Google Photos lets you tell it when your pictures were taken
Google just announced that it has pushed live a host of user-requested features for its Photos service. These include the ability to edit an image’s timestamp, rearrange the image order in albums, change an album’s cover photo and remove inaccurate results from searches. What’s more, the company is also launching an improved community product forum, staffed in part by members of Google’s Top Contributors program, that will help confused Photos users better navigate the site.
[Image Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)]
Filed under:
Cameras, Internet, HD, Google
Source:
Google (G+) (1), (2)
Tags: exif, google, googlephotos, hdpostcross, photography, photos, updates
Phone network security flaw lets anyone bug your calls
Remember that vulnerability in the SS7 inter-carrier network that lets hackers and spies track your cellphone virtually anywhere in the world? It’s worse than you might have thought. Researchers speaking to Australia’s 60 Minutes have demonstrated that it’s possible for anyone to intercept phone calls and text messages through that same network. So long as the attackers have access to an SS7 portal, they can forward your conversations to an online recording device and reroute the call to its intended destination. This helps anyone bent on surveillance, of course, but it also means that a well-equipped criminal could grab your verification messages (such as the kind used in two-factor authentication) and use them before you’ve even seen them.
The team in the report had the luxury of legal access to SS7, since it’s helping to safeguard German networks against espionage. It’s potentially harder for someone to hijack the portals on their own. However, there’s a concern that those carriers which have access are illegally renting it out to third parties with less than honorable intentions. And to no one’s surprise, some intelligence outfits and security software developers (like the US’ National Security Agency or Verint) have permission. It’s likely that SS7 tricks have been used to monitor phone activity for years, and not just by relatively above-board governments hoping to catch crooks.
You’ll be happy to hear that some countries, including Australia and Germany, are getting carriers to tighten security. There’s a worry that they’re not moving as quickly as they can, though, as police and spy agencies are rarely thrilled by the prospect of losing easy ways to track suspects. While the likelihood of your becoming the victim of an SS7-based attack is low, it could be a long while before the odds drop to zero.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis]
Filed under:
Cellphones, Wireless, Internet, Mobile
Via:
The Inquirer
Source:
60 Minutes
Tags: mobilepostcross, privacy, security, sms, ss7, wireless
Download 6 Samsung Galaxy Note 5 wallpapers here
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Earlier today we got a look at the newly minted Android Marshmellow wallpapers thanks to the new Developer Preview, but that’s not the only new wallpapers we’ve got on hand. Thanks to XDA senior member, Gabri™, who ripped the stock wallpapers from a device in Korea, we’ve also got six Samsung Galaxy Note 5 wallpapers to add to our collections today, all of which show off Samsung‘s penchant for the abstract. Check them out below:
Note that our gallery scales images down, so if you want the full-sized 2560×2560 wallpapers that are perfect for Quad HD displays, you’ll want to download the wallpapers from here.
What do you think about the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 wallpapers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: XDA via Phone Arena
The post Download 6 Samsung Galaxy Note 5 wallpapers here appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
GE’s robotic inspector dives in nuclear containment vessels
Normally when workers at the Edwin Irby Hatch Power Plant in Georgia want to inspect welds on the water-filled containment tank that houses the plant’s nuclear fuel, they have stick pole-mounted inspection cameras in there while exposing themselves to potential radiation exposure. But now that the plant has acquired a swimming inspection-bot developed by GE and Hitachi, plant workers can check the vessel’s integrity at any time while avoiding all that radiation.
The Stinger, as it’s called, operates much like other unmanned submersibles. It uses multi-directional thrusters to move about and a high-resolution color video camera to see where it’s going. What’s more, the tungsten-clad UAS is capable of remaining submerged for up to three weeks at a time. This not only give power plants added flexibility in when to perform these inspections but also gives engineers a look at how materials within the vessel are holding up in the corrosive environment over time.
“The technician uses Stinger’s cameras to look for signs of degradation,” Brandon Smith, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy mechanical engineer, said in a statement. “It’s really good at getting into constricted spaces and around tight corners to look for any sign that a component might fail—to catch something before it becomes a problem.” The Stinger is even equipped with a high-pressure water nozzle that blasts crud off the welds in order to get the best possible view. “There’s just no other way to do it and Stinger is built specifically to operate in that type of environment,” Smith continued.
The Stinger is currently being deployed at nuclear sites around the country and has reportedly been well-received as it allows operators to minimize both the plant’s downtime and exposure risk to its employees.
