Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re a parent who has young children using mobile devices that runs on Android, it is understandable that you might be concerned about the kind of content they can access, how frequently they access it, and so on. While parental controls aren’t new, earlier this year Google announced Family Link that offered parents more control over their child’s Android devices.

However when it was announced, the tool was only available via invite-only, but the good news is that Google has since announced that they will be opening it up to all Android users. According to Google, “Today, we’re happy to announce that Family Link, our solution for bringing kids and their parents into the Android ecosystem, is now available to parents in the United States without an invitation. Parents can also create a Google Account for their kid right from Android setup, and then manage their kid’s account and device with Family Link.”

In case you’re learning about Family Link for the first time, users will be able to manage the kind of apps their kids can use, and can approve and block apps that their kids can download from the Google Play Store. Parents will also be able to keep an eye on screen time to see how long their kids spend on apps, as well as set daily limits.

There is even an option to set a “bedtime” which will remotely lock a handset when it’s time for your kids to do something else, like study, do their homework, sleep, and so on. While Family Link was created to control Android devices, earlier this year Google also released a version on iOS where parents using an iOS device could also control their kid’s Android device.

Google Opens Up ‘Family Link’ Account Management Feature For Android , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

One of the security features of Android is the NFC smart lock/unlock feature, where users can tap a trusted NFC tag to unlock their device. This means that in addition to passcodes, fingerprints, pattern unlocks, and more, this is another option that users can choose. It is a clever idea but for some reason Google has decided to do away with the feature.

In a post on the Issue Tracker on Google’s website, one user writes, “Smart Lock with NFC was available and worked perfectly fine when the phone was running Android 6.0.1.  After updating to Android 8.0.0 by following the instructions on the “Factory Images for Nexus and Pixel Devices” page, the option to enable Smart Lock with NFC is no longer available.”

Initially thought to be a bug, it was later confirmed by a Google employee that the feature had been deprecated. “SmartLock NFC feature has been deprecated for new users. If you are not existing NFC users, the option will be hidden.” If you have enabled the feature since the start, it should not be an issue but if you’re someone who has only recently made a Google account in the past few months then you won’t have access to it.

It has also been suggested that those who do have it to remain signed into their device lest they lose access to it as well. Like we said it is unclear why Google removed it, perhaps it wasn’t as widely used as they had hoped and maintaining it would have been unnecessary, but either way we guess you shouldn’t expect to see it in future devices or Android updates anymore.

Google Quietly Kills Off Android’s NFC Smart Unlock Feature , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

It is no secret and almost expected that in 2018, we can expect Samsung to take the wraps off the new Galaxy S9 smartphones. It is also expected that just like this year’s models, there will be two models offered next year, presumably one will be the Galaxy S9 and the other being the Galaxy S9+.

Now according to a report from SamMobile, it looks like those assumptions could be proven correct because not only has firmware development of both phones begun, but the firmware has also revealed some additional details, namely two model numbers that are supposedly belonging to next year’s Galaxy S9 handsets.

The model numbers spotted in the firmware are G960FXXU0AQI5 and G965FXXU0AQI5, which more or less translates to the SM-G960 and the SM-G965, with the latter being the “Plus” model. As SamMobile notes, firmware development for the Galaxy S9 appears to have begun earlier than last year by about two weeks.

We have heard rumors that Samsung could be aiming for an even earlier release, possibly in January which means that any announcement would probably be around CES 2018. Other rumors also include the possibility that the Galaxy S9 would have dibs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 chipset, which is rather ironic considering that a couple of years ago, Samsung opted to not outfit their flagships with Qualcomm’s chipsets.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Firmware ‘Confirms’ Two Models , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Here’s a list of players and teams who demonstrated during Sunday’s games.

The US is no stranger to hacking North Korea, but it’s usually in a bid to directly thwart the country’s military ambitions. Now, however, those attacks are being used as a diplomatic strategy. The Washington Post has learned that President Trump o…