Friday 30 March 2018

If you use MyFitnessPal, now's a good time to change your password

Another day, another data hack – this time it's the MyFitnessPal platform that's been hit, owned by the health and fitness company Under Armour. Details on a total of 150 million users have been leaked out into the wild, it's just been announced.

The data includes usernames, email addresses, and hashed passwords, which means the passwords shouldn't be accessible. The key word there though is "shouldn't", because while this type of hashing is known to be very secure under most circumstances, hackers can sometimes sniff out vulnerabilities if it hasn't been properly applied.

In other words, you should change your passwords right now if you use MyFitnessPal or an app that connects to the MyFitnessPal network (Map My Run, Calorie Counter and so on). Affected users have already been emailed, Under Armour says.

Under Armour investigates

Of course you should also change the login details any accounts that use the same password as your MyFitnessPal one – but you're not doing that, are you? You should also double-check your accounts for any signs of recent logins or suspicious activity.

"We quickly took steps to determine the nature and scope of the issue," says Under Armour. "We are working with leading data security firms to assist in our investigation. We have also notified and are coordinating with law enforcement authorities."

With data privacy under the spotlight right now, this is an even worse time than normal to reveal details of another breach. Hopefully, the holes can be plugged before any serious damage is done using the leaked user information.



source http://www.techradar.com/news/if-you-use-myfitnesspal-nows-a-good-time-to-change-your-password

Raspberry Pi prodigy can't get funding for asthma-warning device because he's 11

Arnav Sharma is only 11 years old but he’s already achieved more than most people twice his age. 

When he was nine years old he invented AsthmaPi – a tool that detects asthma triggers, based on a platform using the Raspberry Pi – and now that he’s got a couple more years under his belt he’s invented a tool for dementia, and an education tool to teach children about food waste and sustainability. 

His work on AsthmaPi won him the BT Young Pioneer award at Tech4Good 2016, but things haven’t all been smooth sailing for the impressive youngster; he is apparently hitting a fairly significant hurdle in getting funding because of his age.

Not just a number

Arnav is a polite, unassuming young man who we sat down with at an event to celebrate the 2018 Tech4Good awards. As he’s so young, he was joined by his mother Dr Mihika Sharma, who is obviously a big influence in the boy’s life.

Arnav learnt the skills necessary to create AsthmaPi from YouTube; Mihika told us that both she and her husband (who’s also a doctor) are actively involved in Arnav’s education, rewarding his curiosity with at-home experiments and lessons. 

But before it starts seeming like the influence of pushy parents, Mihika seems as surprised as anyone that her son has learnt the things he has:

“As parents we don't know any coding, or anything from the engineering side,” Mihika said,  “We explained to him what asthma is, and what dementia is, but he learned all the coding languages online by himself. He knows C++, Python, and Ruby. He built the hardware, we just buy whatever he asks us to.”

You can check out Arnav talking about his invention in the video below:

And it’s not just coding that Arnav has taught himself, he’s also used YouTube to get to level five on piano, violin, and guitar, all without parental instruction. 

An area where Mihika does have to get involved is in dealing with companies on Arnav’s behalf. Apparently they are having problems getting successfully funded because Arnav can’t do pitch meetings on account of being a child. 

It’s an interesting problem, but on Mihika is keen to overcome as she believes AsthmaPi could save the lives of children. 

Getting started

We asked Arnav if he had any advice for inventors (young or old) starting out, and his major tip was about proper preparation: 

“Before you get into making whatever great idea you have, research it properly, plan it out, be organized. I learnt this lesson the hard way. I bought an analogue sensor without knowing the PI only supports digital sensors, so I had to buy an analogue to digital converter and lots of extra hardware, and then it ended up not working.”

So it’s good to know that even the best do occasionally make mistakes. 

With the news around YouTube and children recently being so focused on the harm that can be caused by leaving children alone with the streaming service, it's great to hear about the positives that the platform can create. 



source http://www.techradar.com/news/raspberry-pi-prodigy-cant-get-funding-for-asthma-warning-device-because-hes-11

Thursday 29 March 2018

Terry Myerson is no longer with Microsoft

Microsoft is going through ground-breaking changes. Terry Myerson, the man behind Windows’ growth so far, has resigned. Myerson’s departure also marks the end of WDG (Windows Devices Group) from the company’s portfolio. The WDG is no more and the group is being split into “Experiences and Devices”, which will be led by Rajesh Jha, Executive VP of Microsoft. Jha is a relatively unknown name in the industry.

Furthermore, WDG’s other segment is being moved to Cloud+AI, which is to be led by Scott Guthrie, another Microsoft veteran. The move was first reported by Mary Jo Foley, who’s known to be accurate with information on Microsoft.

What’s even more interesting is that Windows and Azure platforms are being merged under Jason Zander, who will be in charge of Roanne Sones, manager for Strategy and Ecosystem for Microsoft.

All this marks a major move for Microsoft. And this probably signals an end for its devices' initiative. While it’s unclear at the moment, this likely means that the rumoured Surface Phone is no longer going to be a reality. Under Satya Nadella, Microsoft had been shifting its focus to cloud and AI platforms, leveraging AI through its Garage initiative.

Myerson’s departure could mean 

a new road for Microsoft, where the company focuses on leveraging Google’s Android platforms to simply get more users onto its services.



source http://www.techradar.com/news/terry-myerson-is-no-longer-with-microsoft

Amazon's next big thing could be checking accounts for teens

Not satisfied with being the biggest online retailer on the planet, Amazon has its sights set on a new product for a new demographic: checking accounts for teens.

Sources speaking with Bloomberg say Amazon is in early talks with banks about offering a checking account-like product to those too young to open one at a traditional bank without their parents' permission.

Amazon apparently plans to aim the accounts squarely at teens, having it appeal to that age group as well as people who don't have a credit card. Amazon Alexa could also feature in the product, further appealing to teens who are growing up with voice assistants.

Amazon has already waded into the financial service waters with Amazon Cash, which lets shoppers add physical cash to their Amazon account by visiting brick-and-mortar stores.

The new checking account product would be more streamlined than this, and offer an alternative to those who don't have bank accounts to begin with.

What are you buying?

One issue Amazon could run into is that teens prefer going to physical stores rather than shopping online. The age-old tradition of hanging out at the mall with your friends apparently hasn't faded in the digital age. 

An additional concern we see is the issue of privacy. Amazon would have access to a lot of personal information about young people before they turn 18, including, of course, their spending habits.

This would be good for Amazon's business, but raises the question of how much information we turn over to tech companies in the name of convenience.

There's no word yet on when Amazon's checking accounts would go live, but we'll keep you posted.



source http://www.techradar.com/news/amazons-next-big-thing-could-be-checking-accounts-for-teens

Best vacuum cleaners in Australia: from cordless Dyson to robot Roomba

You know what sucks? A good vacuum. And we're here to find the perfect one for your everyday needs. We know that finding the best vacuum cleaner can, well, suck – there are just so many models to choose from, and who really wants to spend their time finding an appliance that means more work around the house?

The thing is, vacuum cleaners have come a long way since the days where you had to haul out that massive corded behemoth from your hall closet and plug it into a new socket every few minutes. Compared to some of the slick vacuums on the market today, that's practically medieval. 

Today's vacuums are much slimmer, and while most are still controlled by hand there's a growing number that have robotic brains and can clean up all on their own. Many of today's vacuums also run on battery power, so you won't have to worry about dragging cords all around your house. 

While it's still a 'chore' in the traditional sense, vacuum cleaning can now be done in far less time and with far greater ease thanks to cordless vacuums. But if even that sounds too hard, you'll likely be chuffed to learn that most robot vacuums can be set on a schedule, so they'll even clean your house while you're out living it up (or working).

It's true that high-end vacuums can be quite costly, but they can also be the sort of investment where the benefits become almost immediately clear. As soon as you've experienced the added ease and efficiency first-hand, it's hard to go back to anything else. 

