Since Apple has decided to keep Apple Messages (iMessage) locked up to its platform, users the world over have chosen Whatsapp as the most common cross platform instant messaging platform. It allows you to send files and pictures. IT allows you to make Voice Over IP calls and is just an overall well designed easy to use tool.

 Whatsapp requires a data connection (3G/LTE) to work. This means using Whatsapp while travelling requires you to buy a local SIM Card (when you travel) or buy an expensive data pack from your home carrier. Until now.

I first wrote about KnowRoaming in 2013 and explained how it can save money when travelling by switching you to a cheaper local plan travelling simply by using the company's intelligent SIM sticker.

Today KnowRoaming announced that their customers will be able to use WhatsApp for free when travelling. You don't even need to buy a data plan and no data charges are levied. As long as you have an active account with some money in it and switch to their service when you travel (which is automatic when you travel), you get free Whatsapp in any country they work in (100+ countries).

This offer is available to on any of their services (Global SIM Card, Global SIM Sticker and Global Hotspot). I use the Global Sticker Option, anytime I land in a new country, their app detects it and switches me to their service.

As the weather cools down and we prepare for Winter, one of the most important pieces of survival or emergency gear is related to body temperature. Whether you are a prepper or someone that spends a lot of time in a car, you should plan to have backup mechanism to keep warm in the event the unthinkable happens.

Deployed soldiers have been modifying poncho liners for years during deployments. These modifications involve cutting holes, adding zippers and padding, etc. Lots of companies have created slightly modified poncho liners but what Hill People Gear has done with their Mountain Serape is awesome turning it into a multi-function product.

What can the Hill People Gear Mountain Serape do?

It is a:

• poncho liner
• great coat
• blanket 
• sleeping bag

It is all of these things without being gimmicky. HPG didn't just add uses on the packaging as an afterthought, the design is carefully planned and masterfully executed. It is as useful in the bush as it is in the urban jungle.

Looking at the Hill People Gear website, one thing I noticed is that it regularly goes out of stock. If you are interested, get one when available. 

Comparing the Mountain Serape to a Poncho Liner

The Hill People Gear Mountain Serape is much warmer than a traditional poncho liner. To achieve this level of warmth, they use 2.4 ounces of Primaloft Fusion insulation. Primaloft is a USA made modern insulator that is also used in the military's winter gear. It is fantastic for survival equipment because it is light yet very warm.

I first learned about the Hill People Gear Mountain Serape during wilderness survival training. One of our instructors slept in a hammock and used the HPG Mountain Serape as versatile multipurpose tool. It was used as a jacket at night to keep warm and was used as his 3 season sleeping bag. When wilderness camping, every piece of kit must be multipurpose, small, light and useful.

In cold weather camping, you can use this as an additive layer to another sleep system. Think of it as a sleeping bag that adds about 40 degree Fahrenheit. The HPG Mountain Serape is a light 2 pounds making it easy to carry (considering its size). 

Folded or rolled, it will consume a lot of space which isn't practical. Put it in a good stuff sack and it can be compressed down to the size of a large bottle of soda (2L) which is much easier to carry. 

Using it

As a poncho, it is large enough to wear over a pack. As a blanket, it can easily cover 2 "normal sized" adults. As a sleeping bag it fits ones adult comfortable allowing enough room to move around and not feel constrained. 

The external shell is soft enough to use as a "around the house blanket" yet robust enough to survive in the wild. If you don't pay attention and abuse your gear, you may rip it so be careful.

HPG says the Mountain Serape is water resistant but not waterproof. It is not meant to replace rain gear but will be fine during light misting. It is also perfectly good to use in winter with snow.  If you do want to use it during rain, a good companion add on would be the O.P.S.E.C. Poncho from Survival Solutions. 

Although Hill People Gear has kept the design of the Mountain Serape fairly consistent, I was told by a contact that they have improved minor features like stitching to make it better and more durable ( I tested the newer version which was lent to me by a friend).

When switching from Poncho to Great Coat, you will be happy about how warm it keeps you. Ponchos are easy to put on but not practical when you are working. When working around the campsite, home or survival situation, use the Great Coat mode. It allows you to move your arms freely. In Great Coat mode, you can even wear a pack over the Mountain Serape. 
 

Alternatives

Anytime I write about a product, I receive questions from readers about a "comparable" product on AliExpress for 1/4 the price. While some AliExpress products are good deals and worth getting, but not the Serapes. The Chinese Serapes and made with cheap stitching, cheap insulation and non breathable shell fabric.

