Hawaii AG declares that daily fantasy is indeed gambling
Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin issued an official opinion on Thursday arguing that daily fantasy sports, like DraftKings and Fanduel, constitute gambling under Hawaiian law. “Gambling generally occurs under Hawaii law when a person stakes or risks something of value upon a game of chance or upon any future contingent event not under the person’s control,” Chin wrote, “The technology may have changed, but the vice has not.”
Five other state attorney generals — including Texas, New York and Nevada — have already come out in opposition of daily fantasy sports (DFS). 20 states in total are considering legislative remedies to the issue while Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana and Washington have already banned the games outright.
Source: Reuters
The Wirecutter’s best deals: The Nexus 6P, a GoPro, and more!
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. Read their continuously updated list of deals at TheWirecutter.com.
You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot — some of these sales could expire mighty soon.
GoPro Hero 4 Silver Action Camera
Street price: $330; MSRP: $400; deal price: $300
While we saw a bunch of deals hit the $310 mark around Black Friday, we only saw it drop to $300 at one other retailer. If you’re interested in this deal, it expires today at 10pm EST.
The GoPro Hero 4 Silver is our pick for the best action camera. Brent Rose writes, “The GoPro Hero4 Silver takes everything we loved about the GoPro Hero3+ Black and makes it easier to use, thanks to a touchscreen and overhauled menu system. Throw in more low-light shooting options and the same price tag, and you have a clear pick for best action camera.”
VIZIO SB3821-C6 38-Inch 2.1 Channel Soundbar
Street price: $139; MSRP: $160; deal price: $119 with Prime
Amazon Prime members can save a quick $20 on this Vizio soundbar. That brings it down to $119, which is the best price we’ve seen on this model. You can also save $20 on the more expensive Vizio SB3851-C0, which is a smaller version of our favorite budget soundbar.
The Vizio SB3821-C6 is the non-surround sound pick in our guide on the best budget soundbar. Chris Heinonen said, “It sounds significantly better than our previous budget top pick; in fact, aside from the more expensive Vizio models, it sounds better than any of the other budget soundbars we’ve tested thus far. As with Vizio’s other 2015 model soundbars, it’s also a giant leap forward in terms of styling over last year’s models.”
Google Nexus 6P 32GB Smartphone
Street price: $500; MSRP: $500; deal price: $450
This matches the best price we’ve seen on the 6P, although this time around it’s only on the matte gold color. However, if you do buy it through Google, there’s an additional $50 off of a Huawei smartwatch. There’s also a $50 off sale running on the 5x 32gb model, which brings it down to $350.
The Nexus 6P is the phablet pick in our guide on the best Android phones. Ryan Whitwam said, “If you like big phones and don’t mind paying $500 up front, you should get the Google Nexus 6P. It’s our favorite Android phone of any we’ve used this year. The 6P runs pure Android 6.0 Marshmallow, sports a top-of-the-line 1440p Super AMOLED screen, and has an attractive unibody aluminum frame. On the back is one of the best cameras available on a smartphone, along with a Nexus Imprint fingerprint scanner that’s even faster and more accurate than the one on the Galaxy S6.”
Refurb Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens
Street price: $125 (new); MSRP: $125 (new); deal price: $91
Not quite the best price we’ve seen on a refurbished version of this lens, but close. There was a brief sale where you could drop it down to about $87. This deal is $91 with free shipping. Canon’s refurbished lenses are excellent and come with a full year of warranty service.
The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens is the newer version of our fast prime lens pick in our first Canon lenses you should buy guide. The older one was one of the best values in lenses but didn’t have the best build quality. The newer ones has a quiet focusing motor, which is better for video, superior build quality, and even better image quality.
Deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.
Apple’s latest acquisition is an education-focused startup
Apple went on a major shopping spree last year, acquiring a handful of startups from different fields — depth-sensing cameras, speech technology and more. But it doesn’t look like the company’s had enough. As Bloomberg reports, Apple has purchased LearnSprout, a firm with an education service which lets academic staff members analyze student data. While LearnSprout’s website doesn’t offer many details beyond this, it does mention that its tools are being used in more than 2,500 schools in the US.
