Clean Router Review: Keeping Your Home Network Safe With Hardware and Access Monitoring

The internet can be a dark and scary place, and keeping your kids (husbands, roommates or employees) safe from those dark recesses can be a daunting task. While there are plenty of options out there, it is often best to take a multi-pronged approach when it comes to security and monitoring your internet usage. This generally means using both software and hardware based solutions. This past few days we've been testing one of the newer options available on the market, the Clean Router.

The Clean Router offers users a multi-dimensional approach to internet filtering. It uses traditional networking hardware, coupled with customized firmware and back-boned with live support, frequent updates and real time monitoring. All this is setup with to allow users/parents to filter and manage everything connected to their home WiFi.

Hardware and Services
The unit we have for testing is a customized version of the Western Digital My Net N750 which is currently listed as a free option on the Clean Router website. The N750 is a few years old now so it won't be the latest greatest when it comes to networking. In fact it only supports 802.11 a/b/g/n, but not the newer 802.11ac standard. This means you will see theoretical wireless speeds up to 300Mbps on the 2.4Ghz band and 450Mbps on the 5GHz band, for combined theoretical wireless speeds of up to 750Mbps. Not bad, but you may want to opt for the Clean Router Pro version if you are a high bandwidth user!

 

The router itself is only one link in the chain. Once you have your customized Clean Router you have to select a subscription service with prices from $12.99 to $19.99 per month. The basic subscription offers you frequent updates to your Clean Router’s filtering software so it is always on top of blocking new threats, along with free technical support via phone, email and live chat, regular updates to black, white and grey lists, Emailed Reports, Time Restrictions, new features, and several of their ongoing performance improvements. The updated subscription offers you access to Smartphone apps and monitoring, YouTube filtering and a few more options.

Ideally we'd like to see a third option added for just the customized router itself, but part of the biggest incentive to using Clean Router is the added benefit of having frequent updates to your firmware and blacklists. For most geeks we could do this all on our own, just keep in mind the market they are tackling is the typical home user that likely can't/won't bother with those updates. This in and of itself makes the subscription worthwhile.

Content Filtering and Safe Search
In order to "keep you safe" while searching the web Clean Router uses customized firmware that has built in blocking. These "blacklists" filter out most sites and search terms which would contain "questionable material". Blacklisted sites are filtered by a number of variables  all of which are categorized into 10 different channels. Art Nudes, Naturism, Malicious Software, Porn and Bitorrent sites are blocked by default, as are Ads and Image Sites. Users may also choose to block Drugs, Gambling, and a catch-all category of Guns, Violence, and Weapons.

In addition to blacklisting several sites and search terms out of the box, the Clean Router will also blacklist multiple search engines. Bing, Yahoo, AOL and several other top names are all blocked by default. This allows Clean Router to force your system to run searches through Google, (which it does without encryption). This allows the router to capture search terms and enforce Safe Search further blocking more material.

Advanced Features and Time Scheduling
For those that want a bit more control and are willing to get into some of the more advanced features the control panel offers several other options beyond the basics. Here you can add or remove specific URLs from Clean Router's whitelist, either manually or by clicking a button in the list of blocked sites. Likewise, you can blacklist URLs manually or by clicking a button in the list of sites visited. You can also add to the list of keywords that will trigger a blocking action. There's also an option to block entire top-level domains—maybe you don't want your kids connecting to any .cn or .ru sites, you can exclude all of those with a click of the mouse!

You'll also see the option for one of the more useful features, and one of the more challenging for home users to setup, time scheduling.

Time restrictions are device-specific, and in order to configure a schedule you must identify the correct device by its Media Access Control (MAC) address. Finding this can be a bit of a challenge but there is a quick easy way to make it easier. First, you can try logging in to the router setup page from the specific device you want to set schedules for then select Time Restrictions, and click the link titled This Computer. In the same way, you can exclude your own computer from filtering by clicking This Computer on the Exclude from Filter page, rather than trying to figure out its MAC address.

If you can't log in through each specific device you'll need to find the devices you want to block in the DHCP Clients list in the Router Info section. Here you'll have a full list of all of the devices connected through the router, along with the IP address, MAC address, and device name. Reviewing each name should give you a good idea of which devices you'll want to add. 

Activity Reports
You can view a list of all sites visited or all sites blocked, though the reports have some limitations. The basic list just shows the domains in question, with a button to blacklist (for visited sites) or whitelist (for blocked sites). Clicking an item in the list exposes more details, specifically the computer that was used, the precise URL within the domain, and the date/time of the visit.

This doesn't tell you who tried to view naughty photos, just which computer or other device was used. That's logical; a product that filters at the router or DNS level is never going to be able to identify individual users. However, you still may have trouble identifying the device involved, given only its IP address. I sure wish there were some internal mechanism to identify each device by a friendly name rather than an IP address or MAC address.

You can view activity for any particular day, but not cumulative activity over a longer time period. You can also have Clean Router email you an attractively formatted activity report at the end of each day.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion
For someone looking for a great parental control option that adds a couple layers of security and convenience the Clean Router definitely works well and definitely does what it promises. Just about anyone can setup it in just a few clicks, and since most things that most people want to block are set by default, you'll be up and running in no time.And since your subscription service does most all of the work for you, you can pretty much set it and forget it.

This doesn't mean it isn't without issues, and it won't catch absolutely everything, but for the most part you won't be disappointed.

I will say this though, if you are one of those people that has to rely on your kids  to keep your tech going then you likely won't get the  most out what the router and service offer as both can be easily bypassed by even the most novice of users. That being said however, what it does give you, is a little piece of mind that you are doing the best you can to keep everyone in the household safe.

Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 Owners Apply Now to Get Your $30

Take notice all you gaming geeks out there, if you own Nvidia Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 the time is now to submit your claim for your refund! The pending class action lawsuit against Nvidia that we had reported on a few months back has finally settled and been approved. That means it is time to get stake your claim to your cold hard cash!

US residents who purchased an Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 graphics processing unit between Sept. 1, 2014, and Aug. 24, 2016, can now submit a claim for $30 cash for each qualifying device. In order to verify ownership and stake your claims you'll need to provide a verification code or proof of purchase.

Verification codes should be listed on the notices of the settlement, if you received one. If not, you can submit a sales receipt, credit card receipt or statement, a shipping manifest, a purchase order, an email confirmation, or other similar documentation. If like most geeks I know you don't keep that stuff handy (shame on you!), you can also submit a Product Identification Number found on the box, back, or bottom of each GPU or in the settings for the GPU via the software of your choice.

Once you have all your information in order, simply head to the GTX 970 settlement site, submit your claim and sit back and wait on the cash to roll. Can't be much simpler right?

The settlement is still subject to a final approval hearing, which is set to take place on December 7. Following that your check should be in the mail -- haha. Usually it takes a fews, and you'll likely forget it is coming, but unlike some other things we can think of (cough MIRs) these settlements are typically paid in a pretty timely manner.

