Android laptop dock Superbook delays shipment four months

If you wanted a Superbook for Valentine’s Day, prepare to be disappointed.

Superbook — the dock to turn your Android phone into a full-fledged laptop — has pushed its February shipping date back to June. To make things up to disappointed backers, Superbook is giving them lifetime coupons for future Superbooks and covering all customs and VAT taxes for international backers.

Superbook was yet another Kickstarter that went way beyond what they were expecting, and having to escalate your production scale gave the Superbook team a good reason to refine their design a little. While we appreciate them taking the time to get things right, many backers are understandably upset at the delays.

In a vast field of delayed crowdfunded projects, a four-month delay is actually pretty low, compared to projects like ZNAPS which have been delayed for almost a year.

T-Mobile touts its network size, strength headed into 2017

Going extra magenta in the new year.

T-Mobile is ending the year the way it started it: pumping up its own network and not-to-subtly throwing shade on the others. Under all the bluster, there are a few things to take away.

For all the 5G hype going on — from mobile networks and manufacturers alike — we’re still a long way off from any kind of significant 5G roll-out. T-Mobile accepts this, but is committing itself to being ready for 5G so that it can roll it out faster and better than the competition.

Well, gigabit LTE sounds great.

As far as current network technology goes, T-Mobile is still the only network with the technology to reach 1Gbps on its current LTE, though it did do it on an “un-released handset.” It’s a promising test, but it remains to be seen just how well this gigabit LTE will hold up, especially once it’s more than one test unit connecting to it.

One more note worth mentioning refers to T-Mobile now covering 313 million people (not to be confused with actually serving that many people), just barely being edged out by Verizon. You might not think a single million separating them is much, but once you translate that million into the rural areas they live in, that 1 million turns into a few good chunks on a map. Chunks not a lot of people live in, but important nonetheless.

What’s in Andrew’s 2017 gear bag?

Each tradeshow marks a revision in the status of our gear bags. Here’s what mine looks like early in 2017.

The editors here at Android Central get a lot of work done on the road, and that means we’re always looking to have the best gear available in our bags so we can bring all of the best coverage to folks back at home. When we’re getting ready to gear up for a big show like CES, it’s a perfect time to double check the setup and get everything in order before we fly out.

Here’s what I’ll be carrying to Las Vegas this year, and for the most part it’s what comes with me any time I leave the house and need to get work done while I’m out.

The bag: Timbuk2 Classic Messenger

I picked up my Timbuk2 Classic Messenger (size large) nearly two years ago, and I’ve been very happy with it as both a daily carry bag and for travel needs. The handful of pockets inside make it easy to find a place for my essential gear, while the separate laptop compartment keeps my computer safe and I can use the rest of this cavernous bag for anything else I need.

The bag can go anywhere and take a beating.

Most days I have the external straps tightened down, which collapses the bag for a slimmer profile since I don’t have much to carry. But you can also loosen those straps out and fit a weekend’s worth of clothing and gear or a full set of camera equipment for a day of shooting. The versatility of the big open bag is great, even if I’m carrying the same things most of the time.

Oh, and you just can’t beat Timbuk2’s warranty, particularly if you have a store where you live. You’ll never have to worry about being caught without a bag or being charged for replacements if manufacturing-related issues arise.

See at Amazon

Also inside: Timbuk2 Snoop Camera Insert

Because I use this bag for photography gear on a regular basis, I also invested in a “Snoop” camera insert; and I went for a medium size for my large bag so that I have extra room for non-camera gear.

This is a fully-contained zip-closed camera container with two movable dividers and a soft cloth interior that can easily hold my camera, two extra lenses, cables, batteries, and usually for me a couple more phones. It has a handle on it so you can quickly yank it out of your bag, and because it’s self-contained it means I can quickly turn my messenger back into a standard carry-all bag in a snap.

