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Selasa, 31 Desember 2019

This simple trick stops Google, Amazon and Facebook from listening to you all the time - USA TODAY

Jessica Guynn USA TODAY

Published 9:19 AM EST Dec 31, 2019

Smart home devices from Google, Amazon and Facebook are engineered to listen for your commands and respond to them. Usually, they only engage when you say your “wake” word such as “OK, Google” or “Hey, Google.”

But these devices are always listening.

If that makes you uneasy (and here are some reasons of why it might), there’s a simple fix to stop your smart-home companion from listening in on you all the time.

Turn off the microphones on the devices when you are not using them or for short periods of time when you don’t want them eavesdropping.

Here's how to do it for each device:

Hey Siri, Google and Alexa: Enough with the snooping

Is Facebook listening to you?: The creepy stories mount

Amazon Echo

Echo devices, staffed by Alexa, are equipped with a microphone off button that you can turn off and on. When the button is pressed, the power to the microphones is disconnected and a red light is illuminated.

Google Home, Home Mini, Nest Mini, Home Max and Google Nest Wifi

On the Google Home, press the microphone mute button on the back of the device to mute and unmute.

On the Google Nest Mini and the Google Home Mini, slide the switch on the power cord. The switch will display orange when the microphone is turned off.

On the Google Home Max, slide the switch on the back of the device. The switch will display orange when the microphone is turned off.

Will Alexa stop recording you? Nope

Hey, Google and Alexa: How easily can you be hacked?

On the Google Nest Wifi, slide the switch next to the power cord. The switch will display orange when the microphone is turned off.

Not ready to turn off the microphone? To take a break from your digital assistant, open the Google Home app, click on settings then digital well-being and follow the instructions for scheduling some down time.

Facebook Portal

To turn off the camera or microphone on Portal and Portal Mini, slide the switch on top of the Portal all the way to the left. A red light will alert you that the microphone and camera are off.

To turn off just the camera, slide the switch on the top of Portal’s frame into the middle position. You will see a shutter over the camera’s lens when you’ve turned the camera off.

On Portal+ and Portal (Gen 1), press the circle button on top of your device. A red light on the front of your Portal will tell you when the microphone and camera are turned off. You can also use the camera cover to block your Portal camera when you're not using the camera.

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2019-12-31 11:11:14Z
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Sonos gives a lame reason for bricking older devices in 'Recycle Mode' - Engadget

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Sonos has a good reputation for building quality speakers, but its latest move has disappointed some buyers. Recently, the company offered a trade-up program, giving legacy customers 30 percent off the latest One, Beam or Port. In exchange, buyers just had to "recycle" their existing products. However, what Sonos meant by "recycle" was to activate a feature called "Recycle Mode" that permanently bricks the speaker. It then becomes impossible for recycling firms to resell it or do anything else but strip it for parts.

Sonos suggests that after bricking the device in Recycle Mode, users drop it off at a recycling facility or give it to Sonos to do the same. However, those facilities are unable to resell the products, which could bring around $200 to $250 in good condition.

This is the the most environmentally unfriendly abuse and waste of perfectly hardware I've seen in five years working at a recycler.
We could have sold these, and ensured they were reused, as we do with all the working electronics we're able. Now we have to scrap them.
— ralph waldo cybersyn (@atomicthumbs) December 27, 2019

The problem was brought home by Twitter user @atomicthumbs, who works at an e-recycling facility. "This is the most environmentally unfriendly abuse and waste of perfectly good hardware I've seen in five years working at a recycler," he said in a series of tweets. "We could have sold these and ensured they were reused, as we do with all the working electronics we're able. Now we have to scrap them."

To get the 30 percent deal, buyers select a device to trade in. Once confirmed, the app places the old device into recycle mode, starting a 21 day countdown timer. After that time, the device is "permanently deactivated" with no way to recover it, according to Sonos. Gadgets eligible for upgrades that would be bricked include the Connect, Connect:Amp, ZP90, ZP80, ZP100, ZP120, and Play:5 (Gen 1).

Sonos tried to defend itself in a way that might sound familiar to Apple users. "The reality is that these older products lack the processing power and memory to support modern Sonos experiences," the company told The Verge.

