Deal Alert: Google Play 10 cent game sale
If you are looking for something new to play this weekend, Google Play is currently running some major discounts on a number of popular games, with prices falling all the way down to just $0.10. Sadly, the offer is just for US customers only.
In the selection you can find a few games from EA, including Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Dead Space. The ever popular Monopoly is also in the list, as are a number of other titles that I’m not sure that I’ve ever heard of. Heads up though, a number of these games do have in-app purchases, so they might end up costing a little more than $0.10 in the long run.
If you are living the UK, Google has a separate 10p deal on SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog, as part of the store’s deal of the week.
I have no idea how long this deal will last, so go go go.
Apple pulls ad-blocking apps that can ‘compromise’ security
Apple has removed several ad-blocking apps from its Store that created a risk of “man-in-the-middle” security breaches. While Apple now permits ad-blockers for Safari, the banned apps also block ads from native apps by installing their own “root certificates” and shunting all traffic through a VPN. From there, they read the unencrypted traffic and remove ads, provided you enable the feature. As spotted by Techcrunch, one of the apps Apple removed was “Been Choice,” software that even removed ads from Apple’s own News app. However, it was also gathering “behavioral data” and sharing it with other companies, offering users points and cash rewards in exchange.
While there were no reported breaches, Apple decided to pull the apps, noting that they “install root certificates which enable the monitoring of customer network data that can in turn be used to compromise SSL/TLS security solutions.” However, it promised to work with the developers “to quickly get their apps back on the App Store,” provided there’s no risk to customer privacy and security. Starting with iOS 9, Apple decided to allow regular ad-blockers for Safari and other browsers, provided they don’t monitor user traffic.
Apple is deeply committed to protecting customer privacy and security. We’ve removed a few apps from the App Store that install root certificates which enable the monitoring of customer network data that can in turn be used to compromise SSL/TLS security solutions. We are working closely with these developers to quickly get their apps back on the App Store, while ensuring customer privacy and security is not at risk.
As some observers have pointed out, Apple is likely to demand that the root certificate and VPN monitoring features be removed altogether, as they seemingly go against its Store policy. Meanwhile, Been Choice said that “we will remove ad blocking for FB, Google, Yahoo, Yahoo Fin., and Pinterest and resubmit tomorrow, to comply,” but added “we will continue to block the majority of ads in apps, as well as Safari.”
@reneritchie We will remove ad blocking for FB, Google, Yahoo, Yahoo Fin., and Pinterest and resubmit tomorrow, to comply.
— Been® Choice (@beenchoice) October 9, 2015
@phillipzakas We will continue to block the majority of ads in apps, as well as Safari. And also continue to offer users a real choice.
— Been® Choice (@beenchoice) October 9, 2015
Source: Reuters
SwiftKey debuts Neural Alpha- the first keyboard that thinks for you
Today, SwiftKey took the first step in the next generation of keyboards. The keyboard giant released Neural Alpha, the first version of their newest keyboard that will change the way predictive text works. SwiftKey is installed on about a billion devices worldwide and using what they’ve learned, SwiftKey has developed the first “neural net” that will think along with you as you type to provide you with text suggestions that fit the context of your conversation.
SwiftKey’s current text prediction technology called “n-gram” suggests words based on common phrases and previous examples of your writing. This has its limitations because it can never truly think outside the box and predict something it hasn’t seen before. The currently prediction technology never captures what the words you’re using truly mean. The Neural Alpha keyboard aims to change that by understanding sentence context and structure for “a more human touch”, the company states.
The technology behind SwiftKey’s new advancement is essentially machine learning. We see these types of technologies every day. Google’s Knowledge graph is one of the biggest examples. The Knowledge Graph understands the relationships between people, places, and things to understand they’re all connected. In Google’s case this helps them not only deliver targeted ads, but also improve things like meaningful search results. This is the reason two people using the same search terms will see different results.
