US SKYNET program marks Al Jazeera journalist as Al Qaeda
The US government has marked Ahmad Zaidan, an influential journalist and Al Jazeera‘s longtime Islamabad bureau chief, as a member of Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood, according to NSA documents unearthed by whistleblower Edward Snowden (via The Intercept). Zaidan has been embedded in Afghanistan and Pakistan throughout his career, and he’s had unique access to top Taliban and Al Qaeda leadership, including Osama bin Laden. In 2011, Zaidan and Al Jazeera released a documentary about bin Laden, including interviews with Taliban fighters, government workers and journalists who knew him. Zaidan has, in the course of his job, regularly traveled across the Middle East and communicated with Al Qaeda officials — which is why the US government’s SKYNET program marked him as a member of Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Zaidan’s file was singled out as an example of the power of SKYNET, the US program that attempts to find suspicious patterns within location and communication information gathered from bulk call records. SKYNET recognized Zaidan as a likely Al Qaeda courier, though it appears the NSA had an existing file on the journalist, The Intercept reports. A 2012 presentation describes some ways SKYNET marks terrorists: It notes behaviors such as “excessive SIM or handset swapping,” “visits to airports” and “overnight trips,” and tracks travel to specific locations. The program then asks, “Who does the traveler call when he arrives?” the site reports. The call data comes from major Pakistani telecom providers, according to the presentation — for the experiment that marked Zaidan, SKYNET analyzed 55 million Pakistani cell phone records.
In a statement provided via Al Jazeera, Zaidan wrote the following:
For us to be able to inform the world, we have to be able to freely contact relevant figures in the public discourse, speak with people on the ground, and gather critical information. Any hint of government surveillance that hinders this process is a violation of press freedom and harms the public’s right to know.
The US court of appeals ruled yesterday that the NSA’s bulk collection of phone data is illegal and “exceeds the scope of what Congress has authorized,” according to one judge. Congress is currently debating the future of the NSA’s surveillance program. Whistleblower Snowden says he’s pleased with the federal court’s ruling.
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc
Source: The Intercept (1), (2), (3)
JXE Training Day: Picking the right ‘League of Legends’ Champion
We covered League of Legends basics in Training Day Episode 1, and in Episode 2 we took a long look at how to actually play through your first match. Today Loc Tran, he of San Jose State University’s rising League team, will be teaching us how to select the right Champion. What’s a Champion, you ask? That’s precisely what Training Day is here to answer! Join us as we take an in-depth look at the many different characters and roles they can play in League of Legends.
Our third episode of Training Day will go live at 3:30PM ET today on Twitch.tv/Joystiq, Engadget.com/gaming and right here in this post.
Dig Training Day and all of our streams? Follow us on Twitch.tv/Joystiq. You can also follow Loc on Twitter, Twitch, and Facebook.
[We’re playing League of Legends streamed via OBS at 720p.]
Motorola begins soak test for Android 5.1 on the Moto X (2nd Gen) with new ‘Chop’ gesture
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Motorola has announced this morning that they are starting soak test for the Moto X (2nd Gen)
While the update is good news, there is something else that will be included in the push, a new gesture. Most Moto X owners or users know that a simple double twist will activate the devices camera or waving once to silence the device. When Android 5.1 lands on your device you will see a new double ‘chop’ gesture that will active the devices flashlight function. Doing it a second time will shut it off of course. Not a HUGE deal, but something that does make like a little easier for people.
The animated GIF they provided shows how it works when in the hands of the light blue man group. As the update moves along and starts making its way to consumers I will be sure to let you guys know.
Source: Motorola
The post Motorola begins soak test for Android 5.1 on the Moto X (2nd Gen) with new ‘Chop’ gesture appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Want delivery? Google’s search results can now facilitate your order taking needs
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Google Now, Google Search, Google App, whatever you call it, becomes more and more robust each and every day. I thought it was pretty cool to be able to just search for things with my voice. Now we can set reminders, alarms, send texts, place calls, start music, turn things on and off and so much more. Now you can add one more thing to the list that the Google can do to help you out a bit when you are beat, get a delivery order placed.
