NASA ASSIGNS ASTRONAUTS TO FUTURE SPACE STATION MISSIONS

NASA has announced that veteran astronauts Joe Acaba and Ricky Arnold will launch on nearly six-month expeditions aboard the International Space Station starting in September and in March 2018, filling seats aboard Russian Soyuz spaceships recently acquired in a commercial arrangement with Boeing.

Acaba is set to launch first, riding to the space station inside the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in September with Russian commander Alexander Misurkin and NASA flight engineer Mark Vande Hei. That trio will be part of the station’s Expedition 53 and 54 crews, returning to Earth next February.

The mission will be Acaba’s third spaceflight since his selection as a NASA astronaut in 2004. The California native first flew in space aboard the shuttle Discovery on the STS-119 mission in March 2009, then spent four months in orbit on the International Space Station in 2012. Acaba has logged nearly 138 days in space on his two previous flights.

It will be Vande Hei’s first space mission, and the second for Misurkin.

Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov, NASA astronaut Scott Tingle and Japanese flight engineer Norishige Kanai are set to launch on the next Soyuz flight no sooner than late December. Those crew members were already assigned to the mission.

Astronaut Ricky Arnold will join NASA’s Drew Feustel and a Russian cosmonaut on a Soyuz launch in March 2018 as part of the station’s Expedition 55 and 56 crews. Born in Maryland, Arnold previously flew in space as a crewmate of Acaba on Discovery’s STS-119 mission, accumulating nearly 13 days in space.

Feustel, who was already training for his space station expedition, is a veteran of two space shuttle missions — the shuttle Atlantis’ servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009 and the final flight of the shuttle Endeavour in 2011. Next year’s mission will be the first long-duration spaceflight for Arnold and Feustel.

Acaba and Arnold will fill seats that were planned to be empty. Russia has reduced the size of its crew complement on the space station until a new research lab is launched to the complex next year to cut down on costs, training and staffing requirements.

Using Boeing as an intermediary, the U.S. space agency opted to take advantage of empty Soyuz seats on two flights scheduled for launch from Kazakhstan in September and in March 2018.

Boeing received rights to the Soyuz seats from RSC Energia, prime contractor for Russia’s human spaceflight program, in a settlement reached last year to end three years of litigation stemming from payments related to the companies’ former partnership in the Sea Launch program.

NASA said astronaut Shannon Walker, veteran of a five-month stay on the space station in 2010, will train as a “dedicated backup” for Acaba.

Rookie astronauts Nick Hague and Serena Auñón-Chancellor have also been assigned to space station missions, NASA said.
Hague, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a native of Kansas, will launch in September 2018 on a Soyuz ferry craft with two Russian cosmonauts for about a half-year rotation aboard the outpost. Auñón-Chancellor, a flight surgeon from Fort Collins, Colorado, will launch on a Soyuz booster in November 2018 with Canadian flight engineer David Saint-Jacques and a Russian cosmonaut.
Auñón-Chancellor is a member of NASA’s 2009 astronaut class, and Hague was selected as an astronaut in 2013.
NASA has reserved options to fly three more of its astronauts to the space station on Soyuz spaceships in early 2019 if U.S. commercial crew spacecraft in development by Boeing and SpaceX are not ready in time.

Once the CST-100 Starliner and Crew Dragon commercial spaceships are declared operational, the space agency plans to fly most of its astronauts on U.S. vehicles, while continuing to launch at least one U.S. crew member on each Soyuz mission. Russia plans to have at least one of its cosmonauts on each CST-100 and Crew Dragon capsule in an “in-kind” arrangement that does not involve any exchange of funds.

VIDEO GAME HOF FINALISTS NAMED

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The World Video Game Hall of Fame's 2017 finalists span decades and electronic platforms, from the 1981 arcade classic "Donkey Kong" that launched Mario's plumbing career to the 2006 living room hit "Wii Sports," that made gamers out of grandparents.

The hall of fame at The Strong museum in Rochester said Tuesday that 12 video games are under consideration for induction in May. They also include: "Final Fantasy VII," "Halo: Combat Evolved," "Microsoft Windows Solitaire," "Mortal Kombat," "Myst," "Pokemon Red and Green," "Portal," "Resident Evil," "Street Fighter II" and "Tomb Raider."