“Through machine learning based on enormous amounts of language data, SwiftKey’s neural model is able to meaningfully capture the relationship between words. It understands word similarity, allowing it to compare words on the fly. Within the neural model, words can be visualized in ‘clusters’, located at varying degrees of proximity to one another.“
Machine learning and technologies like SwiftKey’s Neural system have generally been reserved for huge server farms and networks that have the computing power to spare. The launch of a keyboard that employs this technology on a phone is a huge step forward since it’s a mobile computing platform instead of a server farm where things like battery life and processing power aren’t a concern. This is, in fact, the first time a language model technology has been engineered and launched on a smartphone platform.
SwiftKey has no problem making history. They were the first to release a keyboard with 3 word bar to predict your next word and the first keyboard to reach this level of popularity. But, while SwiftKey isn’t leaving the past in the past, they are looking toward the future. “Rather than solely predicting your next word, we’re working hard on building a framework for the keyboard of tomorrow.” according to the company’s blog post. It’s not hard to imagine a keyboard soon that will be able to predict entire replies due to the context of the message received and the information SwiftKey has gained from its Neural net.
What do you think about SwiftKey’s newest advancement? Do you want machine learning to predict your next word or are do you prefer to do it yourself? What implications do you think this has for the future of mobile? Let us known down in the comments.
Source: SwiftKey
The post SwiftKey debuts Neural Alpha- the first keyboard that thinks for you appeared first on AndroidGuys.
California authorities need a warrant to probe your digital life
The state of California passed the “Leno bill” that would keep your private digital info, well, private from law enforcement in June, and governor Jerry Brown has signed it into law. The California Electronic Communications Privacy Act, co-authored by senator Mark Leno, will keep the government out of the Golden State’s residents against warrantless surveillance of their digital data, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Perhaps surprisingly, California’s law enforcement officials were among the bill’s biggest supporters. The ACLU says that “major” state law enforcement groups pulled opposition of it and that cops were apparently happy to support SB 178 because it’s “in the best interest of all citizens of California.”
In case you’re interested, the Leno bill was cosponsored by the likes of the San Diego Police Officers Association, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and a bevy of tech giants like Facebook, Google and Microsoft. The Electronic Freedom Foundation says that this new warrant-requirement protects not only your emails, texts and geographic location not only on your gizmos, but for online services that store your data as well. Here’s to hoping that other states follow suit.
[Image credit: Getty Images/Moment Open]
Via: Electronic Freedom Foundation
Source: American Civil Liberties Union
Apple Watch owners can use Facebook Messenger on their wrists
The dedicated Facebook Messenger app Apple promised for its wearable’s latest operating system, the watchOS 2, is finally here. So long as you’ve already installed the updated platform, you can start using third-party apps on your Apple Watch, including the social network’s messaging application. Since the watchface is too small to type on, the app lets you send and receive voice clips, stickers, Likes and emojis — abbreviated interactions that suit a tiny display. Facebook also upgraded the app to show your Messenger contacts and conversations via spotlight search on iOS 9 and to work with the iPad’s multi-tasking capabilities.
Source: iTunes
In the future, wearables may be ingested and implanted, Jawbone CEO says
Wearables still aren’t anywhere near as widespread use as smartphones, but the CEO of Jawbone, Hosain Rahman believes that they’re going to be. Moreover, he thinks it’s likely that we’ll be putting sensors inside our own bodies that will interact with a slew of devices at some point in the future. At a conference on Wednesday, he explained that the use of wearables will contribute substantially to what is called the Internet of Things, which is the increased commonality of smart devices that are able to communicate with each other.
Jawbone has been investing a considerable amount of resources into developing internal sensors, said Rahman. The company has also been researching fitness sensors that the user would swallow or implant. These sensors would remain in a user’s bloodstream and would be capable of actively monitoring a variety of factors. Basically, the idea is that these sensors could be used to interact with other smart devices like thermostats, by telling the thermostat if our body is too warm or cold and adjusting according, and the list goes on.
These sensors would remain in a user’s bloodstream and would be capable of actively monitoring a variety of factors.
Of course, the concept of implanted wearables isn’t new. Last year, Brian McEvoy showcased an embedded compass, and Grindhouse Wetwear revealed their embedded, Bluetooth-capable computer system “Circadia.” It looks very likely that human-integrated technology is going to be a very real part of our everyday experience. Rahman certainly agrees.
