to users around the world.

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Check out Samsung's Oscar ad for the Galaxy S9

While the Super Bowl remains the most watched television program in the U.S. year after year, the Academy Awards (aka Oscars) are also considered must see TV. Tomorrow night, the Oscars will be presented to the Hollywood elite just one year removed from last year's faux pas that saw the wrong film first awarded Best Picture (LaLa Land) before the real winner (Moonlight) was announced. Ironically, that big mistake will probably increase viewership of Sunday night's show as those watching live hope to catch another momentous screw up.

With millions of eyeballs watching the show, the Academy Awards telecast is a must buy for for big name tech firm's media buyers. Earlier today, we showed you Google Nest's Oscar ad for its surveillance webcam/doorbell that also included a not very subtle message to the men of the world. Now, we can show you the Oscar ad that Samsung will have in rotation for the just introduced Samsung Galaxy S9.


Sammy's commercial continues the use of the tag line "Do What You Can't," and is about making something, anything, that you can call your own. Starring some who have made it in the industry both in front and in back of the camera, the ad's best advice includes:

• "Make mistakes until you don't."
• "Make them regret the day they passed on you."
• "Make something undeniably you."

Now here is some good advice from us. Check out the ad by clicking on the video at the top of this story.

source: Samsung

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Waze update adds new ETA screen showing traffic forecasts & more

Popular third-party navigation app Waze has been updated with some notable interface tweaks today. The update brings the app to version 4.35 and features a redesigned ETA screen, making it easier to see traffic information before you leave…

The redesigned ETA screen makes it easy to see when you have to leave to arrive to your destination by a certain time. As you can seen in the screenshot about, you simply scroll though a list of times and Waze estimates the traffic at that time and how your ETA will be affected.

If you choose to schedule your drive using the ETA feature, Waze will send you a notification when it’s about time to leave.

In addition to the new ETA screen, the update also includes bug fixes and performance improvements:

Check out what’s new in Waze:

• Redesigned ETA screen – see a traffic forecast for your destination before you start driving
• Minor bug fixes

Waze is a popular alternative to Apple Maps and Google Maps thanks to its crowd sourced information such as accidents and police along your route, though it still lacks some features such as lane guidance. Waze is a free download on the App Store.

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Cellebrite executive talks iPhone hacking in rare interview

In the wake of the San Bernardino terrorist attack of 2015, Apple found itself involved in a bitter stand-off with the FBI. Famously, Apple refused to create a custom version of iOS that would have provided the FBI with an endless number of passcode guesses in order to access a locked iPhone belonging to one of the terrorists. 

Not to be deterred, the FBI eventually managed to access the device with the help of a third-party security firm. And though the FBI never publicly disclosed who it partnered up with, reports suggest it was an Israeli-based company called Cellebrite.

While security companies like Cellebrite ideally prefer to avoid the spotlight, the company was thrust back into the news this week following a report that it has developed the capability to essentially hack into any locked iPhone running any iteration of iOS, including the recently released iPhone X. In turn, the company has already started advertising its workaround to law enforcement authorities around the world.

In the wake of that report, Cellebrite chief marketing officer Jeremy Nazarian provided Forbes with an extremely rare interview. While the interview naturally didn’t touch on any of the company’s capabilities, it nonetheless provides us with a unique look at a top-tier security company whose business model rests on hacking into devices designed to be exceptionally secure.

Addressing criticism that Cellebrite should be more willing to share its software workarounds with Apple, Nazarian articulated that Cellebrite’s tools represent an invaluable resource for law enforcement agencies aiming to catch some of the world’s worst criminals.

There’s a public safety imperative here. These capabilities are germane again to homicide, crimes against children, drug gangs, major public safety threats in any community.

With respect to any concerns that Cellebrite’s workarounds might fall into the wrong hands, Nazarian explained:

It requires physical access. It’s not like anyone is listening to your iPhone or my iPhone. It needs to be obtained as evidence as part of an investigation or a case. There’s nothing inherent in the technology that means it’s open to misuse.

The full interview is well worth checking out and can be viewed over here.

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iOS 12 Concept Envisions New Lock Screen, Guest Mode, Split View On iPhone, More

Now that we are firmly into 2018, all eyes continue to turn to Apple with a view to working out just what the company will do to the iPhone and iPad this year.

While hardware is interesting in itself, it’s the world of iOS that is getting a lot of attention right now with the rumorscontinuing to suggest that this year will be one of maintenance rather than adding huge new features or redesigning the interface from the ground up.

That doesn’t mean we won’t have a lot to get excited about when iOS 12 is announced at WWDC 2018 soon enough, and we now have a gorgeous concept showing just how iOS 12 may look when it’s unveiled.

Created by designer iOS News And More, the concept includes ideas for many different facets of iOS, most of which we find highly unlikely to actually arrive in iOS 12, if at all. That doesn’t mean it isn’t great fun to drool over the concept art and wonder just what we will be treated to come announcement time.