The finalists were chosen from thousands of nominations from more than 100 countries, said museum officials, who will rely on an international committee of video game scholars and journalists to select the 2017 class. The winners will be inducted May 4.

The class of 2017 will be the third group to go into the young hall, joining "DOOM," "Grand Theft Auto III," "The Legend of Zelda," "The Oregon Trail," "Pac-Man," "Pong," "The Sims," "Sonic the Hedgehog," "Space Invaders," "Tetris," "World of Warcraft" and "Super Mario Bros.," whose title character got his start in this year's "Donkey Kong" entry.

"What they all have in common is their undeniable impact on the world of gaming and popular culture," said Jon-Paul Dyson, director of The Strong's International Center for the History of Electronic Games.

The hall of fame recognizes electronic games that have achieved icon status and geographical reach, and that have influenced game design or popular culture.

THIS 240-ROCKET SEMI TRUCK MEANS BUSINESS

The Multiple Cradle Launcher has up to six times the firepower of other multiple rocket launchers.

Sometimes one or two rockets just won't do, and you need 239 or 240. That's the thinking behind the Jobari Defense Systems Multiple Cradle Launcher (MCL). Developed in the United Arab Emirates, MCL can ripple fire more than two hundred rockets at some unfortunate target, saturating an area with tens of thousands of lethal steel balls.

The MCL consists of an Oshkosh Defense 6×6 Heavy Equipment Transporter—known in the US Army as the M1070 HET. The M1070 is used by the Army to haul Abrams tanks, and towards that end has eight wheels and a 700 horsepower Caterpillar six cylinder turbocharged diesel engine.

The rest of the MCL is a 5 x 5 trailer with four rocket launcher cradles, each holding sixty 122-millimeter rockets. Once in position, the trailer lowers ten hydraulic stabilizers into place, securing the MCL against the recoil of firing. The fire control system is fully computerized, with the gunner able to select the number of rockets to launch. An internal navigation system and global positioning system for each of the four cradles aids in accuracy.

The MCL apparently uses TRB-122 122-millimeter rockets manufactured by Turkish defense contractor Rocketsan. A high explosive version has a point detonating fuse, while another version uses a proximity fuze to saturate the target area with lethal steel balls. Both rockets have a range of up to 22 miles at sea level. The MCL can ripple fire all 240 rounds in less than two minutes, or 8,640 pounds of high explosive and steel.

The MCL packs a lot of rockets into a single vehicle, up to six times more than other mobile rocket launchers. Placing all that firepower under the command of a single gunner simplifies command and control, and allows the gunner to plot the destruction of a very wide area.

But there are some downsides. The small warhead 122-millimeter warhead makes for a fairly small rocket with a short range and smaller payload—likely about 36 pounds of high explosive. The enormous size of the MCL, trailer and all, would make it hard to transport to distant battlefields. Based on a wheeled semi tractor trailer, the MCL probably has limited offroad capability, making it mostly road-bound.

Last month, Jobaria introduced the Twin Cradle Launcher (TCL), which carries two cradles each with four 300-millimeter rockets. These larger rockets, probably the Rocketsan TR-300 rockets, have both high explosive and steel ball warheads and a range of more than sixty miles.

Elon Musk Wants to Connect Computers to Human Brains

Elon Musk has made a habit of embarking on wild new endeavors. He wants to colonize Mars. He started work to bore a tunnel underneath the highways of Los Angeles on a whim. And now he wants to connect people's brains to computers.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk is launching a new company called Neuralink to use "neural lace" technology to embed electrodes in people's brains. A neural implant device could allow humans to issue direct commands to computers just by thinking—firing neural signals and stimulating the device. Nerualink was registered as a "medical research" company in California last July, and according to the Journal, Musk plans on financing the company almost entirely by himself.As the Guardian points out, the move to start developing brain implant technology is likely in accordance with Musk's argument that humans will need to augment their abilities with machine technology to survive in a future dominated by artificial intelligence. At the World Government Summit in Dubai last month, Musk said that for humans to contribute to the future economy they will need to expand their capabilities through a "merger of biological intelligence and machine intelligence."