See at Amazon

And finally: Peak Design Capture Camera Clip

The Peak Design Capture Camera Clips came as a recommendation from several people, and I just don’t carry a camera without it anymore. It’s a simple and secure way to mount your camera on a bag strap or belt, letting you quickly remove the camera for shooting and then clip it back on the bag until you need it.

No more camera swinging around your neck from a strap, and no more stashing it in your bag where it’s hard to reach. This thing is absolutely crucial for trade shows, but I’ve started to use it when I’m traveling for vacation as well.

See at Amazon

The laptop: MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (13-inch)

When Apple refreshed its laptop lineup in the Fall of 2016, it was finally time for me to let my 2012 MacBook Air go and move to the new model.

There have been plenty of complaints about what’s wrong with the new MacBook Pros — many of which I agree with. Yes I miss MagSafe. Yes the lack of USB-A ports is annoying. Yes it’s expensive. Yes the battery life can be a little finicky. But that being said, I’m still overall happy with the laptop.

It isn’t the laptop for every power user, but it’s great for me so far.

The screen is absolutely gorgeous, the power on tap here (I have a 3.1GHz Core i5 and 16GB of RAM) is immense, Touch ID is a great addition and it’s actually a smaller overall package than my four-year-old MacBook Air. After just a couple weeks I’m already in love with using USB-C to charge from any of my myriad wall chargers and battery packs. I’ve already gotten used to typing on this extra-shallow keyboard, and the non-clicking trackpad just isn’t an issue.

Is the new MacBook Pro a dream machine for every professional and power user out there? Hardly. But it’s more machine than I need (even without maxing out the specs or getting a 15-inch model) in terms of internal hardware, and fits my needs very well as someone that most of the time relies on a laptop as my primary machine and travels upwards of 100,000 miles a year.

See at Amazon

The phone: Google Pixel XL

For the first few weeks after the launch of the new Pixels I regularly bounced between the standard model and the XL depending on how I was feeling, but for travel there XL is really the only option here. The bigger screen and extra battery are crucial for long days with lots of screen-on time and bad wireless signal.

The camera on the Pixel XL is still proving to be fantastic, and Google’s software is still stable and quick even a couple months on. (You may also notice my Places Live Case … it’s working a bit better than before, so I’m keeping it around for the time being.)

See at Google Store

The carrier: Project Fi

My move back to using the Pixel and Pixel XL has let me get back to an extended period of using my preferred carrier, Project Fi. Sure it’s a little on the spendy side in terms of raw price-per-gigabyte, but I love the consistency of the service and the extra flexibility afforded by its use of three different networks and Wi-Fi for calling.

You can’t beat the simplicity and billing transparency of Project Fi.

The transparency of Project Fi in how it bills you and refunds for unused data is fantastic, letting me seamlessly use a large amount of data one month and then go back to using less than 2GB the next with no fear about changing plans or managing data buckets. My average Fi bill was $48 per month over the past 10 months, and that included a $160 monthly bill coinciding with my trip to Berlin for the IFA trade show (so. much. tethering.).

And as I regularly travel internationally I really appreciate how things stay exactly the same when I’m abroad. It’s a real shame that Project Fi is limited to just Pixels and Nexuses, but when I’m using my Pixel there’s no other carrier I’d prefer to use.

The other phone: Galaxy S7

The Galaxy S7 is always a great backup device for me, and at times I pick it up as a primary as well. Despite being more compact than the Pixel XL it has really solid battery life, and of course has a great screen and wonderful camera. Lately I’ve been using it running the Android 7.0 beta from Samsung, which has proven to be surprisingly stable.

See at Amazon

The carrier: T-Mobile

I’ve had a personal T-Mobile line for several years now, and it’s the SIM that lands in my secondary phone when I’m using Project Fi on my Nexus (now Pixel) over the past couple of years. Though T-Mobile is hardly the scrappy underdog anymore, I still appreciate the service and simplicity I get from the carrier on my Simple Choice North America plan — which means I can go to Canada and Mexico and use my phone just like I do at home.

