As long as you have a compatible smartphone or smartwatch, you’ll be able to simply tap your device on the store’s reader when you go to pay for your goods.
Support for Apple Pay and Google Pay is rolling out at the majority of 7-Eleven’s U.S. stores throughout September, adding to the company’s other mobile payment options that also include Samsung Pay.
Hagens Berman, a law firm with a long track record of class-action advocacy, believes that Samsung, Hynix, and Micron have colluded to limit the supply of certain DRAM products, which has driven an increase in prices. The firm is filing a class-action on behalf of US consumers of smartphones and computing devices, saying that anyone who purchased a smartphone or computer between July 1, 2016 and Feb. 1, 2018 may have overpaid and could be due restitution.
Malarie Gokey/Digital Trends
Apple sent a lengthy memo to its employees warning them about leaking and the consequences. There have been numerous arrests for the leaks. The memo stated that there were 29 leakers and 12 arrests. Addressed were situations outlined in which information was leaked to the media, including a meeting earlier this year where Apple’s software engineering head Craig Federighi told employees that some planned iPhone software features would be delayed. Apple also cited a yet-to-be-released software package that revealed details about the unreleased iPhone X and new Apple Watch.
A smuggling ring has been using DJI drones to enable the transport of refurbished iPhones into Shenzhen, China. According to customs officials in the city, those responsible were caught after flying 500 million yuan ($79.8 million) worth of smartphones from Hong Kong to Shenzhen.
Chinese authorities have arrested 26 people who were part of an iPhone smuggling operation between Hong Kong and the mainland city of Shenzhen. The criminals used aerial drones to connect two 660-foot cables between two high-rise buildings, and then passed as many as 15,000 iPhones per night across the border.
A mother in China is furious after her toddler managed to lock her iPhone for 47 years. The two-year-old boy in Shanghai disabled his mother’s iPhone for the equivalent of 47 years after playing with it and repeatedly entering the wrong passcode, according to a Chinese media report. The phone was given to the child to watch educational videos online. The mother returned home one day and when she checked the phone found it had been disabled for 25 million minutes, equivalent to 47 years.
Apple store technician in Shanghai was quoted as saying that the woman could either wait years to try to input her passcode again or wipe the contents of the handset clean and then reinstall files. The woman decided to erase all the phone data and do a factory reset. The woman has been waiting for two months and the problem has not been rectified.
The report sparked a debate online in China. Some parents said the mother should never have allowed her child to play with the phone alone. Others said she should have backed up the data stored on her phone elsewhere so that if something went wrong she could easily retrieve it.
This year and last, Samsung, Apple, and, recently, Google set the bar higher for smartphones pushing their price bar higher than ever before. It was somewhat necessary to recoup the costs of R&D, production, marketing, and the like. It also helped inflate the smartphones’ status as premium products to die for. It appears that they may be digging their own graves in the long run.
High-end components, of course, are more expensive than more common ones, but the rate of price increase doesn’t seem proportional to the build costs. The gap seems to grow even more for each new generation of smartphones.
Business considerations aside, this rise in prices has a double-edged effect on consumers. On the one hand, they paint the picture of a product that only a few can afford, which has the ironic effect of making it even more desirable. Apple has been doing it for years.
On the other hand, it is actually and factually something very few people can afford. That ultimately meant that fewer people actually bought the new phones, which may have contributed to last month’s decline in smartphone shipments last quarter, when the most expensive non-luxury phones shipped for the first time.
The lower sales numbers become an even bigger problem in the context of the current practice of releasing flagship smartphones every year. Some, like Samsung, even release twice a year. Others release multiple ones at the same time or spread them over the months. Long story short, there are dozens of new phones every year.
The smartphone market is changing and so is user habits. Smartphone vendors aren’t, although some, like LG and HTC, may have noticed, even though they already had lower prices. Samsung may have seen clues, but it isn’t one to change directions so quickly. Apple is one that’s unlikely to change at all. High-end smartphones are becoming luxury items that very few can afford. And whatever few can afford, very few will buy. And that may spell trouble for the companies that rely on them to survive.
