Final Rolls-Royce Phantom VII Ships Out

After a successful 13-year run, the final Rolls-Royce Phantom VII gets a tasteful, nautically themed commission that celebrates the golden age of travel. The lucky owner of this seventh-generation Phantom chose a deep shade of Blue Velvet paint for the outside, an ocean liner motif on the inside, and checked all the bells and whistles available for this luxurious land cruiser. "From its introduction a little over 90 years ago, every motor car that has borne the title 'Phantom' has reset the standard by which all other luxury goods are judged," Torsten Mller-tvs, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO, said in a statement.
"As Phantom VII gracefully leaves the stage, having defined the first chapter in the renaissance of Rolls-Royce, we look forward to building on its remarkable success with the imminent arrival of its successor. A bold, new statement built on an all-new architecture promises to light the future of the world's most celebrated name in luxury."
A solid silver Spirit of Ecstasy resides on the hood and shares space with the vehicle's 6.75-liter twin-turbo V-12 engine when it is retracted and not in use.
Inside, the last Phantom receives a stylized 1930s ocean liner wood inlay on the dash with "tone-on-tone embroidery evoking the movement of the sea, exquisitely applied to the interior's Powder Blue leather" for starters.
The car's clocks recall the style one might find in grand ocean liners like the Queen Mary or Titanic. The bezel on the dash clock "allows the owner to rotate it in either direction depending on where they find themselves in the world."
Its lambswool carpets also sport "a hand-cut wake effect" for the newly decommissioned land yacht. R-R informs us the next version will launch imminently, underpinned by an all-new aluminum architecture.
"Like its predecessor it will advance the standards set by its illustrious forbears."
We can't wait for the Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII to make its grand entrance.

Taylor Swift's Grammys Speech Inspires A Powerful Video About Girls In Music

Taylor Swift made ripples with her acceptance speech for Album of the Year at the 2016 Grammys. The 1989 singer spoke about not letting anyone discredit your success: a pointed jab at Kanye West, who sang "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / I made that bitch famous" on his track "Famous." One year later, Swift's memorable statement is still making an impact.
On Tuesday, the Recording Academy released a video promoting the 2017 Grammys soundtracked by Swift's speech. Only instead of the pop star, it features young girls pursuing careers in music and the arts — dancers, stagehands, violinists — reciting lines of the powerful speech.
A Recording Academy exec explained in a statement, "Although most of the spots carry the message with humor, as a father of two young girls, it was important to me to also create something that would speak specifically to them — and all women — using music’s inspirational language to help them feel empowered."
Whatever went down between West and Swift last year, it's good to see something so positive and inspiring to young women come of it.
"I want to say to all the young women out there: There are going to be people along the way who try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame. But if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday, when you get where you’re going, you will look around and you will know — it was you, and the people who love you, who put you there. And that will be the greatest feeling in the world."

Hackers Demand Bitcoin After Hijacking Hotel’s Locks

The electronic key system of an Austrian hotel was compromised by hackers, forcing managers to pay a bitcoin ransom in order to recover it.
The 4-star Romantik Seehotel Jaegerwirt in Austria’s Alpine Turracher Hoehe Pass was targeted in November by ransomware that forced the hotel to pay €1,500 ($1,603) in bitcoin in order to take back control of its key system, according to recent reports.
“The house was totally booked with 180 guests, we had no other choice. Neither police nor insurance help you in this case,” the hotel’s managing director Christoph Brandstaetter told the news agency  Central European News.
“The restoration of our system after the first attack in summer has cost us several thousand euros. We did not get any money from the insurance so far because none of those to blame could be found.”
Brandstaetter revealed that the hotel plans to replace its electronic key system with traditional keys and locks.
The cyberattack took place in November last year and is the first reported case of cyber criminals exploiting a hotel in this way. It was only made public by the hotel recently in an effort to raise awareness of the issue.
Ransomware is an increasingly popular form of cyber attack used by hackers, who hijack the computer systems of companies and institutions with malicious software and demand ransoms to free them.
The  surge in ransomware led the U.S. and Canadian governments to release a rare joint-alert statement last year in order educate individuals and businesses about the threat.

