The Leica M-series of cameras is probably one of the company’s most iconic lineups, which might explain why they have kept the Leica M7 around for as long as they did. Unfortunately all good things must eventually come to an end, as is the case with the M7 which has since been officially discontinued.

In a post on the Red Dot Forum, “Effective immediately, Leica will no longer produce any more new M7 cameras, in black or silver. There still might be a handful in stock at various dealers, but once sold out, no more will be coming from Wetzlar. The same goes for the a la Carte program. No M7-based configurations will be accepted or built for customers wanting a custom camera.”

For those unfamiliar with the significance of the M7, this is the camera that replaced the M6 and was released in 2002. This means that it has been around for the past 16 years. It was also one of the last film cameras in the Leica M-series before future M models, like the M8 to the M10 went full digital.

However as the post on Red Dot Forum points out, analog lovers will be pleased to learn that while the M7 might have been discontinued, the MP (not to be confused with the M-P) and the M-A cameras will still be around. That being said, the M7 is still available for purchase while stock lasts, so if you absolutely have to have it, maybe now might be a good time to pull the trigger on purchasing it.

When Battlefield V was officially announced, many were surprised to see a female character represented so prominently in the game. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just that previous Battlefield games seem to predominantly feature male characters, so to see female characters so prominently featured was surprising.

However it seems that not everyone reacted to the inclusion of female characters positively and felt that DICE was simply pandering to the modern audiences, but the good news is that DICE is sticking to their guns. In a post on Twitter, Oskar Gabrielson who is the GM at DICE wrote, “Let me be clear about one thing. Player choice and female playable characters are here to stay.”

Our commitment as a studio is to do everything we can to create games that are inclusive and diverse. We always set out to push boundaries and deliver unexpected experiences. But above all, our games must be fun!

— Oskar Gabrielson (@ogabrielson) May 25, 2018

He adds, “We want Battlefield V to represent all those who were a part of the greatest drama in human history and give players choice to choose and customize the characters they play with. Our commitment as a studio is to do everything we can to create games that are inclusive and diverse. We always set out to push boundaries and deliver unexpected experiences. But above all, our games must be fun!”

The game will allow gamers to create female characters and there will also be various ethnicities to choose from, allowing more races to be represented within the game. Battlefield V is currently set for a release on the 19th of October.

Are you thinking about buying a MacBook Pro? If you are, you might have to hold off for a couple of weeks if you think you can wait. This is because there is a chance that the laptops are due for a refresh, as noted by Mac Observer who points out that the shipping dates are starting to slip for some of the existing models.

While some of the MacBook Pro models are still shipping out in as fast as one day, some, such as the 13-inch MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar, have slipped to the 6th of June. The slipping of the shipping dates seems to indicate that Apple is running low on stock, which could also suggest that on the production side of things, Apple could be winding down production of the current model in favor of a newer model.

Alternatively it could just be a slight hiccup in Apple’s supply chain as we have seen in the past. However it should be pointed out that it has been almost a year since the MacBook Pros were refreshed, which means that based on Apple’s refresh cycle, they’re probably due for upgrades anyway.

We doubt that we will be seeing major changes made to the new laptops since the inclusion of the Touch Bar and Touch ID were pretty big changes already. Chances are we might see the use of new Intel processors and maybe the use of new GPUs, but either way we’ll keep our eyes peeled to see if there are any announcements made during WWDC 2018 which kicks off next month.

Image credit – Yifat Cohen

Considering that quite a lot of Google’s products and services are free to use, one of the ways that the company makes its money is through ads. These ads appear all over the place, such as in search results, inside of Gmail, in YouTube, and so on. Now it looks like those ads are starting to show up on Google Feed as well.

This was first spotted by Android Police in which more than a few users have been spotting ads inside of Google feed, such as the one in the screenshot to the right posted onto Google+ by user Yifat Cohen. Not everyone is seeing these ads which suggests that it might only be a test, which has since been confirmed by Google to VentureBeat.

In a statement made to the publication, “We’re always testing new ways to improve our experience for our advertisers and users, but don’t have anything specific to announce right now.” Unsurprisingly not many are happy with ads being loaded onto Google Feed, especially since for some users, especially on Android, its placement is so prominent that it feels like an intrusion.