Last he San Carlos Cooperative equipped around 2,000 buses in Ecuador with a text message alarm system that responds to sexual harassment reports. When harassment occurs, victims can text ‘ACOSO’ (‘harassment’) to a designated number, along with the number of the bus they’re traveling on. The organization immediately notifies the driver, who makes a loudspeaker announcement. At the same time, police are called to board the bus at the next bus stop, and a psychologist reaches out to the victim.
The issue of sexual harassment on public transport is particularly horrifying in Latin America. But this is a global issue, too. Research suggests 80% of all women experience harassment on public transport, while 90% of these incidents go unreported.
Top officials from major U.S. intelligence agencies including the CIA, the FBI, and the National Security Agency (NSA) have suggested people should not use phones made by Chinese manufacturers Huawei or ZTE. They have“Deep concerns,” over potential security risks claimed to come from using telecoms devices made by companies, “beholden to foreign governments.
There was a discussion at an annual meeting about various threats to the United States from around the world. A wide range of subjects, including and primarily Russian influence on U.S. politics and North Korea’s nuclear program, right down to drugs entering the U.S. from Mexico. Cyber security and the use of technology in espionage, however, repeatedly permeated talks.
Director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, made the opening remarks. He said the United States is under attack from, “Entities using cyber to penetrate virtually every major action that takes place in the United States,” and called cyber threats one of his greatest concerns and top priorities. Coats singled out Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea as posing the greatest threats.
Huawei’s new flagship phone, the Mate 10 Pro, is available for pre-order in the US despite not having any deals with US carriers — so to get some attention, it seems the company has stooped to having fake reviews for the new phone planted online, as spotted by 9to5Google.
The fake reviews, are hosted on the Best Buy website, probably the result of a contest Huawei ran on Facebook. On January 31st, the company posted to a Facebook group with over 60,000 members, asking for people to leave comments on the Best Buy pre-sale page in exchange for a chance to beta test a Mate 10 Pro. The original post has been deleted, but 9to5Google obtained a screenshot before it went down. “Tell us how to why (sic) you WANT to own the Mate 10 Pro in the review section of our pre-sale Best Buy retail page,” the post states.
Connected devices are working their way into the healthcare field. Doctors and nurses are starting to use wearable tech to help monitor their patients from afar — using technology to collect patient data that would usually be taken at the doctor’s office.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is working with cloud-based technology company Medidata to develop activity trackers that gather data on cancer patients, logging their day-to-day actions in hopes doctors will find it easier to treat and potentially one day diagnose cancer.
The band from AliveCor just earned FDA approval to read heart rates through the Apple Watch
India has a severe shortage of psychiatrists and as a result, mental illness in rural areas remain undiagnosed or does not get the proper treatment. Indian researchers have developed a virtual tool to help address this problem. It has been found that it can be used by non-psychiatrists and is as effective as a diagnosis by specialists. The expert system is called clinical decision support system (CDSS) for diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders was developed at the Department of Psychiatry of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh.
The tool covers 18 common mental disorders-delirium, dementia, mania, depression, dysthymia, psychosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias, reaction to severe stress and adjustment disorder, somatoform disorder, dissociative disorder, neurasthenia, sexual dysfunctions, alcohol dependence, substance dependence and mental retardation.
Mental health care is mostly unavailable or inaccessible in most parts of India. About 90 percent patients in need of psychiatric treatment do not get it due to lack of psychiatrists. That gap is filled by creating a virtual psychiatrist. The expert system can assist a non-medical person to interview a patient with mental disorders leading to an automated diagnosis. The ICT technology is very simple to use, just a computer, broadband internet, Skype and a telephone line. Telepsychiatry holds the potential to solve the massive and intertwined problems of underdiagnosing and undertreating persons with mental illness and the lack of trained workforce at the grassroots level.
Klemens Schillinger’s Substitute Phones are made of high-quality, heavy-duty plastic designed to mimic the look and feel of a traditional smartphone. The devices feature stone beads which are designed to simulate the various gestures one would make on their smartphone. They’re like phone-shaped fidget spinners. The same tactile urge to touch and swipe like your actual smartphone does, is fulfilled, but will give you a break from the constant text messages and notifications.The calming limitation can also offer help for smartphone addicts to cope with withdrawal symptoms.
