WSJ: Theranos is voiding and revising past blood test results
As Theranos faces increased scrutiny from regulators, tonight the Wall Street Journal is reporting the company is taking an extraordinary step by voiding its own blood test results going back two years. According to the Journal, the company is telling the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that it has issued “tens of thousands” of corrected blood test reports, covering results that have been revised or voided altogether.
Doctors confirmed receiving updated results, and Theranos says in a statement that “Excellence in quality and patient safety is our top priority and we’ve taken comprehensive corrective measures to address the issues CMS raised in their observations. As these matters are currently under review, we have no further comment at this time.”
The corrections aren’t limited to tests Theranos conducted with its “fingerprick” Edison technology either, as a Journal source reported its Arizona lab was using a traditional blood testing machine from Siemens with the wrong settings. Theranos is reportedly trying to avoid stiff penalties that could include banning its founder Elizabeth Holmes from the blood testing industry, and has recently made significant changes in its organizational structure. In October Holmes initially defended the integrity of her company’s processes against charges of inaccuracy, but most of the news leaking out since then has not supported that view.
Source: Wall Street Journal
eBay has a virtual reality shop in Australia
eBay is giving Australians another high-tech way to spend their money. The e-commerce company has teamed up with Myers, a department store in the country, to launch a virtual reality shop. It can be accessed through existing headsets like Samsung Gear VR, though they also seem to be giving away 20,000 Google Cardboards called “Shopticals.” The shop contains goods sold through Myers, complete with 3D models for the top 100 items in each category. Its most interesting feature, however, is a system eBay developed called “Sight Search.”
“Sight Search” allows users to choose items by staring at them for a few seconds. Staring at the “Add to Basket” button also adds items to the cart, but users have to pay for their purchases manually. Steve Brennen, eBay’s senior director of marketing and retail innovation, told Mashable Australia: “Your eyes can move so quickly… Sight Search in a VR world of retail feels very sensible. How much customers use it, do they love it, is where we’ll get to next.” We’re guessing the company plans to improve Sight Search even further, perhaps to allow users to pay with their eyes, as well. Since not all of us can access the app, you can check out a short demo in the video below.
Source: Mashable, Sunshine Coast Daily
Nintendo has a new game plan
In case you didn’t get the message yet, Nintendo is trying lots of new things. To that extent, it’s formalizing some of that in its official charter next month. While most of it is rewording in places, the updated charter includes new references the manufacturing and selling of medical devices and computer software — the latter possibly being different from the gaming software it’s famous for. It also offers a reminder of all the things that Nintendo does that you might not know about, including office equipment and the management of “restaurants, dining halls, cafes”. (Where’s my Mario Cafe?)
Former president Satoru Iwata had intimated some of the company’s moves into healthcare, including a “quality of life” arm that Nintendo was interested in developing. It worked on both a sleep monitor and a Wii-connected “inconsistent” vitality sensor that was eventually canned. Whether the reworded charter represents a stronger, concerted push, or just formalizes what Nintendo’s trying out in recent years, remains to be seen. It’s not the only new approach for the games maker: it launched its first mobile game, is looking into movies, and is even building theme park attractions in Japan. (Coming! Summer 2020!)
New ideas are needed: the company dropped almost 40 percent in overall profits in its latest earnings report. The Cliff Notes version? Nintendo is profitable, but game sales are shrinking.
Via: Polygon
Source: Nintendo (PDF)
Google isn’t abandoning Hangouts for its new chat apps
The launch of Google’s new chat apps Allo and Duo doesn’t mean death for Hangouts. A spokesperson told Business Insider that the company is “continuing to invest in Hangouts” and that “it will remain a standalone product.” While these two new applications make big G’s messaging products a bit convoluted for the average user, they all cater to different audiences. As BI noted, Hangouts is a cross-platform app tied with Google’s enterprise offerings, and offices will most likely continue using it.
Allo, on the other hand, is a mobile app more comparable to WhatsApp, Messenger and Line. You don’t even need a Gmail account to sign up — all you need is a phone number. Google introduced Allo, along with its video calling companion Duo, at I/O today. The company describes it as a smart messaging app imbued with the powers of artificial intelligence. It can conjure up automatic replies, make reservations for you in-app and even has an Incognito mode for encrypted messaging. Allo and Duo won’t be out until sometime this summer for both iOS and Android users, so you’ll have to make do with your simpler chat apps for now.
Source: Business Insider
Department of Transportation bans e-cigarettes in checked baggage
Like the FDA, which recently decided to regulate e-cigarettes like tobacco products, the Department of Transportation has also decided to treat e-cigarettes like a fire hazard. The DOT issued a final rule today, banning e-cigarette batteries in checked baggage.
“Fire hazards in flight are particularly dangerous, and a number of recent incidents have shown that e-cigarettes in checked bags can catch fire during transport,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. “Banning e-cigarettes from checked bags is a prudent and important safety measure.”
The rule codifies an FAA safety alert you may have seen at the airport already, and passengers are actually still free to carry e-cigarettes and batteries onto the flight, just as long as they don’t start vaping or charging the batteries in mid-air.
Here are all the highlights from the Google I/O 2016 keynote!
From two hours to under twelve minutes, we’ve distilled, titrated, evaporated and reconstituted Google’s annual launch event into something a little bit more palatable. There’s more on Google’s VR plans, more on Android’s latest iteration, and something to make your entire home voice-enabled. Maybe. Run through it all right above.
For all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2016, follow along here.
