Twitter bars site that kept politicians’ boneheaded tweets
Politwoops — a database of tweets US lawmakers would rather you forget — has been banished by Twitter for violating its terms of service. The Sunlight Foundation, which created the site (and still operates an EU version) recently tweeted that “Twitter (has)… decided to kill Politwoops. We’re sad we’re losing this public record of deleted tweets.” The site has been tracking politicians since 2012, and occasionally surfaced controversial messages and images that were later retracted. Despite that, many political figures actually praised the site for bringing greater transparency to Washington.
It’s true. @Twitter changed its mind and decided to kill Politwoops. We’re sad we’re losing this public record of deleted tweets.
– Sunlight Foundation (@SunFoundation) June 4, 2015
Politwoops stopped surfacing tweets two weeks ago, and posted a blog last week calling on Twitter to restore its API access. However, Twitter decided to cut it off permanently yesterday, calling it a privacy issue. “We strongly support Sunlight’s mission of increasing transparency in politics… but preserving deleted Tweets violates our developer agreement.” An individual claiming to be a Twitter employee told Gawker that until recently, the social network was considering a “quiet reversal” of the decision. However, it reportedly wound up “digging in” so as not to create a snowball effect of developers wanting exceptions.
Filed under: Internet
Via: Gawker
Source: Sunlight Foundation (Twitter)
Apple Prices Bond Sale in Japan at ¥250 Billion [Mac Blog]
Apple has set a principal amount of ¥250 billion ($2.01 billion) for its bond sale in Japan per a final pricing term sheet published by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday. The yen-denominated bonds have an interest rate of 0.350% and are set to mature on June 10, 2020. Interest is to be paid semi-annually on June 10 and December 10, commencing December 10, 2015.
The global notes will be available for purchase by both domestic and foreign investors, with net proceeds to be used for general corporate purposes, including stock buybacks, dividend payments, funding for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and debt repayment. The issue is being handled by Goldman Sachs International and Mitsubishi UFJ Securities International.
Apple Watch Launches in Seven More Countries on June 26
Apple today announced that the Apple Watch will be available for purchase in Italy, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Taiwan on Friday, June 26. The wrist-worn device will be sold through the Apple Store, Apple Online Store and select authorized resellers.
Apple also announced that it will begin selling select Apple Watch models through the Apple Store in two weeks, presumably including the United States and other first wave launch countries. Apple Watch orders have been taken exclusively online since the device launched in April.
“The response to Apple Watch has surpassed our expectations in every way, and we are thrilled to bring it to more customers around the world,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s senior vice president of Operations. “We’re also making great progress with the backlog of Apple Watch orders, and we thank our customers for their patience. All orders placed through May, with the sole exception of Apple Watch 42 mm Space Black Stainless Steel with Space Black Link Bracelet, will ship to customers within two weeks. At that time, we’ll also begin selling some models in our Apple Retail Stores.”
A limited selection of Apple Watch models will be available at 10 Corso Como in Milan, BOONTHESHOP Cheongdam in Seoul and Malmaison by The Hour Glass in Singapore on June 26, just over two months after the device launched in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong and United Kingdom.
Apple Stores Will Once Again Stock Jawbone Wearables as Early as July [iOS Blog]
Jawbone is returning to Apple Stores, with both the Jawbone UP2 and UP3 to go on sale as early as next month. The news was confirmed by the company’s senior product manager Jason Donahue at a press event in Japan, as reported by Mac Otakara (via AppleInsider). He informed those in attendance that the fitness tracker would be in stock in Japanese Apple Stores by “early July,” and that other regions, specifically the United States, would have them earlier.
The first shipments to Apple Stores will specifically cover re-stocking the cheaper $99.99 UP2 fitness band, followed by the higher-end $179.99 UP3, although Donahue gave no specific retail timeline for the inclusion of the bands for any region. The Jawbone UP Move was never removed from Apple Stores, because the initial package doesn’t come with wrist-worn capabilities and is designed more as a clip-on accessory.