A gang of thieves robbed an Apple Store in central London during the early hours of Monday morning, November 13. The gang helped themselves to the company’s latest smartphones, as well as anything else they could lay their hands on.
A security guard was reportedly threatened with a hammer as 10 thieves on five mopeds smashed their way into the store on Regent Street just after midnight.
An eyewitness told the BBC the suspects appeared to have difficulties smashing the store’s locked glass doors but then took just three minutes to grab the goods before fleeing on the mopeds, though one was abandoned at the scene.
Cops said mostly iPhones, iPads, and smartwatches were stolen in the heist, though it’s not yet clear how much the haul was worth. No arrests have been made.
The robotic dog will feature a bevy of sensors including a camera embedded in the nose, and will go on sale in Japan on Jan. 11 for 198,000 yen ($1,750), excluding tax, plus at least 90,000 yen for a three-year data plan,
The newest developments show that using sodium, zinc, and aluminum constructed batteries make the mini-grid a solid possibility for providing 24-7, reliable and clean energy to entire small rural towns.
New materials such as Graphene are emerging and are going to change the world forever. Think about the Bronze Age…the Iron Age—these newest materials each contain a single layer of atoms and are two-dimensional. The potential positive impacts of evolving materials are limitless and bound only to the reach of scientists and how far they choose to push.
Self-driving cars are already in the here-and-now, but just how soon will be helping to improve the lives of handicapped and elderly will change the quality of life for millions.
From your own personal robot assistant that can anticipate your every need and perform tasks at your whim, to entire AI environments—this could be affordable to everyone with the emerging availability of Open AI ecosystems.
In addition to the $10 million donation, Verizon is waiving South Texas customers’ data, talk, and text charges, and giving prepaid customers an extra 3GB from August 26th to September 15th – a one-week extension over what had previously been announced. The company is also deploying Cells on Wheels (COWs) and Cells on Light Trucks (COLTS) to supplement mobile coverage, working with government agencies to help first responders with communications services, staffing shelters with Verizon employees to assist responders and residents alike, matching employees’ donations, and offering emergency financial assistance to employees. Plus, employees will receive up to a week of paid volunteer time to volunteer for the Harvey recovery effort in the coming months.
JPMorgan launched a partnership with PayPal, bolstering both companies’ digital payment networks.
JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) and PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL), two global payments leaders, have announced a partnership that will make it easy to add Chase cards via Chase Pay to PayPal accounts, and will soon offer customers the option of paying with Ultimate Rewards points when linked through Chase Pay at PayPal’s millions of online merchants.
In addition, PayPal will have the ability to process payments on ChaseNet, a unique, closed-loop payment netwo
The most recent round of bank earnings provides a window into the shift to mobile services. Bank of America and JPMorgan both expanded their mobile customer bases by double-digit percentages versus a year ago.
Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia have developed a new self-destruct mechanism that can destroy electronics within 10 seconds wirelessly or by triggering certain sensors.
The researchers are now planning to roll out the technology targeting government agencies and corporations who need an extra layer of security for computing devices that might get lost or stolen.
The first customers who will receive this new technology will be: Intelligence communities, corporations, banks, hedge funds, social security administrations, and collectors who handle massive data.
The KAUST researchers are now working on different models to trigger the self-destruct mechanism. One model uses GPS sensors for the trigger if the device is moved more than 50 metres away from its starting point. Another uses a light sensor to automatically trigger the self-destruct mechanism when the device is illuminated by a desk lamp. That test mimics a security scenario where a top secret device is moved out of a box and exposed to light. More testing will be conducted before launching the final product. These include more localized self-destruct options that require adjustment to the polymer layer in terms of its thickness and different heater locations allowing it to target specific components on a device such as a laptop’s memory chips.
The overall cost of adding the self-destruct security mechanism would likely be about $15 or less, depending on volume.
