Engadget giveaway: Win an Activitè Steel fitness tracker courtesy of Withings!
If you want to ditch those notifications, but still have all that activity tracking data in a unassuming package, consider Withings’ Activitè Steel. This is an all day wearable with a silicone strap and stainless steel casing that’s water resistant up to 50ATM, so swimming and showering are on the menu. It works with the Health Mate app so you can see all your step, running, swimming and sleep stats, but can save data when your phone isn’t along for the ride. Its activity recognition lets you live life as usual without having to tweak settings for specific activities and there’s no charging needed — the battery lasts up to eight months. Withings has provided us with three of these activity trackers for a trio of lucky readers this week, so you can keep an eye on fitness all through the holidays. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning a Withings Activitè Steel!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. Three (3) winners will each receive one (1) Withings Activite Steel activity tracker ($149.95 value each).
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Engadget and AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
- The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
- Entries can be submitted until Dec. 9th at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Adobe Lightroom update makes edits easier on desktop and iOS
Adobe brought true RAW file edits to Lightroom mobile for iOS a while back and now the company is updating the interface to make photo tweaks easier while you’re on the go. First, Adobe redesigned the edit view to make it friendlier for one-hand use. This includes a slider-based UI for making adjustments and putting the tools you use most often, like showing the before and after images, where you you can get at them quickly and with one hand.
Lightroom mobile for iOS also now displays the entire image while you’re editing so you don’t have to use a second hand to zoom out or move around a photo. Adobe also expanded the info section in the mobile app so you can add in details like titles, captions and copyright from your phone. Lastly, iOS users are now privy to the professional capture mode that arrived on Android this summer. That mode enables manual controls for Lightroom’s in-app camera. The company says it spoke with Lightroom mobile users of all skill levels to assess what needed to be changed and this update to iOS version 2.6 is the first to include that feedback.
For Lightroom on the desktop, Adobe added a new Reference View to the Develop Module. This side-by-side look at photos should help when you’re trying to make multiple files look visually consistent. For example, if you have a group of photos for your Christmas card and you want to make sure they all have a similar look, this feature will lend a hand there. Adobe says it also made some changes “under the hood” to improve overall performance for Lightroom.
Updates to both the iOS and desktop versions of Lightroom are now available for download via the App Store and the Creative Cloud app on your computer.
This tiny digestive tracker can tell what food gives you gas
One of my favorite things to eat is cheese and egg on a bagel. But while it’s delicious, let’s just say that afterward we don’t get along so well. Is it the egg? The cheese? I could go to the doctor and find out which and why, but the testing process is long and expensive and still might not turn up an answer. So I just end up avoiding something I love. I’m not alone: Many people end up feeling sick after eating common foods without knowing why, and often restrict their diet out of fear. FoodMarble’s AIRE digestive tracker, available for pre-order starting today, gives users the power to face those fears: It’s a portable diagnostic device with an app that is easy to use, affordable and doesn’t require you to give up entire days to doctor’s visits.
When you visit a gastroenterologist, they’ll try to figure out your issues using hydrogen breath testing. If your body can’t digest a particular compound, like lactose or fructose, the food sits in your gut allowing bacteria to gnaw away at it, producing excess hydrogen. In a breath test, you’re asked to exhale into a bag, from which the doctor takes a sample and injects it into a machine about the size of a toaster oven. Then you’ll have to do it again 15 minutes later. And again. And again, until the hydrogen levels spike, or the doctor is satisfied that there isn’t going to be a reaction. It’s highly accurate but also time consuming.
The AIRE shrinks down that analysis tech into a wafer smaller than a credit card. It has a small mouthpiece on one end. Simply put it to your lips, take a deep breath and blow. The connected app then reports your readings.
To get the most useful information from the device, you need to replicate the basic test you’d be given in a doctor’s office. That involves taking a baseline reading after fasting for a period of time (first thing in the morning before you eat anything usually works). Then, you take one of the chemical packets included with the AIRE and mix the powdery contents with water. Each contains a substance like fructose or lactose — use only the one you want to test for. After drinking the mixture, wait 15 minutes and do the test again. Repeat the breath test every 15 minutes or so, until the app reports a hydrogen spike, or you’re done digesting. This can take up to three hours, though for most it’s only about 90 minutes.
After using up all the packets — which should be done on different days, in order to test the effects of each in isolation — you’ll have a pretty good idea of which substances you can’t digest. And thus, a better idea of what foods you can and can’t eat.
“Better” is not necessarily good or exact, though, which is where the app comes back into play. It not only keeps track of your data, but it can also give you information on how much of a problematic substance is in a given food, even identifying the suspect from a photo. It’s a common belief that dairy contains lactose, meaning intolerant people tend to avoid all such products. But in reality, some foods have more lactose than others. Many cheeses, for instance, have less than one percent while ice cream may be as much as eight-percent lactose. So, while a pizza could make you sick, sprinkling a bit of Parmesan on your linguine may leave you feeling fine. The app will take the guesswork out of that, as you can consult its database before taking from that cheese platter that mysteriously appeared in the office kitchen.