Whether you're after a lightweight cordless, a super-powerful upright or the kind of brainy robot cleaner that'd give Will Smith night-terrors, these are the best vacuum cleaners currently available in Australia. They all suck, but in the best possible way.

Dyson's so confident in the sucking prowess of its newest vacuum, the Dyson Cyclone V10, that the company is ceasing the production of new corded vacuums going forward. When you consider how many corded vacs it still sells, that's a pretty big statement to make. Thankfully, the Cyclone V10 can back it up – and then some. 

Simply put, the Cyclone V10 is the best vacuum Dyson has ever made. Dyson has redefined its cyclone technology to produce more suction power than ever; the new V10 digital motor is 20% more powerful than the previous V8, and, we can assure, it sucks a lot (we mean that as a compliment).

You'll notice a number of crucial changes between the V10 and older V models. For example, the barrel is now front-facing, and all attachments connect here directly. This design allows for greater suction efficiency, according to Dyson. The V10 is smarter than ever before, too, and can even detect differences in altitude, air pressure and temperature, and auto-adjust itself for maximum performance. 

Prices and models vary across regions, but needless to say, you pay for the Cyclone V10's souped-up suction. And while the Cyclone V10 is more powerful than ever and boasts a more energy-dense battery than previous models, putting it on the highest setting will drain the battery in about five minutes. At the lowest setting, however, you'll get up to 60 minutes of use, and that should be plenty for your everyday messes. 

Read our full Dyson Cyclone V10 review

Dyson might be dominating the handheld vacuum arena at the moment, but when it comes to the robot vacuum space, many people rate iRobot and its Roomba 980 vacuum cleaner at a similar level of esteem. 

With its low-clearance design and smartphone app control functionality, this dirt-sucking disc is intelligent enough to go about its business in your home without much prompting on your part. The Roomba 980 will intelligently map your home for problem spots, kicking into a high-power mode whenever it rolls over carpets, and weaving around chair legs and other potential obstacles. 

Making things even easier, you can manage the Roomba 980's daily schedule from the device's accompanying iOS and Android apps, allowing you to set the time and duration of its cleaning routine however you see fit. You will have to empty it out after each use, though.

With an impressive two hour battery life, it'll also manage a longer cleaning cycle than any cordless or robot vacuum from Dyson, and when it's running low it'll automatically head back to its dock to charge itself.

Other smart features of the Roomba 980 include its battery-powered Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers which you can place around your crib so that your 'bot will know which areas to avoid, such as rooms you don't want it to enter or floor-level pet food bowls you don't want it to crash into.

However, the Roomba 980 does still have some room for improvement, with its app being a little sluggish at times. The robot also has a tendency to get trapped in cables and stuck under furniture. 

Sure, it's pretty pricey for what is admittedly a cleaning luxury, but it really is like having a robot maid that will keep your place clean. If you hate vacuuming and can afford it, the Roomba 980 offers exceptional cleaning convenience. 

Read our full iRobot Roomba 980 review

Until recently, it was the best cordless vacuum experience that money could buy, and while it's been dethroned by Dyson's own Cyclone V10, the excellent Dyson V8 Absolute is still a top-of-the-line battery-powered vacuum cleaner. It also remains an absolute joy to use. (See what we did there?)

The first thing you'll notice is its lightweight design. With a removable extender pole and equipped with six different heads for different surfaces and use cases, the V8 Absolute is easy to manoeuvre and run around with, especially when you want to point it up towards the hard-to-reach corners of your house. 

But with the suction motor in the pistol-grip handle area, you can take the extender pole out of the equation and clip a head directly onto the main unit, turning the whole thing into a portable cleaner that's perfect for getting into smaller areas or for other tasks, such as going up the stairs of vacuuming the interior of your car.

A full-charge will give you around 40 minutes of use, which is really impressive for a cordless cleaner – though mileage will vary once you start using the motorised heads, or switch on the V8 Absolute’s MAX mode, which will blast through your battery in minutes. 

You’ll rarely need that extra suction though – for a handheld, this cleaner can rival an upright for sheer dirt-sucking power, even when its on its medium setting. It's got a pretty large bin, too, which will take in plenty of dirt before you need to empty it out – another convenience not often seen in cordless vacuums.

Best of all, now that it's been superceded by the Cyclone V10, the Dyson V8 Absolute works well as a cheaper alternative, with the vacuum now available for under $700 at some major online retailers. 

Robot vacuums are slowly beginning to flood the market, but what makes the Deebot Ozmo 930 stand out from the crowd is its wet and dry functionality: not only will it vacuum your home while you have your feet up, it will also mop the floor if you want it to.

While it can’t match the suction power of a corded vacuum, this Deebot can hold its own. It might zip across your floor, but it sure does pick up practically everything off the floor in a single pass. And does it rather quietly, too. You can well be watching something on the telly and you won’t be disturbed by the droid doing its thing.

Sensors on the Deebot pick up obstacles easily, but its speed makes the 'bot bump into objects, like furniture legs, rather hard. Yet it’s been built to handle that kind of rough treatment and comes away unscathed.

To get it to mop, all you need do is fill the tank and attach the cloth provided in the box to the underside, after which it automatically knows what it needs to do. When it moves from a hard floor to a carpet or rug, the mopping function stops automatically and the Deebot goes back to vacuuming as normal.

You can even get the Deebot to start and stop cleaning, or go back to its charger, with a simple voice command if you own a Google Home or Amazon Alexa. 

It’s got quite a hefty price tag, but being packed full of features, especially the voice controls and the mopping, makes this little droid worth the money.

There's no question that Dyson's manoeuvrable and endlessly convenient stick vacuums are incredible, sporting powerful suction and a modular design that allows for a number of area-specific attachments – all without having to worry about pesky cables getting in the way. However, cordless vacuums do have their caveats.

Getting a limited amount of vacuum time from a battery that takes hours to charge can be extremely frustrating, and there are times when you may require a more powerful and heavy-duty vacuum solution. Cordless models are often pretty darn expensive, too.

If you share these concerns, Dyson's Cinetic Big Ball vacuum may be a terrific alternative, offering the same quality cleaning experience that the company's vacuums are known for, while avoiding all the usual annoyances that make inspire people to choose a cord-free option.

Most vacuums will tip over as they're dragged along the floor — not the Cinetic Big Ball, with its ball-shaped design that has been perfectly weighted to roll back into place whenever it falls down — it's a neat example of Dyson's knack for finding solutions to problems that have plagued these kinds of products for decades. 

Another advantage over cordless vacuums: its suction power leaves them in the dust — literally. At 250 air watts, the Cinetic Big Ball is even more powerful than the new Dyson Cyclone V10, which offers around 150 air watts of suction.

Taking into consideration that you can now pick up a Dyson Cinetic Big Ball for under $500, and what you have is a highly-recommended alternative to Dyson's pricier cord-free options.

Read our full Dyson Cinetic Big Ball review

Like most Miele vacuums, the cat and dog version of the CX1 is a little more expensive than the non-pet versions, but that extra cost is offset by the additional attachments you get that will help you round up and deal with shed hair and the general mess that comes from having four-legged members of your family. 

Plus, when you consider how affordable it is compared to the average Dyson product, the price of the CX1's 'deluxe' model will seem quite reasonable.

We also love that it's got an AirClean lifetime HEPA filter to remove allergens from your household, as well as an extremely high airflow that works hard to remove as much dust and debris from your floors and carpets as possible. It's also the first bagless Miele device, and it does a pretty darn good job of that, too. 

Boasting a 1,200W “Vortex” motor, the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat Dog Bagless delivers an air speed of more than 100km/h and still manages to separate dust into two types: coarse stuff goes into the clear dust container, while the finer stuff is caught and trapped in its own filtered container.

