LG Smart TV owners can soon stream Gamefly titles

LG announced on Tuesday that it will be adding a streaming app from video game rental service Gamefly to its WebOS-enabled smart TVs in late April — much like its recent deal with Samsung. The new app will allow users in the US to stream Gamefly’s archive of gaming titles. You’ll need a TV with WebOS 3.0 or above to use the app, though model year 2015 sets running WebOS 2.0 will get a software update to the newest revision alongside the app’s launch.

What’s more, users reportedly won’t need an actual console to access the app, just a gamepad (ie the Logitech F710) and a Gamefly Streaming subscription to access games like Tomb Raider, Batman: Arkham Origins, F.E.A.R. 3 and Darksiders as well as more family-friendly fare.

Source: PR Newswire

At Congressional Hearing Apple Says ‘The World is Watching’ iPhone Unlocking Battle

Apple’s head lawyer Bruce Sewell and FBI Director James Comey today testified at a U.S. congressional hearing on encryption issues, where both sides reiterated many of the same arguments that have been circulating since Apple was ordered to help the FBI unlock the iPhone used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook.

Several interesting tidbits came up throughout the testimony, which lasted for most of the day. One of the most concerning points raised at the hearing (via The Verge) covered the precedent that would be set for other countries around the world should Apple be forced to break into an iPhone in the United States.

I think the world is watching what happens in our government right now and what happens right now with this particular debate. Our ability to maintain a consistent position around the world, our ability to say we will not compromise the safety and security of any of our users around the world, is substantially weakened if we are forced to make that compromise here in our own country.”

Sewell went on to say that Apple has not received similar demands for data from “any other country,” but that if the company is ordered to comply, “it will be a hot minute before we get those requests from other places.”

Sewell also shared an interesting tidbit on the disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370 when asked how quickly Apple is able to respond to government requests for assistance. When the flight went missing, Apple started working with officials “within one hour” to attempt to locate the plane. “We had Apple operators working with telephone providers all over the world, with the airlines, and with the FBI to find a ping,” he said.

At the hearing, FBI Director James Comey testified during the first panel, while Sewell testified during the second, accompanied by Worcester Polytechnic Institute professor Susan Landau, who sided with Apple, and New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who sided with the FBI.

Comey asked the committee to consider the implications of places law enforcement can’t reach. “If there are warrant-proof spaces in American life, what does that mean? What are the costs?” Comey also reiterated the FBI’s position that no other agency, such as the National Security Agency, has a tool that can break an iPhone 5c running iOS 9.

Susan Landau raised some salient questions about the FBI’s available technology, suggesting the government agency needs to focus on innovating and recruiting talent to build better tools rather than asking Apple to build the software. “Instead of laws and regulations that weaken our protections, we should enable law enforcement to develop twenty-first century capabilities for conducting investigations,” she said.

New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance said New York now has more than a hundred devices it would like to see unlocked, further confirming Apple’s point that the argument isn’t about just one iPhone. “No device or company, no matter how popular, should be able to exempt itself from court obligations unilaterally,” he told the committee.

Statements from Comey, Sewell, Landau, and Vance outlining their positions are available from the Judiciary Committee website, as is a video that includes some of the testimony from the hearing. Apple and the FBI will face off at a court hearing over the iPhone issue on March 22.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: Apple-FBI
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Apple Leases Sunnyvale Industrial Building Near Rumored Car Development Site

Apple has expanded its real estate holdings in Sunnyvale, California with the lease of a 96,000 square foot industrial property that formerly served as a Pepsi bottling plant, reports The Silicon Valley Business Journal. Apple inked a deal for the location in November, but news of the lease has just recently surfaced and it is not clear how long Apple has been at the location.

A property lease in Sunnyvale is notable because it is rumored to be the area where Apple is working on its secret car project. Apple has several known offices at a 7-building campus at North Wolfe Road and Central Expressway in Sunnyvale and one building at the location is suspected to be a shell company serving as a front for Apple’s car development efforts.

The former Pepsi bottling plant Apple now leases, via The Silicon Valley Business Journal
960 Kifer Road, where the former Pepsi bottling plant is located, is less than a mile away from the above-mentioned 7-building campus. According to The Silicon Valley Business Journal, it isn’t known what the facility will be used for, but it is a “warehouse-type” industrial site that sits on 5 acres of land and has truck docks in the back.

City permits gave no clues about its use, as only a seismic upgrade was on file, suggesting Apple plans to use the building as is instead of redeveloping it. Apple has also previously leased an 80,000 square foot building at 1150-1170 Kifer Road, just down the street from the new location, and a 140,000 square foot building at 3689 Kifer Road, located across the street from the building at 1150 Kifer Road.