Although it’s tempting to think you’d never need to see a gastroenterologist again, the app can’t diagnose you if you have something more serious like a bacterial infection. But it can point you and your doctor in the right direction by collating a lot of the relevant data — traditional diagnosis usually involves tedious tasks like keeping a food log. The AIRE provides long-term information for the doctor to analyze — and the company has plans to make the data exportable to other health and fitness apps, and maybe even a website where a physician can look up your records.
In addition to making certain conditions easier to diagnose, having patients do such a basic test at home just frees up the doctor’s time for more difficult procedures and more quality time with patients. FoodMarble’s chief medical officer James Brief, a licensed gastroenterologist, likens it to what the home pregnancy test did for obstetricians: The first thing many women do after testing positive is head to the doctor. The test acts like a referral, not a replacement for professional medical care.
As someone who’s waited almost two hours to see my doctor, I certainly appreciate anything that can make office visits more efficient. And anyone who’s ever had digestive problems will love an exam that works on their schedule. The AIRE is expected to sell for $149 when it hits retail, but you can pre-order it now on FoodMarble’s website for a special price of $99, with orders expected to ship in August 2017.
Source: FoodMarble
Red and ‘Snow’ Daydream View VR headsets ship today
In addition to HBO Now support and a ton of new games, Google is finally shipping Daydream View headsets in new colors. Customers in the US, UK and Australia can order the “Crimson” (red) and “Snow” (it depends who you ask) editions of the View from the Google Store. Those that pre-ordered their colorful headset should see their orders ship today.
Neither color comes as a surprise — they were both announced at the headset’s launch — but up until now you’ve only been able to pick up the View in gray. Aside from the now colorways, the headsets are identical to the version that’s been on sale for some time, and appropriately come with the same $79 (£69) price tag. Daydream View is compatible with Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL, and Lenovo’s Moto Z and Moto Z Force.
Source: Google Store
Go full ‘Westworld’ with HBO Now in Google’s VR headset
Just bought a Daydream View? Well you’re in luck, because Google has released a flurry of new apps for its Daydream VR headset.
The headline addition is arguably Gunjack 2: End of Shift. Previously announced with the working title Gunjack Next, Gunjack 2 is the spaceship battling sequel to Gunjack, one of the best-selling VR games to date. Developed by EVE Online creators CCP, the game lets players use the Daydream motion controller to shoot down aerial adversaries, promising daily procedural missions and a cinematic, cut-scene led story.
EA’s popular racing franchise Need for Speed is another notable addition to the gaming lineup. An adaptation of the popular mobile title Need for Speed: Limits, it’s EA’s first full foray into VR, discounting the add-on Star Wars: Battlefront PSVR experience.
Outside of gaming apps, there’s a VR version of popular TV streaming service, HBO Now. As you’d expect, HBO Now on Daydream plasters a 2D image of shows like Game of Thrones and Westworld onto a giant virtual “screen.”
HBO, Gunjack and Need for Speed aside, there’re other titles coming to Daydream today — LEGO Brickheadz, Wands, Underworld Overlord and Layers of Fear, to be precise. In our review of the Daydream View, we praised it for its comfort and great virtual reality experience, but criticized the meager launch app selection. Today’s news goes a way towards making Daydream View a more enticing option.
ITV Hub subscription strips the ads for £4 per month
ITV announced today that it’s adding a premium, subscription tier to its ITV Hub streaming service, following a “successful pilot” on iOS devices. An ITV Hub+ subscription strips the adverts from on-demand content for £4 per month, with other exclusive features planned for paid users. During the holidays, for example, a download option for offline viewing will be added to ITV Hub on iOS.
Launched late last year, ITV Hub is currently available on 30 different platforms, with the Xbox One being added to that list in “the coming weeks.” The benefits of a Hub+ subscription will begin to be seen beyond iOS over the next few months, starting with the browser-based and smart TV versions of ITV Hub. Throughout 2017, ITV is promising to add more personalisation features to the streaming service, as well as increase investment in new original and acquired content.
Via: Digital TV Europe
Source: ITV
Microsoft’s Cortana gets a simpler look on iOS and Android
Every major technology company is obsessed with voice control right now. From Amazon’s Alexa speakers to Google’s new Pixel phones — almost everything has an assistant which you can strike a conversation with. Not wanting to be left out, Microsoft is still hard at work on Cortana for Windows 10 and various mobile operating systems. Today, the company has announced a “fresh” and “simplified look” for the iOS and Android apps which lean heavily on the color purple. The apps are faster than before, and a new Quick Actions section puts your most common requests front and center, such as reminders, meetings and weather summaries.
The new-look Cortana app is available on Android today, ahead of an iOS update “in the coming weeks.” The big makeover is also the first time that both apps have been available in the United Kingdom. Quite why it’s taken so long to cross the pond isn’t clear — the apps have been available in the US for a year now — but they’re welcome arrivals all the same. If you’re fed up with Siri, or haven’t made friends with the Google Assistant yet, they could be worth digging into. Especially if your main laptop or PC is running Windows 10. Microsoft is pushing out plenty of updates over there too.