Impressively, the Blizzard CX1 also sports a new CleanStream filter, which has a sensor-controlled self-cleaning system. You'll still need to clean the filters yourself on occasion, though.

That’s not the only big change Miele has in store for us: the design is also quite modern-looking, putting the device in a league above its predecessors. For a vacuum that goes for less than $500 at some stores, Miele has certainly stepped up its game with the CX1 Cat Dog Bagless. 

OK, so it probably isn't winning any awards for style, but underneath the Miele C3's utilitarian exterior lies a powerful vacuum with exceptional cleaning power. We like that it's lighter than many other vacuums on the market, and its long cable means you'll be able to manoeuvre around your living area without having to change power outlets too often. 

Miele's Complete C3 PowerLine offers a variety of speed settings for different situations, whether you're vacuuming carpets, floorboards, concrete or tiles. It's got some quality heads and attachments, too, including a turbo floor brush and  swivelling hard floor head. 

Foot controls can be used to power on the device or switch it off, and you step on a button to retract its lengthy cord — another aspect that makes it easy to store.  

Like most Miele products, it's built to last, too, with a tough overall build quality that should see it handle any bumps and tumbles it takes. 

Admittedly, where it does stumble is in its energy efficiency, sporting a class D energy rating. Not the most eco-friendly vacuum on the market, but the trade-off in additional suction power is undeniable — this thing is a beast. 

Like the Miele Blizzard CX1, the C3 PowerLine is available in a number of different options, including ones that come with additional attachments aimed at allergy sufferers and pet owners. The version you'll likely get will ultimately be determined by the price you're willing to pay. That said, whichever version you may end up with, you'll be glad to know that you're getting a quality product. 



source http://www.techradar.com/news/best-vacuum-cleaners-in-australia

Wednesday 28 March 2018

Tasmania could face power struggles after Basslink cable is damaged by contractor

Australia’s island state of Tasmania has been unplugged from the mainland thanks to damage caused to the 298km long Basslink electricity and communications cable. 

While the broadband cable is still functional, Tasmania will have to rely on its own sources of energy for power until “appropriate expertise and equipment from overseas" arrives.

“Regrettably, during the routine maintenance at a transition station in Victoria, a third-party contractor damaged a piece of equipment,” Basslink, a Singapore-owned company, announced via a statement issued on Wednesday.

Planning ahead

“Based on current information, its anticipated return to service date is 14 April, 2018,” the statement continued. 

This outage, however, is unlikely to affect Tasmania’s power supply as Hydro Tasmania, the leading power generator in the state, has confirmed that hydro-electric storage capacity in Tassie is currently at 36.9%, enough to keep the state powered up. 

As a fallback, Tasmania now also has a gas-powered power station in case of emergencies.

Going to court

This isn’t the first time Basslink has cut Tassie off from the mainland. The company is already facing a $100 million compensation case over a major outage in December 2015 that lasted six months.

Basslink, however, has said that this latest issue is “unrelated to the outage in December 2015 and the ongoing dispute with the state of Tasmania”.

[Image: Supplied]



source http://www.techradar.com/news/tasmania-could-face-power-struggles-after-basslink-cable-is-damaged-by-contractor

Facebook overhauls privacy settings in response to Cambridge Analytica scandal

In a new blog post, Facebook has announced that it’s overhauling its security and privacy settings to make it easier for people to see and control the data they’re sharing with the social network.

This is an unsurprising announcement following the recent data harvesting scandal around Cambridge Analytica, which has resulted in apologies, investigations and a smart speaker delay.

Though Facebook insists that the changes were already in the works due to the GDPR’s upcoming reform of EU data protection rules, this blog post does acknowledge the damage the Cambridge Analytica revelations have caused to the company’s reputation.

Data disasters

“The last week showed how much more work we need to do to enforce our policies, and to help people understand how Facebook works and the choices they have over their data,” writes Chief Privacy Officer, Erin Egan. 

“We've heard loud and clear that privacy settings and other important tools are too hard to find, and that we must do more to keep people informed.”

The changes have been broken down into three categories: a cleaner and easier to use settings UI, a new privacy shortcuts menu, and new tools for tracking and editing the data you share.

The settings menu has been redesigned to make information easier to find and accessible from one place. You can see below how the new settings page looks compared to the old one; the sections are now regrouped and far more descriptive. 

The new privacy shortcuts menu gives more streamlined access to the most important facets of account security. Here you’ll be able to activate two-factor authentication, control you personal information, control which ads you see, and manage who sees your posts and profile information. 

Finally, the new data management tools. These can be found on a new page called Access your Information and it’s here you’ll be able to review your past interactions on the site such as likes and comments and have the option to delete them. Facebook says it’s also making it easier to download the data you’ve shared, such as images, contacts and posts in order to keep a secure copy.

It’s believable that this change has been in the works for a while given the new GDPR rules comes into play from May 25. The timing of the announcement, however, is significant and likely tactical.

As far as the future in concerned, Facebook says that in "the coming weeks" it will be proposing terms of service changes as well as updating its data policy for more transparency around what data is taken and how it's used.

With user trust in decline, widespread calls for deletion and large companies pulling away from the service, Facebook needs to be seen to be doing something other than apologizing. Whether this will be enough remains to be seen. 



source http://www.techradar.com/news/facebook-overhauls-privacy-settings-in-response-to-cambridge-analytica-scandal

Amazon partnering with Leica to offer premium camera equipment

As photography becomes more popular nationwide, Amazon India has decided to partner with Leica, the German manufacturer of camera and optics. They’ve already been distributing camera gear directly in India of a year now but a partnership with Amazon will allow Leica to reach more people.

Leica, being one of the leading brands globally in terms of photography equipment, benefits Amazon India as well, since their customers will have access to more options and choices. Leica wants to remove any barriers of access and make it easier for more people to be able to purchase their cameras. 

They’re going to launch a total of 45 existing products on to the Amazon’s platform including the Leica D-Lux and V-Lux cameras. The range will also include binoculars and accessories. 

Depending on how the initial roll out goes, Leica has plans of adding other cameras like the M-type, Leica Q and Leica SL to the Amazon portfolio.

Especially since Leica wants to remove any barriers of access and make it easier for more people to be able to purchase their cameras.

The products

Currently, you can find the  Leica Sofort, Leica D-Lux and Leica V-Lux on Amazon India. They range from Rs 25,000 to Rs 90,000.

Leica

The German company started in the area of building microscopes and came out with the first full frame compact rangefinder in 1914. Their cameras have been responsible for some iconic photos like the Napalm Girl in 1972 and the Situation Room from which Barack Obama coordinated the capture of Osama Bin Laden in 2011. 

The company claims that its products are the only ones that were allowed inside the government building in the United States. 



source http://www.techradar.com/news/amazon-partnering-with-leica-to-offer-premium-camera-equipment

Tuesday 27 March 2018

Acer poised to retarget commercial market, says MENA GM

Acer certainly was busy last year, if its earnings report is anything to go by. The company this week reported for the full year of 2017 consolidated revenues of NT$237.28 billion, up 2% year-on-year (YoY). It also registered 380 technology patents last year, ranking among the top 5 companies in Taiwan in terms of new patents.

The company also continues to solidly invest in Chrome products as well, as evident by its latest product, the Chromebook Tab 10.

While Acer has historically enjoyed success in the consumer market, it’s now turning its gaze towards the commercial market as well. The uptake in businesses looking at Chrome and cloud solutions is something that Paul Collins, Acer Middle East General Manager, wants to expand upon in the region.

We spoke with him about Acer’s plans for the commercial market and how the company aims to educate companies on the benefits of cloud services.

