Friday 15 September 2017

The Morning After: The problems with Apple's Face ID

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Friday, September 15, 2017.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Did you get your iThing pre-order in? The Apple Store is open and selling most of the items just announced -- but not the iPhone X. Of course, there’s at least one other good reason to wait, and we’ll find out more about it in a couple of weeks.

It's promising better storage, speed, photos and more.

Google’s next Pixel smartphones arrive October 4th

As rumors suggest, Google’s turn at the smartphone churn is set for October 4th. A search-box-centered teaser video is promising a phone that works better and doesn’t slow down -- we’re assuming it’ll lean heavily on the company’s new version of Android, then. We’ll be there to report all about it.

The grand finale.

Follow Cassini’s final moments before it plunges into Saturn

As you read this, the Cassini spacecraft may be sending back its final images from Saturn. After thirteen years of operation, its grand finale includes a plunge into the planet’s atmosphere, sending back data and pictures until it’s destroyed. NASA predicts it will lose contact with the spacecraft around 7:55 AM ET, so recap Cassini’s most exciting discoveries, then tune into a NASA TV live stream starting around 7 AM ET.

The demo iPhone X locked up because it tried authenticating faces before the show.

Apple says too many faces ruined its Face ID stage demo

When Apple OS chief Craig Federighi tried to demo Face ID on stage during Cupertino's annual iPhone event, it didn't quite work as he expected. “Your passcode is required to enable Face ID” popped up, eliciting a nervous chuckle from Craig and forcing him to switch to the spare demo phone. While people were quick to say that Face ID failed its first test, the hiccup apparently happened not because iPhone X’s star feature didn't work, but because it worked too well. Sure it did.

Senator Al Franken has written Tim Cook a letter with his concerns.

Apple questioned about Face ID security by the US Senate

In related news, there’s a lot of us concerned about privacy and security of Apple’s Face ID feature. Edward Snowden, for instance, thinks it normalizes face scanning, sayings it’s “a tech certain to be abused.” Now, US Senator Al Franken is pressing the tech titan for answers, penning a letter addressed to Apple chief Tim Cook with a list of questions concerning the technology’s “eventual uses that may not be contemplated by” its customers.

Are you going my way?

Hyperloop One is closer to deciding its first planned route

One of the ways that Hyperloop One is working out which routes it wants to build is through its Global Challenge program. It is, essentially, an X-Factor style competition in which candidate cities and states can audition for the prize of getting to buy their own high-speed travel systems. Now, the company has announced which regions are in the running to be the first to get their own Hyperloop route. There are ten winners across five countries, and each proposal was judged by a panel of experts in infrastructure, transport and technology. Now, each one will be examined in extreme detail as Hyperloop One works out the best place to break ground on its first full-bodied line.

‘Fire Emblem Heroes’ and the power of in-app payments

What we’re playing: ‘Mario + Rabbids,’ ‘Overwatch’ and ‘Splatoon 2’

It’s a Nintendo-heavy edition of what we’re playing, with an Overwatch side. But while most of us are playing too much Switch, Aaron Souppouris battles with Nintendo’s iOS game, Fire Emblem Heroes. And spends money. Too much, arguably.

Facebook allowed advertisers to target anti-Semites

The social network’s ad algorithm definitely needs a lot more work.

As further proof that the Facebook ad network needs a lot of work, ProPublica has discovered that it allowed advertisers to target anti-Semites. When you buy ads on Facebook, the system prompts you to add targeted categories, which are real keywords or phrases people use on their profiles. Well, ProPublica has proven that the ad network recognizes anti-Semitic sentiments from users’ profiles as valid ad categories, including “Jew hater,” “How to burn Jews,” “Nazi party,” “Hitler did nothing wrong” and “German Schutzstaffel.” Since the network’s algorithm handles ad purchases from start to finish with no human input, ProPublica was able to get the anti-Semitic ads it purchased for its investigation approved within 15 minutes.

But wait, there's more...

