Touchscreen phones know it's you from taps and swipes

Sorry, Apple. The fingerprint recognition feature on the upcoming iPhone 5s,Touch ID, might be eye-catching, but you still have to log into your device. Identifying someone by the way they tap and swipe on a touchscreen might be the more natural, unobtrusive future of smartphone biometrics.

Developed by Cheng Bo at the Illinois Institute of Technology and his colleagues, SilentSense does just that. Using the phone's built-in sensors, it records the unique patterns of pressure, duration and fingertip size and position each user exhibits when interacting with their phone or tablet.

Machine learning algorithms then turn this into a signature that identifies the user – and will lock out anyone whose usage patterns do not match.
Different strokes

To increase the system's accuracy, the smartphone's accelerometer and gyroscope measure how much the screen moves when you are jabbing at it. They can also pick up on your unique gait as you walk while using the screen.

"Different users, dependent on sex and age among other things, will have different habits in interacting," says Bo.

In tests, 100 users were told to use the smartphone's touchscreen as they would normally. SilentSense was able to identify the phone's owner with 99 per cent accuracy after no more than 10 taps. Even with an average of 2.3 touches the system was able to verify the user 98 per cent of the time.

To save on power, the software stops checking the user's identity when apps like games are being used. To maintain security, it automatically switches on when more sensitive applications, such as email or SMS, are accessed.

"This is interesting, creative research," says Kevin Bowyer, a biometrics researcher at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. "It could help preserve privacy if the phone could recognise if the owner or a guest was using it and lock guests out of some applications."

Journal reference: arXiv:1309.0073v1

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How to Add Special Effects to Vine and Instagram Videos

Anyone can become "Instafamous" by adding a filter or a few hashtags to a cool selfie. The real pros live on video.


Vine and Instagram have provided unique platforms for users to showcase their creative ability. While a few seconds with a cellphone camera seems very limiting as a way to share videos, users continue to astound these social networking communities with their unique and clever approaches.






One of the most impressive types of videos on these platforms is the special effect video. Hands free, reflection and cloning videos are among the most liked and shared on Vine and Instagram, generating hundreds of “Whoa, how did you do that?” comments from fans eager to learn the tricks.


Well, here at Mashable, we’ve mastered the techniques necessary for these special effects videos, and we’re giving them to you, free of charge. Here’s a rundown of how to create some of our favorite special effects.

1. Hands Free


Skill Level: Easy

This is actually the easiest trick to master, and it requires nothing more than your phone. While the current app for both Vine and Instagram require you to touch the screen to record video, you can still do a hands-free Vine or Instagram video using the assistive touch feature on your phone.


If you have an iPhone, this feature is already available in your settings. Sorry, Android users, the assistive touch apps on the market don't offer this feature yet.


Go to Settings > General > Accessibility and scroll to the bottom of the screen. Under “Triple Click,” change your settings so that a triple click of the home button turns on Assistive Touch. Then go back one screen and tap “Assistive Touch” under “Physical and Motor,” to make sure that your assistive touch is activated.


Once it’s turned on, you’ll need to set up three gestures: a six second, one second, and instant touch. Tap “Create New Gesture” to create them. For the six second touch, touch the screen until the bar fills up the whole way. Save this gesture as “6 Seconds.” For the one second touch, you’ll need to move your finger, otherwise your phone won’t recognize the gesture for a whole second. We found that drawing a small circle gets the timing just about right. Save this as “1 Second.” For the instant touch, touch the screen for a second without moving your finger. Save as “Instant.”


Now, open your Vine or Instagram app, turn on assistive touch, select one of the gestures and record. Just remember to turn off assistive touch when you’re done filming, or every time you touch your phone it will hold for 6 seconds.


Protip: Even if you’re not creating a hands-free video, turning on assistive touch and using these gestures will keep your scene breaks even. This is a great tool for users who enjoy creating stop motion videos.

2. Alien Abduction and Other Spatial Tricks


Skill Level: Moderate

Wall walkers and abductee wannabes can gain this spatial effect in a really simple way: Flip the room on its side. In the Vine video above, the room is set up so that the “bed” leans against a wall, not laying on the floor. That’s why the table is flush up against the dresser, for support. When the “abduction” occurs, he simply had to walk and pretend he was being beamed up.


The only difficult aspect to achieving this effect is getting creative with your surroundings. Use a curb as a ledge and “hang” from it. Flip a room on its side and walk on the “walls.” Your only limit is your own creativity. OK, well, gravity, too. But you get the point.