Neurological implants have been successfully used to allow amputees to control robotic prosthetics. There are some indications that Musk's Neuralink will attempt to expand the technology so that the human brain can receive inputs from a computing system as well, heightening intelligence or capability. More information should be available next week, and then Musk can start his masterplan to become a cyborg in earnest.

MICROSOFT TARGETS OFFICE PHONES WITH SKYPE FOR BUSINESS UPGRADES

With the latest Skype for Business upgrades Microsoft borrows features found in sophisticated office phone systems for its cloud-based communications platform.

Microsoft is making every effort to turn its Skype for Business enterprise video and voice communications software platform into a replacement for the office phone.

During the Enterprise Connect unified communications (UC) conference in Orlando, Fla. on Monday, the company announced several new updates and enhancements that support complex call management functions.

"This week, we're releasing Auto Attendant and Call Queues, two new advanced calling features in Skype for Business Cloud PBX," said Ron Markezich, corporate vice president for Office 365 Marketing at Microsoft, in a March 27 announcement.

Skype for Business Cloud PBX encompasses a suite of advanced private branch exchange (PBX) capabilities typically used in office environments and call centers. In the summer of 2015, the company took a major step in challenging traditional business phone systems with the addition of public switched telephone network (PSTN) calling support.

"Auto Attendant provides an automated system to answer and route inbound calls using dial pad inputs and speech recognition," continued Markezich. "Call Queues enable incoming calls to be routed to the next available live attendant in the order they are received."

For customers seeking more visibility into their calling activity for support purposes, Microsoft also announced a Skype for Business Online Call Analytics preview. Appearing as a new dashboard within the Office 365 administration console, it offers users insights into problems that may affect users' ability to conduct calls, like network or headset issues.

Microsoft is also tightening security on Skype for Business Online. New capabilities include certificate-based authentication, custom policies affecting mobile device use and client conferencing, as well as multi-factor authentication for PowerShell administration and management.

During the event, partner companies also introduced new services that integrate with Skype for Business.

Known for its SoundStation conference room speakerphones, Polycom introduced RealConnect for Office 365, a cloud-based service that links an organization's existing videoconferencing gear with Skype for Business Online.

Commercial audio, video and conferencing specialist Crestron introduced its SR for Skype Rooms System. Compatible with Crestron's audio-video and control systems, the integrated solution supports audio calls, high-definition video conferencing, content sharing and quick-join meeting features for remote attendees.

Unified communications management vendor IR added support for Microsoft Skype for Business Online to its Prognosis for UC product. IR Prognosis for UC is used by businesses and contact centers to monitor the performance of their communications environments and troubleshoot issues that may affect call quality and the overall user experience. It can be used to manage multi-vendor environments that include solutions from Cisco and Avaya.

A poor or inconsistent UC experience can stymie user adoption and slow down an organization's digital transformation efforts, asserted Kevin Ryder, chief marketing officer at IR, in a statement. "Ensuring end-to-end visibility across an entire UC ecosystem is critical and by extending Prognosis capabilities into Skype for Business Online, our customers gain valuable insights to identify and remediate issues quickly regardless if they exist on-premises or in the cloud."

SAMSUNG GALAXY S8: THE DISPLAY, THE CHIPSET AND THE CAMERA, HERE’S EVERYTHING WE HAVE ON THE FLAGSHIP

One of the most anticipated smartphones this year will be coming from Samsung and the hype has never been this high.

The Galaxy S8 has seen its share of leaks and rumours in the past six months, and while everyone was expecting the smartphone to make an appearance at the Mobile World Congress this year, the company only left us with a teaser for an ‘Unpacked event’.

This is going to take place on 29 March, that’s tonight, at 8:30 PM.

The Korean tech giant is under a lot of pressure, ever since it had to deal with faulty batteries on the Galaxy Note 7 last year and eventually kill the device. This year, not only does it have to impress its loyalists but it needs to regain customer trust.

Now, let’s just give you all the details that we have gathered over the past few months around the Galaxy S8.

Availability and launch

First things first. Let’s talk about when we would actually see the smartphone officially. As mentioned above, the flagship smartphone never made an appearance at MWC, which we expected thanks to a couple of reports. Samsung did however tease us with a short video and announced an Unpacked event dated 29 March. Which means tomorrow we will officially get to see what Samsung has in store for us. If you are interested in the launch, click here to know more on how you can follow the announcement.

