Wednesday 8 March 2017

The Morning After: The CIA Wikileaks and Amazon Alexa snitching

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It's Wednesday, March 08, 2017.

Good morning!

Wikileaks is at it again, this time going after the CIA. Flickr has learned a new trick, offering a Google Photos-like “similarity search” and we know the name of Star Trek’s next captain. But first things first -- make sure you've entered our contest to win a Marantz SR7011 9.2 channel receiver, courtesy of Auro Technologies. We'll wait.

Here we go again

Wikileaks ‘Vault 7’ claims to reveal the CIA’s hacking toolkit

Wikileaks has posted a cache of information that it says unmasks the Central Intelligence Agency’s “entire hacking capacity.” While there’s room for skepticism and many have noted what isn’t in there (like any confirmation the government has cracked the encryption on WhatsApp or Signal), there’s still a lot to digest. The documents claim the CIA instead is focused on compromising a target’s device to nab information before its encrypted by an app, and even has USB-delivered malware capable of turning a Samsung smart TV into a listening device.

Issa tube

Hyperloop One offers a glimpse at its Nevada test site

Hyperloop One offers a glimpse at its Nevada test site

So how do you test the future of transportation? If you’re Hyperloop One, you build a 1,640ft-long “DevLoop” in the Nevada desert. While its window to start testing is now just the first half of this year, even a picture of an empty tube is better than yet another pie-in-the-sky concept image.

Meet New Glenn

Blue Origin previews its next reusable rocket

Blue Origin previews its next reusable rocket

Jeff Bezos’ rocket company has a new vehicle on the way. While Blue Origin showed off New Glenn’s capabilities with a slick animation, it also announced a deal with Eutelsat to launch a satellite in the 2021-2022 timeframe.

Does this count as snitching?

Amazon hands over Alexa data for use in murder investigation

Amazon hands over Alexa data for use in murder investigation

Recently, police asked Amazon for data from an Echo speaker, looking for evidence to use in a murder investigation. The company initially refused, citing protections including the First Amendment, but now it’s going to cooperate. That’s because the device’s owner, James Bates has given the OK, claiming he is innocent of all charges in the death of a man found in his hot tub. 

But wait, there's more...

1. Nintendo wins a key case against a 3DS modchip seller

2. Now Flickr has a neural network-powered 'similarity search' option

3. Tech companies and game devs are gearing up for AR

4. 'Star Trek: Discovery' will have Jason Isaacs as its captain

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Tuesday 7 March 2017

The Morning After: Switch sales and how to fix your Joy-Con

Engadget Email Newsletter

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It's Tuesday, March 07, 2017.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Some good news / weird news for the Nintendo Switch, a video game cheating service lost in court and a look inside Sonos’ newest speaker. Keep an eye on the site for news today from the Geneva Motor Show (spoiler: electric cars, hybrid cars and drones + cars), but first, here’s everything you might have missed on Monday.

Can an aimbot take the stand?

‘League of Legends’ developer wins $10 million settlement from a cheating service

‘League of Legends’ developer wins $10 million settlement from a cheating service

LeagueSharp offered a sort of subscription hacking service for people who wanted to win at League of Legends instead of playing League of Legends. Last fall, League developer Riot sued the company, claiming a DMCA violation, plus alleged attacks on company servers and the doxxing of one of its employees. Now, LeagueSharp is shut down after a court-ordered ban, and other makers of cheating software may have been put on notice.

Next fastest is the Wii

The Switch is the fastest-selling console in Nintendo history

The Switch is the fastest-selling console in Nintendo history

Nintendo told a New York Times reporter that the Switch is off to a flying start. It claims the new console is its fastest-selling launch ever, with sales over its first two days topping even the Nintendo Wii. While that number mostly represents its ability to build more devices these days, it means the unusual console is experiencing a warm reception, while it’s new Zelda game is the top-selling launch title.

But not everything is perfect

Can a DIY antenna upgrade fix the left Joy-Con?

Can a DIY antenna upgrade fix the left Joy-Con?

