Shadow Brokers, the hacking group that claimed to have cracked a US National Security Agency cache of illicit security services’ malware , have given up their auction – and decided to give away many of the tools instead.
The group gave up their attempt to sell the portfolio of tools, linked to an NSA front security software firm Kaspersky called ‘Equation Group’, in a message late on Thursday evening.
The group admitted that it hadn’t proved to be as profitable a venture as hoped, and claimed that it had been too much ” risk and bullshit, not many bitcoin “. It was always, the message added, about making money with “free dumps and bullshit politic[s]… for marketing attention”.
The group provided a link to 58 of the tools they claim to have dredged from a cracked server operated by the NSA , with the promise that crossing their palms with a total of 750 bitcoin (about £500,000) would release the entire portfolio of tools.
On the download page, the message continued: “The Shadow Brokers is trying auction. Peoples no like. The Shadow Brokers is trying crowdfunding. Peoples is no liking. Now The Shadow Brokers is trying direct sales. Be checking out ListOfWarez. If you like, you email The Shadow Brokers with name of Warez you want make purchase. ”
The page also contained a price list in bitcoin for any deep-pocketed online miscreants or would-be NSA agents.
Unfortunately, most of the tools the group have released are already detected by Kaspersky Anti-Virus and, presumably, most other anti-virus software packages – although the current list doesn’t seem to include any US- or UK-based security companies for some reason .
The veracity of Shadow Brokers’ claims that the hacking tools are of NSA origin was backed up by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in August last year.
The fall-out from the group’s sudden appearance affected both Cisco, the world’s largest computer networking company, and security software and appliance maker Fortinet .
Cisco was forced to admit that some of Shadow Brokers’ illicit malware was capable of compromising the security of its products, used by telecoms companies and internet service providers around the world; while Fortinet warned in an advisory that firmware in its FortiGate product was insecure unless users update the firmware.

© Source: http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/3002487/shadow-brokers-gives-up-hacking-tool-auction-gives-away-stash-of-nsa-linked-hacking-tools-instead
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Jump straight to our full best kids’ phones chart
Long gone are the days when you can fob off a child with your second-hand phone. These days they know more about tech than most adults, and they want the best of the best just as you do. But if they don’t drop it and smash it they’ll likely leave it at school and lose it, or swap it for something ridiculous like a football, and you don’t want to end up out of pocket. Here we round up what we think are some of the best phones for kids, those that blend value with ease of use, strong build and, importantly, enough power to play the latest games and watch YouTube.
Also see: Best Phone Deals
How much you spend on a phone for your child is really up to you. While we wouldn’t advise paying flagship prices on the very best phones , we do recognise that some parents will be prepared to dig deep. We’ve focused primarily on sub-£200 budget phones in this chart, but also included some slightly more expensive mid-range phones. You can also go cheaper (check out our round-up of the best basic phones under £50 ) or more expensive (check out the very best phones ).
Sometimes buying a Chinese phone can be a very good way to get an attractively priced phone with much higher specifications than you would otherwise get in the UK. However, if you do decide to buy a Chinese phone, unless your child is especially techy we’d advise steering clear of Xiaomi and Meizu models, which don’t always preinstall Google Play and can sometimes pop up Chinese-language notifications that may be confusing to a child. If you buy from China, first read our advice on buying grey-market tech.
One thing to keep in mind is that your child will be using the phone on a PAYG basis unless you’re prepared to take out a contract in their name. If you want to go down this route you’ll save money by buying the phone upfront and choosing a decent SIM-only deal. A good compromise for a PAYG deal that you can keep an eye on is offered by GiffGaff , which lets you purchase low-cost one-month goodybags that offer a certain number of minutes, text and data, and no more. Your child won’t need to keep tabs on what they’re using and neither will you.
