Review: The Honor 10 Lite is a budget phone that feels much more expensive

Now, Honors followed up withthe Honor 10 Lite. As the name implies, this is a cheaper version, with suitably scaled-down specifications. But before you write it off as an uninspiring entry-level phone, keep reading. Its actually really good especially for its bargain-basement price. For the past month, Ive been diligently road-testing the Honor 10 Lite. The company provided us with a review unit on a recent trip to Beijing. Suffice to say, it didnt feel like a major downgrade....

January 14, 2019 · 3 min · 587 words · Stephanie Carpenter

The only way to stop fake news is for you to take responsibility

Trump has made a lot of things buzzworthy, but perhaps none more than fake news. Everyone has strong opinions about who is at fault for spreading lies in the press. Its the medias fault. Before Trump, it was theNational Enquirersfault. You name a source, and theyve probably been blamed. Or Ill say it more nicely… itsourfault. 40% off TNW Conference! Our click is worth money. Youve probably heard the phrase vote with your dollar applied to things like purchasing fair trade items....

January 12, 2019 · 3 min · 502 words · Danny Carter

Don’t overestimate AI’s understanding of human language

Its very easy to misread and overestimate achievements in artificial intelligence. But mastering human language requires much more than replicating human-like voices or producing well-formed sentences. It requires commonsense, understanding of context and creativity, none of which current AI trends possess. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. These advances have enabled many services to provide real-time transcription services to their users. There are plenty of uses for AI-powered speech-to-text....

January 11, 2019 · 3 min · 607 words · Alexandra Palmer

7 lessons we learned from our year-long newsletter experiment

And oh what a year its been. Big Spam, if you dont know, is a sassy love/hate letter to technology that we handwrite daily. 40% off TNW Conference! It was really boring… and apparently beloved. We considered it a compliment. There was a lot of nice ones too, but hate mail is more fun to read. Then we introduced our seizure-inducing header GIF, which REALLY pissed people off. Karim was really onto something when he called us a casino....

January 10, 2019 · 2 min · 338 words · Carl Sandoval

[Best of 2019] Monster’s LED lighting kits ruined regular bulbs for me

As a result, I have no further use for ordinary bulbs. But getting started can be expensive. And even if cost isnt an object, some of the solutions are complex and difficult to install. Monsters IlluminEssence is neither. The LED strips even come with a sticky back so you could just peel-and-stick them wherever you want. Credit: Nicole Gray 40% off TNW Conference! Still, I like the way the boxes look....

January 10, 2019 · 2 min · 394 words · Lisa Solomon

Our obsession with taking photos is changing how we remember the past

Last year I visited theHermitagein St Petersburg, Russia one of the best art museums in the world. But how does that affect our actual memories of the past and how we view ourselves? As an expert on memory, I was curious. Unfortunately, psychological research on the topic is so far scant. But we do know a few things. We use smart phones and new technologiesas memory repositories. This is nothing new humans have always used external devices as an aid when acquiring knowledge and remembering....

January 10, 2019 · 2 min · 418 words · Stephen Cooper

We need an ‘AI sidekick’ to fight malicious AI

Now that we realize our brains can be hacked, we need an antivirus for the brain. Those were the words of Yuval Noah Harari, famous historian and outspoken critic of Silicon Valley. For instance, if youre watching NBA game recap videos, YouTube will recommend more NBA videos. This is basically the business model that all free apps use. And they use the most advanced technologies and the most brilliant minds to achieve that goal....

January 8, 2019 · 4 min · 785 words · Courtney Chan

7 awesome apps you might’ve missed in 2018

2018 mightve been a mess in many ways, but the app harvest was bountiful this year. InstLife Mar Masson Maackpicks:This weird little life simulation app was made by indie game developerInstCoffee. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. InstLife is one of the strangest apps I tried out in 2018 but it really stuck with me. InstCoffee is working on a iOS version but it isnt out yet. However, it does allow you to adjust your image more freely....

January 5, 2019 · 3 min · 624 words · Timothy Jefferson

How to take better portrait mode photos on any phone

Ah, portrait mode. Thats what Im here for; Ive amassed some basic tips to get you started taking better portraits. On many phones, portrait mode uses a secondary sensor with worse optics, compounding the problem. 40% off TNW Conference! I find beginner photographers often assume shooting direct sunlight is a good thing. Unless youre going for a particularly artsy effect, look for some even shade. There will still be enough light to take a good portrait without accentuating every pore on your face....

January 4, 2019 · 2 min · 334 words · Alicia Rice

25 of our favorite Mac apps (2018 Edition)

Its like a focus timer, with the built-in accountability of clearly measured results. Alfred (Free) 40% off TNW Conference! And this doesnt even begin to cover the apps functionality. Theres a reason its been on every list of this nature since it launched in 2011. Reeder 3 (Free) Another of our classic favorites,Reeder 3is getting on in years. Still, though, its arguably the best RSS reader on the market. It has gesture support, customizable shortcuts, and a number of themes to tweak to your hearts content....

January 3, 2019 · 3 min · 555 words · Michael Simmons

9 outstanding podcasts episodes you should’ve listened to in 2018

Its been a hell of a year, and we cant wait for it to be over. But they arent all sad some are funny, others shocking. Some are about technology, and others about history, art, sexism, and pyramid schemes. Here were the nine podcast episodes you definitely should have listened to this year, with commentary by us. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. Its called The Snapchat Thiefand it tells the story of a woman whose Snapchat got hacked....

January 3, 2019 · 2 min · 354 words · Dustin King

A recap of tech’s crazy 2018

We started this year full of energy and hope, eager to escape the dumpster fire that was 2017. 2018s been a hell of a ride, with plenty of ups, downs, and unexpected twists. Lets take a closer look at the crazy year that was in tech. Introducing the first Pizza Hut fully autonomous delivery concept vehicle. Too many cat posters? 40% off TNW Conference! The analytics firm stole 50 million users data through a personality quiz app....

January 3, 2019 · 3 min · 592 words · Amber Tucker

10 reasons I’m still not switching to Bluetooth headphones

Why would someone who reviews tech for a living not be living the wireless life? Yup, thats right youve reached yet another article lamenting the extinction of the headphone jack. There even some Bluetooth headphonesI really like! Sound quality Im not interested in good enough acoustics. I want the most awesome, melt-my-face off sound quality I can achieve at a given price point. For that, I need wired headphones. It’s free, every week, in your inbox....

January 2, 2019 · 3 min · 451 words · Julia Lee