Fossil’s latest Android Wear smartwatches arrive on August 29th
Fossil revealed a handful of new wearables back in March and a pair of those gadgets are arriving this month. The company announced today that its Q Wander and Q Marshal smartwatches would be available for pre-order August 12th and are due to hit Fossil stores (both retail and online) August 29th. Both models run Android Wear, so they’re compatible with both Android and iOS devices. The 45mm timepieces pack touchscreen displays, steel cases, interchangeable bands and magnetic charging. To complete the look you’re after, Fossil offers a range of bands that include leather, silicon and stainless steel options.
Thanks to Android Wear, you can expect notifications, custom watch faces and activity tracking with the likes of Google Fit, Under Armour’s UA Record, Jawbone UP and MyFitness Pal. While the Q smartwatches will work with an iPhone, the Android faithful will be able to respond to text messages on-screen or using voice commands with the smartwatches. The Q Wander and Q Marshal will set you back $295 if you’re will to take the leap. These two models join Fossil’s other Q wearables that include smartwatches with both digital and analog displays in addition to dedicated activity trackers.
Source: Fossil (PR Newswire)
Samsung denies its mobile payment platform is insecure
Every year the Black Hat conference highlights and analyzes security vulnerabilities in common services public awareness and a little infamy. On Sunday, a researcher released a paper criticizing the point-of-service purchasing system Samsung Pay for perceived weakness in its algorithm that could be exploited by hackers. In its security blog, the Korean tech giant refuted the claims, insisting that its math is different than described in the report and therefore still sound.
Samsung Pay works kind of like bank card chips: slide a phone over a reader synced up to the service and it broadcasts a “token” number inspired by but not exactly like that of the linked financial account. Unlike a magnetic strip on the back of your typical bank plastic, which delivers exactly the sixteen digits on the front and therefore can be reused infinitely, these “tokenized” systems are only created for that single transaction.
Of course, the account and “token” numbers have to be linked somehow, or systems wouldn’t know where to charge purchases. That’s where the algorithm comes in, a formula that generates new temporary numbers that is, users trust, too complex for hackers to crack. In his paper, Black Hat researcher Salvador Mendoza lays out how he believes this system works, including how the one-time “tokens” are generated, and lays out three scenarios for hackers to break into that algorithm: use a magnetic card spoofer to generate tokens, jam a transaction to force another temporary code to be generated while the hacker uses the first and use a social engineering tool to capture tokens and transmit them by email.
Naturally, Samsung denies that its algorithm works how Mendoza described it. Its security blog post points to a technology FAQ illustrating how its system protects against hackers: first, with its Knox software-and-hardware identity verification, and second, with TrustZone processor architecture built specifically to run sensitive processes separately from typical ones.
The FAQ doesn’t say that some of these methods, like jamming the signal and “skimming” unused tokens, is impossible, just extremely unlikely. To work, it would have to meet several requirements: the hacker would have to be physically near the purchase and jam the user before approving it. Even then, the Samsung Pay user would be alerted when the scammer used the token. This is a known issue, the FAQ notes, but given that every purchase runs through both the tech giant’s and the bank’s fraud analysis algorithm, they deemed it extremely unlikely and therefore acceptable.
Update: Samsung has issued a statement, included below:
Recent reports implying that Samsung Pay is flawed are simply not true. Samsung Pay uses a multi-layer security system that works in tandem with the security systems of our partners to detect any emerging threats. Samsung Pay is safe, secure and consumers can be assured that there is no known risk associated to using our payment service.”
Source: Phandroid
SoundCloud Go now streams to Sonos connected speakers
The number of options for Sonos owners to stream music to their connected speakers continues to expand. SoundCloud announced today that its subscription service is now available on the popular multi-room audio setup. Launched in March, SoundCloud Go is the long-rumored monthly subscription option from the music library that’s been a go-to spot for creators and listeners alike. The service still has some issues to work out, but if SoundCloud wants it to catch on, it needs to offer the option to users in as many places as possible. And that includes working with some of the best speakers on the market.
SoundCloud Go subscribers who already own Sonos gear will be able to get up and running quickly. All you have to do is connect the service inside the Sonos Controller app and you’ll be good to go. If you’ve got those speakers on your shelf and want to give Go a shot, SoundCloud is offering a 30-day trial. Once that first month is up though, expect to pay $10 a month for the subscription ($3 more if you sign up with an iOS device). For that price, you’ll get access to library of 125 million songs, but SoundCloud Go’s interface is a bit clunky as it stands and the song lineup lacks some key selections.