You should also consider own-brand PAYG handsets offered by mobile operators, which are often subsidised by the operator in order to get you on their network, which means you get more phone for your money. The Vodafone examples in our chart below are very good examples, but remember that they are locked to the Vodafone network so ensure you are happy with the operator’s PAYG terms before you buy. Such phones will usually be sold with a non-negotiable £10 top-up, which will add to the initial cost. Also see: Best new phones coming in 2017
Whether you choose to go down the iPhone- or Android route will largely depend on your budget, what your child is used to, and how loudly they scream. If they have been using an iPad or all their friends have iPhones then they will be familiar with the iOS operating system that runs on both platforms and will likely want to go on using it. However, iPhones are expensive.
Most iPhones will be well over budget for a child, but it is still possible to buy older models such as the iPhone 5s secondhand. The colourful iPhone 5c is perhaps the cheapest and best fit for a child, but if they demand a current-generation iPhone look to the slightly cheaper iPhone SE rather the iPhone 7. Even this, though, might be more expensive than what you had in mind.
If they have been using an Android tablet then you have many more options, and much cheaper ones to boot. Indeed, 19 of the phones we recommend in this article run Android, and if your child hasn’t already made up their mind that they want an iPhone then Android is every bit as good (and typically has many more free apps). It’s also very simple to use and they’ll pick it up in no time. Read our Android vs iPhone comparison to get a better idea of the key differences.
Both platforms are equally suited to children in the respect that they can be locked down so that your child accesses only what you want it to. Read our advice on the best parental control software.
And, despite what you may have read, neither platform – although it is possible – is likely to get a virus. We’ve rounded up some mobile antivirus options here. Also see: How to remove a virus on Android.
You know your kid better than anyone, and when it comes to the time that they are ready to own their first phone you will likely have a good idea in your mind of what’s suitable for them. Most likely they’ll be used to playing games on a tablet before getting their own phone, and will be used to the larger screen that offers. But a large-screen phone is much easier to drop and smash on the floor than a more compact model that will fit in their pocket. The type of mid-range phones we are looking at here will typically have HD or full-HD screens under 5in in size. Also see: Best kids’ tablets 2017
Because we all know kids can be clumsy, a waterproof phone or rugged phone would be ideal. In this chart are three options: the Moto G 2015 , the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact , and the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua. (Note that in Apple’s offerings only the latest iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are waterproof.) A metal-framed phone is likely to be tougher than a plastic phone, but these do tend to be more expensive unless you opt for a Chinese phone or a UK mobile operator-subsidised model. Whichever phone you choose, we highly recommend you also purchase a case to go with it.
Adults can often overlook front-facing cameras, but for kids who love to take selfies, mess around with Snapchat and video chat, they are highly important. Don’t even consider buying a child a phone that doesn’t have a selfie camera. Most are specified at around 5Mp, though it is possible to get much higher-rated front cameras.
You needn’t worry too much about the core specifications, since most phones these days have or are capable of everything a child requires: casual gaming, YouTube and a camera. The one thing you should look out for, though, is storage: we’d advise avoiding anything with under 16GB of internal storage (thankfully such phones are becoming much less common these days, and many – at least of the Chinese offerings – have 32GB).
Look for a model with microSD support that allows you to add on more storage, and be sure to take advantage of cloud services such as Google Photos to back up multimedia online so more storage can be made available for apps and games. Backing up photos and videos through the cloud will also mean they aren’t lost when the phone ultimately is lost or broken. Also see: How to back up Android.

© Source: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/test-centre/mobile-phone/best-kids-phones-best-phones-for-kids-2017-uk-3647555/
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Jump straight to our full best Chinese phones chart
Chinese phones offer excellent value for money, with specs to rival flagship phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S7 and iPhone 7 and often at less than half the price. So if you want a great deal on a smartphone, look no further than our round-up of the best Chinese phones 2017.