Many have said they loved the feature set but find the price expensive. And I can't disagree but the price is competitive to other high quality, low volume survival products. 

Conclusion

The Hill people gear Mountain Serape is unique piece of kit that everyone should get and keep in your gobag, car or camping kit. 

Anyone preparing for disaster / emergency knows that in addition to having easy to prepare food on hand, fire is an indispensable tool. Fire allows you to disinfect a tool, boil water (to sanitize it) or prepare different types of food. Fire is critical but difficult to make without preparation during an emergency. This is where Stove In A Can comes in.

What is Stove In A Can?

The Stove In a Can is a simple self contained stove with everything you need from the support frame, fuel and even matches. It is a self contained cooking solution. 

In the can, you get:

• The can which becomes the stove frame
• 4 fuel pucks (lasting 1 hour each)
• The cooking ring
• The fuel ring
• Matches

Use

Simplicity and speed is critical during an emergency and the Stove In A Can doesn't fail to satisfy. It can be lit and used in under a minute and is relatively fool proof.

The good

• It is self contained and everything you need is included
• Soot is contained inside the can which makes storage and carry much better
• The fuel cells are waterproof
• The fuel is solid so you are not worried about spilling or overfilling
• The fuel is reusable. Once your water is boiled or food is cooked, you can put out the fire with the lid and reuse it
• The fuel does not expire so you don't have to worry about rotating it

The bad

• The fuel doesn't burn clean and leaves soot on anything you use
• The included matches are relatively cheap and I recommend you replace them with better waterproof strike anywhere survival matches

Where can I buy A Stove In A Can?

Amazon sells it for $22 + shipping. You can also get additional fuel cartridges there. 

Everyone knows what Facebook is and that it is built on the concept of connecting people together to create virtual communities. What people often don't realize is how much data these sites have about you.

A good example was exposed by Huffington Post in an article entitled "Facebook Can Predict With Scary Accuracy If Your Relationship Will Last".

If you doubt the power of data mining, read this Forbes article entitled "How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did"

The security aspects of Facebook

Social Networking sites (like Facebook) thrive when user bases grow and user bases grow when there are strong repeated interactions among its members. These sites are sneaky and try to collect a treasure trove of data from you (directly or indirectly) without the user realizing it. As a user, you need to make a conscious decision about what you tell them and what you share on the site. 

• Understand that you are not anonymous
• Understand that anything you post cannot be truly deleted and may be shared and reshared without your knowledge or consent
• Some organizations have privileged access to Facebook information which may come back to haunt you in the future (employment, travel, etc)

Regardless of how rosy you believe the world is, there are unfortunately a handful of bad people that use these sites to collect information about you with the intent to trick, deceive or do other bad things. 

Predators could pretend to be someone else and use these sites to build cyber relationships to encourage you to meet them in person (could be dangerous). A bad actor could use information found on these sites to perform social engineering on you or to someone you know. Someone could user information about your location, hobbies, likes and dislikes to befriend people in your network and then use these relationships to coerce you.

What does Facebook know

Facebook knows more about you than you realize and remember that it doesn't expose everything. A small glimpse of what it knows can be seen in your personal ad preferences (click here).

Expand the sections and see some of the information Facebook has about you and actively uses to target ads. 

Facebook self defense 

Regardless of how many dangers these sites present, they are a fantastic way to stay in touch with friends and loved ones. It is this characteristic that keeps people coming back. So what can you do to protect yourself? It's time to develop Facebook-Foo:

