Three scraps 0800 charges but kills unlimited tethering on SIM-only plans
Even though it has roughly a year until Ofcom’s new rule comes into effect, Three has decided it will no longer charge SIM-only customers for making calls to 0800 numbers. The company today unveiled new plans that mirror its pay-monthly handset tariffs, finally making freephone calls free and capping calls to other 08 numbers at 5 pence per minute. Starting at £7 per month for 500MB and 200 minutes, rising to £23 per month for unlimited data and calls, Three’s new 12-month SIM-only plans also include access to Feel At Home, letting you enjoy free roaming in 16 countries. While you won’t be able to take advantage of the new benefits on your existing tariff, Three says you can switch across without having to sign a new contract or extend your contract end date.
While today’s announcement will be gratefully received if you’re no longer using a landline, Three has also finally done what we hoped it wouldn’t: Kill the One Plan (at least as we originally knew it). After scrapping unlimited tethering for new handset customers earlier in the year, it is now capping personal hotspot allowances for SIM-only tariffs at 4GB. Fortunately, for those signing up to a contract when buying a new phone, Three says it will double the tethering allowance from 2GB to 4GB sometime “next year.”
Source: Three
Smartphone-controlled crematoriums are a thing that exist
This post may not be suitable for readers of a sensitive disposition.
No one likes to think too much about where we go when we’ve passed on, but you probably imagine crematoriums to remain the same as they have done for the last century. It turns out, however, that even those who dispose of our earthly remains have a hankering to use their smartphone to control the process. Dutch firm DFW Europe has revealed that its latest installation, a crematorium in Denmark, can be run by an operator carrying around a HTC One. Now, all someone has to do is scan a barcode (to ensure it’s the right person being cremated), push a single button on their smartphone and the process is handled automatically from there. Morbid as it sounds, the new cremation ovens are even environmentally friendly, since the heat generated is recycled and used in nearby homes and schools. Technology, eh?
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc
Source: Monitoring Control
WSJ writer gives Twitter password to the internet and the obvious happens
We put a ton of trust in technology everyday, but are you confident enough in two-factor authentication to give out any of your passwords? Christopher Mims of The Wall Street Journal is. In a post on the site proclaiming that passwords are “finally dying,” Mims extolls the virtues of the secure login method immediately after giving out his Twitter password. He says that he’s confident he won’t be hacked because, among other reasons, the second authentication step (a text message containing a numerical code that’s sent to the user’s cellphone, or an app that generates a code should you be outside of cellular data range) is apparently difficult to intrude upon. As Forbes has spotted though, Mims’ Twitter account has since been slammed with people trying to login to it, his phone blew up with authentication codes as a result, forcing him to associate a different phone number with the microblogging service.
The lesson here? If you’re willing to put your online identity up for grabs, prepare for the consequences. It could’ve been a lot worse for for Mims, though — it’s not like he gave out his Social Security Number or anything.
Do you trust two-factor authentication enough to try something similar? Head over to our forums and sound off.
@jonkeegan like 2 a minute since it went up…
– Christopher Mims (@mims) July 14, 2014
Filed under: Internet
Source: Wall Street Journal, Forbes
iTunes Pass links your credit to iOS’ Passbook app (but only in Japan)
Scratch-cards are fun. Inputting lengthy serial codes, less so. We’re not sure why Apple’s testing this out in Japan first, but iTunes Pass marks another effort in the direction towards smoothing mobile payments — something that country knows plenty about. Spotted on Apple’s Japanese iTunes page by 9to5Mac, the company describes how users can now deposit money directly to their iTunes account inside bricks-and-mortar stores. Apple sales assistants will scan the Passbook card (seen above) and the payment will go through then and there, ready to be used instantly. The Passbook app can already be installed from the iOS iTunes Store app in Japan and as 9to5Mac notes, with only eight stores, the country could be the easiest way to gauge the service before deciding whether to take it global. Oh yeah, and it’s completely different to Apple’s 2009 iTunes Pass.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: Apple Japan
Google strikes smart contact lens deal to track diabetes and cure farsightedness
With Glass and Android Wear, Google has already invested a lot of time and resources into developing the next-generation of wearables, but it’s another of its eye-focused projects that has today received its first major boost. The search giant’s secret Google[x] team has confirmed that it’s licensed its smart eyewear to healthcare specialist Novartis, which will develop the technology into a product that can improve eye care and help manage diseases and conditions.
As part of the agreement, Google[x] and Novartis’ eye care division Alcon will create smart lenses that feature “non-invasive sensors, microchips and other miniaturized electronics” and focus on two main areas. The first will provide a way for diabetic patients to keep on top of their glucose levels by measuring the sugar levels in their tear fluid, feeding the data back to a smartphone or tablet. The second solution aims to help restore the eye’s natural focus on near objects, restoring clear vision to those who are only farsighted (presbyopia).
Google’s role will be to develop the tiny electronics needed to collect data and will also take care of the low-power chip designs and fabrication. Alcon, on the other hand, will apply its medical knowledge to develop commercial versions of the smart contact lens. “Our dream is to use the latest technology in the miniaturization of electronics to help improve the quality of life for millions of people,” says Google co-founder Sergey Brin. “We are very excited to work with Novartis to make this dream come true.”