However given how prominent Google Feed is, at the same time it seems like a prime location for ads to be displayed. In any case there’s no telling if Google plans to keep the ads around, but what do you guys think? Would you mind seeing ads in your Google Feed, or would you rather Google place it somewhere else?

Bounty hunter Boba Fett might not have gotten a lot of lines or screentime in the Star Wars movies, but yet he has become of the more beloved characters from the series. So much so that it seems that he will be getting his own standalone movie, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter.

The publication claims that the Boba Fett movie will be one of several movies that Disney is working on that are based on characters in the Star Wars universe. This makes sense as we’ve already gotten a Han Solo movie, and last we heard the standalone Obi-Wan Kenobi movie is in the works as well, so for Boba Fett to get his own movie doesn’t exactly come as a surprise.

No word on the casting or plot of the movie yet, but the report claims that James Mangold will be writing/directing it. For those unfamiliar with Mangold’s work, he had previously directed Logan and The Wolverine, so hopefully this gives you an idea as to what we might be able to expect from this movie.

There is also no word on when the movie will be released, but given that Disney has plans on releasing a new Star Wars movie every year, we guess fans will just need to remain patient.

Image credit – Matteo Gamba/TechCrunch

One of the popular features of Snapchat is its Stories which has since been copied by several applications, such as Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, and so on. Now it looks like Airbnb will also be taking a page from Snapchat’s book by launching a Stories-like feature of their very own.

Dubbed Travel Stories, the feature is designed to allow guests to create video sequences of their travels and their experience at their Airbnb. Right now Airbnb users can leave behind reviews of their stay, but with Travel Stories, it allows them to share more details that other travellers might find useful.

For example it can include videos that show what’s around their Airbnb location, or what the room actually looks like since sometimes photos can be deceiving. Right now from what we know, Travel Stories are limited to 10 seconds per clip and are only available on the iPhone app under the “Travel Stories” tab.

It appears that the feature is currently in testing and in a statement an Airbnb spokesperson made to TechCrunch, “We’re always testing new ways to help our community members tell their stories, and this is one idea we are exploring. We don’t have any announcements to make, but we’re excited to continue looking at ways that help Airbnb hosts and guests share their travel experiences.”

That being said if you want to check out what the feature looks like, you can head on over to Airbnb’s website to see an example.

Last year when Apple launched iOS 11, one of the major revamps that they did was to the iOS App Store, giving it a new layout and design which was said to help improve on app discovery. However the Mac App Store did not get such treatment, and admittedly given how long it’s been that way, we reckon it’s about time that it did.

The good news for Mac users is that it looks like a change is coming, according to a post by John Gruber of Daring Fireball (via 9to5Mac). Gruber’s post was commenting on another article about some of the subtle but meaningful changes Apple made to the iOS App Store, and he remarked that these are the changes he’s looking forward to with the Mac App Store as well.

“The new iOS 11 App Store really is run like an editorial-driven publication. They write articles and features, and as Vinh rightly celebrates here, commission great custom artwork. One of the things I’m most looking forward to next month at WWDC is seeing this sort of treatment on the Mac App Store, too.”

As 9to5Mac points out, Gruber has been known to drop casual comments like that which hints at Apple’s future plans. At the same time it isn’t necessarily a very far-fetched rumor either because like we said, the changes to the iOS App Store has resulted in an increased number of downloads, something we’re sure that Apple would like to apply to macOS as well.

Image credit – 9to5Google

In recent times we’ve seen how YouTube has attempted to be more social, such as allowing creators to upload photos that lets their subscribers keep up to date on their ongoings. Not too long ago YouTube also rolled out an in-app messaging system for its mobile app, where users could message each other directly.

Now the good news is that if this was a feature that you were looking forward to, you’ll be pleased to learn that 9to5Google is reporting that YouTube for the web is also getting this new direct messaging feature. While not necessarily designed to be a place for users to chat, it does let users share videos with other users and have a discussion about it.

Of course YouTube already lets you share videos through various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or even embedding on websites. However with this direct messaging feature, it allows users to share videos privately, which might be useful if you’ve YouTube already open on your computer and want to share it with one of your contacts.