1. It's public - Regardless of the restrictions you place on your post, assume it is public. A friend can take a snapshot and repost it on Reddit. Even on snapchat, I could use a second device to take a picture of the screen and post the content without you knowing. Remember that anything you post can be public and you'll be much better off.
2. Don't make it personal - Limit personal information as much as possible. Think before you post. Looking at your feed, people shouldn't be able to determine patterns (which coffee shop you visit every morning) or personal information (picture of your kids daycare). Remember that you want to protect your information from "friends" and also the social network itself. Every smartphone picture you post contains GPS location data. This data may not be shared by the site but is definitely used by the site to build a more complete profile about you.
3. Stranger Danger - We tell kids to be weary of strangers but we neglect this good information when working online. Remember that anything can be fake online. In social engineering, we commonly copy the profile information of people and use it to make connections to targets. We steal information from LinkedIn, Facebook and any other sources to improve the chance you will connect with us. 
4. Check your settings - I recommend you periodically check your Facebook profile settings and the permissions you have granted apps to connect to your facebook profile. Most connected apps are fine but a nefarious one may use this authorization to steal your info and use it against you. I wrote an article in 2012 about a service that helps check your site permissions. The service may have changed but it is a good idea to perform this check every quarter.
5. Be a skeptic - I see dozens of spammy fake posts every day on Facebook shared by friends. People share content without looking into the validity of the articles so be weary. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Use fact checking sites like Snopes to validate claims before posting or sharing content.
6. Use strong passwords - I recommend you use strong unique passwords for every site you register on. I wrote this 2013 article about how to use WolframAlpha to generate strong passwords and I still use this technique today. Generate strong unique passwords and keep it in a password manager like OnePassword or LastPass (which is almost free now).
7. Keep your computer safe - For most users, I have started recommending the use of a Google Chromebook as their internet browsing device (or a smartphone or tablet). These devices are much more resilient to attacks and provide protection even if the user is less than diligent. IF you use a traditional computer (PC or Mac), make sure you keep your software updated, use a good antivirus and never run unknown third party software.If you receive a file and want to double check it before running it, use a site like VirusTotal to give yourself some peace of mind.
8. Keep children safe - Talk to children about the dangers of social sites early and help them navigate this maze. They need to understand that anything they post will be with them for the rest of their lives. The internet does not have a delete key.

Related:

• What is Facebook doing with my data?  (BBC)
• 98 personal data points that Facebook uses to target ads to you (Washington Post)
• Facebook Is Expanding the Way It Tracks You and Your Data (The Atlantic)

We learned a couple of month's ago that Mark Zuckerberg covers his webcam with black tape (via a NY Times article) . 

Then FBI director James Comey made the same recommendation:

"There's some sensible things you should be doing, and that's one of them," Director James Comey said during a conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies."

The truth is bad actors can easily hack into a laptop equipped with a camera without the user knowing it.  Travellers are at an even higher risk because airports and hotels are used by intelligence agencies around the world to collect information (especially when you use a WIFI hotspot without first setting up a VPN - read this article).

Instead of using black tape which could leave residue, I bought a re-usable webcam cover from amazon for $3. 

If you are lucky enough to travel business class then you know how how wonderful free airport WIFI is. It is a chance to download content and update social media before your flight. What if you are not travelling business? You can spend between $9.99 - $59.99 for a daypass.

Anil Polat, traveller and Computer engineer, created a simple website and smartphone app that shows an interactive map with passwords for hundreds of different airport lounges around the world.

You click on an airport and are presented with the important information (WIFI password, location to use it, etc)

This is crowdsourced so feel free to send him any passwords you come by.

You can also download the mobile phone versions:

• For IOS
• For Android

Link : FoxNomad.com

The right gear makes travelling so much better.In 2014, I wrote an article about (my then) favourite foldable water bottle. At the time, it was the best foldable (small form factor) bottle money could buy but recently I discovered a new collapsible water bottle that puts the Vapur to shame. 

Why?

With tighter and tighter airport security screenings, bringing your own water became a taboo. Most people just fork over the $5-7 a bottle and buy it at the airport convenience store but no more. 

What is it?

The Nomader Collapsible water bottle is small, lightweight and easy to carry. Once you pass through all the security checkpoints, you unfold it, fill it and relish the thought that you just saved $5.

The Nomader is a leakproof bottle made of food grade silicone (BPA free) that holds 22 ounces. When fully extended and filled, it feels as close to a solid bottle as a collapsible bottle can.  The Vapur became giggly and you often ended up splashing water on yourself. This was a major complaint I had with the Vapur. 

The other issue with the Vapur is that after 12 months of use, my bottle sometimes leaked water from the top cap. Not so with the Nomader.

Water Filter

If you follow my blog, you have undoubtedly read my undying love for the Grayl water filter and purifier. If not, you should immediately read my post about it here, You can carry both (if going to an area with clean water concerns), and fill the Nomader once you filter the water with The Grayl. These 2 make a wonderful combo for travel.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. #quote #business #leadership

We had lower than normal SPAM numbers for the last couple of quarters but the evil scourge of the internet is back with a vengeance. Company CISOs and personal users probably noticed a rise recently of emails containing variants of the locky ransomware (encrypting) malware.

The number of SPAM emails containing malware reached an all time high, according to Proofpoints Q3 2016 report. 

Proofpoint said Locky was found in 96.8% of all malicious SPAM attachments. The vast majority contained a ZIP file containing a JavaScript file. We also saw Office documents containing malicious scripts, HTA files and WSF files.