'The White Rabbit Project' The New Show For Mythbusting Geeks Everywhere

For all you geeks out there that still binge watch your favorite Mythbuster's episodes you'll want to take note. Netflix has announced a new show that will feature the famous M7 Build Team of Tory Belleci, Kari Byron, and Grant Imahara.

Called The White Rabbit Project, the new show was described by Netflix as a trip down a “rabbit hole” featuring investigations from the famous Mythbusting trio into events in science, pop culture, and history, including things that exist in the deepest corners of the Internet.

The company writes:

Under their microscope are topics as diverse as jailbreaks, superpower technology, heists and crazy world war two weapons. In each episode the hosts immerse themselves in experiments, builds and tests as they sleuth the truth behind these and other well googled themes.

Those on hand for the announcement have said the show was described as “Mythbusters in Wonderland” with the three hosts seemingly picking up where our old favorite Mythbusters left off. The show will be produced by Beyond Productions, the company behind the original Mythbusters. However, beyond that few other details are available besides the synopsis and a release date: Dec. 9, 2016.

For you fans looking to gain a little more insight into what the show might hold we suggest following the show's stars (Kari @KariByron, Grant @GrantImahara, and Tory @ToryBelleci. The trio has been posting a few teasers as well as offering a few insights with Kari Byron already laying to rest the "Myth" that there will be any sort of 'myth busting' on the show.

Tory, Kari, and Byron have clung to life with a few brief but fleeting show appearances, cameos and commercials since their days on Mythbusters. Tory and Kari teamed up and hosted Thrill Factor for the Travel Channel, while Grant has appeared in multiple web shows and became a spokesperson for McDonald’s, showing the world how Chicken McNuggets are made.

More details may be available soon via The White Rabbit Project Netflix page...stay tuned!!

Your New Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Has Been Recalled What You Need to Know! [Update]

[Update: If you own A Samsung Galaxy Note 7 stop using it immediately!! Samsung, with cooperation from US Consumer Product Safety Commission is issuing a full and total recall of over one million Galaxy Note7 devices. ]

Yes you've heard that correctly, Samsung is recalling every Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that the company has shipped worldwide do to an issue with faulty batteries and charging that has resulted in at least 35 incidents of batteries exploding.

The problem is estimated to affect one device in every 42,000 units. Samsung says it shipped around 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 units so far, so if the estimate is correct, only a few dozen phones sold worldwide are at risk. So the risk is actually pretty minimal, but it is always best to err on the side of caution. 

At this time Samsung has officially halted all sales and shipments of the Galaxy Note 7 and the phones have been recalled worldwide. Samsung is working on preparing replacement units for the affected devices as well as working with each carrier on how to handle the recall and replacement process, which as of now will take about two weeks, according to the company.

Full Samsung statement:

Samsung is committed to producing the highest quality products and we take every incident report from our valued customers very seriously. In response to recently reported cases of the new Galaxy Note7, we conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue.

To date (as of September 1) there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally and we are currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market. However, because our customers’ safety is an absolute priority at Samsung, we have stopped sales of the Galaxy Note7.

For customers who already have Galaxy Note7 devices, we will voluntarily replace their current device with a new one over the coming weeks.

We acknowledge the inconvenience this may cause in the market but this is to ensure that Samsung continues to deliver the highest quality products to our customers. We are working closely with our partners to ensure the replacement experience is as convenient and efficient as possible.

 At this time if you want to keep and use your Galaxy Note 7 you should be fine. However, you may want to use a few of these common sense precautions in order to keep safe, which really are valid for any electronic device.

• Stop charging your phone it if becomes too hot.
• Stick to official Samsung chargers.
• Don’t charge your phone in bed or anywhere it might not dissipate heat.
• Be mindful of where you charge your phone, don't leave it in a hot car window, hot area ect.

How will the recall process work?

At this time we have no specifics on the exact details of the recall, and each carrier seems to be handling things a little different. So here is what we have gathered so far (we'll update as we get more info).

• Sprint has said it will offer customers loaner devices, while Verizon is waiving its restocking fee for customers who want to return the Note 7 and get another phone altogether.
•  AT&T has reportedly stated that they are in the process of determining the exchange process for their customers and how they can replace their current Note 7 as quickly as possible. The company promised more information later on today.
• T-Mobile is offering customers full refunds to use toward another device or a replacement Note 7, which it said it expected to have available within two weeks. Plus, it said, customers can keep the free Netflix subscription it had been bundling with Note 7 purchases.

[Update from Samsung]
The US Product Exchange Program will offer consumers the following choices:

1. Exchange current Galaxy Note7 device with a new Galaxy Note7 (as early as next week)
2. Exchange current Galaxy Note7 for a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge and replacement of any Note7 specific accessories with a refund of the price difference between devices

As a gesture of appreciation, consumers will receive a $25 gift card or bill credit from select carrier retail outlets when choosing a Galaxy S7 family device or the Galaxy Note7 within the exchange program.

Galaxy Note7 owners can contact or visit the retail outlet where they purchased their device or call 1-800-SAMSUNG to initiate a product exchange and to resolve any other questions or concerns.

Opera Offers Android Users Free 'Ad Supported' VPN Service

When you think of Opera Software you likely think of their Opera Web Browser and rightfully so as it is the mainstay of the company. As of late however, Opera has been working on several new projects, one of which is a new standalone VPN service that the company has integrated into their desktop browser as well as an iOS App. Luckily for us Android users hat service has now been made available to allow us all the privacy and security a traditional VPN service can offer in an unlimited free option (well sort of!).

“The Opera VPN app for Android sets itself apart from other VPNs by offering a completely free service - without a data limit, no log-in required, advanced Wi-Fi protection features and no need for a subscription,” says Chris Houston, President of Surfeasy, Opera’s VPN division.

Announced earlier this week,, Opera's new app packs a ton of features that like most VPN services will allow people to browse somewhat anonymously, block ad-tracking cookies, access more online content, extend the geographical reach of apps and even test the security of Wi-Fi networks. Unlike most of those other services Opera is offering their for free and without any limits! But if you haven't noticed we did say ad-supported!

The major caveat to the app, which seems pretty ironic to us geeks, is that it is powered by a company that Opera acquired last year called SurfEasy. And while the app itself is free once you begin looking around, you'll notice ads that are presumably powered by another of Opera Software's latest projects. Opera also wants to share anonymous data about your mobile usage and browsing habits with third parties. Sow while you are getting a pretty nifty VPN service you might want to check the fine print!

Opera had this to say about the data it collects:

This information is made available to third parties who are interested in better understanding the mobile ecosystem and how it’s evolving. It’s important to understand that this is not data about what you do with your phone, but rather this is data about how a large group of people use their phones.”

If that doesn't bother you, and for most of us looking at free VPN services is shouldn't, here are a few more details about the app!

