Rick Falkvinge: Imminent Financial Crisis Perfect Opportunity to Convert the Masses to Crypto

Warnings of an imminent financial crisis are in the media more than ever before. But could such an event be the tipping point that puts Bitcoin and cryptocurrency firmly into the mainstream? Politician and tech entrepreneur Rick Falkvinge says it would be the perfect time to finally convert people to crypto. 

Also read: Billions Living Under Authoritarian Regimes Need Bitcoin Says Human Rights Activist

“Storm Clouds Building”

A global financial crisis is imminent – and we’re not prepared, experts have warned. The deputy head of the International Monetary Fund, David Lipton, said in December that he sees “storm clouds building” and fears “the work on crisis prevention is incomplete.” While Janet Yellen, the former chairwoman of the Federal Reserve, has said the loss of authority by banking regulators and a move toward deregulation are also warning signs of another economic disaster. 

A sustained trade war between the U.S. and China could damage the global economy, it has been warned, and the level of global debt has reached record levels. Combined with the risk of leveraged loans and a lack of tools available to deal with a future crisis, it would seem the warning signs are everywhere.

But what would this mean for the crypto-world? Could a crash do the crypto-market any good – as has been seen in Venezuela – or could it see people trying to cash out as quickly by selling their digital assets at the highest possible price?

Make Or Break Opportunity

The founder of Sweden’s libertarian Pirate Party, Rick Falkvinge, told news.Bitcoin.com that not only is a future financial crisis on the horizon, it will be the “make or break” opportunity to convert the masses to using cryptocurrency. “It’s like watching a mountainside full of wet snow, you can’t tell what’s going to set off the avalanche but you know for sure the avalanche is coming,” he said of the current warning signs.

“Since august 15, 1971 [the date of the Nixon shock] the bubble has been inflating. The situation is what we call metastable, it’s kind of like when we have one of the spinning tops. It stays stable for a little while but it can’t stay stable forever.” 

But Mr. Falkvinge, a proponent of Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and an evangelist for digital rights, went on to say that the future crash will be the ultimate opportunity to convert the masses to cryptocurrency.

And the crypto world would have to prove that digital currency is of use and a better option than fiat, Mr. Falkvinge added. “We will have to make the case,” he said. “We have to provide the value for it to be a better offering. At the end of the day it’s got to deliver. That’s the point I’m coming to full circle here. At the end of the day a crunch – credit crunch, stock market crunch, housing market crunch – is when we really have an excellent shot at introducing the world to crypto and using it to break free of this nickel-and-diming that’s so prevalent in existing markets.”

He added: “We have to make the case. We have to provide the value for it to be a better offering. That’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and it’s not coming back. That’s the make or break.”

Do you think a financial crisis could do the crypto world good? Tell us in the comments below.

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Images courtesy of: Shutterstock and The Pirate Party. 

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Embracing Utility in 2019: Unreliable Crypto Networks Will Lose to Hyperbitcoinization

Jon Lamont’s favourite things of 2018

2018 was a year, and while it might have started rather weak, it ended strong (for me at least). There were so many great things this year, from Avengers: Infinity War to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

While I could talk up all these awesome things, I’m sure they’ll be hot topics across MobileSyrup and other places as we look back over 2018.

Instead, I’m going to tell you about some of my favourite items from 2018, across tech, media and more. Let’s dig in.

Android 9.0 Pie

The newest Android release was one of the best ones yet. I loved the new features and Google’s new design direction that came along with it.

For one, I loved how Google began pushing AI in Android. It makes Android phones feel smart — really smart. Whether through Adaptive Battery learning your habits and managing your apps so your phone lasts longer, or by surfacing apps at the top of your launcher based on your usage, Pie just felt smart.

Further, the advent of Digital Wellbeing gave me handy tools to look at my smartphone use. With that data, I was able to curb overuse of certain app and make my phone use a better experience.

Ultimately, Android Pie is one of my favourite OS releases yet, and I can’t wait to see how Google improves on it next year.

Battlefield V

First person shooter (FPS) games are some of my favourites, and I’ve always been a fan of the Battlefield series.

There’s just something exhilarating about the chaos that occurs in that game. Buildings collapse, vehicles explode — its quite fun.

Battlefield V (BFV), for all its issues, is the best in the series since Battlefield 3 — which was my introduction to Battlefield.

Unfortunately, bugs abound in BFV. The progression system is janky. Sometimes the game gets stuck loading new maps. Sometimes, playing a few rounds of BFV is an exercise in frustration.

And yet, I keep going back because the gameplay is so good. The mechanics of the game feel excellent, and the gunplay is arguably better than ever.

It’s hard for me to recommend right now with the current issues, but in a few months when developer Dice finishes ironing out the kinks, BFV will be the FPS to beat.

OnePlus 6T Thunder Purple

I’ve never cared this much about the colour of a phone.

OnePlus nailed it with the Thunder Purple variant. The more I look at it, the more I love it. The way the colour subtly shifts from lilac to black. The dynamics of the fabled ‘s-curve’ of reflected light along the back of the device. The shading of the metal edges on the phone. Thunder Purple is stunning, full stop.

This new colour is hands down one of my favourite things from 2018. Plenty of other phones have stunning colours as well — looking at you, Huawei Mate 20 Pro. I hope this trend continues into next year as well.