The smartphone will not be available immediately as it is expected to hit markets a month later, so somewhere at the end of April is when the smartphone will be available for purchase.

Design and renders

It all started with some rumours where a bunch of sources claimed that Samsung will launch the device with a 4K display, a dual-camera setup and support the S-Pen, since the Note 7 was killed. Others suggested that Samsung will ditch the 3.5mm audio jack as well. Then some renders popped up and eventually we saw the handset in a leaked image by case makers itself. Early renders suggested that Samsung will only have a curved-edged Galaxy S8 and will say goodbye to the flat design.

Boo!

It was rumoured that Samsung would also add the option for users to lower the resolution to Full HD and HD resolutions. This would be great to save some juice.

We also saw one extra hardware key which was and is still being speculated to trigger a digital assistant just like Siri or Google Assistant. Samsung has at least confirmed that it’s called Bixby. Some sources said Samsung would make the handset bigger this time around, in terms of display size, which could go up to as much as 6 inches.

Image: MobileFun (YouTube)

Early leaked images started to drop in where we saw the device with a display covering most of the front and no home or navigation buttons. A few days later, we saw yet another leak showing the back of the device which confirmed that Samsung would not indulge in a dual-camera setup and that it would place the fingerprint scanner right next to the camera rather than placing it below. Oh and the 3.5mm headphone jack appeared to be intact.

Right after Samsung’s MWC (Mobile World Congress) press conference, we saw famous tipster Evan Blass tweeting an image of what is believed to be the real deal.

View image on Twitter

FACEBOOK STORIES: 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE SNAPCHAT-LIKE FEATURE

There's a new way to share your life on Facebook, and you may already be familiar with it.

Facebook Stories is the latest Snapchat-like feature to roll out on the company's main app. Even if you're not a Snapper, you're probably already familiar with the concept -- these ephemeral stories have been popping up on other Facebook-owned services like Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. But the one on your Facebook feed may look a little bit different. Here's what you need to know before you try it out.

It's not available to everyone (yet)

Stories is available as of March 28, but not everyone is getting it at the same time. Close out of the app and make sure you've upgraded to the latest version before you log in again. If you still don't see a change to your feed, you may just have to wait.

There are two ways to see Stories

There are two ways to access Stories: Scroll to the top of your feed to view your friends' Stories and create your own, or just swipe right from any screen. You can't "like" Stories, but you can reply to them.

Scroll to the top of your feed to see Stories or swipe right from any screen on the Facebook app to create a new one.

Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNET

Posting is a lot like Instagram Stories

If you've used Snapchat, Instagram Stories or WhatsApp status, this part should be straightforward. All the icons on the Facebook version have similar functions. Press the circular button at the bottom for a picture, or press and hold for a video from either the main or front camera.

It's all about the filters

The main difference between Facebook Stories and Instagram Stories is the filters. While Instagram lets you add stickers after a photo or video has been taken, Facebook lets you add an animated filter or border before you begin recording.

Instead of swiping left and right, like you do on Snapchat, on Facebook you swipe up and down to access your "favorite" filters (the last eight filters you used). If you don't find one that fits your mood, click the magic wand icon on the bottom left-hand corner to view a full library of them. Some, like the crying rainbow, are reminiscent of old Snapchat filters, while others like the Van Gogh effect seem to be unique to Facebook.

You have a lot more filters and skins to chose from than on Snapchat, but you won't be able to add emojis or stickers to Stories after. Here you're limited to text and scribbles.

There are over 50 filters, skins and borders to chose from for your Story.

Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNET

Videos can be 20 seconds long

Facebook lets you roll video for up to 20 seconds before the record circle cuts you off. Instagram Stories only gives you 15 seconds of video, and Snapchat caps it off at 10 seconds.

You can save Stories to your camera roll

Once you're done creating your story, press the down arrow to save on your camera roll, or the center arrow to share. You can send as a message to any of your friends, post to your timeline or add to your Story.

And decide who sees it (kind of)

If you post to your timeline it will appear at the top of your profile as if it were any other picture or video. And just like posting to your Timeline, you can decide who sees it (Public, Friends and so on).

