Month: June 2018

Huawei MediaPad M5 Review: 8.4-inch, 10.8-inch, and M5 Pro

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Tablets were supposed to take over the world. Back in 2012, it felt like they had the potential to absorb the best qualities of smartphones and replace PCs entirely for most people. They just never made it to the finish line.

Even today, no tablet is quite the best of both worlds. They seem stuck in limbo somewhere between necessity and luxury—not quite as versatile as a traditional notebook, but not as essential as a phone. Instead of replacing phones and laptops, they’ve acted more like a semipermeable membrane where phone ideas flow up and computer ideas flow down, creating an osmosis of tech goodness. The lessons tech makers learned from tablets have improved laptops and handhelds, but they’ve also made tablets feel redundant.

And that’s probably why sales have slumped—the latest sales figures are almost half of what they were in 2014. Most device makers have abandoned them in favor of the next device fad.

But not Huawei. Like Apple, Samsung, and Amazon, the Chinese device maker is one of few still putting some heart (effort) into its tablets. It’s releasing three versions of its new MediaPad M5 tablet—standard 8.4-inch and 10.8-inch sizes, and a special MediaPad M5 Pro with a stylus in the box. All three are competitively priced, well-rounded devices. They’re worth a look if you’re looking to add another touchscreen to your life.

A Touch of Class

Like most iPad competitors, the MediaPad M5 tablets have a thin profile, with brushed metal unibodies and a glass front that tapers nicely at the edges. They look and feel as premium as any iPad or Galaxy Tab.

On the back, a row of dots adorn the top and bottom edges. They’re actually speakers (four on the larger models, two on the 8.4-inch), and they sound about as good as you’re gonna get on a tablet, thanks to some tuning by Harman Kardon you won’t hear much distortion, even at high volumes. They’re perfect for a Netflix show or casual music listening, but you’ll still want a good Bluetooth speaker to really get the party started.

You’ll also need Bluetooth headphones if you want to listen quietly because there’s no 3.5mm audio jack on any of the models. You can make do with the included headphone jack to USB-C adapter, until you inevitably lose the adapter or forget to bring it with you somewhere.

The fingerprint sensing home button works well, though be careful if you enable fingerprint authentication. If you don’t use your tablet for three days, it will require a PIN when you unlock it and you will have only five tries to get in. I was halfway through my attempts before I realized it was about to lock me out, and I can’t say I didn’t panic a little. I have yet to find a way to change this overly-cautious feature. My advice: If you’re just using the tablet around the house, you may want to consider disabling the fingerprint login. And don’t forget that PIN!

The battery should last longer than 10 onscreen hours, or more realistically a few days if you’re a casual user. I mostly used the MediaPad M5 to play a few games, check my email, read the news, and binge-watch The Staircase on Netflix (Did you hear about The Owl Theory yet?). Don’t try and watch those murder mysteries in the shower, though—none of Huawei’s tabs are waterproof.

Second-Best Tablet OS

All three MediaPad M5 tablets are about as powerful as a flagship phone from two years ago, which is what you should expect for a $300+ tablet. Each has a 2,560 x 1,600 pixel LCD screen, a Huawei Kirin 960 processor, 4GB RAM, and 64GB of file storage (with a MicroSD slot for extra memory). Strangely, they also have LTE connectivity built into them, but it’s disabled in the United States.

The whole machine runs fluidly on Google’s new Android 8.0 Oreo operating system, though Huawei has made it look more like iOS, rounding otherwise sharp edges and ditching the app drawer completely. I haven’t had any major issues with Huawei’s skin, except that it’s already a few months behind Google’s latest security patches.

Most Android apps operate a lot better on tablets than they used to, but compared to iOS on an iPad there still aren’t anywhere near as many apps and games that take advantage of the larger display. That’s the case for all large-screened Android devices, unfortunately so it’s not something I can hold against Huawei.

Both the MediaPad M5 and M5 Pro have a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/2.2 aperture (no flash) and an 8-megapixel selfie cam. I’ve done some limited testing and both cameras perform very adequately, though neither is particularly impressive for any strenuous photo conditions. The front selfie camera should also work well for video chatting. If you’re a tablet shutterbug (bless your heart), opt for an iPad—Apple’s cameras best the MediaPad in just about every scenario imaginable.

Which M5 is Best for Me?

If you’re buying a tablet for the coffee table or to watch Netflix on around the house and check some email, the 11-inch MediaPad M5 is your best bet. The screen size is great for video and it’s built to be used in landscape orientation, like a widescreen TV. If you try to use it vertically, in portrait orientation, the power and volume buttons are on the bottom, awkwardly right below the fingerprint sensor. The speakers also sit right where my hands wanted to cradle it, so I blocked the speakers unintentionally. Unlike an iPad, it has an extra long smartphone-like screen, which also makes it awkward vertically.

The only differences between the standard $360 MediaPad M5 (10.8-Inch) and the $450 MediaPad M5 Pro are a slightly faster version of the same processor, and the included M-Pen stylus that comes with the Pro. T

he M-Pen was comfortable to hold, but wasn’t able to keep up with my handwriting as well as a Microsoft Surface or iPad Pro. It should serve most artists and notetakers well enough, and I liked the touch calculator Huawei included.

Huawei

The M-Pen has a clip up top so it can snap to a few sheets of paper or a case/cover you attach. It doesn’t snap to the Pro itself in any way, which makes it easy to misplace or forget. Both versions have a special wireless keyboard hookup, but I found the keyboard accessory to be too small to be of any real use.

The smaller $320 MediaPad M5 (8.4-Inch) is built to take on the go. If you want a slightly larger screen for travel, gaming, email checking, or light reading, this tablet is best for that.

Tough Crowd

It’s a shame that the MediaPad M5s have strange volume and power button placement, LTE functionality that’s disabled, no waterproofing, and no 3.5mm audio jack, but those are the only real criticisms I can throw at them. They’re a huge upgrade from Amazon’s best tablets, that’s for sure.

But, the iPad casts a long shadow across the rest of the tablet market. If you don’t have an Apple aversion, I’d still recommend the standard iPad as my top tablet pick. iOS has certain advantages on slate-type devices that Android just hasn’t bothered to include, even in its latest updates. You get all the perks of Apple’s superior software and tablet app selection for only a little more than the competing Huawei option.

That said, these are three fantastic Android tablets that are priced perfectly. Unless you’re an artist or really want a stylus, the standard 8-inch and 11-inch MediaPad M5 tablets are a better deal. If you want a little more fire than a Fire Tablet can provide or need to escape Apple’s walled garden, the Huawei MediaPad M5 series is about as good as Android tablets get.

Adobe could be the next $10 billion software company

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Adobe reported its Q2 FY’18 earnings yesterday and the news was quite good. The company announced $2.2 billion in revenue for the quarter up 24 percent year over year. That puts them on an impressive $8.8 billion run rate, within reach of becoming the next $10 billion software company (or at least on a run […]

Vivobarefoot Primus Trail Swimrun Review: Wear Anywhere

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Finding the perfect summer travel shoe can be an overwhelming task. No one wants to tote around a suitcase full of sneakers and sandals, but it’s hard to have fun on vacation with blisters or a limp. Can you hike all day and walk into a nice restaurant for lunch? What if your travel plans include a morning run? Will French people stare at me if I’m wearing these?

