MashTalk: Samsung's Galaxy S8 is here, but does it live up to all the hype?

After months of daily leaks, Samsung finally announced its next flagship Android phones, the Galaxy S8 and S8+. Do the new phones live up to their hype and can they restore confidence in Samsung after the disastrous Galaxy Note 7? Mashable Tech Editor Pete Pachal, Chief Correspondent Lance Ulanoff, and Senior Tech Correspondent Raymond Wong weigh in on this week's MashTalk podcast. SEE ALSO: Samsung's Galaxy S8 has a killer feature that nobody's talking about New smartphone releases can feel underwhelming these days with most annual releases being only slightly better versions of the previous....

Major ISPs now say they won't sell your browsing history. Yeah. Right.

Internet service providers are in an awkward spot. After getting all dressed up for the sell-your-data dance, it turns out they'll be staying home.  Or so they claim. Reuters reports that representatives from Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T all came out today to assure worried consumers that the companies will not in fact sell customers' browsing histories to the highest bidder.  "We do not sell our broadband customers’ individual web browsing history," writes Comcast Chief Privacy Officer Gerard Lewis on the company's blog. "We did not do it before the FCC’s rules were adopted,...

The software that could prevent ISPs from selling your browsing history could also just make things worse

Pour another one out for online privacy. Then do a half-assed job of mopping it back up with a virtual private network.  In what is only the latest assault on the right not to be creeped on, both the House and the Senate voted to permit internet service providers to sell customers' browsing history to the highest bidder — all without the customers' knowledge. In response to this, virtual private network (VPNs) have become the talk of the digital town.  VPNs work by encrypting your traffic and running it through a third party server. That way, anyone snooping on your web browsing would...

This charity is helping kids through video games

The 'Gamers Outreach Foundation' is a charity organization that aims to bring some fun back into the lives of children in the hospital. Through a project called 'GO Karts,' which provides mobile gaming stations, these children are able to play video games even when they can't leave their rooms. Read more... More about Children, Esports Teams, Social Good, Charity, and Real Time Video http://ift.tt/2mWQimu from Tech http://ift.tt/2oqyVr0 via IFT...

Woman fined $500,000 for false Facebook accusation about former friend

http://ift.tt/eA8V8J from Technology http://ift.tt/2nF5wJM via IFT...

Police drones with lethal weapons are one step closer to reality

From the department of Things That Would  Make A Terrifying Black Mirror Episode: Connecticut lawmakers want police to be able to arm their drones with lethal weapons. This would be a United States first. Connecticut lawmakers have introduced a bill that basically lets police, and nobody else, shoot bullets from drones so long as they follow certain rules that are TBD. The guidelines would reportedly be developed by Connecticut's Police Officer Standards and Training Council.  SEE ALSO: Insane drone footage shows massive damage and flooding at California's Oroville Dam While Connecticut...

The new display on the next iPhone might be much easier on your eyes

One of the most prevalent rumors about the upcoming iPhone 8 is a switch from LCD to an edge-to-edge OLED display — but that might not be the only new addition that could make the colors on the next-gen phones stand out more than current models.  The new iPhones expected to come later this year — along with the 8, we've heard there'll be more basic 7S and 7S Plus models — are slated to feature True Tone displays, according to a Barclays' research note unearthed by MacRumors.  The display tech uses ambient light sensors to adjust the screen color on the phone's screen to jive  better...

Video shows you can fool Samsung Galaxy S8 face unlock with a photo

Samsung's Galaxy S8 has a nifty new feature that lets you unlock the phone using your face. It's fast and works really well, unlocking the phone almost instantly. But how secure is the S8's face recognition for keeping your data from prying eyes? If this video is to be believed, not very. SEE ALSO: Samsung's Galaxy S8 has a killer feature that nobody's talking about In a Periscope video by Twitter user Marcianophone, the Galaxy S8's face recognition unlock feature is shown being easily fooled by a selfie. To recap, user Marcianophone registered his face on a Galaxy S8 at Wednesday's Unpacked...

Twitter just killed the default 'egg' profile photo

Twitter just lost what is arguably its most iconic feature: the egg avatar.  SEE ALSO: Inside Twitter's decision to keep Periscope and abandon everything else Since 2010, when you signed up for Twitter, the default photo was an egg, meant to "reference how eggs hatch into birds." Cute. Over the past seven years though, the meaning of the ubiquitous Twitter egg has spun out of the company's control.  As anyone who spends time on Twitter knows, the accounts with egg avatars are often the worst offenders. Harassers and bots tend to prefer to be eggs. Eggs became so symbolic of abusive...

In defense of Snapchat, a manifesto

Yeah—I'm a business and tech reporter, who reports on social media networks. And in order to do the job correctly, it's on me to maintain a degree of objective remove. That said: I'm not a reporting robot without ideas, preferences, or a life beyond my gig. And while part of that job also involves spending time on social networks, like all of you, (A) I still do it for fun, and (B) If you looked at my phone, it'd be pretty obvious what my favorite social networks are, and how I spend my time using them.  SEE ALSO: Here's why all the sudden the banks love Snapchat — but still hate Twitter Here's...