But posting to your "Story" will make it available to every one of your friends for a 24-hour period and will appear as a bubble at the top of their feeds. Right now, there's no way to select who sees -- or doesn't see -- your Story.

'Direct' stories can be replayed

If a friend sends you a story directly, you can play it twice before it disappears.

You can post a Story to your profile as you would a regular photo and decide who views, post as a 24-hour clip at the top of your feed or send as a direct message.

Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNET

You can see who viewed your story

To see who has viewed your story, just do what you would using the rest of the apps mentioned before. Click on your story and go to the view icon at the bottom right. You can delete a story by pressing on the buttons on the three dots at the top.

But be careful...

Just be careful of what you post on your Story. Just because it self-destructs after 24 hours,doesn't mean it truly disappears. As of March 28, Facebook doesn't let you know when someone takes a screenshot of your story.

NOKIA ANDROID PHONES TARGETED FOR GLOBAL RELEASE

A recent tweet has confirmed that the new line of Nokia smartphones has been planned to be released on the global market.

Rather than as an announcement, the tweet was posted in response to a Twitter user who asked about a release in the United States of the new Nokia android smartphones.

These new smartphones were unveiled at the Mobile World Congress last month: the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6.

Each features a version of Android Nougat that is as close to vanilla as possible.

This means there will also be no pre-loaded third-party apps or UI customisations and regular security updates.

The Nokia 6 is the largest of the devices with its 5.5-inch display.

Under the hood, it's equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

It has a 16-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel shooter in the front. Color variations include copper, silver, blue and matte black.

The Verge reports that the SRP starts at $242 (S$338).

The new Nokia phones are designed and distributed by HMD Global, the company that currently holds the license for Nokia for mobile devices.

U.K. GOVERNMENT WANTS ACCESS TO ENCRYPTED WHATSAPP MESSAGES AFTER LONDON ATTACK

LONDON — The U.K. government is pushing for backdoor access to encrypted messaging apps after it emerged the killer in last week’s attack in London used WhatsApp just minutes before striking.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said WhatsApp — owned by Facebook — and other services cannot provide “a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other.”

“It used to be that people would steam-open envelopes or just listen in on phones when they wanted to find out what people were doing, legally, through warranty,” Rudd said in a BBC interview on Sunday. “But on this situation we need to make sure that our intelligence services have the ability to get into situations like encrypted WhatsApp.”

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Government officials confirmed that they have invited tech companies to a meeting on Thursday to talk about encrypted messaging, as well as extremist content on Facebook and Google.

The search giant is already under fire for allowing advertisements to appear alongside extremist content. Several big clients, including the British government, have suspended their ad spending with Google in the last two weeks.

WhatsApp added full end-to-end encryption for all communications in April 2016. It said then that it was impossible for third parties — including the company itself — to peek into users’ encrypted conversations.

Rudd raised the issue with representatives of other European governments at a meeting Monday in Brussels to discuss the EU’s approach to cybersecurity.

Carmelo Abela, who chaired the meeting, wouldn’t directly support Rudd’s call for companies to provide a backdoor into their apps but he agreed the matter needed further discussion.

“I think there is a fine line here, we need to protect the privacy of the people but we also need to protect the security of the people,” Abela said.

Some experts say Rudd’s demands are a non-starter.

“Even if the U.K. government were able to convince WhatsApp to grant them access — they could not give them access the way the messenger is written today, they would have to recode the app,” Internet security researcher Andrea Stroppa said.

That would allow anyone — not just security services — the chance to snoop on messages, he said.

The U.K. demands come just a year after a bitter public fight between the FBI and Apple over encryption.

The U.S. Department of Justice asked the company to unlock the iPhone of one of the terrorists involved in the San Bernardino shootings in December 2015.

Apple refused the request and fought a court order ordering it to comply. The FBI eventually dropped the case after it managed to get into the iPhone with the help of an unidentified third party.

Stroppa said that showed intelligence agencies can “hack” their way into communications when they need to, without forcing companies to provide a backdoor to their technology.

NASA WANTS TO USE MIXED REALITY SYSTEMS FOR ASTRONAUT TRAINING

Facebook and Microsoft have always touted the applications of virtual reality and augmented reality beyond entertainment. NASA has taken this to heart and is now developing a “mixed reality” system to help train astronauts.

