Deal: Conquer your public speaking demons with this $29 masterclass

Public speaking is something many of us fear, but it can be crucial to your future prospects, or even just to getting through your best man speech.

Fortunately, this isn’t a skill that you either have or you don’t. Politicians and TED Talk presenters learned the art of addressing a crowd with confidence, and so can you. All you need is a little training.

The Public Speaking Masterclass Bundle features five IAOTS-accredited courses and more than 40 hours of video tuition that you can access 24/7. Obviously, you don’t need to plow through the whole lot to start building confidence. If you’ve never tried public speaking before, you’re likely to see drastic improvements very quickly.

Conquer your fear of speaking in public and boost your self-esteem.

While the basics may be enough to get you through your next big meeting, there’s no reason to stop there. As your confidence grows, this learning kit will take you through more nuanced techniques such as the best way to use body language. You’ll soon be exuding confidence, and that’s a great look when you’re trying to get ahead.

As a bonus, these are actually accredited courses and you receive a certificate of completion at the end. Whatever walk of life you’re in, it’s an excellent accolade to have on your resume.

The Public Speaking Masterclass Bundle at a glance:

• Learn how to quickly organize your thoughts and speak under pressure
• Explore planning your speech and connecting with listeners
• Conquer your fear of speaking in public and boost your self-esteem
• Familiarize yourself with active listening, body language, and more concepts
• Learn from courses that are International Association of Online Training Standards (IAOTS)-certified
• Validate your training with a certificate of completion

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To add this life skill to your armory is just $29 this week. The usual asking price for this course is $269, so it’s a fantastic saving. The deal ends early next week, but if you sign up in time then you’ve got access to the training for life.

Hit the button below to find the offer.

Check it out!

The AA Picks team writes about things we think you’ll like, and we may see a share of revenue from any purchases made through affiliate links. To see all our hottest deals, head over to the AAPICKS HUB.

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Source: Android Zone

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Leagoo S10 is an iPhone X clone with an in-display fingerprint sensor

IndieGoGo

• The upcoming Leagoo S10 will be a budget device featuring an in-display fingerprint sensor.
• The design of the Leagoo S10 is heavily lifted from the iPhone X and the Huawei P20 Pro.
• It’s possible that the Leagoo S10 will be the world’s most affordable device with an in-display fingerprint sensor when it launches.

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Chinese smartphone manufacturer Leagoo has quickly made a name for itself by delivering affordable phones that look nearly identical to more expensive phones from competitors.

It looks like Leagoo is getting in on the in-display fingerprint sensor action with its upcoming flagship, the Leagoo S10. The device is listed on IndieGoGo with a “coming soon” tag.

Judging from the photos and broken-English text summaries of the device on the IndieGoGo page, the Leagoo S10 is a complete rip-off of the iPhone X on the front (kind of like the Leagoo S9). But on the back, it knocks off the color scheme of the Huawei P20 Pro.

Check out the device in this generic teaser trailer with cheesy graphics and a bland rock soundtrack:

It’s easy for one to look past the device’s design knock-offs when you add Leagoo pricing into the mix. Although no pricing is listed yet, the Leagoo S9 only cost about $300, so we can expect the S10 to be in the same range.

Editor’s Pick

10 more Chinese smartphone brands you should be watching

We first looked at upcoming Chinese phone brands in 2015, covering the likes of Xiaomi, Oppo and OnePlus. Of course, some of these brands have since become household names.

Now, three years later, let’s take a …

Even if the Leagoo S10 is considerably more expensive (like $500 or so), it will still be a bargain considering that it appears to feature dual rear cameras, an in-display fingerprint sensor, wireless charging, and a chipset with AI support. It also seems that the device will access global bands, making it work here in America.

No specs or release date are listed on the IndieGoGo page, but there is an email sign up form that says will get you a 21 percent early bird discount on the device once it launches. We could be wrong, but it doesn’t appear this will be a crowdfunded launch, but rather a pre-sale launch that will give Leagoo an idea of how many devices to make.

You can also visit the Leagoo website to guess the specs and price of the device. One lucky winner will get a Leagoo S10 for free.