The ‘death of the datacenter’ is something that the industry has been buzzing about for some time…

I think it’s something that’s long been coming over the last eight years or so. Your traditional client-server environment has slowly been changing, and we’re reaching that tipping point very soon. I think that very soon companies will be out-costed and outmaneuvered by a far more agile and modern system. The mainframe was the computing system of the 50s, and became more and more marginalized as years went by up until present day. The client-server environment is going to become even more niche as we approach 2020, and it’s something that companies need to be paying attention to.

What’s stopping companies from adopting faster to the cloud?

I think there were some fears with the cloud originally about where data was being store, how secure it was, etc. As more and more companies started adopting cloud to their businesses, they’re starting to see the actual benefits of a cloud model, which is being able to have access to the best of everything – servers, people, software, security, you name it. You get 99.99% uptime on your services, which you can’t always provide yourself unless you’re paying a fortune. I think those benefits are starting to outweigh the very traditional fears that companies had. Different countries will adopt cloud at a different rate, so it’s very interesting to see how things will play out.

The important question to ask is how will traditional companies compete against those that are more agile and cost-effective because of their adoption of cloud services. You’ll be forced to change your model as well, and that goes back to my original scenario of this all being a tipping point. The more adoption occurs in the market, the faster it’s going to be picked up by everyone else.

5G appears to be another huge buzz for the enterprise market  - is this something that companies should keep an eye on?

Wi-Fi is fairly accessible here, so at the moment it’s still early days. I think for enterprise clients that have businesses that are more spread out in remote areas, 5G is going to really help out. It’s also going to require new players to come into the market to provide these kind of services, so it’s all a matter of competitiveness. You can’t afford to just stay behind – these technologies and changes will have to be adopted, so there’s just no escaping it. You’re just going to have one device to access your data, but everything else will just be managed for you instead – the adoption model is completely different now.

Managed services is where Acer has an advantage over competitors in the market. They’re all vested in older technologies, so they may not be as committed to cloud and the cloud channel as we are. Cloud partners are fighting against older traditional partners to dislodge not just the technology, but also the physical hardware and resellers that provide them. There are a lot of clients that we can currently approach and talk to about adopting new technologies, because they’re poised to move away from traditional services and move to more flexible ones.

What inspired you to start making a move into the enterprise market?

Internationally we’ve been looking at how we approach the commercial segment – I think we do a poor job of telling people what we do, but that’s something we’re certainly going to be changing. In Taiwan and South Africa for example, we have very good market shares in the commercial, government, and SMB sectors. In the education sector as well we’ve got a strong hold, so it’s something we just want to focus on for other markets as well. It really is down to us to start balancing out business properly – our consumer segment is doing really well now, so it’s time to focus on other parts of the business.  We owe it to the market – we have some fantastic products that need to be in the market, so you’ll be seeing a lot of things coming from us very soon.

Will Chromebooks be a pushing point for Acer?

Not so much in MENA region, but on a global scale this could be a pivotal moment for us. It’s something that we already have a strong base with, and it really could take us in a new direction, so we’ve already started looking at some interesting opportunities. Things are really starting to change within the industry, and this could be a real game-changer for us. The uptake on cloud in the UAE is phenomenal – up to 72% of new startups in Dubai are going straight to the cloud rather than to traditional system setups, which makes them more agile and scalable than ever before.

Have there been any specific challenges when talking to people in the local market?

At first it seemed like an impossible task, because people were buying what they already knew, so it would be challenging to try and persuade them otherwise. But the fact remains is that cloud is going to be thrust on companies whether they like it or not. Their competitors are already ahead in the game, so they have to follow through in order to stay competitive. Is it going to be easy? Not at all, but there’s going to be a serious uptake to look forward to.

Will you be targeting companies that primarily haven’t yet adopted cloud systems into their infrastructure?

Most of the uptake will be new businesses, so those are ideal target market. We’ll be working with core channel providers to speak to both sides of the market, to see just how we can work together in their businesses. There’s a lot of convenience and savings to be involved, so it’s something we need to explain clearly to companies so that they fully understand what we can offer.

Are you going to be leveraging Acer’s success in the consumer market to get some headway with companies?

Our success in the consumer market is definitely something that’s going to cross over into the commercial sector as well. We’re starting to see a huge uptake in what we call our ‘prosumer’ lineups, such as our thin and light offerings which are now being taken into the business environment by people who want fast, lightweight machines. I think that’s a key strength for us, that we have such a diverse portfolio of products. So we really do have a product for everybody – the days of driving a ‘corporate-only’ product are long gone.

Do you have any timelines for the region with getting things off the ground?

We’re gearing up for a launch very soon, but we’re talking to the right partners and getting the right staff lined up, so we should have everything ready to launch in the next 3-4 weeks. By the end of 2018 I want to be on track with going to 15% market share in that segment. We might not quite get there because we’ve only got seven months left, but we’re pushing ahead  nonetheless. The buzz around Chrome is fantastic and there’s a lot of things coming out around it, so we want to keep focusing on that as well. Our biggest challenge will be getting to products physically to the market – we haven’t pushed these products to the market before, so we’ve got to get a clear strategy for product positioning with our distributors to make sure that they understand why these product need to be here as quickly as possible.



source http://www.techradar.com/news/acer-poised-to-retarget-commercial-market-says-mena-gm

Monday 26 March 2018

Facebook is officially under investigation by US regulators

A US regulatory agency has confirmed it is investigating Facebook privacy practices following the Cambridge Analytica (CA) data scandal

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was already reported to be investigating Facebook following revelations that data from 50 million users was used by CA to profile citizens' voting patterns. 

With today's announcement, the FTC is making its investigation official. 

"...the FTC takes very seriously recent press reports raising substantial concerns about the privacy practices of Facebook," the FTC's statement read. "Today, the FTC is confirming that it has an open non-public investigation into these practices."

More to come...



source http://www.techradar.com/news/facebook-is-officially-under-investigation-by-us-regulators

Microsoft Garage debuts in India at MS Hyderabad campus

Microsoft India today announced the debut of its Garage platform in India, offering its employees an avenue to experiment in various technologies like Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, 3D printing and more, in addition to a dedicated hub for hackathons and workshops. The Garage platform was formally opened today at Microsoft’s Hyderabad campus in Telangana, India.

Speaking on the launch of Garage in India, Jeff Ramos, Partner Director, Microsoft Garage, said,

“Microsoft believes in enabling its employees to utilize their knowledge, capabilities and innovative acumen to build solutions for the rapidly changing technology landscape. The Microsoft Garage serves as a hub to engage our workforce, with facilities and programs optimized for hacking, ideation, and collaboration. Microsoft Garage’s engagement with the innovation ecosystems in our GDC locations, helps create the right kind of partnerships to accelerate experimentation and innovation in the local context”.

Also present at the launch event were Mr. KT Rama Rao, Minister for IT, Govt of Telangana, Mr. TK Rengarajan, Corporate VP, AI&R, Microsoft Global, Ms. Reena Dayal Yadav, Director, Microsoft Garage – India, among others.

Recent Microsoft Garage projects

Some of the recent Microsoft Garage products include Seeing AI, an app that helps narrate the world around for visually impaired people. Microsoft says that the Seeing AI app uses AI to describe people, objects, text, currency and color to help the visually impaired.

Additionally, Microsoft also announced that apps like SMS Organizer, Favorite Lock Screen and Kaizala were also started in Microsoft Garage. Microsoft had launched the Kaizala app in India back in July last year. Kaizala is essentially a messaging app, allowing organizations to coordinate tasks and connect with people inside and outside the organization.



source http://www.techradar.com/news/microsoft-garage-debuts-in-india-at-ms-hyderabad-campus

Why Oslo's smart bikes could be the key to cracking air pollution

As the world around us becomes smarter and more connected, the way we move and travel around the places we live is also becoming more intelligent - largely thanks to technology.

With many people fed up of sitting in lengthy traffic jams every day, and environmental concerns impacting more and more areas of life, public transport is becoming a key part of all modern cities.

But how can technology help ensure that people are able to travel smarter? 

