BT wants Netflix’s 4K content on its Ultra HD box
BT may’ve launched the first 4K sports channel in the UK, but it doesn’t expect you to shell out for its new Ultra HD box just to catch the odd footy match in the highest of definitions. It’s now a matter of sourcing enough content to make the upgrade as attractive as possible, and BT is already investing in sports-centric 4K programming outside of live games. The appetite for Ultra HD entertainment can’t be sated solely by sport, however, which is where BT hopes Netflix can lend a hand. BT Sport’s Chief Operations Officer told Digital TV Europe that the company is currently talking to Netflix about enabling 4K in its app for BT’s Ultra HD YouView box. Unfortunately, there’s no word on when this might happen, and there isn’t a great deal of 4K content on Netflix yet as it is, but it would certainly help BT show its latest set-top box isn’t just for footy fans.
Source: Digital TV Europe
Sony’s big PlayStation 4 update arrives tomorrow
Sony is set to release one of its biggest updates ever for the PlayStation 4, and now we know when it’s coming: tomorrow, September 30th. Update 3.0 includes some significant new changes, especially if you want more streaming options and extra online storage. You’ll soon be able to broadcast or watch games on YouTube Gaming, send 10 second highlight clips to Twitter and “Request to Share Play and Broadcast” a friend’s game or gaming session. Storage on PlayStation Plus has also gone up dramatically from 1GB to 10GB.
Other new feature include a PS4 events app that gives you a calendar for new games and other items, the ability to create gaming communities and “Live from PlayStation,” a hub for the latest screenshots, clips and news. The update will roll out tomorrow, but in the meantime, Sony has detailed the bulk of changes in its blog post and the video below.
Source: Sony
Raytheon signs $1 billion contract to protect government websites
Homeland Security has signed a five-year contract with Raytheon, which could be worth a whopping $1 billion. While the defense contractor is more known for weapons development, DHS hasn’t joined forces with it to create more missiles, lasers, warheads and UAVs. No, the agency has asked the company’s help to secure government websites. According to Raytheon’s announcement, it will aid the government in developing, deploying and supporting technologies that watch out for and mitigate cyberattacks. Reuters says the company will also help around 100 agencies manage their network security within the duration of the partnership as the prime contractor for DHS’ National Cybersecurity Protection System and Network Security Deployment divisions.
After that massive Office of Personnel Management hack earlier this year (and the knowledge that other .gov websites are susceptible to attacks), it’s clear that the government believes it could use the cybersecurity upgrade Raytheon promises to bring to the table. And since the White House wants to start being more aggressive in securing its networks, this isn’t the government’s only anti-cyberattack project in the works. The Pentagon, for one, is building an automated system that can detect and prevent security breaches.
[Image credit: Getty Images/Caiaimage]
Via: Reuters
Source: Raytheon
Flickr’s new image compression was almost invisible, until it wasn’t
Ugh, it’s all pixelated. Ugh, artifacts. Compression is otherwise a pretty useful trick for squeezing more stuff (photos, video and more) into less space, but something typically gets lost in the process. Sometimes it’s indistinguishable, other times it screams at your eyes, offending your gentle sensibilities — or something. Usually, however, it’s somewhere in the middle, which was Flickr’s problem. The photo service offers users 1TB of free storage at original resolution — which is still good going, but users started to notice a change in compression used for the various image sizes it also offers: smaller files but bigger issues with artifacts and details lost. That said, Flickr made the changes in late 2014, but it wasn’t until much more recently (alongside a recent redesign) that eagle-eyed users began to notice that something had changed.
Flickr’s taken the opportunity to explain how it did what it did, with a taste test. It gamified the whole thing, asking users to choose between two photos, selecting whether compressed and uncompressed images differed. If they got it right, the test code then asked which they preferred and why. God bless humans, though, who selected “identical” at the same percentage, whether the two photos were the same or not.