NASA has partnered up with Unreal to utilize the well-known Unreal Engine game engine to create simulated environments where astronauts can train in conjunction with their time in the Natural Buoyancy Lab, reports TechRadar.

Unreal recently released a video showcasing the ways that astronauts can interact with various instruments and machines through mixed reality. They can also experience maintenance scenarios that they would likely encounter on the International Space Station (ISS).

With the current pace of development for virtual reality technology, VR training may become the norm not just for astronauts but also for other occupations.

XIAOMI MI 6 LEAKED: NEW IMAGES ONLINE SHOW FRONT GLASS PANEL; ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

Closer to the expected launch of the Xiaomi Mi 6, a few additional details around the smartphone just got revealed. After the entire spec sheet of the Xiaomi flagship got leaked, we’ve now come across a few images of the device revealing some design details about the upcoming smartphone.

Spotted by GizmoChina, the live images reveal a white color variant of the Mi 6 smartphone. While leaks in the past have given us a fair idea about the curved back as well as dual cameras on top, the new images have something more in store for us.

The image shows a dual-tone flash on the right, while the flash is placed on the left. However, the previous leaked images showed an opening for the flash before the dual cameras. The images show the front panel of the Mi 6 and reveals a cut out on the top. According to rumors, the cut out is for an iris sensor. It is worth noting that the Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to add a facial recognition feature as well.

In addition, a few images also reveal the ‘about’ section of the Xiaomi Mi 6 runs on MIUI 8. According to screenshots, the Mi 6 will be packed with 8GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. There is no additional sensor on top of this phone. Unlike details in the leaked Mi 6 front panel, this time around, the leaks have been rather confusing. We’d know for sure closer to the scheduled launch of the device on April 16.

Till then, the Mi 6 is said to launch with a 4GB+32GB variant priced at RMB 1,999 (Rs 18,900 approximately), a 4GB+64GB version priced at RMB 2,299 (Rs 21,800 approximately), and a 6GB+128GB version priced at RMB 2,699 (Rs 25,600 approximately). Reports also suggests that Xiaomi is likely to launch a bigger 5.7-inch variant of the phone called the Mi 6 Plus.

From what we know so far, the Xiaomi Mi 6 will feature a 5.2-inch LCD display with a 2.5D curved glass. The smartphone is said to pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, there have been other leaks that suggest the smartphone will come with a Snapdragon 821 SoC instead.

On the camera front, leaks suggest that the Mi 6 camera will use a Sony IMX386 sensor for its main 12-megapixel shooter and the Sony IMX268 8-megapixel unit for the front facing camera.

The device will have a 3,000mAh battery and could come with a USB Type-C port. On the software front, the Mi 6 will most likely run on Android 7.0 Nougat with MIUI OS layered on top.

The Xiaomi Mi 6 Plus is expected to run Android Nougat-based MIUI 9. With a bigger 5.7-inch full HD display, the smartphone is said to sport a 2K display. Xiaomi Mi 6 Plus will also be powered by a 2.45GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC with Adreno 540 GPU.

EUROPEAN HTC ONE A9 LANDS THE ANDROID 7.0 UPDATE

If you live in Europe and still rock the HTC One A9, we have some terrific news for you. The Android 7.0 Nougat update is now heading to your phone. Originally, HTC said that those with the unlocked version of the phone would receive software updates within 15-days after they were pushed to Nexus handsets. But HTC had to drop that promise. Which is why we are telling you that the European version of the phone is beginning to receive the update now. The update being sent includes the February security patch, which tells you how far behind this update is. Because it is disseminated OTA, the files could take even some more time to arrive on your One A9.
News of the update came in an official tweet from Graham Wheeler, the Product and Service Director for HTC in Europe, Middle East and Africa. The software version of the update is 2.17.401.2, and when it hits your One A9, make sure that you are on a Wi-Fi connection before initiating the updating process. Also, check to see that the battery on your device is fully charged.
Android 7.0 brings Multi-Window to your phone, allowing you to be more productive by viewing two apps side by side. Doze is improved, making sure that when your phone isn't active, neither are those apps that drain battery life by connecting to the network in the background. The latest emoji from Unicode 9.0 are yours with Android 7.0, and so are customized Quick Settings. With the update, you can expand certain notifications and reply to email, tweets and other messages directly from the notifications screen.
If you can't wait for the notification that tells you Android 7.0 has arrived on your HTC One A9, you can try to coax the update out of your phone manually by opening settings and clicking on "Check for updates."

