The UK admits to spying on Amnesty International
In June, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) ruled that the UK government had illegally spied on two international civil rights groups: the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) and the Legal Resources Centre in South Africa. But there was a mix up — the IPT has now admitted it was Amnesty International, not EIPR, that was subjected to unlawful surveillance. The human rights group was notified via email and has branded the interceptions as outrageous. “How can we be expected to carry out our crucial work around the world if human rights defenders and victims of abuses can now credibly believe their confidential correspondence with us is likely to end up in the hands of the governments?” Salil Shetty, secretary general for Amnesty International said.
In its original ruling, the IPT said GCHQ’s interception and examination of EIPR emails was, in fact, lawful and proportionate. The problem was how long the agency held onto the information before destroying it. According to the tribunal, GCHQ broke its internally-set time limits for data retention and, as a result, breached article 8 (a right to privacy) under the European Convention on Human Rights. The tribunal did say, however, that it was “satisfied” the data wasn’t accessed after the retention period had expired.
It’s not clear how the IPT managed to make such a glaring mistake. However, for Amnesty International larger questions remain: when and why was the UK government spying on their staff, and to what purpose would they want to read such communications?
[Image Credit: David Goddard/Getty Images]
Filed under: Internet
Source: Amnesty International
CyanogenMod teases new customizable browser called Gello
CyanogenMod has begun teasing a new Chromium based web browser named Gello. In a market already full to the brim with third party browsers, Gello’s unique selling point will be tons of customization options.
Not a whole lot is known about the browser at the moment, but a few teaser images and a five minute silent demonstration video from CM team member Joey Rizzoli have given us a glimpse at a few of the features so far. Some of the most notable options include:
- the option to save pages for offline reading
- the ability to rename and alter the save location of downloads
- night mode
- immersive mode
- power saver mode
- moving between sites with an “edge swipe”
- site-by-site privacy settings, including pop-up, microphone, and ad controls
In his post, Rizzoli notes that Gello won’t be compatible with less powerful handsets with small system partitions. So it appears that all these extra features come at the expense of extra resources. He also responded to some of the more cynical responses to Cyanogen’s recent announcements.
“CyanogenMod Team does not hate Google, this is not a way to steal Google’s work (chromium is opensource), nor me (or any other CM team member) wants you remove Chrome from your device. You’ll always be free to choose to install your GApps package alongside with CyanogenMod”
There’s no ETA for Gello at the moment as development is still on going. Upon release Gello will be completely open source and others will be able to contribute their own ideas and features to the project.
Let us know if you spot any other features in the video below.
Deal Alert: JLab Omni Bluetooth headphones now just $60
Good news music lovers. Amazon is currently running a promotion on the JLab Omni Bluetooth over-ear headphones, cutting the price from $199.99 all the way down to $59.94.
Not only is the company offering a huge $140 (70 percent) off, but shipping is completely free too. The headphones also come with a universal USB to micro USB cord to charge them up and a free Plush Travel Case to store them in.
Other features include 15 hours of battery life with Bluetooth on, a foldable headband for easy storage, music track and volume controls, and 40mm drivers which promise vibrant highs, mids and a pumping bass. There’s also a microphone hidden inside the headphones and one in the tangle free cord that ships with handset, meaning that you can use it to take and place wireless calls too.
If these aren’t quite what you’re after, Amazon is also offering $59.99 (35 percent) off the JayBird BlueBuds X Sport Bluetooth headphones, which are currently available for $110.
There’s no indication on when Amazon’s offer will end, so you might not want to wait around too long. Here’s the link.
Google discounts the 32GB Nexus 6 to £303 from the UK Play Store, £378 for the 64GB
While the rumours are going round about Android M and the Nexus 5 (2015) being released together, the Nexus 6 isn’t dead and buried just yet. If you live in the UK and have thought about upgrading to the Nexus 6, today might be the day you should take the plunge.
For reasons unknown, Google has slashed the prices of the Nexus 6 on the Play Store in the UK, the 32GB version has been discounted to a lowly £303.99, while the 64GB is a far more reasonable £378.99. Don’t forget that free shipping is included as well. Both the White and Midnight Blue variants are available, and all models are set to leave the warehouse in 1-2 business days. To put the today’s price slash into perspective, it was only a couple of weeks ago the 32GB Nexus 6 was discounted to £399, with the 64GB version dropping to £469 as part of Motorola’s UK summer sale.
