Edward Snowden’s OS of choice gets a major update
If you still assume you don’t forfeit the right to privacy by going online, there are very few truly secure OS options. The best one might be the Linux flavor called Tails, recommended by none other than Edward Snowden. Its encrypted apps include email and messaging clients, a web browser, and of course, the anonymizing Tor network.The folks behind the open-source program have just launched version 2.0, with a new UI and numerous security fixes.
The update uses a new, more modern Gnome shell that gives it a more “modern, simple, and actively developed desktop environment,” according to the developers. At the same time, Tails 2.0 keeps the applications, places menu, and windows list front and center. In addition to fixing the security bugs and updating to the latest version of the Tor browser (5.5), the team also made services harder to exploit by “sandboxing” them, improved the shutdown memory wipe, sanitized the code by replacing custom scripts and replaced the email system with Icedove, a Mozilla Thunderbird offshoot.
The new version is now available to download. In fact, if you’re already using version 1.8.2 of Tails, the developers said it has “numerous security holes,” and advised everyone to update to Tails 2.0.
Source: TAILS
The FCC is going to war over set-top boxes
The FCC is preparing to propose rule changes that’ll loosen cable companies’ stranglehold on the set-top box market. According to the Wall Street Journal, Tom Wheeler is planning to give consumers far more choice over what hardware they can use. Right now, if you’re a Comcast user, then you’re expected to rent a Comcast box, or shell out for a TiVo and pay for it to be installed. The FCC, however, wants you to be able to choose whatever damn box you wanna use, so long as it’s fit for purpose. AllVid is back, baby!
As well as opening up the set-top box market up to third parties, the proposals are expected to make the cost of renting a box a whole lot cheaper. The Consumer Federation of America believes that citizens are being overcharged for their boxes by anything up to $14 billion a year. It argues that while PCs, smartphones and HDTVs have fallen in price as they’ve grown more sophisticated, cable box prices have skyrocketed. It’s a rough estimate, but the federation believes that the charges have increased by a whopping 185 percent.
The most obvious beneficiary to the AllVid proposals would be TiVo, which has made a third-party cable box for years. Another firm that’s thrown its weight behind the system is Google, which the WSJ suggests would fancy getting an easy route into more living rooms. Another backer is Sony, which partnered with the search engine to make both GoogleTV and Android TV hardware in the last few years. We’d mention Apple’s long-rumored TV project here, but the indications are that the company wants to bypass the cable world entirely.
It should come as no surprise, to anyone, that the cable industry is lining up its forces in front of the FCC’s gates. The paper believes that 40 companies are poised, ready to form a “coalition” that’ll throw money, spokespeople and whining in order to kill AllVid dead. If we were feeling cynical, we’d point out how many of these companies previously funded fake grassroots consumer groups in an attempt to kill net neutrality. But we aren’t, so let’s just assume that these firms wouldn’t be so underhand and devious as to attempt to mislead the public.
One group that has already come out on cable’s side is the Congressional Black Caucus, represented here by Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke. Clarke wrote to the FCC in December to protest the change, saying that AllVid would be a “disaster” for consumers and minority interests in the media. She says that the proposals would force users to rent additional equipment that failed to uphold consumer protections around privacy, emergency alerts and kids’ programming. In addition, she throws a subtle swipe at Google, describing merchants who “sell intrusive advertising without sharing any revenue with programmers.”
The revived AllVid proposals are expected to arrive in the very near future, hopefully in time for John Oliver to send his legions of internet fans over to the FCC’s website once again.
Source: WSJ, Public Knowledge, (2)
Boost Mobile will now pay subscribers to watch ads
Sprint Corporation’s prepaid brand Boost Mobile on Tuesday made a bunch of announcements such as new family plans, free mobiles and roaming in Mexico. That’s not all – the company is even going to pay you to watch ads. Yes, it will offer a $5 discount for customers who don’t mind watching an ad when they unlock their phones.
“Receive a $5 discount off any current Boost Mobile plan after enrolling in Auto Re-Boost. Boost’s automatic payment method allows a customer to register a credit card or debit card, or bank account with Boost Mobile, which will be used to automatically make a payment each month.”
– Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile has also launched new family plans options of two, three or four lines for $70, $90 or $100 a month respectively. Under this plan, each line will get unlimited talk, text and data and 5 GB of high-speed data per line.
