Deal Alert: SanDisk 128GB microSD card for $60
High capacity microSD cards can be rather pricey, but Amazon US is running a big discount on SanDisk Ultra cards, which could save you up to 40 percent off the usual retail price.
The SanDisk 128GB model is listed with a retail price of $59.99, a $40 saving off the $99.99 usual cost. The card comes with up to 48MB/s read speeds, a 10 year warranty and a SD adapter to connect it up to your other gadgets.
Amazon is also offering a smaller, but still substantial 34 percent discount off the 64GB equivalent SanDisk card, which can be yours for just $22.99. The 32GB model has also been reduced by 24 percent and now costs $12.99. The 16GB and 8GB versions aren’t discounted, but they are only priced at $8 and $6 respectively.
These are a pretty cost efficient ways to bump up your smartphone’s or tablet’s internal storage. Amazon Prime customers can also benefit from free two day shipping, as these orders will be fulfilled by Amazon.
Leaked data shows women on Ashley Madison were mostly fake
It’s no secret that Ashley Madison has fake female profiles to engage users — heck, it’s even noted in the ToS that the website “is geared to provide you with amusement and entertainment.” When its user data was leaked to the public, though, people got a chance to see just how many women there are on the website exactly, and how many of them are definitely fake. Gizmodo editor-in-chief Annalee Newitz took a closer look at the data dump in an effort to determine the site’s female population and found that barely any of the 5.5 million profiles marked as “female” actually used the website.
Newitz examined several factors to get to that conclusion. First, she checked email addresses and found around 10,000 accounts that use the ashleymadison.com domain, which is a sure sign that they’re fake. Next, she discovered that 68,709 female profiles were created from a single IP: 127.0.0.1. That means they were created from a “home” computer located within the company’s HQ. She also found out that the most common surname on the website for women is an unusual one identical to an ex-employee’s.
What truly convinced Newitz, though, is a data field marked “mail_last_time.” It shows a time stamp of the last time a member has checked his/her inbox, and she found that only 1,492 women ever checked theirs. In addition to confirming that the website’s real users are “paying for a fantasy,” she also confirmed that accounts marked <paid_delete> still have all their data intact despite people paying to have them nuked.
Here’s the silver lining, if you’re a user: 12,108 deleted accounts belonged to women, and since people have to pay to get themselves deleted, it indicates that real women (or those pretending to be one, anyway) used the site at one point. At the moment, Ashley Madison is doing what it can to catch its hackers, even offering a $376,000 bounty for info that leads to their arrest.
[Image credit: James Maskell/Flickr]
Filed under:
Misc
Source:
Gizmodo
Tags: ashleymadison
NASA’s 3D-printed rocket pump passes brutal stress test
NASA is pushing the state-of-the-art for 3D additive printing and wants to bring US industry along with it. It recently tested a rocket engine’s crucial turbopump unit that was built almost entirely of 3D printed parts (see the video below). Marshall Space Center design lead Mart Calvert said that NASA and its private partners are “making big advances in the additive manufacturing arena with this work. Several companies have indicated that the parts for this fuel pump were the most complex they have ever made with 3D printing.”
During the test, the 2,000 horsepower, 1,200 gallon per minute pump was run up to 90,000 rpm, about ten times faster than a jet engine at take-off. It was also exposed to a rocket engine-type environment with temperatures of up to 6,000 Fahrenheit and as low as -400 degrees at the liquid hydrogen intake.
Several companies have indicated that the parts for this fuel pump were the most complex they have ever made with 3D printing.
NASA deemed the tests a success, and is sharing its data with approved partner companies so that they can make parts that also measure up to aerospace standards. The space agency isn’t just doing it for the lulz, of course. The 3D printed pump uses 45 percent fewer bits than a traditionally manufactured part and takes half the time to make. NASA’s goal is to eventually use such parts in engine designs for future projects like the Space Launch System, which could one day take humans to Mars.
Filed under:
Transportation
Source:
NASA
Tags: 3DPrinting, NASA, Rockets, Turbopump, video
Beta program for Samsung Pay begins rolling out in the US
It seems that everyone is developing a mobile payments system these days, Apple has the imaginatively named Apple Pay, Google is hopefully bringing Android Pay to market before the end of 2015, and we have Samsung with its own take, also imaginatively called Samsung Pay. You’ve probably read about Samsung Pay undergoing a trial in Samsung’s native South Korea, where it was well-received. Today, we have news that a beta-program for Samsung Pay is rolling out in the US ahead of its official September 28th launch.