After eighteen months of this level of “perceptual compression”, the team decided to shrink images an extra 15 percent, for the sake of usability on mobile. Flickr ran the same tests on this newer setting and while users were able to spot compressed images slightly better than before, the team deemed it good enough. This was where several users picked up on it, (check Petapixel’s noticeable comparisons). This week, Flickr has responded to sharper-eyed users, tweaking its compression settings to somewhere between the previous level from 2014 and the more recent adjustment. And no, this isn’t gonna fix those supermoon shots — they were pretty sketchy from the outset.
Source: Flickr
HTC launches the Butterfly 3 for international markets
HTC launched its J Butterfly smartphone exclusively in Japan back in May and now a version for the international market in on the way, under the new Butterfly 3 name. The handset boasts some cutting edge specifications that arguably make it more of a flagship than this year’s One M9.
The hardware remains the same as before, offering a 5.2-inch display with a QHD (2560×1400) resolution, a Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage with microSD card support if you need more. There is also a 2,700mAh battery, dual front facing BoomSound speakers, Quick Charge 2.0 support, and IPX5 and X7 certifications for water and dust resistance.
One of the more interesting features with the Butterfly 3 is the dual rear camera setup, which offers a 20 megapixel sensor that is able to capture additional depth information, much like the HTC One M8. The rear camera also features optical image stabilisation and a dual LED flash. On the front, there’s a 13 megapixel camera for some high resolution selfies.
Seeing double: New HTC J Butterfly announced for Japan, offers better specs than the M9
The HTC Butterfly 3 is scheduled to arrive in Taiwan on October 20th with a retail price of around $600. The handset is also rumored to be heading to other markets in the future, although HTC is remaining tight lipped about a possible wider global release.
Deal: Enter Stacksocial’s Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge giveaway before it’s too late!
Itching for a new phone? This tech hobby can get very pricey, especially when you have a liking for expensive devices like the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. This is why it’s always worth testing your luck with giveaways – you never know when you could win something!
Most of our readers have probably heard about the AA Deals Store, which is always offering great discounts on awesome tech products. But did you know it also hosts giveaways? You don’t need to spend a single penny on these, so there’s no harm in joining the fun. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Giveaway is going strong right now, and you only have 16 more days to enter.
Editor’s Note: This deal is through StackCommerce, in partnership with AA Deals Store and other StackSocial partners — and not an exclusive Android Authority contest.
The process is simple. Just submit your email address and click “ENTER NOW”. That’s it. You are in. Want to improve your winning chances? You can also share the giveaway through Twitter. You will get more entries to the contest if your friends and followers enter the giveaway.
Sadly, there are some limitations. Obviously, you can’t try to cheat and enter multiple email addresses (this will result in disqualification). In addition, participants have to be at least 21 years old and certain markets aren’t eligible. You can catch all the details in the official rules page. And don’t forget to read our Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge review to see how awesome this handset is!
The Umbrella app provides security advice for activists and journalists in hostile environments
While most of us use our smartphones to organize our daily lives, staying in contact with friends and loved ones through instant messaging and social media outlets, playing games or watching Netflix, smartphones can often be a useful tool for activists and humanitarians in a hostile environment. But how does one safely report on the latest bout of political violence or expose a government cover-up? The London-based group, Security First, has developed an app called Umbrella, aimed at making it easier and safer for activists to carry out their work.
The Umbrella app is a one-stop-shop for advice for human rights activists, humanitarians, and journalists on a variety of topics. Besides advising on how to secure sensitive files, the Umbrella app will also help you to spot if you are under surveillance, make a secure phone call, and even prepare to cross a hostile border. The ability to find out the latest updates on your area’s security problems is also featured.
“Managing the safety of staff and collaborators in insecure environments, across multiple locations and facing an array of threats can be challenging,” said Matt Timblin, who is Director of Security at Human Rights Watch. “The prospect of an easily accessible ‘one stop shop’ app, such as Umbrella, that allows quick access to security advice is an exciting and innovative development in helping improve the security of those working as human rights activists, humanitarians and journalists around the world.”