3. Reflection, Cloning and Freezing Time


Skill Level: AdvancedAnother popular special effect involves reflections that don’t seem to want to follow their real life counterparts anymore, such as the one in the video below:

There's also time-freezing clones:

This type of post gets a little more involved than simply fixing your phone settings. You’ll need a regular camera that shoots video, set up in a way that it cannot be seen in the mirror, in addition to video editing software.


The basic idea is to film both parts of the video — both the “real” you and the cloned or reflection you — and then use your video editing software to splice the two together into one video. For a more detailed look at how to do this, check out this video tutorial from Joey Salads. While the tutorial focuses on reflection, cloning is very similar.


Once you have your custom video created, you’ll need to download two programs — Handbrakeand I-Funbox — to upload it to Vine or Instagram. Important: Your video need to be under 7 seconds long, or it will be too large. For a more detailed look at how to use these programs to upload your video to Vine or Instagram, use this tutorial from Dustin Walters.


Note on the above tutorial: Due to encoding reasons, some users find that the above method doesn’t always work. Try this: After you copy and paste the file name and go back to Vine or Instagram, and before you hit "Next," record one frame by tapping the screen once quickly with the camera covered, so you only record a black screen. This will probably help you upload the video.


Additionally, users have complained that Vine has removed their videos from the site, due to terms of use violations. This is a possibility, and it stops a lot of users from uploading custom videos out of a fear of a ban from the service. Upload at your own risk.


What are some other special effects you've seen in Vine and Instagram videos? If you're a video wizard, show us what you’ve got in the comments below.

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Samsung Galaxy S II TV

Samsung Galaxy S II TV

Description

The Samsung Galaxy S II TV is a mid-range device with Android 4.2 and comes with a TV receiver. What's more, the phone has 2 SIM card slots. The rest of the specs include a 1GHz dual-core processor, 4-inch 480 x 800 px screen, 5-megapixel rear and 0.3 MP front cameras, 1,500mAh battery and a microSD memory card slot.

DESIGN

• Device type:
  • Smart phone
• OS:
  • Android (4.2)
• Dimensions:
  • 4.77 x 2.47 x 0.39 inches (121.2 x 62.7 x 9.79 mm)
• Weight:
  • 4.23 oz (120 g)
    the average is 4.4 oz (127 g)

DISPLAY

• Physical size:
  • 4.0 inches
• Resolution:
  • 480 x 800 pixels
• Pixel density:
  • 233 ppi
• Technology:
  • TFT
• Colors:
  • 16 777 216
• Touchscreen:
  • • Multi-touch
• Features:
  • Light sensor, Proximity sensor

BATTERY

• Capacity:
  • 1500 mAh

HARDWARE

• Processor:
  • Dual core, 1000 MHz
• Graphics processor:
  • • Yes
• Built-in storage:
  • 4 GB
• Storage expansion:
  • microSD, microSDHC up to 32 GB

CAMERA

• Camera:
  • • 5 megapixels
  • Flash:
    • LED
  • Features:
    • Auto focus
• Camcorder:
  • • Yes
• Front-facing camera:
  • • 0.3 megapixels VGA

MULTIMEDIA

• Music player:
  • Filter by:
    • Album, Artist, Playlists
  • Features:
    • Album art cover, Background playback
• Speakers:
  • Earpiece, Loudspeaker
• YouTube player:
  • Yes
• Broadcast Mobile TV:
  • • Yes

INTERNET BROWSING

• Built-in online services support:
  • YouTube (upload), Picasa

TECHNOLOGY

• GSM:
  • 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• UMTS:
  • 850, 1900, 2100 MHz
• Data:
  • HSPA (unspecified), HSUPA, EDGE, GPRS
• Multiple SIM cards:
  • • 2 slots
• Positioning:
  • GPS, A-GPS
• Navigation:
  • Yes

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Motorola Moto X Review

Introduction:

If you haven’t noticed, Motorola has been relatively quiet in the smartphone space for the last couple of years now. Sure, we’ve seen some high-end devices during that time, like last year’s DROID RAZR MAXX HD for example, but the brunt of Moto’s love has been mostly exclusive to Verizon – leaving everyone else in a dry spell. Naturally, Google’s acquisition of Motorola had a lot to do with it, as the company soon restructured its strategy by focusing its efforts on fewer devices, rather than going with the usual approach of over-saturating the market with an army of devices. Adios Motorola CLIQs! Bye-bye Motorola ATRIXs! Sayonara Motorola Photons! It seemed as though the brakes were applied everywhere, except Verizon and its DROID line.

