Court Ruling Could Lead to Stricter Password-Sharing Laws in the Future

Earlier this month a federal appeals court decided that an employee “acted without authorization” after he used a former co-worker’s password login without their permission, in order to gain access to a collection of their data. Concerning the case The United States of America v. David Nosal, this has led to a decision by the court to rule that password sharing is a federal crime under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, meaning that sharing your login among friends and family for accounts like Netflix and HBO Go could now be an illegal act (via TechCrunch).

Judge McKeown, who is close to the case and wrote its opinion, admitted that more innocent forms of password sharing “bears little resemblance” to the circumstances presented in the lawsuit that ignited the ruling. McKeown urged future judges and courts to consider how important “facts and context” are to each case, and craft rulings surrounding password-sharing lawsuits and their legality from there.

While the daily sharing of passwords has yet to be designated as a violation of federal law, some do see the new ruling as a slippery slope to a future where giving a friend your HBO Go login could land you in a heap of trouble. Judge Reinhardt took the dissenting opinion on the case, commenting that while David Nosal may have gotten into “criminal or civil” liabilities while logging into his co-worker’s accounts, “he has not violated the CFAA.”

This case is about password sharing. People frequently share their passwords, notwithstanding the fact that websites and employers have policies prohibiting it. In my view, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”) does not make the millions of people who engage in this ubiquitous, useful, and generally harmless conduct into unwitting federal criminals. Whatever other liability, criminal or civil, Nosal may have incurred in his improper attempt to compete with his former employer, he has not violated the CFAA. — Judge Stephen Reinhardt, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

An act so widely perpetrated is far less likely to incur major legal repercussions, even if it does become enacted on more of a wider scale, but there is still a possibility for the federal appeals court’s decision to let companies decide on their own whether password sharing should be more strictly reprimanded or not. Comments by Netflix earlier this year at CES suggest the company won’t be heading in that direction any time soon, as CEO Reed Hastings saw the expansive sharing of their services as “a positive thing.”

Tags: Netflix, HBO GO
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‘Pokémon Go Plus’ Wearable Wristband’s Resell Price Rises to Upwards of $250

Given the intense popularity of the new augmented reality game Pokémon Go, a few retailers have begun facing shortages of the game’s $35 wrist-worn accessory, the Pokémon Go Plus, which allows users to receive notifications about nearby Pokémon right on their wrists. Although some players expected the app itself to send push notifications to their phone’s lock screen, as it stands the only way to be notified about a Pokémon’s appearance is to use Battery Saver mode and leave the app open, or invest in Nintendo’s accessory.

That investment will now cost you upwards of hundreds of dollars, unfortunately. At the time of writing, the Pokémon Go Plus is sold out at Amazon, GameStop, and even the official United Kingdom Nintendo Store lists it as “temporarily unavailable.” As discovered by IGN, the wearable is still available on the reseller auction site eBay, but the average price is hitting somewhere between $100 and $250 for the official first-party version, and not a copy cat.

Some of the cheapest guaranteed pre-orders on eBay begin at around $140, while a few bidding auctions are currently in action with prices that will probably reach closer to $200. There are also a few Buy it Now options around that price range, with the absolute highest-tiers coming closer to $250. Low level auctions are starting frequently, but given that their start price is already a steep amount, like $60, it’s likely they’ll also break the $100 barrier.

The Pokémon Go Plus not only vibrates and notifies players of nearby Pokémon via a Bluetooth connection, but it lets them tap a button at the center of the device to throw a Poké Ball, without taking out their smartphone, in attempts to catch the Pokémon lurking nearby. The device was announced alongside the game back in September 2015.

As such, the accessory isn’t necessary to the experience of Pokémon Go, but some players might see its addition to their time with the game as majorly beneficial, and perhaps more inclined to a safer experience given the fact that it lets players check in on the game without taking out their phone, although its new resell value is likely to impede more than a few purchases.

Those who have yet to do so can download Pokémon Go from the iOS App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: Pokémon GO
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Grab SanDisk’s 200GB microSD card for $59

As part of Amazon’s Prime Day, SanDisk is offering heavy discounts on SSDs, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 flash drives, and microSD cards. You can pick up a 200GB microSD card for $59.99, and a 960GB Ultra II SSD for just $165.