The return of Jawbone to Apple Stores is interesting in its timing, and follows Apple’s removal of all its wearable tech rivals in early March, prior to the Apple Watch’s launch. That purge removed Jawbone, Nike Fuelband, and MIO products from not only retail locations but the Apple online storefront as well.
Although the day-to-day demand for the Apple Watch has decreased since its initial pre-order period, multiple Apple employees and analysts point to the company’s new wearable as a huge success out of the gate. This confidence in the product and its momentum moving forward into the year could have encouraged Apple to allow competitors back into their retail shops.
Interestingly, back in April Jawbone announced the UP4 alongside a partnership with American Express to bring contactless payments to the fitness tracker for the first time. No word was given by Donahue on the inclusion of such a direct competitor to the Apple Watch into Apple retail locations, but it will be interesting to see if Apple continues to allow more companies to return to its stores with such similar products as its new wearable.
ARM and Samsung sign long-term deal for next-gen Mali graphics
ARM and Samsung have just signed a long-term graphics technology agreement, meaning that Samsung has licensed ARM’s latest and greatest graphics technology to power future devices, with the promise of even more impressive and immersive visual experiences. The license covers ARM’s latest Mali graphics processing units, including the Mali-T820, T830, T860, the high-end T880, and future Mali GPUs as well.
Samsung has long been using ARM’s GPU technology alongside its licensed CPU designs to help build its own range of mobile SoCs. The company’s latest Exynos 7420 chip makes use of a high-end ARM Mali-T760 MP8 GPU design and this latest licensing deal means that future Samsung SoCs will continue to make use of ARM graphics parts.
ARM’s high-end Mali-T880, which was unveiled back in February, promises up to 1.8 times the peak performance of the current generation Mali-T760, while also offering a 40 percent reduction in energy consumption for the same workloads as existing products. ARM’s T860, T830 and T820 were unveiled last October and will likely find a home in products looking for GPUs offering a balance of power consumption and performance or the smallest possible silicon area size.
The scope of the deal suggest that Samsung will be making use of the latest generation of Mali GPUs in a range of different SoCs for its wide selection of different mobile products and target markets. From budget to high-end smartphones as well as tablets. Samsung had been rumored to be developing and planning to use an in-house GPU design at some point this year, but that now seems unlikely.
“The visual quality is a critical part of high-end mobile devices. The highly scalable and energy-efficient ARM Mali family gives us the flexibility we need to address a broad range of devices,” – Jae Cheol Son, Samsung Electronics.
For ARM, the deal will help secure the Mali range’s prevalence in the mobile market and as the most widely licenced GPU IP in the world. ARM’s silicon partners shipped in excess of 550 million Mali-enabled SoCs throughout 2014. Alongside Samsung, a number of mobile SoC developers, including MediaTek, HiSilicon and even Intel’s Atom X3, have licensed ARM’s graphics technology for use in their chip ranges, .
No details regarding products or any release dates have been given out at this time. However, it is likely that we will see this long-term agreement have an impact on Samsung’s next and following generations of mobile SoCs designed for its future smartphones and tablets.
Xiaomi emerges as a top player in the wearables market
Although the company might be best known for selling cut-throat priced smartphones, Xiaomi has also quickly risen to become a dominant player in the wearables market. According to research conducted by IDC, Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi accounted for 24.6 percent of the wearable market in the first quarter of 2015.
What is even more impressive about the figure is that Xiaomi didn’t begin selling its Mi Band, currently the company’s only wearable product, until the second half of last year. In less than a year, Xiaomi has managed to ship approximately 2.8 million units around the world. The Mi Band’s virtually unbeatable low price of just $15 has no doubt assisted the company in grabbing such a large share of the market so quickly, not to mention that the company makes a conscious effort to sell its extended product range to its smartphone consumers.