Note that not all users are seeing this new function available yet, so it is possible that its availability is being rolled out gradually, so not to worry as we’re sure it will eventually reach you soon.

If the rumors are to be believed, Apple could launch not one, not two, but three iPhones this year. One of the rumored iPhone models is that of a 6.1-inch model, which in a tweet by user Mr White, has been spotted for the first time in a leaked photo. The photo shows off what is allegedly the 6.1-inch iPhone X in the factory.

However as BGR points out, this leaked photo and post is a bit sketchy, namely because the user who uploaded the photo refers to it as an OLED iPhone. This goes against previous rumors which claims that the 6.1-inch iPhone will be the LCD model and is expected to be more affordable than the OLED models.

iPhone X 6.1 OLED pic.twitter.com/C9rYWNmShA

— Mr·white (@laobaiTD) May 24, 2018

Then again those were rumors as well, but they were reported by former KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who has a very solid track record when it comes to insider information on Apple. It is possible that Mr White simply misspoke and he meant to say LCD, but he hasn’t edited the post or responded to comments so it is unclear.

In any case rumors are just that, rumors, which means that it’s probably best to take this leak with a grain of salt for now. While we expect that there might be more leaks leading up to the iPhone being announced later this year, Apple seems to be cracking down hard on leaks this time round so don’t be surprised if there is less available information this time round.

When it comes to watching music videos online, Vevo probably comes to mind. The company’s service is available across multiple platforms, such as YouTube, mobile, smart TVs, and so on. However in an announcement by the company, it seems that they will be shutting down across all platforms except for YouTube.

According to the company, “To be most effective in achieving those goals, we will phase out elements of our owned and operated platforms. Going forward, Vevo will remain focused on engaging the biggest audiences and pursuing growth opportunities. Our catalog of premium music videos and original content will continue to reach a growing audience on YouTube and we are exploring ways to work with additional platforms to further expand access to Vevo’s content.”

So what does this mean? Basically if you access Vevo on iOS devices, or on tvOS, Android, or webOS, Vevo will be removing their app from those platforms. Instead the company is encouraging its users to check out their content on its YouTube channel, which we suppose is sort of the company going back to its roots.

However Vevo does not mention when the apps will be removed so for now you will be able to continue accessing them, but maybe it’s a good idea to start getting used to accessing it via YouTube from here on out.

It goes without saying that with Amazon getting a head start in the smart speaker race that it’s not surprising that they have a very sizable market share. However it seems that Google could be catching up, at least according to recent data from Canalys in which apparently Google overtook Amazon in smart speaker shipments for Q1 2018.

As you can see in the graph above, Q1 2018 saw for the first time ever Google surpassing Amazon in terms of smart speaker shipments, where the company managed to ship 3.2 million smart speakers versus Amazon’s 2.5 million devices. However this is only for Q1 2018 and it is possible that Amazon could eventually get their lead back.

Also Amazon is still very much the king in the smart speaker market, but like we said if Google can keep up their lead, it is possible that the gap will start to close between both companies. For the most part both companies have similar offerings, where there is a cheaper and smaller version of the smart speakers aimed at users who don’t really need to play music but want the smart digital assistants.

Then there are also the “regular” versions, although in Amazon’s case they are also offering a model with a built-in display, while Google has a model aimed more at audio enthusiasts. For those wondering about Apple’s HomePod, last we heard the company had managed to ship 600,000 units in Q1 2018 which only accounts for a fraction of the market. There are claims that Apple might launch a cheaper version of the HomePod but that remains to be seen.

Just like with Google Drive and Dropbox, Apple’s iCloud storage service offers its users a small amount of free storage if they choose to use it. In the case of iCloud, Apple offers its users 5GB, which honestly isn’t enough if you’re looking to backup things like photos and videos. Users who want more will have to pay a monthly subscription for it.

However for those who are still on the fence about subscribing, it appears that Apple is trying to entice users with free first month storage. This means that users who want to try out the service won’t need to pay for the first month upfront, after which they can decide if subscribing to iCloud storage is useful or not.

However we should point out that this first month free offer isn’t for everyone. It is only available to those who are not paying for iCloud storage. This means that if you’re already paying for iCloud storage, you won’t be getting one month free. That being said, we’re not sure if this is applicable to those who had previously subscribed and cancelled, or if it’s only available for brand new customers.