That’s not all. If you happen to buy two new lines on a family play, you can get one free Alcatel OneTouch Elevate, Motorola Moto E, LG Tribute, LG Tribute 2 or ZTE Speed for free.
There is also something for customers traveling to Mexico. For as little as $5 per month, you’ll be get unlimited talk and text to and from Mexico, apart from 8 GB of roaming data.
The post Boost Mobile will now pay subscribers to watch ads appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Rumored Galaxy Upgrade Program scheduled for S7 launch
A new report out of South Korea claims that Samsung is planning to launch a Galaxy upgrade program alongside the Galaxy S7 launch in March. The program would be very similar to Apple’s current upgrade program, whereby a new phone can be rented instead of bought, and upgraded once per year.
The story comes from South Korea’s Electronic Times and is pretty light on details, including how competitive Samsung’s monthly payments would be compared to Apple’s. If we look to Apple’s iPhone upgrade program for inspiration, this report from Fortune shows that Apple’s program costs about the same as buying the phone outright, and both options are much more expensive than a standard two-year contract.
See also: Samsung Galaxy S7 rumor roundup: release date, price, specs, features
The resale value on a second-hand iPhone is, naturally enough, much higher than on a used Galaxy device. So while owning your iPhone after a couple of years gives you options on the resale market, a two year old Galaxy is worth much less, making the upgrade program that much more enticing, but only if it is competitively priced.
Either way, we’ll soon find out when the Galaxy S7 is launched around MWC 2016. For comparison’s sake, the iPhone 6s is available starting at $32.41/month and the iPhone 6s Plus at $36.58/month. Both of these plans are device-only, requiring you to source your own carrier service on top. The Galaxy upgrade program is reported to launch in South Korea with a US launch to follow.
Would you use a Samsung upgrade program? How much do you think is fair per month?
Sprint’s Japanese owner to open a phone store staffed by robots
You have probably all heard the theory that our jobs will eventually be replaced by robots, even us humble writers. But it looks like that time is nearing for mobile phone store employees, as Sprint’s Japanese owner, Softbank, has announced that it will soon be opening a shop staffed entirely by its Pepper robots, as a little experiment.
Apparently, Softbank’s robots will be able to do much of what you would expect when visiting a mobile phone store. They can give directions, advice and guidance about your potential purchases and will even offer up some small talk to keep you entertained. Importantly, customers will also be able to sign up to contracts and take out data plans directly with the Pepper robot. The robots also supposedly perform different roles within the store, including a store manager model and a “time killer” version, which can presumably up-sell you all those smartphone accessories and screen protectors that you don’t really want.
Softbank has been selling its Peppers to a number of companies and has repeatedly sold out of the 1,000 monthly units that it produces since their launch last June. They don’t come particularly cheap at a cost of 198,000 yen ($1,670) each plus an optional 14,800 yen ($125) monthly service plan, but that’s a lot more cost effective than a human salary.
Softbank will be revealing additional details about its latest robots at its “Pepper World” event this week. The Pepper robot store will open on March 28th and will only be running for a limited time, but it will offer us a glimpse into an eerie but all too probable future.
Waze unveils Transport SDK for app partners
Waze, the popular social navigation tool owned by Google, has just announced a new Transport SDK that will empower partners to integrate many of the company’s features directly into their own applications.
Waze envisions that other apps will make use of the company’s traffic data to help them offer a turn-by-turn navigation service from within their own app or optimize routes with live information, which are useful tools for profession drivers, along with giving company’s access to useful traffic trends.
The first partner to make use of the new SDK is ride-sharing company Lyft. Lyft is using Waze’s crowd-sourced traffic data to offer more optimal routes between passenger pick-up points and to integrate a seamless transition between the Waze navigation view and the main Lyft app.
Other companies that have announced partnerships include Genesis Pulse, JustPark, Cornershop, Cabify and 99Taxis. The SDK supports partners in any country that Waze currently operates in. The SDK is free to use, which should help the company expand its reach rather easily, but there is an application process to go through before gaining access.
Firefox Browser gets another big update to v44
Firefox Browser may live permanently in the shadows of Chrome, but the app is surprisingly good and really deserves more recognition than it gets. The Firefox update to v44 adds a bunch of new features, including cloud printing support, a new homepage option, improved “open tabs” screen and search history suggestions.
