Google won’t autocomplete the word ‘Kodi’ for you in relation to anti-piracy effort

You may or may not know Kodi. It’s software that can be used on set-top boxes or other devices to stream media. It supports many third-party add-ons with some giving users access to pirated content. And that is what Google is trying to put a stop to as part of its anti-piracy efforts. How are they doing this? For the term “Kodi,” Google won’t autocomplete it for you. Some of the other things Google has done in the past is change its search algorithms to demote copyright-infringing material. Now when you type “kod” into Google, suggestions would include “kodiak” and “kodak black” but no “kodi.” However, once you’ve typed out “kodi,” search options like “kodi addons” and “kodi download” appear.

Nathan Betzen, the president of XMBC Foundation which operates of Kodi, expressed his disappointment over the decision, “We are surprised and disappointed to discover Kodi has been removed from autocomplete as Kodi is perfectly legal open source software.” And while that is true, its platform is a space that allows for piracy to exist and that is what Google argues is what they’ve been doing. A Google spokesperson told TorrentFreak that “Since 2011, we have been filtering certain terms closely associated with copyright infringement from Google Autocomplete. This action is consistent with that long-standing strategy.”

Twitter Timestamps makes it easy to share specific moments in live videos

Sharing a favorite moment from a Twitter live stream is now going to be easier with what 9to5Google describes as a “YouTube-style timestamp” feature for the social network’s mobile apps. Aptly called Timestamps, the feature will let you tweet from a specific point of the video. So your tweet will reflect what part of the video you wanted to focus on. When sharing you just need to slide to a specific point of the live stream (or replay video) and that is the starting point of the video that your followers will see.

On top of this, those watching live video streams that are still broadcasting, you can easily skip to what’s currently happening by tapping on “live” at any time so you can catch up. This is open for all types of streams, whether those from professional content publishers or those just broadcasting for their phones.

Tesla issues largest voluntary recall with the Model S for power steering issues

Tesla is taking a proactive stance and recalling 123,000 Model S vehicles built before April 2016 over a power steering issue. The automaker emailed customers saying none of the other models are affected by this issue and there are no injuries or crashes reported in connection with this issue. In the email, Tesla said they’ve “observed excessive corrosion in the power steering bolts” and the issue seems more prevalent in colder climates where road salt is used.

“If the bolts fail, the driver is still able to steer the car, but increased force is required due to loss or reduction of power assist,” Tesla wrote in the email to customers. “This primarily makes the car harder to drive at low speeds and for parallel parking, but does not materially affect control at high speed, where only small steering wheel force is needed.” But Tesla assures Model S owners that they don’t have to stop driving their cars if they haven’t experienced issues. And they would let Model S owners know when a retrofit for their car is available in their area. It’ll take around an hour to install. It is the company's biggest recall, affecting around half of the Model S vehicles built to date. In 2015, Tesla needed to recall 90,000 Model S cars for a seat belt issue, and in the following year, 53,000 Model S and X cars had to have their parking brakes replaced.

Source: The Verge

Samsung adds GIF support to its Always On Display

Here’s a superfluous feature that some of you might like. Samsung is bringing in one more personalization option to its Always On Display. You can now show GIFs on the screen when your phone is asleep. There are limitations to make sure you don’t go through your battery while using this feature. There’s a maximum length for the GIF you select from your photo library and it’ll only play once. But you can double tap on the GIF to trigger one more loop. This option comes with version 3.2.26.4.

Before this Always On Display will show things like time, notifications, and remaining battery percentage. You can change things like colors and clock style and in the past couple of years, Samsung even let you choose either preloaded images or your own photo to appear here as well. It seems GIFs are just the next evolution… or not. Let us know if this is something you’re planning to use.

Source: Android Police