For those who have yet to subscribe, a 50GB iCloud storage plan will cost $0.99 a month, followed by 200GB which will cost $2.99 a month, and if you absolutely need more, the 2TB storage option is available at $9.99 a month.

A couple of weeks ago, Valve announced that they would be launching the Steam Link mobile app. What this app would do is allow PC gamers to stream games from their computer onto their mobile devices, which sounds like a fantastic way of gaming if you’d rather not sit in front of your computer all day.

The app was later launch on Android in beta form and an iOS release was also expected as well. Unfortunately that will not be happening, at least for now, because in a report from CNET, it appears that Apple has rejected the app from their App Store, citing “business conflicts with app guidelines that had allegedly not been realized by the original review team.”

Valve has since released a statement which reads, “On Monday, May 7th, Apple approved the Steam Link app for release. On Weds, May 9th, Valve released news of the app. The following morning, Apple revoked its approval citing business conflicts with app guidelines that had allegedly not been realized by the original review team. Valve appealed, explaining the Steam Link app simply functions as a LAN-based remote desktop similar to numerous remote desktop applications already available on the App Store. Ultimately, that appeal was denied leaving the Steam Link app for iOS blocked from release.”

Apple’s rejection is a bit vague and so the exact reason behind the rejection is unclear. However this isn’t the first time an app has been rejected or removed from the App Store over vague reasons, and is one of the reasons why some developers have come together to form a union to get Apple to improve its App Store. In any case it seems that until Apple and Valve can come to some kind of agreement, it looks like it’s a no-go for Steam Link on iOS devices for now.

Considering the way Avengers: Infinity War ended, it’s safe to say that many are excited to see how the movie will conclude with the second part releasing next year. Now it looks like we might have an idea of what to expect thanks to a synopsis of the upcoming movie having been posted online.

The synopsis was shared by Rochi Shion, the editor of ComicBookMovie and it reads, “A culmination of 22 interconnected films the fourth installment of the Avengers saga will draw audiences to witness the turning point of this epic journey. Our beloved heroes will truly understand how fragile this reality is and the sacrifices that must be made to uphold it.”

"A culmination of 22 interconnected films the fourth installment of the Avengers saga will draw audiences to witness the turning point of this epic journey. Our beloved heroes will truly understand how fragile this reality is and the sacrifices that must be made to uphold it"

— Rochi Shion (@Marvel_Freshman) May 22, 2018

According to Shion, this synopsis was taken from License Magazine so it is pretty legit. It doesn’t really tell us much, but unsurprisingly many are already reading in between the lines. There have been multiple theories offered as to how Infinity War will conclude, but given that the sequel is only out in 2019, there is a long wait left.

That being said, Avengers: Infinity War is Marvel’s highest-grossing movie to date and we can only imagine that it is possible that the highly-anticipated sequel next year could very well dethrone it. In the meantime what do you guys make of the synopsis?

A little over a week ago, Nintendo announced that they would be launching a demo for Mario Tennis Aces. The good news is that if you were looking forward to the game, it appears that the demo for the game is now available for download from the Nintendo eShop in the North American region.

However before you get too excited, it should be noted that while you can download the demo, you can’t play it yet. As per Nintendo’s previous announcement, the demo is only playable from the 1st to the 3rd of June which is the next weekend. What this means is that you’re essentially preloading the game onto your Switch in anticipation of next week.

If you’d rather not waste any time given how short the demo is, then this would be a good way to start. The demo will take up about 393MB of storage so if you’re running low on onboard storage, maybe it’s time to consider a microSD card. Mario Tennis Aces is currently set for a release on the 22nd of June and at its core it is a tennis game featuring Mario characters.

Considering how much fun gamers had with Tennis in Wii Sports, it was a bit disappointing that there was no equivalent available on the Switch at launch. However this looks like it could be a good alternative as it takes tennis to the next level with powerups and well-known characters.

Several years ago when the iPhone 6 was first launched, many lauded Apple’s brand new design, although that quickly turned sour when it was discovered that the iPhone 6 had started to bend simply by being in the pockets of users. Apple had publicly maintained that this was not an engineering issue, but internal documents are now saying otherwise.

