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A personalized video viewer for everyone
The good: Vodio comes with over 100 curated channels, so you can personalize your video-watching experience. The video history and watch later queue both come in handy.
The bad: If you view a search result, Vodio annoyingly saves it to your dock without asking. Also, there's no way to rearrange channels in your dock once they're added.
The bottom line: Vodio's customization options and huge selection of curated channels make it an attractive download for finding and watching videos online.
Similar to the popular Showyou app, Vodio aggregates videos from across the Web and serves them up all in one place. Playback in the app is smooth, and Vodio doesn't degrade the video quality, whether in portrait or landscape mode.
With so many different video sources and channel options available, Vodio can get a bit overwhelming. So, when you first launch the app, be prepared to take a few minutes to set it up. If you'd rather not take the time, then you can, of course, use Vodio with only its default channels set, but then you'd be missing out on a completely customized video watching experience, which is really the biggest draw of the app. Good thing is, you don't have to set up an account to use the app. But I would suggest connecting your Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts if you want to get the most out of it. Doing so helps the app to better recommend and categorize content.
Vodio comes with over 100 curated channels so you can customize your lineup according to your taste.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jaymar Cabebe/CNET)
If you skip the setup, Vodio starts you off with five channels: Music, Sports, Entertainment, Tech, and Highlights. Each channel pulls in appropriately categorized videos from different sources around the Web, and the intuitive swipe controls makes it easy for you to scroll through it all and watch what you want. While I don't find Vodio's interface particularly attractive (it can feel a bit cramped), I will admit that it's easy to use, and it functions smoothly. You can switch between channels by swiping laterally, or you can pull up the channel dock from the bottom of the screen to jump directly to a desired page.
The best thing about Vodio is that it lets you customize your channel lineup. The five default channels are a helpful start, but it also offers over 100 more to supplement your dock. All you have to do is hit the "+" button to see the different curated channels available and put a check next to any item that you want to add to your lineup. You can add channels for general categories like Viral and Android, or channels from individual sources like Facebook, CNET, and Rolling Stone. And if you don't find what you're looking for, you can always run a search and add individual channels that way. You can even add smart channels to your dock, so you can keep track of your watch history, videos you've shared, videos you want to watch later, and more. Altogether, these customization options make Vodio an attractive for video lovers.
While Vodio's many customization options are certainly a good thing, the controls involved are where I found problems. For instance, if you run a search, and tap on a search result, Vodio automatically adds it as a new channel. This means that if you're only trying to run a one-off search, you'll have to go in and fix your channel lineup when you're done, which can get annoying. It's also worth mentioning that there appears to be no way to rearrange the order of your channels.
Despite its interface issues, Vodio is still an impressive app. It comes with over 100 curated channels to choose from, and it lets you create your own custom channel dock. It even offers a couple of features that its competitor Showyou doesn't (video history and watch later queue). If you're looking for a personalized video watching experience with only the video sources and categories that you love, this app is as fine an option as any.
(source: cnet)
Microsoft has 'no plans' to revisit Xbox One's $499 price
Even as the company backtracks on its unpopular game-sharing policy, a company executive tells CNET that it won't budge on the price for the console, some $100 more than the rival PlayStation 4.
Microsoft's Marc Whitten at the Xbox One reveal event in Redmond, Wash., last month.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)
Microsoft may have just backtracked on its derided policy that had restricted game sharing in its Xbox One console that goes on sale later this year -- but don't count on the company to revisit other unpopular features of the upcoming console.
In an interview with CNET, Marc Whitten, the chief product officer for Xbox, said the company has "no plans" to lower the $499 price tag for the console, even though Sony's rival PlayStation 4 will debut at $399. He echoed previous statements from the company that the Xbox One will offer features not found elsewhere, such as its Kinect motion-sensing, voice-detecting controller.
"We are really, really excited about the value we're going to deliver on day one," Whitten said.
What's more, Microsoft has no plans to change its decision for the Kinect to be on by default, something some users worry might be creepy. Microsoft tried to diffuse some of those privacy concerns earlier this month, telling gamers that the system is "only listening for the single voice command -- 'Xbox On.'" But gamers can turn that feature off if they choose.
Microsoft says it thinks the Kinect is too central to the Xbox One experience, and the way that developers are creating games, to change the way it works.
"It's part of the Xbox One architecture," Whitten said.
The new policy announced earlier today does away with the much-loathed plans that would have required Xbox One gamers to connect their consoles to the Internet once a day to prevent game piracy. Gamers no longer will be required to do so.
But that policy also means gamers who purchase physical discs won't get some of the benefits of that Web strategy. Gamers were going to be able to access games from any console once they loaded the disc onto their Xbox One.
"You won't see that content now," Whitten said, though gamers will be able to see all the content they purchase digitally.
What's more, Microsoft is doing away with the policy of allowing up to 10 family members to share disc-based games even if they didn't have the disc in their console.
"We won't be delivering that," Whitten said.
Microsoft decided to alter the policy after the company recognized that it would be a "blocker" for some customers to buy the console, Whitten said. Gamers had voiced antipathy toward the idea of requiring a Web connection when rumors flew earlier this year, even before Microsoft announced the plan. But Whitten said the rancor didn't become clear to the company until after it discussed the policy at the E3 video game conference earlier this month.