Over time, technology will progress in ways these products are not able to accommodate. For some owners, these new features aren't important. Accordingly, they may choose not to participate in the Trade Up program.
But for other owners, having modern Sonos devices capable of delivering these new experiences is important. So the Trade Up program is an affordable path for these owners to upgrade. For those that choose to trade-up to new products, we felt that the most responsible action was not to reintroduce them to new customers that may not have the context of them as 10+ year old products, and that also may not be able to deliver the Sonos experience they expected.

Sonos is justifying this in terms of the customers experience, but the brutal reality is that many of these devices will be stripped down, using energy. They'll also add to the problem of plastic waste, when they could have enjoyed a much longer life. It's particularly disappointing considering that Sonos products do last a long time, with the company claiming that 92 percent of them ever sold are "still in use today."

Many Sonos forum users were disappointed to hear about the practice. Some of the bricked products have also been resold, with the buyers losing any money they paid. On top of that, some owners have bricked devices by accident, transforming them into recycling fodder.

"Anyone even remotely familiar with recycling can tell you the mantra 'reduce, reuse, recycle," tweeted @atomicthumbs. "Recycling takes energy and, while it saves materials, reuse is always better. Sonos is throwing any claimed environmental friendliness in the trash in order to sell more speakers."

Via: PC Mag

Source: Sonos, The Verge, @atomicthumbs (Twitter)

In this article: av, Connect:Amp, e-waste, entertainment, Port, Recycling, Sonos, Sonos Connect, Sonos One

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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2019-12-31 10:48:21Z
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Sonos gives a lame reason for bricking older devices in 'Recycle Mode' - Engadget

Sponsored Links

This is the the most environmentally unfriendly abuse and waste of perfectly hardware I've seen in five years working at a recycler.
We could have sold these, and ensured they were reused, as we do with all the working electronics we're able. Now we have to scrap them.
— ralph waldo cybersyn (@atomicthumbs) December 27, 2019

Over time, technology will progress in ways these products are not able to accommodate. For some owners, these new features aren't important. Accordingly, they may choose not to participate in the Trade Up program.
But for other owners, having modern Sonos devices capable of delivering these new experiences is important. So the Trade Up program is an affordable path for these owners to upgrade. For those that choose to trade-up to new products, we felt that the most responsible action was not to reintroduce them to new customers that may not have the context of them as 10+ year old products, and that also may not be able to deliver the Sonos experience they expected.

Via: PC Mag

Source: Sonos, The Verge, @atomicthumbs (Twitter)

In this article: av, Connect:Amp, e-waste, entertainment, Port, Recycling, Sonos, Sonos Connect, Sonos One

Comments

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Sonos gives a lame reason for bricking older devices in 'Recycle Mode' - Engadget

Sponsored Links

This is the the most environmentally unfriendly abuse and waste of perfectly hardware I've seen in five years working at a recycler.
We could have sold these, and ensured they were reused, as we do with all the working electronics we're able. Now we have to scrap them.
— ralph waldo cybersyn (@atomicthumbs) December 27, 2019

Over time, technology will progress in ways these products are not able to accommodate. For some owners, these new features aren't important. Accordingly, they may choose not to participate in the Trade Up program.
But for other owners, having modern Sonos devices capable of delivering these new experiences is important. So the Trade Up program is an affordable path for these owners to upgrade. For those that choose to trade-up to new products, we felt that the most responsible action was not to reintroduce them to new customers that may not have the context of them as 10+ year old products, and that also may not be able to deliver the Sonos experience they expected.

Via: PC Mag

Source: Sonos, The Verge, @atomicthumbs (Twitter)

In this article: av, Connect:Amp, e-waste, entertainment, Port, Recycling, Sonos, Sonos Connect, Sonos One

Comments

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Senin, 30 Desember 2019

Google Pixel 4a design and specs leak in new photos - Business Insider

Google may release a cheaper version of the Pixel 4 called the Pixel 4a, which would have a headphone jack, a single camera, and an all-screen design with a hole-punch-shaped cutout for the selfie camera.
That's according to a new leak from tech blog 91mobiles and OnLeaks, which has reported accurate information about unreleased gadgets in the past.
The Pixel 4a would be the follow-up to Google's Pixel 3a, which, as its name implies, is a less expensive version of the company's Pixel 3 flagship smartphone from last year.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A cheaper version of Google's flagship Pixel 4 smartphone could be in the works, and a new leak provides a glimpse of what it might look like.

