Twitter, Reddit and more file brief to support Apple vs the FBI

Several tech companies have voiced support for Apple in its battle with the FBI over iPhone encryption. Today, lawyers for a group of 16 companies, including Twitter, filed a brief formally backing Cupertino in regards to the case. The group also includes Airbnb, eBay, GitHub, Kickstarter, LinkedIn, Reddit, Square and Squarespace, among others. In the brief, the group explains that its members “regularly assist in law-enforcement investigations” and look to make sure “government requests for user data are made within the bounds of applicable laws.”

“The government’s demand here, at its core, is unbound by any legal limits,” the brief explains.

By filing the legal document, the group is urging the US District Court in California to deny the motion to compel Apple to comply with the FBI’s request. If you’ll recall, Apple already filed a motion to vacate that request, citing that what the FBI is asking of the company is unconstitutional. This latest group of over a dozen companies joins the likes of Microsoft in filing paperwork to formalize support of Tim Cook & Co. in the case. You can browse the full text of the brief down below.

Separately, AT&T also filed a “friend of the court” brief that also urges the California court to vacate its previous order. “Without question, the government should use every lawful means to investigate those crimes, and that includes compelling Apple’s cooperation to the full extent permitted by law,” explains AT&T SVP and general counsel David McAtee in a blog post. “In this case, however, the government seeks more than what can be supported under the law as it is written today.”

Source: Reuters Business (Twitter), CNBC Now (Twitter)

Egyptian student faces deportation over Trump threat

An Egyptian student studying in California faces deportation after posting a threatening message about Donald Trump on Facebook. 23-year-old Emad Elsayed posted a picture of Trump on FB back in February with a caption to the effect of, according to his attorney, “If I killed this guy I wouldn’t mind serving a life sentence and the world would thank me.” While this statement seems fairly innocuous compared to the abuse President Obama endures on social media (and most women for that matter), federal agents have since detained Elsayed and are now threatening to deport him.

According to court documents, it was Elsayed’s instructor at his flight-training school, Universal Air Academy, that narc’d on him to the FBI. The Feds then forwarded the case to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the State Department and the Secret Service. Over the next week, federal agents repeatedly interviewed Elsayed as well as his instructor, Alex Khatib; and searched Elsayed’s home.

They also informed Khatib “that the State Department revoked Mr. Elsayed’s M-1 visa and that it was better for Mr. Elsayed to leave the country,” according to the instructor’s written testimony. “They told me that there were no criminal charges to be filed against Mr. Elsayed, and that the only thing that is left is to terminate his I-20. Based on their information and their suggestion, I terminated the I-20 of Mr. Elsayed.”

Khatib, at the behest of the Secret Service, then told Elsayed to come to the flight school where he was promptly arrested. “Mr. Elsayed was taken into custody Feb. 12 by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) for allegedly violating the terms of his admission to the United States,” ICE spokesperson Virginia Kice wrote to The Intercept. “ICE placed Mr. Elsayed in removal proceedings and it will now be up to immigration courts … to determine whether he has a legal basis to remain in the U.S.”

Elsayed’s legal counsel is not impressed with the government’s handling of the situation. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” attorney Hani Bushra told TI. “Immigration has been used as a way to punish him and get him out of the country after the U.S. attorney’s office — which is the highest judicial arm of the executive branch — declined to prosecute this case and bring it to court.” What’s more, the judge has denied bond to Elsayed after prosecutors submitted his FB post into evidence and claimed he was a threat to the community. The case is set to reconvene on March 4th.

Source: The Intercept

Watch today’s Nintendo Direct right here!

The moment is almost upon us: the next Nintendo Direct starts at 5 PM ET / 2 PM PT. But before you get your hopes up too high, it won’t have anything to do with the company’s Wii U follow-up, the machine that’s codenamed “NX.” Same goes for any announcements about Nintendo’s mobile initiative. Instead, we’re promised that this event will be all about games releasing over the course of spring and summer. What’re those? Well, we still haven’t heard an awful lot about Star Fox Zero since its delay so expect that to change.

