Apple vs. the FBI: Catch up on the iPhone encryption hearing

Apple and the FBI spent five-and-a-half hours (!) testifying before Congress yesterday over the ongoing San Bernardino iPhone saga. And while there weren’t any definitive conclusions, it was a chance for both sides to lay out their positions more clearly than ever before. Apple’s General Counsel, Bruce Sewell, went up against FBI director James Comey at the hearing, which was overseen by the House Judiciary Committee.

To recap, the FBI wants Apple to help it unlock an encrypted iPhone tied to the San Bernardino case by building a customized version of iOS. Apple, on the other hand, argues that doing so would compromise security of every iPhone moving forward.

You can watch the entire hearing above, and follow our liveblog commentary here. Engadget’s Roberto Baldwin summed up the day’s events:

FBI Director James Comey was grilled pretty hard by the committee. The majority of the representatives seemed to favor Congress working on a law that benefits law enforcement, security and privacy. Comey continued to note that the courts should figure this out.

While Comey continued to say that this is about single device in a single case, New York DA Cyrus Vance was more forthcoming that law enforcement is being hindered by encryption and that he would like the ability to open the one New York already has in its possession.

Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell raised Apple’s ongoing argument that this is not about a single phone. The company does not want to comply with the Department of Justice order to help circumvent the iPhone’s passcode. Representative Sensenbrenner asked Sewell if Apple had drafted legislation since it was not happy with the court’s motion, Sewell replied that it had not. The attorney later said that it was open to working on a bill once the current debate was finished.

Dr. Susan Landau testified on the security implications of Apple unlocking the phone and noted that other government agencies could already have the capability of unlocking the iPhone that the FBI doesn’t have. Landau said that the FBI should update its technical prowess instead of asking private companies to defeat their security.

And now for some highlights:

• FBI director James Comey wasn’t familiar with yesterday’s New York ruling, in which a judge said that the government can’t force Apple to unlock an iPhone using the All Writs Act (which the FBI is relying on for this case as well).
• When asked if the San Bernardino iPhone case would set precedent for future encryption cases, Comey said, “Sure, potentially.”
• The FBI was called out for a major screwup: By changing the San Bernardino iPhone’s password, it effectively stopped its iCloud backup. Apple has already provided Feds with data stored on iCloud — it’s not fully encrypted like data sitting on the phone.

  “As I understand there was a mistake made in the 24 hours after the attack,” Comey said. “[That] made it impossible for the phone later to back up to the iCloud, but we’d still be in litigation either way because we wouldn’t have gotten everything off the phone.”

• A few members of the House Judiciary Committee also proved they had a decent understanding of technical topics. Congressman Darrel Issa (R-CA) took Comey and the FBI to task for not trying hard enough to crack the iPhone’s encryption on their own. When he asked if the FBI had asked Apple for its source code, or enlisted an expert to help, Comey didn’t have much to say.

  “How can you come before this committee before a federal judge and demand that someone else invent something if you can’t answer the questions that your people have tried this,” Issa asked.

  “I did not ask the questions you’re asking me here today,” Comey said. “I’m not sure I even fully understand the questions. I have reasonable confidence, in fact I have high confidence that all elements of the US government focused on this problem, and I’ve had great conversations with Apple.”

• Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) said she worried about a world where nothing is private. She brought up Juniper Networks, who believed it had decent encryption capabilities, but who ended up being hacked due to a vulnerability. Lofgren also pointed out to Coney that Apple’s iCloud service was hacked, even though he also claimed it was pretty secure.

  “I’ll close by saying I have all kinds of messaging apps that are encrypted, some designed in the US and some in other countries,” Lofgren said. “I wouldn’t do anything wrong on my phone, but I could use any of those apps to communicate security and there wouldn’t be anything the government could do to prevent that from occurring.”

• Apple General Counsel Bruce Sewell said Apple is being driven to make iPhones more secure after seeing security issues outside of the country. “The people that we’re competing with are on an equally aggressive path to defeat everything we put into the phone,” he said.
• Sewell also reiterated that Apple’s problem with following the FBI’s request isn’t time or money, instead “the burden is compromising the security of our customers.”