[Image Credit: top – Bloomberg via Getty Images, inline – GE Hitachi]
Filed under:
Science
Via:
GE (Tumblr)
Source:
GE Reports
Tags: drone, GE, GeneralElectric, nuclear, power, powerplant, remotecontrolled, Stinger, UAs
Sprint doing away with 2-year contracts by year’s end
The USA mobile industry is changing. Is this happening for the good? We are not quite sure yet, but we do know we are seeing alterations many of us were asking for for a long time. One of the biggest problems with America’s cellular companies was the bureaucratic way in which they handled businesses, tying us to long-term contracts or forcing us to pay very high amounts of cash for smartphones.
The change began when T-Mobile decided to get rid of contracts and offer smartphones (and other products) on monthly payments. All other carriers had to compete and followed suit with device installment plans, but it wasn’t until earlier this month that Verizon decided to actually kill contracts. Today Sprint finds itself trying to catch up and has announced the Now Network will no longer offer 2-year contracts by the end of 2015.
Instead, Sprint will offer only its Easy Pay and leasing options (of course, you can also buy devices at full price). Not sure what those are? Let’s give you the rundown.
Sprint Easy Pay
With Sprint Easy Pay, you pretty much pay for your smartphone’s full price over the course of 2 years. You would just have to make a down payment and walk out with your phone. The remaining balance will be charged on a monthly basis for exactly 2 years. There’s no finance fees and the phone will be completely yours once you are done paying it.
Sprint Lease
This system is very simple, and it’s likely the most affordable way to go for some of you. The name of the program is quite self-explanatory; you would be renting a handset from Sprint. The monthly payment is lower and there is no need for a down payment, but you won’t own the device at the end of the lease. The phone will have to be returned (unless you pay an extra fee specified in your terms of service). The company also just announced a new iPhone Forever plan, which allows you to upgrade to the newest iPhone as soon as it is available. Just in case you are into hat phone.
Wrapping up
With that, the only major carrier that seems to be supporting contracts is AT&T. That is, unless they make an announcement soon. And the carrier also offers its respective installment and early upgrade plans, so this is really no big deal at this point.
I happen to be very excited about switching to a model in which we no longer have to depend on service contracts. As consumers we get more freedom to switch our services and manage our handsets. Don’t like something? Just pay off your smartphone and take it to the next carrier! Now we need to work on getting all phones unlocked. Many carrier-specific devices are now free of SIM restrictions, but not all.
What do you guys think? Are you liking the new business model USA carriers are adopting, or did you like your subsidized smartphones?
Google Maps wants to include more of your photos
Remember Views, Google’s repository for geotagged Photo Spheres and panoramas? Honestly, many of us around the Engadget compound had forgotten about it too. Mountain View has decided that rather than hide away these features on some separate site that nobody ever visits, it’ll be folding the service directly into Google Maps. This means you’ll see your new Maps profile in the pop out menu on the left, along with all your contributions. Eventually Google will reveal the total number of images you’ve uploaded, the number of times they’ve been viewed and expand your options for sharing content on Maps.
If you’re not big on sharing Photo Spheres you still benefit from this move. The tighter integration means that images from other users will pop up more frequently. And, even if an area is already covered by Street View, there’s a good chance that the user contributed pics are more recent and of higher quality. That’s a boon for you, but it also makes Google’s life easier since it can now surface a whole bunch of 360-degree images for places that it hasn’t yet invaded with its cameras. Think of it almost like a crowdsourced Street View.
Source:
Google Maps (Google+)
Tags: google, googlemaps, GoogleViews, PhotoSphere, views
Windows 10 won’t run old games with dodgy copy protection
Do you recall the bad old days of PC games in the mid-2000s, when titles were loaded with copy protection that was not only a hassle, but horribly insecure? Well, Microsoft does — and that could be a problem if you’re trying to run some of those vintage games on Windows 10. The company notes that games which depend on some versions of SafeDisc and Securom DRM (digital rights management) aren’t allowed to run on Windows 10 at all. That could mean that your dusty copy of Grand Theft Auto III, Battlefield 1942 or The Sims won’t load. As Microsoft’s Boris Schneider-Johne says, their DRM intrudes so deeply your system that they introduce a “possible loophole for computer viruses.” Sure enough, at least one of the concerns about burdensome copy protection proved true — it was more of a nuisance to honest gamers than to pirates.
We’ve asked Microsoft for more details, including the effect on other copyright mechanisms. However, you’ll be relieved to hear that there are frequently workarounds. Some developers have already patched out the offending DRM, and digital stores like GOG sell versions that aren’t subject to the restrictive software. And while we wouldn’t recommend it, the cracking tools this copy protection was meant to defeat (but rarely did) should theoretically do the trick. While you could still be locked out of some of the classic games you own, that list might be relatively short.