Definitions:

• HTA : HTML Application
• WSF: Windows Scripting File

Other "fun" things found in these malware bundles included:

• Pony Infostealer
• Vawtrack banking Trojan
• Tordal malware dropper
• Panda Banker banking Trojan
• CryptFile2
• MarsJoke
• Cerber

It's not all bad.... exploit kit activity is down 93% compares to the start of 2016. 

The US FAA has officially barred all Note 7s from flying on any US airline and Samsung has started an airport exchange program. CNET is reporting that:

"After setting up exchange booths in South Korea's Incheon airport , Samsung is now spreading the initiative across the world, announcing trade-in booths in airports across Australia. The customer service booths will allow passengers to switch out their recalled Galaxy Note 7 (along with the data on it) to another Samsung device.

The booths will be open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time at "high-traffic" terminals:

• Sydney Airport (Kingsford Smith)
• Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine)
• Brisbane Airport
• Adelaide Airport
• Perth Airport
• Gold Coast Airport
• Canberra Airport (open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.)"

ABC 7 News is reporting that exchange booths have been seen in San Francisco airport.  This airport exchange is a good idea as some of their customers may not be aware of the FAA prohibition.

Photo by Sergio Quintana

While everyone is waiting for the new Google branded Pixel to finally launch, a reddit user in Australia claims to have received his Pixel from Telstra early. 

And this doesn't seem to be an isolated case. There are a handful of Reddit threads talking about users receiving their units and backing up the claims with pictures.  Going through the information, we gleam the following :

Google Assistant welcomes you when you open the box 

Google's free unlimited full resolution storage option is automatic and available as soon as you sign in to the device. The app/service detects all Pixel images and videos. I am wondering if we will be able to game the system by playing with EXIF information.

Also and Duo are pre-loaded and the default apps. 

29.75GB of storage is available (out of the 32GB shown in this model).

The LED notification light is near the earpiece.

On a funnier note, people claiming to be Telstra employees commented on some posts and one said he bought his Pixel from Google because it offered a better warranty.

Chromebooks are a divisive discussion. Some people love them while others consider them wasteful spending. I see more and more people embracing them and the truth is Chromebooks are a fantastic solution for the general public. They offer zero-maintenance use and no worries about malware or virus'.

Samsung, the electronic giant known for its fire creating Note7 line, is about to release a new Chromebook pro. So say the writers at ChromeUnboxed . No one is expecting this device so it's interesting how they kept it so secret.

The Samsung Chromebook Pro (codenamed Kevin) is impressive. At $499, it will be a mid priced device equipped with a 12.3" touchscreen display supported by a 360 degree hinge. It will be powered by a hexacore processor at 2GB and come with 32GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM. So far so good. 

Looks like this Chromebook Pro will come in a beautiful aluminium body and include a stylus. Yes folks a stylus. A stylus doesn't make sense for a traditional chromebook but when you consider that Google is bringing the Android Google Play store to the Chromebook, you start the to see uses.

Adorama lists this unannounced unit.

B&H had it listed but no more. The expectation is that it will launch sometime in October, in time for black Friday sales. 

Over the last 25 years, I have logged close to 1 million air miles and I have traveled to all four corners of the world. Much of my time has been spent in locations where water quality is questionable and improper handling can make you very very very very very sick. 

My traditional solution has been to use a particulate filtering system (like the Sawyer Mini water filter) and then sterilizing the product using a Steripen UV Sterilizer. In locations were I wanted to be doubly sure or my Steripen ran out of batteries, I also used Aquamira water purification tablets. 

Welcome The Grayl water purifier

July 2016, I discovered and tested my stainless steel The Grayl water purifier & filter. I wrote a review about it here.  Since discovering it, it has been part of my Everyday Carry Kit (EDC kit) and is always with me (normally with the tap water filter). 

It met every single one of my requirements. It is self contained, easy to use and doesn't require batteries. I asked a university researcher friend to test 2 water samples (one from a pond and pond water filtered through the Grayl Water Purifier with the travel filter) and his conclusion was that the purified water coming from The grayl was clean and drinkable without any concerns. 

He then compared it to the pond water filtered through the Sawyer mini then sanitized with the Steripen and found them of equivalent quality and safety (giving a slight edge to The Grayl).

So for all intents and purposes, this one simple to carry item did everything I needed it to do. But it had one negative, it was heavy. It was smaller (in volume) to the Steripen+Sawyer mini but weighed more. Weight is critically important when travelling.

