PSA: Don’t steal phones, especially don’t steal phones from MMA fighters
Incidents like this happen too often… if only the world had more MMA fighters ready to jump into the fray!
We live in a world where new technology is making it harder than ever for would-be smartphone thieves. Not only is there encryption to protect personal files, kill switches, and software like Android Device Manager that lets an owner track his or her phone, there’s also MMA fighters just waiting around the corner to take thieves down. Okay, so the latter probably isn’t a common occurrence.
At the beginning of the month in Brazil, two men attempted rob a group of friends of their cell phones, only for the entire thing to go horribly wrong. While the news is a little old now, I recently stumbled upon it and felt it was just too good not to share.
So, as it turns out, the group of friends was comprised of three people, one of which was a female professional MMA fighter by the name of Monique Bastos. The fighter quickly realized the robbers weren’t actually armed and were merely using coercion to get the phones. “I tried to hold my phone, and I realized they were not armed. When they tried to escape, I lifted the rear wheel of the bike and they fell on the ground”, said Bastos. “The guy who took my phone ran away, but I was able to get the other one.” By get, she means tackle the dude down and put him in a chokehold with her legs for 15 minutes.
Above is a video showing off the whole thing, and yes, it is priceless. For the man that was caught during this incident, not only is he now in jail, when he gets out he will be haunted by it for the rest of his life, as the Internet never forgets.
There’s ultimately more than one moral to this story. First, don’t steal (DUH). Second, if you really are compelled to steal, bring a weapon. Third, if you are going through with the robbery attempt, don’t underestimate your target… Oh, and don’t underestimate the power of karma.
Etsy helps sellers produce more by connecting them with manufacturing
In recent months, Etsy announced a few new initiatives to make selling goods on its site a bit eaiser. Following crowdfunding and same-day delivery efforts, the online retail hub plans to take on manufacturing next. With a beta phase that’ll begin in late 2015, Etsy will connect sellers with manufacturers in printing, apparel/textile, machining/fabrication, and jewelry and metalwork to handle the making of goods and increasing production capacity. Those areas are just the beginning, though, as the company plans to add more “industries” in the future. During the test period, Etsy Manufacturing will link sellers and manufacturers for free, but when the service goes live, it’ll take a cut (no pricing yet) for its role as matchmaker. What’s more, the trial will only be available to manufacturing outfits in the US and Canada, but plans are for the program to expand internationally later. Etsy can also reject any partnership if it violates the company’s ethical expectations that keep an eye out for child labor, involuntary labor, inhumane working conditions, discrimination and sustainability.
[Image credit: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Filed under:
Internet
Via:
The Next Web
Source:
Etsy
Tags: beta, esty, etsymanufacturing, goods, handmade, manufacuturing, onlineshopping, trial
Motorola Connect in new update gets UI improvements, watch faces, and more
Motorola Connect today was been updated, bringing with it a host of UI changes for a “more intuitive and easier to navigate interface.” This new update also brings with it, according to the change log, support for the new Moto 360, and the usual list of bug fixes and performance improvements here and there.
One thing not included in the new change log is the inclusion of the watch faces from Motorola’s Moto 360 (2015) smartwatch.
The new interactive watch faces are Dials, Dials II, Refined, and Essential. Dials and Dials II are interactive in that you can configure them for Weather, Moto Body, and Battery. The Essential watch face tracks your Moto Body goals for the day and displays your progress via the tick marks. Overall, there are some stylish watch faces that’ll all be handy to the user, and the best part is that Motorola has brought them to the original Moto 360.
As for UI changes, Motorola Connect has changed in that the user is now greeted with a carousel of all his or her connected applications. There’s also now a yellow button to connect additional Motorola devices. Finally, there’s been a few small changes, making options more compact and overall easier to navigate and interact with.
If you haven’t got the update yet, be sure to hit the download link below.
Come comment on this article: Motorola Connect in new update gets UI improvements, watch faces, and more
Eric Schmidt: Apple Music’s human curation is ‘elitist’
Every now and again, executives from the world’s largest tech companies like to throw some thinly-veiled shade in the direction of their rivals. Depending on who you ask, Eric Schmidt’s editorial for BBC News can be taken as a stinging attack on Apple Music, which he calls “elitist” and out-dated. The Alphabet chief was writing about the benefits of artificial intelligence, specifically talking about how machine learning can benefit various projects including speech recognition and self-driving cars.
“In the future, we need to do even more blending of AI research with solving real-world challenges.
In the next generation of software, machine learning won’t just be an add-on that improves performance a few percentage points; it will really replace traditional approaches.
