Tuesday, 28 January 2020

The low-cost equipment behind a Grammy-winning album

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It's Tuesday, January 28, 2020.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

On the latest tech edition of Sick Sad World, a joint investigation by Motherboard and PCMag dug into Avast’s Jumpshot subsidiary. This less-famous arm of the antivirus company collected web browsing data from people running the scanning software -- right down to detailed collections of clicks on particular websites -- and resold it to third parties. Worse, many people using the software had no idea what they’d opted into. So, good morning. How closely did you read the last TOS you agreed to?

-- Richard

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Meet DoubleTake.

FiLMiC's multi-camera video tech comes to the iPhone 11

Ever since Apple’s big mobile launch event, fans have been waiting for the software that will allow them to use all of the iPhone’s cameras to record video at once. Just choose which lenses you want to capture footage with (you’ll need a Pro model to use both the wide- and ultra-wide rear cameras at the same time), set focus and you’re ready to go. It can format the various inputs as a split screen or as picture-in-picture. Oh, and did we mention that the DoubleTake app is free?

Where’s Scarlett Johansson?

Netflix’s ‘Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045’ trailer reignites the CG vs. hand-drawn debate

Take a look for yourself and decide if it’s worthy of standing next to the originals.

‘This is for all the kids who make music in their bedrooms.’

Billie Eilish proved anyone can access Grammy-winning gear

Cherlynn Low recounts how Billie Eilish recorded her multiple-Grammy-winning album with equipment that costs a lot less than what’s used for most productions of that caliber. According to her brother/producer, FINNEAS, Billie used a pair of $200 Yamaha HS5 nearfield monitors with an H8S subwoofer ($450), a Universal Audio Apollo 8 interface and Apple's Logic Pro X.

These DNA kits go beyond understanding your past

The plant will build trucks and SUVs.

GM spends $2.2 billion to set up an EV-only plant in Detroit

On Monday morning, GM revealed plans for a $2.2 billion investment that will turn the Detroit-Hamtramck facility into its first assembly plant completely devoted to EVs. GM is planning to start building an all-electric truck in late 2021, followed soon after by the Cruise Origin ride sharing vehicle.

The Elite line means business, but in this case, it offers stylish mainstream looks.

Review: HP’s Elite Dragonfly laptop

Cherlynn gives her verdict on the Elite Dragonfly, which is a business laptop in name only. With its light weight, small size and attractive design, the Dragonfly looks more like a stylish ultraportable than a clunky notebook your company’s IT department handed to you. It offers powerful multitasking chops, though you won’t be able to play many games on it. The Dragonfly’s battery life may also lag behind some of its rivals, but is still long enough to get you beyond a work day.

Featuring! Esports studios! Gaming playgrounds! And! Complimentary breakfasts!

Atari-themed gaming hotels are coming to eight US cities

Atari might not have the cultural cachet it used to, but that isn’t going to stop it cashing in on brand recognition and nostalgia. Next challenge? The hospitality industry. Atari will license its name and branding to a real estate developer, which will build eight hotels across the US. The first location will break ground this year in Phoenix. Others in Austin, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle will follow.

The main draw of the Atari hotels will likely be their esports studios. There are no details about what these will include, but each hotel will also have an "Atari gaming playground." Assuming the esports studios are venues where pros compete, the "playgrounds" could be guest lounges equipped with gaming PCs. The hotels will have a few accoutrements beyond the standard pool and gym -- restaurants, bars, bakeries and movie theaters will also feature, according to plans.

But wait, there's more...