Check out the IndieGoGo page below.

Leagoo S10 Indiegogo

Source: Android Zone

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StrongVPN review

Get StrongVPN now

StrongVPN has been around for a while, but the VPN service has unfortunately not managed to find its place among the premium VPNs available. However, a much-needed overhaul of the apps, continuous addition of servers and locations, and improved speed and performance in 2018 have put it into the spotlight.

Does it deliver? That’s what we aim to answer with this StrongVPN review!

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Getting started

Creating an account

To create an account, you first select the plan, enter your email address, and add your payment information. The email address is required to log in to the apps, and you can set up a password after your account is created. StrongVPN guarantees that the email address is needed only for the apps and customer service. If you’re still worried though, you can set up a dummy email account.

Payment and pricing

StrongVPN accepts major credit cards like Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover, as well as payments via Paypal, Bitcoin, and AliPay. These should cover your payment needs, but those looking for alternate cryptocurrencies or other payment choices may have to opt for other VPN services.

StrongVPN offers just two subscription options. The monthly plan is priced at $10 per month, while the annual plan is priced at $69.99 ($5.83 per month), which is one of the cheaper annual plans out there. However, the lack of plan duration options is a little disappointing.

A lot of VPNs, like NordVPN, offer long-term (more than two years) plans that come with huge discounts. Many users may also appreciate the availability of short-term three-month or six-month plans that offer some savings.

While a free trial isn’t available, the good news here is that StrongVPN provides a 30-day no questions asked money back guarantee in case you aren’t happy with the service.

Get StrongVPN now

Installation

Easy to install apps are available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. StrongVPN also has useful installation guides available for manually setting up the VPN directly on WiFi routers, Chrome OS, Linux systems, the Kindle, Kodi machines, and more. Something that is missing (and that’s found with other VPNs) is a browser extension.

You can find the full device list here, and the apps for Android and iOS can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and iOS App Store respectively. For this review, we took a closer look at the Windows and Android apps.

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Setup and settings

Windows

The design of the apps has received a much-needed overhaul from the convoluted and outdated design from before. Once you log in to the Windows app, you are greeted with a static world map and a large connect button, similar to what is seen with SaferVPN.

If you’re looking for something specific, you can launch a server list by pressing the “Best Available Location”  button. Of course, you can always leave it at the default best option and let the app make the choice for you. Clicking on the button opens the server list. StrongVPN has over 650 servers in 20 countries, so you should be covered for the most part. However, I was disappointed to see the poor Asian and African coverage, with no servers in India or any of Africa.

The best server to connect to will obviously be the one closest to you. StrongVPN supports torrenting on all their servers so you don’t have to worry about needing to pick the right one. StrongVPN also allows for access to the Netflix U.S. catalog, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and other streaming services. It may take some trial and error to find the one that works though, or you can get in touch with customer service to find out, which is what I did.

The Preferences menu can be accessed by clicking on the gear icon at the top bar. The various settings include:

• Options – This section includes aspects of app behavior like auto reconnect, connect on launch, start when Windows starts, and show notifications in the taskbar. You can also enable “Kill Switch,” which cuts the internet connection if the VPN connection fails for any reason. This helps avoid any leaks, so we definitely recommend activating it.
• Protocols – StrongVPN supports all the best VPN protocols like IKEv2, OpenVPN, SSTP, and L2TP. You get short descriptions stating what each protocol is for. If you don’t want to worry about it, you can let the app choose the best one for you. However, we recommend using OpenVPN because of its stronger security. OpenVPN also comes with the option to “Scramble,” which basically enables obfuscation to avoid network traffic sensors that detect VPN usage and block it.
• Information – You will find your login and system information here. The “Get Help” button can be used to contact customer service if you run into any issues. While StrongVPN previously handled customer service complaints via email only, it now has a Live Chat for support on its website.
• Diagnostics – The Diagnostics page provides a timeline of app activity like when the server list is refreshed or when you connect or disconnect from a server.
• Updates – You can set up how often the app searches for an app update here.

Further reading: Check out our guide on how to use a VPN.

