Thursday 4 May 2017

The Morning After: Dangerous invitations and SpaceX's satellite internet plan

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Thursday, May 04, 2017.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Get any interesting emails lately? Yesterday a fake Google Docs invite turned the internet upside down, but only temporarily. Also: Hulu dives into live TV and Netflix drops its first real trailer for The Defenders.

Viral.

Someone tried to hijack email accounts on a grand scale

It’s over now, but for an hour or so on Wednesday, inboxes were filling up with a peculiar fake Google Doc invite. Opening the link gave attackers authorized access to your Gmail account, bypassing security preventions like a unique password or two-factor, which they used to email it to everyone in your address book.

Google eventually caught up with the issue and fixed affected accounts “through a combination of automatic and manual actions, including removing the fake pages and applications, and pushing updates through Safe Browsing, Gmail, and other anti-abuse systems.” Also, it's rolling out a new phishing warning system for Gmail on Android.

More TV on the internet

Hulu Live TV beta launches

Move over DirecTV Now, and PlayStation Vue, and Sling TV, and YouTube TV -- Hulu Live TV is here. The latest skinny bundle of live TV channels on the internet is available in beta for $40, promising broadcast networks (in most areas), with a robust suite of cable channels and a DVR feature. On top of that, it also brings access to standard Hulu TV shows and movies. Cord cutters, choose wisely.

Bing it.

Exploring Microsoft’s gamble on the future of desktop apps

With the introduction of its new Windows 10 S, Microsoft has staked out a strategy to take on Chromebooks and MacBooks all at once. But as Aaron Souppouris explains, “the soul of Windows is choice,” and Microsoft will need to move quickly to convince customers and developers that this is the way to go for speed and security.

From Surface RT to Surface Laptop

How Microsoft's Surface went from flop to serious contender

A highlight of Microsoft’s announcement is the hardware it showed off with the Surface Laptop, but how did we get here? A trip through the history of the brand reveals both hits and misses on the way to this simpler hybrid setup.

Spoiler: There’s a hallway fight scene

'The Defenders' trailer unites Netflix's Marvel universe

Full seasons of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist should make it easy to understand what Netflix / Marvel have in store with The Defenders, but it’s still impressive to see all four heroes operating at once. Check out the trailer for a preview before the miniseries arrives on August 18th.

The all-seeing hand

This ‘Intuitive’ prosthetic uses a camera to see what it’s touching

According to Dr. Kianoush Nazarpour, the "Intuitive" hand can improve on current prosthetics in an unexpected way. It uses a camera to see what it’s touching and adjust accordingly, speeding up responsiveness significantly. The team used a neural network to map different objects and decide on ideal grips for each of them. The next step? Direct integration with the wearer's nervous system.

Putting those reusable rockets to work

SpaceX plans to start delivering satellite internet in 2019

In a speech at a Senate hearing yesterday, SpaceX exec Patricia Cooper explained the company’s internet plans. The entire system is meant to provide a high volume of broadband capacity at "fiber-like" speeds over a wide area. If all goes to plan, launches will start in 2019, before reaching full capacity in 2024.

But wait, there's more...

1. Apple pledges $1 billion to support manufacturing jobs in the US

2. AI XPrize asks for bold solutions to humanity's greatest problems

3. Qualcomm might try to block iPhone shipments over royalty dispute

4. Google says Uber created a fake company to steal its secrets

5. Friday Lab is shipping the smart locks it promised its Indiegogo backers two years ago

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Wednesday 3 May 2017

The Morning After: Microsoft's Surface Laptop is here

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Wednesday, May 03, 2017.

Hey, good morning!

Microsoft has announced a new laptop, in addition new lighter OS aimed at education (and Chrome OS), all in the middle of the week. YouTube also got a makeover, and we take a look at the most notable VR submissions at this year’s Tribeca festival.

There aren't any special hinges or kickstands this time.

Microsoft's Surface Laptop is built to beat Apple's MacBooks

Microsoft has always tried to do something different with its hardware. The Surface and Surface Pro helped popularize the idea of hybrid laptops that could also be used as tablets. The Surface Book took that idea a step further with a bigger screen, a unique hinge and more powerful hardware. But with the Surface Laptop, it's almost as if Microsoft is going back to basics. It's basically a straightforward notebook, albeit one with the Microsoft's slick Surface aesthetic. Most importantly, it's the flagship device for Windows 10 S, Microsoft's new streamlined OS targeted at the education market. Similar to ChromeOS, it's meant mainly for web apps and software from the Microsoft Store, with an emphasis on security and battery life. The Surface Laptop launches on June 15th starting at $999 for the Core i5 model.

Eye-catching mouse design is back.

Microsoft's lie-flat Surface Arc mouse is a new take on an old formula

The Surface Arc Mouse is an evolution of the well-established Arc Touch Mouse . While the new Bluetooth peripheral still has that eye-catching, travel-friendly design that snaps flat for stowing in your bag, but there are no distinct left and right buttons, or even a scroll strip. Instead, a touch-sensitive button handles all of that.

It trades app support in the name of security and performance.

Microsoft takes on Chrome OS with Windows 10 S

Microsoft has already taken some potshots at Google's Chromebooks in the past -- Windows 8.1 with Bing, anyone? Now, though, it's going for the jugular. The newly introduced Windows 10 S (not Cloud like the rumors suggested) is a stripped-back, education-oriented version of the operating system that gives up some app support in the name of simplicity and performance. You can only run Windows Store apps (including Office 365 apps, which are coming soon), but that's the point -- schools don't have to worry about the vulnerabilities that come with running any old Windows app. All in time for a big Minecraft Education Edition upgrade.

And we're finally getting a "dark mode."

