Grab this ultra-slim wireless charging pad for just $9

Right now you can grab Seneo’s Qi wireless charging pad for just $9 at Amazon with coupon code MKLDCW5I. This price is an $11 savings from its usual $20 price point, making it quite a deal. Coming in at only 7mm thin, this charging pad is ultra-portable and you likely won’t notice it in your travel bags, on your desk or nightstand. You will need a phone that supports wireless charging in order to make use of it, but if you are tired of trying to plug your phone in while it is dark, this is a great investment for you.

We don’t know how long the deal will last for, so if you are interested you’ll want to order one sooner than later. Remember, you need coupon code MKLDCW5I for the full savings.

See at Amazon

360fly 4K is a massive improvement over its predecessor

The 360-degree action cam now comes in 4K, complete with vastly improved software.

The big question when it comes to buying a 360-degree camera right now is what do you want to do with it? If your goal is fun group shots with your friends, you probably don’t need something built for rugged mounting. If you want to mount your camera on the side of a motorcycle and cruise Skyline Drive at speeds that aren’t 100% in line with the posted speed limit, chances are you don’t want an awkward stick hanging off the side of your tank. What you’re going to do with the camera matters in a big way.

Read More at VR Heads!

BLU bakes 3D Touch and more into the $300 Pure XR

BLU has just announced its latest smartphone, the Pure XR, and it packs quite a value at $299 unlocked.

Based out of Florida, BLU has been making unlocked Android phones for quite some time. Many of its offerings are low to mid-end hardware, and usually don’t stand out in the crowd. The company’s latest offering though, the Pure XR, is eye-catching and offers you a whole lot of phone for not a ton of money. Coming in at $299 unlocked, it offers a 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage and more. You’ll get a fingerprint sensor on the front, along with an 8MP camera for capturing those awesome selfies, and on the rear you’ve got a 16MP camera.

In addition to adding high-quality audio to the phone, BLU also worked in its own version of 3D Touch, similar to the iPhone 6s. It measures the sensitivity of your touch to determine which action it will perform. A full run down of the specs includes:

You can grab the BLU Pure XR at both Amazon and Best Buy currently for $299. It is unlocked and has 4G LTE compatibility on both AT&T and T-Mobile. Will you be picking one up? If so, let us know which color in the comments.

See at Amazon

Fitbit updates activity tracker lineup with new Charge 2 and Flex 2

Fitbit promised the world it would introduce new devices this year. It’s now unveiling two of them.

The new Charge 2 and Flex 2 are activity-tracking wristbands. They are update models, actually. For instance, much like its predecessor, the Flex 2 is a slim wearable that can track everything from your steps to calories burned. It can also measure your distance traveled and sleep. However, instead of a display, you’ll get alerts via four colour-coded LED lights complemented with notifications sent to your smartphone.

• Fitbit Charge 2 and Fitbit Flex 2: What’s the story so far?
• Which Fitbit is right for me?

Although it doesn’t have an optical heart rate sensor or GPS, it comes with Fitbit’s Smart Track feature, allowing the low-cost wristband to auto-detect when you’ve started an exercise and vibrate when you’ve sat still for too long. It is also Fitbit’s first activity tracker to come with waterproofing – up to 50 meters, in fact. It can even detect when you’re swimming. Oh, and its battery life is about five days.

As for the new Charge 2 activity tracker, it is the successor to the Charge HR. The display is about four times larger, and you must press a physical button to navigate through most options like steps, heart rate, exercise, stopwatch, etc. It comes with “connected GPS”, which means if your phone is connected, it can do location tracking, accurately measure distances, and later, map your exercises in the Fitbit mobile app.

The heart-rate-sensor-equipped Charge 2 can also use your basic information like age, gender, weight, and heart levels during an exercise to serve up a cardio score metric. There’s 2- or 5-minute breathing activities you can access, too. If any of this interests you, the Charge 2 costs the same price as the Charge HR ($149). Preorders are now open, with shipments beginning in mid-September.