The pressure to ensure accessibility, affordability, quality and sustainability, while leveraging technology in healthcare, will be on in the coming year.
As healthcare moves into the future, the quest for quality and affordability continues to be the key driver for transformation.Traditional healthcare is often said to be more “disease-care” than “healthcare”, with healthcare systems focusing on caring for the sick, expanding and improving infrastructure, and figuring out long-term financing for healthcare in an aging population. Increasingly, both medical science as well as consumers are recognizing that prevention is better than cure, especially for chronic diseases.
There has also been a overabundance of health and wellness apps – from nutrition apps to fitness trackers monitored by wearable sensors – that support this shift.Such technology not only monitors and offers insights on a person’s physiological status, but also recommends nearby healthy eateries and food selections, fitness-related events as well as exercise facilities.
This places personal health and preventative care rightfully back into the individual’s hands, shifting the outcome towards a more active and healthier community.
Health care’s resistance to transform is likely bolstered by concerns about patient data privacy, a dependence on highly specialized skills, professional ethics and a traditional emphasis on the human touch in the practice of medicine.
In Singapore, all hospitals have gone digital to a large extent, and the Government is encouraging nursing homes and GP (general practitioner) clinics across the island to follow suit.
With an Electronic Medical Record system, real-time Integrated Health Information Systems and an automated inpatient pharmacy already implemented, the next step for hospitals will be widespread telehealth services for discharged patients and the elderly in the community.
Robotics customized for the healing environment can improve patient care while relieving manpower shortages, and provide a better working environment.With everything including life-support systems hyper-connected in the Internet of Things (Io T) , cyber security will become of utmost importance.
In order to adapt to societal needs, modern healthcare professionals need to be well-educated in the management of technological capabilities and deliver patient-centric solutions.
With The Future of digital Grocery shopping & technology taking jobs brace yourself.Chicken producer Tyson Foods announced on Monday that it was starting a $150 million venture capital fund because tech is altering the way people do everything, including how they purchase groceries. Little Caesar’s, which has basically automated everything except for someone to open the door and greet customers. In addition, Burger King and McDonald’s are implementing kiosks in restaurants where you can order your food as a way to “wipe out” part-time employees.
According to a report by Instrumental, the aggressive design strategy of cramming the biggest possible battery into the smallest possible frame is what caused the Galaxy Note 7 to explode. The large battery inside a 5.7-inch device with all the other features, including a separate slot for the S Pen to fit in, has reportedly been the cause of these explosions. To fit the large battery, Samsung left virtually no space (less than 0.1mm in some places) around the circumference, when the company ideally should have left a 10 percent gap for the battery to expand over time. The compression of the battery thanks to the stress of being placed in pockets, alongside the natural swelling, is reportedly the driving factor causing many Samsung Galaxy Note 7 units to catch fire. Samsung lost billions from the recall.
HOOKED lets you read amazing chat stories FREE. These are gripping, edge-of-your seat thrillers that will keep you reading for hours. Or, write your own story and get lots of fans!very HOOKED story is told as a bite-sized text message conversation, as if you were reading someone else’s chat history.
HOOKED also lets you create your own chat stories from your iPhone. Share stories from your life, funny texts or creepy crawly conversations from your worst nightmares. HOOKED is your very own chat diary, for the world to read!
So with Hooked, they’re short stories that take the form of text message conversations. Instead of turning pages, you tap the screen to bring on the next message. The app offers a limited number of free stories but charges a subscription fee (starting at $2.99 per week) for unlimited access.
This week, Quartz reports the service has grown to more than 1.8 million downloads, mostly by the company’s target audience of 13-24 year olds.
The Following survivalist Apps are said to get you out of serious situations. These are the apps you should keep installed in case of emergency.
You hit the panic button and a message goes out to the emergency contacts you’ve specified in advance, together with a link to your current location. The paid upgrade also enables emergency services calling capability.
Red Panic Button (freemium) for Android and iOS
This First Aid app can help, giving detailed guidance for all kinds of problems, from asthma to a heart attack, and you can also call up the address of the closest medical center from inside the app itself.You can call 911 from inside the app as well and access various other handy resources.