Source: SoundCloud
‘Dead Rising Triple Pack’ brings zombie carnage to PS4 owners
Just in time to get in on the Dead Rising 4 hype and the series’ 10th anniversary, Capcom is rewarding fans for their patience by porting all three of the franchise’s previous entries to both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 13th.
Each port will include all of the add-on costumes previously available, and updated graphics in 1080p at 60 frames per second. The original Dead Rising will be coming to PC via Steam and will also appear on PS4 and Xbox One. Both Dead Rising 2 and Off the Record will only be available for consoles. You can purchase all three in a bundle for consoles as the Dead Rising Triple Pack for $59.49, or you can pick them up separately for $19.99 apiece.
If you opted for a PlayStation 3 back during the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 “console wars” you likely didn’t get a chance to play a Dead Rising game, given its then-exclusive status as an Xbox 360 titles. Cutting through zombies with lawnmowers and whacking into their heads with baseball bats is still just as satisfying now as it was then.
It’s a great time to play through some of the older games now while getting ready for Dead Rising 4, which is poised for a December 6th release on PC and Xbox One.
Via: Polygon
Source: PlayStation Blog
Google Now toying with ‘Explore Interests’ personalization
Google Now automatically caters results to your prior searches, but manual customization of what it serves up is a little clunky. You can either toggle fields of interest on and off in the service’s settings or click a box on cards or news sources to indicate your future disinterest. But now the tech titan is testing out a more active method to tell the predictive service what you’d like to see with “Explore Interests.” Just don’t expect it to come out any time soon, as Google has “nothing to announce” at this time, a spokesperson told TechCrunch.
Initial screenshots provided to Android Police show a standard array of topics in a grid, including Movies, TV, Sports, Stocks and so on. Presumably, the photos suggest, you can delve deep into subcategories to indicate which niches you’re particularly keen to be updated about. There’s also a nice localization feature that shows what topics are “Popular In Your Area.” Whether this is the feature’s final look and feel is unknown, but it’s clear that Google’s looking closer at giving users more control over what topics crop up in search results.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Android Police
BitTorrent offers grants for budding artists
BitTorrent doesn’t just want to rely on ready-made content from big-name artists and well-funded indies to fuel its constant distribution dreams — it’s contributing to the projects themselves. The company is launching the Discovery Fund to give movie makers, musicians and other creators the money they need to get their work off the ground. A total of 25 promising artists will get between $2,500 to $100,000 to help distribute and market their wares. Producers maintain control, BitTorrent’s Straith Schreder says — this is just about finding a “global audience.”
Of course, this isn’t purely act of generosity. The more original material BitTorrent gets, the more chances it has at landing an exclusive (or at least, a first-on-BitTorrent release) that gives you a reason to try out its peer-to-peer distribution technology. It also helps show that the company isn’t just catering to established artists trying to stick it to the system. In theory, BitTorrent is for anyone who has an artistic vision they want to share without handing power to someone else.
Source: Bundle.Media (1), (2)
Instagram could soon be rolling out a ‘Save Draft’ feature
If you’re an avid Instagram user, you know it can sometimes take a few tries before you come up with the perfect post. But as it stands right now, if you back out of a screen in the app, you’ll lose any image edits. Instagram is changing this by introducing a feature you may soon be using extensively: “Save Draft.”
Only a few Instagram users are able to take advantage of the new “Save Draft” option just yet, though it seems additional users are seeing it pop up as the month goes by. Right now the company has confirmed to TechCrunch that the feature is indeed “just an experiment” for right now, but that doesn’t discount it popping back up again in the future as part of an update in the future or something to that effect.
Despite the excitement surrounding the test, it seems that unfortunately drafts aren’t in the cards definitively just yet, but Instagram is watching, and gauging the reaction to them, no doubt. So keep an eye out. It could be happening soon.
Via: TechCrunch
Why the Olympics need GIFs
The 2016 Olympics kicked off last Friday in Rio de Janeiro, and there have already been a slew of exciting moments. But if you were hoping to catch a GIF of, say, Simone Biles’ jaw-dropping floor routine, well, you won’t find it from the media. That’s because the International Olympics Committee has explicitly banned the press from releasing animated GIFs as well as short Vine videos from the event. The idea behind this policy is seemingly to force folks to watch the clip from an official media site like NBC, where people will be forced to watch ads with their sports. But this ban is woefully behind the times.
GIFs are just the latest in a long list of restrictions imposed by the Olympics committee. The media is also barred from using the Olympics logo in header images, while non-sponsor brands are prohibited from associating themselves with the Olympics on social media by using hashtags like #Rio2016 and #TeamUSA. Even words like “Olympian” and “Go for the Gold” would get them in trouble. The reasoning is to avoid brand confusion as well as to dodge so-called “ambush marketing,” where any brand can draw attention away from the official sponsors. While that’s important to advertisers, it doesn’t really affect individuals like you and me — we’re still free to use Olympic hashtags with abandon.