Five awesome Android tips and tricks

If you use a smartphone, chances are it’s an Android.


Not only are there multiple phone makers that embrace the operating system – including the likes of Samsung, HTC, LG, Moto, Sony, and so on – but it’s by far the world’s no. 1 mobile platform with a whopping 88 percent market share, according to Strategy Analytics.

As with most of your gadgets, however, you’re probably only scratching the surface of what your ‘droid can do. And so we’ve compiled a list of five useful tips and tricks to help you get more out of your device.

Note: Most of these will work with all makes and models -- running the newest version, Nougat, or previous versions like Marshmallow, Lollipop, or KitKat -- but some of the following step-by-step instructions may vary a bit depending on which smartphone you own.

At home? Have your phone automatically unlock

It’s a necessary evil, but we all know it’s a pain to type in a PIN or passcode, draw a pattern or use a thumbprint to unlock your phone each and every time. After all, if it’s lost or stolen, we don’t want our info falling into the wrong hands.

But you shouldn’t have to do this at home, right? Good news: Built into Android is a “Smart Lock” feature. Enabling it means when you’re at home – or another location of your choice – your phone won’t be locked.

Go to Settings > Security (or Secure lock settings) > Smart Lock > Trusted places, and then type in the address where you don’t want to be locked out of your phone. Alternatively, let your phone identify your current location on a map.

There are other “smart lock” settings, too, like when it’s in your hand or in your pocket, when you’re near another device (like a Bluetooth watch), and more.

Plug in a mouse or keyboard. Or run Android on a PC

Don’t try this with an iPhone.

Some Android applications simply work better with a mouse (including productivity-killing strategy and role-playing games), and you can indeed plug in a USB mouse into your Android phone and it’ll work right away. Yes, whether it’s microUSB or USB Type-C, you’ll immediately see the little cursor on your screen. You could also use a Bluetooth enabled mouse. Keyboards work, too, by the way.

On the flipside, you can run Android on your computer at home or at the office. Simply install the free BlueStacks emulator on your PC or Mac, and you can play Clash Royale as if it were on your phone.

Download Google Maps directions for offline use

When you’re navigating unfamiliar roads, chances are you launch Google Maps on your Android. But using this app eats up data – and if you’re roaming in another country, you might come home to a surprise on your mobile phone bill.

While it’s not widely known, Google Maps now lets you download and use Google Maps on your device, without using up any data.

To do so, when you’re in a free Wi-Fi hotspot, type a destination into the search window and the app will pull up an overhead map. Now tap the three lines in the top left of the screen to open some options, one of which will be “Offline areas.” Tap this and select to download the map to your device, but be aware it will take up some storage (Google Maps will tell you how much).

There’s a hidden game.

Bored at work? In line at the supermarket? Need to keep the kids entertained? Android has a hidden video game.

Go to Settings > System > About Phone (or Software info), and when you see the words “Android version,” tap on it multiple times and you’ll see a logo for Nougat or Marshmallow. Tap a few times again and now press and hold on the screen. A secret minigame will appear.

Tap the triangle to start. See how long you can keep the Android character alive by tapping the screen to jump, and without hitting any obstacles. It’s not as easy as it looks!

Spit-screen mode

Once reserved only for high-end Samsung devices, Android Nougat offers a split-screen mode, natively, and it works like a charm. As the name suggests, this split-screen feature lets you view and/or access two different apps on the screen at the same time.

To use it, launch an app and then press and hold the Recent Apps button (usually to the left or right of the Home button). This will snap your open app onto the top of the screen, and allow you to open another app on the bottom. Or turn your phone sideways, for a landscape view, to access the side-by-side apps.

For example, you can watch a movie while flicking through some emails. Or play a podcast while browsing the web in another window.

Not every app works with split-screen, but many of them do.

And a few more tips.