Umbrella has been created with the help and input of various NGO, human rights, humanitarian aid and open source technology communities.
The Umbrella app is presently only available on Android, and can be downloaded via the Google Play Store. For those with Apple devices, Security First is in the process of raising funds to develop an iOS version.
Full Press Release:
LONDON, September 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ —
A mobile phone app that provides human rights activists, humanitarians and journalists with all the latest tools and advice on how to operate securely was launched on Monday. The app, Umbrella, was developed by London-based organisation, Security First, as part of mounting efforts to make it easier for activists to work safely.
This new app provides practical advice for everything from how to make a secure phone call or protect files, to spotting surveillance or what to do if you’re arrested. Lessons give simple step-by-step actions of what to do in any given security situation and show the best tools to do it with. Easy-to-use checklists can help mark your progress, and a dashboard also allows you to keep up to date with the current risks in your area. “We wanted to build a simple, easily-accessible tool that brought together digital and physical security, and helped human rights activists implement it in a really user-friendly way,” said Rory Byrne, CEO of Security First, “We’re basically building the tool we wish we had ourselves.”
One Iranian journalist and trainer who must remain anonymous for security reasons said, “Umbrella is very useful for my work. It really helps me as an individual and a trainer. It keeps me to up to date on the go. It also keeps me updated with the newest tools, which is hard to do with my busy job. Based on my own experience it can help my students effectively learn how to protect themselves – from whatever may threaten them.”
The sad truth is that human rights activists are more at risk than ever. The past few years have been some of the worst in recorded history for their harassment and human rights groups are now facing a global crackdown not seen in a generation. If humanitarians are to be able to continue providing aid in Sudan, or journalists are to be able to continue exposing political violence in Zimbabwe, they must first and foremost be able to work safely.
Yet security is hard. Bahraini human rights lawyer, Mohamed al-Tajer, who was imprisoned and beaten by security forces during the Bahraini Uprising, said, “It’s hard to know what tools to use, it’s hard to use a lot of those tools, and it’s hard to know what to do about physical security.”
Umbrella’s aim is to greatly simplify the way in which activists approach security issues and, in doing so, allow them to retain complete focus on the human rights challenges at hand.
“Managing the safety of staff and collaborators in insecure environments, across multiple locations and facing an array of threats can be challenging,” said Matt Timblin, who is Director of Security at Human Rights Watch. “The prospect of an easily accessible ‘one stop shop’ app, such as Umbrella, that allows quick access to security advice is an exciting and innovative development in helping improve the security of those working as human rights activists, humanitarians and journalists around the world.”
Umbrella is free and currently available for Android only. To download the Beta version visit the Google store now.
Who made Umbrella?
- Website: http://www.secfirst.org
- Security First was established in 2013 with the aim of making it easier for human rights defenders to work safely. As well as building Umbrella they provide security training to groups ranging from the largest human rights, media and aid NGOs in the world to individual LGBT activists on the ground.
- It was co-founded by Rory Byrne (CEO) and Holly Kilroy (Head of Org Development), two young human rights workers who wanted to solve the security challenges they encountered. Bios available here.
Come comment on this article: The Umbrella app provides security advice for activists and journalists in hostile environments
Apple Updates Privacy Site to Explain How It Handles Personal Information
Apple today updated the privacy section of its website with a noticeable expansion that CEO Tim Cook said is aimed at explaining how the company handles each user’s personal information, “what we do and don’t collect,” and why that is. In an introduction letter for the new site expansion, Cook stated that Apple has always been upfront and honest with the sharing and distribution of a user’s data, only doing so when they were well aware of each time it happens. He, and the company, hopes this site continues to reassure customers of Apple’s trustworthiness.
We believe in telling you up front exactly what’s going to happen to your personal information and asking for your permission before you share it with us. And if you change your mind later, we make it easy to stop sharing with us. Every Apple product is designed around those principles. When we do ask to use your data, it’s to provide you with a better user experience.