A click away

TechRadar Pro headed to the Norwegian capital of Oslo to meet Urban Infrastructure Partner (UIP), a company that is looking to use its expertise to help improve the way that cities run.

The company, which was formed only three years ago, now runs Oslo’s Bysykkel (City Bike) network, the equivalent of London’s ‘Boris Bikes’, offering cycles for hire that can be used to navigate around the city at a fraction of the cost of owning a car.

UIP now oversees a network of 30,000 bikes across the city during the April to December season, ensuring commuters and tourists alike can get around on two wheels, but is now also looking to use the insights it has gained from the data produced in its bikes to help make Oslo a smarter, cleaner city.

“We kind of stumbled into becoming a technology company,” Johan HøgÃ¥sen-Hallesby, UIP CTO, tells TechRadar Pro at the company’s office, a stone’s throw from Oslo’s Sentralstasjon train station.

“Public transport is really about being frustrated...unlocking a bike should only be a click away."

The bikes are stored at a number of stations around the city, with users paying 299 NOK (around £27) for an annual subscription that allows unlimited 45 minute rentals that can be checked in and out whenever they reach a new location. Each bike has a receiver within the body, allowing UIP to track usage data, and also monitor for any needed repairs or faults.

UIP works closely with Google Cloud to host the huge amounts of data generated each day. This information is then all analysed in real time, meaning UIP’s platform can respond to data from the previous day and tweak itself accordingly to allow for greater efficiency.

This includes sending push notifications warning of road closures or works that may disrupt a journey, or weather information that could save riders from a soaking.

"It's a completely different way of working...it has changed everything," says HøgÃ¥sen-Hallesby. 

And this has also allowed UIP to extricate some very interesting findings, including that the most popular bike trip on its network across the whole of Oslo is just 450m long - from the city’s main station to a popular office block location.

Overall, the company found that each bike is used between seven or eight times a day, almost double the figure from its first year of operation, with a typical ride taking less than ten minutes.

The data also showed that each registered user takes an average of 51 trips during the April to December operational season, and that there was a drop in usage over the weekend and during working hours - allowing for more efficient maintenance to be carried out at slow times.

Smarter

Now, UIP is looking to share its data with the city of Oslo to improve the city, starting with information about air pollution. The company is installing pollution sensors into its docking stations, allowing real-time updates on air quality to be shared directly with the local authorities.

"I think you need collaboration with the city,” he says, “if you left this to the market itself, it would boil down to an offer for the most valuable distances and rides.”

“We don’t want to disrupt public transport in Europe - we just want to make it better”

For now, UIP is looking to build on its existing operations, with the company extending to Norway’s second and third-biggest cities Trondheim and Bergen this year. The company is keen to push not just its own ambitions, but that of Norway as a whole, as the country looks to promote itself as one of the most exciting new hubs for technology start-ups.

"We should not be copying whatever happens in California - we need to be a Nordic company...and that should be reflected in the technology we build,” HøgÃ¥sen-Hallesby says.



source http://www.techradar.com/news/why-oslos-smart-bikes-could-be-the-key-to-cracking-air-pollution

Airtel is giving away 30GB free 4G data to test their VoLTE network

Airtel is offering 30GB free 4G data to its users in West Bengal, Orissa, Assam, Kerala, Bihar, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. These states fall under the list of places where Airtel has rolled out 4G VoLTE services till now. The telco wants its users to contribute to their new VoLTE beta program by providing performance feedback regarding the VoLTE services before its expansion to other circles. 

The free 30GB 4G data is an offering as a part of the VoLTE Beta program to the users interested in participation. The data will be divided across three legs where 10GB will be allotted after downloading and enabling the VoLTE switch, next 10GB will be activated after providing feedback after the fourth week, and the final 10GB will be activated after providing feedback after eight weeks. 

Airtel says that users testing the VoLTE may face network fluctuations, and the beta program may extend to other circles in future.

How to participate in Airtel VoLTE Beta program?

First, you need to be in one of these circles— West Bengal, Orissa, Assam, Kerala, Bihar, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh.

Second, you must have an Airtel VoLTE compliant smartphone. If you have one, go to Airtel VoLTE beta page on Airtel’s website and register your mobile number. If they find you eligible, you will get an OTP, which has to be entered on the site and confirm your participation in the program. If you are not eligible, you will see a message saying “Hi there! Airtel VoLTE is currently unavailable on your number”. 

Once you are done, your first 10GB will be credited to your mobile number immediately, and you can start testing the network right away. The rest of the data will be credited once you fulfil aforementioned conditions.



source http://www.techradar.com/news/airtel-is-giving-away-30gb-free-4g-data-to-test-their-volte-network

Sunday 25 March 2018

Zuckerberg apologizes for Facebook privacy breach in full-page newspaper ads

It took a while, but Mark Zuckerberg finally broke his silence on the Cambridge Analytica scandal and posted a response on his Facebook page saying, “We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can't then we don't deserve to serve you.”

While the online response didn’t quite say sorry, the social media giant has moved offline to apologize.  

On Sunday, multiple newspapers across the UK and the US had full-page adverts signed by Zuckerberg to say “sorry” for the “breach of trust” and for “not doing more at the time”.

“We’re now taking steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again,’ read the ads published in the UK’s The Observer, The Sunday Times, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Mirror, Sunday Express and Sunday Telegraph, as well as in The New York Times, Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal in the US.

Social media users, however, aren’t buying it: many have pointed out that the apology would have been more convincing if the company hadn’t threatened to file a lawsuit against reporters who broke the story earlier this month.

The scandal has caused Facebook’s stock prices to plunge and now all Zuckerberg can do is promise “to do better for you”. The social media platform has already stopped third-party apps from mining “so much information” and has started “limiting the data apps get when [users] sign up”.



source http://www.techradar.com/news/zuckerberg-apologizes-for-facebook-privacy-breach-in-full-page-newspaper-ads

Tim Cook weighs in on Facebook data scandal, wants tougher privacy rules

Apple CEO Tim Cook is in China for a trade conference and has put forward his thoughts on the recent Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal. As well as calling for tighter regulation on user profiling by apps and services, Cook also took the opportunity to underline Apple's approach to user privacy.

Cook's comments were reported by Bloomberg and the Apple boss said we're now at the stage where governments need to step in: "I think that this certain situation is so dire and has become so large that probably some well-crafted regulation is necessary," he said.

"The ability of anyone to know what you've been browsing about for years, who your contacts are, who their contacts are, things you like and dislike and every intimate detail of your life – from my own point of view it shouldn't exist," Cook continued.

User beware

Apple has always made a point of taking a different approach to privacy, by not monetizing user content or collecting more information on people running iOS and macOS than is absolutely necessary (you can read Apple's privacy policy in full here). According to Cook, that was to avoid incidents like the one current dominating the tech headlines.

"We've worried for a number of years that people in many countries were giving up data probably without knowing fully what they were doing and that these detailed profiles that were being built of them," says Cook.

"That one day something would occur and people would be incredibly offended by what had been done without them being aware of it," he added. “Unfortunately that prediction has come true more than once." Facebook continues to scramble to limit the damage caused by scandal, promising that such data misuse will never happen again.



source http://www.techradar.com/news/tim-cook-weighs-in-on-facebook-data-scandal-wants-tougher-privacy-rules

Friday 23 March 2018

Samsung files new patent for over the air charging

Indic internet would add 200 million Indian Internet users

It’s hardly surprising that with 428 million Internet users in India, 200 million more would be willing to go digital if they only had the choice to choose their own language. 

A report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Kantar IMRB, a market research firm, ascertain that if the internet was available in Indic languages then 23 percent non-Internet users would be happy to jump online. 

With India’s diverse demographic and dispersion, it’s only natural that English may prove to be a language barrier when it comes to Internet usage. 