YouTube's latest redesign puts added focus on videos

Approximately 400 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Soon, its desktop website will be getting a makeover to make combing through all those cute cat clips a bit easier. Google is refreshing the look of its desktop site by applying its material design aesthetic to the site, basically flattening the UI. "We want to make content the star," Fred Gilbert, Head of User Experience at YouTube, said during a recent interview. "Everything else should recede from that."

But the Mac is up again!

iPhone sales continue their slow and steady slide

Apple couldn't quite keep iPhone sales growing for the second quarter in a row. The company sold 50.8 million iPhones in the last quarter, down a scant one percent from the 51.2 million it sold a year ago. It's worth remembering that last year marked the first quarter where iPhone sales didn't grow year-over-year, so this decline isn't exactly a surprise. Meanwhile, in the "other products" business, which includes the Apple Watch and Apple TV, revenue jumped a whopping 31 percent. Perhaps Apple's wearable is doing better than people give it credit for. Indeed, Cook said on Apple's earnings call that Watch sales nearly doubled year-over-year in the last quarter.

Chet Faliszek, who also worked on Steam VR, has left.

Valve has no more 'Half-Life' writers left

Chet Faliszek and Erik Wolpaw, co-writers on Half-Life 2: Episode One and Episode Two, stuck around after Half-Life writing lead Marc Laidlaw's departure from Valve last year. But not for long. Wolpaw departed Valve in February, and Faliszek has now also left the company. Faliszek was also key part of Valve's push into virtual reality, from the early days of secret testing at the company's Bellevue headquarters through to the public launch of the HTC Vive.

The Aura H2O can survive your next beach trip.

Kobo's latest waterproof e-reader is sized for poolside reading

Kobo's recent Aura One e-reader was potentially the dream device for anyone who likes to read in the bath or at the beach, but it had some catches. It was big, with a 7.8-inch screen, and came with a $229 price tag. Enter the just-introduced Aura H2O -- just as waterproof, but shrunken down to a 6.8-inch touchscreen, while an accompanying tinier $180 price.

But wait, there's more...

1. Republican Senators outline anti-net neutrality legislation

2. T-Mobile plans to launch a national 5G network by 2020

3. VR is telling deeper, more important stories

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Tuesday 2 May 2017

E-Commerce Minute

E-Commerce Minute: Tuesday -- May 2, 2017

The E-Commerce Times -- E-Business Means Business
http://www.ecommercetimes.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Headline Scan
New Deals Turn Twitter's Content Stream Into a River
The Grim Upward Trajectory of Mobile Fraud Risks
Reasoning in CRM

Today's Story Highlights

New Deals Turn Twitter's Content Stream Into a River

Twitter has announced a partnership with Bloomberg to launch a 24-hour
streaming news service -- one of a dozen new content deals Twitter has
entered to drive user engagement. CEO Jack Dorsey and a group of top
executives announced the slate of programming agreements -- which
include concerts from Live Nation, sports from Major League Baseball and
the WNBA, and a morning news show from BuzzFeed.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84499.html

The Grim Upward Trajectory of Mobile Fraud Risks

More than 8,600 retail locations will shut down this year, following the
5,077 that closed last year, based on data from Credit Suisse. Moreover,
2017 could surpass 2008 -- the worst year for retail closures on record
-- when 6,163 stores shut down operations. However, unlike 2008, when
overall consumer spending declined with the onset of a global recession.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84495.html

Reasoning in CRM

It gives some measure of the importance we give to AI that I went to two
conferences last week and sat through two panel sessions on the subject.
At CRM Evolution, I was part of the discussion in a breakfast session.
At the Oracle CX show, executives involved in the adaptive intelligent
applications product line tried to define the basics in a session for
analysts and reporters.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84496.html

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Tech News Flash

Tech News Flash: Tuesday -- May 2, 2017

TechNewsWorld -- All Tech - All The Time
http://www.TechNewsWorld.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Headline Scan
Nintendo Drops New Portable on Market as Switch Sales Take Hold
What People Don't Get About Tesla
Duty Calls Popular Shooter Back to World War II
Red Hat Gives JBoss AMQ a Makeover

Today's Story Highlights

Nintendo Drops New Portable on Market as Switch Sales Take Hold

Nintendo last week introduced a new contender in the increasingly hot
portable gaming competition. The New Nintendo 2DS XL will make its debut
on July 28 at a mid-range price of $149.99. It will slot in right
between the entry-level 2DS and more robust 3DS XL. The 2DS XL has the
same large screen as the 3DS XL and can play all the games made for the
Nintendo 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84490.html

What People Don't Get About Tesla

Tesla is like Apple in that it represents a revolution in thinking.
Although everyone seems to focus on the electric power plant, that is
really a small part of the Tesla revolution. If Musk were to launch an
almost-identical company but with gas engines, it would cut through the
market like a hot knife through butter. The electric part isn't as much
a sales accelerant as it is an impediment.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84491.html

Duty Calls Popular Shooter Back to World War II

Call of Duty will return to its World War II roots when the latest title
arrives this November, publisher Activision Blizzard has announced. The
franchise has been a steady hit maker since its 2003 debut. Various
titles in the series have become regular staples in e-sports tournaments
and Major League Gaming. Call of Duty is one of the most popular series
in video game history.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84486.html

Red Hat Gives JBoss AMQ a Makeover

Red Hat on Thursday announced JBoss AMQ 7, a messaging platform upgrade
that enhances its overall performance and improves client availability
for developers. JBoss AMQ is a lightweight, standards-based open source
platform designed to enable real-time communication between
applications, services, devices and the Internet of Things, based on the
Apache ActiveMQ and Apache Qpid community projects.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84493.html

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