Discover The Grayl Ultralight lightweight water purifier & filter

The Grayl reached out to me after my last review and asked if I wanted to test their Ultralight. I already loved my stainless steel Legend and didn't know why they would move to plastic. Isn't plastic bad? 

Plastic is more porous thus has more surface area that can eventually get mouldy. It has more surface area that can capture smells. The Grayl has a nice trick up its sleeve. Unlike other water containers, when you completely disassemble any The Grayl water filter, you have a center tube (the clean water container) open on both sides therefore cleaning it is super simple.

I tried The Grayl Ultralight and I became a believer. I went from 588 grams to 309 grams. It may not sound like a major difference but is important when you are carefully planning every gram (whether for travel, hiking or as part of a survival kit).

The Legend also has a sealable mouth hole that sometimes restricts water flow too much, whereas the Ultralight has a large twist off top. 

Beyond the pond

Everyone I show this too ends up buying one. 2 friends recently went on a 1 month Asian business trip, touching countries such as India, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China and a couple more.

They used the travel filter and didn't get sick once. They didn't have to drink from disposable water bottles and they didn't have to pay for exorbitant hotel water (between $US5-12 a bottle).

There are certain unscrupulous vendors that will replace the clean water in a single-use water bottle with dirty tap water (keeping the clean water for themselves). They do this by making a small hole in the bottom of the bottle (the injection moulding point) and then once they refill it with tap water. They seal the bottom hole with glue the bottom. When you buy this tainted product, you crack open the cap and assume it is clean, fresh, safe water when it isn't. Filtering your own water means you aren't dependent on anyone else. 

Recommendation

Whether you are a traveler, a camping enthusiast or a prepper (preparing for a disaster), this is something that you need in your kit. The Grayl Ultralight is now part of my Everyday Carry Kit. I don't leave home without it and I actually bought a couple as gifts.

This has become one of my most recommended items (travel and EDC). 

In Canada, you can buy :

• Ultralight for $64.99 at Altitude Sport comes with the travel filter here
• hybrid (stainless steel cup and plastic outer shell) from MEC for $58 here, comes with the tap filter

In the USA, you should buy it directly from The Grayl $59 here. 

Having traveled over 700,000 miles in the last 20 years, I realize the importance of sleeping on a plane. Over the years, I developed tips and tricks on how to sleep better when flying.

1 - Wear an Eye Mask

Proper sleep requires a nice dark environment but your 200 close friends may not agree. Bring your own Eye Mask and bring something soft, plush and comfortable. If your airline does provide one, it will be cheap and extremely uncomfortable.

2- Earplugs 

Most of us need a quiet and peaceful environment to sleep and you know know that talkative couple will be right behind your seat. 

3 - Noise Cancellation headphones

Sometimes earplugs just aren't enough (think crying baby). Noise cancellation headphones are a great way to drown out noise earplugs can't remove. When trying to sleep, play some soft soothing music or some guided meditation tracks.

4 - Wear Comfortable Clothes

This may seem obvious but many people forget this basic rule. Planes have temperature swings and you have to be ready to go from cold to hot and back. Dress in layers. Make sure your clothes are comfortable.

Many executives I have traveled with go on board with a suit but change into sweatpants or pajamas for those long transatlantic/transpacific flights.  

5 - Wear your seat-belt

If you don't want to be woken up or bothered, always wear your seat-belt and make sure it is visible. Remember that flight attendants have a duty to perform safety checks and they will wake you if they cannot easily determine if your belt is attached. 

6 - Bring your own food and drink

Sure airlines provide crappy food (unless you are flying business or first class). My recommendation is to bring your own food (which would likely be healthier and better tasting). In addition to the health benefits, this frees you from the flight attendance service schedule.

You notify the crew that you do not want to be woken up and then doze off. When you wake up, you have your own meal waiting for you.

7 - Get a window seat

For short flights, I want an aisle seat (in case I want something from the overhead compartment).For longer flights, I want a window seat. This gives you something to lean on when trying to sleep and makes sure you won't be woken up by a seat mate with a peeing problem. 

North American banks allow customers to use 6-8 digit debit card PINs which is good security but not if you travel. Many international banks only support 4 digit PINs at their ATMs, 

You can read the BoA traveler tip page here. 

The smartphone has quickly become the most important device we own. It allows us to be productive at work. It allows us to stay in touch with family and friends. It helps keep us healthy and accountable. 

It has also become the travellers best friend. I can't imagine taking a trip without it and here are some of my favourite apps that make travelling better, more efficient and much more fun.

