The French Parliament approves controversial surveillance bill
In an attempt to prevent terrorist attacks, the French Parliament has approved a new surveillance law that gives unprecedented access to intelligence agencies. According to the BBC, the new bill was drafted three days after the Charlie Hebdo killings. While the government insists that the intelligence-gathering systems will monitor suspicious activities, defenders of civil liberties believe it allows the state to carry out mass surveillance without distinction. Despite the debate, the decision to pass the bill was almost unanimous. Both the ruling Socialists and opposition voted in favor of it.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls says the bill is not like America’s Patriot Act. But, the new data collection tactics seem equally intrusive. Internet service providers will now be forced to make massive amounts of metadata available to the intelligence agencies. A nine-person committee will watch over the surveillance activities and will be able to advise the Prime Minister, but it won’t have the power to overrule him. The law has been fast tracked and is expected to be in the statute books by July.
[Image credit: aurÃ(C)lien/Flickr]
Source: BBC
Android developers will get to experiment with app prices
When you make a mobile app, you usually have to find out the hard way what will sell. You can’t fiddle with pricing for just a few people, for instance. All that could change very shortly in the Android world, however. Sources for The Information claim that Google is introducing a feature that lets Android developers try different versions of the same Google Play Store page. You could not only see different previews of the app, but different pricing — the creator could charge you $2 for that hot new game, but ask $3 from others to see if they’ll accept higher pricing.
The move could be slightly frustrating if you realize that you just paid more than someone else for the same title, but it could go a long way toward encouraging Android developers to stay aboard. They’d find out if they’re charging a fair price, and whether or not their marketing is effective in a given country. Google hasn’t confirmed that it’s going this route, but you may discover the truth soon enough given that the search firm is reportedly announcing the feature at its I/O conference later this month.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Source: The Information
Periscope will find live video streams near you
Sure, Twitter’s Periscope app will tell you which of your friends are streaming, but what if you want to find out who’s broadcasting the local baseball game? You won’t have that problem for much longer. Periscope chief Kayvon Beykpour has revealed that the app will soon get a way to find streams in a given area. It won’t be so precise that you can creep on others, but it could be helpful for following protests and other unfolding events without having to get a link from someone else. Beykpour suggests that the map-based browsing is coming soon, so you shouldn’t have to wait long before Periscope is as good at helping you discover streams as it is for watching them.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Source: TechCrunch
Samsung’s smart lighting platform to be demonstrated at LIGHTFAIR International 2015
Today, Samsung Electronics announced that for the first time it will demonstrate its new open and secure platform for smart lighting at LIGHTFAIR International 2015. Per Samsung:
Samsung’s smart lighting platform is designed for integration with LED lighting systems in order to easily transform luminaires into smart, digital nodes. This Internet of Things (IoT) platform incorporates processing capabilities, firmware, connectivity and an open architecture connected to sensors for collecting data and creating new applications.
Samsung will also be inviting various industry partners to join them in hopes of collaborating to further accelerate the development of smart lighting. The end game is to have smart lighting integrated into everyday facilities all over the city such as offices and homes. Once installed, people should expect a dramatic improvement in both energy efficiency and life expectancy.
Samsung is aware that one company cannot do it all alone, thus their hope is that other companies will follow suit.
source: Business Wire
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Motorola Mobility ordered by jury to pay $10 million in Fujifilm patent suit
A U.S. jury has ordered Motorola Mobility to pay a total of $10 million due to the Fujifilm patent lawsuit where Motorola used their patented technology without permission. Fujifilm sued Motorola in 2012 accusing the company of infringing three of its patents on digital camera functions and a fourth patent relating to transmitting data over a wireless connection such as Bluetooth.
While Motorola is ultimately forced to pay up, it is significantly less than the $40 million that Fujifilm initially asked for.
source: Reuters
Come comment on this article: Motorola Mobility ordered by jury to pay $10 million in Fujifilm patent suit
Samsung could be looking to launch a dual SIM version of the Galaxy S6 in Brazil
The Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge have been creating waves across the world ever since its launch roughly a month ago. And now, it seems like Samsung wants to launch region specific variants of the popular flagship to make it more attractive to the locals.