The report claimed, “Critical internet services like digital payments, basic e-commerce, online job search, etc. are extremely limited at present because of the lack of ease of conducting such activities in a language of choice.”

The methodology followed for this report included surveying 60,000 people across 170 cities and 15,000 people from 750 villages.

India has the second largest number of Internet users in the world, with China leading the pack. By June 2018, the Internet user base is expected to touch the 500 million mark. 

One of the reasons China is number one, in terms of users, is because they use the Mandarin script for Internet content. That’s not just at a basic or niche level, in fact, Mandarin is the second most popular language on the Internet after English. 

In comparison, the report states that content in Indic languages barely accounts for 0.1 percent of the global content.

The push to Indic languages is essential if the Digital India vision truly wants to expand. A whole ecosystem needs to build around them to raise Internet adoption and empower the weaker sections of society digitally, as per IAMAI.

Not only that, the integration of Indic languages can bridge the divide between the rural and urban centers of the nation. Because, as of 2017, the penetration of the Internet in urban areas stood at 65 percent and rural areas were at a mere 20 percent.

Even now, there’s already a demand for content in Indic languages with 76 percent of rural India and 66 percent of urban Indians consuming Indic content when they log on. 

Reliance Jio has tried to empower the divides in the smartphone market with their 4G feature phone and the cheapest smartphone in India. The price war between telcos has made accessing the net considerably cheaper and flooded the market with a multitude of consumption options. 



source http://www.techradar.com/news/indic-internet-would-add-200-million-indian-internet-users

Thursday 22 March 2018

Amazon patent reveals its delivery drones could have facial and gesture recognition

Australians may cop a $5 tax on goods posted from overseas

A proposal from the Department of Home Affairs has suggested that Australian shoppers purchasing goods from overseas will have to pay an additional fee of $5 on every item posted.

The proposed tax would be put in place to cover the growing costs of security screening, a paper obtained by Fairfax Media claims, as the number of items posted to Australia that are valued under $1,000 increase dramatically year to year.

This cost will sit atop the existing 10% GST that will apply to all sales from July 1 this year, rather than just those over $1,000 in value, and has the potential to increase certain parcel costs by more than double their initial value.

While there would have been scope for this cost to be absorbed by online retailers such as eBay and Amazon or delivery services, both of these parties have said in the past that the levy will be passed directly onto the consumer, so we can expect to pay up if the proposal goes through. 



source http://www.techradar.com/news/australians-may-cop-a-dollar5-tax-on-goods-posted-from-overseas

Wednesday 21 March 2018

Facebook's Zuckerberg responds to Cambridge Analytica data scandal

At long last, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has broken his silence regarding the Cambridge Analytica data abuse scandal that has been active for several days. Almost as if to prove how close he is to the situation, Zuckerberg created a detailed timeline of events.

“We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can't then we don't deserve to serve you,” Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post on his own page. “I've been working to understand exactly what happened and how to make sure this doesn't happen again.”

Zuckerberg then goes on to detail the events leading to this PR and security disaster, starting with how Facebook used to allow users to share their friends’ profiles and information with third party apps as far back as 2007, a change that would be all but repealed in 2014. The Facebook head continues to describe Cambridge University researcher Aleksandr Kogan’s Facebook personality quiz app released in 2013.

Facebook’s chief then admits to having been informed by The Guardian in 2015 that Kogan had shared the data of 50 million Facebook users, which he had obtained through said Facebook quiz, with political strategy firm Cambridge Analytica. Facebook then forced the app to shutdown and for both parties to formally certify that the said data was deleted.

Finally, Zuckerberg claims to have just learned last week from several publications that this data was not deleted. In fact, said data was used by Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as leverage to win the election.

Though Zuckerberg makes no mention of the data’s aforementioned use, it’s widely reported to have been a resource for the Trump campaign.

“This was a breach of trust between Kogan, Cambridge Analytica and Facebook,” Zuckerberg wrote. “But it was also a breach of trust between Facebook and the people who share their data with us and expect us to protect it. We need to fix that.”

Preventative measures taken, crucial words unspoken

The Facebook chief then goes on to promise change to its platform as a result of this breach. First, the company plans to investigate all apps that have or have had access to large amounts of information before Facebook flipped the switch in 2014. The social network also plans to ban any app maker that does not agree to a full audit and informing its users should a violation be found. 

Facebook has also promised to limit developers’ access to user data if said user hasn’t used the app within three months, as well as reduce the amount of data given to an app when a user signs up to just name, profile photo and email address. If developers want to get deeper access to information, then a contract with each user will have to be signed to allow them to do so. 

Finally, within the next month Facebook will feature each users’ app data permissions prominently above the News Feed. This was already a function of the Settings tools within Facebook, but never have they been placed so blatantly on the app's front page.

These are all welcome changes and refreshing transparency, but the negligence to recognize what this breached data was used for and the implications it may have had on global political discourse isn’t lost on us. Facebook promises to have more information on its swathe of privacy-focused changes ‘in the next few days.’



source http://www.techradar.com/news/facebooks-zuckerberg-responds-to-cambridge-analytica-data-scandal

Google Doodle celebrates Ustad Bismillah Khan’s 102nd birthday

Google India homepage is celebrating Ustad Bismillah Khan’s birthday with a special doodle. Today would’ve been the shenai maestro’s 102nd birthday as one of India’s most adored musicians. 

Born as Qamaruddin Khan, the Ustad is generally commended for bringing the shenai into mainstream music and popularizing the concept across the nation. For those who don’t know what shenai is, it’s a wind instrument that’s belongs to the oboe family. 

For his contributions, Khan was awarded the Bharat Ratna, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan among others. Despite his fear of flying, he participated in the World Exposition in Montreal and the Cannes Art Festival.

His foray as an performing artist started at an early age of 14 but it was his performance at the All India Music Conference in Kolkata when he was 21 that launched him into the spotlight.

One of the most epic moments from his career is when he performed at the Red Fort on the eve of India’s independence in 1947. This started the tradition of Khan performing live after every Prime Minister’s address to the nation on state-owned channels. 

He had a brief gist with Bollywood music in between which quickly turned sour when a music director asked him to play a particular note in a different way. He never looked towards film again. 

Near the end of his life, Khan wasn’t financially well-off and was supporting his joint family of nearly 60 members that included five sons and three daughters of his own as well as the children that they had. That's a lot, right? Fortunately after repeated pleas to the government, Khan was given Rs 5,00,000 in ‘delayed-aid’.



source http://www.techradar.com/news/google-doodle-celebrates-ustad-bismillah-khans-102nd-birthday

Casio heads down the retro route - re-releases its classic musical calculator

Casio has revealed that it will be re-releasing a classic calculator from its archive, one that allows you to 'play' music and do calculations. And make rude words like 5318808. 

The Casio SL-880 is an update of the MG-880 and is a device that follows on from the recent-ish trend of companies preying on our hazy memories and offering up nostalgia-tinged products like the re-imagined NES and SNES

The calculator is pretty much a perfect recreation of the MG-880. There are big buttons, for a start, and a solar panel. 

The screen size has been increased so you can have bigger 5318808 and it retains the lovely old-school white, blue and orange coloring. 

See you later, calculator 

Unfortunately, it looks like Casio will only be releasing the Casio SL-880 in Japan for now and it will be released in March. 

If you aren't Japan based, then you'll just have to make do with this lovely YouTube video of old-school calculators playing the internet classic All Star.

Via Gizmodo



source http://www.techradar.com/news/casio-heads-down-the-retro-route-re-releases-its-classic-musical-calculator

Self-driving cars are hitting major Sydney roads in NSW state trial

In what can only be described as awkward timing – mere hours after a self-driving Uber accident in the US lead to the death of a pedestrian – the NSW Government has today revealed that the state's first automated vehicle trials have begun in Sydney.