Starting out with the Home and Lock screens, this concept calls for a new ability to swipe down on the latter in order tot see weather and other at-a-glance information. There’s also a security feature that would allow Face ID to be used to lock and unlock specific apps. Oh, and the concept also suggests the idea of removing all app names on the Home screen – something jailbreak users have been doing for years.

A new Guest Mode is particularly interesting to us, allowing an iPhone to be handed to another user with, presumably, limited access to applications and private data. Think of this as something that would be useful in emergencies, for example.

Interestingly, the concept also mentions a new App Bar that would be invoked via a swipe from the right side of the screen. Revealing favorite apps, this bar reminds us of a similar feature employed by Samsung on its own flagship devices, although it’s unclear whether that was the inspiration here.

There are, of course, other tidbits in this concept that we think could be great additions to iOS. Be sure to check out the full concept on iOS News And More on Behance if you want to get the lowdown.

(Source: iOS News And More [Behance])

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iOS Tip: How to jump to the top of webpages, Twitter, Facebook, and apps with iPhone

We’re able to consume more and more content on our iPhones and it can be easy to find yourself deep in threads, webpages, social media, and other apps. If you haven’t made it a habit already, there’s a quick easy trick to return to the top of almost any app.

Tapping on the status bar (very top of the iPhone display) will jump you back to the top of your current app, webpage, or social feed. This shortcut works across almost all of Apple’s first-party apps as well as the majority of third-party apps, although there are a few exceptions. With that said, there are a couple of things to watch out for.

How to jump to the top of webpages, Twitter, Facebook, and apps on iPhone

1. Tap on the status bar (top edge of your iPhone screen, pretty much on the notch on iPhone X). You can also tap on the status bar on the left or right ear of the iPhone X.
2. Some apps like Safari may require a double tap, the first will expand url/menu bar, the second will return you to the top of the webpage. However most apps and social media like Twitter and Facebook only require one tap.

That’s all there is to it! Now, it’s just a matter of creating a habit to boost your efficiency.

Some apps like the third-party Twitter client Tweetbot even have a built in reverse function to jump back to where you were for accidentally status bar taps. Specifically in Tweetbot, you can tap the status bar a second time to return to what you were previously looking at.

Do you have any favorite apps that have taken this trick even further, like Tweetbot? Share them below in the comments!

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NASA discovers steaming hot exoplanet is rich with water

Searching for Earth-like planets orbiting distant stars is no easy task, mainly due to the complex criteria needed for a an alien world to be considered similar to our own. Oftentimes, worlds which are located within the habitable zone of their star lack other important things that we consider crucial for life, like an atmosphere or the presence of water. A new study of a distant exoplanet known as WASP-39b reveals that it definitely has a lot of water, which is a great sign, but it’s also so incredibly hot that you wouldn’t last a second on its surface. Bummer!

WASP-39b is around 700 light years away from Earth and was first discovered way back in 2011. Like many exoplanets, it had to wait its turn to be studied further, but once scientist took a closer look they were quite amazed at the nature of its atmosphere. The planet is a sauna of truly epic proportions.

By studying the various light signatures a distant planet gives off, researchers can get a very good idea of what is floating around in its atmosphere. In the case of WASP-39b, there’s a whole lot of water vapor and heavy metals. It’s estimated to have around three times as much water as Saturn, but while Saturn is a frigid world, WASP-39b is anything but.

The planet’s host star is a lot like our Sun, but WASP-39b orbits it much more closely than any planet in our Solar System. It’s so incredibly close to the star that it completes a full orbit in just four days. At that distance, the temperature of the planet is around 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit. By comparison, Mercury, which is the closest planet to the Sun in our Solar System, is around 800 degrees Fahrenheit on its sunny side.

But how does such a wet planet exist so close to its star? Researchers believe that the planet may not have always been so close, and that it likely formed much farther away in its star system before ending up in its current spot, though they can’t explain exactly how that might have happened.

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How To Live Stream Oscars 2018 On Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, Or Mac

This coming Sunday, we will be treated to the biggest Hollywood ceremony of the year – the Oscars. Here’s how to live-stream the entire thing from red carpet to the final alcohol-fueled speech right on your Apple device, be that an iPhone, Mac, or Apple TV.

Getting the event on your big screen TV, assuming you own an Apple TV, of course, is to just go right ahead and download the ABC news app.

Here, you will find the full ceremony streamed right to your TV, allowing for the best experience for those who want to kick back with a drink and their sweet treat of choice – popcorn, we would suggest.

Any other device will require a trip to either ABCNews.com or Oscars.com, depending on your favorite. Both should work just fine, but at least if there are two to choose from, there are options should one fail to work for whatever reason. Remember folks, live-streaming is hard!

Beyond the app and the websites, Facebook will also be hosting a live-stream via, predictably enough, the ABC and Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Facebook pages. Again, “you pays your money and you takes your choice,” as the famous saying goes.

While the All Access show is free, you will unfortunately need ABC.com credentials if you want to watch the ceremony itself, of course.

So, will you be watching the 2018 Oscars this Sunday? If yes, who will you be rooting for to win this year on the big night? Sound off in the comments below!

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