Filed under:
Gaming, Software, Microsoft
Via:
Rock Paper Shotgun
Source:
Rocket Beans TV (YouTube)
Tags: copyprotection, drm, gaming, microsoft, safedisc, securom, software, windows, windows10
What’s on your HDTV: ‘Fear the Walking Dead’, ‘Punk’d’ and ‘Zombi’
This week a spinoff for AMC’s popular The Walking Dead series is premiering, along with the very familiar Zombi game for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. Previously seen on the Wii U as Zombi U, it’s (appropriately) making a return on new platforms, with some of the features developed for the Wii U’s tablet now redesigned for conventional controllers. Keeping with the theme, our final blast from the past is Punk’d, returning for a 10th season, but now on BET featuring social media stars DeStorm Power and King Bach instead of Ashton Kucher. Need one more? Take a look at Starz on Saturday where Sir Patrick Stewart is headlining a new series Blunt Talk — or just watch the first two episodes right now. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Blu-ray & Games & Streaming
- Once Upon a Time (S4)
- Hackers (20th Anniversary Edition)
- The Blacklist (S2)
- The Hunger
- Person of Interest (S4)
- Hackers
- Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection
- Zombi (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
- Tales from the Borderlands Episode 4 (Everything)
- The Bridge (PS4, Wii U)
- Velocity 2X (Xbox One)
Monday
- Penn & Teller: Fool Us, CW, 8PM
- The Fosters (summer finale), ABC Family, 8PM
- American Ninja Warrior, NBC, 8PM
- So You Think You Can Dance, Fox, 8PM
- WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
- Whose Line Is It Anyway?, CW, 9PM
- Chasing Life, ABC Family, 9PM
- I Am Chris Farley, Spike TV, 9PM
- Running Wild with Bear Grylls, NBC, 10PM
- Cuban Chrome, Discovery, 10PM
- Teen Wolf, MTV, 10PM
- Murder in the First, TNT, 10PM
- The Whispers, ABC, 10PM
Tuesday
- America’s Got Talent, NBC, 8PM
- WWE Tough Enough, USA 8PM
- Knock Knock Live, Fox, 9PM
- Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
- Zoo, CBS, 9PM
- Rizzoli & Isles, TNT, 9PM
- Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Houston Texans, HBO, 10PM
- The Agent, Esquire, 10PM
- Startup U, ABC Family, 10PM
- Playing House, USA, 10PM
- Hollywood Game Night, NBC, 10PM
- Scream, MTV, 10PM
- Clipped (season finale), TBS, 10PM
- Proof (season finale), TNT, 10PM
- Wags (series premiere), E!, 10PM
- Tyrant, FX, 10PM
- Punk’d (season premiere), BET, 10:30PM
- Another Period, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
- The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail (season finale), Comedy Central, 12:30AM
Wednesday
- America’s Got Talent: World’s Got Talent, NBC, 8PM
- Unsung Hollywood: Sammy Davis Jr. (season finale), TV One, 8PM
- Big Brother, CBS, 8PM
- Young & Hungry (summer premiere), ABC Family, 8PM
- Kevin from Work, ABC Family, 8:30PM
- Mr. Robinson (season finale), NBC, 9 & 9:30PM
- The Wicked Offer, CW, 9PM
- Dating Naked: Playing for Keeps, VH1, 9PM
- Extant, CBS, 9 & 10PM
- Suits, USA, 9PM
- Rogue, DirecTV 101, 9PM
- Last Comic Standing, NBC, 10PM
- The Jim Gaffigan Show, TV Land, 10PM
- I Am Jazz, TLC, 10PM
- Key & Peele, Comedy Central, 10PM
- Catfish, MTV, 10PM
- Mr. Robot, USA, 10PM
- Twinning, VH1, 10PM
- Impastor, TV Land, 10:30PM
- Why? With Hannibal Burress, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
- America’s Best Dance Crew, MTV, 11PM
- The Exes, TV Land, 11PM
Thursday
- Preseason Monday Night Football: Bills/Browns, ESPN, 8PM
- Food Fighters, NBC, 8PM
- Beauty and the Beast, CW, 8PM
- The Astronaut Wives Club (season finale), ABC, 8PM
- WWE Smackdown, Syfy, 8PM
- Big Brother, CBS, 9PM
- Aquarius, NBC, 9PM
- Dates, CW, 9 & 9:30PM
- Mistresses, ABC, 9PM
- Documentary Now! (series premiere), IFC, 10PM
- Review with Forest Macneil, Comedy Central, 10PM
- Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, FX, 10PM
- Dominion, Syfy, 10PM
- Lip Sync Battle (season finale), Spike TV, 10PM
- Under the Dome, CBS, 10PM
- Graceland, USA, 10PM
- Rookie Blue, ABC, 10PM
- Hannibal, NBC, 10PM
- Married, FX, 10:30PM
- Geeks Who Drink, Syfy, 11PM
- One Bad Choice, MTV, 11PM