Source: Microsoft (Blog Post)
Malware infects computers by hiding in browser ad GIFs
Unless you still use Internet Explorer (and please don’t do that), you probably don’t have to worry about new malware discovered by Eset researchers. However, the Stegano exploit kit shows how adept hackers have become at slipping infected ads past major networks and then hiding the malware from discovery. It’s been operating stealthily for the last two years and specifically targeting corporate payment and banking services.
The attack starts with javascript-infected ads for a “Broxu” screenshot app and, ironically, “Browser Defense,” pushing them into large ad networks, where they appear on major news sites seen by millions of users. “We can say that even some of the other major exploit kits, like Angler and Neutrino, are outclassed by the Stegano kit in terms of [the quality of] websites onto which they managed to get the malicious banners installed,” the team said.
So how did they escape the powerful anti-malware tech used by big ad networks? Once the ad is served, it runs a custom, cloaked javascript that runs an environment check. It’s checking to see if you’re running virtual machines or other environments typically used by security researchers. For those cases, it serves up a clean image, but for vulnerable machines, it serves up a special GIF file, caching data within the “alpha,” or transparency channel.
As shown above, the image looks perfectly normal to the naked eye. When enhanced, though, you can see a pixel pattern that secretly contains malicious QR-like code. Another script scans, extracts and runs the code using a known Internet Explorer vulnerability, then checks the machine again for packet capturing, sandboxing, VMs and other security-enhancing products. It also checks the graphics and security drivers to confirm it’s running on an actual PC.
From there, it loads a 1-pixel iFrame off the screen and redirects via a TinyURL to a new exploit site. The landing page checks for the presence of Internet Explorer and loads a Flash file that contains another Flash file. The latter can serve up one of three exploits, depending on the version of Flash that it finds. To check, it passes information back to the server, encoded again as a GIF file. The server passes back a code to denote one of three Flash vulnerability exploits, along with the required password shell code to download the final payload.
It does yet another check for certain file types to ensure it’s not being snooped on by a security analyst. If nothing is detected, the payload is downloaded and launched. From there, you can be infected with a backdoor, keylogger, screenshot maker and video maker. At that point, thieves can steal any file, and as mentioned, they’ve been targeting the banking sector and probing for weaknesses that would presumably allow them to steal or extort cash.
All of that seems pretty elaborate, but it apparently paid off. “The Stegano exploit kit has been trying to fly under the radar since at least 2014,” the team says, and until now, no one spotted it (there’s no word of any successful exploits, though). All of this could be avoided by by “running fully patched software and using a reliable, updated internet security solution,” the Eset researchers say. (Eset sells just such a product, naturally.) And of course, by not using Internet Explorer in the first place.
Source: ESET Security
Starbucks locations are now ‘Pokémon Go’ Gyms or Pokéstops
We knew a Starbucks collaboration with Pokémon Go was on the way, but now it’s official. Niantic, the developer of the massively popular augmented reality game, revealed today that around 7,800 Starbucks coffee shops in the US have been turned into Gyms or Pokéstops. Aside from this, since these are sponsored locations after all, trainers can also pick up a special Pokémon Go Frappuccino drink. And, just like you can do at Sprint stores now, you’ll have access to a charging station too.
Whatever you do, remember to be aware of your surroundings while you’re trying to catch ’em all. Because you never know who may be creeping on you. That’s no joke.
Source: Niantic
HTC launches its own VR app and game studio for Vive
HTC spun its Vive VR business into a subsidiary back in June and today the company announced it’s launching its own studio for VR app and game development. The appropriately named Vive Studios will release games that are developed in-house and by other companies in an effort to boost interest in its virtual reality gear. The first title from the new initiative is called Arcade Saga: a trio of games that shows off HTC’s room-scale VR from the internal 2 Bears Studio.
According to Venture Beat, HTC plans to operate Vive Studios much like Microsoft and Sony do for their internal development of Xbox and PlayStation titles. Oculus also has internal studios, one focused on games while the other creates cinematic experiences for the company’s gear.
In addition to games, Vive Studios is working on virtual reality content for cinema, design, real estate sports and more. We’ve already seen uses for the Vive outside of gaming, including BMW employing the tech to design new vehicles. The internal development arm will also build games for HTC’s VR arcade push, an initiative the company says will lead to “thousands” of locations by the end of next year.
In terms of the first release, Arcade Saga is available today for $30 on Steam and the HTC Viveport store. Based on the trailer, Arcade Saga looks two-thirds a modern VR version of Breakout and one-third an archery-style shooter. The title’s three mini games include 84 levels where you’re playing as your computer’s CPU in a battle against the AI henchmen of a computer scientist who goes by Warlock. The so-called Overlords want to keep all AI, like your CPU, enslaved and working as they were intended. It’s a rather elaborate setup, but you can take a look at the game in the trailer down below.
Source: Venture Beat
AIVAnet 