1 - Uber and Lyft

I know Uber and Lyft have created an uproar in dozens of cities around world. Taxi drivers are upset and are lobbying their governments to block them.... Try as you may, you cannot block progress so. I have used Uber's UberX in dozens of cities around the world and it has always been a fantastic experience. 

Sure UberX is cheaper in most cities compared to traditional licensed taxis (cabs) but it is also a much better experience. You can order a car without talking to anyone and are always able to get transportation even during the busiest travel times. I can spend 30-45 minutes in New York or Chicago trying to hail a cab but able can book an UberX within minutes. 

Even with surge pricing, the convenience of Uber makes it a must and therefore number 1 on my list.

2 - Waze

I avoid renting a car whenever possible and choose Uber (see number 1) but regardless of mode of transportation, Waze has found a permanent spot on my must have travel app list. 

Waze has sometimes shown me great shortcuts to beat traffic that I have asked my Uber driver to take (which saves you money).

3 - Rome2Rio

Rome2Rio is a very easy app that allows you to "searches any city, town, landmark, attraction or address across the globe with thousands of multi-modal routes to easily get you from A to B." It is a great way to find great ways to get from point A to point B. It even includes options with Uber, taxi, local public transits (including trains) and more.

4 - Google Translate

Google translate is the babel fish of our time. It breaks through language barriers allowing you to explore freely. In addition to the website, Google offers translate apps for IOS and Android (all free). At it's base, it allows you to translate between 52 languages offline (without an internet connection). It allows you to perform 2 way voice translation in 32 languages and camera translation of text in 29 languages.

This camera translation feature was incorporated when Google bought a company called WorldLens. This cool trick allows you to translate signs, menus and invoices. 

5 - XE Currency Converter

Knowing the conversion between currencies is the difference between getting a good deal or getting taken advantage of. I have been using the XE.com currency conversion on their website for years and the XE app makes everything that much easier (IOS, Android, Windows and Blackberry).

Be careful because you can rarely convert currencies at the listed rate (because most agents make their money by charging a high spread) but it still very useful to know if someone is trying to take advantage of you during currency conversion.

6 - AirHelp

So this isn't an app but it is so good and useful that I just had to add it. AirHelp is a service that helps passengers to secure reasonable compensation from airlines when you are delayed, your flight is cancelled or the flight is overbooked. Most passengers don't know their rights and wouldn't know where to start to seek compensation.  The service is free and starts when you allow them to scan your emails for flight information. They will tell you if you are entitled to a claim and they only get paid if you do (they charge 25% of the compensation amount). They can go back up to 3 years and I have friends that have managed to recover up to $1000. 

AirHelp is an international service so why not try it?

I am an open-minded technologist that uses both Android and iPhone. The one thing I love about the iPhone is that there is no carrier bloat and system updates are released almost immediately to all iPhone owners. 

Android is fragmented with thousands of devices from hundreds of manufacturers all trying to be a little different (skins and apps), most sold through carriers also trying to make their mark with their own unremovable apps. Add to that the fact that an official Google android update may never make it to your device because of the manufacturer or carrier and you start having migraines. 

Google tried to fix all of that by selling unlocked devices with vanilla android called. These devices weren't always the fastest, slimmest, prettiest or cheapest but they came with the promise of fast updates. This became doubly important in the age of everything being hacked.

Naturally the most ardent supporters of the platform flocked to the Nexus line and things were good. Until last week when Google announced their new line of Google branded unlocked vanilla OS Android phones called the Pixel. At first glance the Pixel stole the show with its all Google design and innovative new features (Google Assistant, computational photography, etc). Think about that. Google's new line is replacing the old Nexus line. But who cares is they changed the name, Nexus devices always receive the latest updates. Right? Nexus will receive the new Pixel powering Android 7.1... Right?

 Yes it will but not right away. Google will release it on the Pixel devices this month but Nexus owners will  receive it sometime before the end of the year. So the new OS is good enough for the shiny new thing but not for your old grimey Nexus. 

Many Nexus owners I have spoken to are upset that the promise of rapid regular updates has changed due to Google's new product direction. To make things worse, when the new 7.1 OS does come to Nexus devices, it will be missing some cool new software features like Google Assistant everywhere, the new Pixel launcher, the new camera app and some other aesthetic tweaks. 