Bojack Horseman

The fifth season of Bojack Horseman surfaced on Netflix this year, prompting me to rewatch the whole series again.

This is one of my favourite Netflix series because on the surface, its a silly cartoon comedy about a horse actor. However, the show is much deeper than that.

It successfully satirizes aspects of society and culture while also expertly dealing with issues like depression, trauma and substance abuse. It’s a show about broken people being broken.

And yet, its all tucked away in this comedic shell that lets you escape out of the dark inside and revel in the ridiculous.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for an excellent show to binge before the end of 2018, give Bojack Horseman a spin.

Joining the MobileSyrup team

Last but certainly not the least on this list, joining the MobileSyrup team was one of my favourite parts of this year.

I spent the summer interning with the team as part of school, but joined on as a staff writer and later a weekend editor after.

Working with MobileSyrup has been exciting, challenging and also enjoyable.

I have a passion for tech, so I get to write about something I love every day. That’s one of the best parts about my job, but the other is the team I get to work with.

Ultimately, joining MobileSyrup was one of the highlights of my year, and I look forward to working with this incredible, talented team in 2019.

Image credit: Battlefield V from EA press website

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Sameer’s favourite things of 2018

The Earth has almost completed another complete cycle rotating around the Sun, and that means it’s time for another end-of-year list detailing some of the my favourite things.

Read on below for more information into my psyche, as well as a collection comprised of my favourite phone, movie, video game, court case and lesson.

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact

If 2017 was the year that every major Android smartphone manufacturer released revolutionary devices that were genuinely worth purchasing as an upgrade, 2018 was the year that Android manufacturers chose to stick to their laurels and release minor, iterative updates.

Except, however, for Japanese entertainment giant Sony, which released a pair of sequel devices to the company’s 2017 Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact smartphones. Much like the company’s Android competitors, the aptly named Sony Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact at first seem like iterative updates. The devices feature an 18:9 aspect ratio, both devices carry front-firing stereo speakers, each device comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and 4GB of RAM — in Canada, anyway — as well as improved screens and improved camera software and hardware.

While the regular Xperia XZ2 is a capable device that struggles to stay afloat amid a sea of better-looking phones with better screens and better purchase points, the XZ2 Compact — chiefly due to its quirky, unique design and its smaller 5-inch display — more than stands out in the modern Android marketplace.

As a matter of fact, I believe that the Xperia XZ2 Compact is such a unique phone, that it’s my favourite Android phone of 2018. The device is sleek, it’s powerful, it’s camera is great, I can more than easily hold it in one hand, and its small 2,870mAh battery somehow manages to pump out close to a full day of battery life — all reasons why I thoroughly loved using the device in my time with it.

Ultimately, when it came time for me to make a smartphone purchase, I settled on Google’s Pixel 3, but even though I believe the Google device is better than the Sony one, the Xperia XZ2 Compact was the only phone that really stole my heart this year.

Sorry to Bother You

If there’s any reason to not completely despise the commodification of art based on its market value, it’s that every year, at least one film manages to define itself within a specific cultural context while simultaneously catering to the human tendency to want entertainment.

2018, however, was undeniably a year of cinematic protest, with movies like Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, Greg Berlanti’s Love, Simon, John M. Chu’s Crazy Rich Asians, and even Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther serving as a way for marginalized voices, marginalized groups and marginalized artists to break through the steady tsunami of political darkness that clouds our everyday lives.

Call me a classicist, however, but no movie spoke to me more deeply and on a more existential level this year than Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You. Starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson and Armie Hammer in one of the best cameos of the year, Sorry to Bother You is not only a blatant challenge to racial divides in the U.S., it also flaunts its staunchly anti-capitalist message in a way that only a filmmaker living in the era of Elon Musk, Amazon and anti-human free market ideals could possibly articulate.

In short, Sorry to Bother You is the defining film of 2018, shining a spotlight on the way in which capitalism is designed to profit off the labour of the subaltern groups pushed most to the margins of society.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!

In the interest of full disclosure, I still haven’t finished the main story in the latest remake of the first-generation Pokémon games, but that fact hasn’t at all stopped me from enjoying every single moment of Game Freak’s latest take on Pokémon Red, Blue, Green and Yellow.

It’s a simple game, but it’s one that bursts with wonder and excitement. More importantly, the title finally feels like the game that we all thought we were playing when we were still marred in the throes of our early developing years. That’s really just a fancy way of saying that Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! are probably the best versions of the first Pokémon games that players can enjoy.

I could go on and keep gushing, but that simple fact of the matter is that Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! are not only thoroughly enjoyable games, but they’re also thoroughly enjoyable Switch-exclusive titles.

Rogers Communications Inc. v. Voltage Pictures, LLC

It might seem strange that a Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) ruling is among my favourite things of 2018, but bear with me, since this ruling will no doubt play a major part in future copyright infringement and torrenting conversations that are set to take place in the future.

In short, Voltage Pictures, a Los Angeles-based production company responsible for producing, distributing and financing movies like The Hurt Locker, I Feel Pretty and Colossal, tried to use Canada’s notice-of-notice regime to request Rogers turn over the information of an IP address implicated in a copyright violation.

Rogers agreed to turn over the information, but wanted Voltage to pay the costs of the information’s disclosure at a rate that Voltage didn’t find completely acceptable.