The trial, which will still involve human supervisors and specifically seeks to test "the affects of driver assist technology", is set to last until October and follows the State’s earlier tests of an automated shuttle-bus service within Sydney Olympic Park. Luxury car manufacturers such as BMW, Lexus, Audi and Tesla are conducting the trials in partnership with the State Government and toll road operator Transurban.

The cars will be operating under a variety of different conditions and times, and in key areas such as Lane Cove Tunnel, M2 Motorway, Eastern Distributor, and the Harbour Bridge and Tunnel.

Precedence and prudence

A number of self-driving trials are already planned or underway across other Australian states, with Volvo trialling its tech on South Australian roads and the Western Australian Government offering Perth up for a trial on “robo-taxis”.

Despite the timing of the launch, State Roads Minister Melinda Pavey hopes that the automated tech will ultimately save lives and help reduce the NSW road accident death toll, which last year took 392 lives.



source http://www.techradar.com/news/self-driving-cars-are-hitting-major-sydney-roads-in-nsw-state-trial

Tuesday 20 March 2018

US, UK investigating Facebook's role in Cambridge Analytica data breach

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has opened an inquiry into whether Facebook improperly allowed Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm that backed President Trump’s 2016 election campaign, to obtain personal data from 50 million users.

This weekend, a whistleblower informed the Guardian that, in 2014, Cambridge Analytica obtained personal information on millions of US voters, then developed a software program that profiled these citizens to predict voting patterns – and, through micro-targeted ads, influence US citizens’ voting decisions. 

Bloomberg first reported that the FTC’s probe will focus on whether Facebook violated its 2011 settlement with the FTC. At the time, Facebook assured the agency that it would improve its privacy settings so that third parties could not acquire users’ data without their express knowledge or consent. 

However, three years after this agreement, Cambridge Analytica was still able to obtain data on a huge portion of Facebook’s user base, the majority of which did not consent to their personal data being taken for political use. And, the tech giant’s response to these actions were, allegedly, cursory at best.

The FTC has not officially announced its investigation, but said in a statement that, “We take any allegations of violations of our consent decrees very seriously.”

The FTC could fine the company $40,000 for each violation of the 2011 settlement; multiply that by 50 million, and Facebook could be looking at catastrophic financial damages.

Along with the FTC, the British Information Commissioner’s Office (BICO) is also investigating if Cambridge Analytica could have used similar voter data to influence UK citizens during the EU's Brexit' referendum. And, the EU’s Electoral Commission has also begun scrutinizing Facebook’s actions. 

We’re laying out everything we know and don’t know about how Cambridge Analytica used Facebook to influence elections in the US and around the world, and what this means for the tech giant’s future. 

What happened

Cambridge Analytica (CA) obtained voter data through a Facebook-linked app named 'thisisyourdigitallife'. Through the app, CA member Aleksandr Kogan paid Facebook users in exchange for a detailed personality test, supposedly for academic research purposes.

These users volunteered to provide this information, something Facebook Deputy General Counsel was quick to emphasize in a statement:

“The claim that this is a data breach is completely false. Aleksandr Kogan requested and gained access to information from users who chose to sign up to his app, and everyone involved gave their consent. People knowingly provided their information, no systems were infiltrated, and no passwords or sensitive pieces of information were stolen or hacked.”

But, the app also pulled personal data from all of the test-taker’s linked Facebook friends without their consent—data that, per Facebook’s Platform Policy, can only be used to enhance the in-app experience, and should not be given out to anyone. 

Instead, Kogan and his associates allegedly built a software platform for influencing US elections, and sold it to Donald Trump. In 2014, former Trump advisor Steve Bannon ran Cambridge Analytica. 

Around a quarter of a million people took the test willingly, but 50 million people reportedly ended up having their private data used for political and financial gain without their knowledge or consent. 

Facebook only became aware of CA’s breach of contract in 2016, but reportedly waited months to order CA to delete the data. The consulting firm subsequently ignored this order, and Facebook allegedly never followed up to check. 

Only after the media asked for comment last Friday did Facebook apparently realize it had been duped for four years. Facebook responded by threatening to sue outlets reporting on the issue.

Last October, after Facebook was forced to divulge Russia’s attempts to influence the 2016 election through their advertising system, Zuckerberg and other executives released several statements on how they would improve their security. 

But after this latest scandal, Mark Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives have remained completely silent on the issue. We’ll update this post if Zuckerberg or other executives respond to this latest series of allegations. 

One major action Facebook took was to hire hire a forensic auditor to investigate Cambridge Analytica’s servers themselves, since CA had shown them 'certified proof' that the data was destroyed. But BICO ordered the auditors to stop so they could conduct their own investigation. 

Moreover, Parliament has already summoned Mark Zuckerberg to answer for his company’s role in the CA fiasco. Congress or the FTC may also follow suit. 

The tip of the iceberg?

Facebook has typically tried to self-regulate in the face of criticism. After the Russian allegations came to light, Facebook ignored Congressional calls for regulations and listed the ways they would prevent democratic meddling in the future themselves. 

But BICO’s actions show that Facebook isn’t being allowed any leeway this time, because CA’s access to Facebook’s data may have had global repercussions. 

That’s because Cambridge Analytica doesn’t simply operate in the United States. The consulting firm worked on the Brexit referendum, and has catered its services to politicians nationwide. 

An undercover sting video from Britain’s Channel 4 news revealed that CA executives offered to 'fix' Sri Lankan elections for an undercover reporter. Their 'services' included blackmailing, entrapping or extorting rival politicians, and releasing propaganda to the public. One offer was to send 'Ukranian girls' to a man’s house, then release the footage publicly to shame him. 

While all of these options are abhorrent, these offers to spread targeted disinformation are what most concern government agencies like the FTC and BICO. If CA was able to obtain information on voters through Facebook, they would know where to specifically target propaganda to influence elections—just as Russia’s Internet Research Agency did in 2016. 

And, CA may not be the only company that has obtained or purchased information that has been obtained through third-party apps. Considering Facebook’s inability to check if CA stole private user information, we have no way of knowing how many other companies could be hoarding and selling data to influence democratic elections.

The US, UK and EU investigations have only just begun, but they could have major repercussions on how Facebook and other social media companies are required to protect user data in future. 



source http://www.techradar.com/news/us-uk-investigating-facebooks-role-in-cambridge-analytica-data-breach

GITEX Shopper might not make a return this Spring

GITEX Shopper has been known to offer some great deals on gadgets and consumer electronics. The yearly event became so popular that the exhibitors turned it into a bi-annual event a few years back and GITEX Shopper Spring Edition was set to return April 5-7th 2018.

However, the event is no longer appearing on GITEX Shopper’s website and the dates now point to the October edition. We have reached out to the organizers to get some more information and will update this article accordingly.



source http://www.techradar.com/news/gitex-shopper-might-not-make-a-return-this-spring

Monday 19 March 2018

Philips tests internet over light waves in a real-world office

Indian-born British billionaire plans to break Tesla’s record for world’s biggest battery

The world’s most powerful battery was built last year by Elon Musk’s Tesla. It was the world’s biggest lithium-ion battery, called the Hornsdale Power Reserve. But looks like a new project could soon replace it in the record books. 

An Indian-born British businessman, Sanjeev Gupta has plans to build a 120 megawatt/ 140 megawatt-hour battery. This development will be larger than the 100 megawatt/129 megawatt-hour battery by Tesla in Jamestown, South Australia.

Billionaire Gupta had bought a steelworks in Whyalla, South Australia last August through his Liberty House firm. The Whyalla steelworks will be powered by a 200-megawatt solar farm, where there’s a plan to have a world-leading battery that could store the energy. The solar farm will be constructed by Gupta’s GFG Alliance’s clean energy company— Simec Zen Energy. 

For the project, South Australian government has put up a $7.8 million loan to aid battery construction. Considering South Australia’s power crisis, the Whyalla steelworks project will benefit by improving local grid stability.