APPLE’S TV REMOTE APP NOW WORKS ON IPAD TOO

Apple has updated its Apple TV app with iPad support, bringing TV controls, chapter selection, and captions to its bigger screen. The 1.1 update also lets you use Siri to control your Apple TV viewing, but not from the iPad’s regular home screen — instead, you can use voice commands by holding a microphone button on the app’s UI to search for, select, pause, and play your media.

It’s taken quite a while for the company to bring Apple TV Remote capabilities to iPad. Apple SVP Eddy Cue originally teased the software back in 2015, saying it would be arriving in early 2016. In reality, it didn’t hit the iPhone until last August, where it served as a more advanced and feature-rich version of the physical remote that shipped with Apple TV boxes. They’re useful for regular viewers, who won’t now have to fumble for tiny remotes, but both iPhone and iPad variants of the app still don’t let you watch Apple TV while on the move.

UK TARGETS WHATSAPP AND ENCRYPTED MESSAGING AFTER LONDON ATTACK

The UK government wants there to be "no place for terrorists to hide," and that includes on encrypted messaging services. The company first on its agenda? WhatsApp.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Home Secretary Amber Rudd called for companies that provide secure communication apps to work with law enforcement.

SEE ALSO: How the UK government can hack your personal data

"We need to make sure that organisations like WhatsApp, and there are plenty of others like that, don't provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other," she said. 

"It used to be that people would steam open envelopes or listen in on phones when they wanted to find out what people were doing, legally, through warrantry [sic]. But in this situation, we need to make sure that our intelligence services have the ability to get into situations like encrypted WhatsApp."

Rudd's comment came after media reports on Sunday that the Westminster Bridge attacker had sent a WhatsApp message prior to the incident that cannot be accessed because it was encrypted.

Fifty-two-year-old Briton Khalid Masood used a car and a knife to carry out an attack in the heart of London on Wednesday that left four people dead. He was killed by law enforcement on the scene.

Rudd said she was not arguing for the government to access all messages on such platforms. Instead, she wants encrypted services to recognise they have a responsibility to engage with law enforcement agencies to counter terrorism.

"They cannot get away with saying 'we are a different situation,'" she said. "They are not."

A WhatsApp spokesperson said the company was horrified at the London attack, adding that it is "cooperating with law enforcement as they continue their investigations."

The rhetoric on Sunday highlighted a clash between digital privacy and national security that has been playing out globally in recent years.

The most famous case so far has been Apple's tussle with the FBI. In 2016, the security service took on the Silicon Valley giant in an attempt to bypass the lock screen of the iPhone 5C used by San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook. 

Farook and his wife killed 14 people and wounded 22 more in San Bernardino, California in Dec., 2015.

The U.S. Justice Department obtained a court order ordering Apple to assist the FBI in bypassing the phone's security, fearing that too many attempts to guess the passcode would wipe the phone's memory.

Warning that the FBI was seeking a "dangerous power," Apple fought the order, and ultimately the FBI managed to use an undisclosed technique to access the smartphone in question.

Security experts warn that building a backdoor into the iPhone or services like WhatAspp would compromise the safety of users in unintended ways: If UK police can somehow read encrypted messages, for example, what's to prevent law enforcement in countries with a poor human rights record from demanding the same level of access?

The UK-based digital rights advocate Open Rights Group has warned that undermining encryption would make ordinary internet activities more vulnerable.

"Compelling companies to put backdoors into encrypted services would make millions of ordinary people less secure online," the group's executive director, Jim Killock, said in a statement. "We all rely on encryption to protect our ability to communicate, shop and bank safely."

The UK already has extensive laws allowing the government access to the internet footprint of its citizens. 

In late 2016, it passed the Investigatory Powers Act, also known as the Snoopers' Charter. The bill creates a quasi-internet history database that's accessible to law enforcement upon request, among other measures.