Is there a shoe out there that is at once durable, sporty, good for water, and good-looking? Or should I just give up and put my Chacos back on?

With one minor caveat, I can announce that my search is over. For the past few weeks, I’ve been running, hiking, wading through rivers, and meeting friends for lunch in Vivobarefoot’s Primus Trail Swimruns.

The Swimruns were originally designed for a Swedish race series called the Ötillö Swimrun, which can be described as an off-road triathlon sans the pesky biking portion. These versatile kicks are light, athletic sneakers that are designed to fit like a sock, with a breathable and draining mesh upper for when you go into the water and a durable, sticky, bright orange sole.

You don’t need to be a dedicated barefooter to enjoy these shoes, but if you plan on running in them, you probably should be. I’ve been running for ten years in successive pairs of Merrell Trail Gloves, and even I needed a little time to adjust to the Swimruns. But once you have, you probably won’t want to take them off.

Fun Run

I’m not a doctor, so I can’t exactly recommend barefoot running as a method of injury prevention. But anecdotally speaking, I took up barefoot running ten years ago as a way to strengthen my legs and feet while recovering from an ACL repair. I’m a lot slower now, and I don’t think I’d wear barefoot shoes if I still wanted to race. But I haven’t hurt myself since.

I’m not the only one at WIRED who loves barefoot running, and Vivobarefoot. Galahad Clark, the seventh generation of shoemakers from comfy shoe manufacturer Clarks Shoes, founded the company in 2004 as Terra Plana. They became Vivobarefoot in 2012, and they use innovative designs and materials to activate all the bitty nerve endings in your feet by letting them feel the ground. This can help you fire up ancillary leg and ankle muscles that may be dormant in a more supportive shoe.

The Swimruns slip on like a pair of wetsuit booties, or a pair of socks. I normally wear a size 8 in running shoes, but I had to size down to my casual shoe size in a 7.5. I have an extremely low-volume foot, but it was easy to cinch down the quick laces to accommodate them. The shoes also come with a removable thermal insert for extra padding and warmth if you need it.

I’ve been wearing them without socks for a few weeks, while running and hiking in and out of water. So far they haven’t started to smell, but I do take them off and dry them in the sun every afternoon.

If you’ve never done any barefoot running, it feels less like running and more like padding around a forest like a kitten. it will take you awhile for your feet to acclimate. Even if you’re familiar with it, I suggest taking it easy at first. The Trail Gloves are one of the most stripped-down running shoes around, but even they offer a little more support. It took a week or two of extremely short, slow runs on asphalt, gravel, groomed trails, and un-groomed singletrack for the tendons in my heels to acclimate to the Swimruns.

I didn’t wear the shoes while swimming, but I do take my dogs out on and around the rivers of Portland, Oregon, a couple times a week. Sports sandals, like Chacos, are the water shoe of choice around these parts, but I have mixed feelings about them. Dirt and pebbles can wiggle their way under the soles of my feet, and I have to shake them out. Not to mention my tendency to walk into sharp sticks, or stub my unprotected toes on rocks.

The Swimruns, however, were a great alternative. On one outing, my toddler daughter and I walked out on a narrow wooden barricade that jutted into the Willamette River, only realizing, too late, that we had to negotiate several thickets of overgrown thorns. Rather than sign up for another prickle-and-scratch session, I opted to hop off the barricade and directly into murky, knee-deep water.

The Swimruns have protective, puncture-resistant rubber zones, so I didn’t worry about bumping into, or stepping onto, anything sharp or splintery while wading back to shore with a squirmy three-year-old under my arm. The rubber is dotted with draining mesh holes, so when I got back on the beach, a few steps pumped all the water out of my shoes. Within a minute or two, my feet were dry.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve taken them through water, sand, dirt trails, and deep mud. After rinsing them off, they still look as good as new.

Wee Heavy

Though I loved these shoes, I have one minor gripe: they’re not quite as light as the Merrell Trail Gloves. At 500 grams, or slightly over a pound for both shoes, they are just a few ounces heavier. If you’re sensitive to that sort of thing, it’s worth noting.

At least the extra weight doesn’t keep them from compressing easily. For example, they fit in the top compartment of my small Matador daypack.

My family is planning a few trips this summer, in deserts and on beaches, traveling by car and by air, and I’m already planning on taking the Swimruns with me. The quick laces mean that you can easily slide them on and off. You can wear them with or without socks, for sprinting through airports or going on hikes. You can use them as water shoes to protect your feet while swimming or paddling.

And unlike some of Vivobarefoot’s more wacky designs, these look like street shoes. I like the sporty black mesh and bright orange soles (the women’s version also comes in a more toned-down blue). At $135, they’re a little pricey but certainly not out of reach for many people, especially if you’re only planning on wearing one pair of shoes.

If you’re looking for a sporty travel sneaker that can double as a casual shoe, congratulations! The Vivobarefoot Primus Trail Swimruns tick all the boxes. Plus, the locals won’t judge you for your choice of footwear, so you can use all that empty backpack space to tote more snacks, instead.

Snap Kit Will Let Other Apps Use Snapchat’s Features, But Not Your Data

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Snap’s recent app redesign may have slowed its growth, but that hasn’t stopped the company from trying to entice people to use Snapchat in new ways. Its latest move is designed to keep you using Snapchat even when you’re not in the Snapchat app.

Snap just announced a platform for third-party app developers, called Snap Kit, that lets other apps used Snapchat features, including stickers and Bitmoji. It also turns Snap into an authentication tool app makers can embed in their own apps to let people easily log in—similar to the way many apps let you use your Facebook username and password to gain entry.

This newfound access for third-party developers comes at a time when data privacy is top of mind for some consumers as well as legislators, and Snap is going to great lengths in its outreach around Snap Kit to assure people the platform is airtight. News about Snap Kit was leaked last month; today’s release makes it official.

Snap

Snap has four new software kits for third-party app makers to use: Creative Kit, Login Kit, Bitmoji Kit, and Story Kit. Most of these control features that will live on third-party apps, though some, like Creative Kit, will ultimately bring users back into the Snapchat app (i.e., bringing filters and stickers into Snap’s camera screen). Bitmoji Kit means those stickers can live in other apps—think Bitmoji in Tinder, which is one of Snap’s launch partners—and Story Kit will turn Stories into embeddable pieces of content that can live on other websites. Snap declined to say whether it was using OAuth, a well-known open standard for authentication, as part of its Login Kit, but it sounds like the workflow for using it across other apps will be similar.