Apple is rumored to be taking on hundreds of employees to work on its car project, which could explain its rapid Bay Area expansion. Apple has also purchased a lot of space in San Jose, including an 86-acre piece of land where it can build a campus that’s up to 4.5 million square feet.

Related Roundup: Apple Car
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LG WT7700HVA review – CNET

The Good LG’s $1,500 top-load WT7700HVA washing machine looks like a luxury model and is simple to use. It also boasts a supersize 5.7 cubic-foot capacity.

The Bad It doesn’t remove stains particularly well. In fact, it has the lowest overall performance score to date. The app is glitchy and overcomplicated to set up.

The Bottom Line If you value cleaning performance, the LG WT7700HVA washer isn’t for you.

The US-only LG WT7700HVA washing machine costs $1,500. That’s expensive for a single laundry appliance, especially a top-load model, which typically would cost less than its front-load counterparts.

(Most top-load units range from roughly $350 to $1,200, whereas front-load washers tend to start around $600 at the lower end, but regularly fetch prices upward of $1,600.)

Premium appliance manufacturers like LG are changing the game a bit, though, with more luxury top-load offerings available in the US market. Complete with fancier paint finishes and more features, the WT7700HVA and others are presenting intriguing alternatives to high-end front-load machines.

Luxury finishes aside, they still need to perform well — and that’s where LG’s WT7700HVA falls short. Of the four washing machines we’ve reviewed so far, this pricey top-load unit scored the lowest in terms of stain removal. It would be one thing if it cost $350, but the WT7700HVA’s price doesn’t come close to matching its performance, making it a washer I can’t readily recommend.

This pretty LG washer isn’t tough on stains…
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Why does this washer cost so much?

A growing number of washing-machine manufacturers have begun to introduce quirky features that you won’t find on typical models. Samsung sells a top-load unit with a built-in sink, the $1,199 WA52J8700, so you can hand-wash delicate items or simply presoak stubborn stains before the regular cleaning cycle.

LG itself has a new line of Twin-Wash-compatible machines. This assortment of select front-load washers can accommodate a stacked pedestal underneath — called a Sidekick — that’s actually equipped with a second, smaller washer for simultaneous cycles.

At CES in January, we even met with a startup called Marathon that thinks it’s completely ridiculous to have two laundry appliances. Instead, the company proposes doing away with separate units altogether via its vented all-in-one washer and dryer combo.

These units might justify a higher price because they offer something different, a new feature or in some cases, a new take on laundry as a whole.

Washers, washers and more washers:

• This Samsung washer has everything, including the kitchen sink
• This well-rounded washer offers a little bit of everything
• Tough on stains, but that’s about it
• How we test: Washing machines
• Marathon wants to remove dryers from the laundry equation

LG’s WT7700HVA, on the other hand, is just a premium washer. It has a lovely brushed stainless-steel look, a transparent lid so you can watch your clothes get clean if that’s your thing and a nice-looking display panel that’s simple to read and easy to use. It also has a 5.7 cubic-foot capacity. That’s huge. Samsung’s WA52J8700 has a 5.2 cubic-foot capacity and even that’s a pretty good size.

And, at 29 inches wide and 45 inches tall, with a depth of 32.25 inches, the WT7700HVA is definitely on the larger side for top-load units, but its capacity can easily justify it. But, it doesn’t offer much more than that.

Sure, installation is simple — if you’re familiar with washer hookups. Just 15-20 minutes and you’re done; then plug it in, press the power button — and even that has a pleasing chime to let you know you’ve turned on the machine correctly.

Amazon’s Echo speaker gives you US election updates

NBC News announced on Tuesday that it has developed and released a new skill for the Amazon Echo that, when activated, will have Alexa read you regular updates of the 2016 presidential elections. The service will deliver news on upcoming events, pertinent headlines and delegate totals — and that’s just to start. NBC News states that in the coming weeks, that selection will expand to also include “polling data, primary results and trivia about candidates.” There’s no word on whether you can tailor the news by party or particular candidate so get ready to be inundated with reports of whatever racist things come out of Trump’s mouth next.

Source: NBC News

Microsoft completes acquisition of SwiftKey

Microsoft has now officially completed its previously-announced acquisition of SwiftKey, which makes popular virtual keyboards for iOS and Android devices. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The final closing of the deal was revealed via Twitter by Microsoft’s Harry Shum, the company’s Executive Vice President for Technology and Research:

Excited to report we’ve completed SwiftKey acquisition.Welcome to Microsoft @SwiftKey! Let’s do great things together for ourcustomers

— harryshum (@harryshum) March 1, 2016

Microsoft has already confirmed it plans to keep supporting the SwiftKey apps on iOS and Android, and it plans to integrate its features into the Word Flow keyboard for Windows 10 Mobile.