It has to be asked if this is Google clearing its stocks of the Nexus 6 to make way for the rumoured new Nexus handset(s), and the answer is, who knows? There are no details available on how long the Nexus 6 will remain discounted, so if you were thinking of buying Google’s flagship handset, now’s the time. There’s (almost) nothing worse than seeing a great deal, dithering about whether you really need it, deciding you do and losing out on the discounted price. If you do, don’t forget to let us know which model you went for in the comments below.
Source: Play Store
Come comment on this article: Google discounts the 32GB Nexus 6 to £303 from the UK Play Store, £378 for the 64GB
Google’s chatbot learned it all from movies
Chatbots are pretty common these days — a simple search can surface numerous variants you can talk to on a lonely Friday night. The one Google is developing, however, isn’t your run-of-the-mill chatbot: it wasn’t programmed to respond to questions a specific way. Instead, it uses neural networks (a collection of machines that mimic the neurons in the human brain) to learn from existing conversations and conjure up its own answers. Mountain View, along with Facebook and Microsoft, already uses neural networks for other purposes, such as to create works of art, to identify objects in images and to recognize spoken words.
Google researchers Oriol Vinyals and Quoc Le fed this chatbot’s neural networks with movie dialogues to teach it what to say and how to formulate responses. As a result, its replies can be quite dramatic, like this “philosophical Q&A” test run, for example:
Human: what is the purpose of life ?
Machine: to serve the greater good .
Human: what is the purpose of living ?
Machine: to live forever .
Human: what is the purpose of existence ?
Machine:to find out what happens when we get to the planet earth.
Human: where are you now ?
Machine: i ‘m in the middle of nowhere .
Human: what is the purpose of dying ?
Machine: to have a life .
Human: what is the purpose of being intelligent?
Machine: to find out what it is .
And, of course, it knows its history and movie trivias really well:
Human: who is skywalker ?
Machine: he is a hero
…
Human: what do you think about tesla ?
Machine: he ‘s a good conductor .
Human: what do you think about bill gates ?
Machine: he ‘s a good man .
Human: What do you think about messi ?
Machine: he ‘s a great player .
Human: what do you think about cleopatra ?
Machine: oh , she ‘s very regal .
Human: what do you think about england during the reign of elizabeth ?
Machine: it was a great place
Google doesn’t have much use for a Trivial Pursuit champion, though, so the researchers also fed the system old support calls to see if it can do basic customer service one day:
Describe your problem: i forgot my password
Machine: hi , this is <NAME> from helpdesk connect , what can i help you with today ?
Human: hi , i forgot my password
Machine: ok great
Human: can you tell me how i can recover it ?
Machine: i ‘ ll need to verify who it is at that machine
Machine: can we do a hangout?
Human: yes
Machine: <anonymized hangout instructions and verifications>
Human: cool , i am good now
Machine: how ‘ s this looking good ?
Machine: i ‘ ll go ahead and close this chat .
Machine: take care . : )
Human: bye
Machine: bye .
The system is only a proof of concept at the moment, but the researchers believe it could be developed further. In addition to doing simple tech support (aka asking people if their computers are plugged in or to restart their PCs), it could also serve a new, more interactive way to deliver news. Le and Vinyal’s paper is up on Arxiv, if you want to pore over the bot’s technical details and to see more chat samples.
[Image credit: Her/Warner Bros.]
Via: The American Genius, Wired
Source: Google
Sprint turns to a British retailer to reverse its US fortunes
It’s been almost a year since UK retailers Dixons and Carphone Warehouse tied the knot. Life as a combined entity, known as Dixons Carphone, is off to a good start: profits are up and the company made efforts to expand its presence, including the launch of its own mobile network. Not content with growth in its existing UK and European markets, the company announced today that it’s setting its sights on a bigger prize: the US. In a partnership with Sprint, America’s third-largest mobile carrier, Dixons Carphone’s Connected World Services (CWS) division will initially launch up to 20 Sprint-branded retail stores, lending its “home retail expertise and proprietary knowledge” to help the operator sell people more plans and devices.
If the stores are successful, both companies will commit to a 50-50 joint-venture and open 500 additional stores. Dixons Carphone says it has set aside $32 million to help fund their development, allowing it to establish a significant footprint in the US. That said, the company is no stranger to new markets: it already operates under the Currys, PC World and Carphone Warehouse brands in the UK; Elkjøp in Norway and other Nordic countries and Kotsovolos in Greece. That makes it one of Europe’s biggest mobile retailers, but it will have its work cut out to make a dent in AT&T and Verizon large customer bases and see off the challenge from John Legere’s T-Mobile.
[Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sprint
Source: Dixons Carphone, Sprint
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus images, dummies, measurements and case leaked
A rumored Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus has been all the hype since yesterday, when a trademark filing for the device. Leaks and rumors have started trickling in since then. Now we have a bevy of images and details that provide ample evidence for the device’s existence. Let’s take a look!
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus case
The first evidence showed up in the form of a leaked Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus case. It doesn’t really tell us much, but it gives us some form of proof the device is indeed in the works. It really looks just like a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge case, except bigger.
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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus image and dimensions
This one is likely the most interesting of the leaks. Not only because of the image (which portrays a phone which looks just like a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge), but because @OnLeaks provided information about the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus’ dimensions.
If this rumor is to be believed, the device will measure around 154.45×75.80×6.85 mm, which suggests the smartphone may sport a 5.5-inch screen. That’s a pretty good size upgrade over the original Galaxy S6 Edge’s 5.1-inch display. Yet it’s still not large enough to make it too unbearable.
#Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus (approx. 154.45×75.80×6.85mm (suggesting 5.5″ screen)) pic.twitter.com/aflFCe6W1i
— OnLeaks (@OnLeaks) June 19, 2015
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus dummies and design
@OnLeaks is not staying quiet about this phone, and the source seems to have a pretty good ins. The leakster went on to show us some images showcasing a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus dummy being compared to a regular sized Galaxy S6 Edge. Here you can get an idea about how large the rumored handset really is.
He also provided another design-focused image with nothing but the overall shape of the phone. At this point this one doesn’t really tell us much either, but it sure is a welcomed addition.
#Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus dummy (used by chinese case maker during quality test) VS regular Galaxy S6 Edge… 😉 pic.twitter.com/O3pR3ZStc9
— OnLeaks (@OnLeaks) June 20, 2015
And here is something more, in addition to my previous #Samsung #GalaxyS6Plus leaks… 😉 pic.twitter.com/hyc5tE3G2T
— OnLeaks (@OnLeaks) July 1, 2015
Wrapping up
Remember these are still nothing but leaks and rumors. It should be a while before (and if) this phone makes it to market. Nothing is for sure until Sammy takes the stage, so take all this information with a respectable dose of salt.
In the meantime, go ahead and hit the comments to give us your thoughts. How many of you actually want a larger Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge? I am a big fan of huge form factors, so I am all for it.
Samsung cuts $30 off the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 and 9.7 in the USA
The Galaxy Tab A series is a curious product line to say the least: it’s the first non-Note to include the S-Pen (on some models), it makes use of the “A” series lettering yet is neither made or metal nor mid-range, and it’s apparently not exactly flying off the shelves. In a move that comes a bit of a surprise given the fact the product pair released less than 3 months ago, Samsung has decided to drop $30 off both the Tab A 8.0 and the Tab A 9.7, bringing the new totals to $199.99 and $269.99 respectively. It is unclear as to just how long this sale will last.
The Tab A series are the first Samsung tablets to make use of a 4:3 aspect ratio, something that we expect to see carry over onto Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S2. As nice as that might sound for those looking for an “Android iPad”, consider the remainder of the specs: a 1024X768 resolution display, a quad-core Snapdragon 410, 16GB of on-board storage, 1.5GB of RAM, a 5-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front camera. Rounding out the specs, the Tab A 8.0 includes a 4,200 mAh battery and the Tab A 9.7 comes with a larger 6,000 mAh power cell. Android Lollipop is pre-installed, though when the OS build will be upgraded to 5.1.x is a mystery.
This sale pertains only to the models without the S-Pen: those interested in some Note-like functionality will still need to cough up the (extra) cash. While Best Buy’s inventory reflects the current discounted prices (check the source link below), Samsung’s official website also deals with the discount.
Xiaomi sells 34.7 million smartphones during first half of 2015
Other manufacturers may be talking Xiaomi down, but the Chinese phone maker keeps proving it is here to stay and is not slowing down. The company just announced it sold about 34.7 million smartphones during the first half of 2015, a number that beats last year’s numbers by 33%.
This goes right in line with Xiaomi’s anticipated smartphone sales growth for 2015, which estimated about a 30% increase over last year. They seem to be right on track to meet (and probably surpass) their goal as they continue beating everyone’s expectations. They have recently beaten a Guinness World record, partnered with Microsoft and opened a Xiaomi online store for western markets.