In addition to Tinder, apps like Giphy, Pandora, Patreon, Postmates, and SoundHound are included in Snap Kit’s initial launch. For now, Snap says, people from its trust and safety and customer operations teams will be approving all third-party app access, and indicated it could stay that way until the company figures out how to automate the approval process. The company says that if those teams have any concerns about an app’s “security or intentions,” it won’t get approved. 1

Fair Share

Naturally, opening up Snap’s platform to third-party app developers raises questions about exactly how much user data those outside app makers are going to be able to access. Snap says that only display names and Bitmoji avatars are shared when people use Snapchat as a login method, and that additional “user-identifiable information, such as demographic information or friends list,” are not shared with devs.

Snap

“Under no circumstance do we allow anyone to ask for your friends list or contacts directly,” says Katherine Tassi, Snap’s deputy general counsel. “[Mobile] platforms do give developers the ability to ask for contacts, but that will be on their own.” Tassi added that third-party developers also won’t be able to see people’s messaging activity—though there is anonymized, aggregated usage data shared between Snap and the developer.

In a proactive move against old third-party apps keeping their hooks in your Snapchat account even after you’ve stopped using them, Snap will disconnect third-party apps by default if you haven’t used them in 90 days. Also, Snap says it will not use any data for ad targeting purposes.

Jacob Andreou, Snap’s vice president of product, says Snap’s app platform has been in progress in some form or another for a few years. That means Snap has had plenty of time to react to the serious privacy concerns that have recently popped up around social networks and data-sharing. However, Snap insists it’s always had privacy in mind, and shot down the notion that its newest bullet points around privacy and security are any kind of adjustment on the heels of the Facebook’s recent fumbles.

Snapchat users will be able to log in to other apps using their Snap username and password in a way that’s familiar and straightforward.

Snap

“We definitely followed the Cambridge Analytica scandal really closely and carefully, as we do all such events in this space as they impact us,” says Tassi. “But our approach to privacy and our principles are firmly embedded in the way we design products, and the way we’ve been developing this toolkit has had that approach all along.” (Snap CEO Evan Spiegel could certainly be described as more reactionary last month, when he jabbed at Facebook directly during an onstage interview at Code Conference last month.)

Tassi and Andreou also said that any precautionary elements of its new software development kit are unrelated to an embarrassing privacy snafu that happened in late 2013, when an anonymous group of hackers were able to reverse-engineer Snapchat’s Android app and retrieve 4.6 million usernames and phone numbers from Snapchat’s servers. The following year, the company had to settle with the Federal Trade Commission over charges that its “disappearing messages” claim wasn’t accurate. In other words, Snap has previously assured users that their data was being kept secure, when in some ways, it really wasn’t.

“For people like me who follow privacy developments, it’s going to be pretty hard to rebuild our trust, technically or through commitments they may make” around its new developer platform, says Joseph Lorenzo Hall, chief technologist and director of the Internet Architecture Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology. “But for most users, I’m not sure they associate Snap with the checkered privacy and security past it has.”

It may just depend on how much people want to use their Bitmoji in other apps, or publicly share their Snapchat Stories to other apps; or how easy Snap makes it to use Snapchat as an authentication tool. As history has shown, consumers sure do offer up a lot of data in exchange for convenience and a little bit of digital fun.

1Update, June 14: An earlier version of this article indicated that access for third-party app makers would be invite-only. The article has been updated to reflect that Snap Kit is open to all developers, though there will be an approval process in place.

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Best Amazon Device Deals: Sale on Echos, Kindles, Fires (June 2018)

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Fire tablets and Kindle e-readers are rarely expensive (unless you opt for the luxe Kindle Oasis). They’re built to be affordable, and this week they’re on sale for Father’s Day. We’ve compiled every decent deal on Amazon-branded devices going on right now, which also include Cloud Cams and Fire TVs. Some are more than 30 percent off, others less than 20 percent, but nearly every Amazon device is on sale in some way until June 16.

You’ll need Amazon Prime to get most of these deals. It costs $10 per month with an annual subscription and has a free trial. Most of you probably already have it, though.

Echo & Alexa Speakers

Amazon

Read our WIRED Best Echo & Alexa Speakers guide for recommendations on which Amazon Echos to buy. Our Best Smart Speakers guide has some Google speaker recommendations, as well.

Echo Deals

Fire HD Tablets

Amazon

We’re fans of some of Amazon’s Fire Tablets. The Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 10 are our two favorites, along with the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition (if you’re buying for a little one). All three are listed in our Which is the Best Fire Tablet? guide.

For most folks, the Fire HD 7 isn’t the best to buy because of its lower quality screen, processing power, battery life, and camera. But it is also on sale this week and is dirt cheap, perfect for a kid. Amazon also has a free 30-day trial to its FreeTime Unlimited featuring kid-friendly games, books, and TV service.

Fire Tablet Deals

Kindles

Amazon

The Kindle Paperwhite is our favorite ebook reader. It’s $100 and gives you a light and incredible month-long battery life. But it’s not the only decent e-reader Amazon makes. You can read about every Kindle in Our Favorite Kindles.

If you do buy a Kindle from Amazon, check out Kindle Unlimited. It’s $10 a month, but you can read unlimited books (and listen to Audible books) for that price. If you’re an avid reader, the math is in your favor.

Kindle Deals

Cloud Cams

Amazon

The Amazon Cloud Cam allows you to monitor your home and do other things like allow Amazon delivery folks to enter your home. You can access video for the last 24 hours and it has features like night vision and two-way audio. To get more, Amazon has a subscription with features like person detection.

Cloud Cam Deals

Fire TVs

Amazon

Amazon’s latest Fire TV supports hands-free Alexa and some advanced features like 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos sound. The other Fire TVs are now just compact dongles for your TV, and easily tuck away without much hassle. The Fire TV 4K is one of our picks for the Best TV Streaming Devices.

Fire TV Deals

When you buy something using the retail links in our stories, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Read more about how this works.

Docker aims to federate container management across clouds

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When Docker burst on the scene in 2013, it brought the idea of containers to a broad audience. Since then Kubernetes has emerged as a way to orchestrate the delivery of those containerized apps, but Docker saw a gap that wasn’t being addressed beyond pure container deployment that they are trying to address with the […]

Amazon extends discounts for Whole Foods to these 10 more states

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Amazon is serving up a new discount plan for Prime members at Whole Foods Markets.

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Amazon is bringing its new Prime Whole Foods Market discount to 10 more states starting Wednesday.

With the expansion, Amazon Prime members can save an extra 10% on many sale items and get exclusive offers on popular products at stores in 23 states, including California, Texas, Arizona and Georgia.

“We’re excited that Prime savings will be available at nearly half of our Whole Foods Market stores this week, giving more Prime members access to great deals just in time for summer,” said Whole Foods president and CEO A.C. Gallo in a statement.

The members-only discount launched May 16 in Florida and has expanded quickly. The program will be extended nationwide this summer and is already available at Whole Foods Market 365 stores nationwide.

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Introducing new savings available exclusively to @amazon Prime members at Whole Foods Market, launching in Florida stores today and across stores nationwide starting this summer. Download the app and learn more: https://t.co/pX95KqCezI#PrimexWholeFoodspic.twitter.com/HDKs1bnlsg

— Whole Foods Market (@WholeFoods) May 16, 2018

“Based on the positive customer feedback and successes we’ve seen over the past month, we’re accelerating our timeline to expand these savings to all of our U.S. stores,” Gallo said.