Source: Harry Shum (Twitter)

Qualcomm to pay $7.5 million to settle ethical violations claims by SEC

Qualcomm will pay a $7.5 million settlement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to settle an ethical violations case that the SEC made earlier. Qualcomm is making this settlement while at the same time not officially admitting or denying the claims made by the SEC.

Qualcomm stated:

The SEC order states that on certain occasions Qualcomm gave employees of state-owned entities or government agencies in China event tickets and gifts or paid for travel, and on certain occasions hired children or friends of employees of state-owned entities or ministries in China.

Qualcomm has always strived to comply with FCPA requirements. As a result of this experience, Qualcomm has taken additional steps to enhance its existing internal controls and procedures. For example, although like most organizations Qualcomm appreciates referrals of job candidates by those who know the candidates well, the Company now closely monitors to determine if a candidate has any relationship with an employee of a government agency or state-owned entity, and applies a stricter standard of scrutiny in an effort to avoid potential FCPA risks in the future.

The company added that that as part of its settlement agreement, it will make periodic reports to the SEC on how it will maintain its FCPA requirements.

Source: Qualcomm

Leaked Huawei P9 images and specs reveal dual rear cameras, Kirin 950 and more

It appears as though we’ve gotten our first look at the Huawei P9, the company’s supposed flagship device for 2016. The phone apparently sports a 5.2-inch 1080p display, along with a dual-rear camera setup. The images and specs first popped up on VentureBeat.

According to the leak, the P9 will be driven by an octa-core Kirin 950 processor and have 3GB of RAM. It is said to have 32GB of storage, with no information at this time as to whether there will be other storage capacity options. The phone reportedly has a fairly large 3,900mAh battery, as well as a USB-C connector.

As for the dual cameras on the rear of the phone, they are said to both feature 12-megapixel sensors. They are apparently one of the first results of the partnership between Huawei and Leica, which was first announced at MWC 2016.

As for release timeline, the Huawei P9 will reportedly make its debut in the first half of 2016.

Chrome is gaining security improvements, caching and better support for enterprise customers

Google has announced a number of changes that are making their way to Chrome that will bring a better overall experience to business users. Some of the features include enhanced security, better caching and 24×7 support. It is expected that Chrome’s enterprise usage can surge from 43 percent to 65 percent in 2016, so the company wants to make sure it is ready for the additional users needs. Google details the additions as:

• Security – Security is one of the founding principles of Chrome. Now, we’ve made the sandbox more secure by incorporating the broadest set of available protections. We’ve also introduced a new Security Panel in DevTools to make it easier for developers to troubleshoot issues with certificates and mixed content — meaning pages rendered with both HTTPS and HTTP elements — making it easier to develop and deploy secure Web applications. Finally, we’ve also made great progress in the fight against unwanted software, for instance, by warning users of a site’s potential risks.
• Caching – Companies rely on our automatic updates every six weeks to make the Chrome browser safer and faster over time. But for an organization with thousands of users and devices, trying to pull the latest Chrome update can strain the organization’s infrastructure. The new DownloadPreference lets proxies already used by businesses cache updates automatically, so virtually all downloads come from the company proxy and not the Internet, saving time and bandwidth.
• 24×7 Support – We recognize that for businesses that run on Chrome, it’s important to have the peace of mind that comes with 24×7 support from Google. We’ve been providing this for Google Apps customers, and today we’re expanding this to all customers — even those who aren’t using Google Apps. This new offering is called Chrome for Work Assist, and includes 24×7 phone and email support, with deployment assistance from Google. Chrome for Work Assist is now available in the US and Canada, with more regions launching soon. Contact us to learn more or get started.

It’s great to see security and support continue to be a focus from the company as it hopes to grow its enterprise user base.

Moto G 2014 Marshmallow update is now rolling out

The Moto G 2014, also known as the second-gen Moto G, appears to now be receiving its Marshmallow update. Owners of the phone in select countries have already been able to download the update, but now it appears as though more users are able to install it on their phones. The Marshmallow update brings the new Doze feature, enhanced permission controls and more to the phone.

If you haven’t already received an update notification you can head into your Settings, About phone and check manually for the update. Once you’ve installed it, be sure to let us know how it works out for you.

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Thanks for the tip, Grant!