HARD TECHNOLOGY GROUP HTG NEWS TIPS

Between the incessant headlines and chatter on social media, it feels like everywhere we go some libertarian evangelist appears asking us if we have a second to talk about the blockchain -- like a religious wingnut lurking outside the grocery store. The fever for a magic internet money no one actually understands is definitely something akin to religious fervor right now. In the biggest example of blind faith yet, people are apparently mortgaging their homes to buy Bitcoin as it soars to previously unimagined value. At the time of publishing, one Bitcoin is worth over $16,000 -- far above its worth this time last year when it was $807. But good luck finding places to spend it: Bitcoin is getting mainstream adoption, but you still can't pay your credit card bill with it. The whole thing has a vibe that portends disaster, or at the very least, the beginning of a lot of stories about scammers making bank while normal people get hoodwinked. So it's no wonder that the alwa...

Turn your smartphone into an instant photo printer to share your moment, in the moment, with the new Polaroid Insta-Share Printer moto mod. Your moto z already captures all your favorite moments, and now you can treasure them with the latest innovation in instant printing. The Polaroid Insta-Share Printer brings your photos to life in seconds, letting you enjoy photos beyond your smartphone screen. Simply snap the mod on your moto z, click the physical button to launch the camera and take a picture, then print right from your phone. The Polaroid Insta-Share Printer even allows you to print your favorite pictures from Facebook, Instagram and Google Photos. Show your creative side by customizing photos with filters, borders and text so they are as original as you. Plus, with Polaroid Premium ZINK® Zero-Ink® Paper, you can print beautiful 2×3” smudge-proof photos on the spot without the mess of ink. Once your favorite photos have printed, share the fun by peeling off the adhesiv...

Some of us have been problems with verizon-locked phones (some, not all). Well, here is the solution, posted so many yrs ago by someone's who had this issue and solved it. All the credit is for "spire" user in Verizon Communities You may have experienced something similar to an issue that is a problem for some U.S. SIM Free iPhone 6/6s owners wanting to use their phones internationally. This problem is still going on and relatively unknown until people experience it. It appears to be an issue with iPhone 6/6s models that were offered as "Service Replacement" phones by Apple and assigned an "incorrect policy" from Apple's servers. (See below.) The error occurs when the Apple Server tries to validate the iPhone's IMEI number, there is a lack of synchronization between the databases of Verizon Wireless and Apple servers. The phones will work with U.S. domestic carriers but not with international SIMs when the user receives a "SIM Not V...

we’ve shown you how to unlock hidden functionality within applications on numerous occasions, such as with Facebook Messenger internals or Google Allo secret features. Today we’re here to share how to access more hidden features— including Twitter’s upcoming “Tweetstorm” feature! A tweetstorm is a series of tweets posted in rapid succession by the same user. Rather than planning how to separate your thoughts into different tweets, you can just post a very long tweet and the Twitter application will split the message and link them together in one thread for you. What’s more, you can also send 280 character Tweets! 280 character tweets are exactly as they sound, simply giving you the ability to send a twice as long message at one time, and no, the tweet doesn’t split into two messages! For tweetstorms, this makes things easier for the end user and allows you to write as long of a message as you want, having them all linked together and easily read. Last month, Twitter began quietly te...

This is a NICE and COMPLETE review of Audi's A8 2019 upcoming model. ENJOY Thanks ENGADGET for such a detailed review! The 2019 Audi A8 is one of the most, if not the most technically advanced cars in the world, so when the company offered a test drive, how could we resist? While we didn't get to see the vaunted Level 3 self-driving, there were still a lot of cutting-edge features on display. If anything, the sheer quantity of technology was a little disconcerting when we drove the A8 through the hills of Valencia, Spain. There's so much tech on the A8, it's hard to know where to start. Three screens cover the dashboard: one for the instrument cluster in front of the driver, a touchscreen for the Audi MMI infotainment system at center and another touchscreen for climate control that also acts as a writing pad for your finger. Oh, and there's a heads-up display (HUD), of course. SENSE EVERYWHERE Around the vehicle are a dazzling number of sensors, ...

Sleep apnea (where your brain doesn't properly send breathing signals while resting) is horrible enough by itself, but the solutions to it can be scary: you may have to take medication, rely on ungainly breathing machines or opt for invasive surgery. You might have a gentler treatment going forward, though. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved an implantable device, Respicardia's Remede System, that fights more serious cases of sleep apnea. The hardware amounts to a battery pack (slipped under your skin in the upper chest) and wires that enter the blood vessels near the nerve that stimulates your breathing. If you stop breathing normally in mid-sleep, Remede stimulates that nerve to move your diaphragm and keep you breathing. Think of it as an on-demand jumpstart for your respiratory system. This isn't a surefire fix. While there's evidence that Remede works, only about half of study subjects saw the hoped-for dramatic reduction in breathing problems. A...

It's no secret that automakers believe the US' recently-instituted fuel efficiency requirements are too stringent, but now they've made those views official. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which includes companies like GM, Toyota and VW, has made official comments to both the EPA and NHTSA asking the regulators to loosen Obama-era rules intended to raise a fleet's average fuel economy to 51.4MPG by 2025. They don't object to the targets as such -- rather, they don't like the projected costs of reaching those targets. The brands contend that the previous administration made mistakes forecasting the cost of hitting that fuel economy target. There's a "misalignment" between the ever-tougher requirements and a car market that's skewing toward less fuel-efficient vehicles, the Alliance claims in its comments to the EPA. Companies contend that previous officials overestimated the ability to hit goals using "conventional technolo...