SD cards

• SanDisk Ultra 64GB microSDXC UHS-I Card – $14.99 – down from $19.99
• SanDisk Ultra 128GB microSDXC UHS-I Card – $32.99 – down from $39.99
• SanDisk Ultra 200GB microSD Card – $59.99 – down from $79.95
• SanDisk Extreme 32GB SDHC UHS-I/U3 Card – $11.99 – down from $16.49
• SanDisk Extreme 64GB SDHC UHS-I/U3 Card – $21.49 – down from $28.72
• SanDisk Extreme 128GB SDHC UHS-I/U3 Card – $41.99 – $down from $54.95
• SanDisk Extreme 128GB MicroSDXC UHS-I Card – $59.99 – down from $79.99

USB drives

• SanDisk Cruzer 64GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive – $11.99 – down from $15.99
• SanDisk Cruzer 128GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive – $20.99 – down from $27.99
• SanDisk Cruzer 256GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive – $39.99 – down from $69.99
• SanDisk Ultra 128GB Dual Drive USB 3.0 (OTG) – $24.89 – down from $30.62
• SanDisk Ultra Fit 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive – $12.49 – down from $16.59
• SanDisk Ultra Fit 128GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive – $22.99 – down from $29.99

SSDs

• SanDisk Plus 480GB SSD – $92.99 – down from $149.99
• SanDisk Ultra II 480GB SSD – $94.99 – down from $126.08
• SanDisk Ultra II 960GB SSD – $164.99 – down from $224.57

Be sure to head to Amazon to check out all the deals on offer today.

See at Amazon

Pokémon Go terms to know!

What are some Pokémon Go terms?

As Pokémon Go takes over your life, be sure you’re talking the lingo with your fellow trainers. Here are the important terms that are used throughout the Pokémon Go universe.

• Battle
• Combat Power (CP)
• Defender Bonus
• Eggs
• Evolution
• Candy
• Experience Points (XP)
• Fainted Pokémon
• Gyms
• Hit Points
• Incense
• Incubator
• Lure Module
• Lucky Egg
• Medals
• Poké Balls
• PokéCoins
• Pokédex
• PokéStops
• Potions
• Power-Up
• Prestige
• Razz Berry
• Stardust
• Training
• Trainer
• Wild Pokémon

Battle

A battle is a fight between your Pokémon and a wild, rival, or friendly Pokémon. In Pokémon Go, you can only battle at Gyms.

When you reach a rival gym, you have the chance to battle other teams’ (blue, yellow, or red) Pokémon for an opportunity to claim the Gym itself.

For every rival Pokémon you defeat in battle, you lower the Gym’s Prestige and once you reduce it to zero, you can capture the Gym for yourself and your team!

Combat Power (CP)

A Pokémon’s Combat Power will determine how strong it is during a battle against another Pokémon. This is how you measure a Pokémon’s attack strength.

Defender Bonus

A Defender Bonus is a daily reward you can get for defending a Gym. You can get rewards like PokéCoins and Stardust. These Defender Bonuses can be claimed at the shop in the game.

Eggs

Eggs are items that you can find throughout the game that will hatch into Pokémon. Pokémon Eggs can be found at PokéStops, and once you walk a certain distance with the egg in an incubator, the egg will hatch into a Pokémon!

Evolution

Evolution is what happens when your Pokémon levels up and becomes a stronger version of itself!

By using Candy, you can evolve and change your Pokémon into a more advanced species of Pokémon.

Candy

Candy is important! It can be used to evolve and strengthen your Pokémon throughout your adventures!

You can get your Candies by transferring Pokémon to Professor Willow, by catching Pokémon, or by hatching Pokémon Eggs.

Experience Points (XP)

Your Experience Points (XP) is how your progress is measured throughout your Poké-venture. By upping your XP, you can advance to higher Trainer levels.

Fainted Pokémon

When a Pokémon is completely depleted of Hit Points (HP), it will faint. You can use Revive or Max Revive to bring your fainted Pokémon back into the game.

Gyms

Gyms are specific locations where you can go and battle the Pokémon of rival teams. You can also go to Gyms owned by your team to train your Pokémon by battling against the Pokémon assigned there by other members of your team.

When you’re playing, you’ll see that Gyms belonging to your team are known as “friendly” Gyms, while Gyms that have been claimed by other teams are known as “rival” Gyms. Gyms that have not been claimed, however, are known as open Gyms – so what are you waiting for? Go claim a Gym!

Hit Points (HP)

Hit Points are how a Pokémon’s health is measured. When a Pokémon has zero HP, it faints and can no longer be used in battle until you revive it with a Revive or Max Revive item.

Incense

Incense will attract wild Pokémon to your location because of its aroma.

At the beginning of your adventure, you are given two. You can also buy one incense in the shop for 80 PokéCoins.