Also see: Best Phone Deals
You’ve probably heard of brands such as Huawei/Honor, ZTE and Lenovo, although you might not be aware that the latter makes phones as well as laptops. Xiaomi, too, is becoming increasingly popular worldwide, and is known as China’s Apple. Also see: Best kids’ phones 2017
But the problem with many Chinese phones is that they can be difficult to get hold of in the UK. To buy a Chinese phone in the UK you’ll either need to look on a site such as eBay or Amazon , or go through a grey-market importer such as Geekbuying , GearBest or Coolicool. Be sure to read up on our grey-market tech buying advice before you do so.
Pros:
• Excellent value for money
• Competitive specification
• Usually dual-SIM
• None of your friends will have the same phone
Cons:
• Without an official channel through which to purchase you may unintentionally buy a counterfeit product
• Faulty devices may be difficult to return
• You may incur import duty (charged at 20 percent of the value on the shipping paperwork plus an admin fee)
• The phone may not work with your network ( be sure to check before you buy )
• Google Play may not be preinstalled (as is the case with some Xiaomi and Meizu phones)
The majority of Chinese phones we’ve reviewed have been dual-SIM dual-standby. We’ve found this to be a standard feature of Chinese phones at any price point. However, in the case of Huawei/Honor phones, which are among those that are officially sold in the UK, the UK variant is often not dual-SIM. You should also check whether the second SIM slot is in addition to or replacing the phone’s microSD slot. Also see: Best dual-SIM phones 2017 and dual-SIM buying advice.
4G is a common feature even at the lower price points. An increasing number of phones will support 4G on both SIM slots, but dual-standby phones will ask you to select one or the other for data. And while we’re used to seeing phones that standardise on nano- or Micro-SIM, Chinese phones can occasionally still feature full-size SIM slots (though this is now becoming much less common). Of course, you can pick up an adaptor from somewhere like Amazon for as little as a pound. Also see: What is 4G? Complete guide to 4G.
The fact that a Chinese phone supports 4G doesn’t necessarily mean it will work on your UK network, mind. Always check a phone’s frequency bands before purchase. In the UK we use LTE bands 3, 7 and 20, or look for 800-, 1800- and 2600MHz. EE operates on all three, Three on 800- and 1800MHz, O2 on 800MHz, and Vodafone on 800- and 2600MHz. Also see: How to tell if a phone is supported by your mobile network.
MediaTek processors are a common feature within Chinese phones, and we’re now beginning to see the deca-core Helio X20 in some Chinese phones. More often, though, the MediaTek processors inside Chinese phones are marketed as octa-core and 64-bit. Whereas many UK-sold octa-core flagships are sold with four cores tuned for performance and four for efficiency, here you’ll usually find all eight cores running at the same speed; increasingly UK flagships now run quad-core chips from the Qualcomm Snapdragon family. Two- or even 3GB of RAM is not uncommon, and 4GB is often available as a top-end option, and expect to find 32GB of storage, with microSD support (often only to 32- or 64GB, rather than 128GB). Also see: What’s the fastest smartphone 2017.
Rather than NFC, phones with MediaTek processors often come with a feature called HotKnot. This works in a similar way, allowing you to do such things as share files and play multiplayer games with other HotKnot-capable phones. You will almost certainly also find a fingerprint scanner, and thankfully most are now touch- rather than swipe-style scanners.
In the photography department a 13Mp Sony sensor with f/2.2 aperture is often found at the rear, while you’ll usually get a 5Mp selfie camera at the front. The camera functionality is very similar to that of any other Android phone, but you may find the Face Beauty mode whitens your skin tone – the painting of a face white is a cultural tradition. There will be a slider somewhere that lets you turn off this effect. Also see: Best sounding phone 2017.
A full-HD screen is common, with Quad-HD much less so and HD screens still found in the cheapest models, and we’ve reviewed many a 5.5in-screen Chinese phablet. The screen is usually a good-quality IPS panel, and may often be marketed as having 2.5D Arc glass or 3D glass. This does not mean the screen is curved, but rather that the edges of the screen are slightly curved (like on the iPhone 7). Gorilla Glass is another common feature, which is fortunate because getting hold of a case for a Chinese phone is just as involved as buying the phone itself (we advise getting one at the time of purchase, although you often find one is supplied in the box).