Similarly, there haven’t been any announcements about timing for those last add-on fighters for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Of course, that’s to say nothing of possible updates for the 3DS handheld. And then there’s the elephant in the room wearing a funny green hat, the next Legend of Zelda. Will we get a launch date?

The answer to that question and much, much more resides in the stream embedded below. It all starts pretty soon! Join us for this special occasion that’s sure to help you think of the warmer months ahead, won’t you?

Source: Nintendo

The Calendar Watch previews your schedule at a glance

Last year, What Watch introduced its Stop the Time watch, which offered a minimalistic flourish of smart technology on top of a classic wrist-worn timepiece. The idea was to purposely limit the feature set, freeing users from data overload through a conceptual design. With the press of a single-use button, you could mark up to five “moments” each month, which lit up elements on the watch’s e-ink display.

This month, the company is back with another technologically restrained wearable, the Calendar Watch. It still avoids data overload by keeping things simple: You can look at the time and also see your schedule at a glance. The product just launched on Kickstarter, but we got a chance to speak with What Watch co-founder Igor Basargin and take a look at the first batch of prototypes. They won’t help you track steps or control a playlist, but the pie-wedge schedule view seems a useful addition to a pretty decent-looking watch.

At first glance, the Calendar Watch seems like a basic timepiece, but you’ll notice the differences on closer inspection. Analog hands and numerical indicators sit on a clear sheet above an e-ink display, which shows the wedge-shaped schedule blocks that give it its name. There’s no crown or controls on the 47mm-wide stainless steel exterior either — the time and display are all controlled by your smartphone. This helps make it waterproof to five atmospheres (50 meters), which is good for showering and shallow swimming. The watch hardware is secured between two removable metal rails (lugs), and while the straps may look traditional, they’re hiding foldable solid links for quick release.

Three styles will be available at launch: Polar White, Aqua Blue and Special Edition Black, with a selection of additional straps and lugs so you can customize the look. We’re told the black model is the most popular one so far, but after seeing them in person, I’m currently championing the Aqua Blue.

The smart functionality is based around the company’s app pulling in free/busy data from your phone’s calendars and translating that into a shaded wedge on the watch face. Right now, there’s support for Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, Facebook events and Yandex. Each hour on your watch references four 15-minute segments from your calendar, which will be shaded where a corresponding event or meeting is scheduled.

Since the watches have a traditional 12-hour display, the app provides two ways to deal with seeing your full 24-hour day. Flexible mode shows you 12 hours ahead of your current time, erasing completed meetings as time passes. With fixed mode, you’ll see a static schedule of 12 hours ahead from the moment you set it. Double-tapping the display while it’s facing upward will show you a five-second preview of the next 12 hours. If you have reminders set for any appointments, the watch will vibrate and the display will blink for each one, giving you a heads-up about your upcoming meetings.

In case your phone’s battery dies, the watch retains a 48-hour backup of your schedule. You may not know where you’re supposed to be, but you’ll know you’re missing something. As for the watch itself, it’s rated for three weeks on a charge, although the model we saw had been running for four weeks. It was on its last legs, though. At 15 percent charge, the second hand will start to stagger instead of smoothly ticking along, and as the battery runs even lower, it will pause and jump in delayed 15-second segments. The charger is still being built, but the 3D-printed prototype leans toward a basic cradle design, so you’ll need more than just a cable when you’re traveling.

Of course, the company is still fine-tuning the final design of the Calendar Watch. It’s already received feedback about the poor visibility of the second and minute hands on darker-colored watch faces. Since the e-paper display isn’t luminescent, some method of increasing the hands’ visibility in the dark is also being considered.