- To quickly access some Settings and Notifications, swipe one finger down from the very top of your phone (start above the screen). To access many more Settings and options, use two fingers to swipe down instead. Cool, no?
- Hopefully you’re using your voice to access info while on the go, as it’s super easy, fast, and convenient. To enable the “OK Google” feature, tap on the Google app from within your Google folder (or on your home screen), and then tap the top left Options tab (three horizontal lines) and under Settings, tap Voice and then enable “OK Google” detection from any screen. Now you can simply say “OK Google,” followed by a command or question tied to a web search, destination address, texting a contact, and more.
- To take a screenshot of a website, message, or anything else, Android users can simply press the power and volume-down buttons at the same time. The screen will flash white, you'll hear a camera shutter sound, and the image be saved in your photo gallery. Some phones, like Samsung devices, let you slide the side of your hand (left or right) to quickly screen grab what you’re looking at.

The 2017 Nissan Rogue Hybrid undercuts the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid by $2,790

Nissan announced pricing today on the upcoming 2017 Rogue Hybrid. Apart from being only one of two hybrids in this particular crossover class, at $27,180 for the front-wheel drive model, the new Rogue undercuts the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid's $29,970 MSRP by a notable margin. Considering the Rogue was Nissan's best-selling vehicle in 2016 and the entire lineup gets a refresh for 2017, you can expect to see more than a few of these pop up around town.
The Rogue Hybrid comes in two trims, SV and SL, both being available in front and all-wheel drive, the latter adding $4,920 to both models, but it should be noted that there's no three-row option for the hybrid. The front-wheel drive SV starts at $27,180 with the all-wheel drive version starting at $32,100. Most notably, the hybrid version of the SV is only $1,000 more than the gasoline version, giving lots of incentive to go green. Stepping up to the SL will cost you $28,530 for front-wheel drive and $33,450 for all-wheel drive. That means the top trim Rogue is still less expensive than the base RAV4 Hybrid.
The 2017 Nissan Rogue Hybrid is powered by a 2.0-liter 16-valve DOHC aluminum-alloy inline 4-cylinder paired with a compact lithium-ion battery and 30 kW electric motor. Combined output for the hybrid system is a decent 176 horsepower. The front wheel drive model is rated at 33 mpg city, 35 mpg highway and 34 mpg combined, with the expectable dip for the all-wheel drive model to 31 mpg city, 34 mpg highway and 33 mpg combined. Optional extras include emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert.
The Rogue Hybrid is set to go on sale later this year.

Rooney receives golden boot from Sir Bobby Charlton after breaking Man Utd record

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has been presented with a special award from Sir Bobby Charlton after becoming the club’s all-time greatest goalscorer.
The 31-year-old broke the record, which was previously held by Charlton, against Stoke City, notching his 250th goal for the Red Devils with a last minute equaliser in the 1-1 draw at the Britannia Stadium.
And, ahead of United’s FA Cup fourth-round clash with Wigan, Rooney was given aspecial trophy by the former record-holder in recognition of his achievement.
The skipper was handed the award just before kick-off to huge applause from the Old Trafford crowd before captaining the side in a rare start.
Despite his record-breaking heroics, Rooney has endured a difficult season for Jose Mourinho’s side and his future at the club is the subject of much speculation.
His goal against Stoke was only the second time he has netted in the Premier League all season and has he managed only five goals in total this campaign.

Selena Gomez and The Weeknd Enjoy Romantic Dinner in Italy

Selena Gomez and The Weeknd are heating up fast!
The rumored couple's chemistry was clear as they enjoyed a romantic dinner in Florence, Italy, on Saturday.
Gomez couldn't keep her hands to herself throughout the candlelit meal, caressing her new beau's face and going in for frequent, sweet kisses.
An eyewitness told ET that the pair "couldn't take their hands off each other."
"Selena acted very sweet and very loving towards The Weeknd," the source said.
The two were all smiles during their private dinner, and the grins continued when they headed outside to enjoy the cityscape and a little cuddle session.
"He made her laugh and she was completely focused on him. It was like no one else existed," the eyewitness noted, adding that Gomez and The Weeknd looked "very much in love."
The 24-year-old singer sported a red sweatshirt, high-waisted jeans and chic black stilettos for the pair's night out, while The Weeknd kept casual in black jeans, a denim jacket, white baseball cap and matching sneakers.
The "Starboy" singer held Gomez close on the chilly evening, sneaking in some kisses as she looked through her phone.
Gomez and The Weeknd, who had been spotted on low-key outings with friends before their Italian escape, first sparked romance rumors when they were caught kissing during a PDA-filled date night in Los Angeles earlier this month. The 26-year-old crooner had just split from longtime girlfriend Bella Hadid two months earlier.