Well, not entirely. You can’t just say, “OK Google, I want a large pepperoni pizza delivered to my home.” Although, I am sure we are not far off from that being an option in the near future. In its current stage you can search out a restaurant and if it offers delivery service you will be able to tap on “Place an order.” From there you be able to place the order through one of the six providers that are available; Seamless, Grubhub, Eat24, Delivery.com, BeyondMenu and MyPizza.com. I’ll take it. However, it will be infinitely cooler in my other scenario, especially if it automatically charges to your Google Wallet card.
Source: Google
The post Want delivery? Google’s search results can now facilitate your order taking needs appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Android 5.0.2 Lollipop headed out to the Dell Venue 8 tablet
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The Dell Venue 8 tablet
Droid-Life is reporting that the update it encrypted the device which took a few minutes. After installation and boot you will find the tablet is encrypted, but we aren’t exactly sure why it is a necessary step. My best guess would be in regards to the depth of field camera software, but anything is possible. Like all other Lollipop updates you will get the lockscreen notifications, the fancy and fluid animations and bold colors.
Anyone out there own a Dell Venue 8 tablet seeing the update today? If you don’t head into settings and give it a ping to see what happens.
Source: Dell Via: Droid-Life Featured image via WSJ
The post Android 5.0.2 Lollipop headed out to the Dell Venue 8 tablet appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Apple to Push Paid Streaming Music Service With Free Trials and SoundCloud-Like Sharing
Ahead of the rumored debut of Apple’s upcoming streaming music service, Re/code has shared several details on the initiative, sourced from industry insiders. As we’ve learned previously, Apple will charge $9.99 per month for the service and will not offer a freemium streaming tier as other music services like Spotify do, but the company is aiming to introduce ways to let people listen to some content for free.
First and foremost, Apple hopes to offer listeners a free trial period, which lasts between one and three months, letting them sample the music service for an extended period of time before opting for a full subscription. The length of the trial will depend on what Apple is able to negotiate with music companies.
Apple is also working on a feature that may let artists and music creators upload samples of songs that could be listened to without subscribing to the service. Re/code‘s sources are describing this as “something akin to SoundCloud.” SoundCloud is a music sharing platform that lets users upload and share originally-created music, and a similar feature within Apple’s new music service would give indie artists an easy way to share music while providing listeners with free content.
The third way Apple plans to potentially get music to listeners for free is through a revamp of iTunes Radio. We’ve heard hints of this previously, but the new version of iTunes Radio may feature stations that are curated by humans rather than computers, with different content available in different locales. New Apple hire BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe and other recently hired radio staff may spearhead this initiative.
Re/code‘s report also shares some details on the streaming music negotiations that have already landed Apple in a bit of hot water with various regulatory bodies, including the FTC and the Department of Justice in the United States and the European Commission. Apple has been attempting to convince music labels that ad-supported free streaming music does not generate enough revenue.
But as we have previously reported, Apple doesn’t intend to provide free, unlimited on-demand streaming, as competitors Spotify and YouTube do. In private meetings with label executives and other music industry figures, Apple has been arguing that free streaming won’t generate enough money for the industry via advertising, and doesn’t give enough people incentive to pay for subscriptions.
Apple is still working to complete deals ahead of the launch of the streaming service, but it is said to be on track for a WWDC debut. According to a report earlier this week, the streaming service will be introduced during the Worldwide Developers Conference in June and released later in the month alongside the public launch of iOS 8.4.
Apple’s streaming music service is built on its existing Beats music service, and will continue to focus on curated content. To draw in additional customers and to distinguish itself from competing services, Apple is planning to offer a range of exclusive content. There are also plans to rebrand and revamp the music service, deeply integrating it into iTunes and the newly revamped Music app introduced in iOS 8.4.