The app is completely standalone and is no way tied to the company’s web browser. So it will work with most Android (and iOS) devices and almost any web browser. There is no need to change your old ways and download Opera, though you might want to just to see how well your browser compares.

If you're not well-versed in VPNs, the app automatically handles almost everything including setting the Android VPN settings for you. It will also check the security and integrity of your current Wi-Fi connection. This feature may slow down your internet speed while you're using it, but not so much that it's too problematic to use while surfing.

Once you are in the app you can 'mask' several details of your online activity, such as applying new location settings across your entire device and other apps or blocking ad-trackers. Changing your regions settings is something most users will find useful when you need to bypass content restricted by location. Suck as viewing videos from other countries, watching Netflix while traveling ect. Currently the app will let you choose from five server locations: USA, Canada, Germany, Singapore and The Netherlands.

If you're interested in trying out the app, you can pick it up via the Google Play Store now.

Why Pay From A Phone When You Can Pay With A Ring?

While the mobile payment arena has certainly taken off of late, for many it still seems to be a bit more of a novelty than anything. So why not take that novelty to a whole new level? Starting today you can pre-order you up a nifty NFC payment ring, that just like your iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S7, will allow you to leave the credit cards behind and make mobile payments at any NFC terminal.

The NFC Ring, as it is so aptly named, started off as a Kickstarter project a few years back. Originally it was billed as a great way "to unlock doors, mobile phones and to transfer information and link people", and while the finished product does all that it also offers a bit more via a second NFC connection that is more secure for utilizing payment options.

The concept is really unique, in that the ring has one side that is “public” and the other “private”. On the "public" side the ring can be programmed to accomplish a wide variety of tasks such as transferring contact information, links to websites, links to pictures, setting your phone to do specific things ect. While the private is used to unlock your phone, your NFC locks or other tasks you don’t want to do accidentally. With the latest version of the NFC Ring you also get the option to setup mobile payments.

The new NFC payment ring is primarily designed to work with wireless payment systems, without the need to whip out our credit card or smartphone. Once it’s all set-up, you wont even need your phone close by to use the ring, as it uses the same anonymous tokens to make payments that your iPhone or Android would. The ring meets EMVCo’s contactless performance requirements, ensuring support for a range of VISA cards from a selection of banks.

The NFC Ring made its official debut at the RIO Olympics and the team has been hard at work since then finalizing the details of the launch. So unfortunately we don't yet know which credit card companies or banks the the NFC Ring will support but keep in mind that Samsung Pay just surpassed 100 million transaction and Apple Pay is growing enormously daily. So considering they all utilize the same NFC and EMVCo style systems, support should be good!

If you’re interested, two NFC Ring models are available for pre-order in three different colors and a huge selections of ring sizes. Prices are set at $53 (£40) for the latest model, and the company is offering 50 percent of all titanium rings this summer. You can checkout their full website here NFCRing.com.

More information: Visa Introduces NFC-Enabled Payment Ring for Team Visa Sponsored Athletes to Use at Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Celebrate Madden 17 and Win A Custom NFL Themed Xbox One S

In celebration of the launch of EA Sport's Madden 17 Microsoft has teamed with EA and the NFL to give 32 lucky gamers a chance to win a custom NFL themed Xbox One S featuring their favorite team's colors and logo!

The team at Microsoft put together 32 unique custom Xbox One S (1TB) consoles – one for each NFL team – and are giving fans a chance to show off their team pride like never before and win one. So whether you’re a Cheesehead, a 12, a member of Steeler Nation or have your NFL allegiances sworn elsewhere, you’ll have three ways to enter the sweepstakes and claim a custom NFL Xbox One S as a trophy all of your own:

• Head to www.xboxpromotions.com/MaddenNFL17 and vote for your favorite console
• Click to enter through your Xbox 360 or Xbox One dashboard
• Follow @Xbox and RT the Madden NFL 17 #XboxSweepstakes Tweets

Each of the 32 NFL custom Xbox One S (1TB) consoles will come with a copy of Madden NFL 17 for Xbox One, letting you jump into a football frenzy right away. In addition to the 32 grand prize winners of a custom NFL team Xbox One S console, Microsoft will be giving away ten (10) runner-up prizes consisting of an Xbox One S Madden NFL 17 Bundle (1TB). The Xbox One S Madden NFL 17 Custom Console Sweepstakes runs from today, August 23^rd, and will close on September 6^th. The full contest rules can be seen here.

You can read more and see high resolution images of just what you can win on the Xbox Wire.

Review: XY Find It XY3 Bluetooth Tracker

Bluetooth trackers seem to be a dime a dozen these days, however as we've found (through much trial and error) not all devices are created the same. After testing out and reviewing the TrackR Bravo and Sticker, we tested out the Linquet, and while each of these devices worked decently, we still have yet to find one that fulfilled our needs. So when the guys over at XY Find It asked if we'd like to checkout their new XY3 Bluetooth Tracker we jumped at the chance.

For the most part most Bluetooth trackers on the market are going to have the same basic features. About the only major differences are going to be in the user interface and the actual design of the tracker. That doesn't however mean that they will all perform the same, but we'll get to that a bit later.

XY3 Design

As far as design goes, the XY3 is similar to the TrackR in that it features a small half dollar size shape and measures roughly 1.46" x 1.26"x .32". This means it is only slightly thicker than most of the other tracker devices out there. One major difference, and one of the big positives as far as I'm concerned, was the XY3 features a more durable ABS plastic casing. Why I say this is a positive is because not only does it give you more color options, 8 in total, but is means that it is far less susceptible to being scratched, dinged and dented. An issue we had with the metal casing on our TrackR.

XY3 App User Interface Design and Features

Within the app there’s a full range of settings including setting your own sounds for beacons that go out of range, beacons that are found, etc. You also have a few features here that many of the other trackers we've used don't have. Settings like the ability to turn the app on/off at device startup and setting device out of range sensitivity. These are both helpful as you don't have to leave the app continuously running, and you can shrink your range size so your devices don't get too far away too quickly.

Tracking is all done from a familiar Google Map interface which shows your phone's current location, the tracker's location, and/or the tracker's last known location. Each tracker features its own plot on the map and you can set photos for each device. Making it quick and easy to differentiate your devices. Each individual beacon also features a graph showing proximity with ratings of Far, Near and Immediate. These are helpful, but not even close to being accurate! You'll also see a battery life indicator giving you an approximation of how much life remains.

XY3 Range and Effectiveness

According to their website the XY3 Find It has a maximum range of about 210 ft with a suggested maximum of 150ft. This includes usage of a special set of algorithms that take effect at the edge of that range to help avoid triggering "false" out of range alerts when you simply go to the other side of your home or maybe a meeting at work. The specific total range of any of these devices vary greatly depending on the obstructions in the area that may deflect the signal so we can take those numbers with a grain of salt.