Android

Like the Windows client, the Android app has received the same design overhaul. Both look identical, so there’s no learning curve involved with using the different apps. You get the same map, “Best Available Location” or server list button, and large connect button to get started.

The Settings menu can be opened by tapping on the three vertical dots at the top right corner. This menu is a lot simpler than what is available with the Windows app. Available options include Protocol, Auto Reconnect, Scramble, and Contact (for customer service). The only protocol supported is OpenVPN, but that’s okay since it is the most secure one to use anyway.

Ease of use

The StrongVPN apps are extremely easy to use now. The Windows client has a few more settings available than the Android app, but both are otherwise almost identical. It’s simple to get online and connect a server and you can let the apps make that choice for you unless you are looking for something specific.

SaferVPN, which is quite similar in its setup, goes one step further with special mentions for servers that allow U.S. streaming and U.K. streaming though. That requires some trial and error with StrongVPN.

How does StrongVPN compare with other top Android VPN apps? Check out our best VPN apps guide to learn more. 

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Security and privacy

StrongVPN is based in the U.S., which may be of concern since many privacy buffs are wary of using VPN services based in a Five Eyes country. However, StrongVPN’s complete zero logging policy may help alleviate that concern. StrongVPN keeps no traffic or connection logs, and the only information it keeps is your email address and any payment information if you opt for re-billing.

Features like a Kill Switch and Scramble (obfuscation) are big security positives. Every encryption protocol is available, including OpenVPN that uses 256-bit AES encryption, with SHA-256 for authentication, and RSA 2048 for handshaking purposes. It is the most secure encryption protocol right now. I tested for IP leaks, WebRTC detection, and DNS leaks using ipleak.net and found no issues.

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Speed

Original speed – Bangalore, India

To test the speed, I used the Ookla Speed Test after connecting to server locations in Malaysia (best available server), the U.S., the U.K., the Netherlands, Singapore, and Australia. StrongVPN is one of the fastest when it comes to connecting to a server, requiring only around five seconds to do so.

As you can see, the speeds aren’t the fastest when compared to some of the other VPNs I’ve reviewed so far, but it certainly isn’t the slowest either. The drop in speed was expected when connected to locations far away from me like the U.S. and Australia.

Those speeds were actually still quite impressive, allowing me to comfortably stream video with no issues. I expected a much better connection from Singapore though, as it’s the location closest to me, considering StrongVPN’s lack of servers in India.

However, the biggest disappointment was the fact that the “Best Available Location” doesn’t work at all. StrongVPN may be making that decision based on server load and ping, but speed certainly isn’t the chosen criteria.

The app would switch the location every time I connected to the “Best Available,” shifting between Malaysia and Hong Kong (even Dallas showed up as an option once!), when Singapore offered a much faster speed and similar ping. This is a big negative as far as ease of use is concerned since you’ll have to find the best locations yourself without relying on the app.

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Key features

• Allows up to five concurrent connections.
• No free trial available, but you can take advantage of a no-questions-asked 30-day money back guarantee.
• Zero activity or connection logging.
• Over 650 servers in 20 countries.
• Torrenting works fine, and StrongVPN supports P2P on all servers. Remember to respect your country’s copyright laws. We do not condone or encourage any illegal activities.
• Allows for access to video streaming apps like Netflix. Only select servers work though, so that can take some trial and error. Or you could contact customer service.
• Speaking of customer service, they were incredibly helpful. StrongVPN has now introduced a Live Chat on the website. The response was quick and my question was answered without any hassle. The Live Chat is also available 24/7.
• Security features like Kill Switch and Scramble are very useful.

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StrongVPN – Final thoughts

StrongVPN has improved by leaps and bounds compared to where it was just a year or so ago. The new, simpler, and more modern design is a big plus, the settings menus have been simplified, and the speeds have increased a lot. There is still room for improvement though, particularly with the “Best Available Location” feature that doesn’t work at all.