Incubator

Once you get an Egg, you place it into an incubator. This will let it hatch into a Pokémon as you walk.

You can upgrade your incubators as you play, which will decrease the total distance it takes to hatch an egg.

Lure Module

Lure Modules work like a stronger version of Incense by coaxing Pokémon to your location. All players can see a Lure Module, and everyone can take advantage of an active one, even if they aren’t the original person to set it up.

By using a Lure Module, you can attract wild Pokémon to a PokéStop for a limited time. Then all you have to do is catch them!

Lucky Egg

Lucky Eggs can double the amount of XP you earn for all actions for around 30 minutes.

You can either buy Lucky Eggs in the shop, or you can receive them as a reward while you level up. For example, getting to level 9 will earn you a Lucky Egg.

Medals

You get awarded medals as you get gameplay achievements throughout your adventures. There are a few different types you can get, including…

• Jogger: Walk x kilometers
• Kanto: Register Pokémon
• Collector: Capture Pokémon
• Scientist: Evolve Pokémon
• Breeder: Hatch Eggs
• Backpacker: Visit PokéStops
• Battle Girl: Win Gym Battles
• Ace Trainer: Train x times
• Pikachu Fan: Catch Pikachu
• Fairy Tale Girl: Catch fairy Pokémon
• Black Belt: Catch fighting Pokémon
• Punk Girl: Catch poison Pokémon
• Schoolkid: Catch normal Pokémon
• Bird Keeper: Catch flying Pokémon
• Dragon Tamer: Catch dragon Pokémon
• Hiker: Catch Rock Pokémon
• Ruin Maniac: Catch ground Pokémon
• Psychic: Catch psychic Pokémon
• Hex Maniac: Catch ghost Pokémon
• Bug Catcher: Catch bug Pokémon
• Swimmer: Catch water Pokémon
• Gardener: Catch grass Pokémon
• Kindler: Catch fire Pokémon

Poké Balls

Poké Balls are what you use to catch wild Pokémon! They can be picked up at the shop or found at PokéStops.

There are different types of Poké Balls throughout the game. Great Balls, Ultra Balls, and Master Balls are high performance Poké Balls with a better chance of catching wild Pokémon.

PokéCoins

PokéCoins are the currency in the Poké-world! Trainers can exchange coins for premium items in the shop. People can also buy PokéCoins in the shop.

Pokédex

The ultimate Pokémon guide! The Pokédex is where you will find information about all the Pokémon you have caught or encountered in your adventures!

PokéStop

PokéStops are specific locations that you can go to gather items like Poké Balls, Eggs, and Potions.

A PokéStop will change its shape when you get close to it. To interact with a PokéStop, simply touch it and spin the Photo Disc to get items.

Potions

Potions are used to heal your Pokémon. When you use a Potion, you restore your Pokémon’s Hit Points (HP) so they can battle again.

Power-Up

By using a Candy and Stardust, Trainers can power up their Pokémon. This will increase their CP and HP.

Prestige

Prestige is how a Gym’s progress is measured as different teams try to claim it. Prestige is earned when Pokémon train at the Gym.

To advance a certain Gym to higher levels, you have to increase a Gym’s Prestige. The higher a Gym’s Prestige, the more Pokémon can be added to defend it.

Razz Berry

While Razz Berry’s cannot be purchased and can only be found at PokéStops, you can feed them to wild Pokémon to make them easier to catch. Razz Berry’s will appear in later levels of the game when more difficult Pokémon begin to appear.

If a wild Pokémon has a high CP level or is rare, the player can use a Razz Berry to increase the chances of the Pokémon actually staying caught in a Poké Ball.

Stardust

You get Stardust by hatching Eggs, catching Pokémon, and earning the daily Defender bonus. It can be used to Power Up your Pokémon.

Training

When you’re at a friendly Gym, A.K.A. a Gym run by your team, Trainers can battle Pokémon that have been assigned there by other members of their team. This will increase the Prestige of the Gym and their Experience Points.

Trainer

Trainers are the people who adventure, explore, play, and battle in the world of Pokémon Go: You!

Wild Pokémon

Pokémon that have not been caught are called wild Pokémon.

How do you play?

How far along are you in Pokémon Go? What’s your favorite part of the game? Sound off in the comments below!

Pokémon Go

• Requirements to play Pokémon Go
• The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
• How to play without killing your battery
• Be careful where you download from
• Join our Pokémon Go forums!