Don't know who's hitting on you? This funky shoulder pad-like wearable will help

This wearable could represent the future of dating. 'Ripple' sends an alert down your spine when it senses someone is hitting on you But, let's get real here, all eyes will be on you regardless when you're rocking this thing.  Read more... More about Ripple, Pink, Flirting, Tech Love, and Art Tech http://ift.tt/2mWercE from Tech http://ift.tt/2nE57ri via IFT...

Prank experts build the app of your April Fools' Day dreams

I know, I know, April Fools' Day has gotten so over the top, few pranks are actually funny (especially when they come a day early.)  Sometimes, your best bet is to stick with the basics, like a good old-fashioned prank call. Successfully pulling one off is another matter, though. That's where a new app from Ownage Pranks comes in. SEE ALSO: 9 secret apps to hide your sexts Created by the masterminds behind the popular YouTube series of the same name, the app helps you send pre-recorded prank calls to people you know and lets your listen in on the call as it unfolds. The app has dozens...

Snapchat Stories search is here, will deluge you with puppy videos

Snapchat wants you to watch more Stories, so it's making them easier to discover.  The app on Friday released the ability (in specific cities) to search for Stories with the nifty search bar they introduced to the top of the main screen back in January. Type in puppies, for example, and you may find a Story of... well, puppies. Bye forever, world. I'll just be watching Snapchat videos of puppies all day.  Here's a YouTube (haha) video explaining how it works: On first glance, it may look like the opposite of what Snapchat has been preaching: a place for you and your close personal...

Alert: You can play Ms. Pac-Man on Google Maps right now

April Fools' Day is upon us again — and for the past two years, Google has rolled out a fully playable version Pac-Man on its Maps app and web service to transform the standard street-view into an old-school gamer's playground.  This year, Google is giving the first lady of gaming her due: Ms. Pac-Man is taking over your Map for the lighthearted holiday, making your navigation that much more fun.   SEE ALSO: Lyft made these goofy wearables as a prank but they're actually kind of cool The promotion is available on Maps for Android, iOS, and desktop. Playing is simple: just pull up...

Here's the deal with those ugly, colorful status updates on Facebook

If your Facebook News Feed is probably looking a bit more colorful recently, there's good reason: The company is thirsty for your precious personal content. SEE ALSO: Facebook's new 'Trending Topics' update is here — now with less fake news Facebook has been rolling out a new way to post status updates since the end of last year. Write something in the "What's on your mind?" box and you'll be prompted to select a background color for the text, which gives the post a much more prominent slice of real estate in the News Feed. The feature was originally exclusive to Android, but it's hitting...

Samsung's Galaxy S8 sure feels like one big compromise

Samsung this week launched a long-awaited, much leaked, hugely important phone: The Galaxy S8 and its larger sibling, the Galaxy S8+.  And though there's a lot to like about the phone, its spec sheet is a list of could-have-beens and odd design decisions. Even worse, the recently launched LG G6 suddenly looks like a far more sensible device; it's as if Samsung is chasing LG's tail, and not the other way around.  SEE ALSO: Samsung rises again: Can the Galaxy S8 erase the disastrous Note 7? First, there's that oddly-placed fingerprint scanner. I haven't had hands-on time with the...

Virtual reality pioneer Palmer Luckey departs Facebook in wake of controversies

Palmer Luckey, the mind behind the Oculus Rift, will leave Facebook at the end of the week. It's unclear if he resigned on his own terms, but his departure comes two months after the high-profile Zenimax lawsuit. http://ift.tt/2nHy3jy from Yahoo Tech http://ift.tt/2nmU047 via IFTT...

Elon Musk heralds 'huge revolution in space travel' after Thursday's historic mission

SpaceX has successfully completed the first reflight — and landing — of an orbital class rocket. The Falcon 9 launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday evening, returning to an ocean-based barge a short while later. http://ift.tt/2nn6d94 from Yahoo Tech http://ift.tt/2nDSkF1 via IFTT...

Lyft made these goofy wearables as a prank but they're actually kind of cool

Would you believe it if Lyft rolled out an actual, physical product to hail a ride? A one-use wearable, giving you streamlined access to all the service's cars at the lyft (lolz) of your thumb? You shouldn't believe it — well, not completely. The ride-hailing app is currently shilling Mono, a wearable with some legitimately cool specs: it has BLE tech to pair with your phone, a micro-controller synched with the Lyft API that reads gyroscope and accelerometer data to request rides, and motion-triggered LED confirmation indicators to let you know your trip status without having to check your phone....

Virtual reality pioneer Palmer Luckey departs Facebook in wake of controversies

Palmer Luckey, the mind behind the Oculus Rift, will leave Facebook at the end of the week. It's unclear if he resigned on his own terms, but his departure comes two months after the high-profile Zenimax lawsuit. http://ift.tt/2nHy3jy from Yahoo Tech http://ift.tt/2nmU047 via IFTT...

Insane 'Iron Man' flight suit is not an April Fools' joke

Tony Stark and his amazing Iron Man flight suit, an impressive piece of wearable tech designed and built by Stark alone, is a near-perfect Marvel comic-book confection — just the kind of thing that slightly crazy tech entrepreneurs might chase. No, we're not talking about Elon Musk. British inventor Richard Browning is that kind of guy. Hell-bent on creating his own 'Iron Man" flight suit, Browning founded the company Gravity. He recently partnered up with Red Bull, a beverage company famous for backing incredible feats of human endurance and insanity. SEE ALSO: How Much Would It Cost...