In our testing the effective range of our device was between 100-125ft (indoors to outdoors testing), meaning that was the drop off point in which the device would finally sound an out of range alert. We tried adjusting the sensitivity to see which setting would best suit our needs, unfortunately the device would not trigger the "Keep Near" alerts at any closer range no matter what settings we tried to use. I had hopped that given the name 'Keep Near' there would be some sort of alert before we were entirely out of range, this however doesn't seem to be the case.

We also ran into issues regarding connectivity once the XY3 was out of range. No matter how close in proximity to the device we were, the tracker was slow to reconnect and on occasion it would not reconnect at all. This forced us to close out the app and try to connect again. Obviously this would be an issue if we weren't certain where our device was, and how close we were, as we wouldn't then be able to try the beep button to locate it.

Luckily if you have any issues you can still use the last known location and view where your device was on them map. From there if you can't locate your item on your own you can report it as lost within the app. Then, if your item goes within range of any device running the XY app, you will get an email with the new approximate location to help you find it.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Overall we have to say were are fairly impressed with the XY3 Find It. Not only does it seem to be more durable than the other Bluetooth trackers we've tried and tested, but it also seems to be a bit more reliable. We had far fewer issues with connectivity and false alerts than we did with our TrackR devices and the casing has held up much better than both the TrackR and Linquet.

Another major plus was the beeper locator being audible enough to actually hear! That was a major complaint we had with our other devices. You won't hear it in a crowded room or from two rooms away, but you can hear it in say your car or living room (where I loose my keys the most!).

As to locating our belongings we were also impressed with the accuracy of  the locations provided on the map and the addition of the signal meter to help guide you towards the right direction. Though we think the signal meter could still use some refinement as it wasn't extremely accurate.  We didn't get to test the secondary 'crowd based GPS' feature, mainly because as mentioned with our previous reviews, this feature relies heavily on there being a lot of users in your area in order for it to work effectively. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a lot of users in our area using trackers that use this feature and we still have yet to see anyone come into close enough proximity to any of our devices to trigger them. So once again this is very much going to be dependent on your area.

Given all of the above I have to say that so far out of all of the Bluetooth trackers we've tested I think the XY3 Find It has definitely come as close as you can get to nailing down all of our must haves and meeting all of our expectations.

Microsoft Re-brands Bring Rewards Into Microsoft Rewards Promises Bigger Better Things

In a likely attempt at swaying more users away from its competition, Microsoft is making big changes to their Bing Rewards program. As announced via their Microsoft Rewards Promotional page, Microsoft will be re-branding Bing Rewards to Microsoft Rewards and adding a few new incentives as well as a few other wrinkles to the mix!

As with Bing Rewards, you’ll still earn points for searching with Bing, but soon you’ll be able to earn those rewards in more (and faster according to Microsoft!) ways. For starters they are upping the amount of points/rewards you earn just for searching. There is also an additional incentive for those of you that chose to search and browse the web with Microsoft Edge. You'll get more points for each search as well as points for every hour of active browsing, up to 30 hours a month. The new Microsoft Rewards program also offers points for every purchase made from Microsoft stores. There you'll earn at least 1 point for every $1 spent—just make sure to stay signed in with your Microsoft account.

One major downside to using Bing for rewards will be that Windows 10's diagnostic and telemetry technology must be enabled to be awarded for browsing points. In terms of what is collected, Microsoft didn't mention much. They simply state that the browse & earn program collects the amount of active browsing time on Microsoft Edge to credit your account and refer users to their Microsoft Privacy Statement.

For those of you that currently participate in the Bing Rewards program, your membership will automatically update in the next few weeks. Your current points will all be transferred over to the new points system with one credit in Bing Rewards is equivalent to 10 points in Microsoft Rewards. Your point balance in Bing Rewards will be multiplied by 10 when your membership is updated to Microsoft Rewards.

With this change Microsoft is going to offer Level 2 members a discount of 10% on rewards from Microsoft brands, as well as access to exclusive offers. We'll also see more Microsoft based rewards with promotions including Microsoft branded products, Xbox games and rewards cards as well as more Microsoft branded product giveaways. Microsoft Rewards will continue to offer gift cards from third parties, like Amazon and Starbucks, on a promotional basis.

For more details or answers to your nagging questions visit the Microsoft Rewards FAQ page.

What is Google Duo and Why Will I Like it?

For those of you looking for a simplified way to video chat with your friends and family or just some fellow geeks out there, Google has a new cross platform app that might just be the answer. Announced yesterday, Google Duo is an app similar to FaceTime and Facebook Messenger, offering users a simple 1-to-1 video calling app that, unlike Apple's FaceTime, is available on both Android and iOS.

Why you'll love Duo! It is all about simplicity!

For Duo Google kept to the geek mantra of K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid). They designed the app to be dead simple for anyone to use. So you get a no-frills app, that doesn't feature a ton of extra, but connects you directly to that one person you want to reach out to. There's barely any UI or features to speak of. But from a technology standpoint, it's meant to work for with just about any smartphone. Making it ideal for families to connect across a variety of devices and at a variety of tech levels.

Google also designed Duo to work across a variety of network connections.. The app is built to provide HD video when on good networks and to gracefully and seamless adjust quality if things get worse. You can even drop down to a 2G connection and have video pause but have the audio continue. For video calls on the go, Duo will switch between Wi-Fi and cellular data automatically without dropping your call. You can start your call at home, and continue seamlessly even when you head out the door.

The simply design also means that Google had to simplify other things like how you log-in and connect to others. To do so, they did away with needing to connect to any external accounts. That means you simply sign into the Duo app with your phone number (no Google login needed here), and you'll see your full list of contacts; if people in your phonebook don't have the app, you can tap their number to send an SMS and invite them to Duo.

Once both of you are up and running you'll see what your front-facing camera sees. Below that are a handful of circular icons representing your most recent calls in the lower third of the screen. You can drag that icon list up and scroll through through and tap the person you wish to connect with.

For those who do have Duo, tapping their number initiates a video call. Once you're on the call, you just see the person you're talking to, with your video feed in a small circle, not unlike Apple's FaceTime. Tapping the screen reveals the only UI elements: a hang up button, mute button and a way to flip between the front and back cameras.

To add a little more 'human' experience and to give users a better sense of who they are connecting with Google included a feature it is calling Knock Knock. If you're using an Android phone and someone calls, you'll see a preview of their video feed on the lock screen. The person calling can wave or gesture or make a silly face to try and draw you into the conversation.

Google says this new features makes the person on the receiving end a lot more likely to answer with a smile rather than a look of confusion as they wonder if they video is working properly. For the sake of privacy, you'll only see a video feed from people in your contacts list, and you can turn the feature off entirely if you prefer.

Duo is available in the US for both Android and iOS today, and Google says it will be live worldwide in the next few days.

Like It or Not Facebook Plans to Force Feed You Ads [Update]

[Update] Adblock Plus, one of the best-known tools for blocking ads on the internet, claims to have a workaround that can defeat Facebook new advertising system. According to an official Adblock Plus blog post, users of the software can simply add a single line of code to their filters to make Facebook's ads go away. In response Facebook states, "We're disappointed that ad blocking companies are punishing people on Facebook as these new attempts don't just block ads but "other" Facebook content as well.."