I’m not sure I’d feel the same if I had to pay considerably more per month on one of its new “T-Mobile ONE” plans, particularly considering I’d have to get the high-speed tethering data add-on, but right now I’m still happy with my T-Mobile line.

The camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mk II

This is now my third successive Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera, and the OM-D E-M5 really shows the best of what this format of camera can offer. Just like my E-PL1 and E-PL5 before, the E-M5 Mk II gives me fantastic images from a really compact camera. Interchangeable lenses are great, the addition of a viewfinder is welcomed and the extra dedicated buttons and knobs compared to the lower-end model are useful.

Perhaps the nicest thing about these cameras is just how “point and shoot” they can be if you don’t have a need for tweaking extra settings. In “Auto” mode with a prime lens it’s tough to take a bad shot with the OM-D E-M5 Mk II, and that’s super useful when you’re in a tradeshow setting crowded in a group of people in bad lighting. I never feel like I need to manage my camera.

See at Amazon

And lenses

While the OM-D E-M5 Mk II is a great camera with its 14-42 mm kit lens, it turns into an entirely different experience with a good prime lens on it. Olympus’ own 25 mm f/1.8 lens (a 50 mm equivalent for a full-frame sensor) is my go-to lens and it’s absolutely fantastic. It’s extremely fast and bright, meaning you can go into point-and-shoot mode and never miss a shot, even in bad lighting. Whereas you have to work a bit with the kit lens, you don’t even have to think about it with this prime.

See at Amazon

Micro Four Thirds lenses tend to be dramatically less expensive than their counterparts from the likes of Sony, Canon and Nikon, which is really great. I often carry a 14-150mm for longer shots and a 12mm f/2.0 (okay, $599 is a bit steep, but it’s fantastic) for some video shooting as well.

Other gear and accessories

I wear in-ear headphones as I travel to and from airports, but when I step on a plane I need to have noise-cancelling technology to block out the world around me. I’m still using the AKG N60nc noise-cancelling on-ear headphones , and they’ve served me well on flights of all lengths. Because the arms articulate a lot they’re comfortable on my ears even though they’re an “on-ear” rather than generally more comfortable “over-ear” design, even on long flights. The noise cancellation is good, the battery life is great and I like that they charge up over USB rather than having a replaceable battery. They don’t offer Bluetooth — and for that reason I’m constantly tempted by the Bose QC35’s — but they’re compact and continue to serve me well.

Flat tangle-free cables are the only way to go.

Since I’m carrying a USB-C phone and Micro-USB phone, I’m doubling up on cables. My messenger bag now always has a three-foot USB-C cable and a three-foot Micro-USB cable — I’m using tangle-free cables from Ventev in this case, which let me have two different colors so I can quickly differentiate between them. I’ve also been carrying around a OnePlus USB-C cable, which is rigid, nicely winds up and stays in place with a little strap.

No matter how long I’m traveling for I bring the same wall charger: an Anker two-port unit that offers Quick Charge 3.0 tech on one port and up to 5V/2.4A on the other. It’s just small enough (with a foldable plug) that it’s not a burden to carry around in my bag every day, and the extra power output — a total of 31.5W — with the flexibility of two USB-A ports is necessary for me. This is a great charger to power up everything I travel with.

A battery this small means I can always carry it with me.

Anker also makes my current favorite daily carry battery pack, the 10,000 mAh Power Core Speed 2. When it comes to mobile battery packs I just want the most capacity in the smallest package, and this one is just impressively tiny considering its 10,000 mAh battery. It’s smaller than some of my old 5000 mAh batteries, and even though it only offers one USB output that’s considering how easy it is to have on me all of the time. My only wish is that I could get one that charges over USB-C (which would then also offer two outputs at the same time) — perhaps Anker will update it soon.

We’re often doing video voiceovers and podcasts while we’re on the road, and for that reason I always carry my handy Samson Go Mic. This little USB-powered microphone is really small and has sound that’ll blow away any laptop microphone or lapel mic, making it a perfect companion for the road.