"E3 was the first time our complete program was out there to get complete feedback," Whitten said. "We heard that people valued the flexibility of physical discs."
(source: cnet)
LG to mass-produce flexible displays for smartphones
Looking to get a leg-up in the bendable display market, LG Display is going full throttle ahead with production of the new technology for mobile devices.
A flexible OLED display inside a protective covering.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)
LG Display is about to embark on the mass production of smartphone display panels that reportedly don't break, crack, or shatter -- because they can bend.
By the fourth quarter of this year, the electronics company plans to be supplying the flexible displays to a host of major clients, according to The Korea Times.
"We have completed the development of our first flexible displays. We will mass produce flexible displays from the fourth quarter of this year," the company told The Korea Times. "We will apply a 4.5th generation glass-cutting technology for the OLED flexible displays. Monthly capacity for the line was set as 12,000 sheets."
The push for flexible displays comes at a time of growing demand for new screen technology. LG spokesman Frank Lee told The Korea Times that one of the reasons the company was heading toward mass production was to meet "the rapid need for display advancements."
Flexible displays could be the new frontier for electronics; and, it appears that LG wants to get a leg-up on the market and become the first company to mass-produce the display panels for mobile devices. In April, LG Electronics (a stakeholder of LG Display) announced its plans to debut its first flexible smartphone sometime this year.
The OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology used in the LG bendable display screens is apparently thinner, lighter, and more flexible than conventional LCD displays. And, besides being unbreakable, bendable smartphones could curve with a user's body movements so that the devices sit more comfortably in a pocket or pack into any number of compartments.
LG isn't the only company working on the bendable displays. Samsung, Nokia, and even Apple have been working on flexible smartphone and tablet screens for years.
(souurce: cnet)
Huawei unveils world’s slimmest smartphone – again
The Huawei Ascend P6 is touted as the world's slimmest smartphone
With all the different makes and models of smartphones available, manufacturers are always looking for something to make their handsets stand out. China’s Huawei chose size as its differentiating factor at CES in 2012 when it unveiled the Ascend P1 S, touting it as the world’s slimmest smartphone. The company is at it again with its new Ascend P6, which it is calling, you guessed it, “the world’s slimmest smartphone.”
Unveiled at an event in London last night, the Ascend P6 is just 6.18 mm thick, but manages to cram plenty of features into its metallic body. Running the latest version of Huawei’s Emotion UI over Android 4.2.2, the device is powered by a 1.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor and comes with 2 GB of RAM. Its 4.7-inch display packs 1,280 x 720 pixels at a density of around 322 ppi. The 8 GB of built in storage can be expanded upon by an additional 32 GB via microSD card.
There’s also front and rear snappers, with a 5-megapixel camera up front and an 8-megapixel backside illumination (BSI) camera with F2.0 aperture and 4 cm macroview on the rear. These will benefit from the panoramic and facial recognition photography functions that have been added to the aforementioned Emotion UI for the first time.
Huawei claims the phone’s 2,000 mAh lithium-polymer battery offers 30 percent better performance than other smartphone batteries of equal size thanks to the company’s Automated Discontinuous Reception (ADRX) and Quick Power Control (QPC) battery optimization and power saving technologies. However, Huawei hasn’t yet provided battery life estimates for the P6, saying only it should recharge in under four hours.
Aside from the 6.18 mm thickness, the P6 measures 132.65 mm high, 65.5 mm wide, and weighs 120 g (4.2 oz) including the battery. The current model doesn’t support 4G, but Huawei says it plans to release a 4G model in October.
The Ascend P6 will come in black, white or pick and will begin shipping in China this month, followed by a release in countries including the UK, Australia, Italy and Spain in July at around €449 (US$600) SIM-free. Other markets will follow but no word on a US release date as yet.
Source: Huawei
Emopulse Smile SmartWatch goes up for pre-order
Emopulse has hit Indiegogo to take pre-orders for its Smile SmartWatch
Many of the communication devices that attempt to make the jump from our hands to our wrists tend to follow the same form factor as mechanical watches (think Pebble or the much-rumored Apple iWatch, for example). The Smile SmartWatch from Emopulse is quite a different proposition. If the company manages to transform its working prototype into an actual commercial product, the Smile will be a smartphone, entertainment and gaming hub, social network and news feed, personal assistant, digital watch, and a stunning piece of wrist bling all rolled into one futuristic device.
Basically a twin-display smartphone you can wrap around your wrist and wear like a bracelet, the working prototypes are reported to have made use of experimental flexible displays. The first batch were monochrome, but the latest are full-color OLED. The upper screen auto activates as the arm is raised, while the lower screen turns on when it's pointed upwards by twisting the wrist. The displays are housed within an aluminum enclosure, topped by waterproof and shock-resistant glass from Schott.
"We have two manufacturers of flexible screens at the moment and each of them is in a hurry to be the first on the market," says the Californian company's founder Nick Koloskov, who has been working on the device for the last four years. "Our partners guaranteed us a delivery of flexible screens by the end of the year (this is the main reason why we have not released products at the beginning of this year)."