This week, Amazon also expanded its free two-hour Whole Foods grocery delivery to Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and Richmond. The service available for Prime members on orders over $35 is now available in 14 cities through Prime Now.

The program is currently available in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco and will continue expanding throughout 2018.

Whole Foods discount

Prime member deals are advertised with signs throughout Whole Foods stores and also are listed in the Whole Foods app.

To access them, Prime members must download the Whole Foods Market mobile app and sign in with their Amazon account, which will create a QR code that the Whole Foods cashier scans at the register.

Members can also link their cell phone number to their Prime account and provide a number at the Whole Foods checkout.

Learn more at www.amazon.com/primesavings and ww.wholefoodsmarket.com/amazon.

Amazon Go: see inside Amazon’s new store without a checkout line

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The Amazon Go app being scanned in at the turnstile

The Amazon Go app scanned at the turnstile entrance to the Amazon Go convenience store at Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle. The app connects the shopper to Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology. As they choose foods and place them in their bag or just hold them, the items are automatically charged to their account. When they leave, they don’t have to go through a checkout line, they just walk out.  Elizabeth Weise/USA TODAY
The Amazon Go convenience store at Amazon's headquarters

The Amazon Go convenience store at Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle. It features Just Walk Out technology, which allows shoppers who have the Amazon Go app to walk in, grab what they want, and walk out – all without going through a checkout line. The costs are automatically charged to their account.  Elizabeth Weise/USA TODAY
A woman buying ice cream at the Amazon Go convenience

A woman buying ice cream at the Amazon Go convenience store at Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle.If a customer picks something up but then put it back, the store knows it and removes the item from their virtual shopping basket.  Elizabeth Weise/USA TODAY
A salad for sale at Amazon’s Amazon Go convenience

A salad for sale at Amazon’s Amazon Go convenience store at the company’s headquarters in Seattle. Store-made sandwiches, salads and other items come in plastic containers tagged with a dot-based readable system similar to a bar code. This is one way the store’s multiple cameras are able to know what items the customer has selected.  Elizabeth Weise/USA TODAY
The Amazon Go app. Used at the Amazon Go convenience

The Amazon Go app. Used at the Amazon Go convenience store at Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle, it links to Amazon’s proprietary Just Walk Out technology. Amazon is expected to keep details of this technology closely held as it tests its first store with the public.  Elizabeth Weise/USA TODAY
Cameras in the ceiling at the Amazon Go convenience

Cameras in the ceiling at the Amazon Go convenience store at Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle. The cameras, along with sensors in the shelves and heavy computing technology, allow Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology to track what items a shopper has taken.  Elizabeth Weise/USA TODAY
The Amazon Go convenience store at Amazon's headquarters

The Amazon Go convenience store at Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle. Amazon staffers who have used it for the last year like to see how fast they can buy something from the store — in some cases, in just a minute.   Elizabeth Weise/USA TODAY

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New states

Prime members can take advantage of Whole Foods’ savings starting Wednesday in these additional states:

  • Alabama
  • Arizona
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Mississippi
  • North Carolina
  • Oregon
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Washington
  • The program is now available in all of California and Nevada. Previously, it was only available in the northern parts of both states.

Already available

The program was already available at Whole Foods Market 365 stores nationwide and Whole Food Market stores in the following states:

  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Florida
  • Idaho
  • Kansas
  • Louisiana
  • Missouri (Kansas City only)
  • Nevada
  • New Mexico
  • Oklahoma
  • Texas
  • Utah

More: Amazon cooks up new Prime perk: 5% back on Whole Foods purchases

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It’s the same free two-hour delivery window. Time

USA TODAY reporter Elizabeth Weise contributed to this report.

Kelly Tyko is a consumer columnist and retail reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers and TCPalm.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Follow her on Twitter @KellyTyko.

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Three changes coming to Microsoft Office: simplified `ribbon', new icons, better search

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If you’re one of the billion-plus people who employ Microsoft’s bread and butter Office software each month, you may start noticing some changes. On Wednesday, Microsoft announced new updates for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, but the company is proceeding rather cautiously and rolling out these out gradually over the next few months.

The changes, from a collapsed “ribbon” to newly drawn icons, may help modernize a venerable but aging franchise.

In recent years Office has mostly been transformed from a set of desktop applications to a cloud-connected app and services. And that means Microsoft no longer piles on a bunch of new features at once into software that you bought and were meant to live with every two to three years, until the next new version came along.

“We were like bakers in a kitchen putting all the wonderful touches on our creations and then we did the big reveal,” says Microsoft corporate vice president Jared Spataro.

So call these next changes coming to Office more of a modes reveal. The refresh is based on the so-called “Fluent Design” system that Microsoft announced last year for Windows 10:

Simplified ribbon

The three-line ribbon toolbar at the top of your screen is being whittled down to a space-saving single line. The idea is that you can better focus on your own content in a Word document, for example. If you’re not keen on this new view though, Microsoft still gives you the option to expand the ribbon back into its present form.

You can also now customize the ribbon. According to Microsoft, 95% of us use the same 10-ish commands in the ribbon. But the remaining 5% of commands differ from user to user. You will now be able to pin the commands most meaningful to you to the ribbon.

The online version of Word is the first app to get this simplified ribbon. It comes to Outlook for Windows next month. But those of you who toil in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on Windows have to wait for until Microsoft solicits more feedback from a broader set of users.

Fresh icons

Users of the web version of Word at Office.com will also be the first to experience new colors and higher contrast icons that may be easier to make out for people with poor vision.

A Microsoft designer with low vision found that when the contrast is lower, and icons are of the same color, they may blur, making them harder to disseminate.

These newly designed icons will appear for select “Insiders” in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Windows later this month. In July, they will show up in Outlook for Windows, and in August start rolling out to Outlook on the Mac.

Improved search

The moment you place your cursor in a search box, and before you type anything, you’ll see recommendations generated by artificial intelligence and based on past searches or what you’re working on.

Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow USA TODAY Personal Tech Columnist @edbaig on Twitter

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The 8 best ice cream treats from your childhood, ranked

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Remember the blissful summers of childhood? No school, running through sprinklers, and begging your parents for a dollar or two before chasing the ice cream truck around the neighborhood. There’s nothing like a sticky commute in mid-July rush-hour traffic to make want to trade it all for that carefree life.

Luckily, nostalgia sometimes comes on a stick. We rounded up all of the classic ice cream treats from our childhood and ranked them from most craveable to most disappointing to our matured adult tastebuds.

Credit: Reviewed.com / Jeremy Stamas
Patty and Cindy haven’t forgotten the sweet allure of a cone on a hot day.