Naturally, there are a few hoops to jump through to qualify for the beta program. Just because you have a phone manufactured by Samsung doesn’t guarantee you a spot, it has to be the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy Note 5, or the Galaxy S6 Edge+. Basically, if you haven’t purchased a 2016 flagship device from Samsung in 2015, you are out of luck. One other little factoid to remember is that Samsung Pay won’t work on rooted devices.
You must also hold a qualifying credit or debit card from Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, U.S. Trust, U.S. Bank Visa, MasterCard or Visa. While T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Sprint, and AT&T are on board with Samsung Pay, Verizon Wireless is the notable exception.
So, if you meet the requirements, are you going to apply for a spot in the Samsung Pay beta program?
Source: Samsung
Via: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: Beta program for Samsung Pay begins rolling out in the US
Google uses Search as a secret job interview tool
Google is well known for its love of puzzles and leaving little hidden secrets dotted around and it turns out that the company applies similar techniques while it is on the hunt for new employees too.
Max Rosett, a new Google employee, blogged about his recent recruitment experience at the tech giant on The Hustle, revealing an interesting use of its own search engine to hire him. The story begins with Rosett searching for a solution to a coding problem he was working on. Upon entering his query “python lambda function list comprehension” into Google, he was greeted with a response that read: “You’re speaking our language. Up for a challenge?”
Search for certain code related terms and you could be greeted with this pop-up.
From there Rosett was led to google.com/foobar, a programming test used by Google to find suitable candidates a number of times in the past. Here he was given a series of coding challenges to complete every couple of days, before being asked to get in contact with the company.
“For my interview, I spent a day at Google headquarters in Mountain View solving problems on a white board.”
After passing through the rest of Google’s recruitment process, he was offered a job three months later. Rosett thinks quite highly of the tactic, as it reached out to him without Google even having to contact him directly. It’s certainly an interesting way to find potential new employees and seems to target the right sort of candidates. Although the thought of Google coming back with extra responses to queries might leave some people feeling a little unnerved.
Interestingly, Google says that it wouldn’t describe foobar as a recruiting tool itself, rather it seems to be part of a larger process. Living up to its reputation, Google responded to the story with the following snippet:
u0050u0075u007au007au006cu0065u0073u0020 u0061u0072u0065u0020u0066u0075u006eu002e u0020u0053u0065u0061 u0072u0063u0068u0020u006fu006eu002e
Translated from hex, it reads “Puzzles are fun. Search on.” Time to break out the coding books.
Samsung Pay beta begins rolling out in the US
Although not scheduled to officially launch in the US until late September, Samsung has begun accepting applications for users to beta test its Samsung Pay mobile payment system in the country.
Before being accepted onto the program, you need to pass a little checklist of things. First, you will need a smartphone that is compatible with Samsung Pay. Either the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ or Note 5 will do. You will need an active Samsung account too.
Potential applicants will also need a supported card from either Bank of America, MasterCard, Visa or US Bank. Samsung Pay is also only compatible with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and US Cellular networks for now, Verizon customers will have to wait a little longer. If you meet all of the above criteria and agree to Samsung’s terms and conditions, head on over to the beta invite website and plonk down your email address.
Learn more: Video demo: here’s how Samsung Pay will work in stores
Samsung Pay is already apparently off to a strong start in South Korea, with over 80,000 credit and check cards registered with the service already. Support for a wide range of card readers is being citing as one of the reasons for such a quick early adoption rate. We will have to wait and see if the service proves as popular in the US.
The full US release date for Samsung Pay is currently scheduled for September 28th.
Evernote is killing off its Food application for Android and iOS
Earlier today, Evernote took to its official blog to announce its Food application support will stop for both Android and iOS as of Wednesday, September 30.
For those unaware, Food was released back in 2011 and allowed users to surf the web for their favorite recipes and save them to the app. They also had the facility to take snaps of their food and preserve them, too.
“As of September 30th, we’ll no longer support Evernote Food for iOS and Android,” the company stated in a blog post, then when on to say:
“This means the apps will no longer be available for download and we won’t be making any further updates to them. It also means that features within the apps, including sync with the Evernote service, will no longer work.”
Evernote claims that its core app and Web Clipper are both capable of carrying out Food’s tasks, rendering the dedicated application useless — so, as a result, has decided to pull it from production.