So that’s what inside my bag when I travel. Have any comments or thoughts on what you carry and how it differs? Shout out in the comments!

What I learned from watching my family try virtual reality

The holidays are a great excuse to use your family as guinea pigs for new technology.

This year, I put my family and friends in the virtual reality hot seat with Google’s Daydream View. I loaded up my really blue Pixel XL (I’m obligated to remind you of that in every mention) with apps like Hello Mars, Evil Robot Traffic Jam, and the BBC’s The Turning Forest. I didn’t see my phone for about six hours, but I did make sure to take a few moments to study everyone’s reactions.

Kids are always first

Almost every parent at our holiday family gathering asked if their kid could have a go at the Daydream View. I obliged, of course, and made sure that everyone had the safety talk and the basics down before leaving them alone with the headset. This is exactly why I never had access to my phone — the kids were crazy about virtual reality and wouldn’t give it up!

Kids don’t care about hardware limitations.

The kids didn’t seem to mind the hardware limitations, either. At one point in the evening, the Pixel kept crashing during Hello Mars. I had a suspicion it had to do with the fact that the phone was scalding because of prolonged use, so I put it aside in a cool, dry place for a while. The kids could barely stand it, though; as soon as I turned my back, the phone was back in the Daydream View headset, doing its thing.

I also noticed that the View’s remote helps exponentially at keeping a person engaged. Virtual reality is more immersive if you can interact with it, and that coupled with a pair of headphones is certainly why the kids were so into it— much longer than recommended. It also kept them occupied enough so that the parents could enjoy a glass of wine on Christmas Day.

Socializing is a bigger priority

Yes, this is a total “no duh,” but I think it’s worth remembering if you’re planning to bring all of your Cool New Tech to the next major gathering. It’s not that VR is devoid of interactivity, but when people who are close haven’t seen one another in some time, the last thing they’re itching to do is pop into another reality.

As VR devices become more commonplace, it’s likely they’ll become a part of the party.

I want to give credit to those at my family’s Christmas gathering who took the plunge to check out what Daydream was about. However, I don’t fault those who weren’t interested, either: virtual reality still carries the stigma of being a solitary experience, so why would anyone be interested in jumping into that at a social event? Virtual reality makers, like Google, are aware of this preexisting notion and are working on fostering positive social experiences for the platform. As VR devices become more commonplace and more households adopt the technology, it’s likely that it’ll become a part of the party, but until we get there, it’s still just a one-person experience.

Makeup is hard to wear in virtual reality

It’s hard to don Daydream View with a fully made-up face — that was the biggest complaint from the ladies who emerged from the virtual world with a fresh “virtual reality” face. I’m still figuring out how to lessen the impact of having a thing strapped to your face and I promise that when I do, I’ll share the good news.

Did you show off virtual reality to the family this holiday? What were their reactions like? Tell us in the comments!

The year of Yahoo’s undoing

It’s not often that we’re able to quantify the crappiness of a particular year, but Yahoo’s 2016 was so tragic that it ended with a hefty, widely publicized price tag: $1 billion.

That’s the size of the discount that Verizon requested on its purchase of Yahoo, just three months after the $4.83 billion acquisition went public. That deal (and the discount) is still in the works, and it’s expected to close early next year, but Verizon clearly feels it has the upper hand in negotiations. And, after Yahoo’s year of hacking disclosures, government spying and security issues, it’s easy to see why.

In September, Verizon admitted that hackers had stolen sensitive information from at least 500 million Yahoo accounts in late 2014. Compromised info included “names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords (the vast majority with bcrypt) and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers.”

At the time, the Yahoo hack was considered the largest data breach in history, and the company’s protracted silence on the matter only perpetuated claims that CEO Marissa Mayer didn’t prioritize security. Yahoo blamed a state-sponsored attacker, but even that is in question, following an investigation by security company InfoArmor that found for-hire hackers were involved.