Our panel of tasters are some of Reviewed’s ever-opinionated staff:

• Cindy Bailen, Staff Writer

• Patty Camerota, Assistant Social Media Producer

• Jonathan Chan, Staff Writer

• Michael Desjardin, Senior Staff Writer

• Samantha Gordon, E-Commerce Editor

• Jackson Ruckar, Photo/Video Producer

• Jeremy Stamas, Video Production Manager

• Andrew Winson, Data Entry Manager

1. North Star Ice Cream Sandwich

Ice cream sandwich

Credit: Walmart

“One bite and I remembered why I love these. That sticky chocolate cookie and the generic vanilla are legit creamy and sweet in the right way.” -Samantha

“This is what memories are made of.” -Patty

“There’s something really special about the way this looks—the paper wrapping, the straight lines, the stark contrast of the dark cake and bright ice cream filling. I also like that it’s soft, so it’s easy to eat, and the whole thing mixes together in your mouth to create a perfect combination of flavors. Side note: remember the kids who would lick the ice cream around the sides first and then eat the rest of the sandwich? I hated those kids.” -Jeremy

“Hard to be impartial, because it tastes like childhood.” -Andrew

“Each bite was reminiscent of childhood and summertime.” -Cindy

Tragically, you can’t buy North Star ice cream online. In-store only.

2. Dove Bar (Dark Chocolate)

Dove Bar

Credit: Amazon

“Can’t go wrong here. The dark chocolate is so melty and delicious and the ice cream is basically gelato.” -Samantha

“This had the best chocolate of the bunch, with its dark, strong flavors. The chocolate was thick, though, so it was hard to eat without making a mess, and the ice cream wasn’t anything special.” -Jeremy

“Almost exactly like a Klondike bar, except smaller, cleaner to eat, and more expensive.” -Andrew

“Luxury in an ice cream bar.” -Cindy

“Love the dark chocolate shell on this one—it’s so much richer than the garden-variety chocolate often found in ice cream bars.” -Michael

You’ll have to trek to the store for these!

3. Drumstick (Vanilla Fudge)

Drumstick

Credit: Walmart

“This is the one treat in our roundup that lived up to my childhood memories. The alternating combinations of wafer, ice cream, chocolate, and nuts kept me eating.” -Jon

“Every layer offers something delicious, and well, the surprise nugget of chocolate on the bottom? What a score.” -Patty

“The cone beats the ice cream and coating hands down.” -Cindy

“Ah, the classic Drumstick. I love how chewy the cone is, and there’s really no beating that fudge nugget at the bottom. Yeah, I said “fudge nugget.” What are you gonna do about it?” -Michael

Get it from Amazon Fresh for $6.49

4. Magnum Ice Cream Bar (Double Chocolate)

Magnum Bar

Credit: Amazon

“This one was, honestly, too indulgent. The chocolate coating-to-ice cream ratio was skewed toward the chocolate. If you have a chocolate craving, this will more than satisfy it though.” -Samantha

“I prefer chocolate ice cream, but this had way too much chocolate going on.” -Jeremy

“Very rich-tasting, but a bit of a chocolate overdose for me. I would have preferred it with vanilla ice cream.” -Cindy

Get it on Amazon Fresh for $4.49

5. Klondike Bar (Original)

Klondike

Credit: Amazon

“In face of so much competition, the original Klondike back seems like a bland throwback. However, I can’t deny that there’s something satisfying about unfolding that foil paper.” -Jon

“This has a similar nostalgia factor to the ice cream sandwich, but the chocolate just isn’t that good. It had a too-sweet after taste and didn’t pair all that well with the ice cream.” -Jeremy

“Boooo. These are boring, flavorless, and messy. What would I do for a Klondike bar? Nada.” -Patty

“Just the right amount of chocolate shell. The only downside here is these things get messy fairly quickly.” -Michael

Get it from Amazon Fresh for $4.49

6. Choco Taco

Choco Taco

Credit: Amazon

“If you haven’t had one since you were a kid, don’t. It’ll ruin the illusion that this was ever good.” -Samantha

“Disappointing. This was just underwhelming in its size and level indulgence. Equal parts chocolate, vanilla ice cream, and wafer, the lack of anything standing out cause this treat to turn to bland mush.” -Jon

“Pretty meh overall, soggy and mediocre cone. I was disappointed in this as I remember it as a childhood classic.” -Jackson

“This was nowhere near as good as I remember it being. I’m truly saddened by this development.” -Michael

Get it from Amazon Fresh for $4.99

7. M&Ms Ice Cream Cookies

M&M cookie sandwich

Credit: Amazon

“These were rough. Really rough. The cookies tasted like cardboard and the ice cream was weak in flavor.” -Michael

“It wasn’t that bad, but if I wanted an ice cream sandwich, I’d much rather use good ice cream and cookies that I actually liked and make my own.” -Samantha

“The ice cream is mediocre, the cookie is mediocre, and both of them together isn’t enjoyable to eat. I thought this would be my favorite, but it ended up being at the bottom.” -Jeremy

“Unimpressed. Nothing special about the ice cream. The cookie was kind of dry, and hard, on top of which biting into the cold mini-M&Ms was an unpleasant squeaking sensation like biting into cold pieces of wax.” -Andrew

Oh, man. Available in-store only.

8. Good Humor Oreo Bars

Oreo bar

Credit: Amazon

“I always expect the cookie crumbles on these things to be crunchy, but they’re always mushy and soft. I wouldn’t choose this for dessert even if it was the only choice.” -Samantha

“The brand Oreo makes me think about a crunchy cookie with cream in the middle, but this popsicle turned mushy only after a few minutes at room temperature. The lack any jaxapositioning textures made me just shrug my shoulders.” -Jon

“The Oreo flavor did come through nicely, and I appreciate the cookie crumble texture on the outside (reminds me of my favorite part of an ice cream cake). But unfortunately this pop isn’t very craveable.” -Patty

“I didn’t taste the Oreo at all… It was more like ice cream with the dust that’s left over when you finish a sleeve of Oreos.” -Jackson

Get it on Amazon Fresh for $3.66

These are the 5 best deals on Amazon right now

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— Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. However, our picks and opinions are independent from USA Today’s newsroom and any business incentives.

Happy Hump Day! Father’s Day is slowly approaching, which means you should start looking for a gift, if you haven’t gotten one yet. Amazon has a ton of deals and price drops every day on some our favorite products, which is perfect for those of us who don’t want to break the bank, but still want to get something special for Dad. Whether he’s a tech guy or a novice chef, there’s something that he will love—or for you to treat yourself with.

1. A tool kit to tackle summer projects

If you have a handyman in your life, you might want to take advantage of this deal for a Bosch Tool Kit for a Father’s Day gift. This kit comes with a 12-volt driver, a 12-volt impact driver, and two batteries, so its perfect for whatever upcoming summer projects your family is planning. Right now, it’s down 40% on Amazon.

Get the Bosch 12-Volt 2-Tool Combo Kit for $99 and save $66.15

2. Amazon Echos for every little question

If your dad is constantly asking you seemingly silly questions about, well, everything, you might want to get him an Amazon Echo for Father’s Day so he can ask Alexa instead. Right now, Amazon is running a sale on three Echo devices: the Dot (perfect for small spaces), the Echo (perfect for the living room), and the Show (perfect for the kitchen). My dad loves using his Echo to listen to music, ask about the weather, and set a timer when he’s cooking. Plus, if yours is more of a tech guy, he can link up other smart home devices to it.