Images claiming to show the less-expensive Pixel phone's design recently surfaced on the tech blog 91mobiles, showing a device that largely resembles the Pixel 4 but with a few important differences. The website said it published the pictures in partnership with Twitter account OnLeaks, which has reported accurate information about unreleased gadgets in the past.

The phone, which is expected to be called the Pixel 4a, will have a headphone jack, a single camera rather than a double camera sensor like the one on the Pixel 4, and a small hole-shaped cutout for the front-facing camera, according to 91mobiles and OnLeaks. That hole-punch-like cutout resembles the one found on Samsung's Galaxy S10e, a more affordable version of the Galaxy S10 that the South Korean tech giant released earlier this year.

Such characteristics represent a departure from the Pixel 4, which only features a USB-C port and lacks a headphone jack. The Pixel 4 also has a thin border above the display for its speaker and selfie camera rather than a circular cutout. Another feature that could differentiate the Pixel 4a from its pricier counterpart is a fingerprint scanner located on the back, a sensor that the Pixel 4 lacks.

Despite these differences, the leaks indicate that the Pixel 4a will otherwise very much resemble the Pixel 4. Even though it's expected to only have one camera, the Pixel 4a's camera module has a large, square design much like the one on the Pixel 4. And its screen is expected to measure 5.7 or 5.8 inches diagonally, which would make it nearly the same size as the 5.7-inch Pixel 4.

It's unclear whether the Pixel 4a would have the Pixel 4's Motion Sense capabilities, which use sensors to detect when you're nearby so that you can perform certain actions using gestures rather than touching the device's screen.

The launch would come after Google released the Pixel 3a last spring, a cheaper version of its flagship Pixel 3 smartphone from 2018 that starts at $400. The Pixel 3a retains several of the Pixel 3's standout features, like the ability to take better photos in the dark, but is made from a less expensive polycarbonate material, versus the Pixel 3's metal build, and runs on a less powerful processor.

Check out the video from 91mobiles and OnLeaks below:

Google did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment on the Pixel 4a design, and the company hasn't spoken publicly about its future plans for the Pixel smartphone lineup. But Google's Mario Queiroz, who oversaw the company's Pixel product line before recently moving into a new role in the office of CEO Sundar Pichai, previously said that it's part of Google's strategy to bring premium features to cheaper phones.

"We think there are a lot of people that would like to get those experiences but they can't now because those phones cost $1,400," Queiroz previously said in an interview with Business Insider.

It's unclear when the phone will launch, but 9to5Google has reported that it could debut in the spring around Google's annual developers conference, just like the Pixel 3a.

Get the latest Google stock price here.

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2019-12-30 19:42:22Z
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The Pixel 3a was a turning point for affordable smartphones - Engadget

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When it comes to phones, there hasn't been a year like 2019 in a while. Between the introduction of the first foldables and the rollout of technologies like 5G, 2019 wasn't just another year of comfortable iteration for manufacturers. Instead, it saw the introduction of devices that are likely to define the space moving forward, but none more so than the modest Pixel 3a.

When he reviewed it earlier this year, Chris Velazco wrote of Google and the 3a that "none of the compromises it made in producing this cheap Pixel actually feel like compromises." You could buy a great budget phone before the Pixel 3a, but more affordable devices used to mean some kind of compromise.

Take OnePlus, for example: The brand most Android enthusiasts for years recommended to their friends as the best bang-for-your-buck choice. Up to and including the OnePlus 7 Pro, buying a OnePlus phone often meant skipping on flagship features, like waterproofing and wireless charging, and, more than anything else, a good camera. And as OnePlus added better cameras to its devices, each subsequent phone cost more than its predecessor.

Pixel 3a XL

What makes the $400 and $480 Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL so pervasive is that they erased one of the last points of hardware differentiation between high-end and mid-range phones. While other features and specifications like high-resolution screens and fingerprint sensors have appeared in more affordable devices, cameras that don't take blurry photos -- or become a noisy mess as night falls -- have stubbornly stayed the domain of expensive phones.