Voltage sued Rogers, and the case eventually found its ways before Canada’s highest appellate court. The SCC ultimately ruled in favour of Rogers, though not quite for the reasons that some might hope. Instead, the SCC determined that Rogers should be allowed to charge whatever fee it wants, so long as the fee itself is reasonable. The catch? The SCC wrote that it would be next to impossible to determine reasonable costs of compliance, sending the issue of determining costs back to the Federal Court of Canada.

In short, Rogers Communications Inc. v. Voltage Pictures, LLC was a landmark ruling that served as a ‘sort-of win’ for anyone concerned about copyright trolling.

Privacy breaches, data privacy scandals and the world waking up to privacy concerns

In all fairness, it’s not like 2018’s privacy nightmares came out of nowhere. LinkedIn was hacked in 2012, Adobe was hacked in 2013, Ashley Madison was hacked in 2015, heck, even Uber used November 2017 to announce that it concealed a 2016 cyberattack that affected approximately 57 million drivers and passengers around the world.

Still, despite the many, many warning signs throughout the years, despite the fears of Russian hacking and meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and despite the knowledge that no website or platform is truly secure against invasion, the sheer breadth of the breaches and scandals that were confirmed throughout 2018 was astonishing.

Perhaps the most notable breach — Facebook’s breach by Cambridge Analytica — didn’t even actually take place in 2018, but an investigation from the New York Times and the Guardian served as the spark that lit the fuse for the rest of the year. Furthermore, news of a bug that allowed hackers to use Facebook’s ‘View As’ feature and the company’s Photos API exposed the fact that even one of the world’s largest internet platforms wasn’t immune.

If Facebook and its users were the most notable victims of privacy invasion, then the Marriott breach that affected almost 500 million customers around the world was perhaps the most unexpected.

Still, some Canadians might choose to argue that the most unexpected breach was actually the May 2018 Simplii Financial and BMO hack that may have affected some 40,000 accounts. Though the scale was small in comparison to other global attacks, the Simplii Financial and BMO breach once again revealed that even large, seemingly impervious companies are still susceptible.

In 2018, one of the favourite lessons I learned and that we all learned was that we need stronger passwords.

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New algorithmic system creates 3D animations with still photos

If you’ve ever wanted to bring a photo to life, researchers from the University of Washington may have a solution for you.

The researchers recently published a paper and YouTube video detailing their work on ‘Photo Wake-Up.’ The system can create a 3D animation from a single photo.

Not only are the animations impressively good, but you can also view them as video and interact with them through a monitor or in augmented or virtual reality.

Researchers included Chung-Yi Weng, a PhD student, Professor Brian Curless and Assistant Professor Ira Kemelmacher-Shlizerman.

The research team tested the system on 70 different photos downloaded from the internet. The test set included pictures of Stephen Curry, Goku and a Picasso painting.

Further, the team used a program called SMPL, which estimates 3D human poses and shapes from single images, along with deep learning to detect the photo’s subject and create a 2D cutout of it. Then, the program superimposed a 3D skeleton on it.

Additionally, the team used a warping algorithm to align the cutout and the skeleton.

Finally, the team used a proprietary user interface to correct any errors and help with texturing the animation. The interface ensured final animations were realistic and precise.

An algorithm also fills in the remaining space behind the moving subject of the image.

As cool as it is, the system isn’t perfect. It still can’t animate shadows or reflections. Also, the system may produce wrong animations due to “ambiguities.”

You can learn more about the Photo Wake-Up system through the research team’s website and research paper.

Via: Gizmodo

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Bitcoin History Part 7: The First Major Hack

Google Duo may soon get group calling, low light mode and more

If you use Google Duo at all, you’ve probably found yourself wanting a group video calling feature. Thankfully, it looks like one of the more coveted features for Duo is close to a release.

Following an app teardown that revealed Google was working on the group calling feature, Android Police received screenshots of it in action. Further, the anonymous tipster showed off an upcoming ‘low light’ mode, along with other small features.

According to the screenshots, Duo’s group calling feature allows for seven people at once. Comparatively, Apple’s recent FaceTime update brought 32 person group calls.

Additionally, Duo requires users to create their group first and then call it. At the moment, there doesn’t appear to be a way to add someone to a call in progress.

Also, if you have the group calling feature and invite someone without the function to a group, they won’t be able to answer the call.

Finally, you can create several groups and save them for easy access later on. Duo will keep a list of your groups above the contacts list in the app.

According to Android Police, the tipsters may have received the features as part of a limited, regional server-side test.

Along with group calls, the tipsters also had access to a new ‘low light’ feature. If you’re in a room that’s dark, a pop-up in Duo will ask if you want to enable low light, which “automatically adjusts your video” so others can see you better.

Further, there was an option in one of the screenshots to ‘Call my Home devices.’ It isn’t clear what this does, but it could be similar to Drop In on Amazon Alexa devices.

Ultimately, it looks like Google has a fairly significant update in the works for Duo. Considering the app has over 1 billion downloads, it’s good to see Google is adding more great features.

Source: Android Police

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Render of the Nokia 9 PureView shows off five rear-facing cameras: report

While this smartphone will likely never officially be available in Canada, it’s something to behold.

Below is a leaked render of the Nokia 9 PureView, codenamed ‘Beholder,’ a smartphone with five rear-facing camera sensors, featuring a 7-sensor array.