We’re publishing this website to explain how we handle your personal information, what we do and don’t collect, and why. We’re going to make sure you get updates here about privacy at Apple at least once a year and whenever there are significant changes to our policies.
The website is segmented into four different tabs, the first being “Our Approach to Privacy,” detailing the process Apple takes in building privacy and encryption into everything it makes, including apps like iMessage and services like Apple Pay. “Manage Your Privacy” reminds users of the suite of tools Apple has created to ensure their own security when using an Apple device, thanks to features like Touch ID and passcode lock. The page even goes so far as to instruct customers in the steps of being aware of a phishing scam and how to limit ad-tracking on your iPhone.
In the “Government Information Requests” portion of the updated website, the company ensures that when a government agency requests data to be revealed to them from an Apple device, they “require that it be accompanied by the appropriate legal documents such as a subpoena or search warrant.” The company also promises it’s never worked with a government agency to install a “backdoor” into one of its devices or apps, nor has it allowed government access to its servers, stating finally that it “never will.”
The final section is simply Apple’s updated Privacy Policy, which the company promises to update at least once a year, or “whenever there are significant changes to our policies.”
Shot wants to be the Instagram of virtual reality
Whether it’s a technology giant like Google or a small startup, nowadays everyone wants a piece of the VR pie. Shot, for instance, was created by a group of friends from Spain who wanted to bring a social aspect to virtual reality. Through a Kickstarter campaign launching today, Shot promises to make it easy for people to create VR content on an iPhone — which can then be shared with friends via an app. In order to do so, the firm designed a camera adapter for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, one that will allow users to capture 235-degree videos and 360-degree pictures. Shot says it’s able to accomplish this effect by having two fisheye lenses in its adapter, giving it the ultra-wide field of view necessary for VR.Slideshow-315066
Hardware-wise, think of it as similar to the Olloclip lens add-ons. But once people actually start taking pictures and videos, Shot is looking to have a platform for them to share these on. Simply put, it aims to be the Instagram of VR. Shot’s mobile application will let users not only shoot what’s around them, but also share those recordings with friends as well as browse, watch and like what others are making. Basically, you build out your own profile and network, like you’re already doing on Facebook’s popular image-sharing app. Of course, since this is supposed to be snackable VR, whatever you make with Shot’s adapter will be viewable on Google’s Cardboard headset, too.
The Kickstarter is going to include a lens kit (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus) and Cardboard for $56, with the goal being to crowdsource $100,000. If funded, Shot says both the accessory and app should be available in April of 2016. That’s still a long way from now, but in the meantime, you can get a quick glimpse of the project in the video below.
As great as Shot sounds, it is a Kickstarter campaign after all, and thus keep in mind that it may be delayed at some point — or not ship at all, as has been the case with some projects in the past.
Source: Kickstarter (Shot)
Google brings increasingly precise ads to Gmail and YouTube
Organizing a trip to New York, but getting distracted by wobbly recordings of the supermoon on YouTube? Fear not, as the planning will come to you via Google’s newest advertising features: ‘Customer Match’ and ‘Universal App Campaigns.’ These new tools (similar to Facebook’s ad service) are designed so that companies can use your personal email address (and the associated Google tools and apps) to deliver targeted marketing as you sift through the countless flash sales in your Gmail or even as you watch videos on YouTube.
With Customer Match, a brand that has dealt with a person before can upload their email address (obtained via a previous purchase or loyalty program) to the search engine. It can then use the collected data from Google, YouTube and even the Google Play store to tailor ads specifically to the consumer. On the one hand, you may start receiving ads that you’d potentially click on rather than ignore. Of course, it also adds another method for Google to collect more advertising bucks.
Universal App Campaigns works in a similar way. Through search results, Google Play and YouTube, the campaign will promote an app to audiences who are likely to download it. Both programs are set to roll out over the coming weeks, meaning that this author expects to be inundated with ads relating to VR, McDonalds and cheap flights to New York City. Thanks Google.
Source: Google
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