The Calendar Watch has already passed its goal on Kickstarter, and the company seems well on its way to delivering the final retail version for September 2016. The baseline model starts at around $480, which isn’t cheap, but we’re told it’s the unavoidable result of high-end materials and a limited production run. Its smart functionality may be minimal by design, but it’ll free you from notification overload while still keeping you on schedule at a glance.

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Coming to iTunes on April 1

Disney today announced that the newest film in the popular Star Wars saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, will be available on iTunes, Disney Movies Anywhere, and other Digital HD sources on Friday, April 1, several days ahead of a planned April 5 Blu-ray and DVD release.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens takes place 30 years after Return of the Jedi, pitting new characters like scavenger Rey and former stormtrooper Finn against Kylo Ren and the First Order. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher also reprise their roles as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia.

Digital bonus features will vary by retailer, but may include behind-the-scenes interviews and details on the making of the film, the building of the BB-8 droid, deleted scenes, and more. Apple and Disney have not specified which features will be included with the iTunes version of the movie.

– Secrets of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey – For the first time, discover the complete story behind the making of The Force Awakens, revealed through in-depth footage and exclusive interviews with the actors and filmmakers in this feature documentary
– The Story Awakens: The Table Read – Cast members familiar and new reflect on the memorable day they all first came together to read the movie’s script
– Building BB-8 – See how the filmmakers brought the newest droid to the screen, creating an instant fan favorite in the Star Wars universe
– Crafting Creatures – Watch movie magic as the filmmakers bring a cast of new creatures to life
– Blueprint of a Battle: The Snow Fight – Go deeper into the epic, climactic lightsaber battle between Rey and Kylo Ren
– John Williams: The Seventh Symphony – The legendary composer shares personal insights of his work on Star Wars and The Force Awakens
– ILM: The Visual Magic of The Force – An insider’s look into the remarkable digital artistry of the movie’s visual effects.
– Force For Change – Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. See how the Star Wars: Force for Change initiative has united Star Wars fans all over the globe to help others.

Ahead of the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Apple debuted a Star Wars-themed Apple Music radio station, released a digital collection of all Star Wars movies, and promoted the Star Wars: The Force Awakens soundtrack.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is already available for pre-order from iTunes for $19.99 for HD and $14.99 for SD. [Direct Link]

Tags: iTunes, Star Wars
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OS X Installers Downloaded Prior to February 14 No Longer Work After Certificate Update

Back in February, Apple’s Worldwide Developer Certificate, designed to verify third-party apps and services, expired, requiring Apple to issue a new certificate for developers to use.

As pointed out by TidBITS (via Ars Technica) a side effect of the replacement of the certificate causes older OS X installers to fail to launch. OS X installation files downloaded from the Mac App Store before February 14, 2016 and stored on a computer or USB drive are no longer functional. This includes installation files for OS X El Capitan and older versions of OS X like Mavericks and Mountain Lion.

Image via TidBITS
Users who keep OS X installers on hand or have created USB install disks in case of emergencies should replace their files with new versions by re-downloading them through the Mac App Store using purchased history. TidBITS points out that some older versions of OS X, like Lion, will not be downloadable on newer machines. Users who can’t replace an expired certificate can still use older installers by changing the dates on their machines.

If you are in the middle of an OS X install and get tripped up by the expired certificate, Randy Singer offers a suggestion on how you can work around the problem quickly, without having to download a new installer:

1. In the OS X Installer, choose Utilities > Terminal.
2. Enter date 0201010116 and press Return.
3. Quit Terminal and continue the install.

That Terminal command sets your system date to 1 February 2016 — before the certificate’s expiration — so the installer can continue. Once you have completed the installation, visit System Preferences > Date & Time to reset the system date.

Apple’s certificate renewal process resulted in some problems for developers and Mac users back in November, as it caused multiple Mac App Store apps to display a “damaged” error and fail to open. Apple quickly addressed the issue and has helped developers transition to the new certificate.
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