New WhatsApp Features Revealed In iOS Beta

WhatsApp beta for iOS has revealed a string of new features for the popular communication app. In December, some of these features were leaked by WABetaInfo, a Twitter account known for regularly leaking information related to WhatsApp updates.
While the company hasn’t confirmed when the official update will be out, the changelog of the Beta version mentions features such as live location tracking, which tracks the physical location of all participants of a WhatsApp group.
Here are five features expected to roll out in the official WhatsApp update.
Edit
This new feature will allow users to edit a sent message, but only if it hasn’t already been read. Messaging services such as BBM and Telegraph already have similar options available.
Recall
Recalling sent messages might be the longest-waited feature for WhatsApp users. If you have ever sent a message using the app and then regretted doing so, this feature would help you out. But just like the edit option, this will only work if the recipient hasn't already read the message.
Live location tracking
This one seems a little different from previously rumored features of the app. Live location tracking will let you know the location of members in a WhatsApp group. The feature will be disabled by default and users will need to enable it in the WhatsApp settings menu.
Users can also enable the feature for a limited time — 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes or indefinitely.
Reply to status messages
Up till now, other users could see your status message but couldn’t reply to it. With the new update, users will able to respond directly to WhatsApp status messages as well.
Contact option
When you shake your device in middle of a chat, you will see a Contact Us option, which will likely let users report spam directly to WhatsApp.

57 reportedly dead in first US raid on Qaeda in Yemen under Trump

A US raid in Yemen killed 41 suspected Al-Qaeda militants and 16 civilians on Sunday, an official said, in what would be America's first military action in the country under President Donald Trump.
Eight women and eight children were among those killed in the dawn raid in Yakla district, in the central province of Baida, said the provincial official, who did not want to be named, and tribal sources.
Sources in the region said the raid targeted the houses of three tribal chiefs linked to Al-Qaeda.
The provincial official said Apache helicopters also struck a school, a mosque and a medical facility which were all used by Al-Qaeda militants.
Other sources spoke of US commandos taking part in the operation, but it was not possible to verify the information.
The three prominent tribal figures killed in the attack were identified as brothers Abdulraouf and Sultan al-Zahab and Saif Alawai al-Jawfi, the official and other sources said.
They were known for their strong links to Al-Qaeda, the sources said.
The Zahab brothers have two other Al-Qaeda brothers who were also killed in the past by drone strikes.
An Al-Qaeda chief in the region, who was identified as foreigner Abu Barazan, was also killed in the attack, the official said.
The military operation is the first to be attributed to the United States against jihadists in Yemen since Trump took office on January 20.
- 'Most dangerous' franchise -
Under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, the United States stepped up its use of drone strikes against suspected jihadists in Yemen, as well as other countries including Afghanistan.
The United States considers the extremist group's Yemen-based franchise, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, to be its most dangerous.
Although it only sporadically reports on a long-running bombing campaign against AQAP, it is the only force known to be operating drones over Yemen.
On January 14, the Pentagon announced the killing of a senior Al-Qaeda operative in Baida the week before in an air strike.
Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State jihadist group have exploited a power vacuum created by the two-year-old conflict in Yemen between the government and Shiite Huthi rebels, especially in the country's south and southeast.
Baida province is mostly controlled by the Huthis, but Yakla is ruled by the tribes, and has at least two training bases for Al-Qaeda, local sources said.
Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi have mounted offensives against jihadists in the south, but the militants remain active in several areas.
The conflict in Yemen has killed more than 7,400 people since a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened to support Hadi in March 2015, according to the World Health Organization.
But UN humanitarian coordinator Jamie McGoldrick said last week that as many as 10,000 civilians may have died.