Like the Flex 2, expected battery life is five days, Fitbit said. Speaking of the Flex 2, that wearable is cheaper ($99) than the Charge 2, naturally, and it’s actually a tiny module that slots into a flexible wristband, though it can uniquely become a gold, silver, or 22-carat bracelet (sold separately) for fancier occasions. It’s also now available for preorder, but it won’t ship until early October.

Russia hopes ‘clean’ rockets are the future of spaceflight

If you ask Russia, modern rockets are hindered by not just their engines, but their fuel — the chemicals just aren’t powerful enough to carry increasingly heavier loads and keep costs in check. To that end, the country’s Advanced Research Foundation has conducted what it says is the first successful test of a full-size pulse-detonation engine (where rapid-fire detonation waves combust the fuel and oxidizer) running “clean” fuel. The oxygen-kerosene mix isn’t so much eco-friendly (although it does burn more cleanly) as very efficient. Its high thermodynamic performance, combined with the extra efficiency of pulse-detonation itself, would let rockets either carry more cargo into space or reduce costs by getting vehicles into orbit faster.

The concept of a pulse-detonation engine isn’t new. The concept reportedly originated in Russia in the mid-20th century, and the US Air Force even tested one aboard an aircraft in 2008. However, it has largely been the stuff of sci-fi in rockets, in no small part due to the added risk of stress. You are producing continuous explosions, after all. Russia’s test shows that the technology could finally be practical for spaceflight. If scientists can translate their experiments to practical rockets, you could see more frequent (not to mention more ambitious) space missions going forward.

Via: RT

Source: FPI (translated)

Swing states don’t want DHS to protect its voting machines

Some states’ electronic voting machines are antiquated, insecure and vulnerable to potential attacks from hostile attackers. But despite this, states like Georgia and Pennsylvania would prefer to take the risk than allow the Department of Home Security anywhere near them. NextGov is reporting that those states have rejected an offer from DHS chief Jeh Johnson to inspect the equipment for ways in which hackers could rig the vote. It comes just days after Johnson openly mulled demarcating voting machines as critical infrastructure — meaning that they’d be defended with the same ferocity as power stations.

Georgia’s secretary of state Brian Kemp feels that the Department of Homeland Security is overreaching in its attempt to, uh, preserve homeland security. The report quotes Kemp as saying that moves to guard voting machines is a “vast federal overreach” that “would not equally improve the security of elections.” There are some who would disagree, including UNC professor Zeynep Tufekci, who told reporters that Georgia’s voting machines are “more than a decade old” and “falling apart.” Then there’s the fact that the hardware is running that most secure of operating systems: Windows 2000.

There’s never been a proven attack on a US voting machine before, but such equipment is often targeted by hackers. The fact that Russia is suspected to have hacked the Democratic National Convention (amongst other things) suggests that the country is meddling in the 2016 general election. Protecting digital infrastructure, especially some of the most vital components of the democratic process, would seem like a no brainer. For most people, at least.

Source: NextGov

Fitbit Announces Charge 2 With 4x Larger Display and Flex 2 With Swim Tracking

Following image leaks of two new Fitbit fitness trackers, the company today officially announced the Fitbit Charge 2 and Fitbit Flex 2. In addition, the Fitbit Blaze and Fitbit Alta wearables will receive a software update soon that brings new notifications, clock faces, and move reminders.

Fitbit Charge 2 (left) and Fitbit Flex 2 (right)
Starting with the Fitbit Charge 2, the new device comes with a large OLED screen that includes a built-in tap display and is intended to capture all-day activity, including the usual statistics like step count, heart rate, calories burned, and more. Like other Fitbits, the Charge 2 allows for sleep tracking and wake alarms, and will also remind users to move in order to stay ahead of activity goals. When not working out, Fitbit is giving Charge 2 users a chance to dress their device up with all-new luxe leather bands and other premium accessories.

Improving on the original Fitbit Charge HR, the new OLED display is 4-times larger, “so you can see more activity stats and keep your fitness goals on track with just a glance.” In addition to basic fitness readouts, the screen will also show smartphone-connected information such as text messages and emails. All of the Fitbit Charge 2’s features will be able to last up to 5 days depending on usage, according to the company.