Bad news for you Facebook users out there that are trying to get a little reprieve from the incessant bombardment of ads. Starting this week the social media giant will be employing new measures to bypass and block the most popular ad-blocking technologies out there. Meaning like it or not Facebook is going to be cramming as many ads as they can down your throat!

Facebook has announced that they will be taking measure to modify the digital signature of ads on its website so they are displayed to all users - this new modification is expressly meant to bypass most current ad-blocking apps. Meaning that all users, even those running browser extensions like Ad-block will now see apps on Facebook and in their timelines.

In an attempt to just justify the move Facebook says they are continuing to build "more powerful tools" which let users control the content of advertisements they see, ostensibly allowing users to cater ads to their interests. Though you still can't remove them, or limit them in any way!

We’ve designed our ad formats, ad performance and controls to address the underlying reasons people have turned to ad blocking software. When we asked people about why they used ad blocking software, the primary reason we heard was to stop annoying, disruptive ads. As we offer people more powerful controls, we’ll also begin showing ads on Facebook desktop for people who currently use ad blocking software.

In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, Andrew Bosworth, Facebook's vice president of its ads and business platform stated, "We are making it harder for ad blockers to be effective on Facebook for desktop," describing the issue as a matter of principle.

"Facebook is ad-supported. Ads are a part of the Facebook experience; they’re not a tack on,” said Bosworth. "This isn’t motivated by inventory; it’s not an opportunity for Facebook from that perspective. We’re doing it more for the principle of the thing. We want to help lead the discussion on this."

By continuing to force more and more ads on users Facebook ensures their cash cow will continue to be profitable. As we recently reported the company reported billions of dollars in profits this past quarter, due by and large to their ad unit. By ensuring more users see more of their ads the company stands to continue those gains.

Ads and ad-blocking are hardly new. From day one advertisers were looking for ways to monetize websites to their fullest, and ad placement was a cheap and easy option. Unfortunately, these days being bombarded with an overload of ads on your favorite websites is all too common. This has resulted in a great deal of backlash from users and a substantial growth in the development of ad-blocking technology.

In 2016, 69.8 million Americans will use an ad blocker, an increase of nearly 35% from last year, research firm eMarketer says. Next year, that figure is expected to grow another 24% to 86.6 million people. Ad-blocking software is more common on desktop computers and laptops than on smartphones. Though the number of people using ad blocking software on smartphones will jump nearly 63% this year, eMarketer projects.

From a technical standpoint, Facebook is able to circumvent ad blockers relatively easily because of the way it loads ads into the service using their own servers. Many ad-blockers rely on the fact that online publishers and media companies utilize links and scripts from third-party companies to help display ads on their webpages and services. This make those ads much more easily identifiable to blocking technologies.

By modify the digital signature of their ads Facebook believes it will be too costly and time-intensive for developers of ad-blocking software to code in a fix to the issue. For now at least, it appears Facebook as won at this cat and mouse game, though we expect developers are working at workarounds as we type! 

Samsung Wants Serbia's Youth to ‘Be Like Tesla’

In celebration of the 160 birthday of one of our all time favorite inventors and all around geeks, Nikola Tesla, Samsung launched a new initiative aimed at getting Serbia's youth interested in science and technology. The ‘Be Like Tesla’ project as it is dubbed incorporates multiple program elements designed to raise appreciation for Tesla as well as instill a passion for innovation among Serbian students.

Samsung Electronics Adria (SEAD) in cooperation with the Museum of Nikola Tesla in Belgrade, as well as the Institute for Educational Quality and Evaluation, recently organized the ‘Be Like Tesla’ project which first kicked off at the end of 2015 with the ‘Be Like Tesla’ caravan. A team of representatives from the supporting organizations along with popular young Serbian actor Biojan Dimitrijevic, who playing the part of Nikola Tesla, toured 17 cities across Serbia over a one-month period. The caravan housed interactive lectures for students utilizing the technology tools of the Samsung Digital Classroom.

The lecture and demonstrations were used to teach the children about the life and achievements of Tesla. In total, over 3,000 students visited the caravan during its tour throughout Serbia. In addition, a demo of the Samsung Digital Classroom was also organized at Kalmegdan featuring exhibits from the Museum of Nikola Tesla leveraging Samsung VR and other technology.

In 2016, the ‘Be Like Tesla’ project included a national competition for Serbian primary school students during May and June. Students were tasked to develop an invention inspired by the works of Nikola Tesla with about 150 schools from across Serbia taking part in the competition.

On July 10, the 160th birthday of Nikola Tesla, more than 5,000 people gathered at Kalmegdan to celebrate the winner of the national school competition. For the grand prize, primary school Mihajlo Pupin from Zemun, Belgrade was awarded for its project “Carousel.” The project featured operation of a toy carousel with a smartphone and sound recognition technology, leveraging wireless data transmission, one of Nikola Tesla’s inventions. As an award, the school and students received a fully-equipped Samsung Digital Classroom.

Following announcement of the winners, a Samsung representative also announced a three-year plan for continuing cooperation with the Museum of Nikola Tesla to further raise interest in science among Serbia’s youth leveraging the latest technology.

Read more...

Apple Plans to Pay Out Big Cash Rewards For Security Bugs

Big news for security researchers and would be iOS hackers, Apple has finally launched a high dollar bug bounty program that could net you a whopping $200,000!! The program, which will be an Apple first, promises big payouts for hacks and security vulnerabilities that affect the most serious aspects of Apple's iOS operating systems.

Apple announced the new program during the Black Hat cybersecurity conference when the head of Apple security, Ivan Krstic, took the stage. Kristic said the company would pay bug bounties -- up to $200,000 -- to researchers who find and report vulnerabilities in specific Apple software. Don't set your sights on a big paid day just yet though. Like all things Apple does they are keeping very tight control on the program.

For now, Apple is limiting the program to about two dozen researchers who Apple will selectively invite to help identify hard-to-uncover security bugs in five specific categories. The high dollar bounties are only being offered for a small range of iDevice and iCloud bugs. The full list is as follows:

• Secure boot firmware components: Up to $200,000 (~£150,000)
• Extraction of confidential material protected by the Secure Enclave: Up to $100,000.
• Execution of arbitrary code with kernel privileges: Up to $50,000.
• Access from a sandboxed process to user data outside of that sandbox: Up to $25,000.
• Unauthorized access to iCloud account data on Apple servers: Up to $50,000.

The payment amounts outlined above are upper limits and not likely to reflect actual payments. Those will depend on the novelty of the issue and how likely the issue is to be exploited in the wild.