- Reactor, Syfy, 11:30PM
Friday
- Cold Justice, TNT, 8PM
- Cold Justice: Sex Crimes, TNT, 9PM
- Masters of Illusion, CW, 8PM
- Defiance, Syfy, 8PM
- Killjoys (season finale), Syfy, 9PM
- Strike Back, Cinemax, 10PM
- Dark Matter, Syfy, 10PM
Saturday
- Aquarius (season finale), NBC, 9PM
- Blunt Talk (series premiere), Starz, 9PM
- The Unauthorized Full House Story, Lifetime, 8PM
- Cedar Cove, Hallmark, 8PM
- Hell on Wheels, AMC, 9PM
- Mythbusters, Discovery, 9PM
- Survivor’s Remorse, Starz, 9:30PM
- Boston EMS (season finale), ABC, 10PM
- Tig Notaro, HBO, 10PM
- Hannibal, NBC, 10PM
- Natasha Leggero: Live from Bimbo’s, Comedy Central, 11PM
Sunday
- Show Me A Hero: Parts 3 & 4, HBO, 8PM
- NFL Preseason: Rams vs. Titans, Fox, 8PM
- Talking Dead Season 6 preview, AMC, 8PM
- Big Brother, CBS, 8PM
- I Am Cait, E!, 8PM
- Big Brother, CBS, 8PM
- Fear the Walking Dead (series premiere), AMC, 9PM
- Ray Donovan, Showtime 9PM
- The Last Ship, TNT, 9PM
- Ballers (season finale), HBO, 10PM
- Masters of Sex, Showtime, 10PM
- The Strain, FX, 10PM
- Brink (season finale), HBO, 10:30PM
- Vicious (season finale), PBS, 10:30PM
- Falling Skies, TNT, 10PM
- Naked & Afraid, Discovery, 10PM
Filed under:
HD
Tags: FearTheWalkingDead, hdpostcross, listings, MustSeeHdtv, punkd, TheWalkingDead, video, zombi
This is the desk lamp of your (robotic) dreams
It’s back-to-school season. For some of you, this means needing a fancy new lamp for your home or dorm room desk. Unfortunately whatever Walmart, Amazon or IKEA may have in stock won’t come anywhere close, both in terms of looks or functionality, to Anodos’ RAL 9000 desk lamp. The Japan-based firm, which was behind one of the first connected set-top displays, decided to create a crazy, sleek lamp with an LED display, six cameras, a motorized arm and sensors that help it determine its positioning. There are no pricing or availability details right now, but we sure hope it goes on sale at some point. Because who wouldn’t want one of these on their desk? Doesn’t matter if you want it for school, work or simply for fun.
Filed under:
Misc, Peripherals, Robots
Source:
Anodos
Tags: Anodos, desklamp, desklamps, furniture, lamp, lamps, RAL9000, robotic, robotics
New OS X 10.10.5 Privilege Escalation Vulnerability Discovered
Just days after Apple patched the DYLD_PRINT_TO_FILE security hole with the release of OS X 10.10.5, a developer has found a similar unpatched exploit that could allow attackers to gain root-level access to a Mac.
Luca Todesco shared information (via AppleInsider) on the “tpwn” exploit on GitHub over the weekend. It affects all versions of OS X Yosemite, including OS X 10.10.5, but does not affect OS X El Capitan.
Todesco did not give Apple a heads up on the vulnerability before sharing it publicly, so it is not clear when Apple will release a patch for machines running OS X Yosemite. As noted by AppleInsider, it is standard procedure (and a courtesy) for security researchers and developers to provide Apple with details on vulnerabilities before publicizing them to prevent hackers from using security holes for nefarious purposes.
According to Todesco, who has also shared what he says is a third-party fix, releasing details on the exploit is no different than releasing an iOS jailbreak, but as Engadget explains, Todesco’s actions have the potential to be somewhat more harmful than a jailbreak.
Those are technically true, but they downplay the practical dangers of publishing this info. Many people aren’t knowledgeable enough to try third-party safeguards or deal with the possible side effects, and jailbreaks are at least intended for semi-innocuous purposes. A ‘surprise’ exploit for the Mac only really serves to give attackers time that they wouldn’t otherwise have.
It took Apple less than a month to release OS X 10.10.5 to fix the DYLD_PRINT_TO_ACCESS vulnerability after it was first publicized, but during the time between its discovery and the launch of the fix, an exploit using the vulnerability was discovered in the wild.
Ahead of a fix for this latest vulnerability, OS X Yosemite users can protect themselves by downloading apps solely from the Mac App Store and from trusted developers.
AIVAnet 