You hold down the blue button if you feel vulnerable, then let go and enter a PIN when you’ve reached safety. If the PIN isn’t entered when the software button is released, then the app sends out an alert.The alert is sent to the local police who will be on their way using the location info provided by your phone—you don’t need to do anything else. The only downside is there’s a monthly subscription fee of $2.99 (or $29.99/year), but you can try it for free for 30 days.
SafeTrek ($2.99/month) for Android and iOS
There’s a Panic Alert feature built into the app that will take care of messaging the friends and family you choose via voicemail, email and notifications if you should get into trouble. The people you alert will also be able to see your last known location on a map.
Life360 Family Locator (free) for Android and iOS
No matter what life throws at you, this app can help. Adapted from the book written by a British SAS instructor, it covers just about every scenario imaginable when it comes to survival, from the berries you can eat to the knots you need to tie to the dangers to look out for.
SAS Survival Guide ($5.99) for Android and iOS
The Tor Project has announced the release of its prototype for a Tor-enabled smartphone—an Android phone complete with privacy and security in mind.
Tor developer Mike Perry who designed the phone, says they are trying to demonstrate that it is possible to build a phone that respects user choice and freedom, vastly reduces vulnerability surface, and sets a direction for the ecosystem with respect to how to meet the needs of high-security users. To protect user privacy, the prototype runs OrWall, the Android firewall that routes traffic over Tor, and blocks all other traffic. Users can punch a hole through the firewall for voice traffic, for instance, to enable Signal
The prototype called “Mission Improbable,” is now ready to download and install only works on Google Nexus and Pixel hardware.
McDonald’s is planning to become more modern by updating it’s U.S. restaurants with self-service kiosk ordering, mobile payments, “smart” menu boards, custom sandwiches and table service.
About 500 of McDonald’s more than 14,000 U.S. restaurants have made the changes with Florida, New York and Southern California being the first regions to adopt the new format. Restaurants in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago and Seattle will start making the switch next year. McDonald’s will pilot mobile ordering in the United States in the first half of 2017 and do a national rollout in the second half, Chris Kempczinski, a former Kraft Foods executive who will take over as McDonald’s USA president on Jan. 1. Mobile ordering and payment will be added to the McDonald’s app, which has been downloaded by 16 million people.
The company wants new food and tech elements in addition to the restaurant makeovers. McDonald’s executives said that the equipment is not expected to reduce the number of workers in restaurants since traditional order takers would be redeployed to help customers learn to operate kiosks and to deliver food to tables.
On the healthier side Mcdonalds USA already has switched to chicken raised without antibiotics important to human health, replaced margarine with butter in its Egg McMuffins, and swapped sugar for high-fructose corn syrup in its hamburger buns.
Most recently, it said it would fully transition to cage-free eggs in the United States and Canada over the next decade.
A new survey released by salary benchmarking site Emolument revealed that the least educated people in the professional world are also the least concerned about the risk of technology taking their jobs.
Emolument surveyed 900 people working across “several industries and countries” and found that those with no university education were least likely to think that technology is a risk to their job. Just 18% of people with no degree answered yes when asked: “Is technology putting your job at risk?”
Emolument
Recent research from the University of Oxford’s policy school, the Oxford Martin School titled “Technology at work: V2.0,” revealed that 35% of jobs in the UK are at risk of being replaced by automation, 47% of US jobs are at risk, and across the OECD as a whole an average of 57% of jobs are at risk. In China, the risk of automation is as high as 77%.
Many of the jobs at risk include low-skilled service jobs like call centres or in manufacturing industries
Emolument
World Economic Forum (WEF) warned that in the mean time, while this is pushing us into “the fourth industrial revolution” and transforming the labour markets beyond all recognition from decades ago, it will lead to a net loss of over 5 million jobs in 15 major developed and emerging economies by 2020. This includes countries like Australia, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US.
A report from The Guardian, says a number of individuals who suffered property damage when their Note 7 exploded say Samsung is resisting paying compensation.