These internal documents, obtained by Motherboard, were part of a class-action lawsuit filed against Apple. However some of them were made public by US District Court Judge Lucy Koh in a recent opinion in the case, and based on the information that was made public, it appears that Apple was aware that the iPhone 6 was prone to bending.

The document reads that Apple’s internal testing discovered that the iPhone 6 was 3.3 times more likely to bend compared to its direct predecessor, the iPhone 5s. This was worse with the iPhone 6 Plus which was found to be 7.2 times more likely to bend, presumably due to it being larger.

It is also because that it is prone to bending that caused the “touch disease” where the phone’s touchscreen would suddenly stop working. However according to Koh, it was only in 2016 that Apple had quietly begun to reinforce part of the logic board that might have caused the problems.

Smart speakers typically feature an always-on functionality which means that the speakers are always listening out for its trigger word, whether it be “Alexa”, “Hey Siri”, or “Hey Google”. Unsurprisingly there might be some users who are worried that these speakers could be recording their conversations, despite the fact that these companies claim that they don’t.

However those fears might have been proven true, according to a report from KIRO7 in which a family in Portland claims that their Amazon Echo device not only recorded their conversation, but also sent it to a random person on their contact list. The family had wired their entire home with Amazon Echo devices which they used to control various smart gadgets.

However one day they received a call from one of the husband’s employees who told them he received recordings of their conversation, which they managed to verify. The family then contacted Amazon in which one of Alexa’s engineers apologized repeatedly. Amazon also offered to “de-provision” Alexa’s communications feature which would allow the family to continue using the devices only for controlling their smart home gadgets, but the family refused and is seeking a refund, something that Amazon is apparently unwilling to do.

According to a statement made to Engadget, Amazon explained how this occurred. “Echo woke up due to a word in background conversation sounding like ‘Alexa.’ Then, the subsequent conversation was heard as a ‘send message’ request. At which point, Alexa said out loud ‘To whom?’ At which point, the background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customers contact list. Alexa then asked out loud, ‘[contact name], right?’ Alexa then interpreted background conversation as ‘right’. As unlikely as this string of events is, we are evaluating options to make this case even less likely.”

This is actually not the first time Amazon’s Alexa has been accidentally activated. Last year during a news broadcast, several Alexa users reported that they were prompted to buy dollhouses from Amazon following comments made on TV. There was also the case from earlier this year where Alexa supposedly started to laugh at random when in reality it was accidentally triggered by certain phrases made to sound like commands.

Last year Andy Rubin’s smartphone company Essential launched their first smartphone, the Essential Phone. It was a game changer in the sense that it introduced the notch in full screen smartphone displays, something that we’ve seen other OEMs start to mimic in their designs as well.

However it seems that we might have possibly seen the last of the company and their mobile efforts. In a report from Bloomberg, they claim to have heard from their sources that Essential has cancelled its second smartphone which many expected to launch this year. In fact it was just last month that Essential was already talking about their second phone.

The report goes on to add that the company is also exploring the possibility of selling itself off, and has hired Credit Suisse Group AG to advise them on a potential sale. So far they have received interest from at least one suitor, although it is unclear as to who that might be. While Essential declined to comment on the company’s future, Rubin responded on Twitter with a post.

We always have multiple products in development at the same time and we embrace canceling some in favor of the ones we think will be bigger hits. We are putting all of our efforts towards our future, game-changing products, which include mobile and home products.

— Andy Rubin (@Arubin) May 24, 2018

It reads, “We always have multiple products in development at the same time and we embrace canceling some in favor of the ones we think will be bigger hits. We are putting all of our efforts towards our future, game-changing products, which include mobile and home products.” We suppose only time will tell as to what will become of the company, but in the meantime if the reports are true, would you miss them?

If there is a reason to using incognito mode when browsing certain NSFW adult websites, it is because you don’t want to be tracked and don’t want someone else using your computer to know what you’ve been up to. This is why it doesn’t come as a surprise to learn that adult video website Pornhub has launched their own VPN.

Dubbed VPNhub, this is essentially a VPN which means that in addition to being able to use it to browse Pornhub, you will also be able to enjoy the benefits associated with VPNs in general. According to VPNhub, “Enjoy the pleasure of protection with VPNhub. With full data encryption and guaranteed anonymity, go with the most trusted VPN to protect your privacy anywhere in the world.”