StrongVPN isn’t the easiest VPN service to recommend, with it falling just short in most regards. The apps are simple enough to use, but SaferVPN and PureVPN do it better. The speeds are definitely fast enough to do what you need, but something like ExpressVPN is faster. Security features like Kill Switch and obfuscation are great inclusions, but NordVPN offers more. The annual plan is quite affordable, but there are also cheaper options out there.

Having said that, VPN experiences often differ greatly from user to user. StrongVPN is certainly simple enough and offers good security features. The zero logging policy is a huge positive despite it being based in the U.S. And as far as speed is concerned, that depends on a lot of factors and may be much better for you. The good news is that you can give StrongVPN a shot to see if it’s the right fit or take advantage of the unconditional 30-day money back guarantee.

Get StrongVPN now

So that’s a look at StrongVPN. We’ll also be bringing you even more quick review looks at some of the best VPN services in the weeks and months to come. If there is a particular VPN you would like us to review, do let us know in the comments section below!

Next – check out our IPVanish review

Source: Android Zone

The post StrongVPN review appeared first on TuneMaster.ml.

Why the Kirin 970 NPU is faster than the Snapdragon 845

As artificially intelligence creeps its way into our smartphone experience, SoC vendors have been racing to improve neural network and machine learning performance in their chips. Everyone has a different take on how to power these emerging use cases, but the general trend has been to include some sort of dedicated hardware to accelerate common machine learning tasks like image recognition. However, the hardware differences mean that chips offer varying levels of performance.

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What is the Kirin 970’s NPU? – Gary explains

Neural Networks(NN) and Machine Learning (ML) were two of the year’s biggest buzzwords in mobile processoring. Huawei’s HiSilicon Kirin 970, the image processing unit (IPU) inside the Google Pixel 2, and Apple’s A11 Bionic, all feature dedicated hardware solutions …

Last year it emerged that HiSilicon’s Kirin 970 bested Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 in a number of image recognition benchmarks. Honor recently published its own tests revealing claiming the chip performs better than the newer Snapdragon 845 as well.

We’re a little skeptical of the results when a company tests its own chips, but the benchmarks Honor used (Resnet and VGG) are commonly used pre-trained image recognition neural network algorithms, so a performance advantage isn’t to be sniffed at. The company claims up to a twelve-fold boost using its HiAI SDK versus the Snapdragon NPE. Two of the more popular results show between a 20 and 33 percent boost.

Regardless of the exact results, this raises a rather interesting question about the nature of neural network processing on smartphone SoCs. What causes the performance difference between two chips with similar machine learning applications?

DSP vs NPU approaches

The big difference between Kirin 970 vs Snapdragon 845 is HiSilicon’s option implements a Neural Processing Unit designed specifically for quickly processing certain machine learning tasks. Meanwhile, Qualcomm repurposed its existing Hexagon DSP design to crunch numbers for machine learning tasks, rather than adding in extra silicon specifically for these tasks.

With the Snapdragon 845, Qualcomm boasts up to tripled performance for some AI tasks over the 835. To accelerate machine learning on its DSP, Qualcomm uses its Hexagon Vector Extensions (HVX) which speeds up 8-bit vector math commonly used by machine learning tasks. The 845 also boasts a new micro-architecture that doubles 8-bit performance over the previous generation. Qualcomm’s Hexagon DSP is an efficient math crunching machine, but it’s still fundamentally designed to handle a wide range of math tasks and has been gradually tweaked to boost image recognition use cases.

The Kirin 970 also includes a DSP (a Cadence Tensilica Vision P6) for audio, camera image, and other processing. It’s in roughly the same league as Qualcomm’s Hexagon DSP, but it is not currently exposed through the HiAI SDK for use with third-party machine learning applications.

The Hexagon 680 DSP from the Snapdragon 835 is a multi-threaded scalar math processor. It’s a different take compared to mass matrix multiple processors for Google or Huawei.

HiSilicon’s NPU is highly optimized for machine learning and image recognition, but is not any good for regular DSP tasks like audio EQ filters. The NPU is a bespoke chip designed in collaboration with Cambricon Technology and primarily built around multiple matrix multiply units.