After a number of replacement phones that was deemed safe after a recall — caught fire and sent at least one person to the hospital Samsung suspends the production of Galaxy Note 7.The report comes from the Korean news agency Yonhap. The New York Times corroborates the news citing a person familiar with the production stoppage. At least 5 replacement phones caught fire last week.
Pokémon Go, along with its growing popularity is a steady stream of bizarre news stories and personal anecdotes of near-death experiences. First there was the Australian police warning users not to physically enter the police station when collecting items, and earlier today Washington’s Department of Transportation warned against “pokemoning” while driving. The mobile game is also filling up with reports of personal injury incurred while exploring the real world for digital creatures.
Now, a teenager has discovered a dead body floating in her hometown river. Shayla Wiggins, a 19-year-old Riverton, Wyoming resident, discovered a man floating in the Wind River early this morning when trying to catch pokémon from a “natural water resource,” she told KTVQ.com. Wiggins called 911 and local police arrived on the scene to retrieve the body. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the discovery in a press release given to The Verge. It notably excludes the phrase “Pokémon Go”:
The death appeared to be accidental in nature and possibly that of a drowning. There is no evidence at this time that would indicate foul play. Evidence located at the scene has led investigators to believe the man went into the water at the location he was found. The body was located in about three feet of water on the east side of the Wind River Bridge
Florida resident Thomas S. Ross filed a lawsuit against Apple this week, claiming that the iPhone, iPad, and iPod infringe upon his 1992 invention of a hand-drawn “Electronic Reading Device” (ERD). The court filing claims the plaintiff was “first to file a device so designed and aggregated,” nearly 15 years before the first iPhone.
Ross designed three hand-drawn technical drawings of the device, between May 23, 1992 and September 10, 1992, primarily consisting of flat rectangular panels with rounded corners that “embodied a fusion of design and function in a way that never existed prior to 1992.”
What Ross contemplated, was a device that could allow one to read stories, novels, news articles, as well as look at pictures, watch video presentations, or even movies, on a flat touch-screen that was back-lit. He further imagined that it could include communication functions, such as a phone and a modem, input/output capability, so as to allow the user to write notes, and be capable of storing reading and writing material utilizing internal and external storage media. He also imagined that the device would have batteries and even be equipped with solar panels.
Ross applied for a utility patent to protect his invention in November 1992, however, the application was declared abandoned in April 1995 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office after he failed to pay the required application fees. He also filed to copyright his technical drawings with the U.S. Copyright Office in 2014.
The plaintiff claims that he continues to experience “great and irreparable injury that cannot fully be compensated or measured in money,” he has demanded a jury trial and is seeking restitution no less than $10 billion and a royalty of up to 1.5% on Apple’s worldwide sales of infringing devices.
New York City has a new program launched in February called Link NYC, that aims to bring free, fast wireless service to the city’s millions of residents. LinkNYC is designed to be the fastest and most wide-reaching such project in the country when it expands to cover the whole city in the next 10 years.The system takes advantage of the infrastructure behind New York’s now-outdated pay phones. Touchscreen kiosks are sprouting up where the iconic phones used to be. The kiosks function as public Internet terminals, free Internet phones, and access points for the citywide wi-fi network.
Both networks require users to input an email address to connect, but for now, only new Apple devices can access the private network. Those who can’t afford broadband access would be most likely to take advantage of a fast, free option for Internet access like LinkNYC.
The service’s privacy policy says that when users access LinkNYC networks, they agree to share information about their devices, browsing and search history, and the ways they interact with the web pages they visit. It also says that the system preserves user data for a yea.
A spokesperson for LinkNYC says ,detailed browsing information is gathered only on people who are surfing the web on public Link kiosks stationed on city sidewalks. Two pieces of information is gathered on its users: An email address (which is never verified) and a MAC address, a unique string of letters and numbers that identifies Internet-connected devices. Which is seemingly less personal information than what traditional Internet service providers and telecom services collect.
Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper made it clear that the internet of things – devices like thermostats, cameras and other appliances that are increasingly connected to the internet – are providing ample opportunity for intelligence agencies to spy on targets, and possibly the masses. Samsung sparked controversy last year after announcing a television that would listen to everything said in the room it’s in and in the fine print literally warned people not to talk about sensitive information in front of it.
Other Gadgets are spying as well.
Other television models, Xbox Kinect, Amazon Echo and GM’s OnStar program that tracks car owners’ driving patterns. Even a new Barbie has the ability to spy on you – it listens to Barbie owners to respond but also sends what it hears back to the mothership at Mattel. Researchers at Princeton University have found that, Google’s parent company, Alphabet popular Nest thermostat was leaking the zip codes of its users over the internet. This data was transmitted unencrypted, or in the clear, meaning that anyone sniffing traffic could have intercepted it, according to the researchers. Sharx security camera transmits video feeds in the clear, allowing pretty much anyone with access to the owner’s network to intercept and watch them over the internet.
Oculus Touch devices are used here
This illustrative look and feel, was created by the Story Studio team that built an internal production tool allowing the film’s illustrators to paint entire scenes in VR using Oculus Touch,
LinkNYC has installed its first Wi-Fi hotspot.The program, currently in in its beta phase, will have 7,500 Links installed across all five boroughs of the city. It also offers device charging, and will soon provide free phone calls as well as a touchscreen tablet for mobile browsing. The company will make money through the two 55-inch digital displays for ads and public announcements installed at each Link. These displays are predicted to generate over $500 million both for the city of New York and for the company. The company rolling out the Wi-Fi, called CityBridge, also has a privacy policy, promising not to share or sell any personal information collected through the network.
Question: Would LinkNYC ensure an easier way for terrorist to communicate without being traced?
While These hotspots are said to bring in cash what about safety?
One of the world’s biggest payment providers is researching how to boost the security of your transactions with a new biometric service that could end PIN numbers and passwords.Visa Europe Collab, the development arm of Visa, has teamed up with biometrics start-up Sthaler and global payments company Worldpay to trial ‘Fingopay’, a new form of payments utilising finger vein technology.
MIT researchers led by professor Dina Katabi has developed software that uses variations in radio signals to recognize human silhouettes through walls and track their movements.
Researchers say the technology will be able to help health care providers and families keep closer tabs on toddlers and the elderly, and it could be a new strategic tool for law enforcement and the military.
The device displays the signal on a screen, where the person’s movements can be tracked in real time. It depicts the target as a red dot moving around the room, occupying a chair and speeding up or slowing down.
The wireless signals used to track a person’s motions also can measure the individual’s breathing and heart rate — and potentially identify the person based on the shape of his or her skeleton. The technology raises questions about privacy rights and intrusion, and the team gave serious thought to those implications.
The user interface will be friendly for setting it up and using it at home, but it will be very hard to use it to track someone just by pointing it at their wall” A company set up to market the technology, aka Emerald, will spin out of the MIT lab next year, with a goal of marketing the device early in 2017, and it’s expected to sell for $250-$300. The team is working to make the device smaller and to develop an interface that will let users configure it through a smartphone app.
Although NYPD has X ray vans and other x ray equipment
WHATs NEXT?
A report released Monday by the Pew Research Center. Sixty seven percent of U.S. homes have broadband connectivity, down from 70 percent in 2013 — the first significant decline in the number of homes with broadband connections, according to Pew’s new Home Broadband report. The percentage of users who connect to the Internet using only smartphones, is now at 13 percent, up from 8 percent two years ago.
Thirty-three percent of those surveyed said the reason they no longer have broadband in their homes is because of the cost.
New ways of sending data are top of the agenda, and new technology is being developed to speed up the process. Advancements will include the transferring of data between a device and a light source, as well as via audio frequencies that cannot be heard by the human ear, but can be read by a smartphone speaker.Devices will soon be able to deliver data at a quicker rate, while more everyday items will be connected to the Internet. Investors are jumping all over the opportunities abound when it comes to the Internet of Things and Big Data.
Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting Apple devices and you can expect more of the activity in 2016. Expect to see a rise in attacks on its operating systems, security experts suggest. According to security firm Symantec, the amount of malware aimed at Apple’s mobile operating system (iOS) has more than doubled this year, while threats to Mac computers also rose. Security firm FireEye also expects 2016 to be a bumper year for Apple malware.
Systems such as Apple Pay could be targeted, it predicts. Apple is an obvious target for cybercriminals because its products are so popular. While the total number of threats targeting Apple devices remains low compared with Windows and Android, Symantec is seeing the range of threats multiply. Users can no longer be complacent about security, as the number of infections and new threats rise.
Hackers are also increasingly targeting corporations, where Mac use is now more prevalent. A corporate espionage group known as Butterfly which attacked multi-billion dollar companies in 2015 developed malware tools that attacked both Windows and Apple computers.
Algorithmic personality detection– life insurance underwriters are attempting to assess your personality — via your magazine and website subscriptions, the photos you post to social media, and more — in order to determine how risky an investment you are? Some lenders have used personality algorithms to predict your future financial transactions. (The data show that if you look at two people with the same professional and personal circumstances, the one with a higher college G.P.A. will be more likely to pay off a debt.) Algorithms can trace personal data in order to assess an employee’s predicted success at work: for example, how likely he or she is to bounce around jobs.
Bots-keep us company, and help us track what others are doing. News organizations will soon use bots to sort and tag articles in real time. We’ll see advanced bots manipulating social media and stocks simultaneously.
Glitches- Expect more “glitches” in 2016
Backdoors– Backdoors are lines of code developers intentionally install in firmware so that manufacturers can safely upgrade devices and operating systems. Some government officials will be advocating for a set of “golden keys,” allowing law enforcement to use backdoors as they wish. This won’t just affect companies, such as Facebook and Google. In 2016, any company that stores customer data could be asked to create a backdoor. This might include banks, advocacy groups, travel agencies, hotel companies and more. Opponents argue that the simple act of creating a backdoor would leave ordinary people vulnerable to everyday attacks by even unskilled hackers.
Blockchain–The blockchain is a sort of distributed consensus system, where no one person controls all the data. It’s the technogy behind bitcoin.Blockstream recently launched its first prototype “sidechain,” which functions as a separate ledger with its own code. Sidechains allow for easier authentication. Blockstream and the sidechain projects that follow will turn the blockchain into a universal platform and disrupt entire industries.The blockchain enables people to participate in “trustless” transactions, eliminating the need for an intermediary between buyers and sellers
Drone lanes- discussions taking place about whether or not the airspace should be regulated for hobbyists and commercial drone pilots, which will prompt difficult conversations between technologists, researchers, drone manufacturers, businesses and the aviation industry, since each has an economic stake in the future of unmanned vehicles.
Quantum computing-Quantum computers most powerful than anything built to date — they require special algorithms capable of doing new things. .
Augmented knowledge. . Scientists at the University of Southern California have been working on a cognitive neural prosthesis that can restore and enhance memory function. This research can help victims of stroke or traumatic brain injury regain their cognitive abilities and motor function. Rather than having to relearn, they need only reload those memories.
A new streaming service called Broadway HD is aiming to extend the reach of Broadway and Broadway-caliber shows to anyone, anywhere. While it’s free to subscribe to the service, most shows require a one-time payment (around $8) to stream — though there are a few free options, mainly short, behind-the-scenes stuff. Broadway HD is a trendy idea, especially for those who live far away from New York . Although, Broadway HD’s selection might be too limited to attract most casual theater fans. It currently has around 100 offerings, which are drawn from Broadway Worldwide’s Direct catalog, as well as BBC Worldwide North America and public television station WNET.
Swatch has partnered with Visa on a watch capable of making smartphone payments with the swipe of your wrist.
The Swatch Bellamy, scheduled to launch in early 2016, can be used anywhere contactless Visa payments are accepted. It looks much like any other Swatch watch, but has an NFC (near-field communications) chip inside, giving it its payments power. Unlike other smartphones, the Bellamy doesn’t connect to the Internet and makes payments without using the watch’s battery
Ongoing Information & Trends: A Weblog 
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