Enter a new era in Motorola’s history, where they intend on bringing to market a single new flagship device that would take on the competition. Indeed, Google might be pulling some strings behind the scenes and all, but this new Motorola is taking a highly different approach – one that seems very uncanny for them to do. Instead of seeing different lines of Motorola made Android phones, the Moto X is that diamond in the rough device that Motorola is banking on to attract consumers to Motorola’s new approach to the business. In an era where cutting edge Android smartphones are leaving long lasting impressions, it’ll be intriguing to see whether the Moto X will have the guts and execution to redefine the game.

The package contains:

• microUSB cable
• Wall Charger
• SIM Removal Tool
• Get Started Guide
• Safe, Smart, & Protected Guide

Design:

It’s not stylish by any means, nor is it exuding a premium element to its construction, but the Moto X’s design is best described as humbling and modest. Visually, the design is understated when compared to the beauties out there, like the HTC One and iPhone 5, but regardless of that, it’s the size of the phone and its ergonomic aesthetics that really impresses us the most. First and foremost, this doesn’t feel or look like a smartphone that’s packing a 4.7-inch display, as it barely feels any bigger than the iPhone 5, which has a significantly smaller screen. And at the same time, it makes the HTC One appear comparably gigantic. Certainly, it’s not the skinniest thing out there, but the tapered edges help to make it seem skinnier than it really is in person.

The Moto X’s design is best described as humbling and modest

Front view | Side view

5.09 x 2.57 x 0.41 inches
129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4 mm
4.59 oz (130 g)

Motorola Moto X

5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches
136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm
4.59 oz (130 g)

Samsung Galaxy S4

5.41 x 2.69 x 0.37 inches
137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm
5.04 oz (143 g)

HTC One

5.27 x 2.7 x 0.36 inches
133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm
4.90 oz (139 g)

Google Nexus 4

To see the phones in real size or compare them with other models, visit our Visual Phone Size Comparison page.

Constructed out of this composite material, which is essentially a plastic frame, it helps to keep the handset very lightweight (4.59 oz) – thus, complementing its compact stature. Taking a closer look at the rear casing, the rubbery finish definitely helps to keep it clean and dirt-free, but there’s also an attractive pattern on it that mimics the look of carbon fiber. Considering that the rear casing has a prominent curve with its construction, it makes for one comfortable and natural feel in the hand. Some might view the design as uninspiring or boring, but there’s one unique aspect with the Moto X that differentiates itself from everything else out there – customized designs, which we’ll expand in the next section.

The Motorola Moto X makes for a comfortable and natural feel in the hand

As for the rest of the phone, we’re pretty much greeted to the usual suspect of characters. Seeing that it’s running a mostly stock Android experience, there are no capacitive buttons on its façade, but we do take notice of its narrow earpiece, light/proximity sensors, and front-facing 2-megapixel camera.

Looking around its trim, we’re greeted to the usual suspects that we find. It physical power button and volume control may be really thin to the eye, but they’re distinct to the touch and responsive when pressed. Rounding things out, we have a 3.5mm headset jack, noise cancelling microphone, and its microUSB port for charging/data connectivity. Sorry folks, there’s no quick and easy physical video-out connection with this, but rather, you’ll need to rely on its “Wireless Display” feature to get the job done – though, it’s only compatible with Miracast Wireless enabled displays.

microUSB port (bottom)	Left edge	3.5mm jack (top)	Power and volume keys (right)
The sides of the Motorola Moto X

In the rear, it’s sporting a 10-megapixel Clear Pixel camera, similar to what’s featured on the new line of DROIDs too. Naturally, it’s complemented by an LED flash.

Back	Rear camera

Moto Maker:

The base models of the Moto X are nothing worth writing home about, especially when they’re just generic looking. Going with a totally new approach to the process, Moto Maker provides prospective owners the power to customize the Moto X – inside and out, through its online portal. It’s something different, obviously, as we’re given options to selecting the color scheme and design pattern with the phone’s casing. Additionally, we can even choose what colors the accents on the phone are going to be – like the ring around the camera lens and its power button.

We’re given options to selecting the color scheme and design pattern with the phone’s casing

If that isn’t enough, there are also various secondary customizations that can be made to the handset’s software. From having a personal message load with the phone’s boot up process, to choosing a complementary background wallpaper to match the color of the phone, it’s pretty amazing what can be done! Heck, you can even purchase accessories, like cases and headphones, that can match the unique look of your particular Moto X.