  When asked why that would be a burden, he responded: “The answer is simple. This isn’t a one phone issue, and I don’t believe it can be contained to one phone.” That’s something Comey has already confirmed.

DxO ONE Smartphone Camera Adds Stand-Alone Mode, Cuts Base Price $100

DxO today announced a new “dramatically enhanced stand-alone experience” for its DxO ONE camera, granting users the ability to take pictures with the miniaturized device without needing to tether it to their smartphone. The DxO ONE’s OLED display helps its users line up a shot, which they can then capture easily thanks to the on-board two-stage shutter button.

The connected app allows for full customization of the camera’s various settings like aperture, shutter speed, ISO, metering, and white balance. When using stand-alone mode, the DxO ONE remembers the most recent settings of the app and preserves them in the pictures taken without a smartphone. As the company explains in its press release, “For example, if you prefer to capture portraits at f/1.8, the camera will always be ready at f/1.8 when you pull it out of your pocket.”

In addition to the stand-alone experience, the new DxO update brings a couple of other features to the camera:

Version 1.3 also introduces a host of other features including motion blur alert, and an elegant new way to dial in white balance, metering and focus modes, which can also be viewed as overlays in the viewfinder along with your iPhone battery level. Browsing photos is faster than ever, with the gallery now sorted in the same order as in iOS Photos.

You can be sure your images were successfully shared thanks to a new visual confirmation message, and you can set a preferred JPEG compression level for photos, and bitrate for videos. Of note, an innovative Message Center now provides a direct connection to DxO, with in-app access to current information designed to help you get the most out of your DxO ONE.

The company has also unbundled DxO FilmPack and DxO OpticsPro from the package, two pieces of software that gives users a more in-depth dive into picture editing, and will sell them separately. The removal of the software has dropped the price of the DxO One by $100, so those interested can buy the camera for $499 from the company’s online store.

The DxO ONE app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: DxO One
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Amazon Fire Kids Edition and Fire 7-inch chargers deemed dangerous in UK recall

Amazon Fire Kids Edition and Fire 7-inch owners beware, your power adapters may be dangerous. Amazon has just issued a UK and Ireland wide recall.

The problem applies to power adapters sold in the UK and Ireland since September 2015. Amazon has contacted owners via email to warn them that these adapters may cause electric shocks.

The shocks can happen when the power adapter is removed from the wall where the adapter assembly can become detached, says Amazon.

Amazon will swap out the adapter free of charge or offer a £12 refund placed directly into your Amazon account, allowing you to buy a third party model. Amazon also advises owners of the tablets charge using the USB cable but another power adapter for now.

Amazon says that other tablets like the Fire HD and Fire HDX have power adapters that are not affected by this issue. Also any hardware sold outside of the UK should also be in full, safe working order.

Amazon has uploaded the below image to help users identity a faulty charger. If you are affected Amazon will send you a pre-paid envelope to return the faulty item. Head over to Amazon to fill out the necessary details to get your replacement.

Amazon

READ: Amazon Fire HD Kids Edition: We check out its child-friendly frills

‘Alan Wake’ teased once more in ‘Quantum Break’ easter egg

Oh boy, Remedy Entertainment sure does love to tease. The Finnish game developer has hinted once more at a return for Alan Wake through a fictional trailer buried inside its upcoming thriller Quantum Break. As Polygon reports, during an early chapter protagonist Jack Joyce visits Riverport University, and as the player you have the option to explore the campus before heading to the physics department. If you go inside a tent pitched by a protesting student you’ll be rewarded with a short video, shown on a flatscreen television, for a live-action adaptation of Alan Wake.

