Smart Lock for Passwords and Saved Passwords website are now available to all
Earlier this morning we told you about a new feature that was included in the newest version of Google Play Services, which is rolling out to devices as we speak. The feature is called Smart Lock for Passwords, which will automatically sign you in to compatible applications, as long as you’ve saved your login credentials into Chrome. Since this feature is specific to Google Play Services version 7.5 and not Android M, starting today, everyone will get to take advantage of the new service.
To access all of your saved passwords in Smart Lock, simply head on over to passwords.google.com. This new interface allows you to easily manage, view and delete passwords without the need to do it on your smartphone. From here, you can also disable auto sign-in or Smart Lock altogether.
On the phone side of things, you can find your Smart Lock Passwords menu in your Google Settings. The new option can be found all the way on the bottom of the screen. From this page, you can disable Smart Lock for Passwords and auto sign-in as well, though you still need to head to the webpage if you want to manage your passwords.
Password managers are already some of the most handy applications out there, so it’s really nice to see Google bake this feature into Android. Google should be rolling out the new version of Play Services any minute now, so try to stay patient if you haven’t received the new feature yet.
Google’s Project Loon improves launch and range to expand its reach
Google’s Project Loon internet balloons have been airborne for quite some time, and now the company is planning to take the next step with the initiative. The next phase has two parts: a 50-foot-tall launcher and sharing internet signals amongst balloons. The first piece is a so-called Autolauncher, a massive rolling apparatus referred internally as the Bird House, and its canvas sides allow a crew of four to block up to 15 MPH winds in order to launch successfully. Take-offs are now partially automated too, and the time needed to do so was cut from 45 minutes down to just 15.
Second, each Project Loon balloon used to have to maintain contact with the ground in order to disperse a connection, but that’s no longer the case. Now, the flying connectivity pods can connect to each other, further expanding the area they can blanket with service. Rather than having to stay within about 50 miles of a station, Loon gear can travel distances of around 250 to 500 miles. As Bloomberg puts it, using the balloons together as a network mean Google can now offer internet to a region with eight ground stations. Project Loon aims to provide days of continuous connectivity by the end of the year, which would be an improvement from recent trials. The goal is for a wider deployment to happen sometime in 2016 in places like Latin America, West Africa and Asia.
Filed under: Misc, Internet, Google
Source: Bloomberg Business
Reuters: US launched a failed Stuxnet-like attack on North Korea
Iran wasn’t the only country that had its nuclear ambitions targeted by a sneaky US cyberattack. It turns out the American government also tried to take down North Korea’s nuclear programs with the Stuxnet worm five years ago, Reuters reports. But there was one major difference: That attack ultimately flamed out. While the US managed to get Stuxnet into Iran’s nuclear facilities (reportedly by hacking suppliers), which ultimately led to the destruction of more than a thousand uranium enriching centrifuges, it never managed to get it into North Korea’s core systems. It turns out having an extremely isolated network worked in North Korea’s favor. That’s particularly ironic since Stuxnet quickly made its way out of Iran and wreaked havoc across the web.
Sources say Stuxnet’s developers created a special version of the virus that would have been activated when it encountered Korean language settings. Since North Korea is also using Siemens software on Windows-powered machines for its nuclear program, it would have suffered a similar fate as Iran if the attack succeeded.
[Photo credit: Goddard Photography/Getty]
Filed under: Misc
Dolby Digital Plus surround sound plugs into Microsoft’s Edge
Windows 10 won’t have Media Center included but this week Microsoft revealed that it will have support for surround sound in some new ways, and it could make Netflix streaming even better. Beyond supporting Dolby Digital Plus in the Windows 10 OS — similar to Windows 8 — its Edge browser (formerly known as Project Spartan) will be the first one with built-in support for the surround sound audio codec. Microsoft and Dolby are explaining to developers how they can not only create 5.1 audio mixes for content, but also include the code to make it fall back to stereo on other we browsers.
Even if you don’t have a home stereo hooked up to your PC or tablet, the two claim that Windows 10’s support for Dolby Digital Plus portable mode will make for louder and clearer audio played back via laptop speakers or headphones. Netflix isn’t mentioned by name, but this support could bring surround sound streaming through the web browser with those new media extensions, something it doesn’t currently support on Silverlight or HTML5. On PCs it does support surround sound via the Windows 8 app, but another option couldn’t hurt, and after five years of waiting we’re more than ready for it to arrive.
[Image credit: Tomasz WyszoÅmirski]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
See Google’s clothing-based Project Jacquard in action
Interested in seeing Google’s ambitious Project Jacquard in action? Fortunately, Google had a small demonstration set up at I/O to show off a very simple way that smart clothing can be used, and we’ve got a hands on video for you.
The video demonstrates how simple it is to tap a patch of clothing to play and pause your music, and how the swiping gestures will allow you to skip through songs and adjust the volume on a connected smartphone. Google of course uses a Nexus 6 to show off everything in action, but it works extremely well.
It might be awhile before we start seeing jackets with integrated volume controls, but it’s something to look forward to. For everything else that’s happening at I/O 2015, check out our full coverage of the event.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: See Google’s clothing-based Project Jacquard in action
Check out our hands-on video of Google’s Project Soli
Alongside Project Jacquard, Google introduced Project Soli which is focused around sensors that use radio waves to track your hand movements and gestures, which then relay signals into something that can be used by another piece of technology.
We have a hands on video for you demonstrating how one of Project Soli’s sensors will register your movements and turn them into data that another object can use. Unfortunately, the demo didn’t have an actual usable object to play with, but it does give you a behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s going on. There are several monitors set up, all of which react differently and show different data based on how your hand is moving.
It’s definitely much easier to show than explain, so watch the video below and let us know what you think of ATAP’s two new initiatives.
For everything else that’s happened at I/O 2015, check out our complete coverage.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Check out our hands-on video of Google’s Project Soli
Google Spotlight Stories introduces first live-action story by Fast & Furious Director Justin Lin
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During ATAP’s breakout session this morning they demonstrated a slew of amazing technology. Many of which I will get to as time allows. Yes, they showed Project Ara booting nearly instantly along with hot swapping the camera module and taking a photo. Among the myriad announcements of amazing tech was a smaller, but very exciting, announcement. The Motorola Spotlight Player has become Google Spotlight Stories.
While not a milestone announcement, it is still one that is quite fun. The Spotlight stories app brings immersive story telling to users around the world. In a nutshell, you launch the story you want to watch and interact with and you are able to hold your phone up and look in different directions.It really lets you get mixed in the story and gives you the feeling that you are part of the story.
ATAP partnered up with Justin Lin, the guy that brought us all the Fast & Furious movies, to bring a pretty outstanding Spotlight Story that is real life video in the form of a short movie called Help. He used a specialized set of cameras that caught the story in full 360 degrees.
At their booth they showed the Epic RED 6k cameras, as seen above, and it was actually live streaming to a TV. You could grab the Xbox controller and spin the view around. The interesting thing was it didn’t spin the camera, just what was displayed. They had a set of computers behind a wall that was handling all the real-time stitching of the imagery.
It is a pretty thrilling visual adventure. They took the experience one step further and created a complete new audio experience for Help that delivers the sound from the movie and the environment to your ears based on where you are looking. Technical terms they talked about were ambisonics and binaural rendering.
If your device is supported you should really head off to the Play Store and get the new Google Spotlight Stories app installed and pick up Help. it is a really unique experience.
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