In a story from 2014, TechCrunch said the startup allows educators to understand many key areas of student trends, including attendance, college readiness and health information. Although we don’t know what exactly Apple plans to do with LearnSprout, there’s a chance it could be related to iTunes U, iBooks — or, why not, maybe something entirely new.
We reached to out to Apple for confirmation of the acquisition and will update this article when we hear back.
Source: Bloomberg
Netflix is bringing ‘House of Cards’ back for S5 in 2017
The Frank Underwood 2016 campaign doesn’t kick off until March 4th, but Netflix is already announcing that its flagship original series House of Cards will be back again in 2017. There is a major change in store for season five, as it will be without creator, writer and showrunner Beau Willimon. As Willimon’s Twitter profile explains, he’s been working on HoC for the last five years, so it could be that this is just to take some time off.
Still, around Engadget’s virtual offices we didn’t find the last season or two as exciting as when it debuted, so it could be time for some new blood at the top. Netflix and the show’s production company, Media Rights Capital have not announced a replacement yet, saying they “owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Beau Willimon for his strong narrative vision for House of Cards over the show’s first four seasons.”
We’re not done yet. pic.twitter.com/GlegXjbKdX
— House of Cards (@HouseofCards) January 28, 2016
With the show’s creator leaving, are you still in for House of Cards season five?
LG just fixed a bug that left 10 million G3 smartphones vulnerable
Last Thursday, Cynet revealed that their researchers, in collaboration with BugSec, had discovered a pretty serious vulnerability affecting LG G3 smartphones. They let LG know about the issue prior to publicizing it, and the company reacted quickly. A patch is now available that closes the data-theft hole, and LG is encouraging all G3 owners to update their devices as soon as possible.
The bug resides in a particular app called Smart Notice that comes pre-installed on LG G3 smartphones. The notification platform serves to ferry a variety of relevant information to users, but what it failed to do was vet data before presenting it. Researchers discovered it was possible to manipulate data in such a way that malicious code could be executed remotely.
See also: LG wants to replace all your credit cards with White Card, coming at MWC
“The vulnerability can easily lead to authentic phishing attacks and to a full denial of service (DOS) on the device,” wrote Cynet. Since the app is pre-installed, the number of affected devices is estimated to be a staggering 10 million worldwide.
For those interested, Ars Technica has composed a more comprehensive write-up detailing the workings of this exploit and the two ways researchers were able to compromise devices through the bug. In the meantime, if you’ve got an G3 or know someone who does, better get that thing updated pronto.
What are your thoughts regarding this vulnerability and the way LG handled it? After the (false?) scare with the Linux bug earlier this month, it’s always good to hear about patches that make our devices and sensitive information safer and more secure. As always, let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
Reddit’s official Android app just began its closed beta test
In the internet equivalent of a State of the Union address, site founder Steve “spez” Huffman revealed that the closed beta for the official Reddit Android app will be starting today. Applications for the beta opened in December, but we haven’t heard much news about it since then. Only a few thousand candidates were selected to take part in the test, but we look forward to seeing what comes of this app. An iOS beta is also slated to begin soon.
Historically, users have had to rely on third party applications like Reddit is Fun, Baconreader, and Slide. Although access through a mobile browser is possible, the nature of Reddit’s content and organization make a mobile-optimized app a much more convenient option. Since the only options to date have been third party, there have always been hiccups and difficulties when Reddit makes any changes. Having an official Reddit app may make any transitions much smoother.
See also: The 10 Commandments of Notifications, as revealed to Reddit
However, the opposite could also wind up being true. Many Twitter users, for instance, eschew the official app in favor of more powerful third party creations. Depending on the kind of functionality Reddit’s official app will have, it could become the go-to choice like Facebook’s app, or it might just become one of the competition.
There’s no details yet on what this official app will look like, so we’ll have to wait around to see what functions and aesthetics it will offer. If you’re a part of the beta squad, and there’s no agreement preventing you from disclosing your experience, feel free to let us know what it’s like in the comments! In the meantime, what app do you use to browse Reddit? Think you’ll switch to the official one when it comes out?
Patent filing reveals possible workings of Google’s upcoming drone delivery
A patent filed by Google gives some new insight into its upcoming drone delivery service — known at the moment as Project Wing — might deliver your packages.