Koloskov told us that the Smile will be no Pebble, and should have a display more comparable to the quality offered by the iPhone. Each display will have a screen size "the same as 3 icon rows on the iPhone 4S screen."
He admitted that Emopulse may get beaten to market by the likes of Apple and Samsung, but said that meeting customer expectations in terms of high-quality display and functionality is the driving force behind product development, rather than being first out of the starting blocks.
The Smile runs an algorithm-based, custom Linux AI operating system, and uses biosensors embedded in the device to gather information about its wearer and uses the data to help automate certain processes.
After watching a few movies or listening to streamed music, for example, the system will recommend more content based on user tastes and/or emotional responses. The accuracy of the predictions will increase over time. The sensors could also be used alongside virtual physical trainers to help keep users in trim with personal, monitored workouts.
The device will be powered by the yet-to-be-released low-power, high-speed OMAP 5 processor from Texas Instruments, which has built-in graphical processing for high-definition playback that should be able to comfortably cope with on-wrist gaming. The Smile boasts 2 GB of system memory, and either 128 or 256 GB of included solid state memory.
Other key specs include a nano-SIM card slot, allowing the device to act as an LTE-ready smartphone in its own right, or be paired with an existing smartphone via Bluetooth. The main display will auto switch between day- and night-time modes, but the phone part can remain active while you slumber, and the Smile will auto-direct incoming calls to voice mail or play a message advising callers to ring back later.
In addition to being Wi-Fi-capable, it's also said to be NFC-capable for instant, single-touch device connectivity, though its inclusion seems to be more geared toward making the Smile your mobile virtual credit card wallet or electronic lock opener. All keys and payment information will be encrypted, and as an added security measure, the data will be blocked when the Smile is removed from the wrist.
Physical connectivity comes in the shape of a sliding USB 3.0 connector, which is also said to help keep the Smile from sliding off the wrist. Though the website currently mentions the inclusion of a Thunderbolt 10 Gbps communications port, Koloskov has told us that prototype testing has revealed unexpected issues, so the first production units will not include this technology.
According to its developers, Smile's current 2,500 mAh battery should be good for two days of intensive use between charges, or seven days in power-saving mode. They are reportedly looking at producing a high-end version of the device that will sport a 3,000 mAh battery.
Proprietary Purepath audio technology is claimed to offer users a fuller wireless sonic playback experience. There's no audio jack for headphones, so users will need to use wireless headsets for private music listening. Dropout-free, hi-fi enthusiast-pleasing 16-bit, 44.1/48 KHz CD quality audio is what's being promised here. Stereo speakers feature for more public sharing.
The Smile goes one better than modern smartphones by offering three integrated cameras and three microphones. There's a face-tracking webcam at the top of the main display for web chats and video-conferencing. The top edge packs a 12-megapixel snapper that's capable of recording 1080p high definition video, while a third camera "designed with unique optics" is mounted on the side of the smartwatch.
This functions like a scanner/reader. Pointing it at bar codes, QR codes or URLs will result in the relevant information being displayed on the device's screen. Emopulse says that this camera will also follow the path of a finger as it runs below text on a printed page, and capture the fragment in the device's memory for later recall.
The device will also benefit from Siri-like speech recognition, and be able to recognize a user's natural language. There'll be an avatar-based digital personal assistant to help with searches, setting reminders, making notes and the like, and the system will learn from the kind of searches made, commands given and requests made.
Buying flowers for a colleague is the example given by Emopulse. The first time that the Smile is requested to seek out a florist and make a purchase, it will offer a number of suggested outlets. Subsequent requests can then be automated based on the actions taken in the first instance. Of course, you could just opt to use menu-driven onscreen navigation to organize your life instead.
To get these futuristic devices onto the wrists of consumers, Emopulse has launched an Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign, where two flavors of the Smile SmartWatch are available for pre-order. Pledge levels start of US$480 for the 128 GB models. They're available in black with blue accenting to the side, come in four sizes, and in left- or right-handed orientation. A 256 GB version can be yours for a pledge of $550. The campaign runs until July 11.
The first batch (for developers) will not include wireless charging capabilities and should be ready for release by October. Serial production is due to start by the end of 2013 (pending delivery of flexible displays). Emopulse is planning to open a Smile app store in early 2014, along with a software development kit for the production of third party apps.
Considering all that the Smile SmartWatch wants to be, it will be quite an achievement to actually pull this off, but we're gonna have to wait until the end of the year for any glimpse of actual product. Though Koloskov claims to have working Smile SmartWatch prototypes in the bag, none were ready in time for the promo video shoot. As a result, the actors in the video below look to be wearing plastic bracelets which have had display functionality digitally overlayed in post-production.
"We apologize about the video as it was filmed a year ago, while many more interfaces were not created, so some interfaces were replaced by computer graphics," he says. "Today things have changed, but we will show it in October, when the product will be officially presented to the general public."
School iris-scanned students without telling parents
A Florida school admits that it made several mistakes when it allowed a security company to install iris scanners without telling parents -- and without even having a contract with the company.
The eyes have it? Or the eyes were had?
(Credit: Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)
There's a quaint concept that seemingly every technology company dismisses as outdated.
It's called opting in.