1. AT&T's buy-one-get-one-free deal on the iPhone 8 has a big caveat

2. Blizzard claims dealing with player toxicity is slowing 'Overwatch' updates

3. How Electroloom's clothes-printing revolution died

4. MoviePass is struggling to keep up with all its new members

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.

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Thursday 14 September 2017

E-Commerce Minute

E-Commerce Minute: Thursday -- September 14, 2017

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

Headline Scan
IT Convergence Trend Alters Approach to Federal Market
The Internet of Things Is a Boon for B2B: Report
Linux Gains Ascendance in Cloud Infrastructures: Report
AI Tool Captures and Updates Contacts Automatically
Apruve Allies with Matrix to Reduce B2B Credit Risk
Oracle's Numbers
Biggest Obstacle to Business Success: Multicloud Management
Taking Business Communication in Stride
Why We Should Care More About Who's Watching
Vivaldi CEO Claims Google Retaliated for Privacy Criticism
6 Reasons You Need CPQ
5 Ways to Give E-Commerce Shopping That Personal Touch
Enterprise SaaS Market Skyrockets: Report

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Today's Story Highlights

IT Convergence Trend Alters Approach to Federal Market

Federal agencies have begun using an emerging information technology
tool to manage the huge amount of data the United States government
generates and stores. Federal IT managers recently have embraced the
concept of convergence, which has been gaining traction in the private
sector. Agencies also have indicated that the approach may be useful for
other federal IT applications.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84807.html

The Internet of Things Is a Boon for B2B: Report

Businesses have been focusing on the Internet of Things as an enabler of
growth and increased operational efficiency, as well as the means to
provide a better experience to customers and partners, according to the
State of the Market: Internet of Things 2017 report Verizon released
this week. Seventy-three percent of executives surveyed said they either
were researching or currently deploying IoT.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84804.html

Linux Gains Ascendance in Cloud Infrastructures: Report

Linux is now the dominant operating system on Amazon's AWS cloud service
and is growing rapidly on Microsoft's Azure platform this year,
according to a report on public cloud adoption trends Sumo Logic
released on Tuesday. The company's second annual State of Modern Apps
report reveals usage trends on AWS, Azure and Google clouds, and how
they impact the use of modern apps in the enterprise.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84806.html

AI Tool Captures and Updates Contacts Automatically

Nimble has partnered with CircleBack, which offers an AI-powered contact
capture and cleaning tool that updates contacts and scans business cards
automatically. The CircleBack tool captures email signatures in Gmail
and G Suite in real time, automatically adding new contacts to a user's
list. The tool photographs or scans business cards and adds the
information to contact lists as well.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84792.html

Apruve Allies with Matrix to Reduce B2B Credit Risk

Apruve last week announced a strategic alliance with Matrix Payment
Systems to create a turnkey solution to mitigate the risk of advancing a
revolving line of credit to business customers. Under the agreement, the
companies will help businesses streamline the extension of credit with
less financial risk and fewer back office overhead expenses. Both
companies have dozens of customers.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84799.html

Oracle's Numbers

Oracle will announce its Q1 revenue and profit numbers after market
close on Wednesday. There's more than a little excitement about what
might be revealed, specifically if the company can continue its rise,
thanks to its cloud products. The anticipated answer is yes, but there's
potential for a surprise. The company so far has been posting great
numbers for its cloud products.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84800.html

Biggest Obstacle to Business Success: Multicloud Management

The rise of Microsoft Azure as a major competitor to AWS has become a
mixed blessing for IT managers. Many were pleased to see Microsoft
finally become a cloud-first company and build Azure into a viable
alternative, but they now are faced with a new set of challenges to make
the most of multiple cloud providers. Every indication is that the
adoption of cloud services will continue to accelerate.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84796.html

Taking Business Communication in Stride

Atlassian has announced the development of Stride, a new Slack-like
workplace tool designed to streamline the communication process for
business users. Stride enables teams to take action via both a smart
text-based messaging service and a fully featured video and audio
service. The latter functionality is made available thanks to
Atlassian's recent acquisition of Jitsi.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84791.html