1. Seven years later, the final act of 'Kentucky Route Zero' has arrived

2. A Vermont bill would bring emoji license plates to the US

3. What's on TV this week: Super Bowl LIV, 'Terminator: Dark Fate' 4K and 'Uncut Gems'

4. Nintendo will stop repairing Wii consoles in March because it's out of parts

5. FCC gives Google and Sony permission to dole out 3.5GHz spectrum

6. Can Byte recreate the magic of Vine?

7. NASA's 'commercial module' deal for the ISS brings us a step closer to space tourism

8. The iPad hasn't killed laptops, but Apple will keep trying

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Monday, 27 January 2020

Tech News Flash

Tech News Flash: Monday -- January 27, 2020

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

Headline Scan
Is Icahn Attempting a Hostile Takeover of HP?
Saudi Hack of Bezos' Phone Shines Bright Light on Security Challenges
Patriot OS Provides Revolutionary Computing Convenience
Grabbing the Cybersecurity and Privacy Problems by the Horns: ECT News Roundtable, Episode 3
Is Congress Finally Ready to Take On Cybersecurity?
Cosmos: Possible Worlds - A Lavish, Hopeful Journey
Know Your Enemy: The Difficulty of Defining Deepfakes
Canonical Introduces Scalable Android-Based Cloud Platform

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Today's Story Highlights

Is Icahn Attempting a Hostile Takeover of HP?

When it comes to any merger, you often can't trust the reason the firms
are merging, particularly if financial rather than operational managers
are driving the process. When it comes to hostile takeovers, you can bet
you are being misled, because the rhetoric will address synergy, but the
folks driving the effort know the more likely goal is to destroy the
acquired company.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86475.html

Saudi Hack of Bezos' Phone Shines Bright Light on Security Challenges

A digital forensic analysis conducted by FTI Consulting concludes with
"medium to high confidence" that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' smartphone was
hacked through a malicious file sent from the WhatsApp account of Saudi
Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. The malware was in an MP4 file
attached to a WhatsApp message. UN special rapporteurs released
technical elements of the report.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86476.html

Patriot OS Provides Revolutionary Computing Convenience

Peach OSI's Patriot OS is a vibrant example of how a software developer
can create a distribution that stands apart in the crowded Linux OS
field of lookalikes. This evolving Linux OS distro, once known as "Peach
OSI" but now called "Patriot OS," delivers a Linux computing platform
that injects new functionality and offers something different. It is
worth checking out.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86472.html

Grabbing the Cybersecurity and Privacy Problems by the Horns: ECT News Roundtable, Episode 3

Cybersecurity and privacy threats aren't confined to the tech world.
They've cast their pall on the world in general. Computer viruses,
malware and data leaks have become commonplace, personal privacy has
become a bad joke, and cyberwar looms like a virtual mushroom cloud.
What sometimes gets lost in the gloom are the many ways security
professionals have been working to shore up cyberdefenses.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86471.html

Is Congress Finally Ready to Take On Cybersecurity?

The United States Congress made some significant progress this session
when it comes to data privacy, but cybersecurity remains a blind spot
for lawmakers. Congress currently is considering a national privacy law
that mirrors legislation enacted in the European Union. It would allow
people to access, correct and request the deletion of the personal
information collected from them.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86470.html

Cosmos: Possible Worlds - A Lavish, Hopeful Journey

We agree to suspend our disbelief, and they agree to entertain us.
Perhaps it inspires us by communicating some kernel of wisdom about
human nature. Its story may touch our emotions deeply, but we know it's
the product of imagination and artistry. Cosmos: Possible Worlds
delivers everything a great science fiction movie delivers, except the
fiction.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86464.html

Know Your Enemy: The Difficulty of Defining Deepfakes

Facebook recently promised that it would increase efforts to remove so-
called "deepfake" videos, including content that included "misleading
manipulated media." In addition to fears that deepfakes -- altered
videos that appear to be authentic -- could impact the upcoming 2020
general election in the United States, there are growing concerns that
they could ruin reputations and impact businesses.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86466.html

Canonical Introduces Scalable Android-Based Cloud Platform

Canonical is deploying a scalable Android-based operating system for
mobile and desktop enterprise applications from the cloud. The company
just announced its Anbox Cloud containerized workload platform. Anbox
Cloud allows apps to be streamed to any operating system or form factor.
Its uses include cloud gaming, enterprise workplace applications,
software testing and mobile device virtualization.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86467.html

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Be careful with Motorola's Razr.