Yahoo has yet to explain why it waited two years to inform customers about the massive data breach. However, with a Verizon sale looming, it’s clear why executives decided to air their dirty laundry when they did, rather than be outed by the vetting process.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer (Image credit: Simon Dawson / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Just weeks after admitting to the 2014 hack, Yahoo found itself wrapped up in another scandal involving stolen information — but this time it was accused of aiding a cyberattack against its own customers.

On October 4th, Reuters reported that Yahoo had cooperated with US government requests to scan all incoming messages for hundreds of millions of Yahoo Mail accounts in 2015. The report claimed Yahoo built custom software to help the NSA and FBI search for specific information in the collected emails. This apparent cooperation with government officials was in direct opposition to the hard-line anti-surveillance stance held by Google and other major technology companies.

The next day, Yahoo sent out a statement saying, “The article is misleading. We narrowly interpret every government request for user data to minimize disclosure. The mail scanning described in the article does not exist on our systems.”

The New York Times followed up with news that Yahoo was attempting to comply with a secret court order made under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and that it had modified an existing malware-scanning system for government use. Soon after, three former Yahoo employees claimed the scanning program was embedded deeper in the company’s systems than first cited; they said it was enabled via a module attached to the Linux kernel itself. Additional reports claimed that Yahoo’s security team under former head Alex Stamos had shut down the system as soon as they discovered it.

Yahoo didn’t help matters when it disabled automatic email forwarding in the midst of public uproar about its surveillance practices, effectively stopping exasperated Mail users from leaving the service. A few days later, mail forwarding was reinstated alongside a sterile and half-convincing statement about scheduled maintenance.

Vacancy at Yahoo (Image credit: Schill / Flickr)

And then, like an especially bleak chapter in A Series of Unfortunate Events, things got even worse for Yahoo. In the middle of December, the company announced it had been the victim of another, even larger cyberattack back in 2013. Yahoo confirmed that hackers stole information from more than 1 billion accounts, including “names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords (using MD5) and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers.” Yes, more than 1 billion accounts.

If the 2014 Yahoo breach was the largest cyberattack in history, the 2013 hack blew that record out of the water. Yahoo shared a blog post about the issue, but no executives stepped forward to offer context or comfort for concerned users.

It was and remains difficult to discern the truth behind the spying situation, the hacking campaigns or any of Yahoo’s smaller recent missteps, considering the company’s continued silence on its scandals. However, ignoring these problems doesn’t make them disappear. In early October, before news of the 2013 hack went public, Verizon was already trying to negotiate a $1 billion discount on its acquisition, according to the New York Post. In fact, the entire sale could be in jeopardy.

This is how Yahoo will be remembered in 2016: as a company that remained silent as the walls around it crumbled. Though the year hasn’t been entirely horrible for Yahoo, repeated missteps in security and communication have already cost the company its reputation. By early next year, these ill-fated decisions could end up costing stakeholders much more. Like $1 billion more.

Check out all of Engadget’s year-in-review coverage right here.

The US is preparing to modernize its nuclear weapons systems

The United States has not updated its nuclear weapons program in decades, but in February President Barack Obama allocated more than $1 trillion to the modernization of the country’s nuclear stockpile. Perhaps he got tired of hearing jokes about servicemen using floppy disks to activate missiles, but regardless of the catalyst, the US is preparing to create a brand new nuclear weapons system that includes connecting its missiles via a secure network. In 2017, 50 men and women on the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board will be tasked with figuring out what could go wrong in this brave new world, Defense One reports.

The board’s chair, Dr. Werner JA Dahm, tells Defense One that a number of the US’ nuclear systems need an update, including the B-21 stealth bomber and the nuclear-armed cruise missile known as the long-range standoff weapon, or LRSO.

“These systems are going to be quite different from the ones that they may replace,” Dahm says. “In particular, they will be much more like all systems today, network connected. They’ll be cyber enabled.”