As with most bug bounty programs in order to collect the pay outs the researchers will need to submit a report to Apple with a working proof-of-concept that the exploit that works on the latest stable version of iOS. If the bugs are hardware-related, the proof-of-concept must also work on the latest shipping iPhone or iPad hardware. Additionally they are also asked not to disclose the bugs before Apple has time to fix them, though the company would only say it would fix them as soon as possible and wouldn't commit to a firm time window.

Apple said it decided to limit the scope of the program at the advice of other companies that have previously launched bounty programs. Those companies said that if they were to do it again, they would start by inviting a small list of researchers to join, then gradually open it up over time, according to Apple. Limiting participation not only gives Apple more control, but it also saves the company from dealing with a massive influx of potentially negative hacks leaking and an influx of "low-value" bug reports.

Google Search Will Help You Find 'Must-Try' Restaurants

Google is adding a few new search features that may help you locate your favorite new dinning spot or a cool new 'secret' spot that you have never tried before! Starting today, every time you use the Google Search app and search for the best spots to eat and drink, you’ll have access to reviews from top critics and best-of lists from reputable publishers.

"Picture this: you're in New York City for 24 hours," Google Product Manager Ronnie Falcon wrote in a Thursday blog post. "If you're craving dim sum, but not sure which place is a top spot, a search for 'chinese restaurant' may bring up Michelin favorite RedFarm in the West Village. Looking further at the search result, you'll see it also appears on more than 10 best-of lists, including Eater, CBS Local and Refinery29."

When using your mobile device Google already gives you plenty of information about any given restaurant, bar or business in your area, including when it’s the busiest and what other visitors thought about it. Now, however, instead of having to rely on amateurs, you will also see reviews from Michelin, Zagat, and other reputable publishers.

Nvidia GTX 970 Owners You May Be Owed Money

Listen up you gaming geeks out there! If you purchased the Nvidia GTX 970 Nvidia may owe you some cold hard cash, thanks in part to some bad advertising and misleading specifications that has led to a proposed settlement in a class-action lawsuit.

For those that don't recall, shortly after the GTX 970 rolled out, users started noticing issues with the cards 'alleged' 4GBs of VRAM memory. In short the card's memory allocation didn't work correctly and wasn't allowing games and applications access to the full 4GBs of memory. Additionally, when access to the additional memory was available users saw significant drops in performance.

Nvidia later admitted that the design of the card was to blame, which split the card’s memory into 3.5GB and 512MB segments. Nvidia’s CEO later explained that the memory segmentation was an inventive way to make the GTX 970 a 4GB card when it normally would’ve been 3GB.

In addition to the issues with crippled memory, it was later discovered that Nvidia also made false claims on other specifics. The card was originally listed as having 64 ROPs (Render Output Unit), when in fact it was found to only have 56. The L2 cache capacity was also misrepresented at 2048KB but in reality it ended up being 1792KB.

At the time some online retailers felt the need to offer refunds, which many of you geeks out there likely took advantage of. However, others felt a little more slighted and filled lawsuit over the issue. The lawsuits largely claimed that Nvidia misled its customers. Allegations that Nvidia has continued to deny. The proposed settlement would not force the company to admit to any liability or false claims, rather they would issue a cash refund for those impacted.

According to the proposed settlement (via The Register) GTX 970 owners will be reimbursed $30 per card. Essentially the amount that they feel makes up the discrepancy between what customers should’ve paid had Nvidia been honest about the memory and ROP discrepancies from the start. The court will hear the petition to approve the settlement on Wednesday, August 24, as first reported by Top Class Actions. A total of 15 lawsuits seeking class-action status would be settled if the proposal goes through.

As the agreement has not yet been settled there are no details as to how GTX 970 owners can claim their refund. However, it appears as though eligible owners that have previously registered their cards will be notified of the settlement by October 23, and all claims will need to be filed by December 21. We'll be keeping track of the settlement so that once there are more details about filling claims we can update our readers so they can get their $30 refund.

Facebook Shows That Selling Your Data Continues to Be Big Business!

When Facebook reported their quarterly earnings  earlier this week one thing was glaringly true; the company is making more money of you than ever before! According to their own estimates Facebook earns roughly $3.82 per user, multiple that by the more than 1.7 billion active users, and you can see why the social media giant was able to usher in another $6.44 billion in revenue.

Facebook ARPU for Q2 2016

Facebook's main money stream has continued to be ad revenue, hitting more than $6.24 billion with  Mobile ad revenue taking the highest share (84 percent) at $5.42 billion. Facebook is now in fact pushing so many ads and making so much money on you the user, that they have in effect ran out of ad space.

When it comes to on site and in app advertising the company has it a wall of sorts, or the tip of what they are calling  “ad load”—the volume of ads its users typically see. Right now they believe they are in a "green zone” which means they don’t think they can push many more ads to users than they are already seeing during the time they are spending on the site without users becoming overwhelmed or overly annoyed (I personally think most already are!).

In short, Facebook is say they are about to max out on the number of ads it can show users without coming up with even more ways to push ads to you. This means it will need to find other ways to grow the company’s ad business moving forward, they simply don't believe increasing the number of ads it shows people will not be an option.

“The optimal ad load is really a mix of art and science,” Wehner said. “We also want to be thoughtful about making sure each person’s overall feed experience has the right balance of organic and ad content.”

This is why we see the company making bigger pushes to become a "video first" social network. During this week's conference call Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said the company sees “a world that is video-first, with video at the heart of all our apps and services.” Facebook executives also noted that video is playing a large part in driving up time spent on the social network. More time, means more advertising dollars!

Facebook uses a targeted advertising system, in layman's terms they collect as much of your data as possible and either sell or use that data to offer advertisers more lucrative ads and it appears to be working and working well.

Facebook promises that with their targeted advertising you can "reach the right people, every day, everywhere, to get more traffic and sales for your website". Their system not only utilizes traditional  things like demographics: age, gender, race, occupation ect but they also use site specific items. Things like your listed hobbies, favorite bands or brands, Facebook likes, location and check-ins. Beyond just what you do on their own site Facebook also tracks browsing and spending habits on other sites, giving company's a much more accurate picture of who you are and what you do!

What does this all mean? Well at the end of the day it means that, user willing, Facebook will continue to collect all the data it can on you, and they will continue to make as much money as possible off of that data! It also means that we can expect to see more adverting on Facebook's other services, as well as more in app and in video advertising. Pretty much we'll just see more ads period!

Firefox Finally Joins The Anti-Flash Revolution

Starting next month, Firebox will finally join the coup to banish Adobe Flash use, by blocking content that is deemed none-essential. This includes Flash elements that aren’t visible to the end user. As a result, Mozilla says, Firefox users will experience less issues with Flash crashing or causing the browser to hang. Battery life, page load speeds, Firefox’s responsiveness, and overall security will all be improved as well.