To give just one example: a decade ago, to launch a digital music service, you probably would have enlisted a handful of elite tastemakers to pick the hottest new music.
Today, you’re much better off building a smart system that can learn from the real world – what actual listeners are most likely to like next – and help you predict who and where the next Adele might be.
As a bonus, it’s a much less elitist taste-making process – much more democratic – allowing everyone to discover the next big star through our own collective tastes and not through the individual preferences of a select few.“
After a while, the executive gets onto the subject of a digital music service (quoted) and how “a decade ago,” it would have required hiring a “handful of elite tastemakers” to build it. You’ll get no prizes for guessing the approach that Apple took when constructing Beats 1, snagging elite tastemakers DJs like Zane Lowe to curate Beats 1’s selection. When the channel launched, Eddy Cue spoke of his distaste for internet radio, saying that it was merely a “playlist of songs,” and praising human curation.
Of course, Schmidt may have the excuse that he was only reacting to provocation, since Tim Cook threw a sharp elbow towards Google Photos back in June. The CEO was speaking at a privacy non profit about a product that took your family’s photos and “sold [them] off for god knows what advertising purpose.” The big lesson here, folks, is that even two of the tech world’s most powerful people can’t resist in a little bit of high school drama every now and again.
[Image Credit: AFP/Getty]
Filed under:
Portable Audio/Video, Internet, Apple, Google
Via:
Re/code
Source:
BBC News
Tags: Alphabet, apple, AppleMusic, EricSchmidt, google
Live Rugby World Cup scores are coming to London’s Tube
With the Rugby World Cup kicking off this week, Transport for London (TfL) is gearing up to play a big role in helping sports fans navigate to and from the city’s three host stadia. However, that’s not all it will do come Friday. The transport authority today announced it has teamed up with ITV to deliver live news, scores and results from the tournament across 180 Tube and DLR stations right through until the final on October 31st. It’ll be the second time the London Underground has hosted a World Cup, after it delivered goals and updates via information boards during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The deal will generate revenue for TfL, helping it to invest more in its modernisation of the Tube network, which will include the development and rollout of new driverless trains with built-in WiFi in 2022.
[Image credit: TfL, Flickr]
Filed under:
Transportation, Internet
Source:
TfL
Tags: rugby, tfl, train, transportforlondon, tube, world cup
Tidal kicks it old school by selling Prince CDs
Jay-Z’s Tidal service may believe that streaming music is the future, but it’s apparently willing to embrace the past… in certain circumstances, at least. Hot on the heels of launching his latest album on Tidal as a streaming exclusive, Prince is selling a CD version of that same album (along with downloads) through the company’s store. Yes, you too can get a plastic copy of HITNRUN to play in those few moments when you’re nowhere near your computer or phone. Tidal already lets musicians sell posters, shirts and other merch through its site, but this appears to be the first time that CDs have found their way to the online shop.
It’s not clear whether other artists are free to sell CDs, and whether or not we can expect to see similar moves in the future. We’ve reached out to Tidal for details. However, it’s safe to say that CD sales are going to be the exceptions, rather than the rule. Prince may have declared that the “internet’s completely over,” but many listeners would disagree — it’s doubtful that many artists will rush to sell CDs through a service that’s helping to kill CDs.
[Image credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP]
Filed under:
Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Via:
Business Insider
Source:
Tidal
Tags: cd, hdpostcross, internet, music, prince, streaming, tidal
Apple Says iPhone 6s and 6s Plus Pre-Orders ‘On Pace’ to Top Last Year’s Record 10 Million Sales on Launch Weekend
Apple has informed the media that iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus pre-orders are “on pace to beat” last year’s record-breaking 10 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders sold on launch weekend in September 2014.
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus pre-orders started on Saturday at 12:01 AM Pacific. While most iPhone 6s Plus and Rose Gold models are now shipping in 2-3 weeks or later, many iPhone 6s models remain available for delivery on September 25.
Apple:
Customer response to iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus has been extremely positive and preorders this weekend were very strong around the world. We are on pace to beat last year’s 10 million unit first-weekend record when the new iPhones go on sale September 25.
As many customers noticed, the online demand for iPhone 6s Plus has been exceptionally strong and exceeded our own forecasts for the preorder period. We are working to catch up as quickly as we can, and we will have iPhone 6s Plus as well as iPhone 6s units available at Apple retail stores when they open next Friday.
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders started on a Friday at 12:01 AM Pacific last year, which likely explains why Apple said pre-orders are “on pace” to top last year’s first weekend despite it being Monday. Apple will likely count iPhone 6s and 6s Plus pre-orders through the end of today to account for a full three days of availability.