“Wearables are going to be at the center of that and they’re going to make all of these things smart,” said Rahman. “If I know your blood alcohol level, I can tell your car not to turn on.” Whether or not we want our wearables to have that much control over our lives is debatable, but there are certainly some positive implications as well (like preventing drinking and driving).
Jawbone is responsible for the Up line of fitness trackers, and they have found themselves in the position of competing not only with other fitness devices (like Fitbit), but also against wearables like Android Wear and the Apple Watch. Although the wearables market is expected to expand by 300% in the next five years, becoming a $25 billion industry, Rahman said that Jawbone no longer considers itself a hardware company. Their future endeavors are expected to focus primarily on software, such as their upcoming Up app for wearable devices.
We have to ask, would you be “okay” with the idea of a wearable that lives inside of you? Do you think that wearables are the future, and are you excited or afraid of a future where such wearable (or rather, ingestible) sensors actively communicate with the other devices around us? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Apple Removes Some Ad Blockers From App Store for Installing Root Certificates
Apple tonight removed some ad blockers, among other apps, from the App Store for installing root certificates that would allow developers to view encrypted traffic from their users, reports iMore. In a statement provided to the publication, Apple said it was working with developers to get the apps back into the App Store.
Apple is deeply committed to protecting customer privacy and security. We’ve removed a few apps from the App Store that install root certificates which enable the monitoring of customer network data that can in turn be used to compromise SSL/TLS security solutions. We are working closely with these developers to quickly get their apps back on the App Store, while ensuring customer privacy and security is not at risk.
With iOS 9, Apple allowed developers to create content blockers that would block ads on websites in Safari. Some ad blockers were removed because they could use the installed root certificates to view customer data passing through them. However, iMore notes that the ad blockers removed from the App Store are slightly different than the content blockers Apple enabled with iOS 9.
The ad blockers removed from the App Store block ads and other content inside apps by “exposing all your private Internet traffic to the blocker,” according to iMore. The apps are set up in a way that allows a user’s traffic to flow through the developer’s servers to perform the content blocking. One of the apps that has been removed is Been Choice, who notes that they will resubmit their app tomorrow with the necessary changes.
While Apple has enabled developers to create content blockers for Safari, it currently has no systems in place to allow developers to block content within apps.
Google Street View updated with support for Cardboard
Google has updated its official Street View application in the Play Store. In terms of added functionality, the upgrade transports compatibility for Cardboard, giving users of the VR headset the facility to explore 360-degree maps by simply tilting their head.
To install the update, open up the Play Store, toggle the hamburger menu by swiping in from the left-hand side of the screen, select ‘My Apps’ and click on ‘Street View’, then hit the update button. Alternatively, you can hit the link below to initiate the download on your smartphone from the Web.
Come comment on this article: Google Street View updated with support for Cardboard
Sony updates TrackID with new lyric search functionality
Sony has just updated its TrackID application to build number 4.3.B.1.3 in the Play Store. This upgrade brings a plethora of new functionality to the service, including the ability to re-write the history module and search the Internet for lyrics. There are also a multitude of bug fixes and stability improvements baked into the update, too.
To install the upgrade, simply open up the Play Store, toggle the hamburger menu by swiping in from the left-hand side of the screen, select ‘My Apps’ and click on ‘TrackID’, then hit the update button. Alternatively, you can hit the link below to initiate the download on your smartphone from the Web.
Come comment on this article: Sony updates TrackID with new lyric search functionality
PSA: Skype is giving you 20 minutes of free calls to compensate for its recent outage
If you’re a regular user of Skype, then you’re probably aware of the catastrophic outage that took place on September 21. For those that are not frequent users, the service went down at approximately 9AM (EST) and wasn’t revived until around 4PM (EST), leaving many customers up in arms as they use Skype for business communications and subsequently missed vital meetings.
Skype has taken this into account and has since published a statement apologising for the services unavailability. To compensate for the error, it will be giving 20 minutes of free calls to every user which has to be used within 7-days of receipt. These minutes can be used to place a call to 60 landline destination and 8 mobile ones across the world.
Come comment on this article: PSA: Skype is giving you 20 minutes of free calls to compensate for its recent outage
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