Should you not be familiar with it, it's the notion that you ought to choose before, say, all the people in your address book are contacted by a company they've never heard of.
And wouldn't it be lovely to have a choice over whether your kids should have their irises scanned, as they get on their school bus?
The parents of around 750 kids in several Florida schools never got that choice -- because of what might be politely termed a series of errors and less politely as "what the hell is going on around here?"
Here was what one parent, April Serrano, told the The Ledger when she found out that her 8-year-old son had been made to stare into a blue light until it changed color when he got on a bus: "Just repeating that story makes my skin crawl."
Peculiarly, no one at the schools district seems entirely sure how a security company called Stanley Convergent Security Solutions was allowed to install and operate the scanners without parents being told. Or, indeed, without a contract being signed.
Rob Davis, a Polk County district administrator, admitted to the Ledger that several mistakes were made. He said that he had no idea who (if anyone) had ultimately authorized Stanley Convergent to insert the iris scanners, which the company says have an accuracy rate of 200 times that of fingerprints.
He said that his secretary had sent letters to school principals explaining the idea (and offering merely an "opt-out" option), only after it had started. There seems no clear explanation of why this might be.
What is alleged, though, is that Stanley Convergent appeared on three East Polk campuses without any legal agreement in place.
The final decision ought to have been that of interim school superintendent John Stewart. Oddly, he seems also not to have been informed -- another piece of communication that either was late in arriving or was never sent.
The Ledger quotes Ann Marshall, a safe schools specialist who seems to have been responsible for the iris scan scheduling, as saying: "It's just a busy place. And unless you have an appointment to move something ahead, it's not like you have an opportunity to chitchat. It's not that anyone didn't want to tell him (Stewart)."
It seems as if not one school lawyer looked through the proposed contract and approved it.
This has left some parents suspicious. Connie Turlington, parent of an 11-year-old, told The Ledger: "It sounds like a simple case of it's better to ask forgiveness than permission."
Some might find it touching that a concept seemingly born in Silicon Valley has made it all the way to Polk County, Fla.
You might remember Polk County. This is the same place where 16-year-old Kiera Wilmot was expelled for putting toilet cleaner and tin foil in a water bottle and watching it go "pop."
Could it be that the very same Polk County Schools District tried to conduct a scientific experiment of its own?
I have contacted Stanley Convergent to ask whether it is normal to install iris scanners before the signing of a contract. E-mails obtained by The Ledger under a public records request reportedly show that the company tried to get a contract signed.
However, these e-mails also show that Lum Thornhill, assistant director of operations at the schools district, had allegedly been told by Stanley Convergent that it could "do the registration and keep the files on a computer until we get the clearance."
The schools district now admits that its enthusiasm for any biometric security has somewhat waned.
Davis told the Ledger: "We learned a valuable lesson here, to say the least. It was truly not to fast track or invade anyone's privacy."
I am sure that many parents won't feel quite so grateful for the learning experience, even though Stanley Convergent has said the scanning information has been deleted.
Google's low-cost Chromebooks coming to 6,600 more stores
Once primarily sold in Best Buy and on Amazon.com, the laptops will now be available at Walmart, Staples, and other stores worldwide.
The Acer C7 Chromebook.
(Credit: Google)
While Google hasn't done a lot of promotion around its Chromebooks, there's no doubt that the company is still working on bringing the low-cost laptops to more people around the world.
The tech giant announced Monday that it's bringing Chromebooks to more than 6,600 new stores worldwide -- that's three times as many stores as before.
The lion's share will go to Walmart and Staples. Walmart will sell the $199 Acer C7 Chromebook in about 2,800 of its stores across the U.S. And Staples will bring Chromebooks from Acer, HP, and Samsung to all of its 1,500 U.S. stores. Specific Office Depot, OfficeMax, Fry's, and TigerDirect will also sell the laptops in the U.S. Previously, Chromebooks were sold at Best Buy and Amazon.com.
Google is also expanding its Chromebook sales in 10 other markets worldwide, including the U.K., Holland, France, Sweden, and Australia.
Google first launched its Chromebooks in May 2011. The laptops are known for having an all-day battery life and built-in Net connectivity. They also get updates every few weeks, just like Chrome.
Lego makes beautiful music with the Sydney Opera House
As part of its Creator Expert range of sets, Lego will debut a massive Sydney Opera House model in September.
(Credit: Lego)
We've seen an official Lego Sydney Opera House set before as part of the toy company's Architecture range, but let's be honest: an awful lot of detail got lost in the model's tiny size.
Lego's about to do something about that, though. On September 1, Lego fanatics will be able to get their hands on an insanely detailed 2,989-piece model of the iconic building designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon in the 1950s. And, at 11 inches by 25 inches by 15 inches, it's going to be huge.
The model is offering a few neat perks for Lego brick collectors: rare dark-tan Lego bricks, tiles, and sloped bricks, as well as the company's first-ever 48x48 stud baseplate in blue -- and the curved white pieces that form the Opera House's sails.
The Sydney Opera House will be joining other iconic buildings, like India's Taj Mahal, France's Eiffel Tower, and England's Tower Bridge as part of the Creator Expert range of oversize models. It will retail for $380.