HTC 10 gets a $100 discount until July 31, now on sale for $599

HTC is knocking $100 off of the price of the HTC 10, with the phone now available for $599 until July 31 when bought directly from the Taiwanese manufacturer’s website. The promotion is valid on both Glacier Silver and Carbon Grey color options of the phone, as well as carrier editions (T-Mobile, Sprint, or Verizon) and the unlocked model.

The price includes HTC’s Uh-Oh accidental damage protection, which covers any damage to the screen or other hardware for 12 months from the date of purchase. HTC is also giving a $100 credit toward buying accessories from its website, although you won’t be able to use it to buy any Vive accessories. You can however, pick up an Ice View case, as well as HTC’s Active in-ear headphones as well as a spare USB-C cable for that price.

The promotion is available until July 31. Anyone interested?

See at HTC

HTC 10

• HTC 10 review
• HTC 10 specs
• All HTC 10 news
• These are the HTC 10 colors
• Meet the Ice View case
• Join our HTC 10 forums

HTC
Verizon

How to buy and use PokéCoins in Pokémon Go

How do I buy PokéCoins in Pokémon Go?

Like them or hate them, microtransactions are a staple of mobile gaming and, yes, Pokémon Go has them. If you’re into that sort of thing, here’s what you need to know.

How to buy PokéCoins

The microtransactions in Pokémon Go take the form of PokéCoins, which you can use to buy extra PokéBalls, extra lives, and a few other things too. Here’s how to open your wallet and spend your hard-earned cash on pixel currency.

Launch Pokémon Go.
Tap the Main Menu button in Map View. It’s the Poké Ball at the bottom of the screen.
Tap the Shop button.

Tap the pack of PokéCoins all the way at the bottom that you wish to buy.

Once you have selected your PokéCoin pack, you’ll be directed to complete your purchase via the Google Play store. After your your purchase is complete, your PokéCoins will appear in your account and you can use them to purchase premium items.

How to use PokéCoins to buy premium items

You’ve got yourself some shiny PokéCoins, but how do you use them? It’s as easy as a couple of taps.

Tap the Main Menu button in Map View.

Tap the Shop button. Your PokéCoin balance appears on the top of the screen.

Tap a premium item to select it.

Tap the item’s Exchange For to complete your purchase.

That’s it. Your item will appear in your Bag after a short delay.

Are you purchasing PokéCoins?

If so, what are you using them for? Let us know in the comments below.

Pokémon Go

• Requirements to play Pokémon Go
• The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
• How to play without killing your battery
• Be careful where you download from
• Join our Pokémon Go forums!

Amazing Samsung Galaxy Note 7 leak shows full prototype

Ahead of its official launch, a fresh set of photos allegedly showing of a prototype version of the Galaxy Note 7 have been published online. Renowned leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer pushed a collection of photos to his Twitter account, allegedly showing a pre-release model, and revealing much of what we’ve already come to expect. 

It’s not the first time images of the Note 7 have been published. Not long ago, the front panel leaked showing an array of circular “windows” for the front-loaded sensors – particularly the iris scanner – near the earpiece.

These don’t appear in the first image leaked by Hemmerstoffer, and aren’t anywhere to be seen in the leaked press renders published by @evleaks, but curiously do appear in a follow-up set of images of the alleged prototype.  

And a few more… #Samsung #Note7 pic.twitter.com/Ve47o6M1CC

— Steve Hemmerstoffer (@stagueve) July 11, 2016

There are, of course, a number of plausible explanations for the differing sensor set up on the front panel. Firstly, there’s a very real chance that Samsung has been working on several different prototypes. Secondly, one (or more) of these images might not be genuine products.

It seems as though, perhaps, the panel and subsequent phone leaks show an earlier prototype device, while the Samsung branded model without all the sensors is close to final design. It would certainly explain why the leaked press renders match one of these leaks and not the others.

It’s been rumoured that Samsung will unveil the next Note-series phone at an event next month, and that it will likely feature a 5.7-inch to 5.8-inch Quad HD resolution display. We’re also expecting the phone to be powered by the more powerful Snapdragon 821 processor recently announced by Qualcomm, along with at least 4GB RAM and with a redesigned S-Pen. 

Regardless of exactly when the phone launches, it’s almost certain that Samsung’s Galaxy Note launch this year will kick off a flurry of activity in the smartphone market as several manufacturers start pushing out new devices in time for the holiday season. Apple will likely launch its iPhone 7 series, new Nexus phones are due, and HTC could be launching the mid-range Desire 10. 