The patent was actually filed in 2014 but only recently was granted. In it, Google details plans for mobile delivery receptacles — effectively mailboxes on wheels — that communicate with the drones and when they sync up, the drone delivers the package to the receptacle, which then takes it to a holding facility.
Though the filing didn’t say for sure, the likely next step is that the customer will either pick up the package or it will be delivered to their address by local ground service.
Dave Vos, the head of Project Wing, said recently that the drone delivery service is still on track to launch sometime in 2017, assuming all regulatory obstacles are cleared.
Via: Fastcompany
Come comment on this article: Patent filing reveals possible workings of Google’s upcoming drone delivery
Tesco, Sky, Xbox testing Twitter Promoted Moments in UK
Twitter has extended its test of Promoted Moments to the UK following its test in the United States.
Grocery chain Tesco, Internet and TV provider Sky and Xbox UK are among the brand partners selected to test promoted moments in the UK.
From Twitter’s blog:
“While Sky’s campaign will be announced in due course, Xbox will use Promoted Moments to launch Quantum Break, the latest exclusive title in their ‘greatest games lineup in Xbox history.’”
Tesco has used Promoted Moments to help create and release the Feel Good Cookbook.
Twitter calls the UK test of Promoted Moments the “first step” to discovering how brands can use Moments in their marketing activities.
Source: Twitter Blog
Come comment on this article: Tesco, Sky, Xbox testing Twitter Promoted Moments in UK
T-Mobile accused of deceptive advertising, other bad business practices
Several labor unions are accusing mobile provider T-Mobile of unethical business practices.
A complaint was filed with the Federal Communications Commission Wednesday by a group called Change to Win Retail Initiatives asking the FCC to investigate the mobile carrier. The group is backed by three unions — the United Farm Workers of America, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union.
Since 2013, T-Mobile has added nearly 27 million customers, but Change to Win Retail Initiatives is claiming that growth may be due in part to signing customers up for services they did not order, such as device insurance. Additionally, the complaint alleges that T-Mobile’s advertising does not make it clear that customers who sign up with T-Mobile’s no-contract plan are required to buy a phone on an installment plan or lease one through T-Mobile and if the customer cancels the service, they will still be on the hook for the cost of the phone. In those cases, the unpaid cost of the phone could potentially be more than the service termination fee.
Change to Win reportedly conducted a survey of over 5,500 customer complaints between January 2013 and September 2015. The group claims to have found a pattern of complaints from people who said they were signed up for things like unlimited data plans or device insurance without their knowledge or consent and then had problems canceling the services.
Though the complaint has been filed, no federal agency has taken any action against T-Mobile.
Via: CNET
Come comment on this article: T-Mobile accused of deceptive advertising, other bad business practices
Wells Fargo and Bank of America to Add Apple Pay Support to ATMs
Bank of America and Wells Fargo are working on implementing Apple Pay into their ATMs, reports TechCrunch, citing a source with knowledge of the project. Both companies are said to have engineers working on the technology that would likely allow Apple Pay to be used at an ATM in place of a physical debit card.
When questioned about the possibility of Apple Pay at ATMs, Wells Fargo head of ATMs Jonathan Velline suggested the information was accurate and that Wells Fargo was working on adding support for mobile wallets that would meet all of its customers needs.
Wells Fargo’s head of ATMs Jonathan Velline implied Apple Pay would come to its ATMs. He confirmed that “We’ve been working on the technology that allows us to hook to digital wallets, leveraging NFC on mobile phones to replace the card at the transaction at the ATM. Right now the wallet that we support is Android Pay.” […]
“But we’re also looking at lots of different mobile wallets and evaluating which ones are going to be appropriate for our customers. We’ll likely add more mobile wallets throughout the year.”
Bank of America was less forthcoming about its plans, but told TechCrunch the company is developing a cardless ATM solution that would let customers use NFC technology on their smartphones to authenticate and complete transactions at Bank of America ATMs. The company would not confirm which phones it will work with.
Bank of America plans to begin rolling out its cardless ATM solution starting in late February at ATMs in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Charlotte, New York, and Boston before a wider rollout set to take place in mid-2016. Wells Fargo did not provide information on when it plans to implement its NFC-based card replacement feature.
Apple Pay at ATMs would be a big win for Apple, given their prevalence across the United States. Wells Fargo has more than 12,800 ATMs, while Bank of America has more than 16,000.
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