Depending on the selections, the price of the phone will undoubtedly go up from the base white/black models of the Moto X. Further down the road, we’ll even see other unconventional materials for its frame; like actual wooden bodies. Since the phone is assembled all in the good old U, S, of A, the turn-around time for a custom job takes 4 days or less (subject to parts availability). Without question, this is an undertaking that we haven’t seen before with a phone. On one hand, we’re thrilled by this new prospect, but the downside is that it’s exclusive to only AT&T for now. We’re crossing our fingers that this will be rolled out to everyone else soon too – including the Google Play Edition version when it launches in the future.

Display:

Let’s not beat around the bushes here folks, but the specs on the Moto X’s display are nothing worth bragging about. By today’s standards, its 4.7-inch 720x1280 (720p) AMOLED display is far from imposing, especially when compared to the 1080p beasts floating about. Details are effective enough to make everyday things easy on the eyes, seeing that it employs the favorable RGB arrangement with its pixels – while its saturated color reproduction and wide viewing angles are expected qualities from what we’re normally exposed to with AMOLED tech. Out of everything, though, it’s the edge-to-edge nature and minimal bezels of the display that are absolutely amazing. In fact, it helps to make the handset extremely form fitting and compact – more than anything else we’ve seen!
Another interesting aspect is the Active Display feature of the handset, which shows pertinent notifications in a confined area on the display – thus, helping it to reduce power consumption. Instead of turning on the Moto X to view notifications, Active Display will initiate whenever it receives something new, or when it’s nudges or flipped over from a display down position. Its purpose works, especially when we’re now less inclined to turn on the phone all the time.

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LG G2 Review

Introduction

Life hasn't been so good for LG recently, at least when it comes to the smartphone market. In the last couple of years, the company has rolled out a number of high-end, flagship phones that haven't really managed to make a dent. Do you remember the Optimus 4X HD? The Optimus G? The G Pro? OK, the manufacturer scored a sweet deal with Google for the Nexus 4, though everyone knows that the Nexus 4 is anything else but a money-maker.

So, where to now? With a competitor that is becoming increasingly unbeatable, LG needs a hero device. It needs an absolute winner in order to at least get noticed by customers drowned in a sea of Galaxies. Interestingly, while HTC has decided to differentiate from Samsung by doing the exact opposite of what the South Koreans are doing, LG has employed a completely different tactic to battle the behemoth. It's mimicking the moves of its neighbor, trying to beat it in its own game.

And this is where the LG G2 comes in. The newest flagship of the company will try to outgrow, outpace and outsmart its rival, the Galaxy S4, by packing an even larger screen, an even faster processor and even more software features that would attempt (or pretend) to make your life easier.

In the box:

• USB cable
• Wall charger
• QuadBeat 2 earphones

Design

It's impossible to not notice the similarities between the G2 and the GS4 with regards to physique. After all, if Samsung can be successful with an uninspired, plastic design, why should LG try to shake things up there? Or at least, that seems to have been the thinking behind the G2's exterior. It's big, slightly bigger than an S4 (5.45 x 2.79 x 0.35 inches for the G2 versus 5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches for the GS4), without any fancy appearance characteristics to make it stand out in any positive way. The plastic construction is nothing to write home about, but the occasional creaking sounds made by the back sure are irritating.

The G2's dimensions are still bearable. LG has done a terrific job thinning those bezels, while the nicely-curved back panel makes the handset sit comfortably in the palm of the hand. Even though the G2 is slightly bigger than the S4, we wouldn't say that LG's product is more uncomfortable to hold. In terms of weight, the G2's 5.04 oz doesn't make such a notable difference, compared to the Galaxy S4's 4.59 oz.

The most peculiar thing about the LG G2's design are the rear keys. Instead of positioning the power/lock and volume buttons on the sides of the handset, LG has placed those right on its back. This has been done for a couple of reasons. One, the side bezels have gotten so thin that the can no longer house any keys; and two, LG argues that placing the keys on the back would allow for a more intuitive access to those controls, as a user's index finger almost always defaults to that position upon picking up the phone. While we did not find the new positioning to be significantly worse than the good-old one, we can't say that it benefited our experience with the phone in any way. As a matter of fact, we feel that finding the desired rear key by touch alone is harder than finding it if it was placed somewhere around the sides of the device. Of course, this might simply be a matter of getting used to, which is why we'll continue using the handset during the days ahead and will update this review appropriately.

However, one thing we definitely didn't like about the rear volume keys is how cheap they feel – almost toy-like. Having in mind this is supposed to be a top-shelf product, LG should have tried a bit harder in this respect. Another design feature that we dislike is that the earpiece is concave, which causes a lot of dirt to permanently establish itself there. On a positive note, the manufacturer has wisely put the loudspeaker on the bottom, so that it doesn't get muffled when the device is laid on a table.

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