3. A car charger for upcoming road trips

While on a road trip, we use our phones for music, navigation, and giving updates to family members (when you’re not behind the wheel, of course). All these things can drain your battery pretty quickly, so you don’t want to be on the road for a while without a good car USB charger. Trust me. This one from Anker has two ports and fast charging capabilities, so you can offer juice to multiple devices. Right now, it’s at its lowest price in the color white.

Get the Anker 24W Dual USB Car Charger for $7.58 and save $4.41

4. The best way to sous vide your food

The Dad’s who think they’re becoming an expert chef need to be introduced to sous vide this Father’s Day. This fancy way of cooking involves slowly heating food in a temperature-controlled water bath for the perfect texture and doneness. In order to do so, you’re going to need an immersion circulator. The Anova Bluetooth Precision Cooker is the best one we’ve ever tested and right now, it’s at its lowest price of the year on Amazon.

Get the Anova Bluetooth Precision Cooker for $98.41 and save $50.59

5. Popular DNA testing kits

DNA kits are all the rage right now. Everyone wants to know where their ancestors really came from or if they have any long-lost relatives lurking around. Right now the popular 23andMe DNA kit is 20% off. And if you want to take your DNA a step further to learn more about your heritage and your genetics, the Health and DNA kit is also 30% off right now. Plus, they make great gifts for Father’s Day (hint, hint).

Prices are accurate at the time this article was published, but may change over time.

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Did the Owl Do It? Unpacking the Weirdest Fan Theory About Netflix’s ‘The Staircase’

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As true-crime obsessives already know, last Friday Netflix dropped The Staircase, a docu-series chronicling the 2001 death of Kathleen Peterson and the subsequent murder trial of her husband, Michael. While the project followed a long and circuitous route to the streaming giant—it originally premiered in the US on the Sundance Channel in 2005, then received a two-hour follow-up in 2013, all before Netflix packaged it together and added some new footage—it immediately became a word-of-mouth sensation.

If you’ve binge-watched all 628 minutes, you might be tempted to think that the big question is: Did Michael Peterson kill his wife, or did Kathleen Peterson fall down the stairs? But whenever there’s fervent interest in a murder case, there are often alternative theories—and one very popular hypothesis that you didn’t see in Jean-Xavier de Lestrade’s series posits that there was a third party involved in Kathleen’s death: an owl.

Preposterous? It depends on who you ask.

The Raptor Motion

“The first time I heard about the Owl Theory I said to myself, ‘That’s totally stupid!'” says de Lestrade, who has spent the past 16 years following Michael Peterson’s life both in and outside of prison. “But later, Larry Pollard explained to me in a very effective way what he thought could have happened.”

“Larry,” also known as T. Lawrence Pollard, is a lawyer and former Peterson neighbor, and the primary architect of the Owl Theory. In 2009, Pollard filed a motion requesting that Peterson’s conviction be set aside and all charges dismissed or that he be granted a new trial based on the discovery of “new and compelling evidence” that the real culprit in Mrs. Peterson’s death was a raptor, or bird of prey. Included in his 40-point motion, Pollard stated:

  1. The “Owl Theory” was advanced to the Defendant’s lawyers and the Prosecution at the conclusion of the trial, namely, that Mrs. Petersonmay have been the victim of an attack by a wild bird outside herhouse, an attack which caused puncture wounds to her elbows, injurieson her face and around her eyes, and lacerations to her scalp. Thetheory was dismissed at the time on the basis that owls do not attackhuman beings and that the theory lacked credibility.

Among the physical evidence Pollard believed backed his claim was “the presence of blood droplets on the brick walkway and the slate landing outside the home” as well as “the existence of feathers attached to Mrs. Peterson’s hair and found by the medical examiner clutched in her left hand with fresh blood.”

In a Netflix bonus feature (see below), Peterson’s attorney David Rudolf makes clear that he believed there was enough evidence to warrant further investigation into whether an owl could’ve done it. “The only real difference, if you will, between our theory at trial and the Owl Theory is the initial infliction of the wounds,” he says.

Testing the Theory

According to Rudolf, the first time he was presented with the theory “was a day or two before the closing, [so] I couldn’t do anything with it.” Had the case been retried, Rudolf says he absolutely would have delved further into its plausibility.

“I consulted with Dr. Carla Dove, the chief ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution in DC, who agreed to do DNA testing on the feathers,” Rudolf says. Larry Pollard also consulted others, including a neurosurgeon, a professor of veterinary medicine, and Kate P. Davis, executive director of Raptors of the Rockies. (“All three agreed that the wounds on Kathleen’s scalp were consistent with an owl attack,” Rudolf says. All three also provided Pollard with affidavits.)

In Davis’ mind, there’s no question that a raptor was involved. Within just a few minutes of getting a call from Sophie Brunet, editor of The Staircase—who became romantically involved with Peterson during the course of production—Davis conducted a simple experiment. She grabbed a metal salad bowl from her kitchen, covered it with and eighth of an inch of clay, went out to where her own barred owl, Graham, lived, then “picked her up over my head and dropped her on that salad bowl.” She took pictures of the resulting talon marks and sent them to Sophie, who confirmed that they matched Kathleen’s injuries.

When Davis, who has had plenty of personal experience with talon marks on her own body, saw the photos of Kathleen’s injuries, she agreed that they were a match. “I bet my bottom dollar that Kathleen, after the partying and all that, went outside to move some Christmas decorations, the owl hit her in the back of the head, she pulled it off with her hands—[which is how she] got the feathers and poke holes in the side of her face—and dropped it, and that’s why there’s blood outside,” Davis says.

But Davis also maintains that the owl wasn’t the direct cause of death. “She was compromised to begin with, she’s walking up these steep stairs, she’s feeling woozy,” she says of Kathleen Peterson. “She walked up to that 15th stair and she fell backwards.”

Yet Daniel George, a now-retired crime scene technician with the Durham City Police Department who was the first technician on the scene in 2001, doesn’t believe that there was any fall at all—partly because of where the blood was and where the body was. “There was nothing up on the steps themselves,” says George, who recently recounted the experience for An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase, Investigation Discovery’s own special on the Peterson trial. “There’s 19 steps, but no blood any further than five feet up the steps.”

“The amount of blood is really troubling, yes, but how do you explain the type of cuts and lacerations she [had]?” asks de Lestrade. “I don’t know what happened the night Kathleen Peterson died, but I have hard time believing that’s a murder. It is very difficult to explain Kathleen Peterson’s injuries if it is a murder. That’s why, today, I believe the Owl Theory may be the best theory to explain what happened to Kathleen.”

Not So Fast

Though owls have been known to swoop and injure people (earlier this year, there were at least three incidents in Atlanta), hearing of the Peterson case was the first time the idea of a “killer” owl occurred to ornithologist Dove. “It’s not something I would even think about,” she says. “But then somebody showed me a video of an owl attacking this big man. I have no idea one way or the other. I’m not saying I’ve ever heard of it happening—I certainly haven’t. I don’t really know.”