Based on Polygon’s account, it’s a typically cryptic glimpse at the novelist’s universe. We see Wake in a dense forest, eyes open, while a narrator explains that he’s been gone for five years. Two detectives are introduced, one of which is Remedy’s creative director Sam Lake, before Wake explains the power of “dark matter” and “dark energy” in our world. The trapped author is shown with a full beard, followed by a shot of Lake with the name “Alex Casey” scrawled underneath. Finally, Wake is seen standing over Casey’s body, a knife in his hand and a look of terror etched on his face.

The kicker? The word “Return” is shown as a title card at the end. Remedy recently applied to trademark “Alan Wake’s Return,” hinting at a possible sequel to the franchise. Return has also been referenced on multiple occasions in previous Alan Wake games; as a manuscript at the end of the second DLC chapter, and in the credits of the downloadable title Alan Wake’s American Nightmare. Was the trademark simply a reference to Quantum Break, and a possible series of in-game clips that appear throughout the campaign? Or does it suggest something more? Remedy hasn’t commented on the trademark, so for now we can only speculate.

What is clear, however, is Remedy’s intent to drum up interest in the Alan Wake franchise. Preview coverage has revealed a bevy of Alan Wake easter eggs dotted throughout Quantum Break’s time-stopping escapades. Every copy of the game also comes with the original Alan Wake adventure — bundled through the magic of Xbox One backwards compatibility — along with American Nightmare for those who decide to pre-order.

Early press coverage of Quantum Break has also revealed that the game won’t include its live-action TV episodes on the disc. Instead, you’ll have have to stream them to your Xbox One or PC. For those with a creaky internet connection, this could be a problem, but Remedy says it was necessary in order to make room for the rest of the game. Quantum Break has a branching narrative, so multiple versions of each episode were recorded. With so many paths — 40 total, according to narrative designer Greg Louden — it wasn’t possible to put everything in a physical package.

If you need a reminder, Quantum Break will be hitting store shelves for Xbox One and PC on April 5th. If nothing else, it’s seriously ambitious.

Source: Game Informer, Polygon

Meta’s new AR headset lets you treat virtual objects like real ones

Meta’s augmented reality headset originally launched on Kickstarter, but the company has managed to avoid the flash-in-the-pan fate that befalls so many crowdfunded projects. The company has learned plenty from the developer-focused Meta 1 headset and is now ready to take the wraps off a much-improved version. The Meta 2 is the company’s latest augmented reality headset, and it’s available to pre-order now for $949. It’ll ship to buyers in Q3 of this year.

The most notable things about my brief time trying out the Meta 2 were that the augmented reality “objects” that popped into my field of view behaved in some ways like things in the real world. They stayed in place, so I could walk around a giant globe and see the earth from any angle I wanted; the closer I put my face to the planet, the more detail I could see. The other notable aspect of Meta 2 is that you can actually “pick up” and move these virtual objects, just as you would with real-world, physical ones.

The latter feature didn’t work great, betraying the Meta 2’s status as a device meant for developers, not consumers. Overall, getting the various Meta 2 gestures working properly was a bit of a challenge — I spent a lot of time “poking” the air, trying to select an option or interact with various items, but getting that target calibrated properly was tricky.

However, when I was able to use the one-handed “pick up” gesture and move virtual objects around, it was a pretty great feeling. Using two hands to stretch and enlarge digital items also felt natural, when it worked. Given that the Meta 2 is still a prototype, I won’t judge it too harshly, but the gesture experience needs to be refined before it launches. Unfortunately, that was the case way back in 2013 when we tried the Meta 1, so hopefully more improvements are coming soon.

While gestures still need work, object permanence was a pretty fascinating bit of technology, and one that Meta calls out as something to help the headset function as a work-focused device. As part of the demo I experienced, the Meta 2 showed off a handful of virtual screens with various apps on them. It was mostly a variety of different web browsers, but the Meta 2 also currently works with Microsoft Office, Spotify and Zoom video conferencing. The virtual monitor setup was pretty fascinating — I started with just one screen but eventually had a row of five, and then two rows of five stacked on top of each other. Again, it’s just a prototype, but it showcases the flexibility that a virtual screen setup would offer.