Emily is a tough, remote-controlled robotic lifeguard
Attention Dwayne Johnson: it’s not too late to make your version of Baywatch more apt for this generation. May we suggest casting Emily — a 25-pound, remote-controlled robotic lifeguard that can travel up to 22 mph. It might not have biceps and legs to die for, but it has already rescued tons of people, including 300 Syrian refugees off the Greek island of Lesbos. The machine’s name stands for Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard, and it’s the product of a collaboration between the Navy and Tony Mulligan, the CEO of maritime robotic company Hydronalix.
The partnership was formed in 2001 to develop a drone that can monitor whales, but it continued to evolve until it led to Emily’s creation. Emily’s current iteration has two-way radios rescuers can use to talk with the people stranded in the water. It also has a video camera that sends live feeds to responders’ phones and lights for night rescues. More importantly, it’s tough — tougher then The Rock. Emily can be thrown off helicopters and do just fine, thanks to its Kevlar and aircraft-grade composite components. The Navy recently demonstrated its latest version at the Naval STEM Expo and Sea-Air-Space Exposition on May 15th and 16th. According to Military, the US Navy doesn’t have plans to add Emily to its drone arsenal at the moment, but it’s already being used by rescue teams (such as fire departments) all over the world.
Via: Military
Source: Office of Naval Research
Apple Secretly Adds New Passcode Requirement for Touch ID
Apple recently added a new passcode requirement rule for iPhones with Touch ID enabled, according to MacWorld. The new rule requires a user to enter a passcode when an iPhone or iPad has met two conditions: the device has not been unlocked via a passcode for six days and has not been unlocked with Touch ID for the past eight hours.
Users (including this reporter) began noticing this change in the last several weeks, even though an Apple spokesperson says it was added in the first release of iOS 9. However, a bullet point describing this restriction only appeared in the iOS Security Guide on May 12, 2016, according to the guide’s internal PDF timestamp. Apple declined to explain the rationale for this restriction.
The previous five passcode requirements are: the device has been turned on or restarted, the device has not been unlocked for 48 hours, the device has received a remote lock command from Find My iPhone, five unsuccessful Touch ID attempts and adding new fingers to Touch ID.
It’s unclear why Apple added the restriction and why it chose an eight-hour window, but the rule comes after a judge granted a search warrant forcing a woman to unlock her iPhone with Touch ID. The decision comes as some believe the biometric nature of Touch ID isn’t protected by the Fifth Amendment’s protection against self-incrimination. Passcodes, however, are considered protected individual privacies.
Tag: Touch ID
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Apple to Hire 4,000 Employees in Hyderabad, India to Work on Maps Development
In line with previous rumors and confirmations, Apple today announced the opening of a new development center in Hyderabad, India focused on Apple Maps development.
WaveRock campus in Hyderabad, India
The new center will employ up to 4,000 workers, with the announcement coming as part of Tim Cook’s ongoing trip to China and India.
“Apple is focused on making the best products and services in the world and we are thrilled to open this new office in Hyderabad which will focus on Maps development,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The talent here in the local area is incredible and we are looking forward to expanding our relationships and introducing more universities and partners to our platforms as we scale our operations.” […]
“Apple is one of the most innovative companies in the world and we are very proud they chose us to partner with for this important project,” said Anup Jindal, RMSI’s CEO. “We are experts in geospatial data and we will be hiring thousands of people from the local area to support this effort.”
According to previous reports, the new center at Tishman Speyer’s WaveRock campus in Hyderabad is 250,000 square feet, with Apple investing $25 million in the project.
The news comes a day after Apple announced plans to open an iOS App Design and Development Accelerator in Bangalore, India. That center, intended to aid Indian app developers in adopting Apple’s Swift programming language and help with development and one-on-one app reviews, is planned to open early next year.
Tags: Apple Maps, India
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How to get an App Store refund from Apple – CNET
Unhappy with an app purchase? You may be able to get a refund.
Suppose, for example, you purchased an app by accident. It could happen; perhaps you thought you were getting the trial version, or you’d been considering a handful of different mileage-tracking apps and just plain bought the wrong one. More likely: One of the kids bought something without your permission.
There’s also the possibility you bought an app and just plain hate it. Maybe a game looked really good on paper (or in screenshots) but turned out to be not your cup of tea.
Whatever the case, you can probably get your money back — especially if you ask for it soon after making your purchase (as opposed to, say, weeks later). In other words, Apple seems willing to refund App Store “mistakes,” at least based on a recent experience I had.
Just one problem: There’s no obvious way to request that refund — until you know where to look. Here’s the fastest, easiest option:
Step 1: Open a Web browser and head to reportaproblem.apple.com.
Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET
Step 2: Sign into your iTunes account with your regular username and password.
Step 3: Find the app in question, then click the Report a Problem button alongside it.
Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET
Step 4: Click the Choose Problem pull-down and select the option that most closely matches your issue. Provide a brief description of why you’re seeking a refund, then click Submit.
And that’s it! In my case — “Didn’t mean to purchase this item,” which was absolutely true — the request was accepted immediately, and my refund was processed roughly 36 hours later.
Needless to say, you shouldn’t abuse this system, shouldn’t use this as a way to try an app that doesn’t have a trial version. I suspect that if you go to this refund well too often, Apple may start to refuse your requests.
I should also mention that the Report a Problem option isn’t just for apps; it’s available for just about anything you buy from iTunes: music, movies, books and so on. Just keep in mind, “I didn’t like that movie, it was terrible” isn’t a valid (or available) reason for a refund.
AIVAnet 