Customisable gestures are not built into Android, but they are very common in Chinese phones. This means you are likely to be able to double-tap to wake the screen, and by drawing a letter onscreen in standby mode you will be able to launch an app of your choice. Many Chinese phones will also allow you to use gestures to trigger the camera shutter.
While we’re on the subject of software, be aware that some Chinese phones are sold rooted. For many people that’s a bonus – for example UMI’s Rootjoy app lets you easily install any OS you like – but it will put off some customers. We advise you to check whether wireless updates are available or if you will have to manually update the phone before you buy, if you think the latter may cause you grief.
We’ve been reviewing Chinese phones supplied to us by Geekbuying, Coolicool and GearBest for a good couple of years now, but the honest truth is there are still many Chinese phones out there we have yet to review, and many, many Chinese phone manufacturers we’ve never even heard of. Some of those phones may deserve to join our list, but we won’t recommend any Chinese phone we haven’t physically held and tested.
Over time we will build up our collection of Chinese phone reviews, and in the meantime we offer this chart not as a definitive guide to buying Chinese phones but as a guide to what you can expect for your money when you buy from China. If you’ve found a Chinese phone not listed in our chart then check its spec and compare it to the phones we’ve reviewed here.
Read next: Best new phones coming in 2017 .

© Source: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/test-centre/mobile-phone/best-chinese-phone-best-chinese-phones-you-can-buy-in-uk-in-2017-3616945/
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This morning in Tokyo, Nintendo held their long-awaited full product launch briefing for their upcoming console, the Nintendo Switch. Previously unveiled back in October of 2016 , Nintendo has been keeping a fairly tight lid on specific details about the console, including its specifications, capabilities, and software lineup. Now with just less than 2 months to go until the console goes on sale, Nintendo is ramping up their promotional campaigns, releasing a good deal of new details on the console, though in a very Nintendo way.
Back when the Switch was unveiled, we learned that the handheld console would be powered by an NVIDIA SoC, NVIDIA’s first console win since 2006. At the time Nintendo and NVIDIA had been very quiet on the specifications of the SoC, and while the full specifications were certain to be off the table, I had been hoping that Nintendo would open up at least a bit more on the SoC. Unfortunately, in admittedly traditional Nintendo fashion, the company has skipped right past anything involving the SoC, and I suspect we’re going to be waiting for the console launch and full teardown before we get any more hard facts here.
For what it is worth, Eurogamer strongly believes that the underlying SoC is a Tegra X1 – NVIDIA’s 20nm Cortex-A57 CPU + Maxwell GPU SoC that’s also used in the NVIDIA SHIELD TV – and while I can’t confirm this at this time, for the moment I don’t have any reason to doubt their suspicions. Tegra X1 is ready and available in volume, and in this respect Nintendo has been conservative for quite some time. Still, it will be interesting to crack open the Switch in March to see if it’s actually Tegra X1 under the hood, or if it’s some sort of Nintendo-specific derivative.
Moving on to new information, while Nintendo held off on SoC information, they have published some new information on the console as a whole. As long suspected, the Switch features a 1280x720p capacitive touch screen LCD. Though lower in resolution than comparable phones and tablets, this is a logical fit for the console giving its performance characteristics, battery life needs, and cost concerns. Nintendo’s website does not specify the type of the underlying panel, though I will be surprised if it’s not IPS or *VA.
For storage, the console will feature expandable storage. 32GB (presumably eMMC) is built in to the console, while the console can be further expanded using microSDXC cards, similar to the current-generation 3DS consoles. And as revealed in Nintendo’s teaser video last year, there will also be a separate game card slot for games released on physical media.
Meanwhile Nintendo isn’t being quite as forthcoming on the underlying specifications of the console’s integrated battery, but they are providing some ballpark power figures. The Switch is rated to last between 2.5 and 6.5 hours on a single charge, depending on the game, with the forthcoming Zelda game said to run for 3 hours. This is roughly comparable to the New Nintendo 3DS XL, which is rated for 3.5 to 6 hours, with the Switch having a slightly wider range (ed: though well short of the DS Lite’s 8+ hours). Still, for a long trip it’s clear you’ll need to bring some extra power.