We dare Lego to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge next.
(Source: Crave Australia)
Obama: NSA spying doesn't mean 'abandoning freedom'
In an interview with Charlie Rose, the president maintains that the top-secret NSA spying programs were within the bounds of the law and were intended to protect U.S. citizens.
President Barack Obama.
(Credit: Martin LaMonica/CNET)
News about the National Security Agency's classified surveillance programs has been abundant the past few days, and to top it off, President Obama is now giving a 45-minute interview about the issue with Charlie Rose on Monday evening.
Buzzfeed published a partial transcript of the interview before tonight's airing of the show. While Obama goes over the topics of the two NSA spying programs with more detail, it appears he's reiterating much of the same when it comes to the White House's stance on the programs and document leaks. Essentially, it did nothing wrong.
"What I've said, and I continue to believe, is that we don't have to sacrifice our freedom in order to achieve security. That's a false choice. That doesn't mean that there are not tradeoffs involved in any given program, in any given action that we take," Obama told Rose. "To say there's a tradeoff doesn't mean somehow that we've abandoned freedom."
The NSA is one of the biggest surveillance and eavesdropping agencies in the U.S. and was where former CIA employee and whistleblower Edward Snowden was working when he decided to leak some of the agency's top-secret documents to the press a couple of weeks ago.
This document leak has led to the public finding out that the government has been working to spy on people via metadata from Internet companies and cellular records in two programs -- 2015 Program and PRISM. The NSA and the Obama administration have said the goal of the surveillance programs were to track down foreign terrorists and terrorist threats.
"The way I view it, my job is both to protect the American people and to protect the American way of life, which includes our privacy," Obama said. "And so every program that we engage in, what I've said is 'Let's examine and make sure that we're making the right tradeoffs.'"
The White House has maintained that the secret surveillance programs were legal. In the case of the 2015 Program, which looks at phone records, Obama said that the phone numbers aren't connected to any names or database content -- they're simply "number pairs." And, in the case of PRISM, he said that the program mainly targets foreign nationals and only goes after U.S. citizens when officials have a warrant.
"What I can say unequivocally is that if you are a U.S. person, the NSA cannot listen to your telephone calls, and the NSA cannot target your e-mails... and have not. They cannot and have not, by law and by rule, and unless they -- and usually it wouldn't be 'they,' it'd be the FBI -- go to a court, and obtain a warrant, and seek probable cause," Obama told Rose. "So point number one, if you're a U.S. person, then NSA is not listening to your phone calls and it's not targeting your emails unless it's getting an individualized court order. That's the existing rule."
Rose asked Obama whether the system should be more transparent and the president maintained it is since his administration, a federal court (FISA), and Congress oversee the program. Obama said what the NSA is doing is different than former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney's wiretapping program.
"Some people say, 'Well, you know, Obama was this raving liberal before. Now he's, you know, Dick Cheney,'" Obama told Rose. "My concern has always been not that we shouldn't do intelligence gathering to prevent terrorism, but rather are we setting up a system of checks and balances?"
Obama defended the NSA surveillance programs two weeks ago with many of the same arguments. But since then, many politicians and tech leaders have come out opposing the secret program, while digital rights advocacy groups have questioned the full legality of PRISM and 2015.
The whistleblower Snowden has recently taken his accusations against the U.S. government a step further. In an interview with the Guardian on Monday, he said that even though a warrant is required for surveillance on U.S. citizens, the NSA is looking at information from domestic phone calls without warrants.
"Americans' communications are collected and viewed on a daily basis on the certification of an analyst rather than a warrant," Snowden said. Intelligence analysts at the NSA, CIA, FBI, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and other similar arms of the government who have access to raw data can "enter and get results for anything they want," he said.
Obama's full interview with Charlie Rose airs Monday evening on PBS.
Yahoo reveals U.S. government requests for user data
Web pioneer says it received more than 12,000 requests in the past six months for user information, most of which were related to criminal investigations such as fraud and homicide.
Joining Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook, Yahoo has revealed that it received more than 12,000 requests from U.S. law enforcement for user information and affected accounts in the past six months.
The Web pioneer said Monday evening that between December 1, 2012, and May 31, 2013, it received between 12,000 and 13,000 requests for user information, most of which were related to criminal investigations involving fraud, homicide, and kidnapping.
The revelation comes amid a furor that erupted earlier this month over allegations that the NSA has engaged in a sweeping effort to surreptitiously acquire information connected to phone calls and Web usage.
Apple said late Sunday that it received between 4,000 and 5,000 requests from U.S. law enforcement agencies for customer data from December 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013, and that 9,000 to 10,000 accounts or devices were specified in the requests. Before Apple's disclosure, Facebook stated that it received 9,000 to 10,000 U.S. government requests for customer data during the six-month period ending December 31, 2012.
Meanwhile, Microsoft disclosed that it received 6,000 to 7,000 criminal and national security warrants, subpoenas, and orders affecting between 31,000 and 32,000 consumer accounts from U.S. governmental entities over the same six-month period.
Initial reports earlier this month in the U.K.-based Guardian and in the Washington Post said U.S. Internet companies allegedly cooperated with an NSA's program called PRISM. Yahoo denied the allegations regarding its participation in the program, calling them "categorically false."