They add, “VPNhub helps you bypass censorship while providing secure and private access to Internet. Access all of your favorite websites without fear of being monitored.” The best part about VPNhub is that it is free, something that is rare nowadays when it comes to VPNs. It will be available across multiple platforms such as Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.

However it should be noted that the free version of the service is only available for iOS and Android. If you want to use it on your desktop, you will need to purchase the Premium version which will cost $12.99 a month in subscriptions. To get started head on over to the VPNhub website for the download details.

PayPal and Google have an existing partnership where PayPal can be used as a payment option for the Play Store. However the good news for PayPal users is that if you wanted to keep using PayPal across Google’s other apps and services, you now can as both companies have recently announced that they will be deepening their partnership.

What does this mean? This means that if you link your PayPal account to your Google account, not only are you able to use it with Google Play and Google Pay, but you will also be able to use it as a payment option within Google’s other products and services, such as Gmail, YouTube, and also peer-to-peer payments. The best part is that for the sake of convenience, users only need to sign in once and will never need to log in again (unless you choose to log out).

According to PayPal, “PayPal and Google Pay share common goals of creating simple payment solutions across our platforms that enable people to shop more seamlessly. We look forward to continued collaboration that helps increase conversion for merchants and gives users the flexibility, security and speed that digital payments can offer.”

It seems like a convenience feature if anything, but like we said if you prefer using PayPal and appreciate the protection it offers to buyers and sellers, then this deeper integration is probably good news.

Google launched Android Pay in Japan back in 2016 and the company focused on creating a unique mobile checkout experience that was tailored to customers in the country. Google has improved the way customers pay using their mobile devices significantly since then and has also rebranded those efforts under the single Google Pay brand. Starting today, Google Pay users in Japan will find that it’s much easier to checkout online, in stores, and across the country with two new ways to pay.

Starting today, Google Pay in Japan can add and manage their Suica and WAON cards in the app if they live in Japan and have an Osaifu-Keitai eligible phone. What that means is that all four major prepaid e-money cards used in the country – nanaco, Rakuten Edy, Suica and WAON – can now be used with Google Pay.

Users will now be able to pay with Google Pay at the countless locations where these cards are accepted and will also be able to pay with the app on transit where Suica is accepted. The app can be used to sign up for e-money cards quickly with the information from the connected Google account as well. The app will let users check balances and add money to the cards with their credit cards. There’s also support for setting up low balance alerts.

Users who will rely on Google Pay for transit will be able to check their commuter pass, bullet train, and green ticket details while also being able to register their Tpoint and dPoint cards by scanning them from within the app.

The wait is finally over for NVIDIA SHIELD TV owners as the company has finally started rolling out the Android Oreo update for the device over-the-air. The latest version of Android brings a slew of new features to the Android TV set-top box as well as a new user interface. NVIDIA SHIELD TV owners will certainly be delighted to hear that the update is finally rolling out for their device.

The new user interface is called Shield Experience Upgrade 7.0 and it brings a revamped main screen to put all of the users’ apps, music, shows, and games front and center. The experience is customizable so users can adjust the placement themselves.

The UI sorts everything in neat rows with the Play Next row displaying the movies and shows that users haven’t finished watching or the latest games that they’re playing. It’s easy to add movies, shows, and games to this row by holding the select button and choosing Play Next.

Popular content will be displayed in channels such as YouTube and Netflix to make content discovery easier. Users can customize the order of these channels as well to put the ones they use the most frequently within easy reach.

Some new shortcuts have been added to the system as well through this update, such as holding the Home button to see all apps and double pressing it to bring up recent apps. NVIDIA has now started rolling out the Android Oreo update for the SHIELD TV today.

StumbleUpon was launched well before social media networks like Facebook and Twitter facilitated content discovery. You could spend hours on the service discovering new websites with a single click. It has served millions of people faithfully over the years but has been in a state of decline for the past few years. StumbleUpon co-founder Garrett Camp has now confirmed that the service is being shut down 16 and a half years after it was first launched in 2002. StumbleUpon users don’t have to worry, though, as there’s an alternative for them.