Honor 8 is an all-glass, affordable alternative to Huawei P9

Huawei’s affordable brand, Honor has announced a brand new phone in China. The Honor 8 is a premium-looking Android phone with a stunning glass finish on the front and back, as well as a dual camera system (no Leica branding anywhere to be seen, unsurprisingly).

Looking at the spec sheet, you could be forgiven for thinking this is just a slightly cheaper version of the Huawei P9 that was launched earlier this year. Like the P9 it has a 5.2-inch 1080p full HD display and the 12MP f/2.2 fual camera system on the back. One sensor is colour (RGB) the other is monochrome (B&W), just like the P9. 

It also has the same 8MP front facing camera, and the same hybrid microSD card reader which can hold either two nano SIMs or one nano SIM and a microSD card. It’s the same EMUI 4.1 software running on Android 6.0 too. 

Even looking at the processors, there’s very little difference. The Kirin 950 octa-core chip inside the Honor 8 is essentially a slightly less powerful version of the Kirin 955 processor inside Huawei’s latest all-metal flagship phone. That’s saying, it should be just as fast and fluid as the more expensive Huawei P9. It even has the fingerprint sensor on the back. 

• Honor V8 hands-on preview: Dual cameras, but no Leica in sight
• Huawei P9 review: The flagship and the folly

Looking at the two phones, it’s clear the only significant differences are the design and price. While the Huawei P9 has an all-metal body, the Honor 8 has 2.5D curved glass on the front and back.

This might make the phone more slippery than its high-end cousin, but it should still feel like a well-made device. As a side note, it also happens to be around 0.4mm thicker and 0.5mm taller than a P9, which is to say, they’re virtually the same size too. 

There are several different memory combinations of the Honor smartphone, with the base model featuring 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage, and two higher-specced phones with either 4GB RAM and 32GB Storage or 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. As far as the Honor product lineup goes, it’s almost a “mini” version of the metal Honor V8 we got our hands on in May. 

Price-wise, the Honor 8 has launched in China with a reasonable 1,999 Yuan starting price-point which translates to roughly £230. While it’s unlikely to translate to exactly that price in the UK if (or when) it launches here, it should still be noticeably cheaper than the £430 Huawei. 

Now Fox is live streaming its prime-time TV across the US

CBS All Access, NBC and Watch ABC were first to live streaming network TV on the internet, but this week Fox Now became the first broadcast network to stream its live TV nationwide. Unlike the CBS app, Fox is tying this “beta” access to the live streams to TV Everywhere authentications, which means cord cutters are not invited unless they snag a login from someone with cable TV (Disney-owned ABC and Comcast-owned NBC do the same). We’ll have to wait and see if Fox ever opens things up for people to simply buy internet access, but for now its says 98 percent of pay TV subscribers should have access, representing some 96 million homes.

Monday night viewers could stream So You Thing You Can Dance: The Next Generation via the Fox website or its apps on iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Apple TV and Chromecast. The plan is to stream its other primetime content too, and all the new shows when they start airing this fall. What is not included is sports, which will still stream through the Fox Sports Go app.

Conflicts with local affiliates and their owners have slowed down the rollout of other broadcast network’s live streaming features so far. The reason why Fox may have been able to roll this out nationwide is technology that’s letting local affiliates insert their ads and branding. The Fox Now app is apparently up to more than 25 million downloads, and if your cable or satellite company is one of the 10 biggest, then you’ll definitely be able to log in and watch immediately.

Source: Fox

Ashley Madison gives infidelity a new look

Trust is one of the few commodities that you can’t get more of by spending money and you can’t regain it once it’s been lost. When a relationship loses that fundamental belief in each other’s reliability then there’s almost nothing you can do to save it.

Speaking of which, Ashley Madison is back and has launched a new ad campaign to convince people that it’s capable of guarding your email addresses and credit card numbers. The site has undergone a glossy rebrand, with parent company Avid Life Media being renamed as Ruby to make it appear more feminine. The one thing that didn’t survive the changes was the website’s eye-catching tagline: “life is short, have an affair.”

Of course, any attempt to classy-up Ashley Madison after the last year is akin to telling people that Arby’s is a Michelin-starred restaurant. The site suffered a high-profile hack in 2015 that saw its entire data cache dumped on the dark web for everyone to gawp at. The company has now confirmed what analysts said last year concerning the majority of female users on the site being nothing more than software ‘bots. In addition, hackers learned that the site’s “paid delete” option was a scam designed to rinse a further $19 from customers. But hey: the commercials look sultry, so why not forget all about that and just pay attention to the pretty pictures.

Via: Mashable

Source: PRNewswire, Ashley Madison