Filed under: Wearables, Google
Source: Novartis
Nest, Samsung and others team up for better home automation
A group of tech companies including Samsung, Google’s Nest Labs and chipmaker ARM are teaming up to create a unified system to run all of your connected home gadgets. Thread uses low-power mesh networks to run all of your devices, promising greater reliability and cloud access for every piece of hardware in your house. The name might be new, but an early version of the protocol is already used to drive Nest’s thermostats and smoke detectors. The group also believes that a simple software update would enable plenty of other existing smart home products to join in the fun. Of course, this isn’t the only group trying to marshal the disparate forces that are trying to make in-roads into our homes. For instance, Qualcomm and Apple all have rival platforms in various stages of development — so perhaps the next generation of forum debates arguments will be about which connected washing machine is “better” than the rest.
Filed under: Wireless, Samsung, Google
Via: Yahoo
Source: Thread
Apple Launches ‘iTunes Pass’ at Japanese Stores, Enabling Customers to Refill iTunes Credit With Passbook
Apple today debuted its new iTunes Pass service in its Japanese retail stores, allowing customers to purchase iTunes Store credit directly without the need for physical gift cards, reports 9to5Mac.
A photo about the feature from Apple’s Japanese website (Google Translate)
To use the service, customers add a new iTunes Pass inside of the existing Passbook application found in iOS, and then locate a Specialist inside an Apple Retail Store. Once the iTunes Pass is presented to the Specialist, the customer can say how much money they want added, which is then instantly transferred to an iTunes account.
It is not known when the new service will be rolled out to Apple Retail Stores worldwide, however it is likely that the company is testing the program in Japan ahead of a larger rollout. In 2012, Apple enabled users to store Apple Store gift cards in Passbook, and also allowed users to email Passbook enabled gift card to friends through the app.
Earlier this year, it was also reported that Apple was working on its own mobile payments service, which could be similar to iTunes Pass. According to that report, the company’s mobile payment solution would be integrated directly into iOS, allowing people to use their devices to purchase physical goods on the web and in physical retail stores.
Apple Searching for Retail Employees to Test Upcoming Photos App for OS X
Apple is actively looking for retail employees that are “passionate photography enthusiasts” to test the upcoming Photos app for OS X, reports 9to5Mac.
We are seeking a technical and passionate photography enthusiast to join our Quality Assurance team working on Photos for OS X. You will be part of a fast moving team of specialists tasked with delivering the next generation of photography tools for Apple.
Photos for OS X was briefly introduced at WWDC 2014, as Apple will launch the software early next year. It was also reported last month that the new Photos app will be replacing Apple’s existing iPhoto and Aperture programs. Apple revealed that Photos would feature a number of professional-grade features, including image search, editing, effects, and support for third-party extensions.
Apple has invited retail employees to try pre-release software for the past few years. Last year, the company offered beta access to OS X Mavericks and iWork for iCloud last year, which followed access to OS X Mountain Lion in 2012.
This new carbon nanotube material is the darkest thing on the planet
We know what darkness is: it’s the absence of light, and something we each encounter when the sun goes down. Seeing darkness in broad daylight on the other hand, that’s weird. It’s also, astonishingly, a completely possible thing. Sitting on a piece of aluminum foil in Surrey NanoSystems’ lab is something called Vantablack — a low-temperature carbon nanotube material that absorbs 99.96% of all light that touches it. It’s effectively the darkest material on the planet, and anything draped in becomes non-reflective, losing any and all surface detail. So, what’s the point? This new ultra dark material uses a low-temperature process, which allows it to be applied to things like stealth vehicles or telescopes, allowing them to avoid detection or see farther, respectively. The firm says it’s scaling up production for customers in the defense and space sectors. The company says it’s already delivered its first orders, and says its working on an even darker version of Vantablack. Well, here’s to a darker future.
[Image credit: Surrey NanoSystems]
Filed under: Misc
Source: Surrey Nanosystems, Independent, The Guardian
Virgin Media rolls out more Sky Sports HD and entertainment channels
If you’re a Virgin Media customer who enjoys Sky content both at home and on the move, we have some good news. Following the announcement that they’d expanded their existing content deal back in May, Virgin Media has today begun rolling out new Sky Sports channels, adding Sky Sports 3 HD, Sky Sports 4 HD and Sky Sports F1 HD to customer set-top boxes. The new Sky Sports 5 channel will also take its place in the lineup, delivering football from Europe’s top leagues in high-definition when it launches in the coming weeks.
In order to accommodate them, the company has made slight changes to its electronic programme guide, but you shouldn’t notice too much of a difference. If catching up on your favourite shows from your mobile is more your thing, Virgin’s enabled access to Sky’s entertainment channels (not including Sky Atlantic) from its TV Anywhere app, allowing you to watch Sky 1, Sky 2, Sky Living, Sky Living it, Sky Arts 1, Sky News and Sky Sports News on your iOS or Android device. Movies and sports are said to be coming to the app too, but you may have to wait a little while longer to get more free stuff.
[Image credit: Sport On The Box]
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, Internet, Software, HD, Mobile
Source: Virgin Media
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