One such market is Brazil, where Samsung is rumored to be bringing a dual SIM version of the Galaxy S6 soon. This particular variant has already made appearances on local retailer websites, although Samsung Brazil is yet to make anything official at this point.
This would make sense for a region like Brazil where a large majority of the population prefer dual SIM smartphones. It’s only a matter of time now until Samsung makes the device official in the region for the retailers to start selling the smartphone.
Source: Pontofrio.br
Via: Sam Mobile
Come comment on this article: Samsung could be looking to launch a dual SIM version of the Galaxy S6 in Brazil
Spellcrafter is a new RPG that lets you cast spells with gestures
Spellcrafter, a new strategic RPG from developer Jujubee, has just made its way to Google Play. The game features a similar gameplay style that we see in many modern RPGs, though it incorporates a unique spell casting system that makes the whole experience much more fluent.
In the game, you’ll get to wander around the magical world while collecting gold, interacting with NPCs, taking on new quests and making decisions that could ultimately benefit or make your quest very difficult. The most unique aspect of this game is the spell casting system. Each spell has a gesture assigned to it, allowing you to draw the gesture on the screen of the spell you’d like to cast. Not only is this much easier than digging through a spell book every time you make a move, but the faster you cast your spell, the more powerful it ends up being.
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You play as a mage, but you can choose to fight for the humans, control necromancer forces, or fight for the elves. The game is divided into three acts, each one of them focusing on one of three different subjects: nature of reality, power and morality.
Once you pay the $2.99 price tag, there are no in-app purchases to deal with. If you’re interested, head to the Play Store link below to check it out.
Snowden documents reveal how the NSA searches voice calls
The Intercept has released a new document from Edward Snowden’s cache of government files describing how the NSA has been converting voice calls to searchable text documents for nearly a decade. The NSA has long monitored signals intelligence (SIGNIT) around the world (as is its primary function), especially in active combat zones like Afghanistan and Iraq as well as in Latin America. Traditionally, this sort of data gathering required that a live operator listen in on calls and translate them in real-time. However, the NSA has reportedly developed what it calls “Google for Voice”; an automated system that provides a rough but keyword searchable transcription. According to the documents, the NSA has also developed analytical programs and sophisticated algorithms to flag conversations for human review.
What’s more, these do so on an automated and industrial scale, allowing the NSA to monitor larger amounts of the total SIGNIT traffic within a given region. Granted, these transcriptions aren’t perfect — they’re pretty rough in fact — but as NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake explained to The Intercept, “But even if it’s not 100 percent, I can still get a lot more information. It’s far more accessible. I can search against it. The breakthrough was being able to do it on a vast scale.”
[Image Credit: Getty]
Source: Firstlook
The ‘Mirror’s Edge’ sequel is due to launch in early 2016
The sequel to the beloved 2008 parkour game Mirror’s Edge is scheduled to release in early 2016 for consoles and PC, EA’s quarterly financial presentation reveals (PDF). EA announced a new Mirror’s Edge during E3 2014, but didn’t provide any information about the release window, platforms or gameplay details, so this is the best we have so far. EA’s financial presentation suggests the game will launch on consoles and PC within the same window, from January 1st to March 31st next year. Keep the Faith, folks.
There are a few other treats in EA’s financials this time around: A new Need for Speed (subtitle to be announced) is due on consoles and PC during the 2015 holiday season, alongside Star Wars Battlefront, which has a November 17 launch date. A new console and PC Plants vs. Zombies game (name also TBA) is scheduled to drop between January and March 2016.
Source: EA (PDF)
Comcast’s Xfinity Home works with automation tech you already own
Comcast’s Xfinity Home has been automating living spaces for a while, but now the company is opening up the cloud-based system to more gadgets. Starting this summer, customers can add devices from August, Automatic, Cuff, Leeo, Lutron, Rachio, SkyBell and Whistle to the kit that already wrangles motion sensors, connected outlets, cameras and more. We’re talking about things like August’s smart locks, Automatic’s car tracker and Cuff’s smart jewelery. What’s more, Comcast is teaming up with Nest as part of the Works with Nest effort to bring that smart thermostat into the fold, too. In addition to those new partners, Comcast will open up an SDK later this year alongside a Works with Xfinity Home certification program to make sure approved devices can be used with minimal headaches.
Filed under: Household, Internet
Source: Comcast
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