Though Dove consulted with both Peterson’s legal team and the filmmakers of The Staircase, she never had a chance to examine the actual evidence in the case—only photos. And that’s not enough. “When we do the identification work, we do it from fragments of feathers,” Dove says. “We need the fluffy, downy part, which is the fuzzy part at the base.”

The pictures she saw of the feather samples, though, were inconclusive, and couldn’t even point her to a particular taxonomic order of birds, let alone a narrower group or family. “We offered to go down there and go through the evidence to see if we could find more feather fragments,” she says, “but it never materialized.”

As for whether there could have been an owl present, George admits that while investigating the staircase itself, they did find “one item in particular that was maybe a sixteenth of an inch long—it was a curved shape and it looked almost like a mini-talon. We didn’t know what it was.”

Yet the item, which was shipped off to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) to be tested, didn’t have any blood on it. “It could have been a piece of a fingernail, it could have been a dog’s toenail, it could have been anything,” George says. “It could have been a piece of wood that was on the steps.”

While many owl theorists have pointed to the fact that the injuries to Kathleen’s head were deep but did not leave her with any deeper skull or brain damage—which would be expected with the blunt force trauma Michael was accused of inflicting on his wife—George says they were still “down to the skull … it certainly didn’t look like anything an owl could have done. It almost looked like it was cut. But the medical examiner determined that those lacerations were caused by a brutal beating of blunt force trauma to the skull.”

Still, Dove and her team saw enough reasonable evidence in the photo to agree to examine the evidence more thoroughly. “We’re professionals and we’ll examine anything that’s reasonable,” she says. (Except maybe the time they received a request to examine some angel feathers; “that was a little bit far-fetched for me,” she admits.)

In early March 2017—less than a week after Michael Peterson entered an Alford plea to involuntary manslaughter—North Carolina’s WRAL.com reported that Rudolf had filed a motion to obtain the feather fragments from evidence so that they could be sent on to Dove for further testing. But the money dried up. “Once the case was concluded,” he says, “there was no funding to test the feathers.”

Given all the uncertainty, the biggest question surrounding The Staircase might actually be: In more than 10 hours, why did the series not mention such an insane-sounding, but still plausible, theory? De Lestrade’s answer is simple: “I decided to keep it out of the film because it was never presented in court. I wanted to stick to Michael Peterson’s judicial journey. I just wanted to present how the legal system will treat the case.”

Could there be another feather left in his documentary cap? Hoo knows.

More Great WIRED Stories

After AT&T-Time Warner gets a green light, Comcast is expected to rival Disney for Fox studios

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Your move, Comcast.

On the heels of a federal judge’s decision that AT&T’s $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner should not be stopped for competitive reasons, Comcast is expected to make its bid for the 21st Century Fox film and TV studio assets Walt Disney Co. has already agreed to buy.

The cable and Internet provider, which owns NBC Universal, said last month it planned an all-cash offer for the Fox studios and networks, but hadn’t named the price. Comcast could start at $60 billion, topping Disney’s $52 billion offer, said CNBC. The Philadelphia-based Comcast was expected to wait for the judge’s ruling in the Justice Department’s suit against AT&T-Time Warner before making a formal bid.

After the AT&T-Time Warner decision was announced late Tuesday, Fox (FOX) shares rose 1% and Comcast (CMCSA) shares slipped 2.6%. Disney (DIS) stock fell 1%.

Despite their grip on the nation’s Internet, phone and pay-TV needs, companies like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T are aggressively seeking to add new businesses. An entertainment library, such as shows produced by Fox’s studios and its regional sports networks, has emerged as a coveted alternative to the core subscription business now characterized by tepid wireless revenue growth and a shift by households to cut the cable cord.

The 21st Century Fox assets up for grabs include the historic 20th Century Fox movie studio, which has produced such classics as Miracle on 34th Street, Alien, Titanic, and the original Star Wars film, plus Fox’s television studio (The Simpsons, Empire) and FX and National Geographic channels. They also include a one-third stake in Hulu, Fox’s 22 regional sports networks and its stake in U.K.-based satellite TV and Internet provider Sky.

Disney, Comcast and Fox each currently hold 30% stakes in Hulu.

More: What could a Comcast-Disney duel for Fox mean for you … and the Marvel Universe?

More: AT&T can proceed with $85 billion bid for Time Warner, judge rules, paving way for landmark deal

A successful Comcast deal would be a blow to Disney and CEO Bob Iger, who has pinned Disney’s future to hit movies and TV shows it could gain with Fox that could bolster Disney’s own streaming services.

A Comcast win would spell disappointment for Marvel fans who may have looked forward to an X-Men mash-up film with ​​​​Marvel’s ​​​The Avengers and Fox’s X-Men, Deadpool, and the Fantastic Four.

And Disney’s hopes to secure the complete rights to Star Wars would also be thwarted by a Comcast deal.

More: Cord cutters: How Disney’s deal to buy Fox assets will change TV, movies, sports

More: What’s the future of the Fox network in the wake of Disney deal?

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Managed By Q acquires NVS to offer space planning and project management

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Managed by Q, the office management platform based out of NYC, today announced its acquisition of NVS. Founded by Jason Havens in 2011, NVS is an office space planning and project management service, helping businesses plan their moves or office redesigns from start to finish. The company helps connect with a network of brokers, architects, […]

Tableau gets AI shot in the arm with Empirical Systems acquisition

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When Tableau was founded back in 2003, not many people were thinking about artificial intelligence to drive analytics and visualization, but over the years the world has changed and the company recognized that it needed talent to keep up with new trends. Today, it announced it was acquiring Empirical Systems, an early stage startup with […]

Microsoft gives Office a refreshed look and feel

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Microsoft today announced that it’s bringing a new user interface design to its Office apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. This new look will be in line with the Fluent Design System the company launched last year and will roll out to both the Office.com online apps and the Office desktop tools over the […]

Why Are CDC Disease Detectives in a Cave Crawling With Snakes?

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The 18-foot pythons in Uganda’s Python Cave don’t bother Brian Amman too much. It’s the black forest cobras that worry him.

“They’re extremely venomous and known to be fairly aggressive,” says Amman, a disease ecologist with the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. A single bite from one of the 10-foot snakes can kill a human in as little as 30 minutes. “Although we’ve not had any encounters,” he explains, “because they’re in there with all this food.”

In 2008, Amman found himself in Python Cave looking for that food source: a population of roughly 50,000 Egyptian fruit bats. Scientists believed they could be carriers for Marburg virus, a hemorrhagic fever virus closely related to Ebola, and they were studying the bats’ behavior to try to understand how the disease spreads from animals to humans.

Amman is one of the CDC’s elite team of disease detectives, who travel the world to study dangerous viruses and bacteria in the hope of preventing human illness and death. He goes in prepared, carrying traps and nets (and even pillowcases) to catch and transport the bats.

Then he and his colleagues get to testing their hypotheses about the animals.