“Last year, it started on a Thursday night at midnight. This year, because of a late Labor Day, is was Friday night,” tech analyst Walter Piecyk told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in an interview. “So we don’t know the comp is, whether they have to wait through the end of Monday to find out exactly what the acutal number is going to be.”
Last year, Apple announced that it received a record-breaking 4 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders on the first day alone, and later confirmed that opening weekend sales topped 10 million. A month later, it was reported that iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders topped 20 million in China through carriers and e-commerce site Jingdong Mall.
(Deal) Get a lifetime subscription to proXPN for only $39
Browsing the web, while keeping your privacy private, is extremely important nowadays. Especially with the various hackers and such being able to get all of your information with a few clicks of the mouse. That’s where a VPN comes into play, and how it can help protect all of your personal information from getting into the wrong hands.
Today’s deal from AndroidGuys and StackCommerce is another great deal for a Lifetime VPN subscription. proXPN offers a slew of features for anyone who signs up for this subscription, but most importantly does everything it can to keep your private information sealed.
- Unlimited traffic bandwidth
- Fast worldwide access to proXPN’s full service network
- Secure Wi-Fi connection w/ a masked IP address, even on public networks
- Encrypted browsing w/ a 512-bit Encryption Tunnel utilizing a 2048-bit Encryption Key
- PPTP or OpenVPN encryption options
- Mobile device support
- VPN Guard, which allows you to select which programs should automatically shut down if your proXPN VPN connection drops
- Easy setup & use
- World-class technical support
Normally priced at $375, you can jump on this deal today, and get the Premium Lifetime Subscription to proXPN VPN for only $39, a savings over almost 90%. All you need to do, is head over to the AndroidGuys Deals page, sign up, add to car, and you’re ready to roll. This is another great deal for a VPN so that you can keep your information private, and browse the web safely.
You can find this, and many other great tech bargains through our Deals Page. Backed by StackCommerce, there are daily promos, giveaways, freebies, and much more!
The post (Deal) Get a lifetime subscription to proXPN for only $39 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
BestBuy Canada starts accepting Gear S2 pre-orders
Samsung unveiled its new Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic at IFA just a few days ago and the smartwatches are now available to order over in Canada.
BuyBest Canada is now accepting pre-orders for the two Gear S2 watches. The standard version is priced at CAD 400 ($300), while the Classic model will set you back an ever so slightly higher CAD 430 ($325).
Both of the smartwatches feature the same specifications, the difference is the classic has a black finish and a matching leather band, which gives it a more elegant and traditional aesthetic. The Gear S2 features a dual-core 1GHz processor, a 1.2-inch circular display with a resolution of 360 x 360, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage, IP68 dust/water resistance, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, a heart rate monitor and a 250mAh battery that Samsung says will last for about 2 to 3 days.
Read more: Samsung Gear S2 hands-on
BesyBuy will stock the regular Gear S2 in black and white options, and both versions are scheduled to go on sale on October 2nd, according to the retailer. Has anyone placed their pre-order yet?
Some AT&T Next iPhone 6s Pre-Orders Showing Full Price Charge Glitch
As pre-orders began over the weekend for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, there was the usual amount of panic and excitement as shipping windows for the device were largely on the September 25 launch day for most users, with a few exceptions. Now, however, a handful of AT&T Next customers are facing an odd glitch on their Apple online store order page, which showcases an impending full-price charge on the smartphone while simultaneously listing their AT&T Next plan option.
The issue appears to be specifically hitting a group of customers who pre-ordered and chose the AT&T Next installment plan option at checkout. The affected users were shown the expected $0 down, $15 upgrade fee price (including tax) when initially checking out on pre-order night, but their order status page has begun reflecting the full-price cost of their chosen iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus. Some users began noticing the anomaly on Saturday, a few hours after their order initially read the correct charge, with a group of MacRumors readers heading to the forums to post about the issue.
A few users have contacted Apple support, and the company has acknowledged the issue and reassures customers who are being affected that a fix for the problem is currently being worked on. Still, as of writing, there has been no word from anyone suffering from the false price charge that they’ve seen a change back to the correct price of their order.
An Apple support representative voiced promise that all customers affected by the problem would begin to see it resolved over the next few days, and if they chatted with a support employee themselves, they could give the company their email address or phone number to be informed as soon as the problem has been taken care of. Since most customers will likely begin to be charged for their iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus pre-orders in the days ahead of the September 25 launch, it’s still a scary hiccup for a handful of users to have to go through.
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