Facebook challenges LinkedIn with new job openings feature

While helping you keep in touch with friends from your past, Facebook might also help you find a job in the future.The online social network confirmed Monday it is testing a feature that will allow administrators of business pages to promote job openings on their pages and receive applications from job candidates. TechCrunch, which first spotted the new feature, noted that the feature could help Facebook "muscle in" on LinkedIn, which derives much of its revenue from companies paying to search for new recruits.

"Based on behavior we've seen on Facebook, where many small businesses post about their job openings on their Page, we're running a test for Page admins to create job postings and receive applications from candidates," a Facebook spokesman said in a statement.

Facebook is no stranger to new endeavors in sectors already dominated by one company. In October 2015, the social network challenged Craigslist with the launch of Marketplace, a new section of its mobile app that lets people list their furniture, cars and clothes for sale to any Facebook users in their area. Last week, Facebook launched Gameroom, a PC gaming platform that takes aim at Steam.

Xiaomi launches its Magic Mouse 2

Xiaomi didn't hesitate taking inspiration from Apple's MacBook for its Notebook Air a few months ago, it's certainly not shying away from following the suit for its first computer mouse — weirdly named the Mi Portable Mouse. Unlike the Magic Mouse 2, which has been criticized for bad design choices (it’s unusable when you want to charge it), the Mi Portable Mouse feeds on pencil cells, which can be accessed from top of the mouse. 

The Mi Portable Mouse also supports dual-mode connection allowing people to quickly switch from one computer to another. The company says that you can connect the Mi Portable Mouse to its smartphone, TV and many other gadgets as well. 

The mouse comes enclosed in an aluminium body, which has been anodized similarly to the MacBook, according to company’s official blog post. This has resulted in improved wear resistant, Xiaomi claims.

It also claims to offer high-speed precise laser positioning, which has supposedly allowed it to offer "fast and accurate mouse slide". The Mi Portable Mouse 2 costs just 99 Yuan ($14), and will be available to purchase on China’s big Singles’ day online on Nov. 11. The announcement follows the unveiling of a Lego-like toy robot and an air purifier last week. 

Apple in talks with Australian company to bring dynamic keyboard tech to MacBooks

Apple is rumored to bring its OLED touch strip to MacBooks this fall, but it’s also reportedly interested in bringing Sonder Design’s dynamic keyboard technology to future models. Granted, Sonder hasn’t confirmed a deal is in place. It did, however, affirm to Engadget that talks had taken place.

Sonder Design’s keyboard technology uses E Ink, much like the Kindle Paperwhite, to display letters, numbers, and symbols onto the keyboard. The appeal of this, is an ever-changing keyboard that can morph from your typical QWERTY-style, to one featuring hot keys for Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, or even games like Battlefield. The static keyboard forced us to memorize these hotkeys, but Sonder’s version would just dynamically shift, depending on which program you had open.

The Yi M1 is a gorgeous mirrorless camera at a rock-bottom price

There’s an entire market of people who want to take great photographs, and need something with a bit more power than a point-and-shoot or smartphone. This market has traditionally been served by Nikon and Canon’s entry-level DSLR cameras, as well as offerings by Panasonic and Sony. And now there’s a new contender from Chinese manufacturer Yi, called the Yi M1.

A brave (and cheap) new hope

Here’s what’s so remarkable about the Yi M1 mirrorless camera. It’s so god-damned cheap. In China, you can get the camera body, plus a 12-40mm zoom lens with an F/2.5-5.6 aperture for about $330.

No, that wasn’t a typo. $330. That’s how much this costs.

The same model in the United States costs $499. That’s a bit of a leap, admittedly, but it’s pretty reasonable when you consider that there’s import duties and transportation costs.You can also get a model with an additional 42.5mm fixed lens with an F/1.8 aperture for an extra $200 on Amazon. This is the model which I will be reviewing.

So, let’s recap. One camera. Two lenses. $699. OMG.

But this only really matters if the camera itself is actually any good. And well? I most certainly like to think it is.
Hands on with the Yi M1
I’ve been playing with the Yi M1 for a while now. My review loaner model shipped from China a few weeks before it launched in the United States. During this time, I’ve studied it’s weaknesses and it’s strengths. Fortunately, there’s more of the latter than the former.

First, let’s see what the camera body can do. It boasts the following specifications:
20 MegaPixel IMAX269 sensor
4K/30FPS video recording
ISO range from 100 to 25600
Face detection with support for up to 32 faces
Built-in Wi-Fi 802.11n
Bluetooth LE
MicroHDMI
SDXC support
3″ LCD touchscreen viewfinder
Removable rechargeable battery
MicroUSB charging

Impressive. But these only tell part of the story. To get the full picture (no pun intended), you’ve got to use it.