Finishing the year with a bang, prolific leaker Evan Blass has revealed a crisp render of an upcoming Nokia smartphone. Blass did not go into details about the handset, though just from the image, there’s a lot we can gather.

First and foremost the penta-camera setup was made with the help of Zeiss, a Germany-based company that makes lenses for smartphones, cameras and even NASA. Nokia has partnered up with Zeiss numerous times since HMD Global acquired the brand. Additionally, the phone looks to have a LED flash — possibly a dual LED flash — and maybe even a seventh sensor.

Below the camera setup and the Nokia branding, the phone has an Android One logo, which means the handset will offer a stock Android experience alongside three years of monthly security updates.

Nokia 9 PureView “Beholder.” HNY pic.twitter.com/x4Kh3anP46

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) December 31, 2018

Flipping to the front, what’s most eye-catching is the fingerprint sensor logo. The logo on the screen suggests that the device will feature an in-display fingerprint sensor.

The top of the handset has a bezel that is on the thick side, especially considering the leaks for other 2019 devices. The phone also has a single camera sensor on the front.

According to GSMArena, which often creates device spec sheets based on leaked specs, the phone will feature a 5.9-inch display with a 1,440 x 2,960 pixel resolution, alongside 128GB of storage, 8GB of RAM, 4,150mAh battery, a Snapdragon 845 processor and IP68 water and dust resistance.

GSM suggest that the seventh sensor on the rear of the smartphone is a depth sensor.

It’s unclear when or if HMD will reveal the device, though given how often odd looking handsets get revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show, we might get an official glimpse of it soon. CES 2019 officially begins on January 8th and ends on the 11th.

Source: Evan Blass

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Ian’s favourite things of 2018

Yet another year of high wireless prices and tech that was bound to be replaced within six months.

2018 brought forth moderate innovation in the smartphone space with a focus camera tech and the location of the ‘notch.’ However, in a positive move, the smart home actually became smarter. All the major players — Amazon, Google, Apple, Sonos, ecobee, Philips and Samsung — advanced their product offerings by integrating new ideas and voice features.

Data still played a major part in the carriers’ profits, with streaming services making up one of the most consumed portion of time, along with social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Overall, I enjoyed how 2018 played out. Here’s a list of the top four things I liked.

Tim Hortons mobile app refresh

This was a one-time fan favourite destination for me. Mainly to help me get through the day from my kids crying. A good cup of Timmies was always comforting and when the company first launched its app that allowed for mobile-order-and-pay, it was a dream. This year, Tim Hortons completely revamped its app offering with a new look and even offered the occasional loyalty program when you bought 10 drinks. However, I still believe Timmies needs to improve their food.

Streaming services – Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Crave

Looking at Screen Time on my iPhone indicates that I watch way too much content from streaming services. I’m talking over 50 hours. This is mainly due to downloading offline content while I travel to the office on the subway. Regardless of the damage to my eyes and brain, I’m digging the entertainment.

On Netflix, I enjoyed the new season of Narcos, while on Amazon Prime Video it was The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and a doc on Bob Dylan. On Crave, which was just rebranded from CraveTV and made available through all carriers, it Game of Thrones.

Legal cannabis

I have been consuming cannabis for years. Actually, decades, cause I’m an old dinosaur.

The legalization of cannabis came through on October 17th, 2018 and caused much joy for many, myself included. While I only consume on weekends and never in the workplace, the online ordering process from the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) is a breeze — bonus: it’s powered by Ottawa-based Shopify.

I’m sure the world is watching how Canadians respond to legal cannabis and it will be a roadmap for other countries to follow.

While it’s only dried and fresh cannabis, plants, seeds, and oils that are legal, next up are edibles such as cookies, brownies, and gummies.

Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History podcast with Rick Rubin

I’m now a fan of podcasts. I’m also a fan of smart people doing great things. Canadian-born Malcolm Gladwell uploaded a spectacular conversation to his Revisionist History podcast with Rick Rubin, an icon within the music industry. Rubin eloquently described his passion for music, his rise within the scene, and also the numerous musicians he’s worked with including Run DMC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys and reinventing Johnny Cash, specifically with the cover of Hurt by Nine Inch Nails. It’s worth a listen.

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Apple AirPower is still MIA, but this might be the next best thing

Bakkt Completes First Round of Funding With $182.5 Million

Intercontinental Exchange’s upcoming cryptocurrency trading platform, Bakkt, has raised $182.5 million from a dozen investors. The funds will help develop an institutional-grade regulated crypto exchange, clearing and warehousing services for physical delivery and storage. The company now expects to provide an updated timeline on launching bitcoin daily futures contracts in early 2019.

Also Read: Israeli Exchange to Launch Crypto Payments API for Businesses

Bakkt Raises $182.5 Million

Bakkt, the digital assets subsidiary of the parent of the New York Stock Exchange ,  Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE), has announced it’s completed a first round of funding. The investors include Boston Consulting Group, CMT Digital, Eagle Seven, Galaxy Digital, Goldfinch Partners, Alan Howard, Horizons Ventures, Intercontinental Exchange, Microsoft’s venture capital arm, M12, Pantera Capital, Payu, the fintech arm of Naspers, and Protocol Ventures.