In combination with Firefox on desktop, Mozilla is putting forward a pretty strong case for checking it out, especially if you haven’t done so for a while. For example, the desktop version of Firefox recently added Web Push, a feature that allows the browser to deliver pop-up notifications just like on Android without needing the tab open.
Back to the Android app, this is the second big update Firefox has received in a month, with the previous bump to v43 updating the Android interface, adding the tab audio indicator, and reading list tweaks. Today’s update to v44 delivers the ability to set a homepage (as opposed to the Top Sites panel), a new tab manager page and support for cloud printing.
See also: 10 best Android browsers of 2016
Firefox will now prompt you before opening Intent URIs in a private tab and will show search history suggestions. The app has also added a web-based Firefox Accounts page and there’s some technical security protocol and certificates changes. If you have the browser installed it will update automatically, and if you don’t you should give it a look, because it’s fast, stable and secure.
LG has confirmed that it will launch two flagship smartphones this year
LG has announced that despite substantial losses in both Q3 and Q4 of 2015, it will be launching not just one, but two flagship smartphones in 2016. The South Korean company also disclosed it will unveil a new “cost-competitive value” range of devices, which it hopes will increase its gross profit, thus putting it back into the green zone.
Unfortunately, the manufacturer didn’t reveal any details regarding the impending flagships, but we presume it’s talking about the upcoming G5, which we believe will be introduced at Mobile World Congress in three weeks time, and potentially a second-generation V10. That said, it’s quite possible that LG is working on a new iteration of its curved self-healing handset, the G Flex.
I, for one, am eager to see what LG has come up with for the G5. If recent leaks and rumors are anything to go by, it certainly looks like it’s set to be a fantastic device with the potential to compete head-to-head with the market’s finest smartphones, which should, in theory, win the company some new customers.
Reports from reliable tipsters suggest that the G5 will pack a 5.6-inch 4K display, a Snapdragon 820 System-on-Chip (SoC), an Adreno 530 GPU, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable internal storage, dual 20-megapixel rear-facing cameras, an 8-megapixel front-facing shooter and a 3,000mAh removable Li-Ion battery.
Source: LG
Come comment on this article: LG has confirmed that it will launch two flagship smartphones this year
Twitter Close to Hiring Former Apple PR Director Natalie Kerris
Apple’s longtime public relations executive Natalie Kerris, who retired last April after 14 years at the company, is the leading candidate for Twitter’s head of communications, according to Re/code.
Kerris initially sought to succeed longtime Apple PR head Katie Cotton, who retired in 2014, but fellow Apple PR veteran Steve Dowling was named as Cotton’s permanent successor last April.
Kerris previously said that her decision to retire and “enjoy life” came after spending two weeks with her family in Italy, but it appears she may put those plans on hold in joining Twitter.
Instead, she has recently spent a lot of time talking to top Twitter execs and is the leading candidate for the job. If hired, Kerris will report to general counsel Vijaya Gadde and not, interestingly, to newly named CMO Leslie Berland. Gadde conducted the search, which has been taking place for months.
Kerris was Senior Director of Worldwide Corporate Communications at Apple, where she served in public relations and communications roles since 2001. Kerris worked closely with the late Steve Jobs and oversaw the launch of the iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook Air and, more recently, Apple Pay and Apple Watch.
Kerris would replace Gabriel Stricker, who left Twitter to lead Google Fiber communications.
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Samsung may launch its own phone upgrade program
If Apple and Samsung were humans rather than multi-billion dollar multinational corporations, the best way to describe them would probably be “frenemies.” Time and again one looks to the other for inspiration, money, or as a source of parts, and today’s no different. The latest? Reuters reports (sourcing Korea’s Electronic Times) that the Korean tech giant is going to launch a phone upgrade program like Cupertino did last fall with the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. Basically, you’ll be able to upgrade every year so long as you’re on a contract.
The publication says that it could happen as early as March when the Galaxy S7 launches on home soil and could possibly allow folks to upgrade their devices annually in other countries in time. Until then, we’ll just have to pass the days figuring out what other tech companies round out the pack of mean girls here and if butter is in fact a carb or not.
[Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Via: Reuters
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