The good news here is that for the Switch, Nintendo is giving up on proprietary chargers and power connectors. The Switch will charge via a standard USB Type-C connection, so it’s possible to use USB power banks with the console. Though without more details on the battery it’s hard to say just how large of a power bank will be required; given the higher power consumption of a gaming console, I expect the Switch will need a larger power bank than similarly sized tablets (perhaps something iPad Pro-sized). The Switch will also come with an AC adapter (curiously, with a hardwired cable), a welcome change after Nintendo didn’t include a power adapter with the New Nintendo 3DS.
As for the Switch’s companion dock, Nintendo has previously confirmed that it would largely be a “dumb” device. That said, today’s unveiling does confirm that it includes a trio of USB 2.0 ports, presumably using the two USB 2.0 channels built-in to the USB Type-C connector. Nintendo hasn’t officially announced any USB peripherals at this time – and it will be interesting to see what does arise, since this is a portable console – though a quick straw poll around here is that we’ll be disappointed if Nintendo doesn’t support the GameCube adapter for the obligatory Super Smash Bros. game.
Otherwise, as far as hardware goes the bulk of Nintendo’s focus with respect to hardware has been on the console’s two detachable controllers, the Joy-Cons. Besides being the console’s primary control mechanism (ed: a tablet with buttons, thank you!), the Joy-Cons are actually a lot more sophisticated than Nintendo originally let on last year. In terms of controls, each Joy-Con features the previously depicted 4 face buttons, a large shoulder button, an analog stick; also confirmed today is that on the inside, rail edge of the Joy-Cons are a pair of smaller shoulder buttons for when a single Joy-Con is used as a controller. So the Joy-Cons are essentially miniature versions of the SNES controller with an analog stick in place of the D-Pad.
It’s what’s under the hood that’s particularly interesting though. As one might expect, Nintendo is sticking with motion controls. Each Joy-Con contains a gyroscope and set of accelerometers, making it roughly equivalent to the Wii remote with Motion Plus.
Beyond that, each Joy-Con features its own special set of features. The right Joy-Con contains an NFC reader/writer for use with Nintendo’s Amiibo figures, and what Nintendo is calling a “IR motion camera,” An IR camera would imply that it’s the same basic functionality as the Wii Remote, which used an IR camera to orient itself relative to the IR LEDs in the console’s sensor bar, however Nintendo also quickly demonstrated that the Joy-Con could measure distance and motion from a human hand facing the camera, something the Wii Remote could not do. Finally, the left Joy-Con contains what Nintendo is calling “HD rumble” functionality, their name for high fidelity rumbling. Given the diminutive size of the Joy-Con, coupled with Nintendo’s examples, I suspect that we’re looking at multiple linear actuators for vibration (similar to Apple’s Taptic Engine), as opposed to traditional motors. Not too surprisingly then, a second set of Joy-Cons won’t come cheap, with Nintendo listing the MSRP at $80.
Finally, taking a brief look at the software side, retailer pre-release information has unveiled that Switch games will go for $60. This is the same price as Wii U games and $20 higher than most 3DS games. The one bit of good news here is that Nintendo has done away with region locking, so it’s possible to buy and play games from any region. Launch day games will include the previously announced Zelda game, and Nintendo’s new mini-game collection, 1-2-Switch.
Wrapping things up, the Switch will be receiving a world-wide release on March 3 rd (coincidentally the final day of the 2017 Game Developers Conference). It will be priced at $299 in the United States, with similar regional prices elsewhere across the globe. Ahead of the launch retailers have already put up pre-order pages (and some have started taking pre-orders), including Amazon , Best Buy , and GameStop.

© Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/11039/nintendo-switch-hardware-launch-details
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