Kehlani Drops “SWEETSEXYSAVAGE” Album

Kehlani released her debut album today (January 27) in the form of SWEETSEXYSAVAGE. The deluxe version of the LP is made up of 19 tracks, including the Suicide Squad single “Gangsta.”

The Bay Area singer shared her breakout project, You Should Be Here, in 2015. It earned her a Grammy nomination for Urban Contemporary Album.

Since then, Kehlani has battled depression and attempted suicide amid swirling romance with PARTYNEXTDOOR and NBA star Kyrie Irving.

After taking a break from social media, she had her first public performance in San Francisco while sporting a freshly chopped pixie cut.

Stream Migos' New Album "Culture"

Out now, stream Migos' highly anticipated new album "Culture," featuring Gucci Mane, Travis Scott, 2 Chainz & more.

It’s been a long time in the making, but after a couple setbacks & delays last year, the Migos have finally released their highly anticipated new album today called Culture.

Laced with 13 tracks in total, the follow up to 2015’s Yung Rich Nation features guest appearances from DJ Khaled, 2 Chainz, Travis Scott, Gucci Mane, & Lil Uzi Vert. Meanwhile production is handled by the likes of Metro Boomin, Cardo, Zaytoven, Nard & B, 808 Mafia, & Murda Beatz. Here’s what the ATL trio had to say about their new “cultural impact”:

"The new album title is about the culture of hip-hop music," Offset said. "It’s time to let the culture be known. It’s time to claim it. And it’s time to claim that we are the Migos, and for people to understand that this is what we did. We did a lot for music. Migos is the culture. Seriously. There are artists that are way bigger than us that get recognition off our flow."

Lead by the #1 single in the country with “Bad & Boujee,” fans can now stream the album in its entirety thanks to the good folks at Apple Music. Be sure to show your support on iTunes as well.

Watch The First Part Of BET’s TV Special “The New Edition Story”

 

If you missed it, check out part 1 of BET's TV special "The New Edition Story."

On Tuesday night, the first part in BET’s highly anticipated New Edition Story was aired on TV. The 3-part mini series tells the story of the popular boy band New Edition as it follows the group’s beginnings in Boston to their stardom they reach soon after.The film gives fans a closer look into the lives of Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, Ralph and Johnny. From shady record contracts & beefing with one another to life on the road & stardom, the journey of New Edition is just as wild & interesting as any other in the 80’s.Directed by Chris Robinson, check out the 80-minute special (below), and be on the look out for parts 2 & 3 to air Wednesday & Thursday night respectively. Set your DVR's now. http://hiphop-n-more.com/2017/01/watch-bet-special-the-new-edition-story-part-1-full/

Lil Wayne and Chris Brown associate and suspected drug czar Harrison Garcia says he's not guilty.

Harrison Garcia, the man better known to his associates as "Cuban Harry" and "Muhammad A Lean," would show off his lavish lifestyle on his private Instagram account, posing with large stacks of cash. He boasted that he knew Chris Brown, Future and Lil Wayne.


The police say he was the mastermind behind a series of burglaries across South Florida Walgreens and CVS stores that supplied him with the raw codeine & promethazine necessary to make lean. Which would in turn make him rich.


He told a federal judge Monday he was innocent and posted all of it to get street cred and some more likes on social media.


“I had an image to portray, to boost up my followers,” Garcia said. “I guess it’s just the music industry.”


According to The Miami Herald, the 27-year-old stood in federal court, accused of using his Instagram account to set up transactions. He was first arrested in October, and was awaiting trial when Homeland Security busted him again in December for racketeering, grand theft and trafficking in illegal drugs. Three other men and a woman are facing prosecution for dozens of burglaries across several counties.


Garcia told the judge he was not a dealer but just a junkie, hooked on the syrup mixed with soda also know as sizzurp or purple drank, so ubiquitous in hip hop music.


During his arrest, he took investigators to his stash house. There, they found firearms and over 3,000 Xanax pills.