“Even with the China smartphone market slowing down, we did a stellar job of posting a 33% growth on last year’s numbers. It can be said that we outperformed the market and produced an excellent report card.” -Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Xiaomi.
Recent reports also place Xiaomi as the #1 smartphone vendor in China for 5 consecutive quarters, aside from taking the majority of the country’s market share in 2014, with 12.5% in its pockets. Xiaomi couldn’t have accomplished all these feats without a good strategy, though. They know how to prevent losses and offer some of the best bang for your buck in terms of technology, so it’s no wonder they sell out in a matter of minutes wherever and whenever they release a device.
If you were to ask me, I’d say Xiaomi is going nowhere. On the contrary, they are only growing in this struggling industry where even key players continue losing against the big guys. Their latest smartphones are awesome, including the Xiaomi Mi 4i, Xiaomi Mi Note and Xiaomi Mi Note Pro. Furthermore, they continue to pierce other markets with smart TVs, wearables and other accessories. All of this without even fully reaching the USA yet.
Watch out, Apple and Samsung. Something big is coming. Slowly, but strongly.
“Even with the China smartphone market slowing down, we did a stellar job of posting a 33% growth on last year’s numbers. It can be said that we outperformed the market and produced an excellent report card,” said Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Xiaomi.
Xiaomi has successfully maintained its ranking as China’s top smartphone vendor in terms of market share for five consecutive quarters. In February this year, analyst firm IDC revealed that Xiaomi ranked first in China for the year of 2014, with a market share of 12.5%.
Bin Lin, co-founder and president of Xiaomi, said that this is an affirmation of the company’s innovative business model, which includes selling directly to consumers via e-commerce. Sales on Mi.com <http://Mi.com> make up 70% of Xiaomi’s total smartphone sales, helping the company become China’s third-largest e-commerce player. During Mi Fan Festival in April this year, Xiaomi sold 2.12 million phones in just 12 hours.
As Xiaomi continues to lead in terms of smartphone volumes, it has also seen tremendous growth in production capacity, supply chain management, and technology and design capabilities. Currently, the majority of Xiaomi’s smartphones are already on open sale without the need for pre-registration, making it more convenient for users to make purchases.
Among the smartphones released by Xiaomi, six models—Mi 2, Mi 3, Redmi, Redmi Note, Mi 4 and Redmi 2—have so far shipped over 10 million units each.
Xiaomi’s robust growth has also attracted top talent globally, resulting in a more diverse executive team. On 1 July, former partner of international investment fund DST Shou Zi Chew joined Xiaomi as its new CFO. Earlier on 10 June, former president of Qualcomm Greater China, Wang Xiang, became senior vice president of strategic cooperation at Xiaomi.
About Xiaomi
Xiaomi was founded in 2010 by serial entrepreneur Lei Jun, who believes that high-quality technology doesn’t need to cost a fortune. We create remarkable hardware, software, and internet services for and with the help of our Mi fans. We incorporate their feedback into our product range, which currently includes the Mi 4, Redmi 2, Mi TV, Mi Band and other accessories. With more than 61 million handsets sold in 2014, and products launched in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, India and Indonesia, Xiaomi is expanding its footprint across the world to become a global brand.
This website only lets one person in at a time
As I write this, I’m waiting in line. Not at the grocery store or camping out for a superfluous wearable, but to get into a website. That only one person can visit at a time. For a total 60 seconds. It’s madness. There are 3,662 people ahead of me and my ticket number is 113,664. I’m not great at math, but I estimate that it’s going to be awhile before I see what’s contained on Most Exclusive Website. As site designer Justin Foley tells The Washington Post, he made this website because it’s the exact opposite of what the internet is supposed to be: open and accessible by anyone. As for what’s in the metaphorical box (or Marcellus Wallace’s digital briefcase), that isn’t so clear, but WaPo thinks it’s random pictures of an “internet-famous animal.” So, Grumpy Cat perhaps?
The website isn’t exactly new, but it recently made an appearance on Johnny Lists, subsequently hit the front page of Reddit and collapsed under the weight of so many people trying to log in at once. As Foley tells it, of the 300,000 people who’ve tried accessing the site since Tuesday just 55,000 made it in and out of every nine people waiting in line, eight of them jump ship. And me? I accidentally closed the tab. Cripes. Time to start over.
[Image credit: Bev Goodwin/Flickr]
Filed under: Internet
Via: The Washington Post
Source: Most Exclusive Website
AIVAnet 