Are you disappointed with Evernote’s decision to kill of its Food app? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Source: Evernote
Come comment on this article: Evernote is killing off its Food application for Android and iOS
Amazon is the next US streaming video service to launch in Japan
Amazon isn’t about to let Netflix launch in Japan without making a move of its own. The American internet giant has announced plans to bring Prime Video to the island nation this September, including its worldwide original shows (such as Mozart in the Jungle) as well as Japan-specific content. Sounds exactly like what you’d expect for a regional expansion, wouldn’t it? You may think differently when you see how little Japanese residents will pay, however. They’ll get Prime Video as part of their existing Prime subscription, which costs a mere ¥3,900 per year ($32) — that’s a bargain when many Americans are paying three times as much for largely the same thing. That rock-bottom pricing might be necessary, though, as being a US streaming powerhouse is no guarantee of success across the Pacific.
Filed under:
Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Amazon
Source:
Amazon.co.jp (translated)
Tags: amazon, amazonprimeinstantvideo, amazonprimevideo, hdpostcross, internet, japan, PrimeInstantVideo, streaming
LG introduces the LG Rolly Keyboard, a “full-size keyboard for pockets”
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Let’s be real – no matter how good on-screen keyboards get, they’re still no match for a physical keyboard. For people who do lots of typing, there’s no substitute, and LG has just launched a new product that it hopes will make these people happy: the LG Rolly Keyboard. Despite its unusual name, the Rolly Keyboard is actually a pretty cool piece of kit, giving you a full-size keyboard that is wireless (via Bluetooth) and with one AAA battery last 3 months without a change. However, the Rolly Keyboard’s best party trick is the ability to be rolled up into a stick to be transported – perhaps not quite in a pocket as LG says, but pretty close.
LG isn’t just going to stop with the Rolly Keyboard, however. As LG’s VP of Innovative Personal Devices, Seo Young-jae, says:
“LG Rolly Keyboard is just one of the many premium input devices we’ll be unveiling in the coming months as we expand our accessories offerings.”
If it’s more products like the Rolly Keyboard, keep it coming LG. LG says that the Rolly Keyboard will be available in the US in September and availability in Latin America, Europe and Asia will follow in Q4 this year – no word on pricing however.
What do you think about the LG Rolly Keyboard?
The post LG introduces the LG Rolly Keyboard, a “full-size keyboard for pockets” appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Obi Worldphone SF1 and SJ1.5 launched by former Apple CEO – super unique and affordable
Any sub-$200 smartphone worth its salt must come from a Chinese company, right? Former Apple CEO John Sculley is trying to change that perspective by co-founding Obi, a Silicon Valley-based company that has just announced a couple devices that will definitely turn heads and keep wallets healthy. These new handsets are the Obi Worldphone SF1 and SJ1.5.
The phones, which seem to be named after Bay Area cities San Francisco and San Jose, are outstanding. Not only because they are priced at $199 and $129, relatively, but also because they happen to look very unique. I happen to think they are gorgeous, but that is a very subjective matter. At the very least we can all agree that the design is definitely different.
And while Obi is definitely being generous on the price, the company is not skimping out on hardware. The Obi Worldphone SF1 comes with a 5-inch 1080p display, Android 5.0.2, a 1.5 GHz octa-coreQualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, an Adreno 405 GPU, 2-3 GB of RAM, 16-32 GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, a 13 MP rear camera, a 5 MP front shooter, dual SIM capabilities and a generous 3000 mAh battery. For $200, that sounds like a steal!
Now, what can we expect from the even cheaper Obi Worldphone SJ1.5? The $129 device is not too shabby, either! It has a 5-inch 720p display, Android 5.1 Lollipop, a 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6580 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, an 8 MP rear camera, a 5 MP front-facing shooter, dual SIM capabilities and also a 3000 mAh battery.
If you are not impressed by those prices and specs coming from a US-based company, I don’t what anyone can do to grab your attention. Thinking of buying it? Here is where things get a bit tricky, at least for us USA residents. Though the company is American, there is no mention of a USA release! It’s obvious these phones are meant for emerging markets, and those are the areas Obi seems to be focusing on.
Both smartphones have an initial launch set in countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa, Pakistan, Turkey and India. I mean, the phones are named after California cities; we have to get some love, right? We will have to wait and see. For now, just keep it tuned to this company. I can see it going big pretty soon!
Would you buy one of these?
AIVAnet 