Some Switch owners are already complaining the left side Joy-Con input has a tendency to lose sync with the console. As iFixit’s teardown showed, the two remotes are not identical, and YouTuber Spawn Wave decided to try to address the issue on his own. By soldering a bit of extra wire onto the circuit board he was able to not only stop the disconnects, but even get some extra range.

So sci-fi it hurts.

NASA wants to protect Mars with a magnetic shield

NASA wants to protect Mars with a magnetic shield

NASA wants to protect what’s left of Mars’ atmosphere, and it involves creating a magnetic shield that would deflect solar winds and radiation. 

'Conan Exiles' recouped its development costs in less than a week.

A naked barbarian simulator saved a game developer from bankruptcy

A naked barbarian simulator saved a game developer from bankruptcy

Sometimes you just don’t hear about game development struggles until the company goes bust. FunCom was teetering on the brink before it decided to make Conan Exiles. Despite the popularity of its previous Conan games, critical acclaim for titles like The Park and being the developer behind the LEGO Minifigures Online MMO, the company was hemorrhaging money. Exiles reversed the company’s fortunes, thanks to streaming gamers’ support… and some in-game nudity.

Microsoft’s been designing again.

Imagine the perfect Surface office

Imagine the perfect Surface office

With the Surface Book, Surface Studio and other products, Microsoft has managed to attract graphics pros, designers and engineers, many who were used to working with Apple products. It's now taking it further, by expanding into workspace lifestyle concepts via a partnership with Steelcase. The two companies have unveiled "Creative Spaces," which are office furniture layout concepts optimized to work with Surface products. I hope you’re in the market for a $1,000 chair.

Go back to sleep

Fitbit introduces new sleep monitoring features, plus the Alta HR

Fitbit introduces new sleep monitoring features, plus the Alta HR

The latest piece of hardware from Fitbit is an update to its style-conscious Alta line, now upgraded with a heart rate monitoring sensor. The Alta HR will go on sale for $150 in early April, but that’s not all that’s new. Every Fitbit tracker that supports sleep tracking is getting an update later this month for “Sleep Insights,” a new feature that combines sleep data with your workout and weight loss info to make recommendations. Meanwhile, “Sleep Stages” adds heart rate tracking and other metrics to the usual accelerometer-based data to get a better idea of how much sleep you’re really getting each night. 

Round two, fight.

Trump's new immigration ban restricts residents of six countries

After multiple court decisions put the brakes on Donald Trump’s first ban restricting immigration and travel from several countries with majority Muslim populations, the president is trying again. A new Executive Order has been signed and will go into effect March 16th, with a number of changes including the removal of Iraq from the list. A number of tech companies spoke out against the previous order and supported lawsuits against it and now we wait to see what happens this time around.

But wait, there's more...

1. Public Access' time is done, but a better Engadget community awaits

2. Russian hackers are reportedly extorting American left-wing groups

3. Blue Origin's latest rocket engine is finally complete

4. 'Marines United' Facebook group shut down, investigated by DoD for spreading naked photos of female servicemembers

5. How Sonos made the new Playbase sound a lot better than it should

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

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Monday 6 March 2017

Editor's Pick: IBM's Quantum Leap Could Redefine 'Magic'


Rob Enderle
Mar 6, 2017 10:14 AM PT
No, I'm not talking about that Quantum Leap. IBM just made a really interesting announcement in that it is enhancing its online quantum computer systems with a new API and improving its simulator so it can handle 20 qubits. Listening to the prebriefing was a bit like pretending I was Penny trying to understand Sheldon Cooper on Big Bang Theory. [More...]

More Picks:
Google Invites Open Source Devs to Give E2EMail Encryption a Go
Google has released its E2EMail encryption code to open source as a way of pushing development of the technology. "Google has been criticized over the amount of time and seeming lack of progress it has made in E2EMail encryption, so open sourcing the code could help the project proceed more quickly," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. That will not stop critics, though, he added. [More...]
CallidusCloud Steps Up Call Center SPM Game
CallidusCloud on Thursday launched ServiceMotivate, a call center sales performance management, or SPM, solution. ServiceMotivate is tightly integrated with Salesforce to track and reward call center agents based on key performance indicators of their service center, such as quick issue resolution and case closure rates, data quality improvements and customer satisfaction. [More...]
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