MacRumors Giveaway: Win an AyeGear Jacket That Holds All Your Tech Gadgets [iOS Blog]
For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with AyeGear to give two lucky winners a chance to win an item of clothing capable of holding tons of gear. AyeGear makes jackets, travel vests, hoodies, and t-shirts with an abundance of pockets that can hold the iPhone, iPad, accessories, and more.
AyeGear’s J25 Jacket, for example, is so named because it has 25 separate pockets inside that can hold everything from an iPad or a MacBook to an iPhone and a passport. The sleeves can also be removed, so it can be worn as a vest.
The H13 Hoodie looks like a standard fleece hoodie, but it’s got 13 pockets inside to hold an iPad, iPhone, credit cards, and a water bottle. It’s also got touch pockets so you can access your devices without even removing them from the sweatshirt. AyeGear sells several similar products with a range of pockets, offering two vests, a t-shirt, two hoodies, and two types of jackets.
We are giving away one article of clothing to two separate winners. Each winner will be able to choose from a jacket, hoodie, vest, or t-shirt, in any size or color, which will be shipped to their doorstep.
To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube Channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page. Due to the intricacies of international law regarding giveaways, this giveaway is open only to U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The giveaway will run from today, Friday, May 8 at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time through Friday May 15 at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time. Winners will be chosen randomly on May 15 and will be contacted through email. A response to our email is required within 48 hours or the winner will forfeit the prize and we will pick a new winner.
Download and install latest Google Play Store 5.5.9 APK (Material Design)
The Google Play Store has just received a version bump, bringing it to version 5.5.9 and few minor changes, only days after version 5.5.8 was released.
What’s New
– There doesn’t seem to be anything major included in this version, and giving the small bump in version number appears only to be a patch to pick up some loose ends from 5.5.8.
Of course, there could be more undisclosed under the hood performance enhancements not immediately noticeable.
If like me you like to be on the cutting edge of developments, you can go ahead and grab the latest Google Play Store 5.5.9 APK from here.
Notice anything else different in the newest version of the Google Play Store? Drop us a comment below.
The post Download and install latest Google Play Store 5.5.9 APK (Material Design) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Moto X (2014) gains handy new feature in Android 5.1 update
New Moto Action debuts called Chop twice for Flashlight
The second generation Moto X is starting to receive its Android 5.1 software update. Included as part of the update is support for HD calls, quicker access to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings, and enhanced security.
Motorola, for its part, has also introduced a new feature called Chop twice for Flashlight. Essentially you chop the phone twice in the air is if using on an invisible cutting board and you’ll turn on the flashlight. Do it again and you’ll turn it off.
Don’t look for the 5.1 update on your U.S. version just yet; Motorola has only deployed this select models in Brazil. Other markets and carriers are expected in short order.
In addition to the Moto X, Motorola has readied the 5.1 update for its 2015 version of the Moto E 4G LTE and is working on the same for the Verizon Droid Turbo.
The post Moto X (2014) gains handy new feature in Android 5.1 update appeared first on AndroidGuys.
OnePlus One will continue to receive Cyanogen OTA updates in India
OnePlus has certainly had a difficult time selling its flagship One handset in India over the past few months. If you can recall back to October, Cyanogen made an exclusive agreement with Micromax, preventing any other company from selling Cyanogen-powered devices in India, including OnePlus. Cyanogen had a global licensing deal with OnePlus, but the Micromax deal took precedence over it. Then in December, the ban was lifted, and OnePlus was, once again, able to sell the One in India.
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It looks like all legal troubles between these companies have finally subsided, because today, OnePlus announced that OnePlus One owners in India who are running Cyanogen OS will continue to receive OTA updates from here on out. The company explains:
…we are happy to confirm today that all legal proceedings have been resolved and the cases have been withdrawn through mutual consent. We hate donning suits and ties anyways. To make things sweeter, we would like to re-assure our customers and fans in India that our flagship phone, the “OnePlus One” will continue to receive OTA updates from Cyanogen in-line with our users in markets around the world.
OnePlus has also recently created its own Android-based ROM, OxygenOS. The OS replacement provides a stable, customizable experience for users looking for an alternative to Cyanogen.
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