Why We Should Care More About Who's Watching

George Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four in 1949. When the year 1984
rolled around, Rockwell's haunting song, Somebody's Watching Me ,
featuring Michael and Jermaine Jackson in the background, made its debut
and went on to become a classic. Fast-forward to 2017. Today we are
living the creepy life Orwell and Rockwell imagined, with technology
increasingly intruding on our privacy.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84793.html

Vivaldi CEO Claims Google Retaliated for Privacy Criticism

Vivaldi CEO Jon von Tetzchner, the brains behind both the new Vivaldi
browser and the early Opera browser, has accused Google of retaliating
against his company after he questioned its customer privacy practices.
Vivaldi's Google Adwords campaigns mysteriously were suspended just two
days after von Tetzchner's criticisms of Google's handling of customer
data were published this spring, he said.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84787.html

6 Reasons You Need CPQ

Many businesses still don't use configure, price, quote software in
their routine sales processes. Maybe they don't need it, but for
businesses that still cling to spreadsheet-based approaches to track
things like price lists and product catalogs, chances are good that
they're dealing with more overhead than they need to. Worse, they're
wasting time and therefore money.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84789.html

5 Ways to Give E-Commerce Shopping That Personal Touch

Shopping online can feel a bit impersonal. It's all about looking at
screens and filling virtual carts, and not so much about having a rich
experience. Many consumers long for just that kind of experience -- one
that's similar to walking into a store, looking at products, talking
with an associate, and perhaps ultimately making a purchase. This is
where e-commerce personalization tech comes in.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84784.html

Enterprise SaaS Market Skyrockets: Report

The enterprise SaaS market grew 31 percent year over year, totaling
almost $15 billion in revenue in Q2 2017, according to Synergy Research.
Collaboration was the highest growth segment. Microsoft is the clear
leader in overall enterprise SaaS revenues, having overtaken Salesforce
a year ago. Microsoft's acquisition last year of LinkedIn gave its SaaS
operations a significant boost.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84785.html

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Tech News Flash

Tech News Flash: Thursday -- September 14, 2017

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

Headline Scan
How Many Ways Might iPhone X's Face ID Go Wrong?
First Impressions: iPhone X Garners Lots of Cautious Thumbs Up
Apple Unveils Highly Secure, High-Priced iPhones
Putin: Whoever Rules AI Rules the World

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Today's Story Highlights

How Many Ways Might iPhone X's Face ID Go Wrong?

When Apple unveiled its iPhone X on Tuesday, officials highlighted the
device's advanced functionality, including what truly could be a game
changing feature, its facial recognition technology. The new handset
allows users to unlock it simply by looking at it. The 10th anniversary
edition of Apple's flagship mobile device is the first Apple handset to
utilize Face ID.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84808.html

First Impressions: iPhone X Garners Lots of Cautious Thumbs Up

Apple on Tuesday raised the curtain on its next-generation iPhone X, and
it so far has been greeted with praise -- though tentative -- from early
hands-on reviewers. For the most part, they gave the X kudos for design
and build, but reserved their unequivocal endorsements until they could
spend more time with the phone. A sore point with many reviewers was the
mobile's price.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84805.html

Apple Unveils Highly Secure, High-Priced iPhones

Apple has made its long-awaited iPhone splash, accompanied by
announcements of major upgrades to Apple Watch and Apple TV. The company
launched two new generations of mobile phones -- iPhone 8 and 8 Plus,
and iPhone X -- with enhancements in photography and device security in
all models. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are built for durability with
a new glass back design.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84803.html

Putin: Whoever Rules AI Rules the World

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week poked the nest of anxieties
over the use of artificial intelligence to gain power in a video address
to students at 16,000 selected schools. "Artificial intelligence is the
future, not only for Russia but for all humankind," he said. "Whoever
becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world."
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84802.html

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