Camp recommends that any remaining StumbleUpon users shift their accounts to Mix.com, another one of his projects, which he says is a better option it was created after learning many lessons from StumbleUpon “to take content discovery to the next level.”

Camp mentioned that StumbleUpon has been used by more than 40 million users over the years and served more than 60 billion stumbles. The latest project that he’s involved in, Mix.com, will help people find obscure but interesting content that has been recommended by people they know and trust.

All StumbleUpon accounts will be transitioned to Mix.com over the next few months. To make the transition as smooth as possible, users will be able to register and import their StumbleUpon favorites, interests, and tags with a few clicks.

LG has just got down to the business of selling the LG G7 ThinQ and reports have suggested that it may launch another premium smartphone next month. It’s said to be the LG V35 ThinQ that LG is likely going to release alongside a handful of mid-range and low-end devices in South Korea come June. A new report now brings us what might possibly be a leaked live image of the LG V35.

If reports are to be believed, the LG V35 ThinQ will have specs similar to that of the G7. It may feature up to 6GB of RAM and a 3,300mAh battery. It may also feature a 6 inch 1440×2880 pixel resolution bezel-less display and the Snapdragon 845 processor from Qualcomm. All of the new artificial intelligence features that LG introduced with its current flagship may be onboard as well.

LG hasn’t really said much about the V35 and it’s yet to be confirmed if this handset is going to be released outside South Korea where it’s expected to go on sale next month. Some evidence has surfaced in recent weeks to suggest that the LG V35 may be released in other markets as well.

We’re likely going to hear more rumors concerning the LG V35 in the coming days as the expected launch of this handset is not that far off now.

Amazon expanded its Alexa digital assistant to its Amazon Music app for iOS and Android in September last year. Users could access the assistant through a tap-to-talk function. Since then, one of the top requests by Amazon Music users has been for a hands-free listening experience and today, Amazon is granting them their wish. The company has confirmed that hands free music listening is coming to Amazon Music courtesy of Alexa.

Amazon Music users can now rely on Alexa wake word compatibility in the app. This gives users a full integration of voice capabilities so when they launch the app now, they can simply ask Alexa to play the music they want to listen to without having to use the tap-to-talk function.

Music playback in the app thus becomes completely hands free when it’s open and in the foreground on any iOS and Android smartphone. They can ask Alexa to play music by activity, mood, genre, artist, lyrics or song title. They can even create a playlist just by asking. Alexa can also control playback by pausing, playing, and moving back and forth between songs on command.

Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime Music listeners who want to take advantage of this feature should update the app today for both iOS and Android. The feature can be turned on and off through the app’s settings.

Facebook has emerged relatively unscathed from the Cambridge Analytica data misuse scandal in which personal data of millions of Facebook users was leaked. The company has taken steps since then to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been meeting with lawmakers to detail the company’s data practices. Zuckerberg met with lawmakers in Europe yesterday to discuss some of these matters. While some might have expected compensation for the 2.7 million European users who were impacted by the data breach, Facebook has ruled out that possibility.

Facebook says that it’s unlikely to compensate the 2.7 million European users because no sensitive bank account information had been leaked. The company’s statement followed Zuckerberg’s meeting with members of the European Parliament.

“This was clearly a breach of trust. However, it’s important to remember that no bank account details, credit card information or national ID numbers were shared,” the company said in a statement. It also pointed out that in the data breach, the information on U.S. users and not EU users was sold.

While dismissing any possibility of monetary compensation, Facebook has dismissed another EU lawmaker’s proposal which called for a split of Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, saying that users stand to benefit from the packaged service which has over two billion users across the globe combined.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been on a wild ride over the past few months with significant price volatility that may have made some people a lot of money but it would have certainly cost a lot of people money as well. The U.S. Justice Department and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission feel that something’s not quite right which is why they have started investigating possible price manipulation in the cryptocurrency markets.

Bloomberg reports that the U.S. Justice Department and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have started investigating spoofing and wash trading in cryptocurrency markets. These are the types of market manipulation tactics used to influence the price of assets and happen to be illegal in conventional financial markets.