“I am pleased to confirm that we have completed our first round of funding of $182.5 million from 12 partners and investors who, like us, believe in the future of digital assets,” stated Bakkt CEO Kelly Loeffle. “Our work today is centered on driving institutional access for digital assets, along with merchant and consumer uses, and we’re already expanding on this vision, collaborating with great companies like Starbucks in these efforts.”

Getting the Green Light in 2019

Back in October, Intercontinental Exchange announced that the Bakkt Bitcoin Daily Futures Contract would start trading on Dec. 12, 2018. This has not happened, and the date has been pushed back to Jan. 24, 2019. Today, ICE seems to have acknowledged this target date won’t be met again, as it announced it now “expects to provide an updated launch timeline in early 2019.” The Bakkt team has reportedly been working closely with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to get the needed approval.

“At an industry level, regulatory approval for physically delivered and warehoused bitcoin will establish and amplify the voice of U.S. authorities as the digital asset market evolves globally. We have filed our applications and the timing for approval is now based on the regulatory review process,” explained Loeffler. “Clearing firms and customers have continued to join us as we work toward CFTC approval. We made great progress in December, and we’ll continue to onboard customers as we await the ‘green light.’”

Does this news show that Wall Street is still eager to invest in crypto assets? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Images courtesy of Shutterstock.

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Verify and track bitcoin cash transactions on our BCH Block Explorer, the best of its kind anywhere in the world. Also, keep up with your holdings, BCH and other coins, on our market charts at Satoshi’s Pulse, another original and free service from Bitcoin.com.

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Internet founding father Larry Roberts dies at 81

Larry Roberts, one of the early pioneers of the internet, has died at the age of 81.

The cause was a heart attack, according to his son Pasha.

The elder Roberts was a manager at the Pentagon’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) that designed much of the internet precursor Arpanet in the 60s.

While at ARPA, Roberts was the decisive force behind packet switching, the technology that divides data into separate bundles to be sent along different paths on a network and reassembled at their destination. Roberts determined that this technology should be central to Arpanet’s design — a design decision that continues to be implemented in modern day internet infrastructure.

Roberts left ARPA in 1973 to found Telenet, which worked to improve the quality of packet switching tech. He also later started Caspian Networks (now defunct) and Anagran, which focus on improving the quality of service for such technologies as video streaming.

Image credit: History of Computers

Via: New York Times

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You can play one of the games from Black Mirror: Bandersnatch – here’s how

Google is getting ready to party with its New Year’s Eve doodle

Google has changed its Search logo to celebrate New Year’s Eve, turning it into two little purple guys that are ready to party.

The search giant has always published a whimsical Doodle for New Year’s Eve, with 2018 keeping up that trend.

There’s no interactive element to the Doodle, but it does play out like a GIF. One of the little purple guys is blowing up balloons, and the other one is eating popcorn.

Either way, this is a fun Doodle to help people get excited to ring in the new year.

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Popsugar’s Twinning app leaked hundreds of thousands of selfies

Twinning, Popsugar’s celebrity matching tool, has inadvertently leaked hundreds of thousands of selfies, according to a new report from TechCrunch.

Similar to many other photo sharing apps out there, every image uploaded to the service is stored in the cloud through Amazon Web Services. The difference with Twinning is the web address of this data bucket is available right in the code on the Twinning app’s website. TechCrunch says that when the site is opened in a browser, it’s actually possible to view a real-time stream of the photos being uploaded to the service.

TechCrunch went so far as to verify its findings by uploading a dummy photo with a specific file size. The publication then scraped the list of file names uploaded during that time period, downloaded them, and found that uploaded image available in the site’s code.

TechCrunch says that it reached out to Popsugar regarding the security breach, but initially didn’t hear back when the story was first published.

That said, the user data was locked down shortly after. Mike Patnode, the company’s SEO, also eventually reached out to the publication to confirm that “the bucket permissions weren’t set up correctly.” As it stands right now it looks like the security breach has been fixed.

Twinning works by analyzing a selfie and then comparing to a database of photos of celebrities, resulting in a ‘twinning percentage’ along with your top five celebrity lookalikes.

As security breaches go, this one is relatively inconsequential. After all, most people using Twinning likely publically shared their photo on a social media platform.

Still, this is yet another reminder that free apps are never actually free, as well as that there’s no guarantee how secure your personal data is when you use them.

Twinning is a browser-based app and doesn’t feature a dedicated iOS or Android app.

Source: TechCrunch 

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The Galaxy S10 could be outshone by this surprise Samsung star

Samsung Galaxy Home mini tipped as cheaper Bixby-powered speaker

Google reportedly working on fix for laggy tablet mode on Chrome OS devices

Recently some Chrome OS users have reported laggy performance when using their devices in tablet mode.

Thankfully, Google appears to be working on a fix.

As spotted by ChromeUnboxed, a recent bug tracker has revealed that Google plans to fix Chrome OS tablet mode multitasking screen lag. Based on the tracker, it seems that the poor frame rates can be attributed to how Chrome OS renders the screen’s rounded corners.

“A lot of animation jank seems to be coming from the use of Mask Layers to create rounded corners. This combined with background blur adds a lot of additional steps in the paint/rendering pipeline,” reads a message in the tracker.

“The performance (fps increase) and memory improvement (tiles [don’t] get discarded and we actually see the content) is quite significant on Nocturne Celeron when rounded corners are removed.”