A connected nuclear system presents new challenges in terms of safety and security, potentially creating new ways for bombs to accidentally deploy or otherwise become compromised. The Air Force Scientific Advisory Board will dissect these possibilities and attempt to provide solutions before the upgrade process begins in earnest.

Dahm tells Defense One the Air Force wouldn’t conceptualize new nuclear systems without first outlining ideas for addressing security or “surety” concerns.

“You have to be able to certify that an adversary can’t take control of that weapon, that the weapon will be able to do what it’s supposed to do when you call on it,” Dahm says. “It isn’t just cyber. That’s definitely the biggest piece, but … when was the last time we built a new nuclear system? Designed and built one? It’s been several decades now. We, as an Air Force, haven’t done certification of new nuclear systems in a long time. These systems are different. … What are the surety vulnerabilities for such a system, so to speak? How would you address them? How would you certify that the system will work when you need it to work and will do what it’s supposed to do?”

The US nuclear program took center stage this month after President-elect Donald Trump said he wished to expand the country’s nuclear capabilities.

“Let it be an arms race,” he said. “We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all.” This stance flies in the face of nearly 40 years of international nuclear disarmament agreements, laid out in the interest of avoiding global catastrophe.

Source: Defense One

Drones and RC kayaks offer fresh views of the ocean

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography has gotten a few more tech upgrades. Scientists aboard research vessel Sally Ride recently tested a pair of drones and a remote control kayak in an effort to get different views and readings of their subjects.

For the former, the Institution launched a drone tethered to the Sally Ride via a 100 foot cable that transmits power and enables the craft to stay in flight indefinitely. Perhaps more exciting though is the untethered UAV. Its range is about a kilometer and it can even “tether” to the research vessel so long as the GPS signal between the two stays synced. This allows the drone to follow behind the boat, among other functions. What’s more, it transmits live video to the operator, too.

Future plans for the R/C kayak (above) include kitting it out with all manner of oceanographic sensors, but for now it’s only sporting a GoPro, lights, a comms array and battery packs. The Institution says that eventually it’d use the kayak to take measurements at distances where the main ship (the Ride, in this case) wouldn’t cause any types of interference.

In addition to all that, the kayak is outfitted with a 7-horsepower engine and built-in modes that can turn the motor off and restart it. Onboard software also keeps track of speed, altitude and other variables. For a peek at both the drones and the kayak in action, check out the embedded tweets below.

Video from a @Scripps_Ocean #drone coming in for a landing on R/V Sally Ride. More details in a blog post tomorrow https://t.co/xTsTibNb3h pic.twitter.com/5oZxRAtBGT

— R/V Sally Ride (@RVSallyRide) December 25, 2016

Video from onboard the @Scripps_Ocean remote controlled kayak deployed from R/V Sally Ride https://t.co/K1bq7jcnbp More details coming soon! pic.twitter.com/NYQfV2JR6E

— R/V Sally Ride (@RVSallyRide) December 23, 2016

Source: Scripps Institution of Oceanography (1), (2)

The iPhone 7 may not be selling as well as Apple hoped

Traditionally, new iPhones sell pretty well in their first few months — often outperforming the previous model’s sales during the same quarter. That might not be the case with Apple’s latest handset: according to Nikkei, sluggish sales are forcing the company to cut back production of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices. Based on data received from suppliers, Nikkei expects Apple to slow stock production by about 10 percent.

Apple saw an early sign of this reported slowdown in March, when its Q2 earnings showed that while iPhone 6S upgrades were outpacing the previous year, they still weren’t up to snuff with sales from users who upgraded to the iPhone 6 is 2014. It’s too early to say if the iPhone 7’s slower sales are enough to make it the company’s first device not to outsell the previous model, but we’ll know soon enough: Apple’s next quarterly earnings are set to drop sometime at the end of next month.