At first glance, there isn't anything all that impressive about the Pixel 3a's camera. It lacks the dual- and triple-camera arrays of most other mid- to high-end phones released in the last year, it's not as versatile, nor does it take the most detailed shots, with a lower-resolution sensor than rivals. But what it's missing technically, it makes up for by being one of the most consistent phone cameras you can get for the price.

Google Pixel 3a Camera

The computational photography features Google pioneered for the Pixel 3 are what make the 3a's camera so great. Instead of following the trend of just adding more cameras, the company made the interesting decision to build devices with a better camera. But consumers can easily see the value of more cameras (and, for that matter, other flashy hardware features like bigger displays and faster processors) -- it's much harder to convince them of the value of good software.

In the context of a budget phone, it makes sense. Not only could Google avoid cutting corners elsewhere but it also allowed the company to deliver one great camera, instead of multiple mediocre ones. With features like Night Sight and Super Res Zoom, the Pixel 3a was able to match and surpass more expensive single-lens phones like the iPhone XR.

It might seem strange to compare the Pixel 3a to the iPhone XR, a phone that, at the time, cost $350 more. However, when Google released the 3a, the iPhone XR was the mid-range phone to beat. In the first half of 2019, Apple shipped almost 27 million iPhone XR units, according to IHS Markit. In early 2019, the iPhone XR was the most compelling phone on the market for a lot of budget-minded consumers. More than any other comparison, the ways the 3a matches and surpasses the iPhone XR show best what Google was able to achieve with the phone.

One obvious positive comparison is that both 3a and 3a XL feature higher resolution displays than the iPhone XR. But more important is the Pixel 3a brought to mid-range Android phones something that has been the hallmark of iPhones for years: the promise of long-term software support.

Google has said it will furnish the 3a with three years of platform and security updates. Additionally, the company updates the 3a and its more expensive phones on the same day. Prior to the 3a, that kind of software support was unheard of on a mid-range Android phone. If you were lucky, you got access to one or two major Android releases. Even then, you were often waiting months for your phone's manufacturer to deliver those updates. That kind of software support is perhaps even more meaningful on an affordable phone than it is on an expensive one since it helps to further extend the life of the device, which ultimately saves more money over time.

Apple iPhone XR

Obviously, there are ways the Pixel 3a doesn't match the iPhone XR. It's not dust- and water-resistant, nor does it support wireless charging. But those are exactly the type of fit and finish differences that you would expect when comparing products in different price categories. What's important, especially in the context of the last ten-plus years of smartphone development, is that in its functionality and features people really care about, the two phones are nearly identical. In fact, the Pixel 3a was so compelling at $400, it likely played a major part in Apple's decision to price the iPhone 11 $50 cheaper than it originally priced the iPhone XR.

If you've seen any videos from Marques "MKBHD" Brownlee in the past five years, you've probably heard the YouTuber say at some point, "Cheap phones are getting good. And good phones are getting cheap." With the Pixel 3a, it's safe to say we've come to the point that cheap phones are good, period.

ENGADGET'S YEAR IN REVIEW 2019

year-in-review 640

The best gadgets of 2019
Spotify's podcast power play
Our favorite games of 2019
Streaming won't get cheaper or easier
2020 is VR's make-or-break year
The best of Big Picture 2019
To all the books we hit this year
The best user reviews of 2019
How Twitch started to lose its grip on game streaming
The worst tech of 2019
Apple spent 2019 giving us most of what we wanted
The tech CEOs' year of reckoning
2019 wasn't the year of foldables we were promised
The next wave of electric vehicles will appear in 2020
The Pixel 3a was a turning point for affordable smartphones
Monday 30th: Gaming in 2009 versus 2019
Tuesday 31st: The year in cameras
Tuesday 31st: Tech that defined the decade

In this article: android, apple, cameras, gear, google, mobile, pixel 3, pixel 3a, pixel 3a xl, yir2019

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2019-12-30 16:13:05Z
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Google Pixel 4A renders include a headphone jack and hole-punch display - TechCrunch

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2019-12-30 15:48:17Z
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