At first, I was pretty skeptical. After all, $330 is not a lot of money to spend on a mirrorless camera. You could be forgiven for assuming that corners would have been cut somewhere. But that just wasn’t the case.

Let’s start by looking at build quality. This thing is built like a brick house. I mean it’s sturdy as hell. When in the hand, it feels strong and rugged. You can toss it in a backpack without worrying that it’ll emerge all scuffed and scratched.

It’s also worth pointing out that it’s a pretty handsome looking camera, too. As The Verge pointed out, it takes more than a little bit of design inspiration from the (admittedly gorgeous) Leica T.Then you switch it on. At first, I was worried. No matter how good the hardware is on paper, software can make or break a tech product. If the Yi M1 felt clunky, or slow and unresponsive, the entire device would have been a write-off.Thankfully, it excelled here. I’m not sure what CPU powers this thing, or how much RAM it has. But when using it, I was able to switch between modes, load settings and previously taken photographs in an instant. It felt fast, and extremely fluid.

Front-and-center of the camera is a gorgeous 3-inch touchscreen. I found this to be invaluable. If I wanted to zoom in on a particular part of the frame, I just had to tap where it is on the screen. To access the camera’s settings, I just had to swipe right.

Android has a nifty hidden feature that lets you take partial screenshots

Maxr1998 and MrWasdennnoch were quick to point out that the feature is not readily available for all users – instead, you’ll need to tweak a few lines of code to activate it. You can enable the functionality by changing line 53 of TakeScreenshotService to takeScreenshotPartial().The new feature is bound to make a lot of Android users happy as it significantly simplifies the process of taking partial screenshots. Personally, I can’t wait to use it myself.Unfortunately, there’s no telling when the hidden partial screenshot functionality will officially roll out to all Android users – let’s just hope it’s sooner rather than later.

                                        

As demonstrated in this video by Maxr1998, the feature lets you seamlessly snap partial screenshots by adjusting the size and grid position with your fingers.Maxr1998 and MrWasdennnoch were quick to point out that the feature is not readily available for all users – instead, you’ll need to tweak a few lines of code to activate it. You can enable the functionality by changing line 53 of TakeScreenshotService to takeScreenshotPartial().The new feature is bound to make a lot of Android users happy as it significantly simplifies the process of taking partial screenshots. Personally, I can’t wait to use it myself.

Unfortunately, there’s no telling when the hidden partial screenshot functionality will officially roll out to all Android users – let’s just hope it’s sooner rather than later.

Apple may freshen up its iPhone 7 lineup with a shiny new ‘Jet White’ color

Apple initially announced its new and improved iPhone 7 will be available in five color options: Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, Matte Black and Jet Black. But it seems the Cupertino giant isn’t quite done introducing additional colors to its lineup.The Big A is reportedly planning to refresh its iPhone 7 lineup with a new ‘Jet White’ color option, Japanese news outlet Mac Otakara reports.

The report makes no mention of when Apple might add the sixth color to its catalogue, but it speculates it will be available for both models – the standard iPhone 7 as well as the boosted 7 Plus.

While Mac Otakara has accurately leaked information about upcoming Apple products in the past, the Japanese publication warns its source “may not be reliable” this time around – so don’t get too excited just yet.

Apple enthusiasts are well-known for sketching recreational mockups of some of the company’s most popular products. It wouldn’t be entirely out of the ordinary if it turns out the Jet White iPhone 7 rumor is merely another fan-made concept – much like this mockup of the AirPods in Jet Black.

Study: You’ll spend 1.3 years of your life finding something to watch on TV

In an age where we have more viewing options than ever, countless programming options are leading to paralysis among users when it comes to picking one. According to a study by Ericcson Consumer Lab, American’s spend some 23 minutes a day (on average) searching for something to watch. That’s 474 days over the course of a lifetime!.Cable subscribers have even bigger problems: 44 percent report trying to find something on TV and failing. The average video on demand (VOD) user is slightly better, with issues just 34 percent of the time. The numbers are interesting, as it seems to take longer to find shows to watch on popular VOD services, at least anecdotally. Users are, after all, searching for content rather than just flipping through channels.

But even in terms of VOD providers, not all are created equal. The study points out that HBO Go is a massive time suck, requiring an average of 41 minutes a day to find something worth watching. iTunes took the podium in second place with 33 minutes per day while Netflix and Hulu tied for third at 28 minutes.At its simplest terms, you’re going to spend over a year of your life trying to decide whether to start ‘Scrubs’ from season one again, or watch something new. I’m going to save you the time: it’s Scrubs. It’ll always be Scrubs — EAAAAAAAGLE!