GIF of McKayla Maroney’s vault during the 2012 Olympics
The problem with the GIF ban, however, is that it is indeed about us. By making it harder to spread Olympic cheer with GIFs and Vines, they’re actually reducing the amount of positive press attention they would otherwise receive. The truth is, the less viral content there is, the less likely it’ll get circulated. It won’t appear as often in the press and the story will reach fewer people. Think back to the 2012 Olympics and how much more engaging and interesting the stories were when GIFs were allowed. They allowed the media to highlight important moments in a way that still photos never can.
Plus, it’s not like watching a six-second clip of Michael Phelps doing a flip turn in the pool is going to stop people from checking out the actual race. If anything, it’s actually free advertising. In addition, NBC does post 10-second video clips of certain sporting events on Olympic-specific Snapchat channels — like one of Aly Raisman sticking her landing on the vault. So the concern that social media clips would deter people from watching the actual event seems to ring hollow. Of course, these Snapchat clips are interspersed with advertising, which is why these official short clips are okay. This way they’re making as much money as possible.
The IOC isn’t the only sports entity to clamp down on social media sharing. Last year, Twitter suspended the accounts for Deadspin and SB Nation due to copyright claims by the NFL, the Big 12, the SEC and the UFC for sharing GIFs of associated sports events. FIFA doesn’t allow Vines and GIFs of the World Cup and the Premier League has threatened fans with lawsuits when they’ve posted GIFs. Though these rights-holders do have the power to send off DMCA takedown notices, copyright laws are murky when it comes to GIFs, which could fall under fair use. “Courts are much more likely to find fair use when it’s transformative,” said Andy Sellars, an attorney at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, in a recent interview with the Poynter Institute. “Most cases with GIFs, this would tend to be okay.”
“Fair use is about recontextualizing,” said Patricia Aufderheide, a founder of the Center for Media & Social Impact at American University’s School of Communication. If the GIF is for poking fun at something, or used for commentary, then it’s easier to claim that it’s fair use. Otherwise, it’s not so clear-cut. “You can’t make any blanket statements,” she said.
In my view, the use of GIFs is so widespread that it’s useless in trying to stop its propagation. Even with the media ban on GIFs and Vines, the public can obviously still create and share these clips on their own (We’ve reached out to the IOC to hear what its response to be if the public were to create GIFs and have yet to hear back). The press is also already starting to figure out creative ways to thwart the ban, like creating GIFs of infographics and illustrations rather than of the actual event. Why not just lift the ban in the first place?
The Olympics has already embraced virtual reality in its chase for viewership and a desire to keep up with media trends. It should embrace GIFs too.
Netflix speed test comes to your smartphone
Like the idea of Netflix’s no-nonsense internet speed test? You don’t have to fire up a web browser to try it. Netflix has released app versions of its Fast.com test for both Android and iOS with the same ultra-minimalist vibe as the web version. You only have to start it up to get a sense of whether or not you can play that 4K House of Cards episode. You don’t really need the app, but look at it this way: if your internet speeds are dodgy enough that you’re launching Fast.com on a regular basis, this might save you some precious time.
Via: Android Police, The Verge
Source: App Store, Google Play, Netflix Tech Blog
Refurbished 12.9-Inch iPad Pro Now Available From Apple Online Store
Apple today added refurbished 12.9-inch iPad Pro models to its online store for refurbished products, 10 months after the tablet first became available for purchase.
There is not yet a dedicated section for the iPad Pro in the refurbished store, but iPad Pro models can be seen on the main iPad page by scrolling to the bottom of the site, as was first noticed by iPhone in Canada.
Apple is offering a range of 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, all of which are available at a 14 to 15 percent discount. For the entry-level 32GB model, the discount drops the price from $799 to $679, a savings of $120.
Apple’s refurbished prices quite don’t match some of the lowest prices we’ve seen from third-party retailers who occasionally offer the 12.9-inch iPad Pro at a discount, but it’s close.
Both Wi-Fi and cellular models are available in multiple colors and in 32 and 128GB capacities. Apple is not offering refurbished 9.7-inch iPad Pro models which have only been available for purchase since March.
Apple’s refurbished inventory fluctuates on a regular basis based on available supply, so models that are available today may not be available tomorrow. All of Apple’s refurbished products are tested, certified, and come with a one-year warranty.
Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer’s Guide: 12.9″ iPad Pro (Neutral)
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