The luxe leather collection for the Charge 2
Similar to the Breathe app coming to WatchOS 3 on the Apple Watch, Fitbit also announced “Relax,” a mindfulness experience on the Charge 2 that will guide users through breathing exercises daily to help relax them. Relax will read each user’s heart rate to determine the most comfortable breathing rate for each exercise, with sessions customizable from 2 to 5 minutes.

The Fitbit Flex 2, which is 30 percent smaller than the original model, follows in its predecessor’s footsteps with a minimalist design that houses a row of LED lights instead of a traditional tap display. As a result, the Flex 2 is more rugged and the device is even water resistant up to 50 meters, letting it “automatically track your pool swims as exercise in the Fitbit app, capturing your laps, the duration of your workout, and caloric burn.”

The luxe collection of bangles and pendants for the Flex 2
Due to the Fitbit Flex 2’s small design, the actual tracker is also able to be housed in a variety of new wearable accessories created by the company. These include basic wristbands, fashionable bangles, and even necklaces. Fitbit will also be launching “designer collections” of new wearable accessories, including stainless steel bands and nylon bracelets that cost a more premium price, up to nearly $300.

The Fitbit Flex 2 is available for pre-order as a wristband in black, lavender, magenta, and navy for $99.95, and will launch in November. The Fitbit Charge 2 has a few more color options: black/silver, plum/silver, blue/silver, teal/silver, lavender/rose gold, and black/gunmetal, the latter two of which are considered “special editions.” The Charge 2 is not yet up for pre-order, however, but those interested can opt-in for email notifications for when the new device will go on sale, presumably alongside the Flex 2 in the fall.

Tag: Fitbit
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ANZ Expands Apple Pay Support to MasterCard in Australia

Australian bank ANZ will enable Apple Pay support for MasterCard cardholders starting August 30, four months after adding support for Visa and American Express cards, according to The Australian Business Review.

From today, about 500,000 more ANZ customers will have the opportunity to use Apple Pay, as MasterCard is added alongside Visa and American Express.

Eligible cards, including the ANZ Low Rate MasterCard and ANZ Low Rate Platinum MasterCard, can be added to Apple Pay by tapping the “Add Credit or Debit Card” option in the Wallet app on iPhone 5 and later running iOS 8.1 or newer.

MasterCard support has been listed as “coming soon” on the Apple Pay website in Australia since earlier this year.

ANZ is the only bank that accepts Apple Pay in Australia as competing “Big Four” institutions in the country, including Commonwealth Bank, NAB, and Westpac, so far unsuccessfully fight to negotiate with Apple over access to its NFC-based digital payment technology. The trio of banks want their customers to be able to use digital wallets they have already financed and developed.

August has seen a number of banks and financial institutions enable Apple Pay support around the world, including Tangerine and PC Financial in Canada, BEA and Tap & Go in Hong Kong, and Clydesdale Bank, Yorkshire Bank, and B in the United Kingdom.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Tags: Australia, MasterCard
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Iran launches the first part of its national data network

Iran made a lot of fuss about creating a national data network way back in 2005, and after 11 years it’s finally ready… sort of. The country has launched the first phase of the network, which promises speeds up to 60 times faster than conventional internet in the area thanks to both local data centers and high-speed fiber optic lines. It’ll only truly be finished by March 2017 (when the second and third phases will be in place), but the government claims that it’ll be a “reliable, stable and safe” network that improves Iran’s economy and overall independence.

Those statements are true on a basic level, as Iran has generally been at the mercy of sanctions (including after its nuclear shutdown deal) that limit what it can do. However, this is as much about maintaining the status quo as anything. A national network makes it harder for countries like the US to plant malware. Infiltrators would have to slip rogue code on to a computer inside the country, like what happened with Stuxnet. And of course, it’s much easier for Iran to censor ideas on a domestic network — it doesn’t have to worry about foreign companies that are beyond its control. Iran’s internet access isn’t going away, but there’s no doubt that officials would prefer to wean people off of it and assert more control.

Via: Iran Front Page, Today.az

Source: Tasnim News Agency