Tips and leaks in technology news

Once upon a time, when Android was a dream and iOS was a new operating system, the announcement of a new smartphone was a huge surprise to all who attended the press conference. Why was this a surprise?  Well, when the iPhone was announced, no phone could efficiently surf the web. No QWERTY keyboard was available unless you had a Blackberry, and yes, manufacturers were better at keeping secrets. iOS was a giant though for the first few years, but Android was still available. Android was only about 6 months behind iOS in terms of release dates.

Then in 2012, Anonymous leaks marched to the forefront thanks to a tip that made an editor famous. Why did leaks move to the forefront? Because it created news that people were now interested in reading.

Smartphones were changing the way we communicated, they allowed us to text, email, and browse the web.  New iterations of phones became big news because smartphones were devices we thought we never needed. Then they became something we couldn’t live without. Now every news outlet that specializes in tech or smartphone news has some way to get tips about products through anonymous sources.

How do leaks develop? Well, the manufacturer spends time, and a lot of money to design, develop and build a smartphone, computer or tablet. Whether on the assembly line, the office of a manufacturer, or even at a bar, someone will either take pictures or show off the new design while bragging to their friends, only to leave it behind by accident for someone who works for the media to find and report on.

Apple used to be immune to this due to strict security surrounding new device development, but lately it’s joined the not so exclusive list of companies who have gone through R&D, started to assemble products, and then let the proverbial cat out of the bag. HTC has had the last two models leaked so thoroughly, that the only thing left that was unknown to the world was the color choices. Samsung, who was plagued by leaks early on, has seemed to reverse this cycle at their facilities, but not by much.

As for LG, an employee, probably more than one, leaked the microsite to the LG G4. At this point, we know everything, from the leather back, right down to the phone’s entire spec load out. For anyone who missed that, I’m sure there’s a YouTube video out there giving ALL the details on this new handset.

So, here’s the question at hand, is the role of the source or the journalist who accepts a leak ethical? Is there a right to use any source or method for finding out details on a new device, for the purpose of getting a scoop before anyone else in the field?

While I’m sure that there are times when a media outlet tries to maintain a certain air of “we would never do that,” most outlets do to a certain extent. I don’t know of any specific outlet that would leave ethics at the door when it comes to one-upping the industry with news of a leak. However, it might seem questionable because we are in the industry to cover news and during that coverage we all look for tips on a new device. If you’re not looking, then you lose.

The objective of the journalist or blogger is to find all the information you can provide your audience. To go the extra mile to achieve parity or even to get ahead of others in the business is your main goal. If a source, for whatever reason, has information about a new device that can be of interest to the audience and offers it willingly, it’s almost impossible not to accept.

Whatever the motivation for the source may be, almost every website has a contact email for tips and leaks. We’d be dumb not to. Although it may seem unethical to some, it’s a necessary evil for whatever branch of news that the journalist covers. The person that leaked the information has their role and the journalist has their obligation to report the news.

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Europe’s combat UAV takes to the skies over Italy

After nearly a decade of design and development, the first full-size nEUROn unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator is ready for operational tests. Six European nations have coordinated on the UCAV’s development. Defense contractor Dassault is responsible for its construction. The 41-foot wide, 10,000 pound drone has already passed a pair of initial trials since 2012 and is scheduled to undergo flight tests over Sardinia’s Perdasdefogu range in the coming weeks. Should it succeed there, the nEUROn will head to Visdel, Sweden for weapons trials.

[Image credit: Getty Images]

Filed under: Transportation

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Source: The Aviationist

Android customization – how to transfer files using ADB push and pull commands

The last couple of weeks on our Android customization series has been a brief look into the world of using the Android developer tool called ADB. We started by using it to identify apps and services that might be eating your battery, then we dove into the exciting ability to make screen recordings of your device.

This week, we pick up right where we left off, assuming you’ve got a screen recording on your device that you would like to transfer to your connected PC.

Before we begin

Once again, there are no app requirements needed to follow along today, but you will need to have the Android SDK and ADB up and running on your computer. From there, you’ll need to connect your Android device to your PC using an appropriate USB cable.

Be sure to hit our previous posts on ADB to get details on how to get everything up and running.

File transfers using ADB

There are many ways to transfer files between your Android device and a PC, many of which do not require wires. In fact, there are so many great ways to transfer files that using ADB may not even be the tool for you. However, when all else fails, or you just took a screen recording and are all connected up anyway, ADB file transfer is here for you.

Using a command line interface is usually reserved for the more adventurist of computer users, but that does not mean it is difficult to use. In fact, once you have a basic understanding, the command line is rather simple. This all remains true for ADB for Android as well. Let’s get started.

Connect your Android device to your PC, get ADB up and running in a command or Terminal window, then enter adb devices and hit enter.

As a refresher, we recorded a screen recording last week and stored it on our device at the location /sdcard/video.mp4. Let’s transfer that file to our computer.

Pull a file from your Android device

The format of the pull request is simple, you start with the command adb pull, then add the file you are pulling and the location you want it to go. I’ll dump mine on my desktop for now, which would look like the following on a Windows machine.

adb pull /sdcard/video.mp4 C:UsersJonathanDesktop

You may choose to omit the local save location, to look like adb pull /sdcard/video.mp4, which will save the file in the same location as your adb.exe.

Hit enter, your file should now be transferring to your PC. Now, let’s upload a file.

Push a file to your Android device

I’ll keep the steps pretty simple here, if you were comfortable with the steps to pull, push is a no-brainer.

The format starts with the command adb push, then adds the local location of the file and the location on device you want to save to. To keep it absolutely simple, let’s just put that video file back on the device.

adb push C:UsersJonathanDesktopvideo.mp4 /sdcard/

Hit enter, of course, and watch your files fly.

And there you have it, files successfully transferred between your Android device and your PC.

What’s next

Remember that the above examples are just that, examples. Please adjust the commands to suite your file location needs. I admit that it can be cumbersome to have to type out the full file location start and end points for each individual file transfer, but it is a bullet proof tool, if you ever need it.

I’ll keep it really short today, there is so very little that you can do with a file push or pull to your Android device. Be sure to hit the Android Debug Bridge developer page to see a full list of the available commands and tweaks.

Next week

Let’s do just one more ADB piece on the Android customization series before we step away for a bit, next week we will show you how to use ADB to install apps on your device. It is rare that we feed you links to an Android .apk file, and it is easy enough to transfer that file to your device and just open it to install the application, but ADB can do it right from your computer, if you are interested.

What do you say, I know you’ve found easier and better file transfer tools and techniques, but has ADB Push or ADB Pull ever come in handy for you?

IKEA to launch wireless charging furniture by end of spring

The wireless charging-capable furniture announced by IKEA last month will be available by the end of spring. The company issued a document detailing its wireless charging furniture with the tag “ARRIVING IN USA LATE SPRING 2015.” Pricing for the specialized furniture starts at $27.99. IKEA also has cord management boxes and cases to allow for your devices to be compatible with the Qi wireless charging standard that its furniture utilizes.

Hit the break for the pieces and their prices.

• SELJE nighstand – $59.99
• NORDLI nightstand – $109.99
• VARV floor lamp – $119
• VARV table lamp – $69.99
• RIGGAD work lamp – $79.99
• NORDMARKE single pad – $27.99
• NORDMARKE triple pad – $64.99
• ROMMA cord management box – $9.99
• JYSSEN – $29.99
• FIXA hole saw set – $4.99
• VITAHULT wireless charging covers – $15-$25

Source: IKEA (PDF)

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