In spoofing, false orders are placed on exchanges and then withdrawn in a bid to manipulate prices. The idea is to lure other people into buying and selling. Wash trading involves participants trading among themselves to give the illusion of heightened activity in the market.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission oversees cryptocurrency derivatives. The investigation by U.S. regulators is said to be in the early stages right now and is focused on major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether. Many will be interested in finding out what the investigation reveals as they do believe that price manipulation takes place in cryptocurrency markets.

Some of us have a habit of continuously checking the tracking information of a package that we have on the way to scratch that itch of having to find out when it will arrive. If you’re one of those people then you’re going to like this new feature that Amazon is rolling out. Amazon Map Tracking will allow you to get live updates on where your Amazon package is at a given point in time as it gradually makes its way to your door.

Amazon launched this feature last year on a small scale and it’s now rolling out Amazon Map Tracker to all users. The feature is available for both the mobile app and the web.

The feature’s interface will inform users about an estimate on when the package will arrive, how many stops is the driver away from them, and even a map with markers for the driver and the customer’s house.

This feature is useful not just for those who just can’t wait for their package to arrive. It will also help users time their deliveries so they can check and see how far away the driver is and if there’s enough time for them to pop out for an errand before their package arrives.

The only caveat here is that Amazon Map Tracker will only work for packages that are delivered by Amazon’s own logistics network and not those packages that are handled by USPS, UPS, and FedEX.

Well played, @amazon Putting a live update of where my packages are so that I can obsessively check my deliveries and open your app more. Smart. #hotpeppers #VitaminD pic.twitter.com/yiQWvfNiuF

— Brandon | This Is Tech Today – YouTube (@thisistechtoday) May 23, 2018

Hackers believed to be working for a nation state have reportedly infected over 500,000 home and small-office Wi-Fi routers across the globe with malware. The malware can then be used to steal communications and launch attacks on others. It may even be able to destroy the infected devices with a single command. This, according to the warning that Cisco has sent out, which refers to the modular, multi-stage malware as VPNFilter.

VPNFilter is said to work on consumer-grade routers made by Linksys, MikroTik, Netgear, TP-Link and on NAS devices by QNAP. Cisco researchers found that infected devices have been growing in at least 54 countries since 2016 and that they have been monitoring them for the past few months.

“In most cases, this action is unrecoverable by most victims, requiring technical capabilities, know-how, or tools that no consumer should be expected to have,” Cisco added.

The attacks are believed to have ramped up significantly over the past three weeks with two major assaults said to have been launched on devices in Ukraine. The malware contains sniffers that can collect login credentials and gain supervisory control. It even includes a command that can allow the attackers to shut off internet access for countless people across the globe by permanently disabling the infected routers.

“Since the affected devices are legitimately owned by businesses or individuals, malicious activity conducted from infected devices could be mistakenly attributed to those who were actually victims of the actor,” Cisco’s advisory pointed out.

Researchers are still unaware how these devices are getting affected. Symantec has sent out its advisory that identified the targeted devices and those who own one of the devices have been advised to perform a factory reset and change all default passwords.

Elon Musk has a lot of great ideas. They involve putting humans on Mars, improving public transportation, revolutionizing the car industry, etc. His latest idea, or the one he has just made public now, is likely going to be a cause for concern to many. Musk has said that he’s toying with the idea of building a service that will enable the public to rank the “core truth” of stories, publications, journalists, and editors. What that means is that the service will essentially let users rank journalists. As one of his followers pointed out that it will be a “Yelp for journalists,” to which Musk simply said “exactly.”

Musk mentioned that the service may be called Pravda which is a not so subtle reference to the state newspaper of Soviet Russia. He didn’t just get this idea now, though, as Gizmodo points out that Pravda has already existed since October last year.

Pravda Corp was certified as a foreign corporation in Delaware on October 18th, 2017. Jared Birchall is listed as the officer. He already holds several roles in some of Musk’s other ventures such as The Boring Company.

Musk confirmed the filing to the scribe and said that work on Pravda will move forward as soon as he’s “done working on the Model 3.” He didn’t confirm if any other individuals are involved with Pravda so far.

This won’t be the only media company that Musk will likely be backing. Thud!, the humor media company he hired former staffers of The Onion to create, exists as well though there’s nothing to show for it at this point in time.