While noting that it was prohibited by law from detailing the number of requests made under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), Yahoo said it urged the federal government to reconsider declassifying the data.
"Democracy demands accountability," Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and general counsel Ron Bell wrote in a Tumblr post published this evening. "Recognizing the important role that Yahoo! can play in ensuring accountability, we will issue later this summer our first global law enforcement transparency report, which will cover the first half of the year. We will refresh this report with current statistics twice a year."
How to protect yourself when buying Cheapskate deals
You can help ensure a happy purchase by doing a bit of homework and learning how to resolve any issues that might come up.
Refurbished gear can be a great deal, but depending on what you buy and where, you might end up disappointed.
(Credit: LogicBuy)
Sometimes it's hard being the Cheapskate. I don't mean the rigors of finding awesome deals on a daily basis, though that certainly can be a challenge. (What? Another tablet?!)
No, the tough part is when a frustrated reader e-mails me because the product he ordered hasn't arrived after three weeks. Or, even worse, it arrived in poor condition. And the company that sold it to him won't help or even respond. Although I have no control over these kinds of situations, and can't offer much in the way of assistance, I feel terrible for indirectly causing this frustration.
Last Friday, for example, I heard from one gent who'd purchased the Samsung ST200F camera from last Monday's bonus deal. It arrived quickly enough, but turned out to be the European version with no Wi-Fi, no U.S. warranty, and a foreign power adapter. And because it was one of Yugster's daily deals, the promo page no longer exists -- so there's no way to verify what exactly was advertised.
On that same day, another reader wrote that the refurbished 1st-gen iPad she'd purchased from DailySteals arrived dented, scratched, and unable to hold a charge. She'd received no response from the company's customer service department and was uncertain how even to file a warranty claim. And she was understandably distraught, as her intended Father's Day gift had gone terribly awry.
Plights like these drive me nuts, even when readers direct their anger at me -- I was, after all, the guy who said, "Hey, check out this deal!" The last thing I ever want is for someone to get ripped off. Consequently, I've put together a handful of suggestions for protecting yourself when purchasing the stuff I write about -- and dealing with issues that may arise. (If you haven't already, I also recommend reading the Cheapskate FAQ, which addresses a lot of the more general issues readers encounter.)
- Buyer beware. That's the rule when you buy anything, of course, but it's especially true when you're dealing with daily-deal sites, closeout deals, and refurbished/reconditioned items. If it sounds too good to be true, it might just be. I do my best to cover only highly rated products sold by reputable vendors, but sometimes -- as with my two examples -- things go south.
- Don't rush. Deals often do sell out very quickly, and sometimes buyers jump in too hastily for fear of missing out. But it's better to do your homework (see next item) and risk a sellout than it is to make a bad decision. The good news is that most of the best deals come around again -- and often get better the next time.
- Do your homework. Investigate the seller on sites like ResellerRatings.com (keeping in mind that most people leave those ratings when something goes wrong, not when things go right). More importantly, look for customer-service contact information in advance. If you can't find any, or it seems unusually well-hidden, steer clear.
- Understand what refurbished means. As a general rule, I like refurbished gear a lot. But there are some items I won't buy refurbished, and the reality is that you're rolling the dice when you go this route, as vendors don't always disclose if a product is scratched, dented, missing parts, etc. (Best Buy's CowBoom, to its credit, does.) But there are exceptions: Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Dell are among the handful of companies offering refurb gear that's virtually indistinguishable from new. That's what makes the aforementioned iPad disaster especially aggravating. Because it came from a third party, Apple's typical awesomeness with refurbs didn't apply.
- Be prepared to wait. We're all spoiled by Amazon and other companies that whisk products to our doorsteps in 2-3 days. But many of the daily-deal sites (I'm looking at you, 1SaleADay) take two or even three weeks just to ship a purchase. And they're typically terrible about providing shipping updates, tracking numbers, etc. Two choices: Don't buy from these guys, or don't be in a hurry. If you expect a long wait, you won't be quite as disappointed.
- Take screenshots of the deal page. This is an especially good idea if it's a daily-deal site, as what you see today will almost certainly be gone tomorrow. The idea is to have a record, however informal, of the product or service that was advertised, something you can use later if you end with something that doesn't match. Screenshots don't cost anything except a few minutes of your time, so capture everything: the promo page, the fine-print page, and so on.
- If necessary, call in the cavalry. Your credit-card company can be a great asset in resolving disputes with vendors. If you don't get a response from the vendor's customer-service department within a few days and/or don't feel the product matches what was advertised, your card provider can step in -- and will very often help you secure a refund.
- Take a deep breath. It's easy to get really angry when you think you've been ripped off, and sometimes that anger is justified. But don't lash out with insults, accusations, and threats. Instead, remember that in most cases, things will get resolved, even if it takes a bit of time.
Those are my suggestions. Now let's hear yours. If you have any additional buyer-protection advice to share, please do so in the comments! And thanks for your patience with all this. I'll return you to your regularly scheduled programming first thing tomorrow.