Looking at the broader market, it’s clear that the fitness tracking segment continues to hold the largest share of the wearables market. FitBit retained its spot as the most popular wearables company, thanks to its range of products appealing to casual and more serious fitness enthusiasts. The company did see its market share drop by 10.5 percent compared with the previous year, but shipments continued to rise by a substantial 129.4 percent.
Garmin and Jawbone also managed to secure themselves a place in the top five, leaving smartwatch manufacturers, such as Pebble, Sony and Motorola, to settle for a lower spot in the rankings. It appears that price is quite a powerful factor in the wearable market at the moment.
“We now see over 40% of the devices priced under $100, and that’s one reason why the top 5 vendors have been able to grow their dominance from two thirds of the market” – Jitesh Ubrani, Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers
The only major mobile player to secure a position near the top was Samsung, although the company has seen its share of the market decline from 7.9 to 5.3 percent between Q1 ’14 and Q1 ’15. Perhaps a little worryingly for Samsung, the company has released a rather extensive range of wearable products over several years, ranging from its Tizen Gear Fit to Android Wear Gear Live smartwatch, but has still not managed to appeal to wearable consumers in the same way that it has in the smartphone market. Having said that, shipments did double from Q1 2014 to Q1 2015.
Furthermore, it looks like the explosive wearables market is beginning to show some signs of consolidation, although this is mostly due to Xiaomi’s recent surge. The percent of the market secured by players outside of the top five decreased by 8.8 percent over the course of a year, suggesting that consumers are being drawn to a smaller selection of brands. Of course, there’s growing anticipation that Apple’s newly launched Watch may shake-up the market. However, given the clear current preference for low-cost, fitness focused products, it remains to be seen if this impact with materialize quite as some expect.
Overall, the wearable market is showing signs of increasing strength, with 12 month shipments increased by 200 percent between 2014 and 2015, from 3.8 to 11.4 million units.
‘Abused emoji’ give kids an easy way to talk about serious issues
Some situations are just too hard to put into words even if you’re the most eloquent person on the planet. So just imagine how tough it is for kids in troubled homes to tell someone, anyone, what they’re going through. A Swedish non-profit for children’s rights called BRIS believes one way to get them to open up is through emoticons — that’s why the organization has created a special set for them called “Abused Emoji.” At first glance, they look like the usual light-hearted, sometimes silly, smileys you see on phones or computers, but a closer inspection will reveal some rather disquieting details.
(WARNING: The image and video below the fold show representations of child abuse in emoji form.)
Some of the graphics have a black eye, others show injury, while the most disconcerting ones suggest that the adult in the kid’s life is making him/her miserable. The group’s director of communication, Sylvia Ernhagen, told Wired:
Kids issues range from issues about how to fit in or feeling awkward to really dark and heartbreaking stories about violence, sexual abuse, grooming, bullying and suicidal thoughts… Emoji are a very natural way for children and teenagers to communicate, and we want to show that there’s nothing wrong with reaching out when you feel down.
However, since the pack can be downloaded by anyone with an iOS device, at least one person is worried that the graphics can be misused. According to Wired, Gregory Leskin, the director for the NCTSN Military and Veteran Families Program, fears that the emojis could be misconstrued. After all, not everyone’s trained to talk to kids from troubled homes like the folks from BRIS are. Still, he believes creating the set “is going in the right direction,” seeing as more and more people these days are expressing their thoughts using the ideograms.
Via: Wired
Source: BRIS, Abused Emojis
5.5-inch Galaxy S6 Plus makes alleged appearance in MKBHD video
Rumors of a larger version of the Galaxy S6 Edge have been swirling for a while, but now we’ve got some resemblance of proof thanks to beloved YouTuber Marques Brownlee, a.k.a MKBHD.
First, let’s back up a little. SamMobile first reported about a month ago on a device known initially as Project Zen, and then as Project Zero 2. This Project Zero 2 device bears the SM-G928 code number and is reportedly a larger version of the Galaxy S6 Edge, featuring a 5.5-inch display. This device was initially rumored to launch during IFA, in September.