For example, the tracker notes that removing the corners on the Pixel Slate resulted in a “significant” improvement in performance.

It’s unclear when Google will roll out a fix, however.

Via: 9to5Google

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67 Cryptocurrency Companies Probed by UK Regulator

The U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has reportedly provided an update of its investigations of crypto companies. A total of 67 inquiries were launched, 49 of which have been closed, leaving 18 businesses currently under investigation. The UK government has reportedly said it is ready to give power to the FCA to regulate the crypto industry.

Also read: Indian Supreme Court Moves Crypto Hearing, Community Calls for Positive Regulations

More Crypto Companies Under Investigation

The U.K.’s FCA has released new information regarding its investigations into crypto businesses to The Telegraph in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. The publication reported on Saturday that the FCA revealed that “as of Nov. 12 it had opened inquiries into 67 firms involved in cryptocurrency businesses.” The Financial Times elaborated:

The Financial Conduct Authority on Sunday confirmed it was investigating 18 businesses involved in the sale of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. The regulator has also issued alerts and warnings about dozens of companies suspected of cryptocurrency investment scams.

Out of 67 inquiries, 49 have been closed. The FCA issued consumer alerts for 39 firms. “Alerts are issued by the regulator when it is concerned a company is operating without authorisation, and is a suspected scam,” the publication described. The other 10 inquiries were closed because the companies involved were either warned that they may need authorization to continue their activities or there was not enough evidence to proceed with the investigation. The regulator declined to name the companies under investigation.

In May, the FCA investigated 24 crypto firms. In November, The Telegraph reported that the number of unauthorized crypto companies the regulator suspected of operating in the financial services industry jumped to 50, citing information from a different FOI request. In addition, the regulator has received seven whistle-blowing reports from employees of crypto businesses this year, whereas it did not receive any in the previous three years.

Regulating the UK Crypto Industry

While cryptocurrency transactions are currently not regulated in the U.K., companies that sell regulated investments with cryptocurrencies as their underlying assets may need approval from the FCA. However, “it is currently unclear in some instances whether certain assets fall within the scope,” the news outlet noted.

Following a report by the Treasury Committee published in September stating that “‘Wild West’ crypto-assets should be regulated,” the government earlier this month said that it is ready to give the FCA power to oversee the cryptocurrency industry. The authority will launch a consultation early next year to determine how the crypto market should be regulated.

John Glen, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, explained that the government will discuss whether crypto assets that “have comparable features to specified investments but that fall outside the current perimeter” should be regulated, the news outlet quoted him as saying. Glen further detailed:

Subject to the outcome of this consultation, the government stands ready to legislate to expand the regulatory perimeter to ensure that FCA regulation can be applied to all cryptoassets that have comparable features to security tokens, regardless of the way they are structured.

Furthermore, the FCA said in October that it is considering banning the sale of crypto derivatives. In November, news.Bitcoin.com reported that the regulator indicated that a “comprehensive response” to the illicit adoption of crypto assets is being planned.

What do you think of the U.K.’s FCA investigating all these crypto companies? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Never Make Another Writing Error Again with this Proofreading App

Even the best writers make errors. Whether you’re writing emails, novels, or communist manifestos, you need to make sure that you didn’t screw up and make any stupid mistakes. There are many great programs that can assist you, but one program that really stands above the rest is WhiteSmoke Writing Assistant.

This award-winning writing enhancement software checks your work for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and style errors so you’ll never write a flawed sentence again. It gives you lifetime access to all current and future product features and works on mobile and desktop platforms. It even has a large database to check for plagiarism. If you make a lot of typos and are sick of asking all your English-major friends to proofread everything, this is the writing tool you need.

A Lifetime Premium Subscription to WhiteSmoke Writing Assistant normally costs $534.84 CAD, but you can get it now for just $105.64 CAD.

Buy it here.

Want your products featured in The MobileSyrup Shop? Learn more about how to sell your products online!

 

 

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CIRA expects privacy, cybersecurity internet trends in Canada in 2019

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), which manages the ‘.ca’ internet domain, has released its thoughts on some of the internet trends Canadians will see in 2019.

First up, CIRA says privacy will continue to be a significant internet trend in 2019. 2018 saw several scandals, such as the Cambridge Analytica fiasco with Facebook. Privacy is on the minds of Canadians.

Further, CIRA says the improved Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) will come into force in 2019, making privacy an essential part of the political dialogue in Canada.

Along with privacy, CIRA thinks ‘unplugging’ will be another 2019 internet trend. Unplugging is the idea of taking a break from the internet — and connected devices in general — to focus on the present. Whether that is to spend time with friends and family or to take some time to unwind, Canadians could unplug more often in 2019.

Canadians could also be in for a wild ride with the 2019 election. A lot has changed since Trudeau and the Liberals came to power in 2015. CIRA expects Canadians will be on the lookout for fake news and election interference regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum.

Additionally, CIRA feels Canadians will see a shift in media in 2019. So much has moved to online streaming platforms. Netflix dominates, but services like Crave from Bell Media — which just received a massive revamp with more content — could prove stiff competition in 2019.

Audio is having a resurgence as well, with both podcasting and music streaming experiencing a boom. CIRA attributes this to the ‘multitasking’ nature of sound. You can listen to something while you complete other tasks, such as a podcast while driving to work.