You might recognize this as the same approach that Google took with its hugely powerful Cloud TPUs and Pixel Core machine learning chips. Huawei’s NPU isn’t as huge or powerful as Google’s server chips, opting for a small number of 3 x 3 matrix multiple units, rather than Google’s large 128 x 128 design. Google also optimized for 8-bit math while Huawei focused on 16-bit floating point.

The performance differences come down to architecture choices between more general DSPs and dedicated matrix multiply hardware.

The key takeaway here is Huawei’s NPU is designed for a very small set of tasks, mostly related to image recognition, but it can crunch through the numbers very quickly — allegedly up to 2,000 images per second. Qualcomm’s approach is to support these math operations using a more conventional DSP, which is more flexible and saves on silicon space, but won’t quite reach the same peak potential. Both companies are also big on the heterogeneous approach to efficient processing and have dedicated engines to manage tasks across the CPU, GPU, DSP, and in Huawei’s case its NPU too, for maximum efficiency.

Qualcomm sits on the fence

So why is Qualcomm, a high-performance mobile application processor company, taking a different approach to HiSilicon, Google, and Apple for its machine learning hardware? The immediate answer is probably that there just isn’t a meaningful difference between the approaches at this stage.

Sure, the benchmarks might express different capabilities, but the truth there isn’t a must-have application for machine learning in smartphones right now. Image recognition is moderately useful for organizing photo libraries, optimizing camera performance, and unlocking a phone with your face. If these can be done fast enough on a DSP, CPU, or GPU already, it seems there’s little reason to spend extra money on dedicated silicon. LG is even doing real-time camera scene detection using a Snapdragon 835, which is very similar to Huawei’s camera AI software using its NPU and DSP.

Qualcomm’s DSP is widely used by third-parties, making it easier for them to start implementing machine learning on its platform.

In the future, we may see the need for more powerful or dedicated machine learning hardware to power more advanced features or save battery life, but at the moment the use cases are limited. Huawei might change its NPU design as the requirements of machine learning applications change, which could mean wasted resources and an awkward decision about whether to continue supporting outdated hardware. An NPU is also yet another bit of hardware third-party developers have to decide whether or not to support.

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A closer look at Arm’s machine learning hardware

A few weeks ago, Arm announced its first batch of dedicated machine learning (ML) hardware. Under the name Project Trillium, the company unveiled a dedicated ML processor for products like smartphones, along with a second chip …

Qualcomm also has a history of dismissing novel or niche ideas only to quickly adopt similar technologies of its own once the market moves in that direction. Cast your minds back to the company dismissing 64-bit mobile application processors as a gimmick.

Qualcomm may well go down the dedicated neural network processor route in the future, but only if the use cases make the investment worthwhile. Arm’s recently announced Project Trillium hardware is certainly a possible candidate if the company doesn’t want to design a dedicated unit in-house from scratch, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Does it really matter?

When it comes to Kirin 970 vs Snapdragon 845, the Kirin’s NPU might have an edge, but does it really matter that much?

There’s no must-have use case for smartphone machine learning or “AI” yet. Even large percentage points gained or lost in some specific benchmarks isn’t going to make or break the main user experience. All current machine learning tasks can be done on a DSP or even a regular CPU and GPU. An NPU is just a small cog in a much larger system. Dedicated hardware can give an advantage to battery life and performance, but it’s going to be tough for consumers to notice a massive difference given their limited exposure to the applications.

Up next

Phones don’t need a NPU to benefit from machine learning

Neural Networks and Machine Learning are some of this year’s biggest buzzwords in the world of smartphone processors. Huawei’s HiSilicon Kirin 970, Apple’s A11 Bionic, and the image processing unit (IPU) inside the Google Pixel …

As the machine learning market place evolves and more applications break through, smartphones with dedicated hardware will probably benefit — potentially they’re a bit more future proofed (unless the hardware requirements change). Industry-wide adoption appears to be inevitable, what with MediaTek and Qualcomm both touting machine learning capabilities in lower cost chips, but it’s unlikely the speed of an onboard NPU or DSP is ever going to be the make or break factor in a smartphone purchase.

Source: Android Zone

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