Tech

CNET's torture test of the Motorola Razr was flawed – TechSpot

Published

5 years ago

February 8, 2020

A hot potato: Motorola is standing by the durability of its newly minted Razr foldable smartphone after a questionable torture test from CNET cast it in an unfavorable light. But was this really a fair analysis?

The publication recently strapped a retail version of the Motorola Razr to a mechanical test device called the FoldBot. This robot, borrowed from the folks at warranty service provider SquareTrade, was designed specifically to simulate the opening and closing of the hinge on the Samsung Galaxy, not the Moto Razr. CNET admitted as much in its test yet still, decided to forge ahead.

The plan was to livestream the entire testing process, all 12+ hours and 100,000 folds. Unfortunately, the Razr barely made it a quarter of the way through the torture test before the hinge mechanism failed.

But was this test really fair? Motorola doesn’t think so, and neither do I.

In a statement issued to Engadget and other publications, a Motorola spokesperson said SquareTrade’s FoldBot is simply not designed to test their device. “Therefore, any tests run utilizing this machine will put undue stress on the hinge and not allow the phone to open and close as intended, making the test inaccurate,” the spokesperson added. And they are right.

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This is just my own theory, but it seems to be backed up by Motorola’s test footage. When you open and close the company’s clamshell, it needs a tiny bit of room for the two slabs to move, similar to how the screen ever-so-slightly tucks into the chin when you close it.

It appears as though the FoldBot doesn’t permit adequate movement, instead moving the slabs along a fixed path with each open and close. This restriction could have easily contributed to why the hinge failed so quickly.

Notice in Motorola’s test footage how the robot opens and closes the lid without putting any restriction on its movement. One arm simply flips the lid open while a separate arm closes it, just as a user would. Rinse and repeat. It’s much more indicative of real-world usage.

Anyway, back to the evidence. The video you likely saw is titled, “See the moment Moto’s Razr stops after 27,000 folds” but even that is misleading as the clip starts with the phone already out of the machine and making some horrendous noises. To see the actual moment it became apparent that something was wrong, you have to watch the livestreamed video.

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CNET’s full livestream shows an unedited sequence of events.

At around the 3:35:11 mark, CNET’s Chris Parker gets on the mic for the four-hour check-in. At roughly 3:35:50, right before the FoldBot’s counter passes 27,200 folds, something happens and the machine stops being able to fully fold the phone. Parker recognizes this and powers down the machine at 3:35:59. He proceeds to take the Razr off the machine, folds it manually several times and even powers it on to make sure it works. It creaks a little – maybe more so than earlier on – but all seems well otherwise, so they continue on.

At 3:39:47, Parker attempts to load the phone back into the torture machine but struggles to get it aligned properly. At 3:41:34, he turns the machine back on but it is unable to cycle properly as the phone isn’t correctly aligned. The phone’s position is adjusted multiple times and the machine is even put into full speed, but alas, it can’t fold it.

Inexplicably, Parker even takes the Razr out and inserts it backwards into the FoldBot, at 3:45:40. No luck.

After more adjustments, it comes back out at 3:47:54. The FoldBot is then turned on to make sure it is working (it is) and during this time, Parker manually folds the Razr, starting at 3:48:05, several more times – seemingly without incident – before sensing that something may be wrong seconds later, at 3:48:12.

So what are the takeaways here? Well for one, CNET’s test wasn’t very professional. They used a testing robot that was designed for a different phone, albeit with modifications to accommodate the Razr. The rig is also designed in a manner that if the Razr isn’t positioned perfectly, the bot can’t complete a cycle, likely putting unjust stress on the hinge. This is evident from the very beginning, 17:37, as the phone is misaligned and has to be repositioned.

What’s more, the bot doesn’t open and close fully as it does in Motorola’s testing video. I don’t know if that is good or bad, but it is worth pointing out.

Another observation is the fact that the bot seems to be doing a much better job early on in the testing, say around the 22-minute mark. If you skip ahead to, say 30:18 in the YouTube video, it appears as if the bot isn’t folding completely on every cycle. You can try setting YouTube’s playback speed to 0.25x to see this better.

The team noticed this at around 33:30 and made some adjustments, but was the damage already done?

Despite the trial-and-error, the fold counter kept climbing. The publication acknowledged that the counter wasn’t entirely accurate, but again, it’s something worth noting for those that didn’t watch the entire four-hour video.

Another concern is that CNET took the phone off the bot – and reinserted it – multiple times during the course of testing and struggled to get it aligned properly each time. Again, this is more unjust stress on the hinge mechanism.

Yet another thing worth mentioning is the cycle speed. CNET said that at full tilt, the bot opens and closes the phone 2.5 times per second. This isn’t representative of actual use and the constant cycling could have created excess heat within the hinge that would not be experienced during normal use.

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CNET published a video on Saturday morning titled, “See what went wrong in our Moto Razr fold test,” but even this is edited in a way that doesn’t illustrate what truly transpired.

Parker did say, however, that, “to say this phone is broken at this point is a little bit of an overstatement but it certainly isn’t working the way it was designed to work.”

Masthead credit: Moto Razr by MonicaZ82

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Tech

Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

Published

3 days ago

November 6, 2024

Anne Joseph

The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

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Health

Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

Published

2 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Tech

Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

Published

2 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

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