5G is another area CIRA expects to see more trends. For one, we could see the first 5G networks rollout in Canada in 2019. As much as 5G could be a boon for Canadians, we’re likely to see continued debate over the technology and especially around who is allowed to participate in bringing it to Canada.

Finally, CIRA says cybersecurity will be a significant trend in Canada, specifically because it’s now a mainstream problem. According to CIRA, cybercrime is becoming a petty crime. It’s easier and more cost-effective than ever to hack small businesses or even individuals. As such, CIRA says Canadians should be more aware of tools and techniques they can use to protect themselves.

Source: CIRA

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Protective film of Sony Xperia XZ4 reveals a very tall aspect ratio: report

Chinese leaker Ice Universe has shared a video of the protective film for the Sony Xperia XZ4. It’s unclear where or how the leaker got this video. However, it suggests the phone will feature an unusual aspect ratio.

Sony XZ4 protective film video, I am interested in it. pic.twitter.com/bsKuqeGEOr

— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) December 29, 2018

If no stretching of any sort has happened to this video, then the XZ4 will be an odd looking smartphone. Other than the tall aspect ratio, the phone might have dual front-facing cameras, though it’s possible that one of the holes is for another type of sensor.

The phone also has pretty thin bezels especially considering this is allegedly a Sony device.

It’s unclear when Sony will reveal its XZ4. However, similar to 2018’s Xperia XZ2, it’s possible the Japan-based company will unveil the device at Mobile World Congress in February.

Source: Ice Universe

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#LYTV: ASUS ROG Phone Review

In 2018, we have seen quite a number of new trends within the smartphone world. Well, there is something called display notch which has been adopted by almost every manufacturer out there, but that is not the trend we meant.

Instead, we are talking about gaming smartphone and the ASUS ROG Phone is one of the biggest releases within the genre. Bearing the name of ASUS premium gaming division, the ASUS ROG Phone is certainly an embodiment of the division’s spirit who has previously produced tons of gaming-oriented desktop, laptops, PC components, and peripherals.

One can see this immediately through ROG Phone’s aggressive design as well as its specs sheet which list down all of the top-of-the-line hardware that is contained within the phone. Not only that, it has also been designed to work with a full ecosystem of peripherals that includes gamepad extension, desktop dock, secondary screen attachment, and many more to help further enhance one’s gaming experience on the ROG Phone.

Of course, there is more to the phone that just eye-catching design and powerful hardware. So, do check out our ROG Phone video review above for further details.

(More information: ASUS Malaysia)

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Acer Predator Orion 3000 Gaming Desktop PC Lands In Malaysia

It took some time for Acer to achieve this in our market but with the recent arrival of Predator Orion 3000 into Malaysia, the company’s Predator Orion gaming desktop lineup in Malaysia has finally been completed. The series was first introduced here through the release of Predator Orion 9000 in December 2017 before followed by Predator Orion 5000 in July 2018.

First shown to the world back in May, Predator Orion 3000 is the smallest model in the family. Despite that though, it is still quite a powerful machine and can be obtained in two different specs in Malaysia.

The higher-end variant is equipped with Intel Core i7-8700 processor alongside NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB graphics and 128GB solid state drive. On another hand, there is also a lower-end variant with Intel Core i5-8400 processor, 16GB Intel Optane memory, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB.

Both variants do come standard with 8GB RAM, 1TB hard drive, and 500W power supply unit. Available immediately through selected Acer dealers throughout Malaysia, Predator Orion 3000 with Core i7 processor is priced at RM 5399 while the Core i5 model goes for RM 3999.

(More information: Acer Malaysia)

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Soulja Boy stops selling his bootleg emulator consoles

Soulja Boy says he had to “boss up” and pull his SouljaGame handheld and console from his online store as he “didn’t have a choice.”

The two devices, which are the same piracy-focused game systems widely available on platforms like Amazon and Alibaba, emulated copyrighted games from various platforms, including the PlayStation, NES, Game Boy Advance and more. The systems included preinstalled games as well as the ability to load ROMs onto them from an SD card. A company called Anbernic is listed as the manufacturer of these systems.

Well keep waiting the games were licensed to us. Why y’all want to see a black man fail so bad smh https://t.co/DpCd0zk9mX

— Soulja Boy (Drako) (@souljaboy) December 28, 2018

SouljaWatch lists the Soulja Game Console at $149 USD (about $199 CAD), though it was originally priced at $199 USD. On the other hand, the Soulja Handheld is priced at $99 USD (approximately $132 CAD), but was first listed at $199. The price of both consoles has been increased significantly over their cost on other digital retail platforms.

Initially, Soulja Boy made the amusing claim that all the games were licensed to him legally, with the rapper citing Nintendo’s titles specifically. It seems, as many expected, that this wasn’t exactly true, as the consoles were pulled from his store just a few days later.

I had to boss up, I didn’t have a choice.

— Soulja Boy (Drako) (@souljaboy) December 29, 2018

Although the specifics of why Souja Boy ultimately opted to stop selling the consoles are unknown, it’s likely that an army of lawyers from Nintendo had something to do with it.

Jan 2019 the esports team launches. Get ready the hustle doesn’t stop. Big plans will be announced soon I’m just getting started

— Soulja Boy (Drako) (@souljaboy) December 28, 2018

Despite this fiasco, Soulja Boy says that he still has plans to launch an eSports team at some point in 2019.