Via: AppleInsider

Source: Nikkei

2016’s hacks, attacks and security blunders

Just when we thought things couldn’t get worse than 2015’s security and privacy disasters, the asshole known as 2016 came along to trample and pee on any hope we had left for a hack-free, secure future. This was the year Hollywood hacking scare-fantasies like War Games started to feel uncomfortably real. Yay…

This lovely year, our government used Tor exploits, the UK passed its terrible Snooper’s Charter, our TSA failed at cyber, the FBI got its hacking powers expanded, and the Shadow Brokers tried to sell NSA secrets. But it’s the stories below that shaped this year in hacking and cybersecurity. They may have even had a hand in changing the course of history for the free world.

All for nothing

All it takes to get the FBI’s panties in a bunch is for someone to say “no” — and bunched they became when the agency wanted to get into an encrypted iPhone related to the San Bernardino shootings. The FBI wanted Apple to build a custom version of iOS with a backdoor. Apple said it not only wouldn’t, but couldn’t break the phone’s encryption for the case, because it would essentially break encryption on every other iPhone. This turned into a knock-down drag-out fight both in Congressional testimony and in the press. Everyone had an opinion, and the encryption debate became a vitriolic and emotional squabble. Eventually, the FBI picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and ponied up $1.3 million for an exploit that allowed them into the phone.

An unhealthy diagnosis

When the Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital had its files held hostage in February by malware demanding payment, the digital plague known as ransomware finally got everyone’s attention. While not the first emergency service organization to fall victim to these extortion schemes, the hospital’s predicament highlighted the direness of the situation. The hospital was at a standstill with its systems responsible for CT scans, documentation, lab work, pharmacy functions and electronic communications all out of commission. Staff relied on pencil and paper; it was reported that radiation and oncology were temporarily shut down. The hospital eventually paid the ransom and got their files unlocked, and no one was harmed as a result of the disruption (that we know of). Still, it demonstrated just how fragile the systems our lives depend on have become.

Ocean’s 15 is going to be boring

The SWIFT bank heists are the stuff blockbuster films are made of. That is, if we wanted to watch George Clooney sit at a computer mashing keys for about 1,000 hours. In April, hackers swiped $81 million from Bangladesh Bank thanks to a flaw in SWIFT international banking software. A bank in Vietnam was also hit with the same technique, to the tune of $1 million. Then May saw another round of SWIFT-related bank robberies, when hackers snatched $12 million from an Ecuadorian bank. Most of the attacks targeted Australia, Hong Kong, the UK, the Ukraine and the US, and they probably won’t stop anytime soon. It’s now believed a second group is targeting banks using the same methods, again using malware to cover its tracks via SWIFT.

Offshoring accountability

There was one big hack and dump that actually felt like it wasn’t done with completely evil intentions. That was the Panama Papers leak, in which a boatload of offshore tax haven records were released to the public, via a handful of global news organizations. The offshore money laundering firm Mossack Fonesca provided tax-avoidance services mostly to the rich and despotic, who wanted to stay technically within the law but needed to cover their unethical tracks. The resulting scandals prompted the prime minister of Iceland and FIFA ethics committee member Juan Pedro Damiani to resign. Former UK Prime Minister David Cameron had some fessing up to do; leaders of Sudan and Azerbaijan, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko were also named in the papers. China’s government went on damage control and demanded reporting on the Papers be stopped, after the family members of eight Communist party elites were shown to have dealings with offshore companies.

Leave Britney alone

Throughout the year, one group managed to ruin the day of many CEOs, companies, and celebrities: social media extortionists extraordinaire, OurMine. Grabbing usernames and passwords from breach dumps, finding famous names, and seeing if the credentials still work isn’t exactly the work of hacking masterminds. But OurMine has made headlines time and again with this very simple formula. Big names on the ‘hacked by OurMine’ list include Katy Perry, Marvel, Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Sundar Pichai, Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer, AOL’s Steve Case and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. They proved that even the people who should know better reuse passwords, and companies aren’t doing a good enough job at telling users to change their passwords after a breach. Though, we can note with a small amount of dark amusement that one of their recent victims is Sony… who you’d think would know all about password and security hygiene by now.