The South Australia region currently depends on solar and wind for 50% of its power. Since this is the second big-scale power project in South Australia, it is evident that they are focused in making most of renewable energy. 



source http://www.techradar.com/news/indian-born-british-billionaire-plans-to-break-teslas-record-for-worlds-biggest-battery

Meet the company making haptics so you can experience the feeling of cutting flesh

Haptic feedback helps you to know when you’ve tapped a key on your phone. With a reassuring little pulse, it gives you the feeling of firing a round in Call of Duty with a short, sharp jolt, and it lets you experience the weight and pressure of lifting and cutting stomach tissue.

We’re huge fans of applications of haptic feedback, giving you an extra sensory dimension in virtual reality experiences, so when we heard that there was a surgical VR experience at the Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) that we were attending in Dubai, it was with a sense of palpable excitement that we headed to the Fundamental VR concession. 

Primarily a surgical training tool, Fundamental VR has managed to create the most visceral haptic feedback we’ve ever experienced. Once you’re strapped into a VR headset, you are handed control wands that correlate to mechanical arms that appear in front of you on screen.

For the experience that we tried, the wands controlled a set of pincers and a cauterizing tool, but can be a scalpel, a bone chisel, a syringe, pretty much any tool that a surgeon will need to use during an operation. 

The experience is device agnostic (we used a Windows Mixed Reality Headset) but Fundamental had an Oculus Rift and HTC Vive with it too and was happy to swap out to whichever device we wanted to try. 

The experience itself is a very short, simple simulation. You’re put in the shoes of a surgeon, stood above a sheet-covered virtual patient, with a screen above an exposed fleshy belly with tools sticking out of it.

The screen shows the feed from the camera inserted into the torso, which is a view of the inside of a human body, just on the outside of the stomach.

Prepare yourself

You are tasked with grabbing and lifting the stomach lining, then cutting away a thin layer using the cauterizing tool by sliding it into a small hole and using heat to separate the section of the stomach lining. 

It took us a couple of seconds to get the depth perception needed to grab the lining with our pincers, but when we did, the strangest thing happened and we felt the weight of the lining. It felt real. It didn’t feel like it was real, it felt real.

We’d never experienced anything like it, and we were halfway between awed and horrified. We had to lift the lining up to a point where it locked into position, and because we don’t have the deft touch of a surgeon we bungled it. The physical ‘pop’ of the lining slipping from our pincers genuinely made us gag.

Eventually, we got the lining in the right place, and a hole opened up for us to slip the cauterizing tool in. Yep. That happened. Fighting back some pretty intense nausea we cut the lining using the heat of the cauterizing tool and the session (thankfully) ended. 

Talking with the maker

After taking a moment to compose ourself, we had a chat with Fundamental VR’s co-founder and CEO Richard Vincent to ask how it made such effective haptics, and what it plans to do with the technology. 

“Surgery is about touch, and it’s about sight, with only one of them, it’s a game,” Richard said, “Building the haptic intelligence that allows us to map all the tools and tissues, and all the possible collisions between them took us about a year, and we’re now at a point where we can reliably deploy pretty much any tissue experience.”

And getting to that point took a lot of trial and error: “That’s a process of getting surgeons in. We’ve got a calibration tool that allows us to go ‘This is the point where you were inserting this into that location, did it feel right?’ and then we’ve got about seven different variables to adjust like how squishy it is, how much you have to push on it before it finally gives way or penetrates.”

And there was one real life doctor there, Dimitri Amiras, a consultant radiologist from the UK-based Imperial College NHS Trust. We took the opportunity to ask him whether the ‘gamification’ of surgery would reduce the emotional risk associated with a real life operation:

“The gamification will take the surgeon a step back from what he’s actually doing, and actually allow them to focus on the operation itself. If the surgeon’s thinking about the person’s kids waiting at home there’s no way they can do the operation. You can have empathy afterwards, but at that time you need to focus on the procedure.” 

For an experience of a real life brain surgery in 360-degree video, check out this video made by Fundamental:

While the simulation experience we tried felt very real, it still looked very game-like, and we wondered how many of Richard’s team came from the game industry:

“The team’s made up of a lot of people from the gaming background because that’s where the skills in VR performance have really been refined over the last two years. The best place to find Unity or Unreal programmers with really good experience is gaming.”

At the moment the tool is being used to train would-be surgeons, but we can see obvious applications in consumer VR, and apparently we’re not the only ones. Richard told us he has been approached by a number of different industries for his algorithm. For the time being he’s keeping the focus purely surgical. 



source http://www.techradar.com/news/meet-the-company-making-haptics-so-you-can-experience-the-feeling-of-cutting-flesh

Siemens launches major UK 3D printing centre

Britain's 3D printing industry is set for a major expansion thanks to a new launch from Siemens.

The electronics giant has pledged £27 million to a new centre in Worcester that will greatly expand the possibility of using 3D printed items across its industrial operations within the next few years.

The launch will increase Siemens' fleet of 3D printing machines from 15 to 50, and will allow the production of "thousands" of specialised parts, the company says.

'Pioneering'

“This significant investment underlines our belief that there is huge potential for innovation and growth within the Additive Manufacturing sector. It is also the next step towards achieving our ambition of pioneering the industrialisation of 3D printing and demonstrates how we are leading the way for the fourth industrial revolution,” said Juergen Maier, Siemens UK CEO.

“If the UK’s manufacturing sector is to grow and thrive, we must embrace digital technologies and build new industries based on them. Our vision and ambition for Materials Solutions perfectly represents how we are putting this strategy into practice."

The centre, which is set to be opened in September 2018, will be operated by Materials Solutions Ltd, which is 85 per cent owned by Siemens, and will create around 55 specialist jobs in the local area.

Materials Solutions is already well-known for its engineering work in the aviation and engineering sectors, including the 3D printing of entire parts for aircraft.



source http://www.techradar.com/news/siemens-launches-major-uk-3d-printing-centre

3D printers make building homes more economic for the developing world

Most developing nations suffer from the problem for not having enough shelter, which is why to solve this issues Icon has partnered with New Story to build cheap homes for citizens that can be set up under 24 hours. 

Icon, a 3D printing firm and New Story, a non-profit, cited the significance of this project in relation to the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Studies report from 2017. Their research found that 1.2 billion city-dwellers, globally, don’t have the privilege of affordable and secure housing. 

To address this issue, they’re currently testing a prototype of Icon’s mobile 3D printer, in which houses can be printed for under $4000, which is approximately Rs 2.6 lakhs. Assuming their test is successful, this would considerably bring down the price of housing in a large proportion of the world. 

Home sweet home

Icon showcased one of these homes at the SXSW (Southwest Interactive) festival, that’s currently happening in Austin, Texas, their home town. The house is essentially a single story model that measures around 600-800 square feet. What more fascinating is that, it can be built on the Vulcan 3D printer in under a day. 

According to Icon, the efficiency and money savings don’t compromise on the build of the house as the structure is made using, “cutting-edge materials tested to the most recognised standards of safety, comfort, and resiliency.”

These home cater to the needs of developing nations further by claiming to use ‘nearly zero’ waste production methods so it won’t add to the pressures of garbage disposal. In addition to that, these home are made under the assumption that there will be ‘unpredictable constraints’ such as limitations on water and power. 

New Story is a Y Combinator backed non profit, which is a new model for funding early stage startups. They focus on building communities that are sustainable enabling them to offer education, basic infrastructure and income opportunities for its residents.

Collaboration between the two firms, will allow for local labour to operate the machines and feedback from users will allow for customizations where they’re required, and feasible. 

The Verge has reported that the first project that their partnership plans on executing will happen in El Salvador, where they will build a community of a 100 homes in 2019. It will start once the company finalizes the design and completes their testing of materials. 



source http://www.techradar.com/news/3d-printers-makes-building-homes-more-economic-for-the-developing-world