Source: Twitter (@souljaboy) Via: Engadget

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LG to update G7 ThinQ to Android 9 Pie in Q1 2019

LG plans to update the G7 ThinQ to Android 9 Pie in the first quarter of 2019, according to the company’s official software upgrade roadmap.

One thing to note here is that means the update could land anytime between the start of January and the end of March. In addition, LG says the timeline only applies for devices in Korea.

That said, it’s likely we’ll see the company release Android 9 Pie to unlocked G7 ThinQ devices in Canada sometime shortly after it makes the update available to Korean users. As always, those who bought their device from a carrier will have to wait longer while the update goes through the necessary approvals.

LG updated the G7 One, which is a stripped down version of the G7, at the end of November.

Source: LG

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Samsung rolls out Android 9 beta with touchscreen fixes for Note 9

Korean electronics giant Samsung is rolling out the latest version of its One UI beta to Note 9 devices with a handful of bug fixes.

Samsung is working on bringing its Android 9-based ‘One UI’ to all of its major 2018 flagship devices, including the ever-popular Galaxy Note 9.

Samsung brought One UI to the Galaxy S9 series of devices on December 24th, but hasn’t done the same for its latest flagship, the Note 9.

The Note 9 joined the One UI beta on December 4th, and since then it has been steadily getting smaller updates, like today’s touchscreen fix.

The beta is software version number N960FXXU2ZRLT, according to 9to5Google.

It focuses on bug fixes, like a home button issue, a bug that caused the gallery app to crash and another problem that caused parts of the keyboard to become unresponsive.

While it does seems like Samsung is thoroughly working its way towards a full One UI release it likely won’t hit the masses until sometime in February, according to 9to5Google. 

Source: 9to5Google

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Nokia 9 Pureview render shows why people are excited about five-camera phone

Iran Labels Telegram’s Coin a Threat to National Security

Tehran has once again targeted the users of the popular messaging application Telegram. A law enforcement official warned Iranian citizens against providing any support for the launch of the instant messaging app’s native token, the Gram.

Also read: Bill to Curb Iranian National Crypto Filed in US Congress

‘Disruption to the National Economy’

Authorities in Iran would interpret any cooperation with Telegram on the issuing of their crypto as “an action against the national security” of the Islamic Republic. That’s according to a recent statement by Javad Javidnia, secretary of the country’s Criminal Content Definition Task Force.

Javidnia emphasized that instances of providing such support “will be dealt with as a disruption to the national economy.” Quoted by the Fars news agency on Sunday and later by the English-language newspaper Tehran Times, the official also stated:

One of the most important factors in banning Telegram was the sense of a serious economic threat from its activities, which was unfortunately marginalized and neglected due to the fuss in the political atmosphere of the country.

Telegram has been developing its Telegram Open Network (TON) in order to provide its customers with a digital payments system. All Telegram users will get a TON wallet and the platform’s developers hope to make Gram the “world’s most adopted cryptocurrency.”

The company planned an initial coin offering for its Gram token earlier this year but the ICO was canceled after Telegram reportedly raised $1.7 billion from private investors. The ico-telegram.org website confirms that and currently warns investors they have 31 days left before the refund windows is closed. The issued refunds now amount to over 97.7 percent of the raised total.

Banning the Messenger

This past spring, the operator of the messaging service, a company founded by famous Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov, revealed that Telegram had over 200 million monthly active users around the world. The app has become extremely popular in the global crypto community as well as in jurisdictions with extensive internet censorship regimes.

The messenger has been blocked already in the People’s Republic of China. Authorities in the Russian Federation have been trying to restrict access to its platform for months this year, after Telegram refused to hand over its encryption keys to the Federal Security Service (FSB).

Moscow’s attempts to prevent Russians from using Telegram have been largely unsuccessful. In fact, the number of its users in the country has grown to over 3.4 million since the Russian telecom watchdog Roskomnadzor started its offensive. Russian-language channels have also significantly increased their membership.

The instant messaging app with Russian roots gained much more popularity in Iran, where it is believed to have 50 million users, according to a BBC report. However, in April the Iranian judiciary banned Telegram “to protect national security.” The measure was imposed after mass anti-government protests in January over the deteriorating socio-economic conditions in the country. Officials claimed the rallies had been organized in Telegram chats.

Iran and Cryptocurrencies

The attitude of the Islamic Republic towards cryptocurrencies has changed over time, especially after the Trump administration pulled out of the nuclear deal and reintroduced U.S. sanctions, which among other restrictions limited Iran’s access to the dollar. That’s not to say that Tehran has become really positive about decentralized cryptos such as Bitcoin but, for instance, the country took steps to recognize mining as an industry and allow the imports of mining equipment.

Iran has also been working to issue a national cryptocurrency and according to recent reports, the organizations behind the project have already finalized its development. Just recently, a new bill aimed at curbing Iran’s efforts to create a sovereign coin and use it to circumvent sanctions was introduced in the Congress in Washington. The draft legislation bans U.S. citizens and companies from all transactions and dealings in Iranian digital currency and introduces new sanctions against foreign nationals and organizations supporting its development.

What is your opinion about the latest Iranian action against Telegram? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.  

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