For those users that still want to enjoy Flash enabled sites, you know the ones that haven't moved to the new generation, Mozilla promises that Firefox will still support legacy Flash content. In order minimize website compatibility problems, the changes are initially going to be limited to a short, curated list of Flash content that can be replaced with HTML. So users won't suddenly be left in the dark. However, Mozilla says it will add more Flash content to the block list in the future, meaning site owners will eventually need to keep up with the times and change their content delivery systems.

Mozilla notes that over the past few years, Firefox has implemented Web APIs to replace functionality that was formerly provided only by plugins. This includes audio/video playback and streaming capabilities, clipboard integration, fast 2D and 3D graphics, WebSocket networking, and microphone/camera access. As websites have switched from Flash to other web technologies, the plugin crash rate in Firefox has dropped significantly:

Starting next year Firefox will require click-to-activate approval from users before a website activates the Flash plugin for any content. Websites that currently use Flash or Silverlight for video or games should plan on adopting HTML technologies as soon as possible. Firefox currently supports encrypted video playback using Adobe Primetime and Google Widevine as alternatives to plugin video.

Most of the major players including Google, Apple and Microsoft have all already implemented plans to phase out or completely end support for Adobe's Flash plugin. Largely citing security concerns as the plugin has notoriously been riddled with security vulnerabilities. Over the past several years Flash has been one of the most targeted exploits for hackers.

Hackers Use the 2016 Rio Olympics to Target Potential Victims

With the 2016 Rio Olympics just a couple weeks away we are seeing new warnings of potential threats from hackers that include anything from malware and ransomware, to full blown interruptions of sites and services associated with the events. These potential threats mean that visitors to the Olympics and you viewers/followers at home should be extremely diligent and cautious when it comes to opening emails, viewing videos and visiting sites related to the 2016 Olympic Games.

It is fully expected that cyberthreats related to the games will escalate over the coming weeks and meaning you could see phishing emails pushed to your inbox or malicious attacks potentially affecting and infecting the websites you visit.

Malicious Apps and Sites

While we all like to think of our app stores and favorite sites as being secure, history shows us that is not always the case. Malicious apps can sneak past the gates and even our favorite sites can be hit with malicious ads or code that injects links for bad downloads. Add to that the warnings about phishing attempts above and users are likely to face the real threat of malicious downloads.

Again this all comes down to 'think before you click' mentality. When visiting sites related to the 2016 Olympics or installing applications to follow the games be sure you are using official applications on your smartphone rather than low-rated ones with small user bases.

If you are visiting a site from your phone or computer and you see pop-up boxes for things like Flash Updates, app installs or anything else that might not seem right, be sure that you use caution. Back out of the page, if you can, and download any and all updates directly from the source. If you are on your smartphone and an app is asking to install from '"Unknown Sources" stay away!

Beware Phishing Emails and Malicious Social Media Posts or Messages

 Major sporting events have always attracted the attention of would be scammers, targeting the public in just about any way imaginable. Over the years these world wide events have become very lucrative targets for hacking groups using tools like phishing emails, social media posts and malicious downloads.

Phishing emails and social media posts are particularly popular ways for hackers to spread malware and other malicious software. They offer high reward and returns for little work and are seen as highly effective. A favorite among hackers are messages and links, sending would be victims to a site tp view high profile video of a favorite star, record breaking event or something similar. Another favorite phishing scam are links to bargains on great seats to events, or fake confirmations for reservations, service or seating to events. In reality these emails and links contain, things like malicious downloads of ransomware or fake sites that utilize realistic looking log-in pages to steal your passwords and log-in information.

The old adage “Think before you click, especially if something looks too good to be true!” rings loud and clear when it comes to emails involving the 2016 Olympic Games and is one most security researchers are trying to reiterate to everyone!

Thomas Fischer, a security researcher at Digital Guardian, has already been noticing an increase in phishing scams trying to take advantage of the Olympics. Typically, a user will receive an email loaded with an attachment that invites them to an Olympics ticket lottery. Inside the attachment, however, is malicious code that will download the Locky ransomware and begin encrypting all the user’s files. Hackers are already blanketing email addresses with this kind of attack. They’ll also pretend to be an organization like an Olympics committee.

Banks and Banking Data Are A Popular Target

For those that are luck enough to visit Rio for the games you should use extreme caution when using banks and point of sale machines. We know that anks and banking data are always popular targets, however we are seeing several warnings that Brazilian hackers are developing applications that install Trojans (back door access to your computer or phone) that pretend to be legitimate banking software, but in actuality can steal the victim’s payment information.

These apps tend to target local users more than anything, but they may evolve into something more and could be potential threats to travelers. 

Dmitry Bestuzhev, the head of global research for security firm Kaspersky Lab has warned that visitors to the Rio Olympics be wary of ATM and point-of-sale machines in the country. They often can be infected with malicious code that can secretly steal payment data once a banking card is swiped. “The attacker has the capability to intercept the data and then to clone the card,” he added.

Another danger Bestuzhev is warning users of is the use of public Wi-Fi spots in Brazil to access important person, financial or business data. These access points are often times insecure. A hacker can use them to eavesdrop on victims and steal their passwords, Bestuzhev said, adding the recommendation that users buy a VPN service to encrypt their Internet communications.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, in a recent awareness campaign, took even more drastic step stating that visitors should consider leaving all of their devices at home. Instead uggesting that travelers carry a burner phone, which doesn't contain personal data or secure information might be a good idea.It was also suggested that you change your passwords often while you are there.

In the end all of these warnings are meaningless unless the user actually implements a good plan. If you are traveling to Rio for the games you should make sure all your data is backed-up, not only in-case of security breach but of loss or theft (another real threat). You should, as always, make sure your devices and security software are fully updated with the latest patches, virus definitions ect. You should also run frequent scans just in-case.

The most important thing though is to be DILIGENT! Don't open odd emails, click links without confirming them, use odd sites or download software from unknown places and you should be fine!

Twitter Opens Account Verification to Everyone But There's A Catch

For several years now Twitter has made attempts at filtering out imposter accounts from the real deal by verifying high profile business and celebrity accounts. For the most part the process and qualifications to becoming Twitter Verified has been a little bit vague to say the least. There wasn’t really a formal procedure to request a verified account, but as of today that has all changed.

Twitter has announced that they have created an online application process that makes it possible for just about anyone to request account verification. There is however, a bit of a catch. Twitter must deem you worthy of being verified - shocking I know but we'll get into that below.

“We want to make it even easier for people to find creators and influencers on Twitter so it makes sense for us to let people apply for verification,” Twitter User Services VP Tina Bhatnagar said in a press release Tuesday. “We hope opening up this application process results in more people finding great, high-quality accounts to follow, and for these creators and influencers to connect with a broader audience.”

Getting Started
The process to becoming verified is pretty simple and for the most part Twitter has streamlined things as much as possible. For starters users who want to verify their account will obviously need to verify themselves, it wouldn't make much sense otherwise right? You''l need to first verify a few things like your phone number and email associated with your account. You'll also need to have an actual photo and bio on your profile, if you are an individual it will need to be a photo and info on you. Twitter may also request that you scan and upload a legible copy of your government-issued ID (such as a passport or driver’s license) to confirm your identity.