Since the virtual objects created by the Meta 2 stay where you place them, you can do your work, remove the headset and then go back to it; things will be left just where you want them. And while I was still wearing the headset, I could walk around my virtual monitors — it was a strange experience to see them disappear into nothingness as I looked at them from the side.

It’s not really useful, but it’s a good way to highlight object permanence. Meta makes this even crazier by letting multiple headset wearers collaborate on an object — you’ll all see the same thing from different angles, depending on where you’re physically located. And since the glasses let you see into the real world as well, it’s not isolating like a virtual reality experience would be.

A few other experiences in the demo stood out for me as ways that Meta’s AR technology could become truly useful. Most notable was when a transparent human body floated into view, revealing the skeletal structure, circulatory system and so forth. You could grab the body and separate the various systems out and see each individually and walk all the way around it — it’s a pretty great trick, and something that could be genuinely useful. For example, clicking on the picture of an item on sale at Amazon and having it float into my field of view to enlarge and spin around in 360 degrees could be a pretty handy tool when shopping at home.

As I’ve mentioned, this is all very much in the “tech demo” phase, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting. The combo of object permanence, gestures and the fact that the Meta 2 has a very wide field of view — 90 degrees diagonal — all adds up to a compelling AR experience. The headset itself is still a bit clunky and not something I’d want to wear all day long, but at least you can wear your glasses while using it.

The hardware needs tweaking, but the real question is what kind of software experiences developers will start building with it. Meta’s been working at AR for a long time and is playing the long game here by giving developers an improved tool for creating the experiences needed to make this take off. While the Meta 2 might not be ready for prime time yet, it does seem like a step forward from both a hardware and software perspective.

ICYMI: Moon waystation, human skin like bananas and more

Today on In Case You Missed It: The European Space Agency wants to put a permanent base on the moon, for all agencies to share. A new solar plant in Nevada is the first to store 10 hours of energy in salt, continuing to produce electricity overnight. And researchers are studying bananas because an enzyme in their skin is just like one produced by human skin. Maybe that’s why they taste so good? JK, that was just for Hannibal Lecter.

We also wanted to bring you this latest Guinness World Record, of an electrified skateboard traveling at 59.5 miles per hour. As always, please share any interesting science or tech videos, anytime! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag to @mskerryd.

Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlists serve up undiscovered artists

Last summer, Spotify rolled out its Discover Weekly feature that builds a new playlist each week based on your listening habits. I’ve actually found the tool to be quite useful for discovering new music and now the streaming service is looking to expand its recommendations. With Fresh Finds, Spotify creates genre-specific playlists uses software and human “tastemakers” to identify undiscovered artists before they become popular. The process for choosing the tracks includes analyzing listening patterns of users who seem to have a knack for “up and coming music” (those so-called tastemakers) and monitoring the web for additional info.

More specifically, the Fresh Finds playlists include five options: Fire Emoji (hip-hop), Basement (electronic), Hiptronix (vocal pop), Six Strings (guitar driven) and Cyclone (experimental). The new lists will be updated every Wednesday with the latest soon-to-be hits, so if you find something you like, remember to save it. New material every week makes Fresh Finds similar to that Discovery Weekly playlist as well, and Spotify seems bent on offering ways to keep your music habit from becoming stale. The Fresh Finds collections are available in the app starting today, and you can find them via the Browse tab.

A common crop pesticide is making bees dumb

Poor honeybees. Back in 2010, the USDA found a possible link between pesticides used to kill varroa mites and colony collapse disorder. Now, researchers from the University of Otago in New Zealand have discovered that they can “suffer severe learning and memory deficits” if they ingest even tiny doses of a common pesticide used to keep apples, broccoli, corn and other crops insect-free. That pesticide is a controversial chemical called chlorpyrifos. The Environmental Protection Agency and the state of California proposed banning or at least imposing heavy restrictions on its use in the past due to reports that it makes farm workers sick.