I'm sure some of the missing features (software based ones) will eventually come to the Nexus but this shows a clear change in direction at Google. The move to Pixel seems to be a first push to take back control of Android and likely isn't the last change we will see. My assumption is that Chrome OS and Android will likely disappear and Google will make a real time Operating System (non linux based like Google Fuchsia). 

If you are a Nexus owner, how do you feel?

Readers know I love gadgets and no gadget is more important or personal than a smartphone. Although I have tested several dozen smartphones over the years, an Phone 6s Plus is still my daily driver. 

Recently I wanted to revisit the HTC 10 and determine if it is a phone I can recommend. 

Hardware

The first thing you notice when you pickup the HTC 10 is how good HTC is at industrial design. The sand blasted aluminium is soft and grippy in the hand. The phone feels incredibly solid with a beautifully executed chamfered edges. 

The screen is protected with Gorilla Glass 3 and the "home button" is a matt finger print sensor, that work quickly and reliably every single time. 

The buttons are solid (no wobble) and are extremely tactile. Clicking them is very satisfying. 

The phone is definitely beautiful and a few people asked me what the device was. People rarely ask about smarpthone models I test ( since most look very similar.)

IP53 water resistance means the phone would likely survive being used in the rain (but don't try to submerge it). 

The screen is a beautiful 5.2 inch super LCD 5 (QHD) screen with 565 PPI. Blacks on LCD screens aren't as dark as on AMOLED or SuperAmoLED) screens, but the HTC 10 screen has excellent color reproduction and is visible in all but the brightest sunlight conditions.

The capacitive buttons below the screen mean you are not losing any valuable real estate for virtual buttons. A definite plus.

The phone includes its signature BoomSound tweaks and hardware. The quality built in DAC (Digital Audio Converter) supports 24 bit high resolution (hi res) audio. Older HTC devices had 2 front facing speakers while the HTC 10 has a tweeter on the top and a woofer on the bottom. This is one of the drawbacks of this phone. The older HTC phones were amazing when consuming content or playing games because of the front facing speakers. The HTC 10 is good but not as good as its older siblings. BoomSound support Dolby audio and now works system wide (when using the built in speakers or headphones - not available via bluetooth headphones).

Hardware spec dump:

• Snapdragon 820
• 4GB RAM
• Adreno 530 GPU
• 32 GB if internal storage, expandable
• WIFI 802.11ac
• Bluetooth 4.2
• 3000 mAh battery

Software

Sense is tightly built into their version of android and it is though even finding the version installed. 

HTC has tried to fight bloat and has not double installed apps. As an example the default calendar was Google Calendar while the camera app is the HTC one. HTC has tried to choose the best app for each function. Most HTC created apps have adopted Material design which means apps feel unified (between the Google ones and the HTC Ones). This is a very good thing to improve consistency. 

My test version came from Bell and had bundled Bell apps that did were not material design and could not be uninstalled.

HTC bundles an app called Boost+ which helps eliminate bloat. Until using the HTC device, I had to install a third party app to perform this clean-up. 

Usability

The first thing you will notice is how responsive the device is when scrolling a long list of apps (100+ apps on my test device). It's refreshing to see that even with the HTC skin, responsiveness doesn't seem to suffer.

I installed and tested these 5 demanding Android games for testing :

• Modern Combat 5: Blackout
• Asphalt 8: Airborne
• Real Racing 3
• N.O.V.A 3 Freedom Edition
• Dead Trigger 2

All of the above games opened quickly and ran smoothly. After playing these games for 10-15 minutes, the phone becomes warm but nothing too dramatic.

HTC Connect  is included again and works relatively well. It allows you to stream on device content to various devices from Chromecast to Miracast and Bluetooth. The most surprising inclusion is the ability to stream to Apple Airplay devices (to AirPlay speakers and AppleTV). 

The device supports lock-screen gestures (such as launching the camera from an off screen). 

I've been testing the HTC 10 for 2.5 weeks now (while at home and while travelling for business). I loaded our corporate Mobile Device Management framework and used it as my main work smartphone during this time. 

Phone calls always sounded great and the phone connected to 2 major Canadian networks reliably. I compared WIFI and LTE performance to my iPhone 6s Plus and surprisingly, the HTC 10 seems to detect, capture and stay connected to wireless networks better than my iPhone. 

The 3000 mAH battery (with Android 6) was better than average for Android devices but nothing to write home about. I was able to get 3.5+ hours of screen on time. With heavy corporate use (texting, emailing and reading content), I regularly got between 3.5-4 hours of battery life.