Engadget Email Newsletter

Now available on your smart speaker and wherever you get your podcasts

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | iHeart Radio

It's Monday, January 27, 2020.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

The second-wave of foldable phones approaches, and the companies behind them are politely reminding us that, despite their $1,000-plus price tags, it’s early days. You might recall Samsung’s struggles with its Galaxy Fold review devices, and even once the company fixed some of the woes, the device hasn’t set the world alight. Huawei’s foldable is out in China but no word of it in Europe and the US.

Now, there’s Motorola, which is telling prospective buyers that “bumps and lumps are normal" in the plastic folding screen. It’s not really what you want to hear.

-Mat

(Read in browser)

It’ll give you range anxiety outside cities, however.

Honda E first drive: Futuristic and incredibly fun to drive

It's a miracle the Honda E is even here, considering how much Honda seemed to hate electric cars. Until recently, Honda (along with Toyota) has focused on hybrid and hydrogen cars, while ceding the EV market to Tesla and others. However, a maverick gang of Honda engineers convinced management to build the Honda E. They even kept the design pretty close to the Urban E concept it's based on, right down to the wild futuristic interior.

And it paid off. The compact EV's retro-cute je ne sais quoi (not to mention all the technology inside) has grabbed the attention of car buyers and EV fans of all stripes. Now, all that remains is to see if it's as fun to be in and drive as it looks. Steve Dent took it for a spin.

It has photographed 10 million miles of Street View imagery.

Google Maps satellite images cover 98 percent of the world's population

Google makes its mapping products more informative and immersive with the use of imagery, and now the tech giant is giving us a deeper look into its map-making process. The tech giant says it has captured over 10-million miles of images for Street View, thus far, which is distance enough to circle the globe 400 times. Also, it says Google Earth has 36-million square miles of HD satellite images you can browse, and those images cover areas where 98 percent of the entire population lives. Weirdly, it’s the first time the company has noted coverage figures.

There may be little mystery left for Samsung's event.

Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Buds+ leak together in official-looking shots

At this rate, you may know exactly what to expect at Samsung's February 11th event. Well-known leaker Evan Blass has shared a flurry of apparent official images for the Galaxy S20 family, including one for a promo that offers a free set of Galaxy Buds+ for people who pre-order the S20+ or S20 Ultra. The shots appear to confirm much of what you may have already heard, including ridiculous camera arrays with a 100X "space zoom" and 108-megapixel sensor on the S20 Ultra. Just a few weeks to go though, eh?

Practice your swing at home with this golf simulator

Bumps in the folding phone's display are normal, according to Moto.

Motorola wants you to be careful using the new Razr

Now that Motorola's resurrected Razr is available to pre-order, the brand has released a string of videos to pitch and explain the device -- and it's clear the caveats of other foldable phones still apply. A support video, "Caring for Razr," warns you to keep the screen dry, avoid screen protectors, beware of sharp objects and close the phone before tossing it in your pocket. Also, don't assume that efforts to eliminate the usual folding phone crease have resulted in a perfectly flat display.

It’s a reminder that foldable phones are still in their infancy. And don't forget that $1,500 price tag. There are a few reasons we’re not seeing many Galaxy Fold devices out there…

Creators are treating it like a gold rush by trying to gather followers.

Vine successor Byte vows to fix its spam problem

Vine replacement Byte is pitching itself as a middle ground between the now-defunct Vine and new champion of the looping clip, TikTok. Business seems to be booming, but that has come with a new problem: comment spam. In particular, crowds of new users are treating Byte like a gold rush, trying to profit on the new platform's upcoming monetization by fishing for followers in the comments section. Byte is on top of the issue, however, and has promised to do something about it.

"We're aware of the issues with comment spam and more widely with certain types of comments," founder Dom Hofman wrote in a community post. "This is our top priority, and we're working very hard to address it. It should be noticeably better than it was 24 hours ago and should continue to improve over the next little while."