Japanese robots make a stink about bad breath, body odor
Kaori-chan, a female robot, can smell your breath and responds based on a four point scale (Photo: Asashi Shimbun)
Have you got a case of dog breath? How about smelly feet? Friends and family may not tell you, but a couple of new robots will. Built by the Kitakyushu National College of Technology and a group of inventive pranksters calling itself CrazyLabo, the pair of odor-detecting robots are giving people a lesson in hygiene and a few chuckles.
Kaori-chan, a decapitated mannequin head that sits atop a pink box, is the one that smells your breath. Simply blow into her face and don't expect her to spare your feelings if you could use a mint or two. Responses range from the blunt, “Yuck, you have bad breath!” to an embarrassing, “Emergency! There's an emergency taking place! That’s beyond the limit of patience!”
The foot-sniffing dog, Shuntaro-kun, is a bit less eloquent but just as clear with his responses. He'll cuddle up to you if you smell ok, but if you stink he'll bark, fall down and growl, or play dead. Both robots get their sense of smell from a commercially available odor sensor and grade your aroma on a four point scale.
The idea came when CrazyLabo president Kennosuke Tsutsumi visited the Tohoku region, which was hit by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11th, 2011. Wanting to create something that could cheer people up, he collaborated with a team at the Kitakyushu National College of Technology to collect odor samples and program the robots. Ten students wore the same pair of socks for two days, and ate foods with stinky ingredients like garlic, to iron out the robots' four point scale.
Now the group is planning on touring the quake-affected areas with the robots, and may lease or exhibit them to the public. “I want to continue to produce things that make people laugh and create a good atmosphere,” Tsutsumi said. You can see a video of the robots doing their thing via the Asahi Shimbun source link below.
Source: CrazyLabo (Japanese) via Asahi Shimbun (Japanese)
DNA Fog helps identify trespassers, thieves, and brigands
Applied DNA Sciences (ADNAS) has developed a new approach to solve crimes using DNA tagging (Image: Shutterstock)
Imagine prowlers broke into your company warehouse over the weekend. The alarm sounded, but the devious blaggards got away with the goods before the police arrived. Your security cameras caught only dim, shadowy images of the intruders, not clearly enough for positive identification. DNA tagging could change that.
Normally, tracking a criminal using DNA requires, at a minimum, that the perpetrator leaves behind a DNA sample in some form or other. As they are not often so accommodating, the role of DNA in crime busting, while significant, has its limits.
Applied DNA Sciences (ADNAS) has developed a new approach to solve crimes using DNA tagging. The difference is that instead of tagging the objects being stolen, they tag the pilferer with DNA. While this has been tried before by applying the DNA to a fleeing criminal with a gun, ADNAS has adopted a more subtle approach.
For years banks have rigged bags of money with exploding dye packs, which mark the outlaw and the stash. The ADNAS system takes advantage of that basic concept, but implements it differently, so that a thief can be tagged without having a clue that their career will be cut short.
DNA Fog is an airborne suspension of artificial DNA molecules with a known but biologically inert sequence. The DNA molecules (Applied DNA's SigNature DNA) are artificially constructed, so that a strand of DNA with 20 base pairs can have over a trillion unique combinations. A security system could use one sequence per location, one sequence for each area within the location, or even use RFID tags to instruct a sophisticated spraying device to spray a unique DNA signature for each item stolen.
Once released, DNA molecules attach onto a malefactor's clothing, shoes, hair, and skin, as well as the objects stolen. This is rather like putting exploding dye packs in bags of money, save that the perpetrator has no idea that he has been marked.
It is surprisingly hard to scrub all the DNA off of one's body, clothing, shoes and tools. Regardless of what conventional cleaning methods a thief chooses, they will be easily detected to have been at the scene of the crime at the time it was committed for a period of at least two weeks, and potentially for years.
Should a guilty suspect be arrested, police would swab them and their clothes (and probably their apartment and car), then read the DNA samples using the polymerase chain reaction, which amplifies the genetic material from the sample to the point that it can be identified. The video below illustrates this reaction.
Amplifying makes the DNA samples easier to detect and analyze, and the overall process is simple and cheap enough that it can be done by non-specialists.
Can DNA Fog be defeated? There are couple of possibilities here. The low-tech approach is to wear an overall Tyvek suit with a diving mask. A higher-tech method is to swamp the DNA Fog system, perhaps by bathing with a body shampoo that contains millions of false DNA fragments. This would make it difficult for investigators to find the right sequence. It becomes a needle in a haystack problem, except the needle is also made of hay.
Applied DNA Sciences has recently entered into a two-way exclusive arrangement with SmokeCloak, a Danish security firm that manufactures security fog generators that can fill a room or a warehouse at up to 1600 cubic meters per minute, which is a depth of 1.5 feet per acre each minute.
Source: Applied DNA Sciences via Discovery.com
Hasselblad Lunar goes on sale ... with an astronomical price tag
The Hasselblad Lunar had been designed as an 'ultimate luxury' mirrorless interchangeable lens camera
The Hasselblad Lunar has gone on sale, which could be good news if you think the mirrorless camera market has been sadly lacking in wood, carbon fiber, and jeweled buttons. Billed as an "ultimate luxury mirrorless interchangeable lens camera," the Lunar will sell for US$7,000, despite being based on, and having almost identical specs to, the Sony NEX-7.