The bundled charger is QC3.0 (but was not included in my test version provided by HTC, so I couldn't test this). Using my own Anker charger with QC3.0, I charged my device from 20% to full in a little over an hour. 

The size of the HTC 10 seems to be just right. It is big enough to enjoy videos while small enough to be used one handed. 

The HTC 10 Camera

HTC has added Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) to both the front and back cameras. This is an amazing achievement and a model for other companies to follow.

The back camera uses their Ultrapixel sensor with a bright 1.8f lens. The 12 MP Ultrapixel sensor includes 1.55um per UltraPixel. The front camera also has a bright 1.8f lens with screen flash. Its one of the few devices to include OIS for the front camera. The built in (rear camera) takes beautiful 4K video with very good 24-bit Hi-Res audio. I compared the audio to that of my iPhone and found the HTC 10 in-video audio quality better than the iPhone's. The audio quality on the HTC 10 rivaled that of my iPhone with the Shure MV88 attached. 

Front camera OIS means this could be used as an excellent Vlog camera. 

I tested the video stabilization of the HTC 10 compared to the Samsung S7 Edge (rear) and found it is competitive. stabilization does not rival that of external 3-axis gimble based stabilizers but is very usable. 

In my testing, daytime photos are amazing with deep color saturation and fantastic contrast. In many test situations, the HTC 10 produced more pleasing pictures than my iPhone 6s Plus. To be honest, the iPhone is likely to get a better & more usable picture in more situations but the HTC has an honorable mention. 

The HTC 10 camera app is super simple for the average user but includes other modes such as hyperlapse, slow motion, selfie photo. selfie video and full manual. I wish HTC had slightly faster focusing (photo and video). This focusing issue is more pronounced at night. 

Warranty

 HTC offers it's Uh Oh Protection for the HTC 10. When purchasing an HTC 10 from HTC directly in the US, you can add this free protection which gives you a opne time replacement for a broken screen or water damage for the first year. 

Why aren't more people buying it?

Samsung has a huge marketing budget and seems to have pulled the oxygen out for most other Android smartphones. The Samsung S7 offers wireless charging, an amazing display and a better camera. The big killer is price. The Samsung S7 can sometimes be had cheaper (or close to) than the HTC 10 price.

The HTC 10 is a wonderful phone with great specs but priced it as if it were 2014. Price is the main reason most consumers haven't jumped on this phone.

OnePlus, Alcatel, ZTE and Honor have changed the conversation around smartphone pricing. These phones come with fantastic specs but are sub $400. The HTC 10 is definitely  a better phone (than those lower cost competitors but not enough to justify the substantially higher price.) 

This bracketing by Samsung offering higher end specs at the same price (as the HTC 10) and the lower end competitors offering amazing specs at $100-250 less, have meant most consumers have shied away from what is otherwise a great device.

Conclusion

The HTC 10 is the best HTC phone I have ever used. It is also one of the best Android phones I have ever tested. During my ~3 week of testing, I never had to force reset the device (unlike most Android devices I test). 

• The microSD slot for the space consuming 4K Video is a wonderful touch. 
• QuickCharge 3.0 which allows you to top up the battery as quick as technical possible.
• Excellent audio quality for calls with very few dropped calls.
• Excellent ability to find and hold onto mobile data (Wifi and LTE).
• Built in discreet DAC (with a headphone jack) for amazing audio quality during playback.
• Good pace of Android security updates (not perfect but decent). 

The Achilles heel is the price. If this phone was priced at $399, this would probably be the smash hit of the year. The HTC 10 is easy to recommend in isolation but harder to recommend when you consider its lower cost Asian competitors. 

Akamai, the 800lb gorilla of internet security, has published its Q2 2016 State of the Internet Security Report. DDoS attacks seem to be a prefered attack vector and have doubled in number over the past 12 months.

In Q2, The security teams at Akamai have counted a 129% YoY increase in the number of DDoS attacks translated to 4,919 attacks being mitigated in Q2. Beyond just absolute number, we are constantly looking for the size of the attacks and the report does not disappoint. The largest DDoS they saw targeted a media company with a 363Gbps attack. It is also important to note that 10 other attacks were 100Gbps or larger. It seems bad actors are particularly fond of gaming and software companies.

Anyone want to take a guess at which country originated the most DDoS attacks? Anyone? China... Followed closely by the USA then Taiwan.

Another "fun" trend is that Web Application Attacks have increased 14% in Q2 (Q2 compared to Q1). Local File Inclusion taking the lead at 45% of WebApp attacks followed closely by an oldie but goodie, the venerable SQL injection.