If you are looking to verify a business the photos will need to have the corporation’s branding, or the company’s branding. The email address and website associated with the account will also need to point to a corporate or company email address or website.

In addition to those basics Twitter says they may ask you for a few more things, and here is where things start to get a bit tricky. Someone, or a team of someones at Twitter are going to judge whether or not you are worthy of being verified. To do so Twitter is going to ask you to explain to them why they should bother with verifying your account. If the account represents a person, they want to understand your impact in your field. If the account represents a corporation or company, they want to know what your company's mission statement is.

What Does It Take To Be Twitter Verified?
Essentially  what it boils down to is Twitter wants to know if you are truly a person of public interest. What exactly does that mean? Well Twitter says the accounts they are most looking to verify are those maintained by public figures and organizations in music, TV, film, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas. So we are guessing here that they are looking for people that are high profile and attract a lot of attention.

This really doesn't give us much to go on as there doesn't seem to be much in the form of official criteria for what makes one person “of public interest” and another not. We've seen several of our fellow bloggers as well as several media personalities that have verified account while co-workers or cohorts in the same field don't. Either way at least now we have a bit more detail and a bit easier route to take to get verified.

Want To Get Verified? Submit Your Request To Twitter
You can submit your request to verify an account by filling out this form, and Twitter will respond to your request via email. If your request is denied, you can submit another request for the same account 30 days after receiving the email.

Even if you aren't sure if you should become verified or not, I say go for it. You really have nothing to lose here. Just think, if you are verified you'll become one of the 187,000 or so people out of 310 million or so that are verified on the site.

New Devices Means Windows Phones Might Not Be Dead After All

When it comes to the smartphone race not many people are using phones with Microsoft’s Windows 10 Mobile operating system these days. In fact, for most just finding a device that supports the fledgling OS can be a chore. Even then the pickings are very slim with only a few devices clinging to life. It looks like that may soon be changing however, and we are sure glad it is!

Windows 10 Mobile's market-share may just be a blip on the radar these days, hovering between 1-3%, but the operating system is gaining new signs of life thanks to key additions from some major industry players. HP, Acer and even Lenovo are releasing brand new high end device running Microsoft's latest mobile operating system.

HP Elite x3

Taking another stab at the smartphone market for the first time in years, HP will soon start shipping their new flagship phone the Elite x3. First announced at the Mobile World Congress trade show in February the Elite x3 will feature some rather impressive specs that will put it in the same class as powerhouse Android devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and LG’s G5. It has a 5.96-inch AMOLED screen that can display images at a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 chip, which has a graphics processor capable of processing 4K video, 4GBs of ram and 64GBs of storage space.

HP Elite x3 Specifications:

• Dimensions: 83.5 x 7.8 x 161.8 mm 195g
• Screen: 5.96-inch AMOLED display with WQHD 2560 x 1440 px resolution, Gorilla Glass 4
• Processor: Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 @ 2.15 GHz
• RAM: 4GB LPDDR4
• Storage: 64GB expandable to up to 2TB with microSD
• 16MP rear camera
• 8MP front-facing camera
• Dual nano SIM or nano SIM + microSD via 3-in-2 card tray
• Iris scanner
• Fingerprint scanner
• IP67 rating for dust- and water-resistance
• MIL-STD-810 rating, assuring device protection for drops from up to 1 meter
• USB 3.0 port with Type-C connector
• 4150 mAh battery, non-removable

Lenovo SoftBank 503LV

Last year, when Microsoft first announced the release of Windows 10 for phones, it mentioned Lenovo as one of its hardware partners. However, we haven't hear anything about this from Lenovo - not until now. The company this week unveiled its very first Windows 10 smartphone the SoftBank 503LV. Unfortunately we have seen rumors this device might be available in Japan only, however one can hope that all this new interest and competition will mean it will make it to the US.

The SoftBank 503LV derives its name in part due to the fact that it is a collaboration with Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank, one of the biggest smartphone manufacturers in the world. Being Lenovo's first entry into the Windows 10 Mobile market the Lenovo SoftBank 503LV features some rather basic specs. which we see as rather unfortunate. It will have a 5-inch 720p display and is powered by a 1.5GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor (the same chipset that powers the Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus, and HTC One A9), coupled with 3GB of RAM and an internal storage capacity of 32GB that is expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card.

Liquid Jade Primo

Acer has been one of the few companies that has stood with Microsoft in partnership releasing multiple Windows Mobile phones dating back to early 2015 when they released their first Windows Mobile phone the Liquid M220. This year we have seen them step up their game, releasing not one but two new devices. Back in April we saw their first release with the Liquid M330, a $99 entry level device for the budget minded. This week they took things up another notch with the release of their newest 'flag ship device' the Liquid Jade Primo.

During the IFA conference at the beginning of September 2015, Acer first unveiled the Liquid Jade Primo, giving users a glimpse at what was at the time going to be the company's first Windows 10 Mobile handset. Featuring a Hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, 5.5-inch Full HD (1920x1080px) AMOLED screen and 3GBs RAM the Liquid Jade Primo packs an impressive punch.

Acer Liquid Jade Primo Specifications:

• Hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor
• 5.5-inch Full HD (1920x1080px) AMOLED screen
• 3GB RAM
• 32GB storage (plus microSD card support up to 128GB)
• 21MP rear camera with dual-LED flash and 4K (3840x2160px) video recording
• 8MP front-facing camera with Full HD (1920x1080px) video recording
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• USB Type-C connector
• 4G LTE connectivity
• Dual-SIM support
• 2800mAh battery
• 156.5 x 75.9 x 8.4mm; 150g

All three device will feature support for Windows Continuum, one of Microsoft's newest features which turns your phone into a pseudo-PC allowing you to run universal Windows apps directly from your phone on just about any large format screen. You can then connect a mouse and keyboard and use your phone just as though you would a laptop, tablet or desktop, all while keeping the full function of a phone.

Acer's Liquid Jade Primo and HP's Elite x3 will also features bundles that include a Desk Dock for not only Continuum support, but additional USB, power and networking connections as well. Pricing starts at $649 for the unlocked Acer Liquid Jade Primo with a dock, keyboard and mouse and $699 for HP's Elite x3 (though we don't believe that includes and extra peripherals).

I don''t know about my fellow geeks out there but I for one applaud Microsoft and their partners for continuing the fight for a 3rd smartphone platform. I'm a firm believer that competition brings innovation and right now we aren't seeing a ton of that coming from Apple or Google with iOS and Android. I think that should Microsoft succeed, in breaking into even a small portion of the market, we might see some great things. They definitely have a major mountain to climb and will need a lot of help from developers in getting apps made for the OS. I feel though once that is done they might have a chance.

What about you guys? Do these new devices get you excited for more Windows 10 Mobile, or do you think they'll just be another flash in the pan?