What’s the opposite of security?

If there was a contest for getting embarrassingly hacked and being the worst at user security, Yahoo surely became the reigning queen of 2016. In fact, they won the race to the bottom so hard this year, the company may be hanging onto the crown for years to come. When Yahoo revealed in September it had been hacked in 2014, just after its sale began to Verizon, the truth started coming out. That incident affected a jaw-dropping 500 million Yahoo users. Turns out this was only one of the intrusions Yahoo failed to tell us about, because this month it revealed that it was hacked again, in 2013. This time, it took the crown for the biggest exposure of customer records and credentials, ever — with over one billion accounts coming up pwned in a years-long compromise. Yahoo always had a tough slog when it came to staying afloat, but this year we found out that it really sucked at everything. But most especially security.

When your DVR is a honeypot

There was only one way this year could get worse when it came to hacking, and of course, it happened. Insecure IoT devices were leveraged via the Mirai Botnet to take out about half the internet when PayPal, The New York Times, Pinterest, Spotify, Twitter and many more sites went offline in October. WikiLeaks said it was all about them, everyone blamed Russia, and IoT hackers pretty much just rolled their eyes. The attackers did all this by exploiting the stupid decisions of “smart” appliance companies who left backdoors and default passwords in things like connected cameras and DVRs. The Mirai Botnet incident was only a partial use of the gigantic implanted malware bot-army, so that’s just great. It certainly served as a warning — albeit too late — about security neglect in manufacturing, and just how fragile our internet economy and communications really are.

Like D-Day, but for drama

In July, president-elect Donald Trump invited the Russians to hack us in a very specific way… and they did. So weird, right? They even went the extra mile for him by taking down his Democratic opponent with a series of hacks (and subsequent leaks, via WikiLeaks) that may have swayed the election in the bad hombre’s favor. It was the world’s most painful lesson in cybersecurity. John Podesta got owned through bad advice encouraging him to click a phishing link, and every US state panicked about the vulnerability and hackability of its voting machines. The result has been an ugly, rolling-downhill cyberwar with Russia, pitting the incoming president against the White House and most governmental organizations who believe Russia fucked us over — while Trump defends the 400-lb hackers who made him look good. And not just by physical comparison.

Images: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images (iPhone); Shutterstock (Yahoo); REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration (Mossack Fonseca)

Boston is the latest city to allow self-driving car tests

You can add Boston to the list of places where autonomous vehicles are being tested legally. Rather than trials on the city’s, ahem, interesting street layout, company NuTonomy will start small, beginning at the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park on January 3rd, according to The Boston Herald.

If you’ll remember, nuTonomy is operating a self-driving taxi service in Singapore. The test vehicle is a Renault Zoe — one of the models it uses for autonomous taxis — but that’s where the similarities end. The Herald says there aren’t any plans to offer a similar service in the city just yet. For now, it’s just working out the kinks on a small section of land in South Boston before going broader and onto bigger, busier streets.

As the publication notes, Massachusetts has become somewhat of a hotbed for autonomous-vehicle research. Currently, Toyota, Audi and local startup Optimus Ride are in various stages of testing their wares. Why’s that? According to Tufts University robotics professor Bill Messner, it’s because of how difficult the area can be to navigate.

“Boston is in fact one of the most challenging places to test. [The] No. 1 [reason] is weather and No. 2 is the crazy street layout we have,” he said.

Considering that nuTonomy’s Singapore service recently suffered its first at-fault collision, hopefully the Southie trials don’t end prematurely. The industrial park (Google Maps) doesn’t have any traffic lights, but there are apparently areas with commuters and bike lanes — the latter of which caused some issues for Uber in San Francisco.

Via: The Verge

Source: The Boston Herald