Kim Hageman, an associate professor at the university, also found out back in 2013 just how far the chemical can travel. She and her team discovered very small amounts of chlorpyrifos in the water, air and plant life in parts of the country where the pesticide isn’t even sprayed. For this study, the group led by Dr. Elodie Urlacher fed lab bees a slightly lower dose than what Hageman found in her samples. Note that the chemical’s lethal dose is around 100 billionths of a gram, and the team used an amount a thousand times lower than that.

They’ve determined that despite ingesting what’s considered a “safe” and extremely small dosage, the lab bees couldn’t learn or remember odors as well as specimens that weren’t exposed to the chemical could. According to Dr. Urlacher, this means exposure to the pesticide may be stunting honeybees’ “effectiveness as nectar foragers and pollinators” since they “rely on such memory mechanisms to target flowers.” That is a big issue, because many crops — a number of which are kept insect-free using this particular pesticide — rely on honeybees for pollination.

She believes that the group’s findings now raise questions about how the pesticide should be regulated. “It’s […] clear that it is not just the lethal effects on bees that need to be taken into account,” she said, “but also the serious sub-lethal ones at minute doses.”

Source: Physorg

Zuli Announces Philips Hue Integration for Motion-Sensing Lighting

With origins on Kickstarter, the Zuli Smartplug is a device that acts as a buffer between a wall outlet and any electronic device, letting users control the connected appliance through a smartphone app. Today the company announced that it will be integrating that app with the popular Philips Hue lighting system, letting users interact with Hue lights directly within the Zuli app.

The synthesis between Zuli and Hue will also let the latter tap into the former’s proprietary motion-sensing technology referred to as “Presence.” With it, the Zuli Smartplug can detect when a user enters and leaves a room, adjusting and adapting to pre-set personal lighting preferences. When the room is left abandoned, the smartplug recognizes that too, and everything shuts off. Presence is designed to evolve over time and become “more predictive” with extended use.

“The fundamental problem with connected devices remains the same. You still have to pull out your phone, find the right app, find the right device, and then manually control it,” says Taylor Umphreys, Chief Executive Officer, Zuli. “Zuli is solving this problem through its proprietary Presence technology. Zuli Presence enables our homes to know who is home, what room they are in, and how they like their lighting and temperature — so our personal environments can adjust passively without the user having to do anything”

This “indoor location awareness” will now be available for Hue owners who invest in Zuli, and will give those users the ability to have all of their customized room-based scenes react to their entry into a room. The lighting systems housing the Hue bulbs do not need to be plugged directly into a Zuli Smartplug for the two to interact with one another, since Hue simply networks with Zuli after an initial system sync.

Zuli launched with another notable partnership in Nest, letting customers connect the learning thermostat to a Zuli Smartplug to notify the system when users enter and leave the house and adjust the temperature accordingly. As of now, there is no HomeKit integration or functionality with Zuli.

Hue users can test out Zuli’s integration of the Philips lighting system by downloading the Zuli app [Direct Link] on the App Store. For anyone interested in all of Zuli’s features, three Zuli Smartplugs are required to harness the full power of Presence. To start, users can purchase a 3-pack of the Zuli Smartplugs for $159.99 on the company’s website.

Tags: Philips Hue, Zuli, Zuli Smartplug
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Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 edge also being shipped early by AT&T and Sprint

Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge aren’t only being shipped out early on T-Mobile, but also AT&T and Sprint too. Reports have surfaced detailing both U.S. carriers sending out pre-orders ahead of official release.

The official launch date for Samsung’s latest wave of premium smartphones is March 11, but that hasn’t prevented some U.S. and European carriers from fulfilling pre-orders ahead of time.

Have you got your order yet? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to join in the conversation over on our forum!

• Discuss in our Galaxy S7 forums

Samsung Galaxy S7

• Galaxy S7 and S7 edge hands-on
• Galaxy S7 and S7 edge specs
• Here are all four Galaxy S7 colors
• Details on the Galaxy S7’s camera
• The SD card is back on the GS7
• Join our Galaxy S7 forums

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