Earlier this week, Italian tech blog HDBlog claimed that Project Zero 2 would launch in the coming weeks under the Galaxy S6 Plus moniker. Given the rather vague nature of the report and the fact that there was no evidence supporting it, we decided to skip it.
Now Galaxy S6 Plus makes a surprise appearance at the end of a MKBHD video on the HTC One M9+.
Marques says he receives the images from an anonymous source, without offering any further details. With that said, the YouTuber seems certain that this is indeed the Galaxy S6 Plus.
Now MKBHD is highly trustworthy when it comes to reviews, but he’s not known as someone who breaks news and leaks unannounced products. And the images are very ambiguous – it’s hard to tell whether this is indeed a new, larger device, or just the Galaxy S6 Edge. The only different detail that we spotted is the chrome ring around the flash/HRM module, which is more rounded in the MKBHD image, compared to the squarish design of the Edge. But even that is hardly conclusive proof that we’re looking at a new device.
According to SamMobile, the Zero 2 will feature a ~5.5-inch display Quad HD dual-edge AMOLED screen and a Snapdragon 808 processor. That’s the same processor as in the LG G4, and a move from the homemade Exynos processor powering the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.
The question remains, why would Samsung want to release a new flagship in the size gap between the S series and the Note series? It’s possible that the Korean giant is trying to capitalize on the success of the S6 Edge (which, reports claim, is selling much better than Samsung has anticipated) by releasing a larger phone of the same design.
Again, there’s still zero conclusive evidence that the Galaxy S6 Plus is coming. But say it’s a real product, what are your thoughts on it?
MPs bid to overturn UK surveillance law at the High Court
When UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced he had passed emergency legislation to retain everyone’s web and phone activity, privacy groups were understandably upset. The Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014 (DRIPA), passed in July 2014, requires that telecoms companies and internet providers store customer data so that authorities can better investigate serious criminal acts relating to sexual exploitation. The government is keen to gloss over the privacy implications of the law, particularly that it was ruled illegal in Europe, but a group of MPs, supported with civil rights organisation Liberty International, argue that it infringes human rights and will seek to reverse DRIPA at the High Court later today.
Former Conservative MP David Davis and Tom Watson MP, who is in the race to become Labour’s deputy leader, are fronting the campaign. It comes after the US Senate began reforming the powers of its security services, which included stripping the NSA and FBI of their access to phone records and their ability to implement “roving wiretaps.” Liberty will challenge DRIPA in the UK through the Human Rights Act, arguing that while access can play a role in solving crime, it doesn’t “justify the costly and lengthy mass retention of records of those who are not involved in such investigations.”
[Image credit: Andrea Vail, Flickr]
Filed under: Internet
Via: Wired
Source: Liberty
Lufthansa will charge you extra for booking flights on other websites
Be careful when choosing a website to book that upcoming trip to Munich… you may end up paying more than you have to. Germany’s Lufthansa Group is introducing a €16 ($18) fee for flights booked through “global distribution systems,” such as Expedia, from September 1st onward. According to the company, it’s “several times” more expensive to sell tickets through these providers — it’d much rather point you toward its own websites. The move will theoretically help slash spiraling costs for Lufthansa, which reportedly pays hundreds of millions of Euros every year to deal with these outside transactions.
Of course, Lufthansa stands to benefit beyond alleviating the terrible, terrible financial burden of processing your ticket purchases from third-party websites. The airline insists to the BBC that it’s not “trying to discourage anyone” from comparing prices, but the move reduces the chances that you’ll go hunting for bargains on lower-cost flights. Also, it’s no secret that pushing direct sales would help Lufthansa sell special services that you might miss if you’re only concerned with scoring the best possible deal. While the surcharge might help Lufthansa balance the books, it’s going to be a pain if you regularly scour the internet for travel discounts.
[Image credit: AP Photo/dpa, Jan-Arwed Richter]
Filed under: Transportation, Internet
Via: BBC
Source: Lufthansa
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