“We think the bats with Marburg virus are going out and they’re going into farmers’ cultivated fruit crops,” Amman says. “They’ll give it a little bite.” Sometimes they’ll leave it behind on the ground, still carrying live virus. “If the next day or the next morning some child or some family pet comes along and eats that fruit,” he says, “it could very easily start the next outbreak.”

So once Amman and his colleagues have caught the bats, they glue tiny GPS “backpacks” on their backs to track their movements. When the bats leave the cave, the GPS unit is activated and begins recording their location. When they return at dawn, the information is downloaded wirelessly and they are able to map the movements of the bats.

“We can actually sensibly build a risk map and determine what areas in this particular vicinity are going to be at risk for exposure to Marburg virus,” Amman says. That helps the CDC and other global health organizations deliver critical public health information. “We can get the message out that, ‘Hey, don’t pick up fruit off the ground. If it’s been bitten, leave it alone.’”

It’s all about protecting the public—but, along the way, Amman will still have to protect himself. He brings a wide array of protective gear with him. There’s everything from Tyvek suits to protect his skin and clothing, powered air-purifying respirators to filter air from contaminants, Kevlar-lined chaps to protect his legs from snake bites, and turtle-skin gloves (usually used by law enforcement officers) to protect from bat bites.

Watch the video above to hear more about the gear Amman and his colleagues at the CDC use in the field.

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Apple Macs vs Windows PCs: Our Favorite Alternatives

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Another WWDC has come and gone, and even though Tim Cook and company showed off the future of Apple software, the company’s Mac hardware has been left untouched. The Mac faithful, those devoted members of the community that kept the company afloat in the dark days, cling to every shred of hope that Apple throws their favorite Mac a little love.

Unfortunately, many Macs have been left behind by cheaper, better options on the Windows PC side of the fence. Consider for a moment that Apple still sells the 2013-era Mac Pro for $3,000—highway robbery from a pure performance perspective. Would you buy a car at its original MSRP even though it’s been sitting on the lot for five years? I don’t think so.

With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of excellent Windows alternatives to the most popular Mac models. Especially if you rely on your computers for your livelihood, there’s no reason to wait on Apple to finally cater to your needs. From the low-end to beastly 32-core prosumer rigs, the PC world is getting really exciting again.

Sure, macOS has its advantages, but Windows 10 is a mature, stable platform that’s updated and improved on the regular. Switching to PCs means you’ll be able to grab the latest and greatest computers at a wide array of prices from any number of PC manufacturers, without having to light prayer candles at a shrine dedicated to Steve Wozniak.

MacBook/MacBook Air

Microsoft

Apple’s most portable notebooks are in an awkward spot. While the MacBook has seen recent spec bumps, its small screen and single USB-C port feel limiting. The MacBook Air soldiers on with the same screen, processor, and chassis it’s had for three years. If you prefer a cushier keyboard, USB-A, and magnetic charging connection, you’ll be paying top dollar for a dowdy display and crusty Intel processors from generations long past in the MacBook Air.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop is a solid substitute for these slimmer Macs. You get newer chips, a brilliant 13-inch display, a wonderful keyboard, and an eye-catching design. Starting at only $799, it’s a premium notebook without the performance drawbacks of what Apple’s offering right now.

Shop for the Surface Laptop ($799 and up)

MacBook Pro

Razer

The 15-inch MacBook Pro is arguably the only MacBook worthy of the professional branding, since it has the biggest screen, fastest graphics, and hottest processor of Apple’s laptop lineup. Plus, you get Apple’s Touch Bar, which, is of dubious value, but is a nice bonus.

But it’s put to shame by Razer’s latest flagship Razer Blade laptop. With a six-core Intel processor and Nvidia 10-series graphics as the standard configuration, it’s positioned to make the mightiest Mac notebook look downright antique. Peep that slim display bezel … gaze lovingly upon its traditional style RGB-backlit keyboard and humongous glass trackpad. It even has USB-A ports, Thunderbolt 3, and RAM that you can—gasp—upgrade!

Shop for the Razer Blade ($1,899 and up)

Mac Mini

Intel

The Mac Mini is one of my all-time favorite computers. Unfortunately, the last update this model received from Apple was all the way back in 2014, and the refresh made the poor Mini slower in some configurations and nigh impossible to upgrade in all of them. It’s still sold at outrageous prices all these years later, starting at $500 for a wimpy fourth-generation Intel i5 processor.

If you love tiny-yet-powerful mini computers, might I recommend the Intel NUC? These computers are mini-er than Apple’s Mini and feature newer seventh and eighth-generation chips that run rings around the li’lest Mac. You can buy them either as complete models running Windows 10, or as barebones kits where you add your own RAM, storage, and OS of choice.

If you’re a gamer or want to get into VR, there’s even the Hades Canyon model, with powerful AMD Radeon Vega graphics under the hood. And, whereas Apple charges you beaucoup bucks for a three-year AppleCare warranty, you’ll get that standard with each NUC.

Shop for the Intel NUC ($499 and up)

iMac

HP

I’ll be the first to admit that the iMac is a super-nice desktop computer. While many other PC makers try to ape this stylish, slim all-in-one, few truly match its appeal. It’s also one of the models Apple’s been the most consistent about keeping fresh; the current lineup runs on Intel’s seventh generation chips, and many include AMD graphics to boot.

The machine I’d recommend checking out is HP’s epic desktop, the HP Envy Curved All-in-One. With a wide 34-inch curved display, you get the real estate of two separate monitors in one contiguous LCD panel. But whether you’re popping full apps next to one another with room to spare, or just blowing up a widescreen movie to take up this entire screen, HP’s Envy stands apart.

Shop for the HP Envy 34-inch Curved All-in-One ($1,649 and up)

Mac Pro

Dell

Apple has promised its demanding users an update to the long-in-the-tooth, 2013-vintage Mac Pro. It said the new system was in the works last year, but it’s looking unlikely a new Mac Pro will hit store shelves before 2019. Until then, the five-year-old, thermally constrained, expansion-averse cylinder can be had … at 2013 prices. The iMac Pro is a good pick for professional needs, but it’s seemingly not built to last, cramming its storage, RAM, and display into a hermetically sealed, non-upgradeable chassis. If you’re tired of waiting for Apple to offer a true pro desktop, why not check out what Dell’s dishing out?

The Dell Precision 7820 starts at $1,700 for a six-core Xeon-powered workstation—roughly half the price of Apple’s competing model. These modular, upgradeable towers offer plenty of possibilities to make this machine last for a decade or longer. Unlike Apple’s old-ass trash can, Dell’s workstations can be upgraded with ridiculously powerful processors with dozens of cores, modern graphics, and up to 384 GB of RAM. You don’t even have to open the case up to add more storage thanks to an externally accessible caddy solution.

For users clinging to their trusty cheesegrater Mac Pro towers, Dell’s traditional, functional, buttoned-down tower should feel like coming home. Plus, Dell’s pro machines all come with a three-year on-site repair agreement, so you’ll never be caught waiting around for someone to pay attention to you at the crowded Apple Store (and you’ll save hundreds over buying AppleCare).

Shop for the Dell Precision 7820 ($1,659 and up)

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