The Lunar, which was first revealed by Hasselblad at Photokina 2012, is the first foray into the digital compact mirrorless camera system market by the iconic Swedish firm. Its name is clearly designed to remind buyers of the medium-format Hasselblad legacy. Lunar refers to the fact that Hasselblads have been used in space, including the specially designed 500EL which Neil Armstrong used to photograph the surface of the moon.
Featuring a 24.3 megapixel APS-C (23.5 x 25.6 mm) CMOS sensor and taking E-mount lenses, the Lunar is the first product of a partnership between Hasselblad and Sony. As such the new camera shares an awful lot of tech with the Sony NEX-7, and a quick glance down the respective spec sheets shows just how far the similarities extend.
Both cameras have the same ISO range of 100-16,000, and 25-point contrast detection autofocus system. They also share a 2.3 million dot OLED electronic viewfinder and 3-inch tiltable LCD screen with 920k dots on the rear. In fact, the layout of the two cameras is strikingly similar and both use the Sony TriNavi navigation mode. The Lunar can even take a Memory Stick PRO Duo alongside an SD card.
All of this has led some critics to suggest that the Hasselblad Lunar is merely a Sony NEX-7 covered in expensive materials with an inflated price tag. However, Hasselblad is keen to stress that its part in creating the Lunar extends beyond a superficial rebranding and that it has made a number of changes under the hood too. At least with a Sony NEX-7 core, we know the Lunar will be a capable camera.
But it's always going to be the distinctive design and those exclusive materials which will grab peoples attention. There are currently five models in the Lunar collection, which include the use of black leather, brown Tuscan leather, carbon fiber, mahogany and olive wood on the grip. All of the cameras boast titanium knobs, and the on/off and movie buttons feature red jewels. Hasselblad plans to introduce bespoke options later this year, with users selecting from a choice of materials for the grip and top plate.
The camera measures 142 × 82 × 70 mm (5.6 × 3.2 × 2.75 inch) and weighs 570g (20.11 oz). It's not available body-only and will ship with a LF 18–55mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS kit lens, which is basically a Sony E 18-55-mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS with Hasselblad written on the side. Equally Hasselblad-branded versions of the Sony 16-mm f/2.8 and 18-200-mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS will also be available.
The Hasselblad Lunar is available now and has a retail price of $6,995. For reference, the Sony NEX-7 is currently selling for $1,095 with the 18-55-mm lens. This means you could buy the Sony and (if you really want a jeweled camera) hang a pair of $5,900 diamond earrings from its shoulder strap hooks.
Product page: Hasselblad Lunar
Cruise terminal replaces Hong Kong's legendary Kai Tak Airport
Berthing area for the terminal (Image: Foster + Partners)
Flying into Hong Kong was once an aerial adventure as gigantic passenger planes made alarmingly steep descents over the harbor and then low over crowded high rises to runway 13. Those adrenalin-filled landings ended when the new Hong Kong International Airport to the west opened in 1998, however, the site of those dramatic flights has now been repurposed as the new Kai Tak Cruise Terminal. It was formally opened on June 12 as the Commissioner for Tourism, Mr Philip Yung, welcomed the inaugural berthing of the cruise ship Mariner of the Seas.
Hong Kong is a popular cruise ship destination, but has long been notorious for inadequate berthing facilities. Until Kai Tak opened, many had to moor in the harbor, which made nautical visits to the city a bit inconvenient. Designed by London-based firm Fosters + Partners to accommodate the next generation of cruise ships, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal is located on a reclaimed peninsula of land in Kowloon extending into Kowloon Bay. It was built at an estimated cost of 2.4 billion HKD (US$309 million) and has the capacity to berth two large 360 m (1,181 ft) cruise ships carrying more than 4,000 passengers and over 2,000 crew.
Since Kai Tak not only enjoys spectacular views of the harbor, but also sits conspicuously on the water at the end of old runway 31, the opposite end of the infamous 13, Foster + Partners paid as much attention to aesthetics as to the practical amenities. According to the firm, it’s designed to be light and airy with wide bays to let in sunlight and an open roof park for formal and informal dining. It’s all built around a linear arrangement with levels linked by pedestrian walkways and a waterfront promenade.
It’s also meant to be green with such innovations as using recycled rain water for cooling the building and irrigating the gardens, windows made of heat-proof double glazing to reduce the load on the air conditioning system, extensive use of natural lighting and ventilation, energy-saving lights, and photovoltaic systems to provide supplementary power.
Kai Tak’s facilities are flexible and designed to be used all year and during downtime. Waiting areas can be easily repurposed into exhibition spaces, art galleries, banquet facilities, party facilities, and performance areas supported by a variety of restaurants and shops. Outside, there is a heliport and a rooftop garden.
The old Hong Kong International Airport operated from 1925 until 1998, before being closed and renamed Kai Tak Airport when the new Hong Kong International Airport opened. The name came from the Kai Tak Investment Company, which began reclamation of the land in the 1920s. Work began on the cruise terminal in 2011.
The video below highlight some of the features of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal.
Sources: Government of Hong Kong, Foster + Partners via Gadling
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